closed.

[cloak]

Who: Data-Roxas cloak and Ludger Will Kresnik soindebt
What: Prayer #12
When: 3/26
Where: Town
Summary: Theft sure got trendy...


[Although they've got something to do in the evening, the daytime is wide open. And since Roxas and Add went on the last sidequest prayer run, this round is reserved for Ludger. It turns out the stolen wallet was only the beginning of a wave of little thefts, keys and keepsakes going missing and culminating in prayers that need answering.

While he might be a moon god, Roxas doesn't consider the task irrelevant. And if there are so many thefts going on in the same vicinity, that must mean that the culprit can be found in the same area. Judging by the pattern, Roxas thinks that the apartment complex around the park is a good place to start]

Most of the missing items were taken from there.

[He gestures at the apartment building from where they've appeared in the park]

If they're in the area, we should be able to track them down.

Comments

[soindebt]

[Ludger looks the building up and down. It doesn't look impressive or even a building he would hit up if he were a thief. There was always reasons for things like this. Not that thinking about this would do either of them any good.

He nods as he takes in the rest of the area. What kind of person would do this? Things like that make him think of-]

Maybe it's a kid?

[cloak]

[Roxas responds first with a toneless hum, looking up at the building. Thinking back on his brief exchange with Amaterasu, he tries to concentrate - to see if he can feel out anything unusual.

And after a few moments of consideration, he folds his arms]

I can sense darkness.

[Whatever it is, he knows it's concentrated]

[soindebt]

[Darkness... it'd be convenient to be able to sense it. Leave it to a god. Ludger would be too distracted all the time and want to be everywhere at once to get rid of it. It's a good thing Roxas was so calm about it all. Someone had to be.

He nods and waits for further instructions. No need to rush into a place without knowing exactly where he needed to be.]

[cloak]

Let's try and track it down. If we do that, the thefts should stop.

[There's no way to move to precisely where it is - the source of darkness isn't great enough for him to hone in on it in such a way. But he's sure it's somewhere within that building, which saves them a great deal of looking around.

All they have to do is figure out just where the culprit is]

Whoever it is, they might put up a fight...so stay on guard.

[soindebt]

Right.

[Must be a habit from back when he was alive, but Ludger takes the lead. The best way to get into an apartment building is to wait for someone to come out, in case the doors are locked otherwise. He grabs the door when a resident walks out and waits for Roxas to come through.

So they're in.

He looks back and forth inside the building to see if anything sticks out immediately. Waiting for more directions, boss!]

[cloak]

[It seems to him that Ludger has good instincts. Although Roxas could unlock any door that stood in their way, this method's worked out just as well, and once they're in the building he peers around with a flat hum.

Everything seems fine around here, and he doesn't sense that darkness is particularly close, so...]

Let's try another floor. Maybe something'll stand out.

[soindebt]

[Ludger takes the lead again, heading to a staircase. They could take the elevator, but what if the perpetrator takes the stairs? If they had another person here, someone could cover the elevators. Oh well. Doesn't see like they'll be running into someone anytime soon.

The stairwell is rather quiet as they make it to the next floor. He looks at Roxas for the next step. Trying not to let your nervousness be shown is rather difficult right now.]

[cloak]

[Once they reach the second floor, Roxas glances around again. He concentrates, trying to feel for anything unusual. In this world, he's unsure how close he'll need to be before he can hone in on the location of anything aligned with darkness, but he wishes his range was better now.

Perhaps it's because it's not the same as the worlds he'd known]

I can unlock doors, so we can check around here and make sure we don't overlook something.

[Summoning Oathkeeper, he points it at a door, the lock clicking in response]

[soindebt]

[Giant... key.... Ludger, don't ask, Roxas is a god and god can do weird things. ]

Right.

[It's risky, but Ludger opens the door slowly. He makes sure to look around before entering the apartment. If anything, it'd look like the door was mysteriously blown open. That is something he's grateful for. Being like a ghost has its advantages.]

[cloak]

[Roxas follows him inside, surveying the apartment impassively. Nothing seems to be out of order, at least from what he can tell. There are toys strewn all over the floor, but he assumes this means there's a child.

Messes and children appear to be intrinsically linked, so far as he can tell]

I'll check that room over there.

[He points at a door on the far end of the room with his Keyblade, as though he's quite forgotten that it's in his hand]

[soindebt]

[Toys can be a hazard, yet Ludger keeps himself from cleaning up. This wasn't his mess. Whoever the parents were needed to teach their child or children that people could break their necks with this stuff lying around.

