[open] Oh, what I wouldn't give to stay

[astudyinviolet]

Who: Sherlock and others, guest starring npc Rupert Louis and npc little dragon baby
Status: Open
Where: Eltrut and wherever the bitty dragon is
What: A catch-all for MANTA Quests: A Phantom Thief, Touched by Mothlight, The Scales We Shed, Cluck and Dagger; and a non-MANTA prompt based on a rewards purchase
Warnings: Generally none but potential for talk of death and child abuse in Touched by Mothlight, The Scales We Shed because of lore drops

MANTA General: A Phantom Thief Theif: Eltrut, S.H. Detective Agency

[ Masked and cloaked figure causing people to become empty shells of themselves sounds too close to what Rochester had done to the people he abducted. Even if Rupert Louis from the Paladins hadn't come to him, Sherlock would have involved himself in the case. He may have trouble with the thefts occurring on multiple islands given his fear of water and seasickness. However, that doesn't stop Sherlock from spotting patterns using already available information.

Sherlock has brought out one of the rolling boards he and Heizou use to create a clue wall in some attempt to spare the walls and avoid overlapping cases. The board is covered with newspaper clippings of all known sightings and attacks. Strings criss-cross over each other as he places the locations on a map and connect incidents with each other. Sherlock pins up the brief profiles he created on all the targets.

Rupert the Gloster Canary birdfolk sits in a chair and looks like he wishes to be elsewhere. He finds the Shikalock Holmzou duo exhausting and knows Sherlock has been distrustful of the Paladins since his crystallization. But needs must, and Rupert can't deny their detective skills. ]

So far my investigation shows a pattern that suggests our thief is a vigilante.

[ A tea time companion plods along the floor, nudging ankles with its head in some attempt to remind people to hydrate. Results vary. ]

MANTA General: Touched by Mothlight : Eltrut

[ Moths, dozen upon dozen of moths, descend upon Sherlock the moment he steps outside. He's tried teleporting to other areas using his Ring of Returning, but the insects find their way to him within minutes. ]

Yes, I know moths are swarming me. Yes, I've tried ridding myself of them. No, nothing has worked thus far. Yes, I've been close to death, and you could say that I've a damaged spirit.

[ Sherlock says as someone approaches. Now that they've gotten the obvious questions out of the way perhaps they can do something about this. ]

MANTA Paladin: The Scales We Shed: Wherever this child is

[ The childlike writing caught Sherlock's attention, and he wasted no time finding the little dragon. It wasn't hard. Soon, Sherlock sits on the ground next to the dragon, who is curled up in an attempt to become smaller and less threatening. ]

"Are you here to help me become human?"

[ The little dragon asks, barely raising their head in their sorrow. Sherlock's gaze goes off into the distance and loses focus. He thinks back to Dilwyn in Cordona, but more importantly, he thinks of himself. ]

Not exactly. I'm here in hopes of understanding your plight further. Being human may not solve the source of the problems for I do not think your species is the true culprit. I can use myself as an example. I am human, and when I was around your age, most people didn't like me either.

[ Snapping his fingers, Sherlock creates a light projection of himself as a child. He feels a little uneasy talking about his past in specific terms and with others present, but he will do so for the dragon. ]

I don't think they could even claim that I was scary. So, I want to understand to better help you. Please, tell me more.

MANTA Paladin: Cluck and Dagger: Eltrut, Colonel Cluckbeard's residence

[ Chicken. This entire mission is about a chicken recipe being paraded by someone with far too much money.

Sherlock is likely the worst guard for this even as he's dressed for the part in the same outfit from the Paladin Gala with the addition of some red ribbons tied to fit the theme. He finds the whole thing ridiculous and is more concerned with any possible ties to the crystallization trafficking. If he sees one crystal-looking statue, he is causing problems.

In the meantime, Sherlock will just watch other people and gather information. ]

Why is he like this? Drop kick him into the ocean: Eltrut, Surasthana Cafe

[ Perhaps you saw a bottle for sale that claimed an answer from the gods and sporting a hefty price tag. It was an unassuming bottle with a fancy parchment inside and instructions to write a message on the parchment and toss the bottle into the ocean.

Sherlock bought it.

Now he sits here at a table in the Surasthana Cafe, drafting question after question in his casebook with said bottle and parchment before him. He's grown up with stories of fairies and fae and the necessity of precisely crafted wording. All of his questions seem related to asking for the John Watson of his world to be invited to this one.... ]

Wildcard

[ Want to do something else? Write a prompt or drop me a line at Sherry's journal, aviekokyre, or on Discord @ aviekokyre and we can plot something out. ]