[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/191220/a6c150240d48a4c0abc89362cb7392f7.png[/img][/center]
[center] Outside the Dress Shop[/center]

	Dareen turned to Jandar, who asked her if she had seen Fatima. She was about to say no, she hadn't when both of them recieved a message. Dareen's first inclination was not to be worried at all, and she was about to quip "Well, that explains it," when Jandar grew very upset. 

	In the past, when she was very briefly assigned watch over Fatima, Dareen simply looked away. When they were in the middle of a battle and Dareen was the ranged support of the group, Fatima had been told to stay behind her. The archer at the time had assumed that that was where Fatima wanted to be, and thus focused entirely on her archery. She didn't suspect that Fatima would actually want to get closer to the battle. It had tickled her then, as it did now as well. At that moment, she wondered if Fatima ever got sick and tired of hearing how much she was different from the other Queens. Well, it was true. No other Queen would escape from their own protection detail to help out the friends of an ally to our enemy. 

	Phrasing it like that made Dareen worried. Sybl was not to be trusted. Not yet, anyway...right? At the same time, Fatima wasn't an idiot. And she didn't seem the helpless type. This would be the third time, to Dareen's knowledge, that Fatima had run off somewhere while she was supposed to stay in one place. 

	Dareen chuckled quietly, to herself, shaking her head as Jandar threw himself into an angry search. [color=c4df9b]"Well, I'll help, too,"[/color] Dareen said. [color=c4df9b]"If you didn't notice them either, they must have gone out a back door."[/color] Dareen surmised, at this moment much calmer than her male counterpart. The mercenary travelled through the shop, lightly pushing the door open. She scanned the environment for sign or trace of Sybl and the precious Queen.

	The dusty and sandy covered cobblestone meant tracks, if very rough ones, might be able to be found. Certainly not as useful as freshly printed desert dunes. Conversely, most people didn't think to cover their tracks if they were on cobblestone, so there was a give and take. Dareen knelt down and narrowed her eyes, rubbing her chin. She found one pair of fresh foot prints, far too big to be Fatima's, take one step, two steps, and then...nothing. Dareen's index finger traced them, before she moved all of her fingers in a whimsical, disappearing gesture. [color=c4df9b]"Hmm."[/color] She hummed.

	[color=c4df9b]"This is just a guess, but there's one fresh set of rough tracks that only goes out a few steps." [/color]She narrated to the air, so Jandar could hear if he wanted too. [color=c4df9b]"Then, nothing. So maybe he flew away, or something."[/color] Dareen studied the ground a few more moments before casting her eyes upward. No sign of them. Either he was fast, or he could cast a sight shield. Really, she could be looking at them right now, and she wouldn't know. Dareen waved goodbye to the empty sky, hoping Fatima could see her distant form.

	Her smirk vanished however, when she noticed something peculiar. A dog's tracks...followed by a small set of footprints. They were headed off, determined. Dareen rubbed her face, groaning slightly, that turned into another chuckle at her own expense. How embarassing. Thom and Dunny must have cirled around and continued watching the shop. That dog could probably track Fatima through Hell and back. Fatima was, to be honest, fine with Fatima vanishing off on some whim. But if that kid followed her and got into trouble...ugh. Kids were so annoying. The worst part is, Dunny was probably their best shot at finding Fatima. She knew from experience that a hound's sense of smell was one of the best ways to find somebody you've already come into contact with. Well, "hound" was a strong word, but the pup would have to do.

	[color=c4df9b]"Look,"[/color] Dareen indicated the pair tracks to Jandar. Her voice was even, and casual. [color=c4df9b]"I, uh, saw Thom and Dunny earlier. They wanted to see if Fatima was in trouble. I shooed them off, but it looks like they stuck around. Now, I wonder if they're following Fatima from the ground."[/color] Dareen rose to her feet.

	[color=c4df9b]"And they probably didn't tell us, because, y'know, I told them to go away."[/color] She admitted. Dareen began to follow the tracks. She was tempted to start broadcasting a message to them, but her low jewel level meant it might get picked up on by anyone nearby. She didn't want to throw Thom and Dunny under the bus and alert any unwanted guests. So instead she picked up the pace and followed the tracks as far as they went, hoping to catch up and have a conversation with the inseperable pair. 

	[color=c4df9b]"The tracks head this way. Thom and Dunny might be able to help us, if they're already going after her."[/color] Dareen said. [color=c4df9b]"Or, it might just be some random girl and her cat. Hopefully, I'm not that rusty yet."[/color]