[Nicolay]

It was already past midnight.

His coffee had already gone cold, his biscuits stale and yet there was still no end to the scratch of a quill against paper. Bent over his record book, surrounded by scrolls, an abacus to his right, Nicolay persisted in his diligence. His scalp was already lined by a thin sheet of sweat, but he had finally found his rhythm and down to the last few lines on the page, there was no stopping him. His silence was decorated by the monotonous cracks of abacus beads tapping against each other but eventually, that, too ended as he gave a victorious smile and tossed his quill back into its sheath. He flexed his right hand, watched it shake a little...how long had he been writing?

The weight of his eyelids and the time on his COM told him how late it was so he removed his apron, dabbed his sweat with his sleeve as he started towards the door leading to the production area and pushed it back. “Azul, I'm done. Will you be much longer?” he called to the dim, rocky hallway, the air inside burning his skin as a weak golden light pulsed from the other entrance beyond the walls. The floor shimmered with tiny specks of dust, he thought.

In a heartbeat, he knew what they were: glass shards. Azul had dropped them. This was Nicolay's conclusion as he began to look for his friend but she was just sitting there, back against the wall, legs sprawled and head lolling to a side, tray with a couple of broken and intact dinner glasses sliding to the ground. He panicked as he hurried to her side and gripped her frail shoulders to shake her. “Azul, Azul!” he called.

But Azul remained quiet -- asleep.

It was only when Nicolay shook her again and stroked the lost locks of hair off her face that she realized one thing, though -- she was wet.

Why, he didn't bother to find out. All he knew was that he needed to get her to a healer -- and fast. He used the tray to clear out the pieces of glass off her and then lifted her to his arms and waddled out of the tight space, his heart running like taroch feet. He had to get her to a healer fast--

“Hey! Who're you?!”

Nicolay whipped a stunned gaze to a shadow at the end of the hall. Before he knew it, a burst of water had slammed against him and his friend and he fell to the shop's floor on his back, sliding until he found his rest, drenched to the bones in that one instance. He coughed and choked as he eased himself up to sit, shaking, bangs plastered to his face as he looked up, Azul's legs over his, to suddenly see three slender silhouettes he had never imagined to have existed all his life. His face turned white as he gasped strictly and clambered backwards until his fingers fell upon the round side of a broken glass. “You're thieves, aren't you?”

“Don't make me laugh,” one of them said. “We have no interest on your petty glasses. Is the nereid your friend?”

“No, I was actually trying to kill her, didn't you notice?”

“Hind's son--” the one in the middle stepped forward to attack but the one to his right grabbed him by his elbow and kept him close. Nicolay recognized the language to be in Sylvan.

“Therian,” the one to the left said, “This doesn't concern you. So just get out of here and leave the nereid.”

“Like hell I would,” Nicolay muttered before he grabbed the piece of broken glass and flung it to the one in the middle. He smacked him right at the head and pushed himself up to his feet as he dashed towards the confused thief and swung a right hook to his face. A pair of hands restrained him and a sharp fist collided to his chin although messy enough for him to have enough consciousness to shove a kick at the puncher's chest and then shake his slender captor off. Another fist landed on his lips and he stumbled back, far enough for his left hand to reach his coffee cup and he smashed this on the thief's head. The aroma of coffee applauded his wit.

And then something else smashed -- he didn't know what it was but it sure hurt when it collided with the back of his head. Nicolay lost his balance momentarily as he stumbled to the counter and he smacked his forehead against the wooden surface, his ears ringing as he crumpled to the floor and fell to his back, unconscious.

---

When Nicolay woke up, the sun was already up. He was looking at a ceiling with the pillow at the back of his pounding head and he winced and crumpled his face. Something wet was also on his forehead...

Where was he?

[Nicolay]

“Niccy? Niccy, you're awake! How are you feeling?”

Niccy? Who--

“Adie?” Nicolay moaned as her face finally became clear to his eyes and there she was, pale and frightened, dark rims surrounding her eyes as she stared at him with all the attention a tired body could muster. “Adie, what...what are you--”

“You're home, Niccy,” Adie said softly, running a hand through Nicolay's forehead so that she brushed his bangs off his face. “We heard about what happened. Uncle Toto and I rushed to the scene the moment we heard and we thought you'd been hurt worse...”

