[Elias]

Elias was a convicted thief, and sometimes a murderer—there was no doubt in his mind that these statements were true and if accused, he'd only object were his life on the line. Though Elias had always considered himself to be a man of many facets beyond simply stealing and killing, he knew that as far as most of his acquaintances were concerned he wasn't good for anything but stealing shinies.

Despite being caught and/or stopped from claiming his golden treasures on numerous occasions, Elias never had an issue admitting his addiction to thievery, nor did he ever take it personally when his very being was verbally (or physically) assaulted by those he'd attempted to victimize, as it was all his own doing in the first place and he at least knew how to take responsibility. What Elias would never stand for, however, was being falsely accused of a crime he actually didn't commit.

"I don't give an Anka's gizzard if your wings aren't showing. The suspect is a male Zanaryan wearing brown boots, and you fit the description. If you keep resisting, I'll have to use force to bring you in!"

Not in the past month had Elias stolen anything particularly valuable, and the city guard had never caught onto him even when he had. What Elias faced was not only a completely false accusation, but a fairly intense dose of prejudice as well. Somewhere in New Alexandria, afoolish Zanaryan was ruining his kinsmen's good name, and in the process had indirectly put Elias in contention with the law.

After processing what the guard had said, Elias quickly scanned his own appearance and noticed that indeed, he was wearing a pair of brown boots. After some thought, Elias noted that he had spent some time away from New Alexandria on a very important errand, and thusly the law may have changed in his absence—perhaps wearing certain shades of boots was enough to get arrested these days?

Regardless of what might have changed, Elias refused to be taken in simply because he happened to be Zanaryan. Turning around, Elias motioned to his back with his hands, emphasizing the two small protrusions made by his wing stumps.

"Look, look at my back! Do you see any wings?! Would that not have been an important detail in the suspect's description!?"

[Lazuli]

Shape the wings so it may fly; hold it together so it may not fall.

Lazuli walked fluidly but carefully as she held her arms out in front of her, eyes focused on the apparition-like form floating high above her head. She held her hands out in such a way, as though strings connected her fingers to her liquid puppet, giving her full artistic control of her element. Slowly and stylistically, large wings spiraled into being, then a slender body, and lastly a pair of antennae that looked a bit bulgy at the tips.

The butterfly Lazuli was maintaining looked about twice the size of a small bird, and its watery body rippled with a windy current. “Ah, it looks wonderful,” Lazuli murmured, pleased. “Now, bat your wings... there they go!”

She was concentrating so intently on bringing her creation to life-like motion that she didn't notice the argument taking place till she was upon it, and the water-fly flapped in all its misty glory merely inches away from the pair's heads.

“Pardon me,” she said pleasantly, glancing from guard to Zanaryan as though they were friendly citizens having an passionate conversation about earth-colored footwear.

On second thought, Lazuli realized she'd happened across quite a tense situation, and for different reasons than apparel. “Is there a problem here, officer?” she asked, like all good curious citizens should.

[Elias]

"You don't think that I don't know about what you Zanaryans can do? How am I supposed to know that you haven't used some kind of elemental magic to create an illusion?"

It was difficult for Elias to try to argue with somebody that possessed the legal authority to end the argument forcefully and more so when that same person had innumerable coworkers willing to dedicate every waking second to hunting him should he try to run away. Though, Elias didn't mind that the guard thought so highly of Zanaryans that their ability to manipulate the elements was far beyond the guard's mental grasp, even if Elias himself was incapable of doing such.

Faced with such odds, Elias wasn't entirely sure how to react to the young woman's decision to join the fray; he conjectured that falling in with the guard's racially-biased attitude versus supporting Elias' innocence were both equally plausible. In spite of any negative assumptions, Elias noted that she entered the conversation completely unbiased and could be persuaded totake his side.

"I'm going to have to ask you to step back, ma'm. This man matches the description of a suspected serial killer."

Ever-vigilant, the city guard stood by his decision and, after addressing the new participant locked his avenging eyes on his horned prey.It appeared that when the Nymph joined in he felt that a citizen immediately had become endangered by the accused suspect and, being in such close proximity to Elias meant that she would suddenly become his next potential target.

As soon as the Nymph and her animated water-fly showed up, the bane of Elias' existence reared its shiny golden head: a ring carried by two angelic wings. As if the animated object could sense a fellow animate, it shot over Elias' head and swooped around the water-fly before returning to a comfortable hover above his right shoulder.

