Bounty: Catch the Masked Thief

It started out as common thievery as some business owners found food and minor goods disappear overnight. Then caches and safes were found cracked open. Next thing they knew, art pieces and museum treasures had vanished without anyone realizing. Just as everyone had thought the republic has seen the height of these mysterious thefts, a high-ranking official was found tied up in their own home and their mansion completely barren! The Republic of Stahlim capital has accounted a total of several lifetimes worth of fortunes stolen within the past few months and it continues to grow.

And in these months, not a single clue was found on the one behind these thefts... until now.

Officers responding to an unsealed walpurgis sighting testified that during pursuit, an individual intervened. This incident happened close to where and when the breaking and entering of a metalworks factory took place. All officers on the scene had been beaten to unconsciousness, however they were able to describe that the individual wore a white mask with red markings. The perpetrator's height, build, gender, skin tone, hair color, and voice are to this date still unverified.

Officials have placed a massive bounty on the successful capture of what the public has come to call the Masked Thief. A specialized military strike force has been organized to find and apprehend the thief and bring him before the court.

An Expiate investigation party has also formed to track down the culprit. If any individuals wish to contribute to this dangerous criminal's arrest, they should be directed to the Expiate Stahlim office and talk to lead officer Jinn Germaine Brettman.

This would be the second time Rowan was helping out the Expiate. For a police force, they sure outsourced a lot. Not that he minded. The more they did so, the more Denar he'd collect. Still, he had yet to find a worthy cause to join...At least one that would fast track him the an easy life.

Well, whatever.

He went to the place directed, opening the door to the office and stepping in boldly. He went to the first person he could find and up and stepped in front of them. "Excuse me." He said, at least making an attempt to be SOME kind of polite. "I'm here about to officer Jinn Germaine about a job. Know where they are?"

The person Rowan walked up to was a small woman with armfuls of paper, a tired look on her face from a hard day at work. The entire office resembled a beehive as people ran about with papers and reports. Just how much extra work was the branch getting?

The woman gave Rowan a half-lidded look before sighing tiredly. "Oh, another one. Officer Brettman is in that back room there. He's the one with the bowler hat." With what sounded like a rehearsed line, the lady walked away, balancing her papers.

As directed, Officer Jinn was in a room in the back with tinted windows. It was a spacious room with a long table at the center and a half dozen boards positioned about. Jinn was standing in front of one with a map of the Stahlim capital spread across it. Red and blue pins were stabbed into spots across the map, almost completely evenly spread out with no uniform pattern.

The red-headed man had a candy stick protruding from between his lips. His jaw moved and loud crunching can be heard.

"Thank you." Rowan said, before moving on towards the backroom. He quietly entered, staring a few seconds at the man in question before finally speaking. "Officer Jinn? I'm Rowan Navarre. I'm here about the posted bounty." That was all that really needed to be said at this point yeah?

Of course he'd have some questions, but pleasantries were pleasantries. He assumed he was going to end up disappointed and frustrated in the ability of the Expiate by the end of this all. From what he'd heard, they'd up and gotten destroyed by a single adversary. The only thing they gleaned from that fight had been the fact that the thief wore a white mask.

Bravo, expiate, bravo.

"At the sound of Rowan's voice, Jinn's head perked and he turned around with a disgruntled look. He sighed, leaning his forehead against the palm of his hand.

"Oh not another one..." he groaned. He raised his head and rubbed the back of his head with a tired look. "Sorry, that was rude. Yes, I'm officer Jinn, but you're in the wrong place."

Jinn picked up a mug off the long table and took a deep sip of it. Rowan would notice the heavy scent of chocolate and marshmallows.

"Its the bigwigs in the Stahlim ranks that demanded the expiate work with mercenaries and bounty hunters. This isn't how we do things...."

Jinn sighed and set his mug down.

"Okay. So do you have any questions?" Jinn asked. "Just so you know, we're about as behind on intel as anyone else but we'll try to catch you up to speed as well as we can."

As per usual, talking with the Expiate never inspired him with much confidence. "It said to speak with you on the flier." How could he be in the wrong place if this was where Jinn was?

