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Post by Malcolm on Aug 19, 2020 20:53:35 GMT -6
Yoru looked as though he were about to speak, then faltered, glancing around. "M-Maybe we shouldn't..."
Malcolm caught his drift immediately, and led the boy off a ways, until they had gotten a fair distance from the docks themselves. If the information could be of a sensitive nature, then it was good sense not to divulge it too closely to the scene.
Once they had put some distance between them and the docks, Yoru gave his report on what he had managed to find out. "Hmm," said Malcolm, when the boy was done. It wasn't a complete picture, but it was a good start. He mulled over the information for a moment, decided on which leads to follow up on, and who to slip a few subtle inquiries to next time he was about town. "You did well," he said, ruffling the boy's hair. It was a difficult gesture to manage on someone as small as Yoru.
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Post by Malcolm on Aug 19, 2020 20:54:29 GMT -6
But Yoru was practically glowing, and either didn't seem to mind or actively was enjoying being patted like a dog. No, Malcolm decided, he himself had never been this eager, even when he had been young. But a boy who was desperate for praise and affection was easy for him to manipulate, so it wasn't necessarily a bad thing either.
The two of them didn't return for a couple of days. Malcolm made his own inquiries in the meantime, and managed to narrow down their suspects to one particular ship. From there he had formulated a plan, one that involved Yoru's assistance. The boy was the only reliable pawn he had at present to take with him on those jobs particular or sensitive enough that he had to go in person... Though bereft of contacts as he was in this city at present, he did find himself having to do more work than he was used to.
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Post by Malcolm on Aug 19, 2020 20:59:32 GMT -6
Fortunately this one only involved a little... night time boating. Well, for Malcolm, anyway. Yoru was the one who would be doing more of the work, sneaking aboard the ship once Malcolm got them close enough, and pushing the relevant crate overboard once he found it. A lot of work for someone so small, but he had puffed out his chest and claimed he could do it; and if he had the confidence, then Malcolm was content to let him try. It saved Malcolm a good deal of hassle if Yoru could manage it.
And so Malcolm's own task was simply to wait in the right place at the right time. The ship hadn't yet set sail, so it wasn't difficult to have his little paddle boat sitting right alongside it in the dock, awaiting a drop-off from an enterprising Yoru.
Of course, he still did have to keep watch.
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Post by Malcolm on Aug 19, 2020 21:04:58 GMT -6
It would be no good if they got caught now, right when they were about to get what they were looking for.
Malcolm kept one eye on the ship itself, and another eye on the surrounding dock area. But fortunately, luck was on their side; before he spotted anyone, he heard a muffled 'thunk'; a moment later, a small blur sped down after it.
Wordlessly, Malcolm glanced down at the crate and then back up at Yoru, who nodded. Mouthing the word, 'good', Malcolm rowed them a ways away before pulling in at a different, smaller dock to unload their cargo. It wasn't light, and frankly he was rather curious as to how Yoru managed to budge it... But he had been around this long, and he had lived with his own size all his life. Malcolm was sure he had his own ways to get around his limitations in that regard.
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Post by Malcolm on Aug 19, 2020 21:08:52 GMT -6
As soon as they managed to move the chest to a safe enough location, Malcolm inspected it. He didn't feel anything like a trap, and so after a little work he managed to get it open. There was no sense in lugging something all the way back home, or to the Dusty Scroll, if it was just a dud or a decoy.
But no, there they were, just as the twins had described them: the missing books. "Well, well, well," Malcolm said.
"Did we do it?" asked Yoru, his whispered voice nonetheless brimming with curiosity.
"That we did," Malcolm replied with a smile.
They would return the books in the morning, and no doubt collect some small reward. And if the perpetrator caught wind that they had become involved and tried to make things more difficult for Malcolm... Well, he would cross that bridge when he came to it, he supposed.
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Post by NPC on Sept 3, 2020 14:15:40 GMT -6
Congratulations, you have successfully completed the quest! Your QP will be added to the bank and your reward sent out shortly.
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