60

[perfectsymmetry]

[Crowe's talents lie in being stealthy and sneaky. As much as he wants to leave his thieving ways behind him, he's also always glad to be able to use his skills for good. Not only is it good to keep them sharp, he liked doing it. It was fun. Exciting. An adrenaline rush!

After speaking with King Frederick, and his partners in crime Kay and Zidane, the next target of investigation in Mayfield was the Milkman. First move was to monitor his actions. After that, time to move on to the Dairy, which was always locked. The Milkman always seemed to just appear and disappear into thin air when doing his deliveries, so the first step was to see how he did what he did.

Crowe knew that this could be even more hazardous to his health (and his sanity) than the City Hall investigation. If the Milkman was really tied that closely with Lucy Smith, this could be real trouble, for everyone. But he knew this is what they needed to do. If they didn't move forward, keep trying to find answers, than they were as good as the drones placidly living their empty lives here. Something had to be done, and if it was up to him, so be it.

Starting Saturday, and going through the upcoming week, Crowe is up before dawn. No one will notice as no one should see him unless they were truly trying to. He stays hidden in shadows and around corners, behind trees and buildings, following the Milkman and his delivery route. He started when the Milkman approached his own street, Williams, and followed him from there, hopefully on to the Dairy once he was done his deliveries. He wouldn't approach or try to enter the building - not yet. More observation was needed. While incredibly stealthy, Crowe didn't have any powers or abilities to hide or protect himself like many others in town. He had nothing but his skills and wits to keep him hidden, and while Crowe was never the most confident of people, he was sure he could do this without being followed.

He hoped, anyway. If he got caught, Kay and Zidane might still be able to get away with it. That's why it was important to work independently this time around.]


[Action 2: this weekend during the afternoon:

Crowe's out and about with his camera again! So many new people have rolled into town, that he had a lot of catching up to do. After talking to Lucas about this project again, he realized how important it was to have something like a photo gallery He already had two rolls of film's worth of photos of his friends and acquaintances from around Mayfield, and planned to take as many more as he could. You'll find Crowe today snapping photos of passersby, or scenes at the park. He'll also be stopping his friends and anyone who doesn't look like a drone, to see if you'd like to pose for a picture for his collection! Occasionally he'll take out his recently regained iPhone and snap a photo with it. While he was glad to have it back, there also wasn't too much else he could do with it in Mayfield.

He'll also be wandering around the stores downtown, looking at some of the displays that are already up for Valentine's Day. It seemed like Christmas was just yesterday. Time moved fast in this town. He'll be lingering outside the windows of gift shops and the bakery, looking thoughtful. Feel free to bug him any time he's out!]

Comments

[ex_seventh238]

[Don't ask how. She saw you on patrol for the first two days, so she'll be in civilian wear to meet you in person on the third.

She won't sneak up on you, though, walking down the empty streets bundled up on this cold winter morning as if she really is on an errand. You should be able to see your French teacher coming from some distance away. What do, Crowe?]

[perfektsymmetry.livejournal.com]

[Crowe's excellent at hiding, but that doesn't mean someone well trained couldn't find him if they were trying. There's almost no one on the streets when Crowe is following the Milkman, so when he sees Ciel coming, he'll disappear behind a large tree.]

[ex_seventh238]

[Pretty much... Can't outstalk an experienced stalker, in a sense.

She walks past the tree as if nothing's wrong, but just as when Crowe may think that he got off the hook, she stops and looks around.

She doesn't call out to him, but she does have the air of someone who's looking for something - or someone.]

[perfektsymmetry.livejournal.com]

[He hurriedly slips to the other side of the tree. D-Did she see him? Way to screw up, Crowe. He's mentally slapping his forehead now, but does his best to remain completely silent.]

[ex_seventh238]

[After some shuffling that may seem to have been an eternity but was in reality only a few seconds, she resumes her walk, and takes a step forward.

She then turns around. He probably won't see her face, but it's the same expression she wears, if she's calling out to a student who accidentally dropped their notebook.]

Being outside like that in this weather... You'll catch a cold if you're not careful, you know...

he's such a pessimist.

[perfektsymmetry.livejournal.com]

[Crowe looks up and down the street as best he can from his current vanatage point. No sign of the Milkman, or anyone else. He feels a bit like he fails being spotted by someone like his teacher though. That probably meant the Milkman might have seen him too.

