[Jaykobell]

Contrary to popular belief, Lamenolai was a town the young man was very familiar with. While he typically spent his time plucking herbs and bugs for his purposes, he often visited the towns for their hotels, attractions, food, and whatever it was that they could offer. He'd come here many times, and with the ninja families of the forest slowly mingling more and more with the neighboring towns, his all-black suit didn't earn him all that many stares. The coat got a few curious stares, however, probably because of the bright, toxic green markings etched into it. Some shop and innkeepers probably knew him, as well, considering how often he visited these towns.

"Right," he said as he stopped a few steps short after the entrance of the city, pushing his glasses back a notch, "let's get searching." He turned around to face his companion, who had lost something while out on a particular mission.

The young man who was following him looked positively distressed, even if he was doing his best not to let it show. Although he was also a ninja, his lighter clothes were misleading, wearing strange white robes complimented with fabrics of copper and gold. His short pitch-black hair stood out against the white robes, as did his blue eyes — although they were currently filled with panic and worry. "Takumi," he spoke out with a soft voice, one that strangers wouldn't expect from someone his age, "are you sure this is where they would've brought the book?"

"Positive, Neo," the toxic ninja answered without a hint of hesitation. "This is one of the biggest towns around: if you want big money for stuff, you go to big cities," Takumi explained, using his hands to show a visual of what he was trying to say. "They're probably going to pawn it off or some such. All we gotta do is ask around until someone can tell us if they've seen a book like yours."

To make a long story short, Tsuneo — affectionately called Neo by everyone he knew — had been out on duty when an important item was lost to him. His particular family of ninjas, the Archivists, were a secretive clan who kept records of every single ninja out there: almost. While their records didn't include every ninja alive — although they came very, very close to that — those who were recorded in their unique books could literally be tracked down, no matter where they were. In order to do so, the ninjas created and used special books that listed different ninjas depending on the Archivist's specific tasks. Among other things, Tsuneo's family focused on taking care of the death, helping injured ninjas, keeping the history of families past and present, and they also helped expecting mothers deliver. There was more to it, but that was the gist of the whole story.

Tsuneo had recently been promoted, earning him new duties to learn and to accomplish. He'd been out helping an expecting mother in a small ninja family when it happened: and the Archivist hadn't caught on to the theft at all. Radiant at having helped deliver a newborn, he'd been too trusting and friendly to pay much attention to any ninja there. One in particular seemed very friendly, patting Tsuneo on the back for a job well done. He'd thought nothing of it, but upon returning home, Tsuneo had been horrified to realize that his newest book had been swindled right under his nose.

Of course, he'd been tasked to go out and to retrieve it at all costs. Who knows what could happen if the wrong hands got the mystic book? Fortunately, Takumi was familiar with the shadier part of town, as well as the most well-known book stores, being an avid reader himself.

Tsuneo gave a shaky sigh as he looked around nervously. "Oh, I hope you're right," he said quietly, his voice getting slightly high-pitched from the stress. "I can't lose this book, Takumi." Keeping their book safe was literally one of the very first lesson an Archivist learned. The fact Tsuneo, an established Archivist who'd recently been promoted to a better title, had failed to remember one of the most basic lessons was positively embarrassing. His appointment mentor had been furious to learn he'd lost the book, and it was the first time in over a decade that Tsuneo had legitimately felt inadequate.

Takumi rolled his eyes at his friend's panic. "I get it, Neo, I get it. We'll find your book. Calm down." Although he could understand the feeling over losing a good book, Takumi couldn't go past mild disappointment or anger. He knew what the book meant to Tsuneo — the kid checked the thing compulsively every chance he got — but he couldn't bring himself to care to that extent. Couldn't they just make another one?

He was trying to keep Tsuneo on the task at hand when he felt something tugging at his coat.

He looked down to see a little blond-haired girl tugging at his coat, her bright green eyes shining with excitement. "Daddy," she asked the toxic ninja, and despite her enthusiasm, her voice was steady, "are we going to get books?"

"Ugh," Takumi grumbled as he rolled his eyes at the child. Not only did he have Tsuneo to watch over, with the Archivist freaking out over the book, but he also had to make sure his child didn't get kidnapped or something equally bothersome. "I don't know, twerp," he answered the child before turning back to Tsuneo. "Neo, can I know why we had to drag her along for this?" Ever since he'd learned that he had a child — an illegitimate one to a now dead mother, mind you — he'd been forced to take care of the girl. While he knew that was the right thing to do, the fact remained he always had to bring her with him everywhere he went.

"Aya could use some books to learn," Tsuneo explained, and while answering the other's question helped distract him slightly, the problem of his stolen book was still on his mind. "If we can find my book quickly, we could take some time to see the other books they have in the stores here." He always did like reading a nice book, and the eight-year-old girl could certainly use some distraction while her father worked all day.

"Do I look like I'm made of money?" Takumi replied sarcastically, not at all enjoying the idea of spending his hard-earned money on books for the child. Fine, maybe the one book wouldn't lighten his pockets too much, but children weren't known for being moderate. "Whatever. Let's just get going so we can find your thing as soon as possible," he suggested, putting his hands in his pockets and turning back towards the massive city. "I have a few spots in mind that we can start with."

[Kodai]

Ah, Lamenolai. It was a beautiful and marvelous city, combining ancient culture with modern conveniences. Weathered monuments stood alongside posh restaurants, crumbling shrines could be found next to better-kept but just as used churches, stone houses shared streets with skyscrapers -- truly, there was something to suit everyone's fancy.

Of course, 'everyone' included the less savory members of society.

That bookstore has got to be around here somewhere, the man mused as he wandered nonchalantly through the busy streets. He couldn't go to just any bookstore, oh no; the larger chains would ask too many questions and probably wouldn't buy at all, while any smaller, normal store would be unlikely to give him a good value. No, he needed a store that would be willing to buy his item and give him a decent amount for it. Luckily, he had heard of just such a shop; it was small, run by a single person, but known to deal in magical books alongside the more common stock. Surely he'd be able to sell it there.

First, however, he had to find the place.

After making his way to one of the older sections of the city, the man finally came across the building he was looking for. It was two-stories and made of stone, sitting right on the corner of an intersection. Shelves of books could clearly be seen through the wide, low windows, and there were even a couple of plush chairs on one side (one of which was currently being occupied by a sleeping grey tabby cat). Putting on his best friendly expression, the man pushed open the door and entered.

This should be just as easy as taking the book from that fool in the first place.

As the door was opened, it gave a little chime, but even so, it took a moment for the man sitting behind the counter to look up. Sticking a blank sheet of paper into the book he'd been poring over as a bookmark, he gave a nod and a small smile.

"Greetings. How may I help you?"

The would-be seller blinked, distracted for a moment by the other man's voice. It was so heavily accented as to be hardly accented at all, which, although oxymoronic, was the only way to describe it. And he had thought that fluffy mass of hair had been striking!

"Ah, yes," he began, regaining his composure as quickly as he could, "I have a book I'd like to sell. I've heard this place deals in magical books... that is right, isn't it?"

The bookstore owner seemed intrigued by this. "Yes, that's right. What sort of book is it? May I see?"

Pulling the stolen item from underneath his coat, the man held it out so the store owner could take it. It was a rather beautiful book, white-based with copper and gold designs. "It's a special type of book that lists all sorts of information about many people," he explained, not wanting to mention to a common person that he was a ninja, if he could help it.

"Information about... other people?" He instantly stopped flipping through the pages. It was clear that the man wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"Oh, well, you see, it's my family's job to look after all of them," the thief replied, using the information he knew about the Archivists to try to put the other at ease. "This book is basically a record to help us keep track of them all."

"I see," said the man after the briefest of pauses. "Why are you looking to sell it, then, if I may ask? It sounds like it's quite important."

"Ah, well, I wish I didn't have to," the thief continued lying, "but we've run into some money troubles and, well, there's no other choice. Don't worry, we've got a less fancy, temporary version to use in the meantime," he added, hoping that would help convince the man that it would be okay to buy.

