Rogue Hunt: Gems and Beauties

Condensed sunlight refracted onto the streets, spreading sparse illumination to the narrow alleys surrounding the estate fences. The crystalline rails strewn above the roads rained sparks onto the dusted concrete. Up above, cavalcades of speeder carts lugged droves of the usual late night suspects off toward the District of Stars. Scarlet’s usual scavenging grounds, those winding streets produced little lethal mysteries like the sprawling desert outside the City produced carrion. Picking up the Force’s slack in cases they wouldn’t touch was akin to feasting on carcasses of small sandy rodents – it was a living. Enough monetary offal to line her pockets and repel the landlord.

This lofty estate in the District of Gems was a very different case. The snooty voice on the speaker lowballed a price that’d cover for a good year of gumshoery. Scarlet Strand never thought she’d end up here in the first place, let alone on a case. Sidewalks clad in marble, glittering force fields caging smooth-angled street sharks, extravagant houses and luxury businesses; of its denizens, at this late hour, only the help wandered the streets on the tail ends of their errands. Maybe this is what Canterlot was like, with its riches. Scarlet didn’t really care if it did – moreover, she certainly did not care for this place. Posh extravagance and gaudy elegance, bordered by the City’s other districts?

Yeah, right. What a joke.

The detective mused upon all this as she finished her smokestick, resting her back against one of the many columns lining the estate grounds. The snooty-voiced client expected her in a good quarter hour ago, but the rich snob could wait. Scarlet had long outgrown the habit of groveling before well-paying clients. You always had to show who was in charge. The client paid, but you did all the work – you controlled the flow, not them. A chump-changer from the District of Trees might deserve consideration, but if you could afford to pay high, you could afford to play by the seeker’s rules.

The measured sequence of tender hoofsteps portended what she’d about guessed already. Of course, he’d sent the help to come get her. Underneath her black aviators, the mare rolled her eyes. The gaudy sharp uniforms, all color balanced and fitted just right. The cutiemark wristbands, the name tags, the estate insignia, the hoof-shoes. Jolly good – this one wore a pair of glasses too, doubtless to convey the owner’s refined taste in intelligent help. Scarlet saved herself the frustration of interacting with the dry soul sent out to fetch her, squashing the smokestick against the marble wall, wiping her fingers on her trusty trench coat, and slipping from around the corner right as the servant were about to round it.

“Oh! Miss Scarlet, the investigator? What fortune – please, come right away, master Silver was so terribly concerned you’d lost your-“ The servant’s speech trailed off as all he got was a nod and a glimpse of her P.I. card. Beyond that, Scarlet simply walked past him, hands in her pockets, uttering something that passed for a response.

The less said to inconsequential ones, the better. Her patience was better saved for the stallion himself.

And how she needed it. Countless pleasantries denied, aimless tangents averted, unneeded questions deflected, and a tour of the luxurious estate abridged, time was crawling along like a dying animal. A foreign cell fighting its way through one sickly body’s immune system – the coat hanging off her shoulders bumped into furniture, her combat boots dragged dust all over the pristine tiles, and her aviators were about the one thing saving her eyesight from the excessive lamination of numerous lamps, chandeliers and crystal glowbits. Remarkably little of use was being told to her, though she kept her eyes and ears keen for detail.

At long last, they neared the scene. Master of the estate, Silver Ingot, was a jittery, bit-bloated snob, but at least he utilized top notch security. Scarlet and the pole-spined earth pony entered the extradimensional pocket that severed the crime scene from the rest of the estate. Nothing mind-shattering – a locale replicated from elsewhere in the estate, fitted with wall-tall mirrors, occasional flickers speeding through the two ponies, checking if either was allowed.

Seeing herself amid these silvery luxuries was amusing. Speckled charcoal coat, tangled grey hair with croppings of red, pitch black aviators, a large leather trench coat swinging off her shoulders, masking her modest height. This place repelled her, so she never left it, or her camo fitted hat, at the wardrobe. Silver Ingot himself was doing a passable job of holding his nose at her fashion – a shame, she’d have liked to chortle at his expense. But, as the stallion got them through the door into the spot of import, chortle time was over.

The fidgety rich slime was on pins and needles to have her check out this ‘sensitive issue’ that had arisen on his property, and by this point, she had to wonder what his vacuous descriptions of the horrible occurrence really amounted to.

