-Ruarc Brennan-
Quan was pale and his eyes wandered around aimlessly. He looked terrified, but that was only because I knew what to look for. He was a generally inexpressive person, which meant that I had to look for other indicators of emotion from him. He was ignoring most of my questions, but I wasn't sure that he heard a few of them. His heart pounded loudly, skipping a beat every now and again.
"What did you find?" I asked in a whisper. Candice didn't follow us inside the building, but I knew she could hear us perfectly fine if we used a normal volume.
Quan swallowed. "Well, let's just say we both have secrets," he said in the same volume I had used. "I guess we also both have cases on our hands which shouldn't be investigated."
I scoffed. "I think mine is a little different to a police station being broken into."
Quan shrugged. "Either way, I don't think that the person meant to hurt anyone else here. It's safe for people to come back in." He rocked on his heels a few times. "I should take some time off."
My eyes widened and I had to reposition my feet to stop myself from letting my surprise show. "Time off?" I repeated. "I heard that you hadn't taken a day off since you practically started. What caused the change of heart?" Worry started to creep through me. Was Quan in danger? What exactly did he see? Did he not trust me enough to protect him? "Quan?" I said, as he hadn't responded to my questions.
He blinked a few times before clearing his throat and walking around me. "I'm fine, I just want to take some time away from the office."
I followed him quickly, keeping up with him effortlessly. "Okay, I know enough to know that when anyone says 'I'm fine' they really aren't fine." It had been a small annoyance for me over the past few decades, as I had also started to develop the habit. "Why can't you tell me what's going on?"
Quan spun around to face me, nearly falling forwards if it weren't for my hands gripping onto his upper arms. "Ruarc, just shut up!" he yelled. His eyes were full of fire and tears. The regular mist looked like smoke from a campfire. "I don't need you to get involved, I don't need anyone to get involved." He pulled out of my grip and sprinted towards the entrance, dropping his glove and cane in the process.
I sighed and picked the objects up. I would need to be hot on his heels and make sure he didn't get into any danger, but his words stung. I knew that he was a closed-off person, and I thought that I was making steady progress getting to know him better. I suppose I was wrong.
When I exited the building, Candice stood waiting for me, her arms crossed, and an eyebrow raised.
I shrugged my shoulders. "He said that the station is safe, and he's taking a few days off."
Candice's expression reflected how I felt, worried and surprised. "Did he now?" She tapped her chin, her glossy black nails reflecting the light. "Right, I don't have time to dwell on this now. Chop chop everybody, back to work." She clapped her hands, gaining everyone's attention and a few groans of disappointment. She then took hold of my wrist and pulled me to the side. "You make sure he's okay, alright? I don't want anything happening to him."
I nodded my head quickly. "That's my job," I reminded her.
She scoffed and shook her head, but otherwise pushed me in the direction of my house. "Go and do it."
I didn't need to be told twice. I sprinted down the road, ignoring the strange looks I received from Jade, William, and Kenji. They were the only three people who I had really interacted with at the station, that I hadn't really known before coming here.
They weren't the last of the strange looks I received as I sprinted down the next corner. I couldn't find Quan, and that was deeply concerning. He didn't have enough time to physically move far enough away from me, so that I couldn't sense him. I could usually tell where he was from the strong scent of patchouli, cat fur, and spice. But I couldn't pinpoint that anywhere. I couldn't hear him either.
He didn't have his cane with him, he really shouldn't have been able to get far, unless he used magic.
An exaggerated sigh left me as I shook my head. This was going to be tricky. I wouldn't be able to find him if I tried to track him. Tracking was a rather simple method, following someone's trail using vampiric senses, but that wouldn't work in this case.
Where would he possibly go? Does he even have the ability to teleport? Some witches do, but I wasn't sure about Quan. I figure it would be an extremely difficult task for someone who couldn't see, as you had to rely on knowing the place you were travelling to.
But that didn't help, because Quan still had his sight, he could memorise a place just to return to it. I didn't know his capabilities, so for now, I'll just try to think of other possibilities.
Cappi was my first thought, that mischievous child could probably do many things that I couldn't imagine. They definitely weren't human. They'd be my first call.
"I think you should mind your business," Cappi told me as they hung upside-down from an extremely thin tree branch. "He obviously doesn't want you to find him."
I let out another frustrated groan, the third one in the past five minutes. "Yes, but it's my job," I told them for the seventh time. "I need to know where he is, so that I know he's safe."
"Safe from what?" Their words gave off a gleam of child-like innocence, but their eyes held curiosity and seriousness.
I ran a hand down my face. "I have no clue," I admitted. "The police station was evacuated-"
"What?" They interrupted. They jumped down from the tree. "The police station? The biggest one in Alchgrove?" They started to wildly shake their head. "Nuh-uh, it couldn't have been." I had already explained this once to them, but they probably just now tuned into the conversation.
