Having a long and important discussion with Evangeline over everything that was bothering her and well Eva, they were interrupted by one of their colleagues, Awadin, he was a lieutenant just like her. Only much older and she was sure she could still learn a lot from him. He nodded towards them, "Miss Baskerville, Miss Vanderbilt, perhaps you could help me with a few interrogations. There is a child missing." She didn't know if it was the feeling of becoming a possible mom in the future or just for the kid in general but she had immediately stood up and assured her that she would help.

"I'm glad you two will help. If you both get ready and meet me at the Sleeping Dog inn, I will give you more instructions there." and he immediately walked away, she eyed him before turning back to Evangeline. She was glad that they both were in Era to do this job, she counted on Eva a lot and she was also glad that her feeling of bothering her friend were pushed away as they had a heart to heart about almost everything that seemed to bothering them. "Duty always seem to call when we are together, don't you think?"

She would throw away the empty water bottle and would wait for Eva to be finished before she would head out of the cafetaria and outside, to walk all the way back towards Era town, beneath the hill. She didn't notice Awadin, he must be rather quick but it didn't matter for now. "Now that I think about it, it's weird he calls on us." for a quick second she wondered if Evangeline was asked extra because they were together, "I suspected his own unit would have no trouble finding a child." She shrugged not much later after saying her thoughts out loud, who knew, they would possibly be able to find it, the more men and women, the quicker the child would be found. Little did she know that her colleague thought that the child was kidnapped, but she would soon find out once the two of them reached the inn where Awadin would explain more.

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Eva was smiling at Alice, engaged in a deep conversation about whatever that happened to them over the weeks when lieutenant Awadin approached them. The older colleague, a rank higher than her and one of the more respected members in the Rune Knights, seemed to have something troubling him as he approached. She got up to bow courteously on reflex, greeting him with a hello. He looked at them quite sternly as he reported a case of child missing. As she moved to ask for more details, surprisingly, it was Alice that got up immediately. She looked at her from the corner of her eyes. If she hadn’t heard Alice wrong the last time, there was a very high chance that Alice was pregnant.

“More like trouble loves to find us when we are together,” she chuckled, following Alice out the cafeteria. They walked under Era’s night sky for a little before arriving at the slightly old looking inn. True to its name, the inn, when they got in, was far too quiet, almost like it was sleeping. “Who knows, maybe there is something he needs to get done that his own unit couldn’t do,” she shrugged, closing the door behind her.

Inside, Eva easily spotted Awadin and the rest of his unit, dressed in Rune Knight uniforms. Besides them, there were five others, an old man, a young woman, a man, an older woman, and another young man who looked far too fidgety for Eva’s liking. Awadin immediately greeted them when he noticed. “Oh good! Glad you two are here. These are the five suspects we have gathered in this case of child kidnapping. The victim, Julienne, is a five year old girl that went missing this evening,” he filled them in on most of what happened, telling them that he would like it if the two of them could interrogate the men instead of his own unit whom, so far, have had no luck in getting to spill anything.

Eva had to stop herself from putting on a blank expression. She couldn’t believe how a case of missing child had turned into a case of kidnapped child but, Eva looked up at the man, he was her superior, and it wasn’t like she had any other choice.

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Alice had chucked because of the comment Evangeline had made, trouble indeed always seemed to find them when they were together. She eyed Evangeline shortly when they walked outside, at least this time she wouldn't lose her magic and it wasn't thanks to the anklebiters. She surely hoped they were gone, she had slayed the last when she was frustrated in Orchidia. That was a heavy task that the Rune Knights in Orchidia had taken upon them, no one of the citizens seemed to notice it, they were just glad that the tiny poisonous creatures were gone. It was much more than that but the Council had decided not to bother the citizens with it. It would bring too much stress to a city that ought to love the greenery around them.

She shook her head softly to get out of her daydreaming and mentioned to Eva that she found it strange to be called upon. She doubted Awadin would have trouble finding a child, perhaps he needed women to help him though. Who knew. She culdn't recall if there were female knights in his unit in any case.

As they would enter the inn, she noticed that she was right. There several knights that were from his unit, but maybe they weren't all. She wasn't much interested at the moment in other units anyway, she was working on her own. She looked from the unit to the suspects that Awadin soon mentioned himself, how it changed from a missing child at the cafetaria to kidnapping since they arrived her. She shot a glance at Evangeline but didn't say anything and only gave a nod. She eyed the five people that were sitting there.