"I match the description because I'm wearing brown boots! Miss; officer"

Elias backed up from the two ever so slightly, appearing toget a good view of both but in reality aligning his heels to the fastest possible escape route. If the two of them became of the same mind, Elias would have to resort to egress and pray that his supposed description remain 'a male Zanaryan with brown boots'. As Elias spoke, he motioned at both the Nymph andthe guard with open palms—a gesture attempting to show submission in the face of danger. For the moment, Elias' building indignation would have to wait to to explode into a torrent of angry rhetoric.

"I haven't done anything wrong!"

[Lazuli]

Lazuli barely reacted when the guard revealed the man's potential nature, but her water-fly did give a temporary burst which indicated her alarm; it wavered for a moment before returning back to form. That, and a small gasp from Lazuli. A murderer?

She took a better look at Elias, was momentarily distracted by the sudden appearance of the golden ring (what an amazing object!), and finally her eyes settled on the boots that were apparently the source of all trouble. They looked like normal, common boots. She frowned, her artist's eyes paying attention to all details. “What about his tattoos?” she remarked, looking at the Zanaryan's skin. “They're quite unique. Did the description contain those as well, officer?”

Her voice stayed fairly neutral at this point, but to be honest, Lazuli did not feel particularly amicable torward someone being accused of serious crimes, Zanaryan or not. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she waited for the guard to respond. Innocent man or no, they must be sure of either. But if the latter proved true, she would do what's in her power to help the guard capture him in order to keep New Alexandria safe for everyone, for her friends, for Nic.

“Sir,” she said straightforwardly, this time addressing the Zanaryan, “We should clear this up somehow. Running away would make you look guilty.”

[Elias]

At the mention of the suspect's tattoos, the guard was taken aback and immediately examined his quarry's exposed arms. It didn't take much more than a quick glance to confirm that Elias did indeed posses a set of intricate tattoos, and they had no place in the given description. Regardless of the recent setback, however, the guard stuttered only slightly before reclaiming his composure and giving the would-be good samaritan a steely glance. In spite of his growing suspicion that there might actually have been more than one Zanaryan living in New Alexandria, the guard worked to retain his resolute attitude, so much so that the Nymph's mentioning the possibility of the suspect picking up and running flew right over his head.

"The description did lack those details, and frankly, it's the eye-witness' fault for forgetting to include that in his description...however..."

At the pause Elias felt a certain prescience, one he'd not felt since...

"You can certainly understand why that would be left out; if you were to see this man late at night, or in extremely dim light, you might fail to see such dark tattoos. It may be even more difficult to spot them considering, well, the fact that...ahhh...Zanaryans are somewhat..."

When the guard trailed off, Elias could not help but crack a smile at the implication he was trying to make. Though most of Elias' kin were prone to mistrusting outsiders, he himself rarely became at odds with anybody for strictly racial issues, and his upbringing had been just odd enough that no racism had been bred into him. It was hardly a nice feeling to be discriminated against, and just moments ago Elias felt that his rage would no longer be contained, but when the bomb was about to drop all Elias felt himself doing was grinning at the possibility that an actual city official was about to use the 'his skin is too dark' excuse.

Silently, Elias thanked himself for listening to the Nymph's suggestion to stay put, as this was proving to be more of a farce than a threat. In supplying his response, Elias' face twisted in confusion, though he was partly smirking as well--to think that one of the deciding factors regarding his imprisonment would be his skin color had been unimaginable up until just then.

"Are you going to arrest me because my skin isn't white? Is this really happening?"

[Lazuli]

“Because his skin is naturally dark,” Lazuli unaffectedly finished the guard's sentence. She studied the Zanaryan's skin tone without prejudice, for nymphs knew above anyone that nature was just nature, and skin just skin. Lady Xanth made it that way. Besides, dark colors were equally as beautiful as light colors... they simply contrasted differently.

She was glad that the guard's comment seemed to amuse the suspect, however. The dangerous rage suddenly disappeared and that made it easier to avoid a fight.

“Arresting someone only for his skin color goes against the Goddess,” she asserted, faithful in the correctness that Xanth did not promote discrimination. “But the question is...” and here she frowned, “how do we know whether or not, sir, you are telling the truth?”

And here she ran into an idea. “You know, animals are a lot better at sorting situations out than we are. Why don't I call a friend?”

With a graceful swish of the arm, Lazuli deshaped the water-fly and called the liquid back into her ring reservoir. Then she closed her eyes and reached into another chamber of her power, another gift from Xanth she'd been working to develop.

Chiko. Please come to me.