“What about Azul?” Nicolay croaked, wincing at the weight on his head. “H, have you seen Azul?”

“I think she's home now,” Adie went on with her quiet voice. “The authorities are taking care of the situation right now, so don't you fret much, right?”

Nicolay had to admit, he liked the feeling of Adie's touch stroking his head but he did wish she was somebody else...

“Just stay here and try to relax and feel better, all right?” Adie sounded sweet as she said that -- and at that moment, the whistle of a kettle cried from the kitchen and she stood up, smiling at the dazed Nicolay as she whispered, “Tea's ready. I'll be back. You'll feel better because of it. Hm?” Standing up from his bedside, she turned and walked away.

Nicolay watched her from his spot by the couch -- he now realized -- and he saw her disappear. The silence of the walls seeped into his ears and he sighed as he closed his eyes. The flash of golden light was still fresh in his memories, the impact of the water -- oh goddess, no wonder his chest hurt like hell -- Azul's frail form, the numbness in his jaw. It was all so real but what really happened last night?

“God, I can't stand this,” Nicolay muttered to himself as he forced himself up to sit, wincing and hissing, the heel of his palm against the bump on his head, the damp towel having just fallen off. Adie thinks Azul is home but what if she isn't? Nicolay had to see her either way, and Gabel, and all his workmates and the shop and the damage. He wouldn't be able to rest until then.

He eased his legs off the couch and stood up. Without even a look over his shoulder, a note of goodbye, he started towards the door and left the house.

The sun was irritating his eyes and his feet didn't feel like his own, his hand still on his sore head. Hell, his entire body didn't feel like his own and neither did that music that played from his pocket! Or his COM, he should say. Was that his COM?

He answered it, anyway. “'lo?”

[Lazuli]

“Hey, Nic!” Lazuli said, cheerful that Nicolay picked up her call. It had been a while since she'd last called him due to the demands of their jobs, but Lazuli was enjoying a free day today after finishing the last of the month's commissions, and that meant an opportunity to find a gift for one of her closest friends.

The nyad was looking at the shelves of a bakery when Nic answered the call, scanning the colorful breads, croissants, and slices of cake they had on display. “I hope it's going well for you. I'm at Cheri's right now,” she continued. “If you aren't busy, could I pick up a small treat for you?”

The carefree smile faded from her face when she noticed a kind of weariness in Nicolay's tone just from his first utterance. It was as though a depressed aura was radiating through the COM. Was something wrong? “Are you all right?” Lazuli asked, eyes darting over a strawberry shortcake.

[Nicolay]

Goddess damn Lazuli and her intuition. And Nicolay swore, he's been asking Xanth to damn every living thing quite a lot these days.

“N, No, I'm...fine!” Nicolay said as he whirled around his spot, stumbling in his steps and wincing for the sake of wincing. He felt like his head was filled with water right now and anytime, it was going to slush out of his eyeballs or basically just make him feel worse than he already was. “L, listen, I-- I'd love to, I'd really love to come and hang out with you today but there's just...something I got to-- “Jesus Christ!!””

A horse had neighed and wheels had creaked as Nicolay stumbled out of the path of a passing coach. The inhabitants had shrieked and the anyelos driver -- oh goddess damn you lot, too! -- glared at Nicolay and cussed him at the most elaborate fashion ever.

Nicolay would have wanted to spit back but he couldn't, for the life of him, even spell out his curses right now, that he'd just glared at the horse as it galloped past him and turned the corner. Oh, who was Nicolay kidding, there's no way he could do this on his own! He'll have to kidnap someone to go with him to Gabel Glasses.

And between Adie and Lazuli? It was easy to choose.

“I'll be there in a second,” Nicolay said to the COM and he closed communications.

---

One-thousand three-hundred eighty seconds later, Nicolay would be plastered against the brick wall outside of Cheri's, eyes closed, head against it, while he waited for Lazuli to step out and, perhaps, freak out at this hobo wearing Nicolay's clothes and necklace.

[Lazuli]

Lazuli paced around the front of the shelves as she waited for Nicolay to come, COM pressed to her ear and lips tight in a forced calm. Despite her reserved appearance, however, she was fighting a bubble of worry inside. Lady Xanth protect him, she thought, finding comfort in prayer.

She paid close attention to every sound she heard over the phone, for she had a feeling that the Therian was having a hard time getting to the bakery in one piece. Perhaps she should walk out and go to him instead, but that would mean risking either of them getting lost on the way.