“Well blow me down,” her hoarse whisper broke the silence after the security hallway had crackled into vapor. “It really is a rock. Alright, master Silver. You’ve got me. This looks like a case.”

“What a relief! I knew you would understand once you… witnessed the matter at hand. Surely you understand now why your services are required?” the stallion blabbered. “An official investigation into such a matter… oh goodness no, if the Office were to peer into the estate!..”

“Yeah. Task Force Rogue - they never ain’t bad news. And this here...” she pointed at the peculiar sight, one the likes of which she’d not seen in years.

A petrified pony stood in the middle of what was once a music room, still surrounded by shattered utensils and scattered violin accessories. No stench of hard arcana on the air, seeming signs of struggle, and a most unlikely set of events leading to it – as she’d been told, the estate was empty for the week while Silver Ingot and his family enjoyed a vacation outside the City. The housemaid was one of only three living beings on the property that day, and the other two were the family’s trusted guard cragadiles.

“…is the work of a Rogue. None of your classy clique smuggled a live basilisk into the City, right?”

“Certainly not the company I keep!”

“As I figured. Well, let me take a look around. Be on hand to clear things up.” Scarlet hovered her boots over the cleansing pad. Her trenchcoat made a thud as she flung it over the railings. Phasing through seclusion tape, she descended from the fancy listening balcony into the room proper. “We’ll talk the rates afterwards. Wanna keep my head in the clear.”

“Absolutely!” The stallion nodded repeatedly, sitting down on the edge of a chair upon the balcony. “And, um, miss Scarlet-“

“Don’t mind the shades. My vision is…” The mare shook her head. She put the aviators on her head. “…never mind. This place isn’t scorching my retinas, and with all the protection around this room, I don’t suppose any look-and-cook curses haven’t been triggered.”

“Well… would that-“ Silver, the weird posh creep murmured under his breath, sharply turning his head. He jolted and snapped himself back to propriety, fixing up the collar of his suit and clearing his throat. Yeah, he was taking her attitude lying down – perfect. Payday was gonna be sweet. “As you say, miss Scarlet. You’re m-most certainly the expert. Do as you will.”

And she did. No big effort to verify her suspicion. Were she still on the force, this case would be in the Gallery for sure. Not on the top books, but it’d certainly be in there.

The City was a torch bearing the flame of extravagance and debauchery – and very particular moths were drawn to it. Criminals and ne’er-do-wells with a panache for the outlandish, the unlikely, the stylishly thematic and the eye-poppy (sometimes literally so). To the citizenry, it was a known problem. To anyone on the Force, it was well understood it was an epidemic. Who would’ve thought that her first true encounter with one would be long after she’d gone from the other to the one. Not that she let her client know that.

She could do this on her own. Rogues weren’t a big deal, and she was already compiling a solid M.O., making plans and asking questions of dodgy earthen socialites. The entire staff, itself not so numerous, had been vetted and questioned. Security capture devices showed an untraceable irregularity, as was the norm. Prints, marks and indentations… Scarlet went over the spots of interest with tools from her belt. Bleached, all of it. You couldn’t even tell the unfortunate housekeeper herself didn’t simply teleport into the room, in direct violation of District law. Was the room worked over with scalding powder or somesuch?

And then, the sequence of events itself. It didn’t add up. The room contained nothing of particular value, Silver Ingot’s estate not being known for its musical inventory. Indeed, this entire wing contained little worth a break-in. Not to mention that the sprawling stained glass window behind the stage was an item of faux décor, containing but regular brick behind it. Personal motive? Scarlet quizzed the master of the estate, but the answer wasn’t exactly surprising. A lowlife who’d silently worked her way from the vile den that was the District of Beauties, apparently so humble and sweet that one could at most get annoyed, but hardly sneak into a secure estate building and subsequently petrify.

Besides, if one were to do so, surely the pony wouldn’t bear a casual expression of mild interest, petrified while turning herself around.

Scarlet crossed her arms, deep in thought.

“Right, then. This will be something. I have a knack for unusual cases like these.” She nodded to herself and looked up at the awaiting coot. “There ain’t much here, but I’ve got my trail bag filled. Doable, no doubt, but it might get dodgy.”

