~~000~~
Tales of the Multiverse Bit 242
"Heeelp..."
Crusher the Highland Goat, Kouta Fujiki, Marcus Reservoir, Sharpshooter Jane, Soaphie Lapislazuli, and Sora Aozora were taken aback by a feeble plea for help, causing them to look up and spot Owen Brannons stuck on a tree branch.
~~000~~
Later in the day, the group reached the city's flower shop known as Lovebloomery, where an individual awaited their arrival.
The figure is a young man with a tall stature, he had a muscular build and a light-brown complexion, he had a short brown hair and he had a green-colored eyes. He wears a gray t-shirt underneath a black apron, black pants and red sneakers. This is Stephan Lersch.
Flower Shop Owner
Stephan Lersch
"Good afternoon, sir." Chrys Heart greeted, "My name is Romace Co-" she stopped when she realized something, "I mean, Officer Chrys!" she corrected with a light blush, "Of the Lovebloom Police." she furthered, "And this is the DAN Army from Neo-City's Heroes Coalitions, and my partner, um, Romance Detective." she introduced herself and everyone.
Ninja Dave Bauza leans towards Brick McArthur, "Come to think of it, we never know what the detective's real name is." the cookie-making ninja whispered.
Brick nodded in agreement, "Indeed." he replied.
"We've come for the stolen vase." Romance Detective claimed.
"Yes, where is it, so we can get this things over with!" Dan demanded, "Because we had a nerdy-moron to fish fry!" he declared while referring to Lupin McLupin.
Despite Dan's rude outburst, Stephan let's out a relaxed smile, "Yes, I have it right here." he replied before presenting them the stolen vase.
Mandy Rosal then checks the vase, "It's the real thing." she claimed in confirmation.
Chrys inquired about the mysterious appearance of the item, "How did it end up here?" she spoke up.
Stephan, with his arms crossed, responded, "I honestly have no clue." he answered, "But as soon as I realized it was stolen, I made the call." he stated.
Romance Detective questioned, "So someone just dropped it off here?" she uttered.
Honne Nohotoke tilts her head, "That's pretty strange." she chimed in.
Elise Pearson thought about it, "Yeah, what kind of thief would leave stolen goods in this shop?" she questioned, "Unless it's part of some elaborate plan." she pondered.
"Like what?" Chris Pearson asked.
"Maybe to frame someone else for the theft, like Stephen here." Elise suggested.
Denton "16 Years Old" Gibson nodded in agreement, "That's a possibility." he acknowledged.
Stephen thought for a moment before replying, "I don't think I have any enemies here who would do that." he claimed, "It's strange that it wasn't here this morning, so someone must have left it when I wasn't looking." he commented, "The thing is, only regular customers came in today, mostly sweet older ladies who wouldn't do something like this." he shared.
"We require a roster of names." Romance Detective requested.
"Absolutely." Stephan acknowledged, "Since this is an official investigation, correct?" he pointed out, "I'll take care of that for you." he said before walking off.
"Such a nice guy." Shuuhei Shinozaki commented.
"And very cooperative, too." Isamu Oohori added.
Chrys then turns to her partner, "Detective..." she called out, "... our task was simply to retrieve the vase." she reminded.
"We need to identify the perpetrator, Romance Cop." Romance Detective reasoned.
"Are you serious?" Trixie Lulamoon uttered in disbelief, "Is this about the thief calling themselves "Romance Thief"?" she pointed out, "You must be joking." she exclaimed.
"Cool it, Trixie." Kafuu Kalawaiʻa advised.
"Do you honestly believe that some sweet old ladies would break into an art museum?" Chrys inquired.
"We can't dismiss that possibility." Romance Detective replied.
Dan shrugged his shoulders, "Fair point, I mean, it's plausible." he acknowledged, "There's an elderly man in Neo-City who acts as a hero despite his age." he mentioned while receiving nods from his team.
Chrys nodded in agreement, "That's true..." she uttered out loud.