Well, whatever.

They moved onto questions quickly enough. He was glad for that much at least. "It says there's an investigation team. Am I going to be working with people or will going at it alone be fine? Also, what's all the information you have on the bandit. At the very least their fighting style should be known." They DID engage with officers after all.

"Like I said. That poster was something the town setup without asking us," Jinn grumbled. "The only reason we're involved in this case is because they went and disrupted Expiate work. As for this so-called investigation team, that's also something the town made-up. We're looking into it of course, but it's not like there's a specific team devoted to it."

Jinn shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Basically what I can do for you is tell you certain things that we do know about the matter and you're free to do what you want. Treat this like any other bounty, albeit a rather profitable one."

Jinn picked up a plate he had sitting on the table. It had a bunch of multi-colored doughnuts and he took a pink frosted one before offering the plate to the mercenary.

"Right, well that's actually rather tricky," Jinn stated in response to Ren's inquiry on the perp's fighting style. "The best I can tell ya is that they're fast and elusive. That odd incident where they interrupted three of our men in pursuit of a suspect witch is the only known reference and it's a skeptical one. See, before the officers knew what was happening, he threw something to the ground and suddenly the area was covered in what they described as a white cloud of smoke. Two of the officers described being struck in the back of the head before blacking out and the third retreated back and waited for the smoke to clear. Both the mask and the witch got away."

Jinn set down the down and took a big bite of his doughnut before turning back to the map.

"We speculate that they're a rebel witch aimed on disrupting Stahlim's growth and development based on their act on protecting a runaway witch," Jinn stated. "Although I have other theories. However I'll withhold them until there's more to speculate on..."

Jinn half turned to glance at Rin, quirking an eye eyebrow as they gave the man a quick onceover.

"You're from the mainland, aren't you?" Jinn questioned him, referring to Sakigake. "How long have you been in Esterelf?"

Rowan listened quietly as Jinn spoke. It seemed the townsfolk had up and made some things up...Great, awesome, amazing. He sighed, shaking his head. "Is the reward false too?" Honestly if thats the case he might just turn and walk out now. He wasn't here to work charity after all...

He continued listening though, his mind working out all the details. The thief seemed smart and decisive, capable of taking out two people in heavy smoke and escaping before the third can even find them. That was worrying to say the least. Still, it was manageable.

Then, Jinn surprised him, asking a personal question instead of focusing on the investigation. The confusion on Rowan's face was evident, but he answered despite it. "I've been here near two months now." He stated, tilting his head. "I hope that's not a problem."

"Oh don't worry, there really is a bounty on apprehending the thief," Jinn reassured. "It's a little high for a simple burglar, but considering his targets..."

When Rowan responded, Jinn's eyebrows perked up and he hummed thoughtfully.

"I see..."

Jinn set down his doughnut and turned away from the map to face Rowan completely. He made a fist with one hand placing it against the palm of the other, pointing the fingertips to the sky. The ginger man dipped his head slightly and said, "Na` Ghi."

This phrase and that posture was a traditional Sakigake greeting. The enkidu immigrants in Esterelf had since shaken off this practice so not many in the continent knew about it. 'Na` Ghi' had no direct translation or meaning to the language of the humans either. It meant many things at once but it's often used to express welcoming and hospitality.

"Sorry I can't offer that much in terms of information or guidance," Jinn stated, already straightening out and turning back to his map. "Trust me, we're both suffering in this situation. The best I can really say is to see what you can find out in the town and see what you can ganter with the folks in town. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

Rowan seemed to visibly relax as he was told the bounty still existed. Then he didn't waste his time here after all. His eyes did widen quite wide in surprise as Jinn suddenly up and gave a traditional Enkidu greeting. For a moment, Rowan looked QUITE uncomfortable. Eventually though, he returned the greeting and nodded towards Jinn. "I appreciate the hospitality." In truth, he'd left all that behind. Still, Jinn was trying, it was more than he could say for most here.

"I see. I'll look around town on my own then. Am I to report what I find directly to you?" He knew it wasn't a direct investigation, but it couldn't hurt to check, honestly.