This was a bad idea. A really, really bad idea, but he couldn't get the danburite out of his head, had to make sure it was safe, not locked up somewhere being used as a weapon like his brother had been. Barnett slunk through Polaris, gem glinting in the light of the crystals. The place seemed deserted, which was... good. Great, even. There was no-one to talk him out of this, make him pause to think about all the ways it could go wrong - because Louie had left, and people who left him generally didn't want to see him again.

Too bad. He'd be damned if another kid got snatched like he'd been. He didn't doubt the fox would do that to his own kin, not after everything he'd done.

And so he carried on, a memory niggling at the back of his head - a melody. One of many, but this one reminded him of Monoceros. Not good travelling music, then. Another hit, and the scribe started to hum, eye sternly forward, not even glancing towards his old home, focused first on the spire - it would help him find the exits, at least.

"You never know if you could doubt it, I can't believe they're gone." The song slowly curled through the air, low and mumbled, more to distract him from just how terrible his plan was than to entertain. "You don't even know what side you're on." The numbat idly batted at a pebble, watched as it skipped and rolled through the dust that covered Polaris. "Don't want to talk or joke about it, now it's been far too long. You don't even know what side you're on."

As he rounded the next corner, the song stopped, abrupt and sudden. There was... a bird? A black bird, searching along the ground, and Barn stared, finally picking up another pebble and bouncing it off of the floor to catch its attention. "Hey. Looking for something, friend?" His tone was casual, stance loose - birds he could deal with.

The bird - the crow - turned on a dime, opening its beak in a squawk, and Barnett flinched just a bit, ears flicking in distaste. Thankfully, it started to reply just as quickly - loud noises and frequent panic attacks were not a good combo, even if the screech sounded like it was underwater, thanks to his damaged eardrums. "Shinies?" The numbat blinked, trying to puzzle out what exactly a shiny would be considered - a gem, maybe? Collecting body parts was a little weird, but considering Booker collected glass, he couldn't really judge.

"Ah, your daughter. I'm looking for my... nephew," Barnett guessed, internally wincing - the babe was just as likely to be a niece, but then again, they were likely to be dead or enslaved at this point, so he cut himself some slack. The crow was eyeing the opaline spikes on his face, and the scribe opened his mouth to say - well, something to break the awkward silence, when she started up again.

He blinked.

And blinked some more.

"I need that for life," he finally replied dryly, absently raising a paw to pat at the black spires, as if to check they hadn't been stolen. Thankfully, they were still there, sparking under his touch, and Barnett snorted, amused despite himself. "So you're looking for gems, then?" Again, the whole collecting what were basically souls was odd, but he'd yet to meet a "normal" bird. "Ever found any?"

On an animalistic level, the idea appealed to him. Collecting shards of the fallen, or even gifts, bribes; anyway they were gained, gems were a sign of power.

Hm. Maybe he and Louie were more alike than he'd thought.

The idea made him want to gag, but Booker seemed alright with it. Considering Booker was alright with almost any plan that included the worst ideas possible, Barnett ignored him.

"What's your daughter look like? We could search together, if you wanted help." The or company went unsaid, because Barnett prided himself on being slightly less pathetic than his host.

Barnett watched, eye widening as the crow poked at a pebble, doing... something to make it glow. His packrat nature kicked in before he responded, picking up the offered "shiny" and grinning, tapping at its gently radiating surface curiously. "Aha! Shinies. Got it," he assured, tongue poking out between his lips in concentration. "How'd ya make it? Is it like... well, like, I can make stuff, but it all comes from stuff that already exists. Mushrooms from spores, fire from anger. That kind of thing."

He juggled the pebble between his paws, resting it in one palm to listen to the bird, eye widening at the offer. "I can? I... thank you," the numbat mumbled, gaze ducking down to the shining rock again, a blush crawling up his neck, hidden by brown-black fur. "Never really gotten given stuff before," he added, glancing back up at Eve with the first genuine smile he'd shown in a good week.

The mention of kids made him pause, wondering. "Huh. I wonder if that's how Lou got his... my nephew's dad, he's this big, gangly-looking fox. Don't know if he found the stone or what," Barnett mused, free hand coming up to scratch at his brow. The thought of Louie actually exchanging stones with someone else did not make him jealous, uncomfortable, angry, or vaguely nauseated. In the slightest.

The bird's words made him refocus, and he hummed. "Eve. Nice to meetcha. I'm Barnett," he offered, beginning to toss the pebble back and forth between his palms again - something of a nervous tick taking on a new form. "He's uh... well. Not sure, really. Could be hatched by now, but last I saw him he was still in his egg, gettin' carried around by Lou. Figured I'd go check on them. Make sure they're alright." His scarred lungs tingled, but he made no mention of exactly why he wanted to go find a potentially dangerous predator and its kid.