“Oh, but that’s to be expected. I’d educated myself on what… issues… may arise, and what sort of toll it may take on one investigator to peel back this, particular veil of mystery…” Silver Ingot cleared his throat, pulled at his collar, and instinctively glanced off toward the sides. “Needless to say, I am overjoyed you’re willing to continue with this task. We will see to the paperwork shortly. Now… where the remuneration of your efforts is concerned, miss Scarlet.”

Her eyebrows scaled her forehead. The mare tilted her head, uttering a hollow, husky ‘huh’. The part the detective expected to take as long as her first look of the crime scene took less than a minute. Some of it was her asking to repeat the number being stated. Her trembling request was faced with a hasty, desperate promise that a quarter would be paid in advance – and she hadn’t even thought of that yet. The rest was silence, as frankly, Scarlet struggled to imagine that kind of money.

The silence was broken with a timid, unnerved chuckle and sigh. Master Silver approached the railing and bent over, hushing at the mare.

“As I see you’ve found the monetary terms of our contract agreeable, miss Scarlet, I, ahh, well…” He gulped. “I have but one condition.”

“With that kind of moolah?” Scarlet blew a raspberry and waved her hand. “I’m willing to listen.”

“I’d like you to have some help,” the stallion said. Scarlet stared in his direction. Though she didn’t stare at him.

Her senses overloaded with the promise of the payday of her life, she’d totally missed a new presence in the room. Looming in the shadow behind the client was a tall, inequine silhouette. Scarlet’s pony instincts told her to tense up and prepare to flee. Highlighted by a singular flicker of light, the figure swayed its head, puffing what must’ve been some variety of smokestick one last time before making its dramatic entrance. Its hips gyrated, and the sharp clatter produced in sync with its steps was quite telltale as well. Scarlet's brow furrowed.

“Oh, hello there, Detective," the figure spoke up, now confirming itself to be a dragon. "Nice making your acquaintance. Master Ingot says you will need help. Why, that does fall within my duties, doesn’t it now?” She stood behind the jumpy stallion, placing her hands on his shoulders.

Two heads taller than the earth pony even if he’d not bent himself over the railing, she looked down from on high at Scarlet. The two females stared one another in the eyes.

“Scarlet, meet Jade," the stallion said. "Jade is an indispensable aide in all manners of things. A mental health aide to our fair estate, and so many more things! The most glittering individual I ever had the pleasure of employing. It will bring me… ultimate security of mind and fulfillment of spirit to know she lends her aid to you.” He turned to the dragoness. “Jade, meet Scarlet. She’s the detective.”

Jade rolled her eyes and flashed a wide, bright smile, patting him on the back. Scarlet crossed her arms and tapped her hoof.

“Yeah, I am. I like to work alone.” She hummed, considering her options. The mare didn’t have great history working with non-equines. Working under non-equines, don’t get her started. “What sort of help is your scaly girlfriend going to provide?”

“Well-“

Jade giggled, covering her maw with her palm in mock elegance.

“Oh, Silver, always with your corner rounding routine.” The dragoness sighed. “My help will consist of directing your efforts, Detective – I will accompany you throughout the investigation and supervise your progress. Without a guide, this District will swallow you whole.”

“Excuse me?" Scarlet fumed. "I’m a Seeker. I operate all over the City. The stuff I see in Stars? Posh politicking is nothing compared to that. You’d hurl, the both of you. I don’t see the use in-“

“Goodness, how heated. Let’s be constructive! See what sort of help you will need?” the dragoness inquired. “What can you tell us of the crime? I’m sure Master Silver here is pleased enough to partner you and I together, but wouldn’t it be good to fill me in now… so we can fine-tune our partnership. What can you say of who did this, how they did it, and why?”

Scarlet rolled her eyes and dragged her fingers across her face. She drew a deep breath and circled the crime scene, pointing at specific elements.

“Whoever did this was either super stealthy or familiar to the housekeeper. No break-in. No fighting. Prints, all gone – not even scalded; stench’d kill you. See this mess of music stuff?” Scarlet passed her hand over the general chaos reigning in the chamber. “Fake as a three bit bill. Tossed around after the deed was done. Passes for a brawl at first sight, but you don’t leave this sort of racket if you’re so subtle – or if your victim is clueless you’re coming.” She approached the petrified pony and waved a hand in front of its face. “Looks like solid rock. Dormant magic reads, so I tried heaving it – and it’s a heavy momma. Not ruling out a kidnapping with some form of practical joke placing this statue here, but…” Scarlet shook her head. She clicked her fingers. “…it’s a Rogue, miss Dragon Lady. Bastard either has a Basilisk on their hand, or is part Basilisk itself. Don’t give me that look – trust me, I’ve seen weirder things. I was on the Force.”