"Ah. I'm sorry to hear that," the owner answered, closing the book. "How much were you looking to receive for it, then?"

The thief fidgeted slightly. "We-e-ell, what with the metal bits and intricate designs and magicalness and all, I was hoping maybe... 5,000?"

To his surprise, the owner wasn't nearly as shocked as he'd thought he'd be, though it was still clear that he thought it was a high price. "Hm. I'm afraid I can't go quite that high for it. Would you do 2,000?"

Ah, haggling. He could do this. "That's a bit too low for me. What about 4,500?"

"Still too steep, unfortunately. 2,500?"

"4,000. We really need the money..."

The man gave a small sigh. "If I went to 3,500...?"

"Ah... yeah, that would be good," the thief conceded, glad that he had been able to sell it at all. "That much will really help; thanks!"

"Well, before I finalize the sale, I must ask: This isn't stolen property or any other sort of illegal contraband, is it? I'm not saying that I suspect you of anything; it's simply a matter of protocol."

The thief had tensed for just the tiniest fraction of a second, but after hearing the last sentence, he relaxed and gave a knowing nod. "Oh, sure, I understand! Nope, it's just an old family heirloom."

"All right, just making certain." Turning to fiddle with the cash register, the owner counted out the proper amount into the thief's hand. "... 3,300... 3,400... 3,500. There you are. Was there anything else I could assist you with?"

"Nope, that's it!" The thief flashed a grin. "Thank you very much!"

"A good day to you," the owner nodded as the thief, his pockets now pleasantly heavier, walked out the door.

Perfect. That was just like taking candy from a baby.

***


Quietly, Julian slipped the white, gold, and copper book into the recessed shelf under his desk and sighed. If it had been a normal book, he could have simply refused to take it and then notified the proper authorities. Magical tomes made the job that much trickier.

"Valdemar, if you would be so kind as to keep an eye on that person for me, please...?" he said, seemingly to the empty air. However, two bright blue eyes were giving him a curious look soon enough.

"Ehhh? He was lying to you?" the not-really-a-cat feigned surprise, trying to sneak an opportunity while he was on the desk to get a peek underneath at the book.

"Yes, he was," Julian replied, knowing that Valdemar wasn't seriously asking but going along with it anyway. "At least about the origins and status of the book, and his family's monetary problems." He began to pull out the tome he'd been reading when the thief had arrived. "His explanation of what it contains seemed to be accurate enough... but that's beside the point. Will you please go watch over him for me?"

The not-cat drew himself up, not moving an inch and wearing a wide, mischievous smile.

After a few moments, Julian pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Yes, there will be extra jam for you tonight, as well as for each night you have to stay out."

The smile got wider.

"There will also be a pie for tonight."

The smile was even wider.

"...Very well, and another pie when the issue is resolved."

There was a chiming sound from the door, and Valdemar was gone.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to go find a recipe book," Julian sighed good-naturedly to himself, pushing his volume aside. "I wonder if I've actually any ingredients in the kitchen..."

[Jaykobell]

Takumi wasn't one for sightseeing to begin with, and having been to Lamenolai before, the sights weren't all that impressive anymore. Still, he could appreciate the town for what it was. He remained fairly undistracted as he guided Tsuneo and Aya through the city, but the same couldn't be said of the two travellers.

Tsuneo's mind was still focused on finding the book, but he could bring himself to appreciate the town and its architecture. He didn't get to leave the shrine very often, and when he had the opportunity to do so, it was usually to pick up a body. He never really got to visit towns, let alone one that was this massive. Admittedly, the size intimidated him a little, where the buildings felt very claustrophobic to him, being so tall and so close together. Still, the view was beautiful, and it distracted him from the distressing matter at hand. It didn't get rid of the nervous sweating and looks, nor did it get rid of that uncomfortable feeling of inadequacy, but at least it let his mind think about other things for a little time.

Aya was the one most easily impressed, also for the fact that she was the youngest. She'd arguably never been to a town before, being only familiar with the forest setting of the ninja families. The buildings were fascinating to her, and she found herself asking Takumi, multiple times, what everything was. "Daddy, what is that?" she would ask every time she saw a new building, tugging at his sleeve and pointing at the building.

Every single time, Takumi would gradually feel his patience wane. He grumbled every time, the child's questions distracting him from the task at hand. He would give a small glance towards the building, usually to find a common store or a type of building everyone knew of. "That's a grocery store," he replied at some point, paying little attention to the child as he tried to find bookstores. It was particular, this search, because just any bookstore would likely not have Tsuneo's book. No, in order to find the Archivist book, one had to think like a thief. Where would a thief bring a book of such magic and value?

"Grocery?" Aya echoed at Takumi's answer, and that was enough to push the father to turn to Tsuneo.

"Neo, can you please distract her?" he asked the Archivist, giving him a look of dangerous impatience. "I have to think, and she won't stop bothering me." His patience was already nearly non-existent, and having the child test it while he needed to concentrate didn't make things any better.

"What? Oh," Tsuneo replied passively as he turned to Takumi, his mind clearly thinking about something else. "Sure. Come, Aya," Tsuneo invited as he walked closer to the child, and although he didn't like Takumi's passive-aggressive attitude towards her, he would look past it for now. Takumi was the only hope he had to find that thief who'd stolen the book, and so it was imperative that he remain focused.

For the majority of the day, the group went through a few bookstores. The majority were cryptic places, typically owned by shady characters and carrying equally shady items. Takumi handled the conversations, showing Tsuneo's black book as an example of what they were looking for, and describing the colors of the copy they needed. Some of them had been entirely uninterested in helping or talking, while others had been very interested in buying off Tsuneo's old Pathfinder book. The latter was enough to make the Archivist nearly flee those stores in a panic, but fortunately Takumi was there to assure the owners that this book wasn't for sale. They were asking for the other book that was nearly identical to this one because they wanted it back. So why in the world would they be selling their other copy? Sometimes people's logic astounded him, and he could only roll his eyes.

Ultimately, though, their answer remained virtually identical: none of them had the book, nor had they even seen such a thing before. Even after a handful of visits, no store had been able to guide them in any direction whatsoever; not even to say that a shady character had showed up to try to sell the book.

By mid-afternoon, the group left the latest store with no lead. Takumi wasn't discouraged and still had a few places in mind, and Aya was enjoying all the sights and people. Tsuneo, on the other hand, was getting increasingly nervous, nearly to the point of panic. "We'll never find it," he said to the toxic ninja as he put his hands to his head. "No one has seen the book, so what are the odds that we'll find it?"

Takumi was doing his best to stay positive, but quite honestly, both Aya and Tsuneo were starting to get on his nerves, the Archivist more so, surprisingly enough. "Will you stop already? You're more annoying than the twerp," he snapped at the Archivist, but only to bring Tsuneo back on track. If he had the Scriptwriter panic now, they really wouldn't find anything. "I still have a handful of stores we can try. Someone's got to have it."

Takumi continued to guide the group through the streets, avenues, and alleys of Lamenolai, keeping an eye out for any potential store. He was positive that the thief had come to Lamenolai: it was one of the biggest cities, allowing for a lot of potential buyers. With this massive scale, it would also render Tsuneo's task of finding the book even more difficult. Admittedly, that was probably one of the big reasons why the thief would've pawned it off in Lamenolai. It would get increasingly more disheartening for Tsuneo to search, to the point where he would probably stop searching eventually.

They were walking through one of the quieter streets when, for Tsuneo, time stopped. Alert and nervous as he was, he was constantly looking this way and that to keep an eye out for any bookstores, or any shady characters. His heart stopped when he saw the ninja who'd mugged him turn a corner. The adrenaline started pumping right away, because this was his chance: he absolutely could not let that thief get away.