Suddenly a young figure ran towards them and bumps into Chrys, "Whoops!" she quipped while watching the figure ran their way outside the shop.
"Hey!" Dan shouted, "Watch it, you nimrod!" he exclaimed while waving his fist.
"Be more careful..." Chrys trailed, "Ahh, that kid is already gone..." she furthered, "... kids are so fast." she remarked in surprise.
"I didn't even sense that kid's presence..." Romance Detective muttered.
"Well, you're not psychic, are you?" Chrys questioned, "I mean, I didn't notice that kid was here either." she confessed.
"Same here." Chris chimed in.
"Ditto." Brick added.
"I did!" Honne claimed surprising everyone.
"Really?!" Denton squawked, "How come you never told us?" he asked in disbelief.
"Well..." Honne trailed, "... that kid was just standing in one corner and is doing nothing, so I ignored them." Honne explained with a smile.
"Your vision is truly remarkable, even when your eyes are closed all the time." Mandy complimented.
Stephan returned, "Apologies for the delay, I couldn't locate a pen..." he expressed in apology, "... but here's the list for you." he presented and then handing them the list to which Elise accepted.
"Thank you, sir." Chrys expressed in gratitude, "We'll return the vase to its rightful owner." she declared.
"And by owner, we mean that museum." Dan added bluntly with a blank expression.
"Best of luck with the investigation, everyone." Stephan replied with a smile.
Bzzzttt...
Later that evening, after returning the vase to the museum and speaking to everyone on Stephan's list, the group has now gathered in the streets.
"That was everyone on the list..." Chrys trailed, "... and all of them had pretty solid alibis." she remarked, "So I guess we're back on square one...'' she said with a sigh.
"We can't give up yet." Romance Detective encouraged, "We'll find the thief." she declared.
"Yeah, don't give up!" Dan chimed in, "Like we're not giving up until we find that nerdy-moron again and beat the crap out of him." he exclaimed by smashing his fist together.
"You're still after that guy?" Elise questioned, "Then again, after what he did, Lupin does deserve Dan's wrath." she acknowledged.
"Glad that we agreed with one thing for once." Dan mused.
"Yeah and it scares me." Chris replied with a nervous look.
"Or rather, you won't stop until we do, huh?" Chrys thought, "I'll call the chief and give her an update about our investigation." she said as she reaches out for her radio only to find it gone, "Wait, where's..." she trailed.
"What's wrong?" Mandy asked.
"My radio is missing..." Chrys uttered in confusion, "That's odd..." she commented.
"Weird actually." Trixie quipped.
"When did you last have it?" Romance Detective asked.
"Hmm..." Chrys hummed out loud, "The chief told us to go pick up the vase..." she recalled.
"That was back in Lupin's garage." Trixie pointed out.
Chrys nodded in confirmation, "... and I don't remember using it after that." she recalled, "Maybe I dropped it during the investigation." she assumed.
"You dropped it?" Dan uttered in disbelief, "You're much of klutz as monkeyface here." he commented while jabbing his thumb at Chris whom is staring at the moon for some reason.
"Let's retrace our steps then." Romance Detective suggested.
Chrys shook her head, "No, I'll look for it on my own." she replied, "If I can't find it, I'll just drop by the station in person." she stated.
"Are you sure you don't want my help?" Romance Detective asked.
"I appreciate the offer but this is my own fault, I'll take care of this." Chrys replied with a smile, "Anyway, it's getting late." she pointed out, "Let's call it a night." she suggested.
"Love never rest...'' Romance Detective replied.
Trixie puts a hand on her face, "Oh my goodness." she grumbled in disbelief.
"Indeed but humans require rest to operate efficiently." Chrys reminded, "We'll resume the investigation tomorrow." she declared.
"... I suppose I'll agree, just this once, since we're working together." Romance Detective responded.
"Oh!" Chrys squawked in surprise, "Am I no longer the subordinate?" she asked..
