"Esmerelda DaLacroy here again Bitsy, good to see you after all this time."

Hesitantly she leans closer squinting through thick glasses..

"That is you, isn't it?"

Keeping one hand on the cane, the old woman leans down to pet the mangy looking cat with the other.

"There there Sweetie Pie, I believe we are here. Are the rest coming?"

".. when tomorrow comes!" The final chorus was just rounding off at the end of that day's rehearsal of Les Miserables when a loud Brrrrinnngggg could be heard from the darkened auditorium followed by muttered cursing and a scrambled rummage for the offending phone. "Sorry, sorry, " whispers Trixie to the disapproving director, as she starts to quickly move further to the back to take the call.

Looking at the caller ID, she sees that it is Clara, an old family friend who had not long ago returned from a very odd place called Crystania with tales of steampunk cats and Crystal Pyrates.

"Trixie, I need your help!"

"Woah, stop, Clara. I'm in the middle of rehearsals, we open next week"

"No, you'll want to hear this, Trix. I know you are really good with disguises and such, and with all those detective novels you keep reading, this is right up your street. The Whovians need you for the Detecting Division. We just got a call from Nutsy - you remember him don't you? No? Never mind, it doesn't matter - he needs us to help solve a strange case. Everybody is meeting up now. Trix.. Trixie.. are you alright?"

Trixie had stopped listening. She runs backstage and grabs her bag of tricks, containing all her makeup and glasses and strange latex noses, as well as her latest book. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror she gasps at her dishevelled hair. Quickly she grabs Eponine's spare hat, clamps it on her head and dashes out the door.

"Where am i going?" asks Trixie. Clara tells her the address. Luckily it was only a couple of streets away. Keeping a firm grasp on her items, she jogs the short distance. Rounding the corner, she sees several people standing by the railings and front door. "Hi," she says catching her breath. Are you the rest of the Whovians? Clara invited me along in her place. I'm Trixie."

Bitsy darts over and quickly kisses Trixie on both cheeks. "Welcome, darling! If Clara recommends you, then you must be something special."

Amelia checked the address again, just to be sure the group of individuals in front of her is the one she is seeking.

"Good day all, my name is Amelia Navarro." She corrected herself, "Captain Amelia Navarro and this is my companion Otis. I would like to apply for the position posted at the Aviation Hall downtown, by The League of Whovians, seeking a pilot with intergalactic experience.

I have plenty of interplanetary experience and I've logged hundreds of hours piloting several different classes of ships. As I am between employment, and vessels, at the moment, I am the best pilot for you."

Amelia ended with a curt nod. That should do it, even if she fudged the "captain" bit a little. It is true that she had years of experience traveling between planets and hundreds of hours piloting, but she has never been a captain. She spent the last decade as first mate under her father, the first Capt. Navarro on his ship. They both agreed she had achieved all that she could under his guidance and it was time to venture out on her own, time to find her own fortune. Plus, she was happy to be off that dusty old bird.

Amelia surveyed the group in front of her, all standing in front of a PI's office. That was interesting. The ad didn't mention anything about possible detective work. This peaked her interested, she loved old detective novels and always wanted to to be apart of one herself. Maybe this was her chance.

Bitsy--Esmerelda--Trixie--Amelia--Tatiana

Kass was the personification of autumn, mistress of storms and everything that was beginning to lay down and die. So it was no big surprise that she heard the rumors first. You cannot hide anything from the wind. The wind was everywhere, in this world as well as the intergalactic universe. Things people whispered with breathless voices... Kassandra knew that Caudata was found dead. Murdered. One of her cranes named Karl brought her the news into the gypsy camp she set up near Squirrely McGee's Offtime Saloon. She was just fooling around with Mattis the Robber when Karl arrived. "So Bacina Marmota is on her way to Nusty?" She asked with a thoughtful voice, but doesn't wait for the cranes answer. "I think it's time for a journey to the Marmota Galactic then." There was a loud muss of protest. The Autumn Queen, contrary to her three beautiful and elegant sisters, was more of a rooted to the soil persona. She lived open-air instead of a palace, a restless wanderer with a fellowship of rough but good-hearted men, most of them bandits and sad dogs. They slept where they wanted, they did what they wanted. It was a life of adventures. Full of privation but honest. Her men respected her for her fighting skills, her passion and conservativeness. And for her dirty jokes. Lots of dirty jokes. So surely nobody wanted her to leave the camp. But they also knew that Kass wasn't the woman to discuss with. She was an obstinate donkey. "May we come with you"? A young looter with blonde hair asked. "No. But you may send word to my sisters. I got the feeling that this case will need the power of all four seasons."

