Solo Detective Sira at your Service

[Sira]

Timestamp: 41st of Fall, 514 AV

Sira was following the shouts, wondering what was going on. She had simply been wandering about the city, not far from the common rooms, when she first heard them. It sounded like a pretty heated argument, but arguments were not uncommon in Wind Reach, especially with winter approaching. It did not take long for things to escalate.

Petch, Sira thought, speeding up as the sounds drew nearer. She came around the corner just in time to see a one armed dek throw a punch right in the face of another scrawny man, probably a dek as well. A dek fight.. great.

"Give it back! I know you took it!"

"I didn't take it, petch you!"

The one armed dek jumped on top of the downed man, straddling him and punching him again. Blood poured from the man's nose as the dek rained punch after punch down on him. He got quite a few in by the time Sira kicked the one armed dek in the shoulder, knocking him off.

"What the petch is going on here!?"

Both men froze when their eyes fell on Sira, with her nice clothes, healthy look, and the talon sword at her waist. She was clearly one of the upper castes, and both men knew it, as did all those watching the ordeal.

"Well?

"He stole my sandals," the one armed man shouted.

"I did not!"

"You did. I know it was you. You took'em, and you won't give em back."

"You're a petching liar!"

"I am not."

"Shut up! Both of you. You're telling me all this fighting is over a pair of shoes?"

"Sandals," the one armed man corrected.

Sira shot him a glare, then shook her head. Petching dek..

[Sira]

She couldn't believe she had involved herself in such a petty dispute, but she couldn't back out of it now. That would make her look bad. Endal should finish what they start, and sometimes their duties required them to do trivial things.

"Okay," she said with only a hint of exasperation in her voice, "what makes you think this man stole your.. sandals?

"I saw him wearing them! He was trying to show off cause he had two pairs and they could last him twice as long."

"You're a liar! Where would I even keep an extra pair of sandals?"

It was a good question, actually, Sira realized. Dek did not have any real quarters. In order to keep something, they would need to carry it on their person or risk someone picking it up and running off with it. They might be able to find a good hiding place for a stash, but it was not a guarantee.

"Where do you keep your stuff?"

"What stuff? I aint got no stuff."

"He stole my sandals too," another dek piped in, this one a woman, and bare foot.

Oh great, Sira thought, this one must just want a fresh new pair of sandals before her time is due. Glancing at the accused sandals, they did look a bit fresh.. but Sira couldn't be sure.

"I know where he keeps it," the one armed man added in.

"Well, then show me. We'll search his things."

"My sandals are missing too!"

"And mine!"

More barefoot dek started showing themselves, encouraged by the woman. Gods.. what did I get myself into? Sira glanced at the newcomers, all barefoot. Had they been wearing shoes before? She couldn't remember.

"All of you are missing your shoes.. or sandals, I mean?"

They nodded, Sira sighed, and the one armed man led her to where the accused thief supposedly hid his stuff.

[Sira]

As she followed the dek to the supposed hiding place of the missing sandals, Sira noted that quite a few dek along the way were missing shoes. Had they heard what was going on and were trying to get in on it? Sira did not think so.. why would so many dek not have shoes? They got a new outfit every season, so there was no reason they shouldn't have shoes. She knew the work they did was hard, but not all of them had jobs that would ruin their shoes to the point that they could not be worn.

"Here it is," the one armed dek stated, a look of smug satisfaction on his face. "Right in there."

Sira glanced at the small hole in the while.. a good place to hide a few items, sure, but a bunch of shoes? Doubtful. Sira peered inside and found... nothing.

"There's nothing here."

"What?"

"Ha, I told you I didn't steal them!"

"Quiet, both of you. I don't think he stole them. He'd need a much bigger hiding spot. Haven't you noticed that a lot of dek are missing their shoes."

Sira turned and pointed at a pair of barefoot men who had wandered up, drawn to the scene out of curiosity. She was certain they did not know what was going on yet.

"You two. Where are your shoes? Come on, don't be afraid. Answer me."

The two dek shuffled uncomfortably, looking down at their bare feet, until one worked up the nerve to answer.

"I.. I don't know where mine are. Can't speak for Ethan, but my shoes went missing a few days ago. I thought I had them on when I went to sleep.. but I woke up and they were gone."

"And you," she asked the second dek.

"Um.. same story basically. Mine went missing yesterday. Went to sleep, woke up, and they were gone."

"Hmm... clearly, somebody is stealing all of your shoes. But why?"

[Sira]

Sira asked several more dek and got similar answers from all of them. They all awoke on a random morning to find their shoes missing, sometimes stolen right of their feet while they slept. Still, she hadn't found any leads, not until one nervous dek approached her, and Sira noted he was not missing his shoes.

"My shoes were stolen too. I bought new ones, but mine were stolen first."

After that a number of others came forward to say they had been robbed as well but had since purchased new shoes. In any other caste that would not have arisen suspicion, but Dek would not normally have the money to buy new clothing.

"You were able to afford new shoes?"

"Well.. I couldn't, really, but there's a man, well a boy really, apprentice to a shoemaker. He comes by every few days with shoes for us, says pay whatever we can. Says they're rejects from the shop, so he takes whatever we can give him."

"Rejects?"

"You know, the ones that don't turn out good and they throw away."

Sira frowned. That did not sound right to her. Stuff did not just get thrown away in Wind Reach.

"Take me to this apprentice."

"Oh, well.. Um, you see, he only comes by every few days. He comes to us, I don't know where he lives. Doubt anyone does. He just shows up when we need him."