It was dark by the time Maggie and Max left the children's home. Evening fell early this time of year, and they'd wandered the premises for a couple of hours, asking various children if they knew Dagger. Several of them responded with wary yeses, stating that they had known her when she was at the home, but had no idea where she was now. With every resident they encountered, Maggie became less afraid of Yasmin's whereabouts being revealed. It wasn't like Yasmin had had any friends in this place—everyone had been scared out of their wits by her. Once she left, no one would have tried very hard to find out where she'd gone.

"I'm hungry," Max commented as they stepped out into the chilly fall air. "You wanna go grab a bite to eat somewhere?"

The offer was more tempting than Maggie would have liked to admit, but her mind had latched onto the memory of the bird figurine at August Pawn, and she couldn't stop obsessing over it. It had already been over a week since she'd first seen it, so it was either still there or not, and a couple extra hours probably wouldn't make much of a difference. But she didn't want to take the chance.

"I should probably be getting home," she said grudgingly.

Max eyed her in surprise. "Who do you live with? I don't think I've ever asked you."

Maggie inwardly cursed. Of course he would ask that. He knew her parents weren't in the picture anymore, and that no relatives had stepped forth to claim her the entire time she'd been in the children's home.

"Friends," she answered vaguely. It was a gross exaggeration, but he didn't need to know that.

"Oh yeah?"

He looked like he was waiting for her to say more, but she pretended not to notice as she said, "Yeah, I didn't tell anyone I was going out today, so they're probably all wondering where I am." It was the truth, albeit a bit skewed since it wasn't like any of them would actually be worried about her.

"Okay." Max nodded, but his not-very-well-hidden disappointment almost made Maggie want to change her mind and accept his offer of dinner.

Almost.

"Good luck with the rest of your investigation," she told him.

"Thanks." He hesitated. "Should—"

Maggie waited, but he didn't finish. "Should what?" she prompted.

"I was going to say, should we plan another day to hang out? Since this one kind of turned into a working day?"

"Oh. Yeah." She swallowed. She'd almost forgotten that today was supposed to be a day in which she did something special for him. She still wanted to do that. And now that she knew a little bit more about what he liked to do, it should be easier to come up with an idea. "When are you free?"

"Next Tuesday?" he suggested. "We could meet up in City Park again, around the same time?"

She nodded. "That sounds good."

"Yeah." They looked at each other for a moment, then simultaneously started walking down the sidewalk. They walked side-by-side until they reached the corner, and then Max turned right and Maggie peeled off to the left. "Bye!" she called, already picking up the pace.

She heard his bewildered "Bye," but didn't turn around to see if he was watching her leave. She speed-walked down to the end of the street, then increased to a jog as soon as she turned the corner.

It was about a mile to August Pawn, and she jogged practically the whole way, slowing down only a few times to catch her breath. She was relieved to see the faded OPEN sign still visible in the window, lit by the dim streetlight outside. Since August was the only employee, aside from occasionally his daughter, Mara, the hours of the shop weren't always consistent.

She was a little too eager in her entrance, and the heavy door slammed shut behind her as soon as she'd stepped inside. August glared at her from his spot at the counter. "Watch it, kid."

She glared back. "Is that really how you talk to your customers?"

He didn't answer, just continued to stare into her with those piercing green eyes. It wasn't the first time she had wondered what August's power was. She knew he had one—everyone did, except Max—but it wasn't the kind of power that manifested itself overtly. There'd been a moment a few years back during which she'd been terrified that he was a mind reader, but it hadn't taken long for her to realize that if that were the case, he'd know all her villainous plans and at the very least wouldn't be doing business with her anymore, if he didn't just straight-up report her to the Renegades.

"Why are you just standing there? I don't have all night. What have you got for me?"

She swallowed. The truth was, she didn't have anything to trade tonight, nor was she carrying any cash. She hoped that, as one of his most consistent customers, he might be willing to let her bring something in the following day, or at least put the bird away for her.