As she was a lieutenant herself, she could easily give orders, "We'll take over from here Lieutenant Awadin, don't worry about it. I would rather use your men to keep an eye on the other suspects while we take them one by one apart." she again shot a short glance at Eva to see if she agreed, she turned than to the first man, for now since it wasn't clear who the suspect was, she would ask it friendly for the man to come with them. Since he didn't really seem to understand what happened, he stood up and followed the red head as she guided him to a room next to the stairs, Awadin had just pointed it out to her, "Would you take a seat again, sir. I'm sorry we have to do this again but it is an important business." The man looked a bit embarrassed as soon as he sat down and he looked from her partner to her a few times before looking at the table, "I still don't really know what it is all about." She rolled her eyes while the man wasn't looking at her, for crying out loud she expected Awadin to tell them, "Sir there is a child missing. We are afraid she was taken." Or well Awadin was. The man immediately looked up with big surprised eyes from her to Eva and back again, "That sounds terrible but I have gotten nothing to do with that." She believed him because it was easily spotted in his eyes, she didn't believe for a second that this man was a good liar anyway. He was too slow for that. She looked at Evangeline, "Let's go on to the next." she whispered.

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Eva stood back as she let Alice handle the first one, looking over Alice’s shoulder to the surprised old man that looked as if he would topple over with just a touch. He clearly had no idea of what he was even accused of. She turned to glance at the senior officer, sighing when she saw him glaring at the other suspects in the other room. His unit stood in a circle around them, not moving a limb other than their eyes. Eva sighed and looked back at the old man again, watching his expressions go from half zoned out to full alert and then to a mixture of dread and fear.

“I really have no idea about this,” his soft voice quivered through the heavy weight of age. “We understand. Please go back to the other room and send the next one in,” she told him, her practiced smile in place.

As he walked back, Eva kept her eyes trained on his back. Her brain came up with several reasons as to why that man wouldn’t be able to do it, from his weak stature to the old muscles that moved like a rusted old machine. Age was certainly a scary thing, she thought, chuckling to her own thoughts a few seconds later.

“Well, that was fast,” she commented to Alice, her line of sight quickly moving to the next one that looked up at them, glared, and haughtily rose up. She stalked into the room like a ruffled cat, obviously angry at whatever predicament she was forced into. “I’m going to tell you two outright that I have no idea about whatever kid that’s mentioned,” she told them as soon as she took the seat, not waiting for an aye or nay.

Eva raised an eyebrow at the attitude then looked down at the details on the report Adwin had given them. “It says here that you had come in contact with the child sometime during the afternoon time,” Eva started, looking up from the neat sheets of report papers.

She threw her a sharp look. “And?” she slightly raised her voice. “Coming in contact with someone automatically makes me a culprit? Hah Where’s the logic in that?” She turned to face them with a fleer. “Not a culprit, Ms, but a suspect,” replied Eva, holding herself back from choosing the exact words running through her mind. She did not want a verbal war.

The woman seemed taken aback. “I…I still don’t know anything about this. I may have seen her in the afternoon while selling jewelry but that was it,” she finally told them, battling the red on her cheeks. Eva nodded. She was bratty and slightly whiny but Eva noticed that she looked nothing like someone who would actually kidnap a child. She leaned towards Alice to whisper. “I don’t think this one is it either. There may have been a bit of a mistake. Are we even sure that the child was truly kidnapped?”  Eva gestured, with her hands, for the woman to leave, looking over to one of the members of the unit. She waved a hand, telling them to send the next one in. “Why does this feel like a wild goose chase?”

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Where the first one had been completely innocent and a bit too slow to catch onto the idea, the second one was rather fast. Damn whiny people, she was glad for Evangeline her quick response. Culprit and suspect were indeed not the same, she only eyed the woman with her arms crossed in front of her chest and looking slightly angry at how easily this person cast away the problem. Even if the child was simply missing, it was still a child, it was rather sad in that case: someone should feel pity for the parents.

She turned her face to the right to listen to Eva when she whispered to her about being indoubt that the child was actually kidnapped. She didn't move any other muscle but nodded as to the statement. She also was a little suspicious about the idea, Awadin had mentioned missing child but as soon as they had reached the restaurant of this inn, they talked about a kidnapping. It was a bit strange. She had thought they were here for the extra people that would make it easier to find the kid. Or that he would ask for her unit but nope, it was an interrogation. She also found it weird and suspicious that his unit couldn't get any information out of these suspects, she started to think they were innocent and that indeed it was just a child missing and there was no use for these interrogations.

