I own none of the characters you recognize in this fic. The. End.
This was the second time Victor Getz had been employed to find someone's child, but this time he had the thief lord on his side. Earlier that morning, just as Victor was finishing his coffee, there was a sharp knock on the door. He had grudgingly gotten up from his comfortable chair to answer the front door. The client at the door turned out to be a woman, and one who reminded Victor just a bit too much of Mrs. Hartlieb for his taste.
"May I help you?" he asked, trying to be polite, despite this woman's appearance.
"I've lost something, and I'd appreciate if you would find it for me." The woman pushed past the detective into the house, although she hadn't been invited. Victor was left, stunned, by the still open door, so preoccupied by the onslaught of memories that bombarded his mind that he almost didn't notice Scipio bounding up the steps, home from his visit to Ida's house.
"What have we here?" the former thief lord asked his partner as he stepped through the doorway.
"Client," Victor said faintly while trying to pull himself together.
"You all right, old man?" Scipio asked, his tone joking, but real concern showing in his brown eyes.
"Fine," Victor replied. Scipio patted his friend on the shoulder and walked into the house.
"Hello," he heard Scip say in English, "how may we help you?"
"Well you see-," Victor stopped listening as he walked into the small kitchen to get a glass of water; he had decided that after nearly a year Scip deserved a chance to handle a case on his own. A few minutes later Scipio walked into the kitchen holding a photograph in his hands.
"What have you got there?" Victor asked, gesturing to whatever the sixteen year old was holding.
"Our next case," was the reply. "It seems that Mrs. Connors has lost her daughter, Harmony."
Harmony Connors raced through the confusing maze of narrow streets and alleys that made up the city of Venice. She was currently being chased by the carabinieri, the Venetian police, and didn't intend to get caught. Her long, red hair streamed out behind her like a cape and green eyes glinted wickedly from a pale heart shaped face.
She made seemingly random turns, glancing back only once or twice to gauge the location of those pursuing her. The stolen loaf of bread bouncing against her hip. All at once Harmony stopped, turned around, and disappeared.
"Well, do you think you can find her?" Victor asked calculatedly, peering at Scipio questioningly.
"Yes…., in fact I think I may know where she is right now." What that thought said, the teenager got up from his chair and strode out the door, leaving no time for Victor to ask where he was going, or when he'd be back.
Scipio headed swiftly toward his destination, the heels of his boots clicking against the sidewalk. Just for old time's sake he slipped on the mask he used to wear. The long, curved birds beak