“Ooo.” The dragoness’ voice emerged from worryingly close. Scarlet spun back, to find that the hefty reptilian had made her way down the stair and stood mere steps away from her, in spite of her noisy heels. “Very intriguing. And what of the motive?”

“Yeah, you’re new here, scalie. The Rogues’ Gallery…” Scarlet puffed her nostrils and crossed her arms. “They do crimes because they can. Outlandish, illogical, spun by who knows what malarkey-laden slop sloshes in their heads. Stunts that make them feel like they’re on top of the world, but everyone else? The normal folk shakes in fear, passes ‘round whispers, draws graffiti of ‘em for crying out loud. Ponies like me? Well, we scratch our heads, we find them and we put them behind bars.”

“Oooooo~” the dragoness drawled in wonderment and took a puff of her elongated cigarette. “Faaascinating. You’ve an eye for detail… Scarlet Strand. Ssscarlettt… Hmmm.”

Scarlet stood firmly in place, unblinking, as some of the cherry scented vapor blew in her face. The mare’s copper eyes drilled into the dragon’s maroon slits – or maybe the other way around.

Now that she was up close, the mare gave the reptile a proper look-over. Taller, evenly bodied, with curves where most draconians had angles, her snout was long and shapely. In place of a typical dragon’s unkempt fibrous membranes was dense, watery hair spilling down toward her shoulders in springy curls. The dragoness’ name suited her appearance, as the upper tones of her scales bore a distinct shade of green, lined underneath with a layer of unassuming beige. Miniscule horns prodded out from underneath her mane, their pearly white blending into the clammy-pink, liquefaceous locks. All this coupled with her accent, it was clear she was no common dragon – Jade was an aquatic dragon, a rare sight in the City. That explained the odd style.

Jade wore a tight-fitting purpura business dress, off which stood out sharp, tall collar, elongated to suit her lengthy serpentine neck. Scarlet grimaced at the mere sight – a dragon wearing a suit was silly enough, but that it fit her seemed offensive in its own special way. The dragon’s long arms were coated in silken, silvery evening gloves, seemingly a token of employment to the estate. Custom-fitted heel-boots clasped around near the entirety of her legs and feet, and around her tail coiled a ribbon of the same material as her gloves. All of it looked like the last thing a dragon should wear. Then again – not a normal dragon, this was, was it now? At least it wasn’t a griffon.

The maroon slits glimmered a thoughtful glint behind a pair of silvered decorative eye-pieces. She was drilling into Scarlet the same as Scarlet drilled into her. She’d be content if the serpent was as miffed as her. If so, Jade hid it behind a quirky, patient smile.

“Sound judgement, Scarlet. I was pretty confused when I heard of what happened. Especially when I finally just was allowed in here! But it seems like Master Silver isn’t having another pulse of the worries after all.” The dragoness let out a measured giggle, one her employer actually returned for some reason. “With your prowess and my insight, we should get along just fine.”

“Uh-huh. I’m flattered. Lady, you’re my tour guide. The client may be paying you to baby me around, but please, I’m the one who gets things done.” Scarlet took a step forward, puffing out her chest. “You will advise. I won’t say no to skipping a headache or two, dealing with the local contingent. But please-“

“Ever so skeptical. Such critical thinking! Precious. A precious attribute.” The dragoness walked past her, hips swaying. Now she clacked her heels all she wanted, her tail passing less than an inch by Scarlet’s own. The mare’s eyelid twitched. She tracked the dragon over to the petrified victim. “Aaah. My eyes deceived me not. Scarlet, partner dear, come over here.”

“Lady…”

“Jade. It’s Jade to you. For while we are on Master Silver’s task.” The serpent’s head snapped over toward the mare. Her pinkish hair swung, slow and jellylike. She put a hand on her hip, tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “Be nice! Let’s cooperate! Come and look at the material. I have a lead for you.”

