Dear Eze

Dear Eze,

A few years ago I had a coworker who was a pretty big deal in the company, from a position-critical standpoint. They worked in research- their job was to go out and learn about any particular project they were assigned and come back with a full report. This role is pivotal in our line of work. If it doesn't get done it can lead to a lot of unfavorable outcomes, ones which my bosses have gone to great lengths to avoid.

My coworker was well known in the company for being excellent at this job, and they definitely had some advantages, being that they're a shapeshifter.

I never saw anything too dramatic while I was working with them, mostly small stuff like changing their skin texture (watching them 'take off' scales was always fascinating), the length of their tail, general size within a limited range, that kind of thing. Their ability to walk into a rival business or potential acquisition and return with answers to leaderships every question was unparalleled. Truly, their job security was hamrock solid.

And then one day my coworker left on assignment and never returned.

It was really sudden. We’d been in the middle of a comparatively large take-over of an another business, and my coworker should have been in the middle of finding crucial information that would have sealed the deal pretty decisively. When they failed to return, the whole endeavor fell apart.

Obviously, this greatly upset the leadership team.

It’s been a few years now, so we've since filled the position and have been getting along just fine. But my bosses aren't the type to let something like this go, and they'd really like to have a conversation with my old coworker. Ask why they left, see if there was something they could have done to keep them on, conduct an exit interview of sorts, that kind of thing. And because I work in acquisitions, the assignment of catching up with my old coworker has largely been left to me.

The thing is, I think my coworker has more tricks up their sleeve than they ever let on. I was recently in Wansborne, working out of a field office for a nearby director, and I could have sworn I saw them. The hair was different, of course, along with most of the appearance, but still. There was something about the walk, something in the shoulders. I'm positive it was them. I tried to catch up, say hi, but it's surprisingly difficult to pick a shapeshifter out of a crowd once you've turned a few corners.

I haven't mentioned anything to my bosses yet- this is not the kind of thing I’d take to them if I still had stones left unturned- but they’re not known for their patience.

So my question is, how to I go about finding someone who literally specializes in being difficult to track down?

Thanks,

Searching for Shifters