While she'd been walking down the street, Chiko had actually been several yards behind her, sniffing and exploring around. Normally Lazuli wouldn't let the little creature wander off so far, but with the advent of her new summoning ability, it was much easier for her to communicate.

She opened her eyes, cupped her hands, and seemingly mere seconds later, a cheefle had jumped up onto back, bouncing over her shoulder to land right on her palms. “This is my friend, Chiko,” Lazuli explained happily. “He has a very sensitive nose, and I think he can tell if anyone lies.”

[Elias]

At first, Elias was overjoyed that the Nymph appeared to be supporting his case once again, and it appeared that the guard would have to go home that night without having arrested a single innocent person. At the uttering of "against the goddess," Elias cringed somewhat as his only interaction with Xanth had ended with the creation of the ring hovering above his shoulder, and that encounter had left a foul taste in his mouth. While Elias welcomed support from wherever he could get it, he doubted somewhat that he'd go free were Xanth directly involved.

As the Nymph continued to speak, however, Elias realized just how even-tempered his supposed supporter was, and when his honesty was called into question he knew for a fact that he'd have to put on the most convincing performance of his life. In spite of Elias' own factual innocence (in this case, specifically), he had already seen that neither opposing party had been completely convinced of his innocence, and considering the fact that he'd spotted three different wallets ready to be picked in the past minute Elias could hardly claim that he was going to turn over a new leaf and leave his life of crime in pursuit of a life of quiet righteousness. In pondering the number of ripe wallets waddling about the market, Elias noted that this guard was his least favorite (right next to the gentlemen that removed his wings) and he'd probably try to steal something important from him in the future.

Elias was looking up in spite of the Nymph's inability to believe his words, the guard hardly had a case that was strong enough to justify bringing him in, and it seemed that he'd be able to nab a few wallets later in the day--and in an instant, all of Elias' plans and hopes were dispersed faster than a close-knit crowd running from an errant fart. Somehow, Elias had forgotten that Nymphs were able to summon and communicate with animals at will, and much to his chagrin the Nymph confirmed that the cheefle would likely be able to sense whether Elias was lying or not. A typical person would only lie on occasion and probably only out of necessity, and the 'typical' thief would lie hundreds of times more to stay out of trouble, but Elias was a special case, one that went above and beyond the day-to-day thief's duties; Elias' first thought at the appearance of the cheefle defined the lengths to which he went to keep his sordid past and identity under wraps:

By the Djinn's turd! What am I supposed to do? I'm always lying ALL THE TIME!

Clearly pleased by this turn of events, the guard smirked and relaxed somewhat; this guard was so confident that Elias would fail the test that he was practically reaching for his manacles. Part of the guard's newfound confidence came from the fact that he didn't think any Zanaryan was completely innocent, and another part came from the priceless-yet-horrified look that had swept over Elias' face at the cheefle's appearance. Nothing quite made a guard's day like seeing a suspect sweat in the face of their demise, and this guard was no different.

"Start talking, Hellspawn. I want to hear that lie leak out of your foul-smelling mouth."

Putting it off would do Elias no good, and though trying once again to run away was hardly a good idea, he prepared his legs to take him as far away as possible should the situation backfire, which was an outcome that Elias had come to expect. Before Elias opened up and let something fly, he collected himself and thought carefully about his words, brow furrowed and eyes tilted upward as he pooled a sentence together in his mind. If Elias could deliver a convincing statement, he felt that the cheefle wouldn't notice if some of it was a lie, as nothing was completely fool proof (or so he thought). As Elias spoke, he'd narrow his eyes at the cheefle as if he could become menacing enough to convince it to take his side and/or dissipate completely, both of which were equally desirable outcomes.

"Alright then...ahem....I did not kill a single person...in Alexshire."

[Lazuli]

Happy that they would be following her suggestion, Lazuli gave Chiko a gentle, encouraging pat on the head. Unlike the guard, the nyad did not have any presumptions about Elias's guilt or innocence, or whether he would lie. In her knowledge, liars were simply too varied to categorize, and she had very little experience with lying herself. I hope he'll tell the truth... she thought encouragingly.

“All right, Chiko, it's up to you to show us the light,” she said with a smile. Gingerly, she lifted her arms to hold the tiny cheefle a few inches from Elias's face.

As the guard stood back, confident that Elias would fail the test, Lazuli stood still, confident that there would be an outcome.

Chiko meanwhile leaned forward until his nose almost touched the Zanaryan's face, completely ignoring any sign of meance. His little forepaws gripped the tips of Lazuli's slender fingers in order not to fall over as he began sniffing. And phew, what a stink.

