Athens and Dunmore

I uploaded this once, but it wasn't met well. I figure i'd give it a second chance. I really love these guys ;n;

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As the sun washed in through the window of his small office apartment, Athens sat reading through case notes that engulfed his small wooden desk. The sounds of the busy street below the window were so familliar now that they were almost comforting as he spun to face the world below him. His loose-fitting white oxford hung down past the belt loops of his black suit pants, the red tie around his neck hanging slack against his chest. The matching black jacket was dangling out the open window as it hung in the soft autumn sun on the fire escape- ridding itself of the juice Athens had spilled on it earlier that morning. The air was crisp; he could see his breath despite the shallow warmth that came in with the sun's rays. The sea of caps below him tossed and turned as their owners made their way through the bustling market. There were more people out than usual on this particular saturday evening. There was nothing the people of New York enjoyed more than their baseball. Tonight was, of course, the biggest rivalry game of the year for those residing in the state. Athens himself was not much of a sports fan, but he fancied himself a good time at the pub on these evenings despite his intolerance of the alcohol; those who had lost would be drinking away their sorrows next to the celebratory crowds. There was bound to be trouble. Maybe he himself would go searching for some... or perhaps the trouble would find him- as it was keen on doing.

Thump. Sure enough, there it was. Rearing its ugly head before the sun had even gone down. The door to his office rattled as the creature on the outside beginning its attempts to get it.

"Athens!" the thing on the other side said, knocking angrily. The lock clicked from the outside as Athens struggled to make himself inconspicuous. The door flew open, and the beast charged in looking rather furious. The steely cold eyes of the creature that had nearly broken down his door ammounted to nothing but failing to supress giggles on Athen's part. From the doorway, almost all looked well. He had even managed to shut the windows before this person entered the room. However, he did not retrieve his coat from the outdoors, nor toss the jars of juice and wrappers from pastries he purchased daily at a stall in the market. It may be a bit wasteful spending his feeble salary on such simple things, but the eccentric Wonderlander that ran the shop was quite the character. He enjoyed chatting with the hybrid while purchasing as many cakes as he could fit in his pockets. Wonderlanders made the best snacks. This man did not fail to miss these minute details, and Athens was perfectly sure he was now seeing red.

"Athens! I locked you in here for a reason! You have work to do!" These things were true. Athens had been slacking off on work recently. His partner, the man before, had in fact locked him in so that he could get his work done. The door to the office locked from the outside, so he thought it would be useful to keep the dog in. However, Athens was quite a master at the art of lock picking. Despite the recently replaced locks on the inside of the window, Athens was free before his captor was halfway down the street.

"Come now Dunmore," Athens seemed to purr "I took changing the window locks as nothing more than a challenge." The German Shephard knew how to get on his partner's last nerve... and made a habit of doing so.

"Athens..." Dunmore growled, his head in his paws, "I can not afford to have the locksmith come out and change the lock every day. We have work to do, and I can't accomplish anything without you." This much was also true. As far as their little business went, Athens was the brains and Dunmore the brawn. Despite the facade that he could take care of himself, Dunmore relied on Athens for mose everything that required more than brute force. The Rottweiler had some brains in him- but was built for the kill. Quite the pathetic sidekick for one of the greatest (however unrespected) minds of the age.

"But work has been so BORING lately..." Athens sighed, flopping back down on his chair and placing his hindpaws upon the desk. "Nothing but senseless hunting of petty theives and the occasional child that got lost on his way home. I want something grander than this!"

"If you wanted something more interesting, you should have never left the police force." Dunmore snapped.

"If only." Athens mumbled, memories of his previous employment flashing through his mind. They were still as unpleasant as they had been the day he first gained them. It was a long winding tale, and one he didn't enjoy telling. And who would? Ever since That Day he had been trapped in this senseless game. Nothing but a mouse hiding from a black cat hidden by the night's shadow. However, Dunmore knew nothing of that.

Athens knew better than to trouble his simpleminded companion with such trifling things. The details of Dunmore's past were locked up just as tight in the Rottweiler's heart as Athens' were in own. They knew nothing more of each other's lives before this job than the breif introductory paragraph the Agency had been kind enough to provide when they assigned them as partners. In fact, a cloak of mystery hid everyone who worked for the agency. They knew nothing of those who worked for the same group of shadowy figures as they. Everyone recieved their orders seperately, sealed in an envelope with no return address, at their own branch. This was Athens' branch. "Athens and Dunmore: Private Investigators" the sign out front brandished, but nothing in this building- nor its name, nor its profits- belonged to them. There were buildings like this all over the country, ruled by the same mysterious iron fist. But The Fist (as they jokingly called their employers) paid enough to get by, and they got to keep half of the paycheck given from jobs that The Fist didn't send. So they were content.

As if on cue, the bell to the front door rang. A merry voice from below shouted "Mail!", the bell tinkling again as the being exited. Athens bounded from his office and down the stairs. It was unusual for the mail to come on Saturdays. The jolly round Panda that ran the post office around this side of town often let his employees go early on game days. He was a heavy drinker and baseball fan. There was only one conclusion- The Fist had a job for them.

There was nothing particularly unusual about the letter Athens picked up from the front desk that fall afternoon. The same stiff envelope with the same seal and the same perfect handwriting. Enclosed was, as anticipated, a note from The Fist.

"Athens and Dunmore,

We regret to inform you that we are in need of your services once more. We have been contacted by a well-respected client who wishes for you to help them in retrieving a family heirloom taken from the royal manor. This item is of great value to the house and must be recovered immedietly. You are to meet your client at the following date and time. Now, here are your instructions..."

And thus begins our tale, with the arrival of a letter. Even so, this is not the start of their story. No, this tale goes back to the beginning. Back to That Day that ever haunts our hero's memories. This letter is far from the beginning. Just another piece of the puzzle- the piece that set a dark plan in motion.

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Cheshire Dragon (C) herself 2011-2012: Paragraph 3