“Do you now. Hmf.” She neared the statue. With or without her aviators, it was… rock. Scarlet reminded herself of the money. Also the fact that the money was still watching them from high on above, blissfully unaware of how dysfunctional their duo really was, looking on with the face of a trauma patient pumped full of wonderhuff. “Illuminate me, Jade.”

“Naturally, Starlite! Ahem.” The serpent caressed the petrified housemaid, her face a measured grimace of compassion. “Poor Dropsy. Ever so studious and faithful. Partner dear, your Basilisk theory… looks to hold true. Unsettling though it is, the particularity of this crime will aid us yet.”

“Well, duh. We look into all things snakey in this City.”

“Nooo. Not quite…” Jade sighed. She rubbed the statue with a trimmed claw. “A regular Basilisk replaces one’s body with basalt. Fitting, considering the name. This, however, is tektite. See how black it is? How porous the surface? I’m sure you would have performed a test of sorts to find this out yourself, yes… but the fact is, we are to locate a Tektalisk.”

“…is that how that works?” Scarlet murmured in disdain for the naming convention.

“Yes.” Jade fluttered her eyelashes, smiled and parted from the victim. “I am an enthusiast of precious things. It’s a dragon thing.”

“O-oh yes, yes!" Silver Ingot chimed in. "Jade is a veritable treasure. Her talents exceed her loveliness. As my spiritual aide, she is frequently in contact with other creatures of interest throughout the District, and doubtlessly you’ll find her conversational skills very handy in negotiating around… particular difficulties likely to be encountered in-“

“She talks good,” Scarlet cut him off. “I noticed.”

To her surprise, this got a chortle out of the serpent.

The stallion's cheeks flushed. “Well, heh-heh, ahhh, um… yes. Beyond this, Jade’s knowledge branches far and wide – as does your own, I’m sure. Do not be shy to inquire on any given thing, especially if it’s to do with jewels, trinkets and baubles.”

Jade merely flashed a big, toothy smile, joining her hands at her waist, joining the toes of her shoes together with a gentle clack. Scarlet drew in a deep breath. Something felt fishy about all this… but then, she was no dolt. The scaly broad would doubtlessly talk in her ear and try to pull control away from the actual expert. Not the best of looks. Ordinarily, this would be where she’d slam the door in the client’s face.

But with the reward in the books… Scarlet could just put up with this. At least this Jade character spun a brand of bullshit separate from that which ordinarily churned the detective’s gut. Besides, she’d just proven herself to be optionally useful – and if she saved her a rich numpty encounter or two, she’d have more than played her part. In a way, Scarlet was the one manipulating her by acting so stern and distant, provoking more action out of the client’s side. Yeah, she had this.

“Well.” The mare blew a lock of hair away from her aviators. “It’s a deal. We can make this work. A Tektalisk? That certainly narrows things down. Let’s go work on the papers and we can work things out.”

“Splendiferous!" Silver Ingot called out. "I pride myself on the clarity of my estate’s notary artifacts. Do follow!” He spun in place, the tails of his suit dragging on the floor as he went to unlock the entrance.

“Oh, goodie. I say, this may be bad, but at least it might be an adventure!” Jade flashed Scarlet a smile as she followed the stallion, ascending the stairs in a watery, slithering fashion, her heels suddenly quite silent. Inky and shadowy, she was at odds with her chirpy voice and quirky accent. “Our strengths combined, we’ll resolve this Rogue problem in no time. Let’s regiment some time together, detective Scarlet Strand?”

The mare groaned, stomping up the stairs and picking up her things.

“We’ll figure it out after papers. Talk to you by singstone, most likely.” The mare flicked her ear. “Hope we learn to talk between each other, huh?”

“Of course we will.” The dragoness bared her teeth, cast a glance at the mare and clacked out the door, beckoning her to follow with a motion of her ribboned tail. “Talk-teaching is my forte.”

“Right.”

At least the client didn’t lie about the papers. It was over mercifully quick. Pre-payment after first meeting with Jade the dragon the next day – the only safe way to visit the bank for the withdrawal of such sums would be with an envoy, anyways. Scarlet felt motivated. Her gut flickered and flubbed, but there was a spark there.

Maybe she’d catch her first damn Rogue. She’d always had it in her. So long as the serpent doesn’t hold her back…