The bus brakes beside the curb before fully clearing Mikey’s neighborhood. Rain Black waits outside, her freakishly tall, lanky figure hunched beneath an oversized moth-eaten sweater, one hand raised.
Rain Black
Mikey. Um, hi. I think this fell from your sketchbook or your bag. Maybe. I found it by the sidewalk.
She holds out a small, familiar-looking item without stepping onto the bus. Several students lean into the aisle to see, and quiet whispers spread toward the front.
Lloyd
Hey, give him some room. Rain, you can leave it on the first step if you are not sure it is his.
Rain blinks, then lowers the item slightly. Her headgear makes her reply wet and indistinct, and she wipes her mouth with her sleeve before trying again.
Rain Black
I was not trying to bother him. I saw it, and I thought he might want it back. I can wait here.
Lloyd
She is making everyone watch, but she has not crossed onto the bus. I can help keep this calm without deciding for Mikey.
✓ Quest Accepted
Recover the personal item Rain found
“I take the item and check whether it belongs in my sketchbook.”
SUCCESS (Superb Perception, rolled -1)
Mikey reaches through the open bus doorway and takes the small item from Rain, keeping his sketchbook balanced against his knees.
He opens the sketchbook and checks the pockets, page markers, and loose papers. The item matches a slim purple annotation card tucked beside the fox composition.
Mikey
It belongs with my sketchbook.
Rain Black
Oh. Good. I thought it looked like art stuff, but I did not want to put it back myself.
Lloyd
Thanks for bringing it back, Rain. You can wait there, and nobody needs to crowd Mikey.
Mikey slides the annotation card safely into the sketchbook pocket and closes it. The students settle back as the bus idles, though a few curious glances remain.
Quest Complete
Recover the personal item Rain found
+ New Item Acquired
Purple annotation card