In Need of a Few Extra Paws

After a long day of work Upload usually liked to to pack up her things and head home. The news report had been relatively uninteresting as of late, which was quite abnormal for the ever-busy Clowder City. The most exciting thing had been a recent string of thefts, and so Upload was tasked with informing the residents to keep their doors and windows locked tight at any time, be it night or day.

That being said, it was around night when she was approached by a silver tabby, thought that was unbeknownst to her. “Miss Upload, correct?” was the only sound that came from the silent streets.
Startled, Upload lost grip of her microphone, fumbled with it for a few moments as she attempted to prevent it from crashing to the golden streets below, only to have her attempts prove fruitless as the mic toppled over and gained a sizable dent. Upload groaned, furrowing her brows and whipping around to give the stranger a firm talking to… only to be face to face with the monitor consultant. Pictures. As a news reporter, Upload wasn’t a stranger to speaking with monitors for her job, but Pictures was another story.
“A-Ah! Mr. Pictures. It’s nice to finally meet you. Do you require me for something?” Her voice wavered quite harshly at first, though she quickly forced it back into what she normally used for her reports. Still, Upload could only assume this was important if someone of such a high status was here to consult with her.
Pictures seemed mildly amused by Upload’s reaction, his eyebrows arched upwards as a small smile painted his muzzle. “Why yes, I do. I’m sure you’ve been informed of the recent thefts?”
Upload nodded in response, glancing down at her dented microphone and picking it up. She slowly turned it to inspect the damage, a small sigh escaping her. “I have. In fact, I just finished up a report, though I’m pretty sure a monitor would know that, right?”
“But of course.” The tabby tom’s amused smile slowly shifted into quite the charming one before he went on. “In light of the situation, I was hoping you could accompany me in finding the culprit?”

Blinking, Upload almost dropped her microphone once more. Luckily this time she managed to keep a steadier grip on the thing. “Me? Surely you have other monitors to help you?”

“You are correct, though the thief seems to be avoiding our security. I believe a stakeout is in order, and you just so happen to be informed of the situation as well as up at this hour.” Pictures nodded as he spoke, as if he was agreeing with his own words, though Upload doubted that was the reason.

“I see. I’d be happy to accompany you, then.” Upload offered that same fake smile she always put on for an audience. Not that she was unhappy with the situation, she just figured it would be best at the moment. Especially in front of Pictures.

“Let’s be off then, Miss Upload.” Pictures turned, starting down the street with a flick of his tail. 

Upload was quick to trot after, her mind slowly drifting to other things. Perhaps if this went well she’d be able to build up a reputation for herself. A news reporter was certainly a fine job considering she had the ability to converse with the monitors, yet something in the back of her mind egged her to continue onwards and upwards. Perhaps one day she could even become a monitor herself. She’d gotten this far, and she’d loathe to fall to the place her brother had claimed for himself. Talk Show host… Sometimes she felt pity for Download. Still, he seemed to be content with where he was, and her attempts to bring him up into a better job had failed. With a long sigh, Upload continued after Pictures.

It was quite late in the night when they first caught the unfamiliar scent of outsiders. Upload always had quite a good nose, and informed Pictures of the smell. So the two were quick to crouch and sneak around, following the scent trail. 

It was difficult. The trail had quite a bit of twists and turns, as if the culprit was well aware that they could be tracked and was purposefully trying to throw off anyone who wished to follow them. The two lost it quite a few times, though they always managed to get back on track.

The first sighting was a white tail-tip just around the corner of one of the golden buildings. It disappeared quickly, and upon turning the bend nobody was there to be seen. It took quite a lot in Upload to not growl in frustration. They’d been doing this for a few hours now! How could one thief evade them so easily?

Unless, of course… Upload lowered her voice, turning to Pictures. “Mr. Pictures, There must be more than one of them.”

Pictures gave a nod in return, his voice quiet enough to match Upload’s. “I was suspecting the same thing. If I had to harbor a guess they probably know we’re looking for them.” 

“I doubt they’d be able to get past the cameras without knowing where they are. Perhaps they’re residents? You could try asking if anyone had seen their neighbors fail to arrive home after sundown or leave late at night. After you collect evidence we can perform another stakeout near the apartment.” Upload suggested, tilting her head.

“I was planning on it, Miss Upload.” Pictures offered another smile. “Let’s continue this stakeout tomorrow then?”

“Tomorrow.” Upload agreed, returning the smile with her own genuine one.