(no subject)
Title: Collared (told you I'd have an actual title for the next chapter)
Chapter: 4
Summary: Kratos is still on the trail of the burglar, despite the investigation being technically closed.
Notes: This story is winding up being a lot more of Kratos than I expected. Yuan will show up next chapter, but in the meantime, enjoy some other familiar faces.
Kratos' scrying efforts yielded two different locations. The first, the location the message spell had been prepared, was an empty building on the wrong side of town. The area reeked of magic, and he took a few more samples just in case, but he suspected this 'Renegade' would be too cautious to be caught so simply.
The second location, however, was from the residual magic of the horn itself, and he believed it to pinpoint the horn's current whereabouts. It was in an adjacent neighborhood, only slightly better than the one he'd just left, and he was mildly surprised to find what looked to be a halfway house on the spot.
Entering the front door, the signs of poverty were everywhere. All the same, there was a brightness about it that spoke of effort, and love, in spite of the lack of resources. He moved toward the front desk, behind which sat a smiling young woman with blonde hair. A quick check of his magical senses said that she had some of the horn's residual magic on her, as well.
She greeted him as he approached. “Can I help you, sir?”
“Special Agent Aurion, of the MCU,” he introduced himself, flashing his badge briefly. “I'm...tracking a magical artifact.”
“Oh, I don't think we have any of those,” the girl said with a nervous giggle. “I-is someone in trouble?”
She was hiding something. It was written all over her utterly unmalicious face, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what it was. “I doubt it; I'm just checking on a few leads. Might I speak to your supervisor?”
“Um, sure! Let me just go get her, okay?” The girl slid from behind the desk, and went through the doorway into the rest of the building. He heard her calling as she went. “Aunt Raine? There's someone here to see you... um, he says he's with the police, but he looks nice. I don't think anyone's in trouble.”
A minute later, a woman closer to Kratos' age emerged from the back, followed shortly by the receptionist, who was apparently her niece. “You wanted to see me?” the woman asked. She gave off a surprising air of confidence for her position, raising Kratos' respect for her immediately.
“Kratos Aurion, MCU,” he told her. “...I've tracked a powerful magical artifact to this location. You wouldn't happen to know anything, would you?”
The woman - Raine, the girl had called her - met his eyes, clearly calculating what she could get away with not telling him. After a moment, she frowned in what looked like acquiescence. “We've recently come into possession of such an item, yes. An...anonymous donor left it for us. Normally, I'd be suspicious, of course, but...” she gestured to the area, “as you can see, we can't afford to be too choosy about where our help comes from.”
Kratos nodded sympathetically. “You help people here, I take it?”
Raine nodded. “Anyone who comes through our doors, as long as they don't make trouble. We don't have the resources to do background checks, and it's given us a good reputation. I've even instituted free classes in anything I can teach or find someone to teach for me, for whoever cares to learn.”
“...Very commendable.” Kratos turned halfway, inspecting the nearby wall, which was covered in fingerpainted drawings. “...As an officer of the law, it's my duty to inform you that I believe that artifact you have is stolen.” He glanced at Raine from beneath his hair, and added, “You're supposed to look surprised.”
Raine smirked wryly. “An item of this kind? I doubted any legal Samaritan would come this far to deliver it.”
Kratos nodded. “And since I'm off-duty in any case, I can also tell you that the previous owners didn't know what they had, and are no poorer for the loss.” He pulled a card from his pocket, and set it on the front desk. “...My card, in case anyone ever does decide to 'make trouble'.”
“Thank you, officer,” Raine said quietly.
He turned to leave. “I didn't do anything. ...And if you ever do discover the identity of your anonymous donor...I would like to have a chat with him sometime.”
There was a trace of humor in Raine's tone as she responded. “I'll certainly keep that in mind if he ever reveals himself.”
She knew, he thought as he walked to his car. Whoever this Renegade was, she knew, and she'd pass his information along, if only as a warning for who he should be looking out for.
Now, it remained to see if this gentlemanly thief would be cocky enough to make contact with the cop looking for him. Something told Kratos there was a decent chance of it.
