"Are ya lookin' for this?"
Lady Tremaine
   It should have been a prime opportunity.  Left to his own devices, as he would be for quite some time tonight, there would be nothing to stop him from snooping just a little bit.  His dear friend is hiding something; he knows, he just knows, but for all the fishing heâd done throughout the days leading to this, all the straws heâd grabbed, every attempt heâd made to root out whatever the hell that something was, heâd walked away empty-handed.  But of course he did.  If anyone knew his methods (and how to thwart them â damn it), it would unfortunately be Bo.  Knowing that, though, was hardly a deterrent.  Nori instead viewed it as a challenge, and acted accordingly.  All he needed was an extended period of time on his own to search and snoop.  If all went according to plan, he would find the whatever in question, and Bo would be none the wiser.  Everybody wins.  In theory, anyway.
   Nori had it planned to the very smallest detail, much like any heist.  The moment the door closed behind his departing companion, heâd set to work, combing through drawers, under the bed, behind the desk, anywhere he could think of, even going so far as to peek down a floor vent.  Unlikely anything would be in there, but you never know.  Itâs better to check and come away with nothing than skip over and miss out.  And, when he finished with one area, any belongings were carefully set back into place, precisely how theyâd been prior to his nosy self moving them around.  Thatâs a skill of his, remembering those little things; no doubt that contributes in no small manner to his brand of talents.  How nice it is to finally use them for good instead of â less good.
   However, no matter how well-laid a plan, situations can quickly go sideways with but the slightest hitch.  If he forgot to replace one little thing, or neglected to close a drawer precisely as it had been, heâd be caught, and any chance of searching again would go right out the window.  So heâd careful, working one area at a time.  What he hadnât accounted for was the untimely return of the man heâd hoped to avoid today.  When the door creaked open, heâd nearly jumped out of his skin, dropping a package of â whatever was in that particular envelope, back into the drawer..  Whirling around, he faced that familiar voice (too damn smug for its own good), heat welling on his cheeks as wide eyes settle on the object in hand. Â
      ââ â ââ damn it.
   A deep breath, and heâs trying to play it cool.  Calm, relaxed, if a bit startled.  He wasnât doing anything wrong, what are you talking about.  âNo.â  But, that came out a bit more irritated than heâd hoped it would.  âWhy would I be â â  Right, no, stupid question.  Heâs not even going to worry about that for now, because he knows any answer that might follow would do him no good.  No hints, no clues, and heâs doubtful Bo would tell him outright what it was, let alone why the hell heâd been keeping it away from Nori all this time.  Thus, he swallows the question in favor of trying again.  âWhatâre yâ doinâ back so soon?â







