With a deep breath, Phoebe tried to rethink about how she had ended up here. She had gone on a new job, which was a bit bad after the horrible night she had to sleep. She had dreamed that she was strapped onto a Pagan God statue, almost burned to dead to be called a witch, too many movies, as well as being surrounded by people with skeleton faces that weren’t actually masks. She had woken up screaming in the morning. She was glad that a) she was alone in a hotel, b) her sister couldn’t run into her room to laugh at her. She sure hoped that no one had heard her but she could pretend at least no one did that she was alone and she had taken a while to leave her hotel room, and to make sure the hallway was empty. She was now here on the streets of Era, walking in between people, and possibly looking like a disaster. So she felt, she felt as if she had black patches underneath her eyes because she felt so tired. Her black raven hair was in a messy ponytail which wasn’t usually her style and she had done her make-up sloppy. This wasn’t true but this is how it felt to herself. She was trying to speak to people about an crest that she had in her hands, or well a drawing on it. Not the actual crest because that would have made the job easy, the crest was missing. It was a beautiful crest though, it really showed off the beauty with the two swans. She wanted to see the original and not a drawing. But right now that was impossible. She was asking locals if they had seen anything like this crest that she was showing off. But not everyone was very happy with her asking and others simply hadn’t seen it. She sighed heavily because this wasn’t going the way she had planned and it was taking very long. She hoped to be quicker with asking citizen but it apparently didn’t change anything. She gave up for a while because there was no one new on the streets and she went to sit on a bench. She had bought new shoes in the mess that was two weeks ago and she was wearing them. They were lime green and fitted perfectly with the new shirt with little flowers and limes on it that she was wearing as well. It wasn’t so perfect to wear new heels immediately on a long day of walking. She should expect blisters when she got back to her hotel room. She shivered, maybe she should ask for a different room and pretend it was far away from the zombies that were still in her mind. She sighed another time and decided to go to the drug store first to buy some blister bandage before she would continue. It would at least bring her further than she was and she could ask the girl behind the counter if she had seen the symbol as well.

It wasn’t that painful yet to head to the store where she bought the bandage. She was thankfully the only one at the counter, so she wasn’t bothering anyone. On the other hand, she could have asked a potential person behind her but this time not. The girl behind the counter didn’t know and she paid for her bandaged, walked back to the bench to fix it and headed back onto the streets now that more people were coming. She was lucky because the first person she bumped into, seemed to know something. ”Have you seen this item?” she had asked already losing much of her hope but then the answer was a sort of positive one, ”I do believe so. Yes. Yes I have seen it.” and the person continued, she had seen it in the hands of a criminal, a while ago. She told Phoebe that the criminal named Gaud wanted to sell the crest to her and she had refused. But she could tell where Phoebe could find Gaud as he wanted to sell everything for a reasonable profit. Which was ridiculous if he stole it, there was no official profit for him!

Off Phoebe went after she thanked the woman for the information to find Gaud. She found him in the pub that the woman had described. It was rather empty there and thank god Gaud sat in a corner and was drinking by himself or the other was on a break from the beer that they seemed to drink and this ungodly early hour. She stood next to him, his description was easy, ”Have you seen this crest?” she asked and she was surprised at how easily he admitted that he had seen it. She told him what she knew, that it was stolen and that it was sold to him, she needed it back. He looked genuine surprised and not too happy about it, but she was in luck, he had the item on him at the moment. He fumbled in his satchel and got it out, ”I aint wanting any problems with the knights. I didn’t know missy, so here ya have it. Give it back to the Messers, will ya, my apologies.” Eh she had judged him wrong and she thanked him kindly before she left the pub. It was just the beer at this hour, she nodded to herself and walked back to the gate of the mansion of the Messers. She would have to give it to the guard. Coming there was a lot more difficult now that she felt her blisters. She should definitely change shoes before finding another job, because this was a disaster and not a small one. She handed the crest over and asked if she could keep the paper with the drawing, she had an idea for something else and he shrugged, it was fine. She accepted the jewels, thanked him and wish him a nice day before she walked back to her hotel to change into her muddy running shoes. The nightmares would hopefully stay away, for now at least.