"Are you still awake?"

Sorey looked up from the Celestial Record, wholly unaware of the dark circles that had begun forming under his eyes. "Huh?" He replied blearily.

Mikleo rested one hand on his hip and gave Sorey a half-hearted glare. Of course he would be half-asleep reading again; whenever Sorey got his nose in a book, it was as though time lost all meaning to him. "It's almost two in the morning," Mikleo said. "Go to bed already."

"But you're still up!" Sorey protested.

The young water seraph rolled his eyes. "I don't need sleep the way you do, remember? The Celestial Record isn't going anywhere, Sorey. You can read it some more in the morning."

Several more excuses and a mug of hot chocolate later, Sorey was reluctantly in bed and asleep. Mikleo let out a sigh; Sorey really could be a handful sometimes. He swore the boy would get into a lot more trouble if he weren't around to reign him in before it was too late, but he didn't mind. Sorey was the most important thing in the world to him, after all, even long before they'd decided to move to Ladylake.

Mikleo gently closed the bedroom door (he had to lift it a certain way so it wouldn't get stuck on the frame; Sorey had figured out that trick shortly after they'd finished moving in) and headed to the kitchen to finish up a few more chores before he got some rest himself. He could join him once he'd cleaned up all the bowls Sorey had used up and subsequently scattered about the living room while he was preoccupied. Their apartment didn't come with a dishwasher, so they had to clean all of the dishes by hand. Mikleo didn't mind it much; it gave him something to do and-

Frowning, he turned the knob next to the faucet a few more times. No water came out. It wasn't broken again, was it? He didn't even hear or otherwise sense any water running in the pipes. Did Sorey...? The young seraph cast a weary glance at the bedroom door before shaking his head and placing the small stack of bowls in the sink anyway. It was certainly more convenient to just use the sink the way it was intended, but with no running water, he'd have to cheat this a little bit. At least artes made it go by a little faster.

He was just finishing up and drying off the first bowl when he heard footsteps on the balcony. Warily, Mikleo summoned his staff, stepping slowly towards the window. Crime wasn't exactly common in Ladylake - not with vigilantes like the Scattered Bones running around - but that hardly meant there weren't still thieves seeking out the perfect place to rob. From where he stood, he saw no one on their balcony. On the building across from theirs, however, a shadow of a person stood on one of the unoccupied balconies. Mikleo couldn't make out any particular features other than the fact that they seemed to be quietly watching him. He shuddered; were they staring into the apartment itself, at the dishes that seemed to be washing themselves...or could they actually see him?

By the time Mikleo got the window open and peered outside for a better look, the stranger was gone without a trace. He looked around, seeking some sign of her presence, but it was too dark to really see anything. As much as he tried to dismiss it as just his imagination, he couldn't deny that he really did see someone there. No sooner than the thought crossed his mind did a sudden pang of nausea wash over him, and he closed the window firmly. He hadn't told Sorey yet, but being in the city tended to take a toll on him. So long as the two remained close to one another, though, he felt fine. He never really was sure why, but didn't think to question it too much, either. In a way, Sorey seemed to look out for Mikleo just as much as Mikleo looked out for Sorey, even if he wasn't aware of it.

Just to be on the safe side, Mikleo closed the blinds before heading back to his chores.


There was a spare room upstairs that had no windows and only a single door. It was a perfect meeting room for the Scattered Bones, aside perhaps from the fact that it was a little dimly lit and could get a little stuffy. The twins ended up installing some extra lighting, and several summers ago, someone had set up a fan for good measure.

Everyone was ready and waiting for Rose when she got there, in uniform and eagerly awaiting her report. Good. That would save her plenty of time. "He put up a fight, as usual, but I got him to talk before he got away."

"What'd you get out of him?" Eguile asked.

"Only that he did this as a job for someone else," Rose said. "I got him to mention something about earning a bounty, but I couldn't get anything else before he escaped."

"So someone's paying him to do their dirty work," Talfryn remarked. "It's not like Lunarre to take up petty thievery, even for pay. Whoever hired him for his job must've been offering him a lot of gald."

"Do we have any leads on who his client is?" Rosh asked.

Rose shook her head. "Only whatever's in that sack. What've we got?"

All heads turned to Rosh. His expression was stern, but laced with confusion as he picked up the bag and set it on the table in the center of the room. "Books," he explained. "Lots of them."

It was enough to make her pause. If Lunarre had taken valuables or other oddities, that would narrow it down to several obvious suspects she'd been eyeing for some time. But books...?

"What's his client want with a bunch of books?" Felice asked, echoing Rose's thoughts.

