Looking around, it did not look as if having a giant dog was a common thing. Although bystanders barely spared a glance at the pair, she failed to spot another soul walking their dog along the busy streets. But this one was friendly and cuddly and cute. Who was she, a mere mortal, to resist its charms? Claire was even smiling as she followed the prompts of her unlikely companion.

It led her away from the steam and metal plates that made up most of the city to a portion of it which looked a little dated. Though quite a bit different, the population was not lacking in any way. The street was still busy, but that was not what was important. That the dog led her to the Green Fairy was a marvel in itself. 

“Good boy.” She patted its massive head. Claire guessed it was a boy just because. “Do you live here? Do they feed you treats from the pub?”

[hr]

“I told them that I will only take a few minutes of your time.” Levi shrugged. He was a busy man as well. The curse of being a high-born Elemental. In between the council meetings was the occasional reconnaissance mission being entrusted to him. That afternoon, thankfully, was a little bit on the free side thus he had the chance to visit this person who was entrusted with the missing nobles. 

He watched her move around the desk with the obvious grace of nobility. Had he not known that she was a lady, he would have found out about it through her movements. They said she was different, but to his eyes, she was the same as the rest. Until she told him that he was being rude. And that she did not know who he was. Levi tilted his head at an angle, examining the movements of the lady and her mechanical guard dog. Nobody confessed his rudeness right at his face yet. Not while he was at the Tower training as an Elemental, not while he was mercilessly rebutting the other noble lords for their shitty proposals, not while he openly rejected ladies who pined for his attention during banquets. This was the first person outside his immediate family who told him that he was being rude. 

Also the first who told him that he was wasting her time. “Then you are not officially tasked to look into the missing people cases,” he concluded upon hearing that it was brought to her by the family of the victim. Then again, why her? Why not the peace keepers? Why not the imperial knights?

[i]”I heard she’s an unusual woman”[/i] The lord’s words floated in Levi’s mind. 

The family of the missing person would not entrust her the details if she was just a pretty silver-haired lady. Levi decided to follow her out the door. They walked in silence across the winding corridors of the palace, until they found their way onto the palace grounds. A waiting butler immediately approached Levi. 

“My lord,” the butler greeted. The pair of males exchanged a few words before the butler hurriedly left.

Levi turned to the lady. She was a head shorter than Levi, but was quite tall for a woman. “I brought a vehicle,” he said in a manner of indirectly offering her a ride. “I want to know if you handled a case about a certain Emilia Wolferstan.” His features soften for some seconds when she mentioned the name of his missing twin sister. Though it might not be possible, since she had been missing for years, this Lady Midnight kindled the hope that he would see Emilia again. 

Whatever her response was supposed to be, was cut off by the sound of a whirring steam engine. Carefully, the butler drove the two-seater vehicle onto the driveway. Its body was bronze, with a convertible top hatch with could be lowered on a beautiful day and automatically drawn up to protect the passengers from rain. The butler was trying hard to contain the grin lighting his face as he stepped away from the driver’s seat to deposit the keys to its owner. 

Levi thanked him quietly, and like a proper gentleman, pulled open the door for his passenger. “You may tell me the details while we drive.”