“Alright then...ahem....I did not kill a single person...in Alexshire.”

The red light went off as Chiko suddenly raised a paw and swiped the nose in front of him. Unbeknownst to anyone, he had quite frankly chosen not to care about the point of the exercise at all. The Zanaryan might have chosen his words carefully, but unfortunately, his fate in terms of Chiko had already been predetermined. The cheefle returned to Lazuli's shoulder in an unhappy little ball. Well, that was boring. Where's the food?

Lazuli frowned sadly. “Sir, I hope you're ready for arrest,” she said, and the ring on her finger caught a glimmer of light.

[Elias]

As the Nymph communed with the Cheefle, a great fear washed over Elias: for in such a dire situation, he'd still decided to tell a lie. Years ago, Elias murdered an old acquaintance of his from Zanarya, and he'd done so on the streets of Alexshire. After the lie had left Elias' mouth, he tried with all his might to summon it back into his lungs and thusly prevent the coming guilty verdict. It was clear to Elias that the guard had already accepted his guilt as fact, and the moment that the Cheefle had finished sniffing the thief's face the guard brought out his manacles. When the Cheefle went to swipe Elias' nose, it occurred to him that it was too late for words, and soon the law would be upon him. At the thought of being accused of murder by a Cheefle, Elias sneered and made sure to note the Nymph's appearance should he have the displeasure of meeting her again.

Seeing Elias sweat had made the guard's day, and as he had assumed that Elias was indeed guilty of committing a series of murders, being able to arrest a guilty Zanaryan only added icing to the cake. In the Alexshire division, it so happened that the Captain of the guard position was open, and closing this case would surely fetch this vigilant guard such a promotion.

The verdict was in, and as the Nymph's words traveled from her mouth to Elias' ears, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up and his eyes widened with fear. The only possible escape route lay behind Elias, but running would only last so long for the Nymph would surely believe that he was guilty, just as the guard did, and the Nymph's attention to detail would definitely create a more accurate description. After today, Elias would have to be twice as careful in moving about the city, for his exact description would indefinitely circulate the guard houses until the real killer was found. Sliding his right foot back, Elias made eye contact with the Nymph before trying to make his escape.

"I'm no saint, but I did not do that!"

Without letting another second tick by, Elias turned tail and ran as fast as his feet could carry him, cutting through crowds and ducking into alleyways until he was gone. The guard was hardly surprised, and in fact did not tarry in his pursuit, although the guard could hardly run as fast as Elias did considering the amount of armor he wore. As the two of them left, the ring stayed behind for no more than a minute, hovering in mid-air before twirling upward and shooting through the sky in Elias' direction.

[Lazuli]

Both Lazuli and Chiko were fast to react when the Zanaryan turned tail and ran. “Wait, stop!” she called as she bolted after him. She barely noticed the pinch of Chiko's claws as the cheefle struggled to hang on, chittering excitedly, eager for the chase. Finally, something exciting for him!

Lazuli might not have been the most physically fit person in Alexshire, but she was also thin and light, so she wasted no time catching up to the guard, who was being slowed down by his armor anyway. “Do take it easy, officer,” she spared the breath to say to him. “I will catch him for you.”

The Zanaryan sure was fast, and Lazuli struggled to keep him in sight as they darted past streets and through narrow alleyways. One moment he would disappear around a corner, and Lazuli had to be quick to remember which way he turned and be careful not to lose track of him. She smiled in relief when a fountain appeared as she entered a brief courtyard. Heart intent, she Called her lovely element, and the water obediently whooshed beneath her, lifting her many feet into the air. The nyad smiled as she surfed the wave, the serpent-like mass of liquid leaving a trail of wet pavement in its wake... and a very empty fountain for the birds.

[Elias]

As the Nymph easily outpaced the guard, he slowed to a stop and watched, panting and trying to catch his breath. The guard was confident that justice would be served, as the Nymph seemed just as dedicated to bringing Elias in as he was.

"Yes, yes, you go. I'll...catch up..."

In dashing through the streets and ducking through corridors, Elias was at least partially aware that the guard had given up, and the Nymph had taken over as his pursuer. What Elias had no idea about was the Nymph's ability to manipulate water in such large quantities, and when he stopped to breathe, the trickling sound of water so far away from a fountain took him off-guard. Quickly, trickling was replaced by rushing, and Elias saw that the Nymph was riding high upon a serpentine wave, and it was at this time he realized what kind of odds had been stacked against him. Without a moment to spare, Elias turned and began running once again, but as he did the weight of the dagger strapped to his belt made itself known, and so too did his alternate escape route.