Without giving Takumi a chance to know what was happening, Tsuneo made a mad dash for that thief, running right past his friend without a word. Takumi blinked as he felt a short breeze blow by him, and it was only a few moments later that he realized Tsuneo had gone off on his path. What was that ridiculous boy doing now? When he saw Tsuneo run for it, though, he realized that there was no time to dawdle. "Neo!" he called out after the Archivist, but it was too late: Tsuneo was already much further ahead, to the point where even Takumi's screams couldn't reach him. But this kind of decision was dangerous: while Takumi could get around the city, Tsuneo couldn't. If he lost the Archivist now, it would be difficult to find him again.

"Idiot," Takumi complained as he quickly turned to Aya, and without giving her any chance to hesitate or ask what was going on — she was just as confused, having seen Tsuneo make a mad dash for god knows what — he urged her to grab onto his back. "Get on! I have to catch up to him!" Fortunately for him, Aya didn't question and simply obeyed, grabbing onto her father's back and holding on tight. He heard her squeal as he quickly ran after Tsuneo, but he had no time to pay attention to the kid; he could only hope she would hold on tightly to him and that she wouldn't fall.

"Hey!" In the meantime, Tsuneo was still running, making his way towards that thief. There was no way he was going to let him get away, and despite his unusual attire for a ninja, his skills were just as sharp as any ninja out there: if not better. "You!" he screamed at that thief, and at that point, he was readying his hands to grab onto his kunais and his ninja stars. If he could find a way to pin that ninja against a wall or down to the ground, he would be able to catch up to him. Most importantly, he would also be able to teach him a good lesson as he got his book back. "Give me back my book!"

[Kodai]

Despite being able to sell the book quickly and easily, the thief was finding that the rest of his day was not going to go nearly as smoothly. It hadn’t mattered so much earlier in the day, when he had spent most of his time thinking about all the wonderful things he could do with his newly gained fortune, but once he had set down to actually do things, they simply… well, refused to be done. For instance, upon deciding that it was time for lunch, the thief found that absolutely none of the wait staff at the fancy restaurant he’d decided to try would pay attention to him! He must have spent over half an hour trying to gain some service, but nothing he did — not even knocking over a glass! — attracted staff to his table.

They must all be too stuck-up to serve someone that doesn’t look rich, he thought to himself as he left. Classist bastards. Well, I’ll just take my business somewhere else.

Except he was quite unable to do that, either. Try as he might, the thief just couldn’t find another eatery. He wandered up and down the streets, going in what he thought were the right directions, but all he ever found were dead ends, empty alleys, and old shrines.

Lots and lots of shrines, come to think of it.

He was too agitated from lack of food to consider this a sign, however, thinking only of how annoying this whole situation was. What the hell was going on? How had he managed to get so lost? Maybe he ought to just go back home. There weren’t any fancy restaurants, but at least he knew the layout well enough to not keep running around in circles. And hey, he could show off his good fortune with the rest of his family.

Well, you know. Most of it. …Some of it.

He could mention he’d gotten lucky, anyway.

Having decided that, the thief set out again, positive that even if he couldn’t find a place to eat, he could find one of the entrances/exits of the city. There was a giant wall surrounding the place, after all; he’d have to be pathetically bad at navigation to fail at leaving. Keeping his eyes on the prize, as it were, the thief made his way through the streets, paying little attention to everything else. These particular roads were rather quiet, after all.

That didn’t last long, however.

Shortly after turning a corner, he heard the rush of running feet and then a very angry, accusatory scream. Startled, he spun around to see a young man in white, gold, and copper robes making a beeline for him, hands poised to dart under those clothes.

Oh. Oh. Oh.

“Well, shit,” he muttered under his breath as he instantly broke into a sprint, all thoughts of leaving the city forgotten in favor of getting away from the enraged ninja. How the hell had he caught up with him already? Ugh. And he was surprisingly fast for a ninja that came from a family of non-fighters, too; he could hear the Archivist gaining on him. Time to shake things up a bit.

Turning suddenly, the thief gave a great leap and landed on top of a small stone building. Fortunately for him, this particular area was full of them, and so he was able to jump from rooftop to rooftop, changing direction every so often in order to confuse his pursuer. He didn’t have any caltrops with him, but he did pull out his kunais, just in case.

And then the unthinkable happened.

He didn’t understand how, as he had landed perfectly and there wasn’t anything else on the flat stone roof, but somehow he managed to trip over something, landing flat on his face and getting the wind knocked out of him. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. This is game over, for sure.

***

Oh, schadenfreude. Valdemar was thoroughly enjoying himself. It had been a bit boring at first, as the man hadn’t particularly tried to do anything, but once the thief had set his mind to spending some money, the not-cat had had a ball. Making the man invisible while he had tried to get service at a restaurant had been priceless, especially when he’d gone to such increasingly drastic measures to attract staff to his table. Knocking over a glass, really? What if they had seen him then, eh? And then he’d tried to go somewhere else to get a meal. Naturally, Valdemar couldn’t have allowed that, and so he’d pulled out one of the oldest and most effective tricks in the book: Being led astray by a faerie folk. He didn’t often get to do that sort of thing, so he made the most of it, leading the thief up, down, and all around, wherever he pleased.

It took some time, but by mid-afternoon, it seemed the thief had gotten tired of being invisibly tricked. Looking out towards the walls, he made his way towards them, and Valdemar guessed that he had had enough and was hoping to leave. That was something he would allow, but he’d be sure to accompany him there. You know. Just in case. Besides, he was technically on a mission to stalk the guy anyway; he knew Julian’s reasoning for sending him out here.

After several minutes of silent, uneventful walking, however, things started to get exciting. The sound of running feet echoed along the street, and as the thief turned to see what was going on, so did Valdemar. Of course, the sound was pretty indicative of what was happening: Someone was chasing after the thief. Easily slipping out of the path of the incoming Archivist, Valdemar listened curiously as the man shouted. Give back his book, eh? Well, well, it seemed like this situation would have a quick end!

Or, well, maybe not so quick, as the thief took flight, moving from the ground to the rooftops. Valdemar burst into action, chasing after him and leaping easily along the tops of the buildings as well. The thief was fast, that was for sure, but four legs were better than two, and soon enough the not-cat had caught up with him. Now, to put an end to this! Slinking as only a feline form could, Valdemar rushed in front of the thief, easily causing him to trip and fall and knocking the breath out of him to boot. There, easy as pie.

Mmm… pie.

[Jaykobell]

Arguably, Tsuneo's family looked like unlikely candidates for missions that involved fighting, stamina or speed. The truth of the matter was that the Archivists weren't so incompetent as to let their family members be unable to fend for themselves. Picking up bodies meant potentially walking right into a fight or a trap, and if an Archivist couldn't defend themselves, that would be an extra body to add to the count. Granted, their mentality was still that of pacifists, but when push came to shove, every Archivist could fight just fine. Their unique abilities allowed them to trick other families fairly easy as well, considering they were the only ones with techniques that would literally stop and alter time.

And really, if that thief continued to run from him with his important property, Tsuneo wouldn't hesitate to freeze him in time in order to catch up to him. Oh, he wouldn't hesitate to do a lot of things right now. Not only had this ninja tricked him into a false sense of security, but he'd dared to steal from an Archivist. Not only that, he hadn't simply taken a few kunais or some throwing weapons: he'd taken one of their books, and one of the most detailed versions, at that. The white, gold and copper book held not only names, but also lineages and other details about every ninja recorded. If the wrong hands got on this book, there was no telling what they could do with it.

Tsuneo kept his speed steady as the thief started to run from him, and he kept his eyes on the ninja as the villain made his way up a building. Urk — Tsuneo wasn't the best at jumping, and quite honestly, he didn't like it much. He couldn't make the jump in one bounce, like the thief, but he could still be in the race. Bouncing on the wall of that building, he put his weight against it in order to jump a little higher towards the wall of the neighboring building; repeat the process, and soon enough, the Archivist found himself on top of the building, granted after a few extra jumps. Still, he had plenty of stamina left to burn, and if the thief wanted to make the Archivist chase him all around the city, Tsuneo was fine with that. Getting the book back was a matter of life and death, and by the Gods, he would do everything in his human power to get it back from this thief.