I crossed my arms. "I'm pretty sure that my work was evacuated, we were all stood outside. Then Quan was asked to investigate."
"Course he was, he's the best." Cappi started to walk, their bare, pale feet crushed leaves and gave me slight anxiety over their wellbeing. "What did he find?"
I shrugged again. "He didn't tell me."
They stopped walking and turned to face me completely. "So, you came to me not even knowing if it's serious?" They put a hand to their heart and made a small cooing noise.
"Quan found something in his office, it freaked him out. He took time off."
All sense of playfulness left their face. "You did the right thing, coming to see me." They placed a hand on my shoulder, needing to go on their tiptoes for them to reach. "Let's interrogate the fallen angel, and then we can find Quan."
I knew who he meant, but I didn't move. I was too busy trying to figure out why Fewesi would be our go-to. Granted, she is the only person that really knows both Quan and me. I didn't want to admit to her that I was extremely worried about him, more so than just fretting about losing the job I worked incredibly hard to acquire. She knew me far too well to think that it was simply because of my job.
"You waitin' for the grass to grow?" Cappi teased, yanking on my wrist. "Come on."
I chuckled. "If you did that to Quan, he'd hit you, or at least shout at you." I had to jog to catch up with their fast and long steps.
"He doesn't shout, so he'd probably hit." Their grip on my wrist loosened. "I've never heard him shout." That was more proof that Quan had been extremely disturbed by what he found.
We were reaching a thin, black gate surrounded by an overgrown hedge. Cappi slipped their fingers through the gate and lifted the latch.
"I'm not sure if I believe he hasn't shouted before," I commented absentmindedly. He hadn't really raised his voice enough to be shouting, but he was insistent and snappy.
Fewesi's door was black with white accents, something which I assumed her home would incorporate thoroughly. Everything in her life seemed to be monochrome, from her hair to her morals. It was a stereotype for fallen angels to be described as this, but the very stereotype fit her almost perfectly.
Cappi knocked four times on the door in a rhythmic sequence. I didn't know if it was magic, or if Fewesi was just by the door, but it opened instantaneously.
"What do you want?" Fewesi's voice came from the open door before she appeared. Her white and black hair was in a messy bun on top of her head, her tired eyes and pyjamas suggested that she hadn't gotten much sleep, perhaps we had woken her up. I knew that she was working late last night, as she usually went through her schedule with me.
"To interrogate you until you spill all of your secrets," Cappi declared with a tone which was far too happy considering the situation.
Fewesi looked at them for a moment, before sighing and opening the door wider. "Come in, you have fifteen minutes." She eyed me wearily. "I may serve you at the bar, don't think you're getting anything more out of me."
I raised my hands as my foot entered the threshold. "Not my intention." She should've known that by now. She was probably just joking with me, but her voice was so serious, it was tricky to tell.
I was right when I assumed most of Fewesi's house would be black and white. If I remember correctly, she still lived with her parents. Their love story was a very beautiful one, and the family was extremely close. That didn't stop Fewesi saving up money to try and leave the house as soon as she could, but the wages that she got from the bar, mixed with her spending habits, meant that it was going at a snail's pace.
Cappi acted like they owned the place, just as they did when they entered my house for the first time. They plopped themself on the armchair. "Have you seen Quan anywhere?"
She looked at me as though Cappi had asked the most stupid question in the world. "You lost him? You?" She crossed her arms and stood by the fireplace.
I didn't quite know where to go, I would be too fidgety if I were to sit down, and I wasn't sure that pacing the room would be ideal either. I opted for standing awkwardly in the middle of the room,
"I didn't lose him, he ran off." I huffed. I understood why she was putting the blame on me; I was putting the blame on me. "I tried to track him, but his scent stopped abruptly."
Fewesi moved from foot-to-foot. "And what exactly happened?" Her eyes widened and her shoulders slumped. "Is that what I think it is?" She pointed to my jacket pocket.
I took Quan's cane out of my pocket; I had folded it up a little while ago. "It is," I confirmed. I also pulled out his glove. "But in my experience, I know this is far more concerning."
Fewesi let out a high-pitched noise of agreement. "Okay, this is serious." She ran a hand through her hair. "We need to consult someone, preferably someone who can track."
"I can track, kind of," Cappi said. "I can learn how to track."
I shook my head. "We need someone who is excellent at the job." Names and faces flashed in my mind, all the possibilities, "Nature witches and angels are meant to be good at that kind of thing, right?"
Fewesi shrugged. "Wouldn't know, dad's retired." She moved with long strides towards the stairs. "I'll come with you, make sure you don't make any more deals with demons."