Finally, Lazuli pushed open Cheri's glass doors without purchase (much to the disappointment of the baker), and stepped to Nic's side as soon as she caught sight of him. ...And what an unpleasant sight.

“Nic! What happened to you?” the nyad asked, the hand still holding the COM falling to her side and her other hand gently touching Nicolay's shoulder. Parts of his skin looked darker than usual -- were they bruises? She moved the back of her hand to his forehead, as though testing a sick patient.

[Nicolay]

Oh, Lazuli, she was always so sweet.

And such a pleasant sight no matter how she looked or no matter how he looked. He cracked a vague smile on his otherwise sick face as he muttered, “Hey, Laz,” and sloppily brushed her chin with the back of his left fingers. Oh what was he doing? He winced as he extracted himself from the wall (oh goodbye, sanctuary) and slid his COM into his pocket as he held onto Lazuli's reaching wrist as though for his balance, his fingers completely encircling it. “Something...something terrible happened in Gabel Glasses last night. I, I extended hours 'cause...umm...I needed to finish some records and Azul was with me. You remember Azul the Nereid? I've talked to you about her,” Nicolay spoke carefully and he refused to let go of Lazuli, not while his head was swimming, kind of. Not so much but there was still that feeling.

“So I was about to go...but then I'd found that she'd fainted and...before I knew it, there was...a water cannon. Well, it hit us...and I got into a fight,” he couldn't really be bothered to check if his memories were even correct right now but Nicolay was pretty damn sure it was! “There were three of them...and one of them knocked me out. Here, and here,” he pointed to both sides of his head, a miserable smirk dancing on his lips. “Pretty uncool, huh?”

But-- “But Laz,” he captured the hand of the wrist he had been holding with both his hands now, “Laz, I know I have to rest but I need to find out what happened there. I, I need to go down to Gabel Glasses and see for myself and if I don't get anyone to walk with me, I might as well drop dead and get run over by a horse. A, and s, since you aren't busy...could you...could you come with me? Please, Laz?” he implored of her, eyes holding onto her gaze.

[Lazuli]

Lazuli held on to Nic's hand, steadying him should he collapse, and she nodded to his question with concern in her face. “Yes, I remember her,” she answered, recalling the stories that he had told, in happier moments.

As Nicolay explained the basics of what had happened, she listened calmly, although her wide eyes and tightened small lips held an irregular tension. “A water cannon?” she repeated, picturing in full detail the three crooks with their unheavenly bazooga aimed at her beloved friend. She placed the back of her hand reassuringly on his head again, this time in the places where he had been hit.

Nic didn't even have to implore Lazuli to do anything. She would find out what happened so they could solve the problem. It could have been troublemakers in their purest form who had attacked Nic, or perhaps there was a deeper reason. “We need to fish out the culprits and bring their intentions to light,” she stated firmly in her clear voice. “And apply a solution as needed.”

With one hand holding Nicolay's, Lazuli used the other to (gently) grip Nicolay's arm as she smoothly turned foot and began steering him away from the bakery. Determination shone in her eyes. “Let us go to Gabel Glasses now! Oh, but we'll take it serenely so you don't trip.”

[Nicolay]

Serenely or not, it didn't matter. Nicolay wasn't feeling serene either way!

“You're a goddess-sent, Laz, you, really, really are,” he sighed. And for the first time in a long time, Nicolay managed to crack a smile -- even if it was a little painful on the jaw area. “I'll never forget about this, Laz, I will never.” He never forgets about Lazuli, period.

He was obedient to her grip, himself taking care to watch his feet (because falling flat is the least of his priorities right now) as he looked around the area then pointed to a spot to his diagonal right. “There, that's the closest entrance to the underground,” he said to her. It was a good day. The sun was out, the breeze was good, and New Alexandria shone with a happy brightness. It was too bad that he couldn't really enjoy this right now, not with what happened last night and not until he could be sure that Azul was doing well because the way he saw it, the poor nymph got the brunt of the attacks.

“I'm trying to remember, though,” he suddenly said to Lazuli as they ducked into the entrance to the underground, walking more smoothly now that he finally got the hang of it. “I remember that one of them spoke in Sylvan...he called me something foul but I can't,” he laughed a little as his free hand hovered to his forehead but dropped just as quickly, “for the life of me, remember what it is. But I'm pretty sure that it wasn't nice...”