Karma smiled on him as Tsuneo saw the thief literally trip over thin air. That was an unexpected turn of events, considering no respectable ninja would ever be so clumsy as to trip over nothing. Then again, no respectable ninja would let others steal his important belongings, either; so Tsuneo simply thanked lady luck for her benevolent, and left it at that.

Still, he couldn't let that thief get away. Tsuneo made a mad dash for the thief in order to get to him before he had a chance to get back on his feet. Once he was close enough, the Archivist literally threw himself on the thief, kneeling down right onto his back to prevent him from getting up, but that wasn't enough. With the thief still down, Tsuneo quickly hit some of his body's weak points in order to temporarily numb his arms and legs. Just a simple jab aimed just right at the exact spot, and the ninja was unable to move his arms and legs: not until the feeling returned to his limbs, anyway, and that wouldn't be for a little bit.

With the thief successfully trapped, Tsuneo quickly tapped and patted his body all over, looking for pouches and bags or clothing compartments where the ninja could be keeping the book. He went through the body quickly, and yet there was nothing. Tsuneo's heart stopped as he realized the thief seemingly didn't have the book anymore.

"You," Tsuneo spat as he grabbed the thief by the collar, dragging his head upwards and backwards ever so slightly. His grip was like that of steel, and no amount of struggling was likely to break free from his grasp. "What have you done with the book?" he hissed at the ninja, his voice clearly hinting that he wasn't in the mood for excuses or arguments. "Tell me." He'd shown this ninja's family kindness by helping one of their women give birth. From the looks of it, their family wasn't a very big or rich one, either, making it difficult for them to obtain services in the neighboring towns. He'd come to their help to make sure the baby was delivered safely, and to make sure the Archivists would be able to keep an eye on that baby once it grew up.

What had he received in return? His book had been stolen, and for this ninja's sake, Tsuneo hoped that he hadn't pawned it off or gotten rid of it. Gods help him, he didn't know what he would do if the other didn't have the book with him. He wasn't one for violence, but what he'd done was just unforgivable.

[Kodai]

Sucking in air to refill his lungs, the thief struggled to get back on his feet, but the effort was in vain. Scarcely had he raised up half of his body when he was forced down again, his pursuer finally catching up and kneeling on his back in order to prevent him from running again. And that wasn't all; the thief hissed lightly as he felt the Archivist strike certain weak points, rendering his limbs useless. Now he was completely incapable of moving.

Helpless, the thief could only wait as Tsuneo patted him down, obviously looking for his book. Naturally, it wasn't anywhere on the thief's person, which only served to make Tsuneo even more angry. Dangerously so.

"Urk!" the thief choked as the Archivist pulled his head back, demanding to know what he had done with the book. He hadn't ever expected to see a member of that clan look or sound so murderous, and thus he was beginning to feel somewhat nervous. His limbs weren't of any help right now, after all, so he was completely at Tsuneo's mercy -- and it appeared that he didn't have much.

Even though he knew the Archivist would only be enraged further by the truth, the thief knew he couldn't lie. After all, he'd just been checked; Tsuneo knew for a fact the book wasn't on him. Besides, even if he did lie and say he still had it, the Archivist would certainly just do a more thorough search, and that wasn't something the thief wanted to have happen.

"I-I s-sold it already!" he choked out, hoping that, just maybe, the Archivist would leave to go look for his book instead of murdering him. "A-At that little c-corner bookstore! I d-don't have it anymore, so please! Let me g-go!"

The day had started so well. Why had it turned out so poorly?

***

Slipping smoothly out of the way Valdemar simply watched as the magnificently robed stranger caught up with the thief, disabling him and demanding to kbow where his book had gone. Ohoho, now that thief was really in for it! This man looked positively furious! ...He also looked like he was carrying several weapons. Interesting. Could he perhaps be just as shady as the thief? Or was there a less malevolent reason that he was carrying them around for?

Intrigued, Valdemar sat and watched the situation play out, keeping himself hidden. There was no reason to reveal himself. Not yet, anyway. Besides, he wanted to see if the thief could get himself out of the (possibly literal) grave he had dug for himself.

[Jaykobell]

As secretive as they were, those who did meet an Archivist ninja were typically greeted with neutral personalities. Archivists typically didn't show a lot of emotions, usually displaying uncaring or distant characters. In order to stay focused on the task at hand, they had to be in complete control of their emotions at all times. Their purposes involved dealing with birth and death, and it was especially important for the latter. As a result, it was very difficult to find Archivists that express a lot of emotions in public — or even in the Archivist shrine itself.

Tsuneo, however, had never been very good at controlling his feelings. When he felt sad, he cried, and he felt angry, he yelled — the former was a more common occurrence, but rarely did he get legitimately angry. Things could upset him and annoy him, but he never got to the point of wanting to hurt someone or to lash out at anyone. When in the shrine, he was typically more dejected than angry.

When dealing with outsiders, however, he found himself getting angry more often than not. Perhaps it was the twisted values and morals, or the lack thereof — along the lines of what this thief had done to him. Never would Tsuneo repay kindness by swindling someone's property. The fact this ninja had been arrogant enough to do such a thing was enough to make Tsuneo feel terribly angry, and while he typically avoided hurting others, that didn't stop him from being rough with the thief.

When he heard that thief's answer, he didn't know whether to feel relieved or discouraged. Relieved that this malevolent ninja no longer had the book for potential evil deeds, yet discouraged over that fact this meant Tsuneo still had to search for the book. If anything, he was glad the thief was starting to get nervous: maybe then he would actually go back home with something to think about.

After he got his answer, Tsuneo let the thief go and released him — but only for a matter of seconds. He grabbed him again and flipped the ninja on his back, if only to get a better view of him. Tsuneo kneeled down on his stomach this time and grabbed his collar again, bringing him closer to his own face. "What were you thinking?" he hissed at the other as he gritted his teeth. "Do you even know what that book is?!" Had he stolen the book knowing it had a certain value, or had he stolen it thinking it was just a book like any other?

Thinking of that, Tsuneo was reminded of what Takumi had said. This thief had come here to probably pawn it off, and considering he no longer had the book, that sounded about right. He let go of the thief roughly, letting him fall back down as Tsuneo started tapping his body again. He focused on the waist, as he figured the money would probably be hanging from a belt or sitting in a satchel. With enough scavenging, Tsuneo did eventually find the heavy bag of currency, which he freed from the thief's belongings. "I'll be taking this," he stated flatly as he showed the thief the bag of money, "so I can bring it back to whoever you scammed with my book." He could only hope that whoever had been interested enough to buy the book would be fine cancelling the transaction. Still, that was a potential problem he could think about after this was all over.

While Tsuneo was busy giving the thief a run for his money, Takumi managed to catch up to him, with Aya clinging to his back like her life depended on it — and in a way, it sort of did. When he arrived on the scene, Takumi was surprised to see Tsuneo kneeling on that thief's stomach, and holding a bag that had to be the thief's, too. Not only that, but the other seemed completely incapable of moving, and he knew that was Tsuneo's doing too. "Holy shit," he said first thing after he'd reached the scene. "Can I help you beat him up?" he asked the Archivist with a short laugh. He always did find it fascinating to see Tsuneo get upset, because that wasn't normal behavior for him.

Tsuneo's anger was temporarily forgotten when he heard the toxic ninja behind him, and oh my, had he heard those first two words. "Takumi!" he gasped as he got up from the ninja's stomach so he could turn to face the other. "Don't swear in front of the child!" he scolded the father, to which he only got two rolling eyes that seemingly didn't care for the lecture.

"Whatever, whatever," Takumi replied dismissively as he looked past Tsuneo to take a look at the one who'd successfully made the Archivist look like a fool. "So he's the one? Does he have the book?" Judging by Tsuneo's irritability, however, and the large bag in the Archivist's hands, the question was most likely rhetorical.

