"Missing an object, need help finding it"

“Ah yes, it’s rather important, actually.” Dizzy admitted as the two men made their way to the kitchen, which was currently unoccupied.

Raising his right hand as a sign for Dizzy to keep quiet, Quinlan uttered a spell to block the room off from the outside, allowing him and his guest to discuss the matter at hand without risking anyone eavesdropping.

“Is it?” Quinlan said with no small amount of sarcasm as he began to prepare the kettle, knowing full well that Dizzy wouldn't come to see him without there being an important reason behind it.

“Spare the ire, Quinny darling,” Dizzy muttered as he seated himself at the well-finished kitchen table, “I’ve gotten enough of that back at the university during the last couple of days to last me a lifetime.”

“Really?” Quinlan held the kettle in his right hand and moved it over the blue flame that was now flickering from the palm of his left one, “And why is that?”

“Something went missing a little while ago, something important. The City Watch and various other assets loyal to the Regency have searched for it, but with no tangible results.”
Dizzy tapped two fingers against the tabletop as he spoke.

“And your problem solvers are part of those other assets?” Quinlan wasn’t asking as much as stating a fact, knowing full well that Dizzy wouldn’t come to him unless it was either an **** situation or everyone else had failed solving it.

“Precisely,” the tea was now ready and Dizzy accepted the steaming cup of it that Quinlan offered him, ceasing his tapping on the table, “which is all the worse since I propagated engaging you in the matter from the start.”

“Why?” Now Quinlan was getting interested.

“The item which has gone missing is a ceremonial crosier, which has a part to play in the annual procession that goes through this little town.” Dizzy offered Quinlan a nervous smile.

Quinlan didn’t respond at first, merely leaning against the cupboards and clenching his fingers around his cup.

“You mean to tell me,” Quinlan was working hard to keep his voice level, “that the one object that can bring Dacca’s reign come tumbling down like a house of cards being chopped at with a sabre, has been stolen, and that no one bothered to tell me about it for days?”

“As I said, I wanted to, but other members of the Academy’s board weren’t so keen on it, several of them still oppose your involvement.”

“Are they allied to whoever’s behind this, or just plain retarded?”

“Sadly,” Dizzy began with a weak grin, “I doubt that anyone who was gravely mentally challenged could become a leading authority amongst us wizards.”

“You’re probably right,” Quinlan laid his arms over his chest, “any idea of who’s behind the theft?”

“No.” Dizzy replied.

“Any leads at all?” Quinlan went on, and felt his heart sink as Dizzy replied once more with nothing but a simple “No”.

“I don’t need to tell you that this is important, do I?” Dizzy said as he got up on his feet, whereupon Quinlan now got the opportunity to reply with a simple “No”.
“Use your connections in unwizardly places,” Quinlan heard Dizzy say, “and remember both that you’re hardly the only one looking for it and that whoever is behind it being missing is most certainly resourceful and dangerous to an equally high amount.”

Placing an oval and darkly blue stone, which were marked with nearly indistinguishable runes that would release information if one knew the pattern in which to read them, on the kitchen table, Dizzy moved for the exit.

“Good luck, my dear friend.” Dizzy said as a farewell, to which Quinlan nodded his head and ended the spell.

Looking at the stone which Dizzy had left behind, Quinlan decided that he would be needing an unusually stiff drink this morning.