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Post by Lucca on Dec 13, 2009 20:27:10 GMT -5
 He was at the end of his rope. More hours spent searching the Capital than he could count, almost every night he stalked, and sometimes during the day, too. His basic Club ability to not sleep was being pushed to its limits as he continued to try and search for the elusive thieves. It was frustrating, it was invigorating, and it was driving him batty. Oddly enough, the harder it became, the more he was sure that he wanted this job, and the more he pressed forward. Giving up was not an option. So here he was, once again, lurking on the street corner and pretending to browse the colorful displays of the shops as he kept one pink eye trained on the warehouse across the street that was one of the places the little street urchin had told him she'd seen the bandits. This was one of his day time excursions, his eyes were pinker than normal from not having slept for at least four days (one day longer than his ability allowed him to overcome, and he knew he'd be collapsing from exhaustion soon--maybe he should get some coffee? Bah, he hated the stuff, but it would keep him more alert than tea...) and he thought one of the shopkeepers was beginning to be suspicious of him. What he really needed, was something beyond the facts. He needed a lucky break. But he'd never believed in luck...not for him, anyway. [12/15] |
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Post by Lucca on Dec 13, 2009 21:08:48 GMT -5
  " It's a fine day to be out shopping, isn't it?" Beaming, orange webbed feet hitting the ground at an even pace and black cane beating out a staccato beside them, the richest Duck in the Highlands (among the independently wealthy) browsed the shops lining the street with a keen eye for bargains. Everything about him said 'money', from the fancy, recognizable insignia on his tie to the smart outfit and the lovely white top hat with golden accents on his head. " Of course, Mr. McDuck," the fluffy white Cat keeping pace just a step behind him agreed, smiling amiably. Not. I'd rather be anywhere but here!What happened next, neither could be very sure of, as it all happened so -fast-. One moment, McDuck had paused to examine a tray of fruit that was fairly cheap (to try and see if it was a real bargain or if there was something wrong with the wares, reducing their value) and his maid was scanning the crowds with a polite, but impassive air, pure boredom and frustration brewing underneath, and the next... A bright blur suddenly zipped by, and the Duck whirled around, orange eyes wide, noticing how light his belt suddenly seemed...the blur disappearing down a nearby side street, weaving skillfully in and out of the crowd. " NO! Theif! I refuse to be robbed like this!" With an indignant sputter and a flash of fire in his eyes, the Duck gave chase, running impossibly fast, and anyone watching could guess there was a Spade marking under his coat. Brandishing his cane like a weapon and shouting at the top of his lungs, McDuck was quite a sight. " I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS!" " Sir..." Mrs. White was left behind, looking rather dumbfounded. That was the last thing she'd expected today...and then, she locked eyes with a white, pale, ghost of a being, bright pink eyes also watching the scene from the other side of the street. Perhaps -that- was actually the last thing she'd expected...to meet another of her Realm all the way out here... " YOU'VE TANGLED WITH THE WRONG DUCK, LADDIE!" |
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Post by Lucca on Dec 13, 2009 21:48:13 GMT -5
If the bright blur hadn't been enough to catch his attention (which, with the lazy way the sun was shining on his fur making him uncomfy, and the motion and color of the crowd, it may not have been) the shout certainly was. 'Theif!' Large ears flicked immediately in that direction, and Aberforth turned quickly. Even if it wasn't the one of the thieves he was looking for (which his very cynical nature told him it couldn't be) he still had a clear job to do, as an officer of the law. Especially since the one robbed seemed to be either foolish or able to take care of himself, or both, for he had just gone tearing after the unknown culprit like a whirlwind.
But before he could follow, something else caught his eye. No...no it couldn't be...another Tulgey? Here? Something unsaid ran between him and that female Cat. She had a look about her, one that Aberforth didn't like. It reminded him of one of the ladies who'd lived in his village. She was crazier than most, or so they'd said...insanity made people even more unpredictable than normal. More unreliable than they already were.
Another shout drew him back to reality, and he turned, ripping his gaze away from the creepy Cat, and took off after the other two Cards. He had no chance of catching up to the Duck until he slowed, since he had no Spade ability to sprint, but as long as the thief didn't have one either...his loud hooves suddenly had to land, hard, and a small, startled bleat was drawn from Aberforth's mouth as he suddenly came upon a scene, the Duck apparently having cornered the thief, who, sure enough, was not a Corvie. He was a scrawny little Josiggy Canine.
