𝗕𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 | 𝗞𝗮𝘇 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗿

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲

ೃ࿔*:･✸⋆➶ ✧

       After Jesper's slip up about them knowing the Sun Summoner, Alina Starkov, they had to use the same explanation they had planned just in case it was brought up, that the girl had escaped. They all chimed in here and there, hoping it sounded believable and Stumhond merely nodded along as he listened to them talk, almost as if he was falling for it it, although they knew better than to believe such a lie.

   "We don't know where Alina is." Jesper groaned, trying to defend what he'd said earlier but they all knew it was pointless, it was clear they were lying about it. "She's gone."

       Sturmhond scoffed at his reply, shaking his head as he looked at the trio with a look of incredulously. "Escaped?" He repeated with a raise of his brow. "I know you've gotten out of those cuffs." He looked over at Kaz with an amused chuckle and Anya's eyes whipped over to his, noting he had in fact figured it out. "If I had more time, I'd insist you tell me how."

      As if to prove a point, Kaz moved his hands freely, dropping the metal to the ground as Anya slouched further into her chair. Sturmhond let out a soft laugh, as if the entire situation was merely amusing for him. He moved away from the group and headed towards the desk where he began digging through a bag to find something for them to see, something they assumed was important to what they were about to be told.

      "My intel informs me the Sun Summoner was wearing this," he pulled out the necklace that Alina had given Kaz, "when she entered the Fold. It's part of the Queen's collection." Of course he knew that, it was all adding up to Anya and she found herself practically bursting to tell someone about what she knew, or thought she knew. "A well known piece, the fabled garners of Ivets. So, either she used this to pay you off to keep quiet about where she was going, or you found her bloody corpse and stole it off her neck like vultures."

      "How dare you?" Jesper called out, his voice full of horror. "How even—." He paused and swallowed heavily. "We are not vultures, we are crows."

      Sturmhond rose an amused brow at the boy and Anya rolled her eyes, sitting up straighter as she looked at him. "It makes more sense with context." She clarified and Jesper nodded in her direction, backing up what she'd said. Kaz merely shut his eyes in irritation as he looked away from the two.

       "But my point is, we're not grave robbers." Jesper added to his prior statement, sending a small, innocent grin.

       "Which means it was a payoff." Sturmhond commented, everything piecing together as Anya let out a loud groan. "So you know where she went. Now if you tell me, I'll give you twenty seconds alone here before the Stadwatch comes back in."