"I know one way to find out." Rose opened up the sack and peered in. Rosh wasn't kidding; there were a ton of books inside, enough to make Rose wonder how Lunarre could carry something so heavy while running from them. Some of the books had price tags attached to them, while others had seen varying degrees of use. She opened up the cover of one of the used ones, her eyes narrowing in thought as she found a library card pocket glued to the front cover. Most of them were hardcover, while some appeared to be paperback. There were even a few fancier ones (especially among the used ones) that had leather covers or gold leaf. But all of them had something in common: the cover was almost always a dark red; and there was a stylized, decorative gold symbol on the front, be it printed somehow, embossed, or made of an actual metal. Rose had little interest in literature, but she'd lived in Ladylake long enough to recognize it anywhere.

"They're all copies of the Celestial Record."

There were a few sounds of surprise from the others while Rose examined one of the fancier copies more closely. As she did, a few puzzle pieces clicked into place. Alisha had mentioned trying to track down a book and having trouble to do so, and Sorey had talked about patrons having some similar troubles at the library. Lunarre had to be the one responsible for it all, or at least the copies in the bag. Still...

"What would anyone want with so many copies of the Celestial Record?" Felice asked. "You'd think one would be more than enough."

Rose shook her head. "I don't think his employer just wanted something to read. They wanted every single copy; and they were willing to hire Lunarre, of all people, to do their dirty work." Warily, she looked back up at the other vigilantes. "I dunno about you guys, but I get the feeling that there's something big going on here."

The look on everyone's face spoke volumes of their shared anxious agreement: This was no mere theft. Someone either wanted this book all to themselves, or simply gone. And while Rose was hardly the history fanatic that Sorey was, she knew that the Celestial Record held a lot of historical and cultural importance, even if a lot of it was just fairy tales. For someone to try and take away something like that could only mean that there was something sinister afoot. If only she could figure out what...

No. Whatever it was, she couldn't let that happen. The Windriders may have had their names tarnished, but the Scattered Bones were still here to protect the city, and that was precisely what she would do. Rose shook the dark feelings from her mind and she stood upright. "We can investigate on this some more when we're all rested up. For now, let's figure out who all these books belong to and get 'em back home. Rosh, I want you and Eguille to mind the shop for the rest of the evening and tomorrow. Felice, Talfryn, you'll be returning these books back to where they came from. I'll be doing some of my own investigating. If anyone finds out anything, let the rest of us know as soon as possible."

Rose's resolve was contagious as always, and the meeting ended almost as quickly as it began. It was getting late, so Rose opted to head on up to her room, firmly closing the door behind her and flopping onto her bed. She let out a groan of frustration; she'd hoped whatever this mess was turned out to be a weird anomaly, but of all things, it ended up being bigger than anyone thought. She briefly considered skipping her outing with Sorey in favor of investigating, but considering his connection with the library, maybe she could get some leads out of him via cleverly-guided seemingly-casual conversation. The break would help keep her nerves intact, too, despite the presence of Sorey's invisible companion.

As though summoned by her passing feeling of paranoia, a breeze blew through her room. Rose shivered, sitting up and glancing at the window. Still open, no matter how many times she closed it. Maybe the lock was broken? Nonetheless, she stood up and shut it again. No sooner than she sat back down did she hear a click as it nudged open once more. Rose glared at the window. "Fine," she grumbled. "Stay open, see if I care!"

Another breeze blew through, as though mocking her. She ignored it, opening up her laptop. She really needed to get her mind off of this right now..