Chapter: 4
Summary: Kratos is still on the trail of the burglar, despite the investigation being technically closed.
Notes: This story is winding up being a lot more of Kratos than I expected. Yuan will show up next chapter, but in the meantime, enjoy some other familiar faces.
Kratos' scrying efforts yielded two different locations. The first, the location the message spell had been prepared, was an empty building on the wrong side of town. The area reeked of magic, and he took a few more samples just in case, but he suspected this 'Renegade' would be too cautious to be caught so simply.
The second location, however, was from the residual magic of the horn itself, and he believed it to pinpoint the horn's current whereabouts. It was in an adjacent neighborhood, only slightly better than the one he'd just left, and he was mildly surprised to find what looked to be a halfway house on the spot.
Entering the front door, the signs of poverty were everywhere. All the same, there was a brightness about it that spoke of effort, and love, in spite of the lack of resources. He moved toward the front desk, behind which sat a smiling young woman with blonde hair. A quick check of his magical senses said that she had some of the horn's residual magic on her, as well.
She greeted him as he approached. “Can I help you, sir?”
“Special Agent Aurion, of the MCU,” he introduced himself, flashing his badge briefly. “I'm...tracking a magical artifact.”
“Oh, I don't think we have any of those,” the girl said with a nervous giggle. “I-is someone in trouble?”
She was hiding something. It was written all over her utterly unmalicious face, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what it was. “I doubt it; I'm just checking on a few leads. Might I speak to your supervisor?”
“Um, sure! Let me just go get her, okay?” The girl slid from behind the desk, and went through the doorway into the rest of the building. He heard her calling as she went. “Aunt Raine? There's someone here to see you... um, he says he's with the police, but he looks nice. I don't think anyone's in trouble.”
A minute later, a woman closer to Kratos' age emerged from the back, followed shortly by the receptionist, who was apparently her niece. “You wanted to see me?” the woman asked. She gave off a surprising air of confidence for her position, raising Kratos' respect for her immediately.
“Kratos Aurion, MCU,” he told her. “...I've tracked a powerful magical artifact to this location. You wouldn't happen to know anything, would you?”
The woman - Raine, the girl had called her - met his eyes, clearly calculating what she could get away with not telling him. After a moment, she frowned in what looked like acquiescence. “We've recently come into possession of such an item, yes. An...anonymous donor left it for us. Normally, I'd be suspicious, of course, but...” she gestured to the area, “as you can see, we can't afford to be too choosy about where our help comes from.”
Kratos nodded sympathetically. “You help people here, I take it?”
Raine nodded. “Anyone who comes through our doors, as long as they don't make trouble. We don't have the resources to do background checks, and it's given us a good reputation. I've even instituted free classes in anything I can teach or find someone to teach for me, for whoever cares to learn.”
“...Very commendable.” Kratos turned halfway, inspecting the nearby wall, which was covered in fingerpainted drawings. “...As an officer of the law, it's my duty to inform you that I believe that artifact you have is stolen.” He glanced at Raine from beneath his hair, and added, “You're supposed to look surprised.”
Raine smirked wryly. “An item of this kind? I doubted any legal Samaritan would come this far to deliver it.”
Kratos nodded. “And since I'm off-duty in any case, I can also tell you that the previous owners didn't know what they had, and are no poorer for the loss.” He pulled a card from his pocket, and set it on the front desk. “...My card, in case anyone ever does decide to 'make trouble'.”
“Thank you, officer,” Raine said quietly.
He turned to leave. “I didn't do anything. ...And if you ever do discover the identity of your anonymous donor...I would like to have a chat with him sometime.”
There was a trace of humor in Raine's tone as she responded. “I'll certainly keep that in mind if he ever reveals himself.”
She knew, he thought as he walked to his car. Whoever this Renegade was, she knew, and she'd pass his information along, if only as a warning for who he should be looking out for.
Now, it remained to see if this gentlemanly thief would be cocky enough to make contact with the cop looking for him. Something told Kratos there was a decent chance of it.