"I'm actually interested in buying tonight," she told him coolly. "If the item I want is still here." She strolled to the shelf where she'd found the bird before, and her body flooded with relief when she saw it.

She picked it up, its warmth flowing through her, its signature so inexplicably familiar and alluring.

She brought it over to the counter and deposited it in front of August. Something flickered for a moment in his eyes, but it was gone before Maggie had time to interpret it. "I don't have anything with me right now," she told him. "But I really want this bird, so I was wondering if I could just take it and pay you tomorrow. Or if you could store it away for me until I come back with the money or something to trade."

He eyed her shrewdly, his piercing green eyes once again staring into hers. "What is your interest in this particular item?"

"None of your business," she responded, then inwardly grimaced, realizing she should try to be as polite as possible, given that she was asking him a favor.

"It's my shop," August replied, his tone and expression inscrutable. "I have the right to ask people why they're buying what they're buying."

"You've never done it before," she pointed out.

"You've never asked to just walk out of the store with one of my items," he countered.

Something about his shifty mannerisms struck her as odd, and she realized that August probably knew exactly who had made this item, and possibly even what it could do. She supposed it was understandable that he wouldn't want to sell it to someone who, to the best of his knowledge, had no idea of the value or power of the object she was holding. But why even have it in the store, then? Why not just keep it for himself, or at least have it locked away in one of the jewelry cases?

Maggie glanced over at the jewelry case, situated a few feet to her right. It sported mainly items she herself had brought in, though they were interspersed with a few unfamiliar pieces. The watch was front and center, surrounded by some of the cheaper earrings and bracelets, no doubt to make it appear even more elegant and expensive than it actually was.

"I can bring you another one of those watches," she offered, pointing to it. "Slightly different style, but same gist."

He raised his eyebrows. "I don't need another one of those watches. As you can see, no one's bought that one yet."

"Fine. I'll bring in cash."

"What's my guarantee?"

Maggie huffed. "I don't know, maybe the fact that I come in here nearly every day to do business with you, and it would be pretty idiotic of me to blow up my primary source of income."

August seemed to consider her point. He picked up the figurine, turning it over in his hands as he examined it. She wondered if he could feel the same warmth she had felt emanating from it, or if that sensation was solely as a result of her power. "What is your interest in this item?" he asked again.

Her heart jumped. It's powerful, she thought. Just like the helmet and the bracelet. He wants to know if I know how powerful it is, and what I plan to do with it. Is he… suspicious of me?

She wasn't exactly worried about August figuring out her plan. Even if he did manage to surmise that she planned to commandeer Ace Anarchy's helmet from the catacombs under the old cathedral, he would have no idea of how or when. But even so, she wasn't going to let anyone suspect her of anything if she could help it. "It's pretty," she answered, pasting a vapid smile on her face. "I like the coloring."

"You ever seen anything this shade of copper before?" he asked.

It had to be a trick question. What was he expecting her to say? What should she say? Was he trying to find out whether she'd ever been near any of David Artino's other creations? Whether she'd ever been near the helmet?

"I've seen copper of all different hues," she hedged. "I've been dealing with valuable items for a long time."

Once again, his eyes bored into her, as if trying to see through to her very soul. Maggie stared back, determined not to be the first to break eye contact, determined to prove that she had nothing to hide.

"You can take it," he finally decided. "I'll expect full payment tomorrow." He rattled off a price that was nowhere near as high as Maggie had expected it to be, and she tried not to let her triumphant smile show.

She nodded and held out her hand, and when he placed the figurine into it, she was met by its subtle vibration, so faint she almost could have believed she was imagining it, just as she was surely imagining the odd sense of comfort it was giving her, as if she'd just been reunited with a dear old friend. Which was utterly ridiculous, because she'd never had any friends, and it was just a hunk of some sort of strange, inanimate substance anyway.

