Fate's Gambit: A Half-Blood's Odyssey

Chapter XVI: Searching

Everyone was finally free today to be able to help in the search for my parents. Initially, the plan was to meet up down in Allura's home, but Cota hates the thought of being in a sewer, decommissioned or not, and refused to help out unless we met up somewhere else. What was supposed to happen was Allura sending out her mouse troop to search all over town for any traces, clues, or evidence on the whereabouts of my parents and we'd all wait down in the sewer for the mice to return. Instead, Allura sent out her troop then became grumpy because she had to walk all the way from the sewer to mine and Cota's house. From there, we'd wait on Theo to come to the house and alert us of any findings while the other mice returned to the sewer.

Time passed slowly as it always has when Allura's mice are on the move. It felt like ages. The anticipation was killing me. Finally, there was a faint scratch at the door. I opened the door, picked up Theo, gently placed him on my shoulder, and then brought him to where everyone was waiting.

Since Penelope can't speak to animals as everyone else can, I translate the message for her when Theo concludes the mice's findings. He mentioned something along the lines of a tailor or seamstress somewhere in town who fits my mom's description. His description is very detailed and convincing so everyone agrees to go look into it. Taking Theo with us so he can provide directions, we head into Ironhaven. It's a bit of a walk to get to the tailor shop but curiosity keeps us motivated.

It's a nice little place, this tailor shop. The seamstress behind the counter smiles at us as we walk inside. The atmosphere of the place is warm and calm. It must be a slow day today. Looking around, there's nothing we see that catches our attention. No Chimera felines to be seen.

"Uh, Theo, where exactly did you see Kaela's mom?" Allura asks her mouse friend.

"Right there, mommy," Theo pokes his nose out toward the seamstress. "You said to look for a lady porcupine with black fur."

Allura sighs heavily and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Theo, I said to look for a lady feline with black fur, not a lady porcupine with black fur. Her fur isn't even black, it's dark brown."

Indeed, the innocent-looking Chimera Porcupine behind the counter is not at all who we're looking for, nor does she have black fur as Theo had described. While I listened to Allura go over the plan with Theo, Cota had struck up a conversation with the seamstress. Being the nice person she is, she compliments the tidiness of the establishment and emphasizes how good of a job the seamstress is doing today. The seamstress beams as we take our leave.

Entrusting her mice once more with such a task, Allura sends them out again to look for any signs of my mom. Meanwhile, trying to cover more ground, we search around town for my parents. Over the years, Ironhaven's population has become denser and denser, making it hard to pinpoint a specific person's whereabouts. It has also come to my attention that there are a whole lot more people in this town that match my dad's description than I thought. In hindsight, that should have been common sense, but who cares?

To save on time, we split up. I decide to stay on this side of town, Allura opts for the northeastern part of town, Cota in the west, and Penelope taking the southwestern side. Since Penelope's magic is outlawed, it's not safe to open portals in the middle of town, so we take to hiding in an alley behind a nearby building. The plan is to teleport everyone to their respective sections of the town and in two hours, we'll all be teleported back to this alley to discuss our findings. Theo will also be teleported to the alley with us so we can (hopefully) get useful information out of him.

As I walk through town, it becomes apparent to me that I'm incapable of going through with this plan. My anxiety prevents me from bothering people and asking around for information. Everyone's just minding their business and living their lives as they run errands or do whatever it is they're doing. It would be wrong of me to interrupt them.