She simply shrugged and turned to take the third interrogation, keeping her arms crossed in front of her chest, she gestured with her chin for the third person to sit down. She wanted to open her mouth but the person was before her, "Your outfits look so great, better than the males." she opened her mouth to say anything back but first looked at Evangeline to make sure she heard it right, "Which one of you is the other lieutenant? I'm so thrilled to meet you both. It's a-maz-ing." he said the last word slower and she had to fix her face in a neutral expression to not look disgust. "Sir, you know why you are here?' She said with trying to form authority in her voice, "Oh yes, obviously. There is a child missing. But between you and I, I know it's the last person. He is so shady, totally suspicious. You don't have to ask me much questions. I bumped into the child at the market, bought her an apple because she was staring at it and her mother told her no. It's not good to deny fruit to a child, people should know. But apart from that I didn't see her anymore today. That Jezebel, she is really nice child but she screams very loud you know. If she was kidnapped, I bet she was first knocked out and all, how else would someone do it, without anyone else noticing it." Alice could only raise her eyebrow, this guy tried to blame something on someone else, yet pointing out it was barely impossible to do so. She didn't really understand this guy. But as she had not said anything yet, he would continue on that it was clear that Alice was the lieutenant but Eva not less beautiful than she was. She found him annoying, "Thanks for your help. I appreciate, would you send in the next if you please." As he walked away she turned to Evangeline, "I don't think he did it. But he sure sounds like your next stalker." or hers for that matter but damn, that man was creepy.

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The third interrogation turned out to be something that Eva wanted out of the same room with her instantly. The man began by entering the room with an overly fascinated visage. His eyes comically sparkled and lit up once Alice and Eva entered his line of sight. Then, he was overly co-operative with the interrogation, only to point fingers at others and even trip himself up. Eva even had to turn around and look the other way for a while to not let her irritation show up, busying herself with observation of the next person, the older lady that seems highly irritated with everything around her.

As Alice proceeded with the interrogation on the current suspect, Eva’s eyes lingered on the next one, her countenance and the aura of suspicion that clung to her like a ghost. Her sunken dull eyes roamed all around her, going from the Rune Knight to her immediate front to the one on her right, left and then to Awadin himself before it slightly narrowed. It was just when she made a motion to turn in Eva’s direction that Eva quickly broke off her contact and turned to the man in front of her. Her brows immediately furrowed.

She was in time to listen to the last bit of his rambling and Eva was not liking it. “Or yours,” Eva replied to Alice as the man walked off. “Sounds like he was quite into the lieutenant more than a model,” She chuckled, gesturing at the Rune Knight outside to send the next one in. She hadn’t heard most of what the previous suspect had talked about but Eva believed he had nothing to do with the missing child turned kidnapping case. If anything, Eva took him to be the famous all bark and no bite type, quite a foolish one at that, too.

“I demand to know what this is all about,” was the first thing out of the woman’s mouth as she entered the room. Eva held a hand up defensively, gesturing for her to sit first before talking. On the woman’s way to the chair in the exact middle of the room, Eva’s gaze lowered to what she was wearing. It was something not many people wore those days but it was a purple pattered Yukata, the simple floral designed type. It gave her an air of maturity but Eva wasn’t sure what the old woman was really like.

“So Hanabi san, could you please recount any events that connects you to the missing child today?” Eva began with a standard question, asking something she already knew some of the answers of. The report Awadin’s unit had made was surprisingly detailed except it had no hint as to how any of the people this kid came in contact with could kidnap her. The older woman immediately narrowed her eyes at Eva. “That’s some accusations you are making there. Kidnapped child? Aren’t you people the ones that kidnapped her? What is this Rune Knights stuff, anyway? None of you know the true meaning of being one,” she started with a look saying she had ageless experience being a Rune Knight and Eva couldn’t even hide her irritation as she raised an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry but I do not believe we need you to teach as about being a Rune Knight, Ma’am. Right now, you are a suspect to the possible kidnapping of a child and we have the right to interrogate you and seek information,” Eva smoothened it down as professionally as she could but the older woman still seemed angry as she went on with how the Rune Knights have become so shady lately. “Are you two even Rune Knights?” the suspicion had went up to that point when Eva couldn’t take it anymore. “I get it ma’am. You probably came in contact with her at the streets but Rune Knights kidnapped her. I got it so please leave and send the next one in,” she concluded it with just that, turning to Alice with a look that said she can’t take it any longer.

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Alice could only raise her eyebrow, damn sassy woman this was. She could watch her tongue. She didn't say anything but eyed Evangeline her way of handling and she nodded when the woman was send off. It was again a sort of obvious that she wasn't the culprit but she kept her eyes shortly on this woman. She turned to Evangeline to roll her eyes.