No matter. He still had a duty to see that justice got done. Besides, he had a feeling, from how things looked, that the thief might rather deal with him than with the extremely angry Duck.
Turning his jacket so that his badge was clearly visible on the collar, Aberforth walked towards the pair. "Sir, please stop that," he said in a clear voice. "My name is Aberforth, and I am an officer of the law here in Capital City. I will deal with this man, and I will have to ask you to step aside."
[13/15]
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Post by Lucca on Dec 14, 2009 21:47:10 GMT -5
With his superior speed, Graeme found himself quickly gaining on the thief, and he felt a rush of grim satisfaction as he saw the unmistakable fear in his opponant's eyes when he looked back. "Stop right there!" he cried, as they rushed into an alley, swinging his cane at the fiend and barely missing, right on the heels of this pitiful excuse for a Card.
The Canine stopped suddenly when he came to what he knew was the end of the alley, hoping the abrupt stop would at least cause his Spade pursuer to trip, if not send him careening into the other wall, but to his dismay the rich Duck skidded expertly to a stop right in front of him, whirling around...he had seconds. But he also had one more trick up his sleeve...
Blood pounding in his ears from the excitement, Graeme was barely able to stop in time, but long practice from years of adventuring allowed him to pull it off. His eyes glanced over the mark on the Canine's chest...red and pointy...wait! "Oh no you don't!" he cried, hooking his cane around the leg of the thief just as he had begun to hover using his Diamond flight ability. With a wrenching motion, he threw him back to the ground, eliciting a startled cry that was cut off as the wind was knocked out of the thief. "Now give me back my money!" McDuck yelled, holding his cane above his head and preparing to beat the cowering Dog over the head.
"Okay, okay, geez! Have your stupid gold!" the Dog whined, tossing the heavy sack regretfully back at those horribly fast webbed feet. He had just wanted to make a quick buck off some rich fool and hadn't bargained on all this trouble!
"That better be all of it," McDuck cried, still menacing him with his cane, "Or else--"
'Sir, please stop that!'
The Duck paused, turning to see a Tulgey, like his own maid, standing there. For a long moment he didn't move, orange eyes full of righteous fury. "All right, officer. I leave him to you to deal with," Graeme said stiffly. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and lowered his cane slowly, with one last glare at the Canine who now looked like he had been snatched from the lion's mouth only to be thrown to the crocodiles. McDuck picked up his money bag to make sure it was all there, and stayed close by in case it wasn't.
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Post by Lucca on Dec 14, 2009 22:14:05 GMT -5
As soon as the Duck backed off, Aberforth smoothly moved to take his place beside the prone form, expression as cold as ever. Before he could say anything, the thief was already begging him like the spineless dog he was.
"Please, officer, I didn't mean anything by it, I swear I didn't!" he pleaded. Aberforth snorted softly in disbelief. He didn't mean anything by stealing? What sort of rediculous claim was that? "I have a family to support at home, and that guy looked like he had enough to spare--"
The Duck's head whipped up at this, all his fury back in force. "Excuse me?!? It's me own money, and no one has any right to it but--"
"I will handle this," Aberforth cut across him calmly, though he didn't believe the thief's sob story for a second. Looking back down at the man with the same neutral expression he always wore, he said the words he hoped would make this day less of a waste of time. "You have broken the law, as I'm sure you know, and regardless of the reasons, I should bring you back to the station this minute. However..." Aberforth paused, cold eyes calculating as he noted how the Josiggy perked up at these words, looking hopeful. "Provided that you are willing to give this man back his stolen money--"
"I already did!" the thief piped up, but quieted at the intense look in those cold pink eyes.
Aberforth continued as if there had been no interruption. "And provided you are willing to volunteer useful information (and don't lie to me--I'll know, Diamond or not), I'm willing to let this one slide with only a warning. Keep in mind, however, that if I catch you stealing again, I'm bringing you in without a second thought."
The Dog squinted up, considering. "What kind of information?"
In a flash, Aberforth drew out of his coat the familiar wanted poster for Pintel and Ragetti. "Anything you may know about the whereabouts of these two lowlifes."
The Dog's eye lit up. "Oh, yeah, yeah...and if I tell ya this, you'll let me go on my way?" Recieving a nod, he grinned, and laced his next words with all of his Diamond charm. "Yeah, I know em. Know where they're currently hiding out, too...or at least were as of last night. But eh...I'm not sure that it's info just anyone should be hearing." He shot a cool look toward the Duck, which was returned with interest.