"Looks like we're still stuck in that dynamic." Denton quipped, eliciting a few chuckles.
Romance Detective nodded, "We'll reconvene tomorrow." she stated.
"Alright, goodnight everyone." Chrys bid farewell.
And with that, they all went their separate ways.
Bzzzttt...
Everyone regrouped at the cafe the next morning for breakfast, and with Dan in the group, it only means one thing... pancakes.
"I can't believe you actually convinced the owner of this shop to make us pancakes." Elise grumbled in disbelief.
"By 'convinced,' you mean threatened the owner with a crowbar." Chris clarified with a spoonful of pancakes.
"You can't have breakfast without pancakes!" Dan exclaimed.
"Only to you!" Trixie retorted.
Mandy groaned loudly, "My diet is in jeopardy." she grumbled.
Romance Detective was taking a sip of her coffee when Chrys entered the cafe and made her way towards them as she took a seat.
"Good morning, Detective and good morning, everyone." Chrys greeted.
"Morning, Chrys." Honne greeted back with a smile.
"You look tired." Romance Detective pointed out.
"Yeah, didn't you get enough sleep?" Brick asked in concern.
Chrys let out a yawn, "I was out pretty late..." she trailed, "... I never found my radio." she shared.
"If you had allowed me and everyone to aid your search." Romance Detective reasoned.
"No, no, it's okay," Chrys reassured, "The chief is pretty understanding." she shared, "She gave me a new one this morning." she explained.
"Did she gave you a new gun?" Dan asked bluntly.
"Dan!" Elise scolded.
"What?" Dan whined, "It's just a question!" he reasoned.
Chrys sighed in response, "No, Dan, she didn't give me a new gun, in fact, I don't even have one to begin with." she explained.
"Then..." Ninja Dave trailed, "... what else do you have?" he asked.
"A police baton and a taser." Chrys answered.
"Not lethal but still deadly." Denton quipped.
"Listen, Romance Cop." Romance Detective spoke, "You can always ask for our help any time." she beckoned.
"O-Oh, okay, I'll keep that in mind, sorry," Chrys stammered in acknowledgement, "The detective always acts so aloof but it seems like she was worried about me." she thought, "Why does that make me feel kind of happy?" she questioned before shaking her head, "Whatever, I need to focus on the case." she beckoned to herself, "So what should we do about the investigation?" she inquired, "Do you think the man from the flower shop left someone off the list?" she assumed.
"Is that so?" Kafuu inquired.
"Possibly." Romance Detective acknowledged, "We might as well pay him a visit." he proposed.
Chrys nodded in response, "Let's go ahead and do that." she said in agreement.
Chris, with a mouthful of pancakes, spoke up, "Can we finish eating these pancakes first?" he requested.
Chrys, noticing the abundance of pancakes on the table, much to ther surprise, "Wow, that's a lot of pancakes!" she exclaimed when she realized something, "Wait a minute, this cafe doesn't even serve pancakes!" she recalled, "How did this happen?" she asked.
"Dan." everyone responded simultaneously as Dan waved his hand.
Chrys sighed, "Figures." she mumbled.
"Seems like Chrys is slowly getting used to Dan's behavior." Oohori commented.
"Ah, yeah." Shinozaki uttered in agreement.
Bzzzttt...
The group continued their walk down the streets with Romance Detective and Chrys leading the way towards Stephan's flower shop.
Out of the blue, the detective's radio crackled to life, "Romance Detective, come in!" a voice called out.
Startled by the unexpected voice, Romance Detective snapped in response, "Who's there?!" demanded.
"Heheh..." the voice cackled, "... don't tell me you've forgotten me already?" it assumed, "We met at the flower shop yesterday!" it reminded.
"You're that kid!" Romance Detective exclaimed upon realization.
"The one who bumped into Chrys yesterday..." Brick chimed in, "... that was you?!" he exclaimed.
"I'm not just any kid!" the voice argued, "I am the Romance Thief!" they declared in introduction.