Gabel Glasses could be seen five blocks from where they stood. The door was out, and among the people who surrounded the open cavity of the wall was the human Jhonnie Gabel himself and anyeli Raoul de Lint and his nephew Theodore de Lint. Even from afar, Nicolay could imagine how distressed they look.

[Aiden]

The noisy (and nosy) rabble of onlookers did nothing to ease Gabel's anxiety. Quite the opposite actually. As Aiden stood at the door of the shop and indicated for the shopowner to stay away from the entrance, lest he be bombarded with well-meaning busybodies, Aiden felt the corners of his mouth droop into a frown. Trust people to gravitate toward a disaster when they heard about one.

“Miss, please stay back, there's glass everywhere,” he spoke as he moved into the path of a woman who was trying to enter the store. Ignoring protests of 'knowing the owner' and being 'a close client', Aiden shook his head and crossed his arms. His once amicable expression closed off into a guardsman's solemn one, and the woman got the hint. As the woman strode away in a huff, Aiden glanced toward the partially shattered window that spanned the outer wall. If the glass weren't tall enough to scrape their noses, people would have been peering beyond that emptied area, too. Even now, the crowd had formed a half-circle around the storefront to watch assistants mop water from the ground and throw shards of glass into a bin.

“I can't even begin to count what we've lost...” There was nothing calm about Raoul's expression. His fingers shook as he massaged the temples of his forehead. Grimly, the anyeli glanced toward the counter, where the human storeowner seemed to be busy making calls. No doubt, the break-in had delayed many of their deliveries.

Frowning in sympathy, Aiden let the man survey the scene in silence before saying cautiously, “So. Two people were working here last night when you left.” It wasn't a question, since he already knew the answer. They'd chatted briefly about this already, and he said it as a means to re-open the conversation. It was probably the last thing that Raoul wanted to worry about, but Aiden had to know. There wasn't much the guard could do except draft a report and pass it along to any bounty hunter willing to investigate it. Taxes were a constant in New Alexandria, but if people paid them (collection was a chancy business), the guard clearly didn't get enough of the money. The Guard already had trouble dispatching enough people into the districts, let alone pay for full-time investigators. Case in point: Aiden was the second of three to arrive at Gabel Glasses, and his schedule didn't allow him to get here until noon. Grimly, he wished for a chance to catch the culprits. Gabel didn't deserve this to happen. Nobody does.

“Azul and Nicolay were still here when I left. Can't say how long they stayed. There's a rush order---Xanth damn it, we'll have to start over.” Water splashed as the anyelos paced across the floor (where had it come from?), and his foot trudged against a soggy clump of fabric on the ground. Glass fell from the rug as Raoul crouched to lift it up. “Damn, it's ruined. We sent Nicolay and Azul home as soon as we found them--both unconscious.”

Bending his knees, Aiden stooped forward to help the storeowner lift the large rug from the ground. Heavy with water, the otherwise exquisite rug dragged glass across the ground as the two men tugged it out of the store. And as they reached the pavements, Aiden heard Raoul swear softly in surprise as he glanced toward somebody in the crowd.

((Sorry if I misrepresented Raoul. Poke me and I'll make changes. ^__^))

[Lazuli]

A sweet, hopeful smile entered Lazuli's features as she listened to Nic's kind words. Her eyes softened, love briefly replacing the fiery determination. “We're... good friends, Nic,” she said genuinely. “When I'm having trouble, you do the same for me.” Although she had not yet encountered something like this.

As they entered the underground, Lazuli directed the pair in the direction of Gabel Glasses, keeping calm pace despite the tense atmosphere. It wouldn't do to have Nicolay faceplant the ground if they rushed. She was watchful of all bypassers and focused on the vibe of the crowds for both danger and information. Even from a good distance away, Lazuli could see the curious people gathering around the scene of the crime. She would have done so herself if she'd been a stranger.

“I remember that one of them spoke in Sylvan...”

Although surprise made Lazuli lift her head, there was otherwise no noticeable break in her step at the unexpectedness of this news. “Ah! They chose to use a peaceful language for a violent act,” she said, a sorrowful note in her light voice. A pause. “There are not a great many foul terms in Sylvan. I wonder though...”