"Could you write it down?" Aberforth asked, hardly able to blame the man for being distrustful, since he would probably feel the same.
"I kin barely spell, just ta warn ya," the thief admitted, shrugging as Aberforth offered him a pen and the back of the wanted poster. The Goat could remember a time he couldn't understand Common, certainly couldn't write or read it well, and so he didn't fault the man for his lack of literacy. After glancing over the address, he tucked the sheet of paper back in his coat. Eagerly, the thief made to get up.
"One moment," Aberforth said in such a tone that made him freeze completely. The Goat turned toward the rich Duck. "Is all your money there?"
[14/15]
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Post by Lucca on Dec 15, 2009 0:13:57 GMT -5
Graeme watched the proceedings with something of an air of dissatisfaction, though his anger had finally dissipated. He just hoped that thief had learned his lesson: you never mess with a McDuck, unless you want a dose of their famous temper! A frown crossed his beak at the thief's apparent distrust of him. As if he would have any reason to seek out the hideout of a criminal! Unless, of course, the criminal had stolen from him, in which case he would follow them to the ends of the Earth to get back what was rightfully his, through sweat and blood and years of hard work.
When Officer Aberforth finally turned to ask him the question, he answered without hesitation, having long ago counted them. "Yes, it's all still there." One mark in the thief's favor, he supposed. As soon as the words were out of his beak, the police Card nodded to the criminal, who leapt up into the air with his spell again, and Graeme couldn't help but wonder why a Card of that high a rank was reduced to stealing. Laziness, most likely, or else bad fortune. Both of which could be overcome in perfectly legal ways if one were willing to work for it.
He smiled, moving towards the officer. It was good, after all, to see one who actually cared about justice in the lawless City streets. "Thank you, Officer Aberforth," he said formally. "My name is Graeme McDuck, owner and founder of McDuck Enterprises, located in the Highlands. Look me up if you ever have need of anything money can buy." He produced one of his business cards and handed it to the Goat.
"Now, I'm afraid I must be on my way before any other miscreants think they can try to rob me and get away with it, as soon as--ah! Mrs. White." Graeme turned to smile at his maid, who was picking her way into the alley on silent paws, but turned to smile at Aberforth.
"Well, I see I've come a little late," she said with a slight laugh. "I suppose it's just as well. I wouldn't have wanted anyone to get hurt on my account." Unless I was the one causing the pain, of course.
"Ah, Mrs. White, always so caring," McDuck said with another chuckle, putting an arm around his maid's shoulders and not noticing her momentary grimace of disgust before she controlled it and covered with a smile. "Take care, officer."
And with that, the two headed back out to shop, Graeme careful to keep one hand on his money pouch at all times.
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Post by Lucca on Dec 15, 2009 0:23:09 GMT -5
"Just doing my duty, Mr. McDuck," Aberforth replied, nodding in a polite, clipped way as he accepted the business card. He had no idea why he would ever have need of such a thing, but it never hurt to have contacts, he supposed. His tail wiggled thoughtfully, and he turned his steady pink gaze on the other Tulgey that he'd seen before. So, she worked for Mr. McDuck? That was an odd job for an eight of Hearts, but then, a police officer was never something he ever saw himself doing before, either.
There was still something 'off' about her, he decided, and yet Mr. McDuck seemed to take it all in stride. Perhaps she was just a very good worker? But no...it was more than that...he -trusted- her. He trusted a crazy Tulgey. It just went to show that even the most intelligent of Cards fell prey to that basic weakness. The need to actually get close to people, to rely on them beyond a simple exchange of give and take.
And he didn't seem to notice the twitch, quick as it was. Even Aberforth almost thought he had imagined it, except that his own eyes were one of the few things he did trust with near certainty. It only solidified his view of the Cat. McDuck trusted her way too much.
His loss. Not Aberforth's problem anymore. Shaking his head, he pulled out the wanted poster to glance at the hastily scrawled address. Other cops may immediately rush to the scene and try to valiantly take down the two criminals by themselves. Aberforth was going to do what he thought was the better course of action: bring this information back to his superior officers and wait for further orders. Hopefully this would turn out better than that stupid false tip from the week before.
If not, that canine hadn't seen the last of him after all...
[15/15]
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