"It's definitely the kid." Denton confirmed with a blank look.
"So, you're the one who took my radio?" Chrys said out loud, "I searched all night for it!" she complained, "I even got scolded for losing it!" she added, "You owe me an apology and my radio back!" she expressed her disappointment.
"And if I don't?" Romance Thief mocked, "What are you gonna do, send me to my room?" they added, "Finders keepers, losers weepers!" they taunted.
"Oh, you'll be the one weeping once we catch you!" Dan threatened.
"Dan, are you seriously going to threaten a child?" Chris asked with horrified looks.
Romance Detective groaned, "Romance Thief, what do you want now?" she inquired.
"You returned the vase I stole, so I took your radio to send a message." Romance Thief answered, "Stop interfering with my plans!" they demanded.
"Taking Chrys' radio won't stop us." Mandy pointed out.
"Why are you doing all this?" Chrys inquired.
"It's all for love, can't you see?" Romance Thief replied.
"For the love of God, really?" Denton exclaimed in disbelief.
"Are you just imitating the detective?" Chrys questioned.
"I am the Romance Thief!" Romance Thief insisted, "I won't be outsmarted by anyone!" they claimed.
"Then you won't mind if we interrogate you." Romance Detective suggested.
"What does that entail?" Romance Thief asked nervously.
"We'll strap you to a chair, shine a light on you and make you confess." Dan listed off with a grin.
"Dan, that's enough!" Elise scolded.
"What?!" Romance Thief exclaimed in fear.
Romance Detective stated, "Please disregard him." she beckoned, "I have some inquiries for you." she claimed.
"I-I-I was aware of that..." Romance Thief stammered, "I just..." she trailed, "... I simply didn't catch what you said the first time." they claimed, "F-Fine..." they conceded, "... it doesn't matter how many questions you ask because you'll never catch me anyway!" they asserted.
"Our suspect seems to be willing to cooperate..." Chrys trailed, "... let the questioning commence!" she announced.
"An interrogation over the radio..." Trixie blurred, "... I've now seen it all." she remarked with a blank expression.
"Why did you take the vase?" Romance Detective inquired.
"A-As I mentioned I did it for love..." Romance Thief stammered in response, "... the rest is none of your concern!" they exclaimed.
"It seems she's not going to easily explain herself." Chrys uttered in concern.
"What do you hope to achieve from any of this?" Mandy asked.
"That's a secret..." Romance Thief replied with a pause.
"She hesitated." Ninja Dave pointed out.
"I believe we should consider a different strategy..." Chrys proposed.
Brick nodded in response, "Romance Thief, you're still a child, correct?" he inquired.
"S-So what?" Romance Thief questioned, "Age doesn't matter when it comes to stealing, right?!" they retorted.
"That may be true for some..." Kafuu remarked.
"No, stealing is wrong regardless of age!" Chrys scolded.
"As my partner mentioned." Romance Detective pointed out, "Stealing in the name of love..." she trailed, "... there will be consequences." she declared.
"The way you phrased that, it sounds like dialogue from a magical girls show." Denton observed.
"Haha!" Romance Thief cackled, "You can't intimidate me!" they taunted.
"I will educate you on respecting the essence of romance!" Romance Detective declared.
"How about starting with teaching her to respect her elders first?" Trixie remarked.
"Just be gentle, Detective." Chrys advised, "She's still a child." she reminded.
Romance Detective nodded in response, "Where are you, Romance Thief?" she inquired.
"Duh, the musue-" Romance Thief replied before pausing, "N-Nowhere!" they squawked, "I'm not telling!" they protested.
"You all heard her." Chrys spoke up, "Let's head to the art museum!" she beckoned.
"Nooo!" the voice wailed.
And so, the group hurried towards the art museum, this time to apprehend the thief.
A/N: Inspired from someonestupED, damnlastwords, Jamesdean5842, Hope the Victor and Ace Neptune. All OCs and concepts not created by moi were given permission for me to use by it's respected creators.