It's another mystery! [OPEN]

[tidesnpc]

Characters: The crew of the Winding Way
Content: The prized Golden Fleece has gone missing, and it's up to the Winding Way to investigate!
Setting: All over Jinkston
Time: Various times over the next three days
Warnings: None
Notes: What good investigation doesn't involve questioning NPCs? If you'd like your characters to ask any of the Jinkston

Comments

[gypsymothdance]

As much as she hated to admit it, Jean really wasn't that great at gathering information or detective work. Not that she didn't like talking to people, but she preferred to be nice and straightforward about it. And at times she had been labeled as a bit naive, and rightfully so. Long story short, she really wasn't cut out for leading a personal investigation.

So, until someone else needed her assistance, she decided she would take the opportunity to at least look around the town. Even if it was a one horse town, after all, there were still plenty of sheep to see. And who didn't like cute, sleepy-eyed sheep and their soft, fluffy wool? They were cute and lulling, the sort of animal you'd want to use as a living pillow.

[sugarforteatime]

He was poking around the town, looking for anything that might get the Way off of the hook. He'd worked very hard over the last months, almost a year, to see to it that the Winding Way would get over their past. They'd gotten away with so much, it seemed ridiculous that it would crumble over something they hadn't even done.

He caught a flash of green hair and headed over to who he had at first glance assumed was his boatswain but was actually Jean. Oh well, no reason the cook couldn't help.

"Have you found anything of note yet? It seems like the towns people are more strange than I had originally anticipated."

[gypsymothdance]

Jean had been thoroughly occupied with feeding a long reed of grass to an adorable little lamb, and so it did not occur to her immediately that she was being addressed, and by the captain of her ship at that. When she realized, she hastily stood up from where she was crouching on the ground and quickly dusted her skirt in case it had picked up any dirt off the ground.

"Not yet, I'm afraid. But I've been mostly talking to the sheep, so..." Though she said it with a jesting tone, as if she were making a joke, she was actually half-serious about that.

[sugarforteatime]

He craned his neck to look at the lamb she had been feeding. "Did they provide any further criminal details or information?"

He was joking as well, he'd learned to do that a little better over the last year, but his tone was a complete and total deadpan. He crouched down to look at the lamb and the rest of the pasture. It was unlikely the fleece could be found here out in the fields, but it was always possible. The gold color would be a dead give away. Perhaps if it had been colored black to temporarily disguise it...?

He went wandering into the pasture to look around, but stayed well within conversational distance.

[gypsymothdance]

"Eh?" Was he playing along with the joke, or did he really believe that she could get that kind of information from animals? Since she had never spoken with the captain much, she honestly couldn't tell. So, she decided to play it safe in her reply: "No, like I said, nothing of note yet."

She took a few steps into the pasture as well, unconsciously following him and yet being certain to keep a safe distance from him. "Any ideas?"

[sugarforteatime]

"No. I cannot say I have come to any conclusions. I have assured the mayor that we are not responsible and done my best to assuage my thoughts that it might actually have been one of our crew. Beyond that, I am looking for whatever clues might help. The locals seem -- exceptionally strange." He was well aware that was something like the pot calling the kettle black, but he stuffed his hands in his pockets and continued to walk the field, carefully dodging the droppings there.

"What do you think?" He turned around, giving his best - very small - smile. "It would have to be concealed somewhere, would you think? No one has left that I am aware of."

[gypsymothdance]

"Well, we must seem strange to them, too," Jean noted aloud. That was an extreme understatement, since the ship and its crew had practically been on display since they arrived. But it wasn't much more than Jean was used to, having visited small villages with the gypsy caravan before. At least this time, they were being given the chance to clear their name before being run out of town.

Still, working in a carnival had taught her a few things about thievery and deception, so when she considered the situation, she couldn't help but give a small sigh. "Right. The real problem is that, even in a little town like this, 'somewhere' could be anywhere. It's not hard to make something disappear in plain sight, just so long as you keep everyone else looking in the wrong direction..."

[sugarforteatime]

"Yes, we will simply have to remove all impossible options." There were millions of them, though. It would probably be easier if they could figure out if the thief was a native or from the Way, that would mean a different set of places to hide it. He had to trust, even if he didn't quite believe, that the Winding Way hadn't stolen the fleece. That meant it was a townsperson and that meant it was somewhere ... that only a townsperson would know. That left the crew at a distinct disadvantage

Orrrrz I should have replied to this ages agoooo ;3;

[gypsymothdance]

"But if we don't know who's who in the town, then we'll have no idea who's suspect and who's not..." She sighed. "Guess there's no choice but to talk to everyone." Well, it was a strategy that had worked for Hiro, back when she traveled with him.

"Oh? Well, thanks!" she replied, her expression brightening. "It's a little tough to keep up with the ship's sugar demands, but I'm glad you think I'm doing a decent job of it."