Tsuneo sighed loudly, exasperated. "No, he doesn't have the book," he answered as he threw the bag of money to Takumi. "He already sold it. I'm going to find that bookstore so I can ask the owner to cancel the trade," he explained, wanting to make it clear the money wasn't for them, but to get the book back from whoever had agreed to the deal.

With that said and explained, Tsuneo turned back to the thief and kneeled down next to him, this time, instead of putting pressure on his body. "And for me to do that," he started as he grabbed the thief by the collar again, if only to rough him up a little, "I need to know who bought it. Where did you pawn off my book?"

[Kodai]

Emotions were something that the thief paid very close attention to. He didn’t really have much of a choice; being a ninja (let alone one that had a tendency of forcing other ninjas to part with their valuables) meant that he needed to take advantage of whatever he possibly could in order to get an edge over other people. If someone was very clear in voicing how they felt, then the thief could use that information against them; knowing someone’s emotions meant you could more easily guess what they would do next, plus you could try to manipulate how they were feeling in order to get them to act in ways that would be detrimental for them (and thus beneficial for you).

Of course, it wasn’t helpful all the time.

Tsuneo was just as easy to read right now as a crying baby, but the thief was the one that was just as helpless. He was momentarily surprised — and relieved — that the Archivist did indeed let him go after he admitted that he’d sold the book, but that lasted for only a few brief seconds as he suddenly grabbed him again, flipping him over onto his back. The thief gave a grunt as his spine connected not-so-gently with the rooftop, and then another as Tsuneo kneeled on his stomach and pulled him up by the collar again.

Yup. Angry Archivist.

“Of c-course I know what t-that book is,” the thief coughed, deciding to play it safe and not assume that it had been a rhetorical question. “That’s why I—“ Suddenly, he stopped talking, his face losing a little more color than it already had. Er. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to admit that he’d stolen the book because he had known exactly what it was and what sort of value it had. However, he’d already started saying the sentence; if he didn’t finish it, the Archivist would probably press him to finish it anyway. “T-That’s why I stole it, okay?” he finished in a small and fast voice, hoping that Tsuneo wouldn’t quite catch it and be too preoccupied with other things to pay much attention.

Sure enough, the Archivist did become preoccupied with something: Searching him again. Groaning as his head hit the stone roof due to being dropped (again), the thief simply lay there as his clothes were rummaged through. It wasn’t as if he could do anything about it, after all. Right? Tentatively, he tried to move his hand. …Nope, wasn’t working. Damn, how long was that going to last?

Finally Tsuneo found what he had now been looking for. Holding out the thief’s money pouch, he announced that he would be taking it so he could pay back the man he’d sold the book to. Not like I can do anything about it, he grumbled internally while trying to remain blank-faced on the outside. It was still clear he wasn’t happy about it, though. And who would have been?

The situation went from bad to worse when another figure showed up on the rooftop. He couldn’t see the clothing, due to remaining flat on the roof, but the thief was certain that this newcomer was bad news. ‘Can I help you beat him up?’ What kind of question was that?! Even the fact that this new person apparently had a child with him wasn’t comforting, as he had no concerns about swearing in front of them and seemed much more interested in the thief’s plight. Plus… well, he had brought a child along on what he surely must have known was a potentially dangerous mission. Sure, she must’ve been a ninja child to be tagging along with these two, but seriously. If you were hunting a thief, why would you take a child with you?

When Tsuneo mentioned that he was going to find the bookstore he’d sold the book to, the thief had a glimmer of hope. Did that mean he was going to leave, then? Of course, he was still paralyzed, but that was bound to wear off in a few minutes more at most. That glimmer was quickly dashed, however, as the Archivist kneeled down (at least next to him this time) and pulled him up yet again. Ugh, he wanted him to tell him where the bookstore was. “I-I don’t know what the place is called. I don’t think it even has a name. S-Seriously!” he added, just in case Tsuneo thought he was lying. “There’s no sign out front o-or anything. I just heard of it as ‘that bookstore on the c-corner in the older part of the city’.” Although he couldn’t look around very well, the thief turned his head in order to study their surroundings. Not that he’d been up on the roofs before, but… “I-I think we’re pretty close by, actually. T-This looks like the right area… You’ll know it when you s-see it, trust me.”

***

Such a wonderful show! Valdemar grinned to himself as he watched Tsuneo interrogate the thief, enjoying every minute. Crime didn’t pay? Not for the criminal, maybe, but it sure did for him!

He was distracted by the sound of someone else landing on the roof. Turning, the not-cat noticed another curiously-dressed man, this one carrying a small girl on his back. A friend of the white-robed one? Apparently so, as they began to speak to each other. Valdemar was less interested in the men and their conversation as he was in the child, however. Getting up, he padded over to Takumi and Aya, looking up at the girl curiously. What was she doing here with these two? She was also dressed unusually; maybe she was an apprentice or trainee of theirs? Ah, but that didn’t matter. The girl was here, and that meant that Valdemar had a potential reason to reveal himself.

Slipping behind Takumi’s and Aya’s backs, the not-cat gave a little jump into the air while making himself visible again, just in case someone would think it suspicious that a cat had suddenly appeared on the roof without making a noise. Moving around to the toxic-colored ninja’s other side, Valdemar looked up and gave a soft meow, only looking to attract Aya’s attention for now. The men all had something else to deal with at the moment, anyway; there was no need for them to pay attention to an apparently stray cat.

“Miao?”

[Jaykobell]

Hearing the thief admit he'd stolen Tsuneo's book specifically because he knew what it was, made the Archivist all the more angry. What kind of corrupted sense of entitlement was that? Just because someone had something valuable didn't mean you could go and steal it from them. Had he stolen the book solely because he knew it would fetch a high price? The Archivists weren't exactly a ninja family that was out there much, especially not in towns. Even then, they wouldn't be flaunting the book all over the place. Bookstore owners have probably never seen this kind of book, making it easy and simple for thieves like this one to make it seem like it was a very important and rare item.

Still, what else should Tsuneo have expected? He certainly hadn't stolen the book in order to be a rogue Archivist to save and help other ninjas, that was for sure. There was no way the other had swindled the book with good intentions, so really, that reason couldn't really surprise Tsuneo.

Regardless, it had been done, and now what mattered was to get the book back at all costs. He held on to the hope that the bookstore owner, whoever they were, would be kind enough to listen to the full story and to cancel the transaction afterwards. Admittedly, if the owner refused to give the book back, well, Tsuneo would probably have to resort to drastic measures. Stealing it back wasn't below him, especially considering the circumstances. This book didn't belong in the hands of anyone but the Archivist family, and if it came down to that, Tsuneo would have no choice but to go down that sinful road.

Still, for the time being, he tried to keep that problem stashed away so he could focus on the one at hand. He listened as the thief told him the location of the book — if that could even be described as such. What kind of a description was that? A shop with no name, no sign? No address? Tsuneo narrowed his eyes, and although his anger had decreased, now that he had caught the thief and with the transaction money in their hands, he was still dangerously aggravated. He didn't say anything to the thief, however, as he simply turned to Takumi. "Well? Does that sound familiar?" he asked his friend, since he was the one who really knew the city. Tsuneo could barely get around, admittedly, and so Takumi was his best bet as far as guidance was concerned.

"Hm," Takumi replied passively as he crossed his arms and gave it some thought. He knew some shady shops, himself, but he couldn't recall any shop that fit the description. What kind of shop owner would have a nameless, signless shop? How did he expect to make any kind of business if people couldn't spread the name of his shop around? With no name and no sign, clearly everyone got the same kind of vague, weird description this thief was giving them.