But it's not just a hunk of some random material, she thought as she exited the shop. It's powerful material. If I can have this and the helmet… and… and…

And the bracelet. She could have the bracelet too. It would be difficult to steal, certainly, but not impossible. Max had mentioned the idea of her coming over to his house. It wasn't too much of a stretch to think that Nova might be there at the same time—for all Maggie knew, Nova might even be living there by now. Of course, Nova was sure to be extra-on-guard about the bracelet if she knew Maggie was around, but if Maggie could get close enough to use her telekinesis without Nova noticing her, she might have a chance…

She set to work dreaming up a detailed plan, and was so busy plotting and scheming, she was surprised when she found herself already at the theater. She slipped in through the back door, letting out an enraged yell when she was assaulted by the fresh odor of skunk spray. "Duncan!"

"Whatever he tells you, it was not my fault," Eminya prefaced, poking her head out of the dressing room she'd claimed as her bedroom. "He's going to pin all the blame on me, but I'm innocent."

"What did you do?" Maggie growled.

"Nothing!" Eminya insisted. "Well… I might've broken into his room and stolen a few pieces from his chocolate stash. But come on, there's no reason for him to make such a stink over it."

Maggie raised her eyebrows at what might have been the worst attempt at ironic language in the history of Gatlon City, then shook her head and stomped through the halls and out to the stage. At least the stench wasn't quite so bad out there, which meant that maybe she'd be able to tolerate being in her bedroom without feeling like every inhale was going to make her vomit.

The dim auditorium lights were on, and Maggie could spot the huddled-up figure in the back of the room, the black bulky earmuffs easily visible against the maroon seat. He must have seen her too, because suddenly he shrank even lower, curling up like a turtle retracting into its shell.

Oh yeah, she realized. He was there with Yasmin when she committed the robbery. He's probably expecting me to yell at him.

She needed to, of course. She needed to yell at both him and Yasmin, fill them both in on the fact that she'd been performing damage control for the two of them all day, and emphasize how stupid it was to be committing any blatant crimes now, so close to the big reveal. But she was acutely aware of the copper bird in her left hand, and was dying to test it out. She entered her makeshift room without a word to Kevin.

The bird wasn't wearable, like the helmet or the bracelet. Maggie wondered what she needed to do to get it to amplify her powers. She rested a hand on it and, using her powers, pulled the only valuable item in the room out of her pocket. It lifted easily, but the bullet had always lifted easily, due to the amount of value it held for her.

She glanced around the room, trying to find other items of value, but anything remotely valuable had long since been traded away at August Pawn. Finally, she latched her powers onto the metal handle of the dresser drawer. It wasn't particularly valuable—hence why it was still here—but at least it was metal, which meant she had some control over it.

The pull felt the same as it always had. Just to double-check, Maggie lifted the bird off her lap and set it on the floor, several feet away from her. She tried the drawer again.

There was no difference.

Not to be discouraged, she picked the bird up again, this time holding it in both hands, and attempted to pull the handle. Once again, her powers didn't seem any stronger than they had without the bird.

Over the next half hour or so, she tested her powers with various configurations—the bird in her pocket, under her shirt, on her head, being held by both her hands and feet, resting on her shoulder, and even partially in her mouth. She tried telekinetically moving some coins, and a screw which she pulled from one of the stage sets that made her bedroom wall. When there still seemed to be no sign of her powers strengthening, she sat back on her bed and tried to perceive the signatures of the objects around her. The bird's signature was strong, of course. So was the bullet's. The metal handle, the screw, and the coins all had the same weak but perceivable signature they'd always had. She couldn't feel anything that was too far away from her. She couldn't sense the signature of any kinds of materials that she hadn't been able to sense before.

Stupid thing doesn't work, she thought, banging the bird down on the table next to her bed with a little more force than was necessary. I don't know why I even bothered buying this thing; maybe tomorrow I'll just give it back to August instead of paying for it.

But no. She wouldn't do that. Based on what Max had told her, Nova's bracelet hadn't been particularly powerful on its own either. It was only once it was united with Ace Anarchy's helmet that it had been able to do anything at all. The bird would probably work the same way.

She just needed to unite it with the helmet and the bracelet.