Said and done. While the boy ran his errand, Kass packed her goods and chattels. "You don't want to wear your normal travelling clothes, I guess?" Mattis gave her a look from aside. "Nothing against leather and mud and all, but I heard Ms. Marmota is more of a ... uhm ... rich pet." Kass paused to raise her eyebrows. "I don't know where you drive at, Mat. It's Nutsy and Francine I'm heading to, Bacina is just ... there. Besides, do I have to remind you that THIS is a detective case and no cosmopolitan dinner-party?" The robber shruged. "But you didn't even have a pipe!" Kassandra snickered. "Watch out for the bad wolfs while I'm gone." She gave him a cordially hug and disappeared into the space, leaving a little cyclone of leafs behind. Hopefully her sisters will be more forgiving to her accessory. Kassandra simply hated masquerade. But she wore a headpiece of autumn blossoms, especially for Flora who symbolizes Spring. Kass knew the youngest of the quartet loved flowers. Where was she anyway? And Summer? And Winter?

Nadia was a queen of frozen land, that had little mercy for the little creatures and people. Everything around her was hidden under the thick pillow of snow or trapped under eternal ice. That was normal state for Nadia, as well as the circle of life and death. Nadia was calm, cold and never spoke before she didn't think a thing carefully. She also was somehow merciless but fair. But was also a lonely soul in her cave deep in the mountains. She didn't care for servants or palaces. But a lonely soul was always a lonely soul, even if she never admitted that.

When a raven from her only nest of companions gave her a message from her sister Autumn, he was one icicle of...well, ice. But she couldn't offer him a warm up. She just took the information about Caudata calmly. Then she asked herself, or a raven, or just cold winter "Why I should bother anyway? I live far away from their...detective cases. I don't need problems and they don't need me to solve this case."

When she looked at raven, she already knew the answer for this question.

"Because my sisters need me. The vagabond Autumn, the Summer and the Spring. They need me and this case needs all four seasons."

She left the freezing raven who already knew better and flew to lower parts of the mountains to warm himself (even a ravens couldn't stand the cold in the caves of Winter Queen for long), packed the most important things, wore a beautiful gown made from ice and disappeared in the millions brillants of frozen icepetals. She headed to Nutsy...

Clara was the queen of summer, and so the warmth of the sun was part of her and her character. Her entering a room seemed to make it warmer, and being one of the middle sisters, she was friendly and always able and willing to find a compromise; trying to mediate. But as summer has its storms, Clara's temper would flare up, more than she wanted it to, when she was at the limits of her patience. She lived in the south between the dry steppes and the coast where the sun warmed her. She dreaded the cold that her sister Nadia so loved, and hated to step out of her comfort zone. When the letter about Caudata's death reached Clara, she reluctantly gathered a few things to take with her. The mystery at hand excited her, and it was a good opportunity to see her sisters again - they hadn't met in a while - but the weather wouldn't be the best, and she would have to dress warmer than usual... She hated wearing more than her light dresses. Really, sleeves were just hindering to moving properly... and these thick, itchy materials... And she would miss her cat. Ugh. Okay, now you're really starting to whine, she told herself and resolutely closed her bag. A moment passed with her thinking. Well, while we're at it, I might as well look the part. Giggling about her own idea, she put an old bowler on her head. Perfect. She had called the agency for transport, and it was time. She stepped outside, and the car was there.

"I wanted to be a detective when I was a kid!" The youngest of the seasons sisters got excited. Although there was a murder to solve ... Flora was good in focusing on the good things of the live and totally ignore scary and horrible events. Here sisters always took care of here, so it was natural that she was the most playfull and cheerish of the group. "Look, they even have a pipe here!" Flora smiled and was in her little Flora-heaven. Even though she looked a bit ridiculous in her costume. "