”Alright, the last one.” she muttered, all these people were making her so tired by their weird behaviour that she wasn’t entirely sure if she liked doing this. It was easier when you knew they were the culprit, she didn’t mind being not nice to those in the first place. But with these she didn’t know for sure, so she had to play nice and respectful to get the answers she wanted. She eyed Awadin for a second, while the fifth person came towards them, she wondered what made him do this, how he got to the point that the child missing was child kidnapping and what were the reasons he thought that. Evangeline already admitted that she didn’t believe it for a second as well, she couldn’t believe that the senior lieutenant wouldn’t understand the difference in a kidnapping or not a kidnapping, he was in this job for ages, he should know. Where there even knights trying to find this girl at this moment?

She shook her head slightly and blinked rapidly as the fifth man had arrived and coughed, ”I’m not having all day. Can I leave?” Seriously another weirdo, ”No sir. We still have a few questions to ask you. Where were you two hours ago.” it was not completely in the document that she was holding this time, ”I told you guys before.” If you did tell them before, why not answer the question again. ”Sir, it is simply a protocol. If you work with us, the sooner you are away from this, if you are not the culprit that is.” she couldn’t help but say it, this man his shady behaviour was annoying and she didn’t want to make a lose promise of him going free, even if she still believed it wasn’t him. It was just such a weird situation. So she asked him a couple of more questions, but he dodged the answers as well. She finally had enough and slammed with her hand on the table, ”Let me be very clear with you, sir. I already have the idea that you are not the one I’m looking for. But you are damn well aware that you are not helping and working against the Knights is a crime as well. Maybe not as bad as kidnapping a child but I can still fine you for blocking the services in looking for the culprit.” He turned pale, exactly what she wanted, ”Now get out.” She stood up straight again and looked at Evangeline, ”I believe he is not a good liar, that’s why he avoid answers but he isn’t the culprit. I am afraid you are right, this child isn’t kidnapped. It probably wondered into the woods when her parents weren’t watching and is now lost. I am going to ask Awadin if there are actually knights looking for her now, after that we leave. This is not our mistake and I’m not going to put every minute in it like this.” She shook her head another time and walked towards Awadin to talk to him shortly, there was not one of these people longer marked as a suspect, he should let them go.

She turned towards Evangeline after she stated that they were leaving. She watched the suspects get out as well if Awadin let them go, ”Good luck.” she said with a cold tone in her voice, it was as if Awadin had used them for the dirty work and she didn’t appreciate that. She held open the door for Evangeline to leave.

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Eva sighed as the last one came in, her hands crossed over her chest in impatience. She wanted this to end already so that Eva could go out and actually look for the child. It was bogus to say she was truly kidnapped at this point. In fact, she had a fairly good idea of how the child had moved with the report she had in her hands. It was something like a pattern. From the original place where she had met the first suspect to the point she had met the last one, the child seemed to have walked straight before taking a right turn to the markets area from the streets. If she wasn’t wrong, the child could be roaming around the streets next to them as they went on with this charade.

She made a point to listen to the last man, however, immediately losing interest once the man started feigning ignorance. He answered but never completed the idea, making him probably the most suspicious among the group of five if there truly was a kidnapping. But if psychology was right, the man was probably scared and was having trouble aligning his words with his memories as well. Either way, Eva was glad that Alice reproached him. That man had to get his act together if he wanted to live in Era and not get himself in jail under suspicion. She looked at Awadin. A long term lieutenant as he was, the old man appeared very much foolish to Eva now.

Once they finished it all up, Eva watched Alice talk to the old man as she handed in the report she had made along with their own to his unit. She sustained a light conversation with them, learning that even they found Awadin’s suspicion to be pretty baseless. For the most part, it was true that the child had came in contact with the suspects but that by itself was no solid evidence for a kidnapping. They had only picked the five up after a long time of searching and interrogating but not even the witnesses or anyone in general confirmed a suspected kidnapping.

As they concluded their conversation, Eva told the suspects that they could leave, letting each of them out one by one, completely ignoring the glares and suspicious glances. She didn’t care for what they thought but she knew she had to step out soon. “I’m sure we will find the child soon,” she had told Awadin with a surety before heading out the door that Alice held open for her. “Trust me, Alice. We are most likely going to find that child soon. Just wait for me a little,” she told the orange haired neko before walking out, turning her attention left and right. She seemed to be looking for something with her eyes moving from one direction to the other until she had her surroundings covered. Eva was partially sure that a confused child roaming around the streets would eventually turn to this area after going through the market. But of course, this was half her assumption and half her judgement so it was still subjective as opposed to being a solid idea.

However, just as she took a turn to the right, Eva was surprised to hear the sound of a child sobbing. She instantly turned and ran after the sound, going down the dark alleyway behind the inn they had their interrogation. She walked around for a bit, narrowing her eyes to get it adjusted to the darkness. She found a small shivering ball of tears sandwiched between two trash cans in fetus position.

