Nathaniel had followed that girl as his brother had said... the one with the long blond hair and pale complexion... the one that reeked of lavender and dirt. Pandora, so she called herself, but for some reason Nathaniel knew she was lying... a stage name. She had gotten her grubby paws onto a most precious family heirloom. For what?
The girl had brought Nathaniel all the way out to the beach, almost giving him no where to hide. Luckily, he'd changed his cloths, looking the part of a Beachcomber, a tribe that predominately fished off the coast and traded to others. Even so, this tricky little wench walked to the very edge of the coast.
The people she met up with were unlike anyone he had ever seen. The Bulldogs had alliances all up and down this city, even in a few cities over. Their faces were painted, giving them the impression of walking skeletons. Each looked the same, sporting the same jet black dread-lock hairstyle, ripped up black trousers and safety-pinned yellow Lycra shirts.
"You get what we asked for?" Asked one that seemed to resemble a leader. He was the only one with red tears underneath his eyes.
"Only if you swear to do what I said before."
"The wind has ears." He had looked around, as if he knew that Nathaniel was lurking around the bend. "We know what we have promised you."
"Good." Inside her bag, Pandora had grabbed the hatbox out of her burlap sack, opening it with as much care as Fang had. With Zoot's goggles sitting on both of the palms of her hands, she held it out for the man to grab.
He hesitated for a moment. No sound could be heard, except for the excessive wind blowing in Nathaniel's ears and the waves breaking against the sand. Then, with the most delicate hands a man could have, he took the item from Pandora. He turned it around in his hands a couple of times, as if he was actually questioning the authenticity of the artifact. "How do I know it's real?"
"Would I lie?" Pandora asked. Her tone was even, not a hint of emotion in it. Her eyes were piercing daggers. "I risked my neck for this. It's real."
The kid bowed his head in her direction, and she bowed back, then they were on their way.
But Nathaniel wasn't through yet. He now knew why this girl wanted Zoot's goggles (though not fully understanding), but it was still a mystery as to where she came from. With quick and quiet feet, Nathaniel followed her all the way to the city, right to the Mall. "Little trollop..." It was almost too easy for Nathaniel to follow her and find out her lies. A Mallrat. Fang and Nathaniel's mother had been a Mallrat, but soon parted with the tribe after they were born.
"Oh dear brother," Nathaniel's smile cracked his face as he rubbed underneath his chin in pure satisfaction. "The stories I have for you."