Of course, that held water only as far as the thief's story was concerned, and who was to say he was telling the truth? As far as Takumi was concerned, teaching that kid a lesson sounded like a good idea. "Can't recall a shop like that." His face twisted into a mocking grin at that point as he raised an eyebrow at the thief. "I think he's pulling your leg to get rid of you. Throw him off the building, see where that gets us." Oh, fine, maybe they wouldn't actually throw him off the building, but with his currently disabled limbs? That fall would be something nasty if they actually went through with the threat.

While the two men were talking and trying to settle this matter, Aya remained on Takumi's back, keeping herself anchored by her hands on his shoulders and her legs wrapped around his waist. She pressed her head against his back, letting his occasional movements rock her about. This wasn't something she'd ever done with her mother, and she had to admit it was a nice feeling to be carried all around this way. She could see things from higher up, and if she ever got tired, she could just hang onto her father. It was a comfortable position for her, and she enjoyed the opportunity. As snappy and unpleasant as her father could get — swearing in front of her, calling her "twerp" instead of by her name, and sometimes just passing comments — he was still nice enough for her. He wasn't all that different from her mother's character, really, so those things rolled off her back fairly easily.

That being said, the matter at hand concerned her very little. She understood that Tsuneo had lost his book and that this was why they were here, but otherwise, it wasn't like she could help with anything. So she simply enjoyed being on Takumi's back for the time being.

She would've continued doing just that had the cat not caught her attention. When she heard the cry, she immediately started looking around, wondering what had cried out to her that way. When she caught sight of the cat, she was initially wary. She'd never seen that kind of animal before, for the fact that she'd never gone outside the forest. She'd seen bugs and some wild animals like boars and snakes, but no cats. As a result, she was a little worried, if also intrigued. It did look positively adorable, and she wanted to pet it. Still, she had no idea if it would hurt her or run away, and so she wasn't sure what to do.

She stared at the small animal quietly, observing it carefully. She would've asked Takumi about it, but her father was talking with Tsuneo, so she couldn't go and interrupt them now. Maybe the cat would give her a cue that it wasn't aggressive or dangerous? Regardless of anything, it was difficult to resist the urge to go pick up and cuddle it. It looked soft and cute, two things that usually meant harmless.

[Kodai]

Well, so much for being believed. It was clear from the Archivist's reaction that he wasn't happy with the thief's 'directions'. Honestly, though, it wasn't as if he'd received clear directions himself! All he'd heard about the place had come from overhearing small snippets of conversation between the few clan members that traveled abroad often and the fewer visitors to the clan. And hey, even with so little information, he'd still managed to find the bookstore. This Archivist just needed to have a little faith.

Unfortunately, that was something he didn't have, and it absolutely didn't help when the second man said he couldn't remember ever hearing of a place like that. He then went on to suggest they throw him off the building, and at that point, the thief truly began to panic.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't do that! I mean, seriously, I-I'm being 100 percent honest here! I-It was a little two-story stone place, right on the corner..." His mind spun as he tried to think of more details. "Um, um, there were a couple of red plush chairs in front of one of the windows, a-and the owner was... he was a pretty unforgettable guy, yeah! Weirdest accent you ever heard and really thick, messy black hair... P-Please, you gotta believe me! It's the truth!"

They just had to believe him. He didn't want to think about what would happen if they didn't.

***

Valdemar continued to look up at Aya, studying her almost as much as she was studying him. Well, this was an unexpected reaction. He'd thought the girl would be a bit more excited about seeing a cat, but instead, she appeared to be more wary than plesantly surprised. Hmm. Maybe the girl had had a negative experience with a cat once? Or maybe she'd never met one before. Well, he could fix that!

Not that he was truly a cat, but whatever. Details weren't important.

Giving another meow, Valdemar sat and washed his face, trying to look as cute and cuddly as possible. He would have rubbed up against her and purred, but that was quite impossible while she was up on the man's back. Once she was down, though, he'd definitely do that.

That might be a while, though.

Flicking an ear back towards the men's conversation, Valdemar wondered if he should give in and finally intervene. It was great that the thief was paying for his mistake so dearly, but if the other two didn't believe him and dismissed his words, they'd spend a lot of extra time looking at other bookstores -- or even worse, miss the right one entirely.

Decisions, decisions.

Well, he'd see what the two thought about this second try at giving them directions. If they still didn't buy it, then he'd step in.

[Jaykobell]

It was ironic how the situation had been turned on its head. Initially, Tsuneo had been the one to panic and to believe that he would never see his book ever again. He'd felt ridiculous for letting this whole thing happen in the first place. In the meantime, the thief had felt confident, having successfully fooled an Archivist. The book had fetched him a nice amount of money, too, letting anyone believe that lady luck was on their side.

And now, things were flipped, like on a mirror. The thief was at Tsuneo's mercy, and clearly karma had come to bite the thief. The book was still lost in the city, but at least the thief didn't have it anymore. There was no telling if that bookstore owner was any better than this thief, but at least the book couldn't go very far. It was within the walls of this city, and it was only a matter of time until they found the right store.

Despite the ninja's limbs being paralyzed still, Tsuneo could feel him tensing up and getting nervous when Takumi suggested to throw him off the building. He proceeded to give the two of them more information on that store, seemingly doing his very best to give them as much information as he possibly could. Tsuneo kept his eyes narrowed, but he didn't do or say anything. He didn't believe that such a store could exist, but he sounded positively adamant; ultimately, he simply sighed. "We're not going to drop him down the building," he said, if only to make the other calm down. As much as this ninja probably deserved it, throwing him off and getting him killed from the fall wouldn't get anybody anywhere.

Takumi rolled his eyes at Tsuneo's words. "Maybe you'll think twice about it after he steals from you again," he pointed out, and unlike his Archivist friend there, he didn't assume that the thief had learned his lesson. If anything, he was probably very talented at faking emotions, and this "genuine" fear and panic was probably a trap, too. "Or after we find out the place he described doesn't exist. What he said still doesn't help me picture a place," he added afterwards, believing that the ninja really had no idea what he was talking about.

Tsuneo sighed again, but he didn't bother to argue. "We just need to look for a nameless two-story stone building that has red plush chairs up front," he listed, making sure to repeat it so he would remember: and so the thief could confirm if he'd said any detail wrong. "That description of the owner should also be enough."

"So you believe him?" Takumi asked, still very sceptical. Tsuneo had been so close to actually beating up that guy to teach him a lesson, but no. The Archivist was much too kind, even when angered.

"Do I really have a choice?" Tsuneo argued, shaking his head and sighing. He was just as skeptical, but he truly wanted to give that ninja the benefit of the doubt. Everyone was eligible for a second chance, right?

With the two still distracted and going at it, there was still no opportunity for Aya to ask Takumi what the cat was. It meowed again, after which it started washing itself. She continued to stare, and with her father busy, she figured that the only way to get in touch with the cat would be to do things on her own. Not to mention, she really, really wanted to touch it.

She gently let go of Takumi's back, unwrapping her legs first so her arms and hands could gradually let go. She landed silently on her feet, but she didn't go to touch the cat yet. Instead, she kneeled down on both knees and observed the cat from there. As a ninja, she'd be taught to be wary: as one who came from the extinct Illusion family, deception was something they always feared. After all, if their own family excelled in the art, who was to say that no one else could also do it? Overall, ninja techniques also relied on deception, only in a different way.

She stayed put for the time being, as she didn't want the cat to run away, either. Not only that, but if it turned out to be an enemy of some kind, maybe it had been waiting for her to get down to attack her. Approaching it would only increase those chances, and so she would keep observing it for now. It looked adorable, it looked cuddly, and it looked like something she would to cuddle and play with all day long. Such was the problem: if it were an enemy, then it would make sense to tempt her with something she would obviously enjoy. As much as she wanted to touch the cat, she had to remember her mother's teachings.