She trailed off. It mildly occurred to her that the attackers could have been native Sylvan-speakers -- in other words, nymphs, but such unwarranted violence from her race was so rare that it didn't register at the forefront of her suspicions. Unless it had a reason behind it, but Lazuli could not believe that Nicolay or his coworkers could have done anything so bad as to attract such animosity.

The nyad's expression brightened a bit when they approached the store, where Nic would surely find familiar faces. She also took comfort in the presence of the guard. “Nicolay is doing well for his injuries,” she remarked. “But could someone get him a place to sit, please?”

[Nicolay]

“Sir Raoul,” Nicolay breathed, almost gasping, although he couldn't really expect any less of the anyelos.

He let Lazuli explain his circumstances for him, grateful for her voluntary effort, although a chair may have become the second of their priorities when Jhonnie Gabel waddled out clumsily from the store and grasped Nicolay by the arm. The Therian had barely registered the grip on his left and may have eyed the white, bony fingers curiously.

“You shouldn't have come here, you look sick!”

“I needed to know what happened, Sir,” Nicolay protested simply but Raoul at least had his head better round this situation and had summoned his nephew to assist his fellow employee to a chair which was, well, damp but a chair was still a chair. Nicolay held onto Lazuli the entire time he was being directed to it and he sat closest to the right wall where he remembered he tried to defend himself and failed miserably.

“Water! Hilbert, get some water!”

“Everyone's here?” Nicolay asked Jhonnie, lost in his own workplace.

“Rudy is with Azul,” Raoul answered instantly as he crouched before the dazed Nicolay, backed by his antsy nephew, as he placed a warm and on the Therian's free hand and said to him, “Nicolay, someone from the Guard is here. He's here to help us.”

If Nicolay was listening, he couldn't really tell. His eyes were traveling all around the shop. Glass was literally everywhere, it felt cold inside, cold and damp and...hell, just last night, Rudy and Theodore spent a good amount of time getting the place set up for the next day! Now everything is ruined. The place didn't look like Gabel Glasses at all.

“Nicolay,” Raoul prompted again.

Nicolay turned to look at him, then at the man who was indicated as the member of the Guard.

“Can you remember what happened?”

Nicolay glanced at Lazuli, then at Raoul as he nodded. “Yeah-- yeah, I, I can remember...I think...what happened but,” he winced as he lifted a hand to his head, again, “Give me some time okay? My head hurts like hell...”

[Aiden]

Had Jhonnie and Rauol not gone straight to the newcomer, Aiden would have put on his NO face and stood in the doorway. Though as he saw the man more clearly, his mouth opened with a small 'oh' of slight recognition. Nodding in a small greeting to the woman who had arrived with Nicolay, Aiden followed the storepeople into the shop, glancing behind to deter any onlookers from getting too close. Not that it helped much. He'd been frowning at them all day with few results. As another guard moved to stand by the doorway, Aiden stood toward the walls as they helped Nicolay to settle down.

“Nicolay, someone from the Guard is here. He's here to help.”

Hearing that, Aiden nodded toward Nicolay, though the other therian seemed oblivious. Yes, the Guard is here! Mostly for crowd control, so nothing else would happen. After that, they'd sooner leave than do a real investigation. Aiden would have preferred otherwise, but that was how the Guard worked. Unfortunate as they may be, break-ins like these happened every other week, though he hadn't seen one in such a large scale for a while. Somebody must have been really pissed off to pull all that water here and smash so much glass. Had to have been a Zanaryan. Aiden didn't even consider the possibility that a nyad could have done this.

Clearly, Nicolay was feeling overwhelmed, but Aiden needed his facts. As an assistant offered a glass of water to Nicolay, Aiden spoke up. “Did you see your attacker?” Whatever had happened was in the past, but the Guard needed a face in order to place the bounty.

[Nicolay]

Nicolay arched his brows and shook his head.

“I didn't,” he almost muttered as he took the glass that Hilbert the human offered and took a haphazard sip from it. “I know that there were three of them, and they were dark. It was dark, it was past midnight.” The frown on Nicolay's face was hard and focused. Suddenly, trying to remember everything was so much harder.

“I didn't see their faces,” he said again, “But I know that...well...one of them spoke in Sylvan. I don't remember what he said but it was foul,” he fought against the urge to raise his hand again and instead, he dipped his head which made Raoul nudge him a little. “It was really foul, anyway. But before that, Azul and I -- she's the nereid--”

That's it.