After a few moments, quietly:] Y-Yes, Miss Ciel.

/pinches his cheek... poor Crowe ;u;

[ex_seventh238]

[She'll come over in that case! Cheerful and laid-back as always, though genuinely glad that he's dropped this little charade.]

Good morning, Crowe. You're up early! Sneaking around like that, though, you could really give someone the wrong idea. Are you feeling okay? [If it wasn't for the fact that this is outside in the wee hours of the morning, you'd think that it was just another totally ordinary encounter at school, during break.]

[perfektsymmetry.livejournal.com]

[He still tries to stay behind the tree a bit, in case the Milkman goes by.]

Ah. Yes. I'm ah, working, I guess you could say.

[ex_seventh238]

Oh? Is it your paper routine? [Is he carrying a bag, at least? :|a]

[perfektsymmetry.livejournal.com]

[Only his camera bag.]

N-No... look, um, I can discuss this with you later, if you like.

[He looks a bit frustrated now, more at the situation than at Ciel, though. He keeps his eyes to the street for the most part too.]

[ex_seventh238]

I see. Are you busy now, Crowe? You seem rather worked up. [Hmm...]

[perfektsymmetry.livejournal.com]

A-A little, miss. Everything's fine though, promise.

[He gives a tiny smile.]

[ex_seventh238]

Then if it's not interrupting anything, would you like to go talk somewhere else? It's still winter, after all.

[perfektsymmetry.livejournal.com]

[Looks around... no sign of his target, and he *is* cold. He relaxes a bit, and nods.]

A-Alright. Where should we go?

[ex_seventh238]

How about the Bakery? It should be open at this hour, and they're bound to serve hot drinks.

[perfektsymmetry.livejournal.com]

Ah, yeah, that sounds good, actually.

[ex_seventh238]

It's close by, so the walk won't be long. [She'll be leading the way, then.]

Do you drink coffee, Crowe?

[perfektsymmetry.livejournal.com]

[He smiles at that.] I do. Though I feel a bit spoiled, living in Italy as long as I did. Coffee there is better than anywhere else, if you ask me...

[ex_seventh238]

Haha, I understand the feeling! I've lived there myself, so maybe it'll be best to settle for hot chocolate? I don't think that I ever knew you grew up in Italy, though. Were you born there as well?

[perfektsymmetry.livejournal.com]

Ah, no, I was born in Ireland. I lived all over Europe, but I spent most of my time in Italy and Germany... Where did you live in Italy?

[Good, let's steer the conversation away from his investigation.]

[ex_seventh238]

[She's okay with this... for the time being.]

In Rome, actually. I've traveled quite a bit all around Europe too, so that's interesting to hear! What's your favorite place?

[perfektsymmetry.livejournal.com]

Rome is wonderful. I live in Milan for 6 years, though I've visited all over. I think Milan was my favorite, and Barcelona.

[ex_seventh238]

That is a considerable amount of time! [To cut it short because I have zilch Italian geography knowledge okok... The rest of the walk will be spent with her energetically going on about the popular locations of Italy. She... never actually stayed in any of those places for longer than maybe a week tops, but headquarters being in Vatican, she did occasionally run small errands into the neighboring cities, and hence was familiar with them. Yes, even if it's on the other side of the country. She's a free agent, okay.]

Oh, we're here! [She'll be stepping in first, and hold the door for him.]

[perfektsymmetry.livejournal.com]

[He'll tell Ciel about Spain, Italy and Germany, since those were the places he lived the longest before settling in the US. He's at least visited almost every nation in western Europe, and lived in several. If Ciel inquires as to why, he'll simply state for his parents' work, and that they retired a few months before he arrived in Mayfield.

It dawns on him that he's lived in Mayfield a lot longer than a lot of other places, including his supposed permanent residence in the US. He doesn't like the thought of this so he keeps it to himself.

He'll order himself a hot chocolate, and will find himself a seat.]

[ex_seventh238]

[She'll simply follow up the conversation; it's still small talk, so there was no need to push anything beyond what he's willing to disclose.

She'll be getting a cup of tea, and once they're both settled, she'll make sure that no one is around to hear snippets of their conversation before edging the conversation back to the original point of focus.]

Are you warming back up now, Crowe?

[One step at a time; it's still early in the day, now.