Ludger nods, choosing to focus more on the living room. There might be a hint in this mess.]

[cloak]

[The door Roxas veers toward is ajar, so he dismisses his Keyblade and steps inside, glancing around. He can hear a faint scratching sound and he stills for a long moment, debating on where it's coming from.

Eventually, his attention settles on the closet door nearby.

Taking a few cautious steps toward it, he pauses to listen again]

[soindebt]

[Ludger wonders what his god is doing in the room, walking over and peeking in. He didn't hear the scratching from out in the living room, so he's rather curious.

What was Roxas so intently doing watching that closet? Enemy maybe?]

[cloak]

[Roxas edges carefully toward the closet, pausing to cast a glance at Ludger before he turns his attention back to the door. Cautiously, he slides it open, a grudgingly slow movement in case something lunges out at them.

And something does emerge - a fluffy something that immediately bumps against his leg with a low rattling sound]

...What's this thing?

[soindebt]

[The fluff, the purring, the general cuteness of this cat makes Ludger kneel down and hold his hand out. This guy has a weakness for these creatures, though he wouldn't be able to tell Roxas just where that affinity came from.

To entice the feline more, Ludger makes a clicking sound with his tongue.]

It's a cat!

[cloak]

[He watches the fluffy creature approach Ludger, sniffing his fingers before bumping them with its face]

So that's what a cat looks like?

[Judging by something in his tone, Roxas has apparently not seen one before. He's seen rabbits, if only because Monad had generated them as rewards for hunting Easter eggs with razor teeth, or rather...he'd seen one rabbit.

To this day he still believes rabbits naturally come in neon orange]

[soindebt]

[Ludger smiles and pets the cat before picking it up and moving over to Roxas.]

Yeah. They like to be petted.

[He demonstrates by gently petting the cat on its head before scratching it behind its ears.]

[cloak]

[Roxas observes this quietly, a curious cant of his head the only move he makes]

Is that rattling noise a good thing?

[He's not really familiar with cats, but it at least looks like it isn't in any form of distress as Ludger holds it]

[soindebt]

[This cat was content, and in Ludger's book this was a really good thing. If he can't interact that well with people of the Near Shore, at least cats can see him and want his attention. Though now he wonders if he can keep the cat... wait, that would be stealing. This kitty has a family already.

He nods at the question before he puts the kitty down.]

Purring means she's happy.

[cloak]

So she's happy...

[Well, that's a good thing. She's been rescued from the closet she'd been trapped in, and she liked Ludger's attention. And it seems to him that Ludger is fond of cats. Roxas is learning a lot of little details today.

His thoughts on this are interrupted when the cat's purring comes to a halt, instead a low growl sounding in her throat as her tail puffs up like a black bottle-brush. Her posture tenses as a small ayakashi sitters into view carrying a ring, and she darts after it as it quickly flees the room]

That must be our thief.

[soindebt]

[She's so cute... Wait. Ludger sees the ayakashi and the ring, gasping when the cat takes off after it. He's out the door before Roxas even finishes his sentence!

The cat could get hurt! He can't allow that to happen! She has a family, she's sweet, and yes, cats have claws, but ayakashi were far more dangerous. He does have to do his best not to trip and hurt himself with all the toys scattered on the floor.]

H-Hey!

[cloak]

[Roxas is quick to follow his shinki, catching his arm once he's caught up with him]

We'll stop it. I'll need your help for that.

[Which is to say that he's asking to change his form, so they can actually fight the ayakashi. For all the powers that Roxas has, none of them can destroy an ayakashi like Ludger can - and something this small ought to be well within their means]

[soindebt]

[Ludger stops the moment he feels Roxas' hand on his arm. Right... neither of them can do this alone. He has to change back into that rather awkward form... but at least the cat would be safe.

He nods, looking back at Roxas.]

I'm ready.

[cloak]

[He nods in return, keeping his hand where it is. Easier to catch Ludger that way, and he doesn't yet know whether being dropped in that form would hurt — nor does he want to find out.

And so, he'll make sure he doesn't let it happen]

Yuuki.

[soindebt]

[The world changing the way it does in this form is still a wild trip. Ludger is 100% sure he will never, ever get used to this, and the day he does is the day he somehow gets stuck in this form. If a pocketwatch could shiver it would be doing it at this moment.

Time to get to work.]