On the other hand, Elias was running from being falsely accused of serial murder, and trying to commit murder to escape a murder charge seemed redundant. Mid-step, Elias was cut off by a merchant pushing a tiny cart of goods, and without enough time to halt his momentum he slammed into the cart and landed flat on his back. Elias' head spun from the impact, and he was hardly able to stay on his feet after standing up, much less continue running at full speed. When Elias' head stopped spinning, it was too late: the aquatic serpent came upon him, and in preparation for what might come next he placed a steady hand on his dagger's sheath. Though murder was redundant, Elias knew that just threatening to attempt it was enough to scare people away, and he knew quite well how to act like a murderer.

[Lazuli]

Once they reached places where there were more people, Lazuli had to be careful of her steering lest she accidently hurt someone. That would not help her cause, certainly, if innocent people got injured. Her main priority, though, was to stop this murderer. At least, she had more reason to believe he was a murderer now more than ever.

A ripple of sympathy stirred in her when she saw the man buffeted by the cart, so desperate for his life, and the gentle side of her wanted to help him. But Lazuli's will was an ocean that could be both calm and tumultuous, and right now it was a tad stormy over the sea of justice.

With a nymphly little grunt, she spun the water like a dancer's ribbon so that it lost momentum and settled like a lilypad beneath her feet, just several feet away from the Zanaryan. As they faced each other, civilians began gathering at a distance, the merchant who lost his cart watching anxiously.

I can't hurt him, Lazuli thought defiantly at the sight of her opponent's hand. That would be against the ways of the Fae. But I must stop him. So basically, she would consider knocking him out or something.

And after the stubbornness the Zanaryan had showed before, as well as his attempt to escape, Lazuli didn't think that he was in any mind to talk peacefully. Her best bet then, would be to immobilize him.

She Called the water again. It flared out from beneath her feet with the intent to wrap itself around Elias. Its temperature would also begin to rapidly cool as the element shifted to one of its alternative forms - ice.

[Elias]

It didn't take the Nymph very long to try to forcibly subdue Elias, and the moment her quick-freezing tendrils reached for him, he braced his legs. Killing still being out of the question, Elias set his mind to the task of placing his fist perpendicular to the Nymph's face until one of them stopped fighting.

Whenever Elias tried his hand at straight-forward fighting, he typically found that his skill was severely lacking, and so desperate trickery was his only option. As the tendrils sprang forth, Elias tightened his knees and leaped to the side, specifically toward an errant box that had been knocked free from the merchant's cart.

Through attempting to avoid the incoming attack, Elias would land near a box and hurl it at the Nymph with all his might. Just throwing boxes wasn't enough for Elias, however, and immediately after making his pitch Elias made a running dash directly at the Nymph with a bag of spices in his right hand. Though Elias was not necessarily trained in the use of spice bags as weapons, he knew that having a face full of curry powder tended to get in the way of thinking clearly.

[Lazuli]

Since her goal was not to harm Elias, Lazuli was careful in controlling the water so that it would not make a bone-crushing impact. That, however, meant a loss of speed, and her mouth tightened into an almost child-like pout as the Zanaryan caught only the edge of the swirling attack. His upper arm would soon find itself encased in ice. Better than air.

Lazuli moved her hand back, and the water began a swift recoil as it prepared for the next offensive. She barely had time to form a protective cover in front of herself when a box suddenly flew her way, crashing through the too-thin sheet of moving water with fractioned momentum. The nyad ducked amid an explosion of water droplets and the box bumped into her shoulder before landing to the side. It happened to be light wooden crate, but the sharp wood edges grazed her skin red. At least it had not hit her square on.

Still crouched on the ground, Lazuli was nonetheless immediate to reform the water around her into a soaring, spiraling wall. The key was not to break the Call. “Curry powder is for eating, not shampooing,” she murmured as the water rained back down like cut ribbons, ready to soak anything near her.

[Elias]

Part of Elias' arm had been neutralized, and with such heavy rain being produced his precious pouch of curry risked becoming wet and useless. Without any time to pause and reflect, Elias skidded to a stop, pulled his dagger out of its sheath, and cut open the curry pouch as he hurled it at the water-bending Nymph. Whether or not Elias had successfully managed to use a cloud of powder to confuse his opponent mattered not, as the ice on his arm wasn't defrosting any time soon and the Nymph's ability to manipulate water was becoming a problem.