[Kodai]

He was a thief, yes. And he was a ninja, yes. But when it came right down to it… he was also a major coward. “Those who steal and run away, live to steal another day” could easily have been his motto. Self-preservation was the name of the game, and so when he found himself in a situation that threatened his safety, the thief did genuinely panic. That was what was happening now — he felt completely trapped and at the mercy of these other ninjas, and so his mind was tripping over itself in trying to find ways to not get killed. Certainly, he could fake emotions quite well in order to get people to trust him when he wanted to swipe something from them, but having a cool enough head to do that when his life was on the line? Not so much.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” he sputtered as Tsuneo assured him that they weren’t going to drop him off the edge of the building. Oh man, for a ninja that was angry as he was, he sure was doing a good job of not being violent. Of course, his friend was still highly skeptical, and the thief hoped that the toxic ninja wouldn’t take it upon himself to do something drastic if he felt that the Archivist was acting foolishly. Chemists, ugh.

“Oh, believe me, I’m never going to steal from you again,” the thief said, hoping they would at least take his word on this. “I didn’t know Archivists could be so tenacious! …Or scary. Yup, you don’t need to worry about seeing me ever again.” From now on, he was going to stay away from Archivists and stick to targets he knew he could get away with.

Noticing that they were still wary of the bookstore story, he gave a small sigh of his own. “You really do have to believe me… Why would I lie to you now? I absolutely swear I’m being honest.” Unfortunately, he couldn’t remember any more details about the store, and… well, to be honest, he didn’t want to offer to lead them there. First off, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to find the place again, considering how badly his sense of direction had apparently become, and second, he didn’t want to spend any more time with these two than was necessary. It was up to them to go look for the bookstore — if they decided to believe him.

As the Archivist had said, though, they really had no choice.

***

Hooray, the girl was finally moving! Valdemar tried not to watch too closely as Aya slid down Takumi’s back, just in case she thought it was unsettling. Clearly he needed to play the ‘cuddly kitty’ card if he wanted to win over her trust; even now she wasn’t approaching him but just kneeling and watching him cautiously. Alright. Moving towards her in order to rub against her probably wouldn’t be the best idea right now, as it was clear the girl wasn’t sure what to expect from him. Instead, Valdemar began purring and rolled over onto his back, exposing his belly. Surely she’d understand that as a sign of harmlessness, right?

However, it seemed that his quest to interact with Aya would be cut short. The men were still fussing over whether the thief’s words could be trusted or not, and while it seemed that they were about to try to find the bookstore anyway (probably due to having no other leads), they really didn’t seem convinced that such a place existed. Ah, well.

Giving what he hoped came across as an apologetic glance to Aya, Valdemar got up and walked over to Tsuneo, sitting beside him. “Heh heh, he is being truthful for once, eh? Well. Even if he does not know the way, I do.”

[Jaykobell]

As much as he did appreciate it when people showed him gratefulness, Tsuneo didn't give it too much thought when the thief thanked him. Really, this whole situation was a mess because of this thief. Although he probably did deserve a good beating, Tsuneo's conscience wouldn't be able to live with it. Justified or not, the ninja had seemingly learned his lesson. His thanks felt forced more than anything, and what he added afterwards didn't help him much, either. The Archivist simply sighed; what else was there to say? He didn't want this ninja to start complimenting him with empty words.

Despite the thief being adamant that he wasn't lying, Tsuneo still had his doubts. There were many reasons why the thief could still be lying, but the Archivist felt like he was being honest enough. His anger had mostly dissipated by now, since the crook was finally starting to cooperate, and his book was a little closer to him, now.

Takumi, however, wasn't quite ready to let it go. "Oh, there's many reasons for us to not believe you," he pointed out as he walked over to Tsuneo and the thief so he could be closer. "And many reasons why you'd still be lying," he added, giving the thief a look. Tsuneo could be a goody-two-shoes as much as he wanted, but for one, Takumi wasn't convinced. "I bet you'll be worming your way back to that store to get the book back before us the moment we let you go." Why would this little scoundrel suddenly change his tune? There were only two possible reasons: either he was trying to lure them into a false sense of security to go steal the book back afterwards, or he was just a weak little coward who wanted to escape with his tail between his legs, but with his life intact.

"Stop, Takumi," Tsuneo sighed, letting the thief go, but gently this time: he settled the man back down instead of letting him drop, "let's just go find the store so we can get the book back." They were wasting time: the thief had cooperated, they had his money, and they knew what kind of store had the book. The thief had nothing more to tell them other than the fact he didn't remember anything else.

Takumi stared at the thief with a look of distrust, but when Tsuneo insisted that they move on, he straightened up and shrugged. "Bah. Do what you want," he said as he crossed his arms, and his disagreement was clear, "but don't blame me when we end up turning around in circles to find a store that doesn't exist." He was pretty confident in his knowledge of this town, and so to hear of a shop he'd never seen before was an automatic red flag in his mind. Of course, Tsuneo being the hopeful man he was, there was no way he would make the Archivist see the light unless Tsuneo saw the lies for himself. Takumi, however, didn't look forward to wasting his time.

Aya's adventure continued on the sidelines, and she didn't even pay much attention when her father walked away to go stand next to Tsuneo. The cat had her full attention, and when it rolled on its back and exposed its belly, her desire to go and touch it increased even more. "Aww," she squealed quietly, just barely to herself, as she watched the cat do the cutest little things ever.

She was just about to approach it when it looked back at her with a sad look before making a run for Tsuneo and her father. "Oh, no! Don't go away," she called out after the cat, afraid that it was going to leave entirely. She was relieved, however, when the animal stopped just inches away from Tsuneo and Takumi; or just a few feet away from her. And with the cat distracted, she saw her chance to go and cuddle it. The fact it talked didn't faze her as she approached the animal silently; she had been taught some basics of ninja training by her mom.

While the cat was speaking, the girl slipped up behind it, and with the swiftness of the wind...

When Takumi and Tsuneo heard someone speak behind them, the two turned to take a look. Neither of them had felt anything, and for a split second, the two were on edge. Who was there, and who had spoken? They could've sworn that they were the only ones on the roof, together with Aya and the thief.

Speaking of Aya, just as the two turned to find the source of the mystery voice, they noticed the small girl was now holding a grey tabby cat in her arms. She was holding the poor thing rather awkwardly, wrapping her arms right under its forelegs and around its stomach. She did retrieve one arm in order to pet the cat on the head, but it did still leave the animal's lower body completely unsupported.

When they saw the cat, neither Takumi nor Tsuneo associated the voice with the animal. Unlike Aya, who had also heard the animal speak, the adults knew that domestic cats didn't speak. "Ugh, drop the thing, twerp," Takumi complained as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Right; he'd been so distracted by the thief that he'd completely forgotten Aya had been there the entire time. "It could maul you or something." How could the kid be so careless as to go and pick up a stray animal in her arms? It was just a matter of time before it started scratching her mercilessly.

"Never mind the cat; didn't you hear that?" Tsuneo asked, shaking his head at the cat in Aya's arms. "Who was that?"

Takumi shrugged, but Aya seemed to know the answer to Tsuneo's question. "The cat talked," she answered, looking down at the cat. Of course, it took only mere seconds for the two adults to dismiss her words as the fantasy of a child's active imagination.

"Kid, cats don't talk," Takumi pointed out bluntly, rolling his eyes. Aya had seen animals before, hadn't she? Surely she knew that they obviously didn't speak the human tongue?

[Kodai]

As for the thief himself, the fact that he wouldn't have gotten into this mess if he hadn't stolen the book in the first place failed to cross his mind. Coward that he was, he was simply too focused on not getting thrown off the building to focus on much else. That was why the thanked Tsuneo so profusely when the Archivist refused to actually kill him -- he was grateful that he wasn't dying. Of course, the sucking up afterwards was probably taking it a little too far, but in Tsuneo's case, all those words were true. He wouldn't be targeting the Archivist again.

He knew where he lived.

In hindsight, that reason really should've stopped him from stealing from an Archivist in the first place. Oh well; at least he'd been able to make a stupid mistake and not suffer very badly for it, unlike a lot of other thieves.

