#Java Moose ftw ❤️

[hellachaotic]

"It's alright, it's fine, it's only a pillow," he chuckled softly.

He dodged Crow as he opened the cabinet and took out a pair of mugs.

"I don't have any of your coffee, I'll have to get some soon, but for now I have hazelnut, caramel, coconut, and New York cheesecake. Which would you prefer?"

Adjusting his coat as he stepped out of the company car, Alex-though nobody was allowed to call him that-heard the sound of his dress shoes on the marbled museum floor as he made his way to the crowd of officers and whatnot surrounding the scene. Without a word, he pushed his way past them all, flashing his federal badge, ducking under the tape, putting in his earbuds to block out all noise.

As everyone watched, he walked along the perimeter, only stopping to take notes and kneel down to study the dust patterns every so often. Even when people above him began to ask for conclusions, he merely held up a hand for silence and kept going.

In all, Alexander Pine, working up to head of the federal division, was good at his job and it showed. The news wasn’t quite allowed to report his findings for privacy and government reasons, but they found loopholes. He dressed professionally and thus acted as so, leading his colleagues to start placing bets years ago on whether anyone would ever be ‘good enough’ for him to actually date or even marry. He always had excuses not to, and dates usually ended up with the other person declaring that Alex was stuck up before huffing and leaving the restaurant.

Shuonun had left the museam just hours earlier, with the most valuable work in the collection in his gloved hands.

Shuonun was both a shadow and a star. He was a whisper in the night you weren't quite sure you heard, and one of his many aliases graced the front page of the local news most days.

Seldom few connected his many names together and the only one currently doing anything with those names was Alexander Pine. He was the only one who could stop him.

Truthfully Shuonun loved having a nemisis. Especially since Alex didn't have a prayer of catching him. He was always ten steps ahead.

@sword-and-sorrow