In an instant, it occurred to Elias that playing nice wasn't going to work, and dagger still in hand he bent his knees and lunged forward; the fact that Elias noticed the Nymph's attacks were largely harmless helped him along in this decision. Water and ice be damned: Elias was aiming to cut the Nymph and break her focus just long enough to end her water control, and he did so regardless of any kind of aquatic attacks that would come at him, or walls that might try to stop him. Elias was extremely confident his maneuver was just wildly thoughtless enough to work.

[Lazuli]

The curry powder flew toward Lazuli and was rendered harmless by the water as planned. At the same time, however, the dry food ingredient sucked up a good fraction of the nyad's supply, and chunky pieces of spice dropped in front of her. But the powder did manage to create a very temporary smokescreen, and Lazuli swiftly pulled herself up as the Zanaryan shot toward her. Her remaining fountain water, still a significant enough source, hovered at the ready.

Goddess help her; she had to think fast -- oop! too late, there he is. And woosh of fuzz instantly leapt out of her hair on a faithful trajectory straight to the Zanaryan's eyes, little sharp claws and teeth at the ready. Chiko's act would hopefully distract and or reduce accuracy long enough for Lazuli to shuffle back and create another wall of ice in front of her. Puddles at her feet gave her a boost of speed. The wall itself was a mess in her haste, but a mess with jagged points in people's faces.

She touched her bare arm. A thin trickle of red was sliding down -- in the frenzy she had not been careful. Lazuli was not one to get distressed in situations that required calm thinking, however, so she took a deep breath to ease her pace down. I need to catch him soon, she thought, diligent as always.

She also believed that the guards would be here soon.

[Elias]

Having a biting, angry Cheefle in one's face would doubtless create issues for even the toughest warrior, and Elias was no hardened warrior. With such an obstruction, Elias not only failed to make the cut but hit the ground just short of the wall, pulling and swatting at the Cheefle on his face.

"Off of my face, you MONGREL!"

Finally, Elias was able to tear the beast from his person and look at the next, much more terrible, hiccup in his little plan of attack. There was a sound of clinking armor and stomping feet, which quickly calmed and quieted when their sources arrived: five armed guards, accompanied by the original one had arrived in the area. With a smirk, the initiating guard stepped forward and drew his blade.

"This is it, there's nowhere left to run! You're hereby under arrest for the seven counts of murder, as well as assault and attempted murder on an Eighth!"

The latter of the guard's sentence came along when he caught a glimpse of the Nymph's bleeding arm, which cemented Elias' guilt to all the other guards, as if he had looked even mildly innocent to begin with. However, Elias was not as willing to accept his sentence as the others were, and this was mostly due to the fact that he knew he was innocent on all counts (save for assaulting the Nymph). Just as Elias was planning out an impossible escape route, a scream came from the East, followed by a man running through and wholly out of the alley in mere moments, catching some of the guards' attention.

Elias, and any guards/onlookers with sharp enough sight, would have seen upon the running man: wings on his back, horns on his head, dark skin, and brown boots on his feet. At the same time, those that looked away from Elias and towards the commotion would miss his use of the distraction to escape yet again. Once again, the flying ring lingered behind for a moment, and then flew up and towards Elias as he ran.

[Lazuli]

When the Zanaryan's face had been efficiently assaulted, Chiko opened his small wings and flitted effortlessly back to Lazuli's shoulder. He puffed out his fur angrily. The foul-smelling person had messed up his grooming!

For a moment Lazuli watched her opponent struggling on the ground, and she was fully prepared to encase him in a complete dome of ice this time. But the sound of approaching footsteps diverted her attention. The guards are here.

She stepped back with a relieved smile, allowing the law to take over, but she eyed the officer's blade warily. “Wait, don't hurt him, I can --”

A scream and the sound of sprinting cut her off. She turned just in time to see the near mirror image of her Zanaryan flash by. Except this one had wings. The bleeding on her arm was beginning to pain her mind, but it didn't take much effort to piece the clues together. A new drive rose in her. That was the real culprit.

Drawing up a bandage of water, Lazuli created her own icy armband in order to stop the flow of blood. It was an almost comical tribute to the "innocent" man she'd just been fighting. Not that she was going to love him now, for she still had an intuition that he'd committed quite a few likened crimes.

“Officers! We must chase that man!” she called out, and ran as well. A floating trail of fountain water followed after her.


(( Thanks for a great thread, Sparrow! ))