knightofladylake has logged in.
mabocurrybuns: FINALLY
mabocurrybuns: i swear ur never on whenever i wanna talk to u!
knightofladylake: My apologies, Rose. Preparing for the festival has kept me very occupied.
knightofladylake: You seem to be missing quite often lately, as well. Is the shop getting busy?
mabocurrybuns: lol u have NO IDEA
mabocurrybuns: i guess u cant meet up with me and sorey and mikleo tomorrow then huh?
mabocurrybuns: were gonna go to the mall and hang out
knightofladylake: I'm afraid I can't. With the Sacred Blade Festival this close, my hands are tied.
knightofladylake: Sorey is stopping by tomorrow to lend me his copy of the Celestial Record, though. Perhaps you could come with him?
mabocurrybuns: dont u have a copy of that old book tho?
knightofladylake: Yes, but it seems to have gone missing. I must have misplaced it.
knightofladylake: I sent Miranda to fetch a copy from the library, but all of them have already been rented out, it seems.
knightofladylake: In addition, none of the bookstores seemed to have a copy, either...
knightofladylake: ...Rose? Are you still there?
mabocurrybuns: sry i got distracted
mabocurrybuns: that really sux tho :((( i hope u find ur copy soon
mabocurrybuns: i mean i dont care abt all that history stuff but i kno how important it is to u
knightofladylake: Thank you, Rose.
mabocurrybuns: but yeah ill swing by w sorey and mikleo
mabocurrybuns: even tho he still gives me the CREEPS
mabocurrybuns: hes not that bad i guess
knightofladylake: Sorey mentioned that Mikleo is the only seraph in Ladylake. He hasn't seen or met any others.
mabocurrybuns: GOOD
mabocurrybuns: can u IMAGINE how creepy it would be if there were MORE?
mabocurrybuns: like
mabocurrybuns: there could be one standin in my room RIGHT NOW and i wouldnt kno bc i cant see them or anything
mabocurrybuns: nooooot a fan of having more of them around tbh
knightofladylake: I can't imagine it would be all THAT bad...
knightofladylake: I know some local legends seem to portray them as troublemakers, but Mikleo has been nothing but kind-hearted to all of us.
knightofladylake: There's still a lot about Seraphim that we don't know. A lot of it has been lost to history.
knightofladylake: The only things we really have to go on are the old legends that speak of their great power and benevolence, and how they used to fight alongside the Shepherd.
mabocurrybuns: thats what the festival is all about right?
mabocurrybuns: that old ceremony thing where the shepherd would draw the sacred blade and stuff?
knightofladylake: Yes.
knightofladylake: I didn't know you had developed an interest in local folklore, Rose.
mabocurrybuns: lol nah
mabocurrybuns: sorey never shuts up abt it so if i know anything its because of him and mikleo
mabocurrybuns: anyway imma go 2 bed im SUUUUPER tired from today
knightofladylake: I think I will head off as well. I'll see you tomorrow, Rose.
knightofladylake: Good night!
mabocurrybuns: night alisha!
mabocurrybuns has logged off.
knightofladylake has logged off.


Aegis has logged in.
Aegis: Good evening, Mikleo. Shouldn't you be in bed at this hour?
twin-flow: You again?!
Aegis: Me again.
twin-flow: What do you want?
Aegis: Just checking in. As usual.
twin-flow: You're really starting to annoy me.
Aegis: I know. But this is what you get for making stupid decisions.
twin-flow: What are you talking about?
Aegis: You would know what I was talking about if you listened to me in the first place.
Aegis: Instead, here you are, acting like I'm some kind of creeper when I'm just trying to help you.
twin-flow: That's because you've done nothing but act dubious from day one.
twin-flow: You keep messaging me and saying you're just checking on me, you know WAY too much about me and Sorey, and you don't even bother telling me anything about yourself!
twin-flow: How is that NOT supposed to be suspicious?!
Aegis: It's only suspicious you let it be suspicious.
Aegis: I don't even want to be contacting you. Not like this, anyway.
Aegis: But I don't have much of a choice. You can't exactly use a phone, can you?
Aegis: A seraph's voice wouldn't go through.
twin-flow: How do you even know I'm a seraph? Most people don't even think they're real!
Aegis: That's a shame. Because seraphim ARE real. VERY real.
Aegis: More real than a lot of people think.
twin-flow: What are you getting at?
Aegis: Is it not obvious yet? My bad. I wasn't aware I had to spell everything out for you.
Aegis: When are you going to use your brain?
twin-flow: When are YOU going to give me any straight answers?
Aegis: Sorry. This is the way it has to be.
Aegis: Don't worry, though. You'll figure it all out eventually.
Aegis: Again.
Aegis: Anyway, be careful tomorrow. The city's a dangerous place, you know.
twin-flow: You don't have to warn me. I'm not a little kid.
Aegis: Could have fooled me.
twin-flow: If you really are concerned, you've sure got a funny way of showing it!
twin-flow: Who are you, Aegis?!
Aegis: I've told you a million times. I'm someone who's TRYING to look after you.
Aegis: You ungrateful brat.
twin-flow: I can handle myself just fine.
Aegis: And what about Sorey? How long do you think you can keep him safe?
twin-flow: Leave Sorey OUT OF THIS!
Aegis: Too late. He's already a part of this. A huge part.
Aegis: Always has been. Always will be.
twin-flow: What?
twin-flow: What do you mean, he's already a part of this?!
twin-flow: What's going on?!
Aegis: Don't bother asking me. I'm not going to explain that, either.
Aegis: Sleep tight. Don't let the hellions bite.
Aegis has logged off.