what you thought was real in life somehow steered you wrong

[clement]

WHO: Good cop (clement) and bad cop (foreshadower)
WHERE: Maryland.
WHEN: The last four or five days or so.
WARNINGS: Nope.
SUMMARY: Walker and Shade go out of town on a bro-trip to sort out a couple things and indulge in a quest to recover an irreplaceable stolen item.
FORMAT: Quick



I saved all of his letters and photographs in a box, but the medal--it was a Combat Infantryman Badge, my husband was in the war, you see--that was in the safety deposit box that was broken into. I can stand to lose the money. But the medal is all I have left of him. You understand.

[He did.

It was the precipitating event, but Walker really didn't need a passionate appeal--the simple asking would have been enough. Restoring hope, and, through recruiting the Shade to his purpose, giving the strange, enigmatic and somewhat moody man a sense of purpose and distraction in a sometimes directionless and often frustrating dimension.

Which explained why the two of them were stealing through the dusk-dimmed main street in Maryland. And Walker was, as Walker did, trying to make conversation and move a little closer to the other man, emotionally.]

Actually... I wouldn't mind coming back here in the daytime. This looks like a very tranquil town. --What do you think of the architecture?

Comments

[foreshadower]

[ Shade was terribly out of place on the streets of the small town. There had, of course, been a day when walking on the streets of a small town didn't attract the type of stares that he got now. To be fair, he was also with an alien.

He'd taken the holiday to get away from the dingy city, and to see more of the smaller, quieter, quainter sights. Perhaps he would sell his home and move here, come about one through moderately legal means. Or perhaps he'd procure one in his normal fashion. His cane tapped against the concrete with a light rap, and he took a second look at the buildings with the eye of a seasoned collector. ]

They respect their history far more. The English influence is rather strong in this area of the country, of course. They are more rooted, I suppose would be an accurate description.

[clement]

[If he notices the stares, the fear or the concern--he doesn't address any of it. So much for trying to keep a low profile, though.]

Yes, that does seem so. [considers.] I suppose I am not accustomed to great lengths of time in any city. Shall we continue looking, or--[well, he doesn't want to say it's a wasted night, of course]--find somewhere to spend the night?

[foreshadower]

[ As much as Shade is loathe to continue looking, this is more Walker's quest than his, he's not exactly keen to put it off. ]

The longer you leave a thief with stolen goods, the lower the chance of seeing the goods returned. [ Well, he did have some experience with that. ]

I suppose, however, if you aren't up for continuing, perhaps it is best that we conclude our search for the night. [ He had a feeling that either way, Walker wasn't going to exactly give up. ]

[clement]

I am--ah, up for it. But I notice the shops are closed, now. [he peers into the window of a nearby pawn shop, cupping his hands about his face] They will be open again tomorrow morning, I imagine..?

[foreshadower]

[ Shade laughed, a devilish grin on his face as he approached the pawn shop with Walker, and rapped the end of his cane against the metal bars of the door. ]

That should hardly be a deterrent, Saint Walker. Shall I take a quick peek?

[clement]

Oh! Would you? [Walker is like somebody's grandma gdi this is awful] It would be very kind of you.

[foreshadower]

Very well. [ And he doesn't vanish, but he does walk away from the door, only to turn down an alley. He doesn't watch to see if Walker follows, but when he's in the relative darkness of the alley, he slinks to the shadows, and then into his shadows, a quick step or two, and then back into the relative dimness of the pawn shop.

It was then that he began investigating, rooting through the relative "treasures" that littered the walls, shelves, and floor. Most of it was junk, pure junk that even Jack Knight wouldn't have touched, scattered with the rare, few gems hidden in the rough. Nothing new to him, of course. Very few things surprised him, although there were a few first editions that...

Well, in a small town like this, would they be missed? Not likely. Who read these gems anymore when they had those digital devices and their computers? No, he would give them a good home, not that anyone would notice the slide of the volumes into his shadow and into his home. He would take care of them later.

But alas, no medal to be found here. Or rather, that specific medal can't be found. A shame. He stepped into his shadows, and back to the alley, before strolling along back toward Walker. ]

I'm afraid I have some bad news.

[clement]

Ah, it's not there. [he takes it rather well, and completely without suspicion that Shade is doing anything untoward--why should he assume he is?]

Well... I'm sure we'll find it.

Do your powers require you to rest?

[foreshadower]

I require very little rest, but perhaps it would be appropriate to find some place to stop for some time. I'm beginning to feel a bit peckish, and a drink would not go amiss. Do you eat, Walker?

[ They just kept feeling each other out, with their own unique qualities, although Shade perhaps didn't need to eat, it didn't matter. A gourmand wasn't going to simply stop because he had black goo instead of blood, and nor should he. ]

Or would you prefer to stop for the night?