[center][b]Will 'o the Piper[/b][/center]

[I]“They vanished overnight, that's what the man said, and the times and days are irregular. You got wax in your ears or something?”[/i] Sigmund grunted in reply at Eidren, forgetting to leave his emotions out of Charles' head. It was hard to hide his tone of voice, though. Sigmund had been with the library for years and grown to knew that the easiest way to fail a mission, or even get killed, was to not pay attention. 

[i]“That geezer also confirmed search parties returned. I say it's best we don't ask the same questions twice. We're not making the best impression as is.”[/i] Sigmund scratched his head. Maybe the intelligence guys had a protocol when it came to double checking and gathering information in as much detail as possible, but Sigmund had no idea what they would gain from knowing the kids' ages or whether there were carrier pigeons around. Or maybe he just wanted to investigate things his own way and do something he was actually good at. Simple things, like break-in's or beating the brains in of whatever was the cause of these kidnappings. 

[i]“But yeah, travelers could be a start. Ask about the unusual, you know, besides the kidnappings. Travelers, strangely behaving citizens, things like that.”[/i]

When Sigmund and Charles arrived at one of the houses, he laughed out loud at Charles' suggestion. [i]“Stealthy in broad daylight with every pair of lookers around on you? Nobody is that sneaky.”[/i] He replied in the holder's head. [I]“You intelligence folk are pretty gutsy. Who do you think you're talking to?”[/i] He remarked, once again cursing himself for being more mindful about his words. [I]“I know my way around burglary and unless you want these fellows to kick you out of their merry town for disrespecting their property, I suggest the only way you get in is with a distraction.”[/i]

For a moment Sigmund wondered if they were rookies trying to prove their selves. He didn't think of himself, or Kurotori (for what little he knew about him) as good role models or mentors for aspiring holders, so that couldn't be it. The library did have some odd choices for holders to send on missions, he thought, remembering Arlette and Mime from his last, and it couldn't get worse than a holder that wasn't in control of her spirit. 

“Alright.” Sigmund sighed, before continuing his telepathy conversation with Charles. [i]“I can be the distraction or I can be the burglar, I'm good at both. If you want to go in, that's fine by me, but we'd better have a plan and you'd better not leave any traces.”[/i]

[center][b]Free Billy[/b][/center]

“Well met, Mari. It's good to see you too, Remia.” Eowyn said to her colleagues. She was relieved to see Remia so light-hearted and Mari seemed to be very polite. She then stretched out a hand to the fifth member of their company, a young man named Nathair, who was speaking to his spirit; a small snake that stuck it's head out of Nathair's clothes. “You must be Nathair. I hope we can bring this mission to a good end together.”

Shortly after all pleasantries had been exchanged, Mime began shouting and Eowyn quickly saw something was wrong. She almost forgot about her own concerns as she saw Arlette. Eowyn reassuringly touched the girl's upper arm and smiled more warmly than she thought she could've managed. “It's okay Arlette, I'm just glad we all got out alive.” Eowyn tried to comfort the girl, “Let's go to somewhere a little more quiet to catch our breath.” Eowyn suggested, seeking eye-contact with Remia and Mari. Surely they would understand.