“Jezebel?” she asked, standing one feet away from the crying child that looked up at the sound of her name. Eva wasn’t sure what made the girl fling herself towards Eva but she was soon in her arms, crying into her chest. She tried to pat the back of the child comfortingly, sighing in relief as the girl’s crying came down to what seemed like soft whimpers and sniffles.

“You are Jezebel, are you not?” Eva asked to confirm the suspicion. The girl nodded, tears still flowing down the girl’s eyes. She had been terribly frightened. “I was out shopping with mommy but couldn’t find her anymore. I…I tried to look for her but she was gone and then I had to walk around and and I met a bunch of people. They gave me directions but I still couldn’t find mommy and it was dark and cold and I…I want my mommmy!” the child’s voice cracked into a loud sob at the end. Eva chuckled, placing a warm hand on top of the girl’s head before picking her up again.

“We found our missing child, Alice,” Eva informed her as she walked back into the inn where Awadin was looking at the reports with high concentration. “Awadin sir,” she called out to him only to get ignored the first turn until she grew impatient and raised her voice authoritatively. Surprised at Eva’s commanding voice, she saw the man jump up in shock, looking over to her, to the child in her arms, and then back at her.

Her eyes narrowed. “The child had gone missing, after all. No one had kidnapped her, sir,” Eva’s voice grew an edge with every bit of professional titles she used. “The child had merely gotten lost during the day and was trying to find her parents. I believe our suspects had come in contact with her during that period and they are all very much innocent,” she stressed on the word all, hearing an audible gulp from the older lieutenant.

He looked flushed as he rubbed the back of his head. “Oh man, I didn’t think that. I was so sure that one of those five had kidnapped her. None of them seemed like the good sort, don’t you think? Haha,” he tried to laugh it off only to stop at the blank expression Eva threw at him. “It’s a good thing that you two found her though,” He told them, taking the child back. Eva wasn’t sure if she wanted to leave the kid with him but she did anyway. As foolish as this man could be, his heart was still in the right place.

He took out the rewards once he handed the child over to the other Rune Knights, giving Alice and Eva an equal share. “I hope we can work together again,” the man seemed highly impressed with the way Eva handled things but he was also very much happy with their new lieutenant. “I’m expecting great things from you two”.
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-exit-

For the thousand times Alice shook her head because the setting of this whole interrogation made no sense at all. It literally made no sense how this went, it was ridiculous and a shame that the Council was asking people, random people to be a suspect of child kidnapping. This was some sort of offensive in the way of citizen and the way the Rune Knight handled things in this missing child accident. She followed Evangeline out of the inn because it was too stupid to work here at the moment.

She placed her cat ears flat on the back of her head. Her golden eyes glanced at Eva that said that the child would be found soon. She didn't say anything but nodded, and let Eva do what she wanted to do. Alice had no idea what it was but it seemed to look like Eva was using some sort of spell and after that she soon darted off. Alice had no idea where Eva was going but she heard some sobbing as well, oh you had to be kidding her, as they had been interrogating inside the Sleeping Dog Inn, the child had been here? In the alley? This was too funny and sad at the same time so she didnt plan to say anything. She heard Evangeline vaguely, Jezebel.. wasn't that the name the suspect had used? The third.. She was called Juliene, she didn't hear the child talk but she didn't care. As long as the child was safe and sound and in their case: found. She heard the child about a mommy and she took a deep breath herself tonot make it any more obvious that she thought about her own future that might be sooner there than she had anticipated.

She waited for Eva and the girl to get back before she simply smiled and not say anything to possibly scare the child. She simply opened the door again for Eva and Jullienne to get inside and let her do the talking while she crossed her arms in front of her chest. This was too big a mistake that they had made and she was absolutely not happy that she was a part of this at the moment. But she would not say anything because Awadin was still her higher up even though they now had the same rank. She was the last one of the lieutenants and she wanted to keep that job. But the laughing off his mistake is what pissed her off, but she let it to Evangeline, let her do the talking but both of them couldn't say much about it.

She thanked the lieutenant for the jewels that they handed to them and left the poor little Jullienne with Lieutenant Awadin. She walked out of the Sleeping Dog Inn because she was done. She waited for Eva before she would say anything else about the: expecting great things from the two of them. "If he expect great things from us, he shouldnt mistake a kidnapping for a chlid that has gone missing." She wouldn't have said it to any other person but she knew she could trust Evangeline in this or so she hoped. "Let's head back to the Headquarters."

Wordcount: 2737/2700 (10% discount Team Elite)