I let out a frustrated groan as Cappi widened their eyes and jumped off the settee. "You made a deal with a demon?" they asked excitedly. "What was it? What did you have to do? How did you do it?"
I couldn't get a word in edgeways in order to explain that she didn't mean a literal deal with a demon, they were far too excited thinking about the possibilities, and that lasted up until Fewesi was ready.
I didn't actually know if Sara would be willing to help, but I had high hopes that I'd be able to convince her. It shouldn't be too hard, but I didn't want to bring Simon up again, we were all extremely close, and it had hit everyone very hard. They could do without another reminder of what happened.
It didn't take long to get to Sara's house, I prayed that she was actually inside. She didn't spend a lot of time in her own house, nobody really did. I suppose it was a somewhat ironic thing that we all spent more time in each other's places rather than our own. Yet, I did have a sneaky suspicion where she would be if she wasn't in the house.
I knocked on the sage-green door four times in a specific pattern that we all knew. T was immediately answered by Aubrey, who looked at me, and those behind me, very suspiciously.
"Why don't you just bring your entire neighbourhood?" Aubrey asked, whilst opening the door wide enough so that we could enter. "These are the second and third people you've brought."
I nodded my head. "It may amaze you, but I can add one and two."
She scowled at me. "Anyway, what do you want? Why isn't your little witch with you?"
Cappi gasped dramatically, causing me to wince. I'd had a small conversation with them about letting me handle the talking. "Little? Little?" Cappi questioned. Their mouth was wide open, and they waved their arms frantically. "He's like six foot tall- if he's small, then what am I?"
"Tiny," Fewesi answered simply. Her tone gave a not-so-subtle threatening tone. "The little witch has gone missing. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Her eyes had a cold flame in them, the polarising gleams made her intentions unclear and confusing. This was generally Fewesi's vibe, confusing and polarising.
Aubrey narrowed her eyes. "Are you accusing me of something?" Aubrey stepped forward menacingly. "Because that would be a very big mistake."
I rested my hand on the doorframe, separating the two girls. "Nobody's accusing anyone of anything," I stated, but I was ignored.
"You know, a lot of fishy stuff's going on 'round here too. Know anything about that?" Aubrey asked and stared Fewesi down.
"Sara," I called into the house. "Come be a peacemaker please."
The green-haired witch shuffled into the room, her shoulders deflating when her eyes laid on us. "Aubrey, cut it out." Sara pulled on Aubrey's arm. "What's going on?"
I sighed, I was beginning to sound like a broken record, and I was tired of my own voice. "The police station was evacuated this morning, and Quan was asked to investigate. He got to our office before he freaked out and ran away. Now I can't track him."
Aubrey pulled her arm away from Sara's grip. "You didn't mention anything about that," she muttered. "Come on, we'll talk more outside."
I backed up as the two girls put their shoes on and left the house, not bothering to lock the door behind them, I suppose Sara's parents were there, two people I hadn't met before. We walked to the small park that used to be teaming with children but has since been reduced to a place where teenagers hung out after school, brooding and smoking, and whatever else was cool these days.
"How come you can't track him?" Aubrey asked once we were seated in the park. "You're one of the best trackers, second only to Harlen."
I scoffed; they would never let me live that down. "I'm not sure, his scent does seem to literally vanish as soon as he went down one street."
"That could be a cloaking spell," Sara informed. "But then I think we'd know about it. Did he know any cloaking spells?"
I shrugged. "I wouldn't know."
"We could sneak into his house!" Cappi said enthusiastically. "Clover will help, and we could find whatever he knows."
"I don't condone breaking and entering," Sara stated with a shake of her head.
"I wouldn't be able to go in," I uttered and hoped nobody heard me. Of course, Aubrey had. She sent me a sideways glance of confusion. She had one of the best hearing abilities of the group, due to her werewolf abilities.
"Right, so we're not doing that." Fewesi checked an invisible box in the air.
"What exactly can we do?" Cappi asked cluelessly.
I tried my best not to get upset, they were just trying to help, but my patience was wearing thin. "We've been trying to figure out what exactly we can do for the past hour," I said bluntly.
They pouted, but otherwise kept quiet.
"I can try to track him down," Sara offered. "But it'll be pricey."
I rolled my eyes, of course it would be. She wouldn't do anything for free, especially if it meant using her magic. Aubrey even had the smuggest smile on her face that I had ever seen. She got a kick out of Sara standing up for herself, and males being put in their places.
"Could you?" I asked, ignoring the talk about the price. I didn't know what she'd want, but I'm sure Candice would be able to help her with that.
"I'll see what I can do." She sighed. "Where was the last place you saw him?"