"H-Hey!" he began indignantly as the Chemist suggested he was about to pull a fast one on them and the store, but before he could get into a real argument, the Archivist told his friend to stop, lowering the thief down again. "That's a really dumb idea," he mumbled mostly to himself, idly trying to see if his limbs would move again. "Who knows where he's put the book by now, and if he saw me again, poking around the shelves, he might get suspicious..." Sure, a really good thief could've pulled it off, but clearly he wasn't a good thief, or else he wouldn't be up on this roof with numbed limbs.

Making a rare wise decision, he opted not to push the Chemist anymore and stayed quiet, staring determinedly at one of his arms. Come on, elbow! Bend! ...Pleeeease?

***

Valdemar was, in truth, a fairy creature, which meant that he was extremely good at moving around unnoticed when he wanted to. It also meant that he was skilled at noticing when other people were trying to do the same around him. However, just like humans, he was prone to off-days and lapses in attention...

So when Tsuneo and Takumi turned around to look for the source of the voice, they only saw Aya awkwardly holding a stunned cat rendered mute by shock. That state didn't last long, however, as Valdemar's face split into a grin and he chuckled.

"You are a very good sneak, eh?" he praised the girl, turning his head in an attempt to address her. "To catch me like that; it is something! But," and here he wiggled his tail, "maybe what you are not so good at is holding cats. Here, I will help you."

Completely ignoring the adults (including the thief, who had stopped his struggle with his unresponsive bodyparts in order to stare), Valdemar twisted around in Aya's arms, giving her the necessary instructions to improve her grip.

"...and so you must remember to hold the bottom, too. Okay? Okay. And now you pet me." Letting Aya start on that, Valdemar finally turned his attention back to the men. Now, see, this was why he only liked working with children and magicians; when they were faced with a talking cat, they just accepted it. None of this 'but cats don't talk' nonsense.

"Oh, look how smart he is! 'Cats don't talk,' eh?" he smirked at Takumi. "You have tried to talk to many cats before, then?" Valdemar then turned to look at Tsuneo. "You want your book? Then you will follow me. But, hey, if you do not want to listen to a cat just because it is talking, then fine. It is not my book."" He shrugged. "We will keep it and it will sit in the cellar and you will never see it again." Grinning smugly, a thoughtful look soon crossed his face. "Eh, well. Maybe no. He would try to return it, foolish man that he is. Hm, and that would be a lot of research and such frustrations for him! And a journey! Ja!" The grin came back. "Yes, okay, so you leave now and we will return your book in six months or such. This is good for you?"

The thief, looking a little pale, looked at the other two men from his position on the rooftop. "It... It is the cat talking, isn't it? Because... I'd hate t-to think we're having a-a shared hallucination or s-something. ...You two are hearing it, r-right?""

[Jaykobell]

There was little time to pay attention to thief as the scene unfolded. While Takumi had clearly stated his disbelief in the cat speaking, Tsuneo hadn't said anything, keeping his own disbelief in the form of a simple expression of surprise. Neither of them had been paying attention when the cat spoke, which was why they didn't believe Aya.

Neither of them had a chance to tell Aya that she was holding the cat terribly wrong, since the cat — who seemed to be male, all things considered — told her himself. When he did speak to Aya and started moving about to teach her how to hold him, both Takumi and Tsuneo watched in silence, with Takumi simply staring and Tsuneo letting his jaw drop only slightly. The child hadn't been lying: the cat was the one who'd really spoken just moments before.

It didn't really bother Aya that the two adults didn't believe her, but she did wonder why. She didn't have a chance to ask, however, as the cat spoke again and told her how to hold him properly — right after having praised her, which was actually nice. To be honest, her mother had never really praised her, and her father didn't compliment her much either. It was from a cat, but a compliment was still a compliment.

As the cat told Aya how to hold him, she listened obediently and made sure to give the animal support at the bottom. In that position, however, the cat was a little harder to pet, considering she had both hands busy. She made due, however, petting the cat around the neck with the hand that held it around the chest and shoulders. "Like this?" she would say between instructions and as she started petting the animal. She had no idea cats couldn't talk, so considering how surprised her father and Tsuneo had been to hear the cat talk, this one had to be a really special one!

Everything was seemingly going fine, but the tone shifted when the cat became sarcastic with the two adults — well, three if one still wanted to consider the thief, who was just pitifully laying on the ground. It started out just a little insolent, but then it clearly got out of hand when the cat's words were nothing short of passive-aggressive. Not only that, but he started involving Tsuneo's book, and it all went downhill from there, and in different ways for both ninjas.

Takumi frowned at the cat's attitude; who was this runt, to talk back to him like that? It was a fact that cats didn't talk, so that cat's argument held absolutely no water. He also wasn't someone who melted at the sight of a cute, adorable little animal: and if he came across one that upset him, he wouldn't hesitate to kick it. Considering this cat was seemingly so very intelligent, he would feel nothing at kicking it in the guts once the child put him back down.

He was going to start arguing with the cat when Tsuneo got nervous all over again. "Wh-what are you talking about?" he awkwardly asked, and quite honestly, he'd been taken aback by the cat's words. When he threatened to keep the book hidden away forever, the Archivist visibly blanched to a sickeningly pale shade. Why was the animal so incredibly insulted — and why did he feel the need to start using threats? Was it because they hadn't heard him speak, and they'd assumed cats didn't talk? He couldn't speak for Takumi, but as far as Tsuneo was concerned, he hadn't meant to insult the cat — whoever he was, anyway. No, he had never met a talking cat before, and had the animal asked for his attention before talking, he probably would've accepted it as fact.

Instead, the cat was now being sassy with both of them, and Tsuneo genuinely felt it was all uncalled for, especially since he was using the book as a bargaining tool. Since the cat knew the story behind his book — supposedly, the way he spoke of it — then why was he being so uncooperative and unpleasant? Did he know this thief had stolen it from Tsuneo, and then had pawned it off? He had to, considering the words he used.

"What's your problem?" Takumi spoke after a while, considering Tsuneo was still a bit too surprised and shaken to continue speaking for himself. "So we didn't hear you speak: get over yourself, you prick." Oh, poor little kitty cat, the big bad adults hadn't heard him. What, did he need to speak to it like a toddler? He wasn't below that.

"Not in front of the child!" Tsuneo scolded almost instantly, and with him derailing the topic at hand, he only got a hard stare from the toxic ninja.

"Seriously, Neo?" Takumi pointed out, narrowing his eyes at the Archivist. His cat was threatening to keep his precious book for half a year, and all he was worried about was Takumi saying a bad word in front of Aya? "This stupid cat is your enemy, not me!" If he wanted to be upset and agitated over something or at someone, he could do so towards the cat. What the hell was that attitude all about?

What a mess this was. Tsuneo didn't even know what to do or what to say. This cat certainly didn't seem pleasant, and Takumi wasn't making it any better. "No, it's not a hallucination," he replied to the thief, as he figured he could use a distraction, himself, "the cat is talking." He paused there as he sighed. What was it with today? Everyone was giving him some kind of attitude. He just wanted to get his book back; was that really such a bad thing? But the way this cat was speaking, he was almost starting to lose hope. Maybe this cat was the bookstore owner, and if that were the case, offering him his money back probably wouldn't earn him the book back. What would he even use the book for? At that point, it sounded like he just wanted to say those things out of spite.

As she heard how displeased Takumi and Tsuneo sounded — and after hearing the cat's words for herself, too — Aya stopped petting the cat. She started moving the animal at that point, where she could turn him around so he would be facing her instead of the adults. "You can't keep Tsuneo's book," she started saying, but unlike the two adults, her voice wasn't nearly as loud or as confident as theirs, "that's mean. He needs it to help other ninjas." She didn't fully understand what it was that Tsuneo did, exactly, but the gist of it was that he helped ninjas all around the world be safe. He'd done it for her, and so she knew that without the book, he wouldn't be able to help anyone anymore. "You need to give it back to him. It's important."