“That's it,” Nicolay said to all of them and he lifted his head to look at everyone -- the guard, Lazuli, Raoul and Theodore and Jhonnie and Hilbert. “After we were attacked by water, they asked me if the nereid was my friend. A, Azul, she, she was already unconscious when I found her.”

“Where?”

“In the entrance to the forge,” Nicolay informed his employer helpfully although he made no move to point it. “Th, that was before I was attacked. And they asked me if she was my friend, and told me to go and leave her here. They, they knew I was a Therian.” He looked back to the guard.

[Lazuli]

Normally Lazuli would have taken the opportunity to make some new friends, but socializing was out of the question here. She didn't even bother to ask for anyone's name, although she dimly knew Nicolay's coworkers from his stories of them and her few visits in the past. There was the anyeli Raoul, who was known to be a bit distasteful sometimes, his nephew of a near mirror image, and the kind Mr. Gabel. Lazuli empathized with him for the heavy damage he'd taken to his shop and his friends. If something like this happened to Colormints, I...

She turned out of the group's circle to survey the drenched surroundings. The carpet under her feet felt soft and wet like mud. Staring at the ground, she wordlessly tilted her head, the gesture of a loving sister to an obedient sibling. The water responded and a thin stream curled gently into the air, rising just short of Lazuli's waist, where she held her hand. She pulled it up closer to her cheek, by her ear. “Hey, where did you come from?” she whispered to it. And the water answered the nyad.

As Nicolay shared more information, Lazuli let go of the Call and returned to her friend's side. “So, could they have been after Azul?” she asked, mind thoroughly processing every information it could gather. She placed a finger on her chin. “Oh, and the water came from the river. It was gathered in the night, and it says it flew over the rooftops, like a magic carpet.”

[Aiden]

Save for the nymphs and therians, few Elysians cared to learn the Sylvan language. Chances were that a therian, or a nymph, was among the attackers, but Aiden wasn't entirely willing to rule out the other species. Dracovari, for instance, were exceptionally gifted in picking up new languages. Still listening to Nicolay, the guardsman crossed his arms and leaned into the side wall. He hadn't been sure if the water-user had been Azul, or the attackers, but Nicolay made it clear that it had been the latter. As the story became curiouser and curiouser, and Aiden wondered if the nereid had struggled, and if the attackers had been robbers at all. Clearly, they needed to talk to Azul after this.

“So one, of them might have been therian, and the other a nymph.” Less likely to have been a Marid, if Nicolay hadn't seen anybody with wings, and therians generally avoided the stench of Zanaryans. They also worked better with nymphs. “Do you think Azul fought back?” Aiden asked as he looked around the shop for burn marks. “We'll need to talk to her, too.” But first--“Did they touch anything in here? A jar, maybe? Or the cash register?” Much of the shop was drenched, but he might still find a fragment of scent.

Looking up, Aiden glanced at the others' faces, wondering what they were thinking. Nicolay's friend was standing to the side, and upon second glance, Aiden saw her return a strand of water into the puddle on the ground. As the nymph shared her knowledge, Aiden nodded in acknowledgement. Nymphs were even more attuned to nature than the therians, so he didn't doubt her ability to talk to water. “To summon that much water, is that a hard thing to do for one of your people? How many in the city can do such a thing?”

[Nicolay]

An aquatic magic carpet? That's bull. How could anyone have pulled that off? Better if they'd carried the water in buckets, that seems more sensible. But--

“B, but if what the nymph says is true,” Gabel prompted, “If they did carry the water over the rooftops...”

His train of thought was easy to pick up, even if it was Nicolay. “Then they could have come in through one of the chimneys of the forge.”

“That's impossible,” Raoul hissed, his feathers ruffled. “How could they have done that? The forges are hot and in use!”

“Possibly not all of them,” Nicolay touched his head injury, again. “Theo and Rudy went home early. So it's possible that Azul was only using one of our forges. And w, when I saw her,” he turned again to the helpful guard who was starting to look familiar to him although with a mother of a headache, he was pretty sure everyone was bound to look familiar to him, “She was already unconscious. She was carrying glasses. She might have fought back, she's surrounded by her element 'fter all...but I'm not sure.” He looked around the shop then pointed to an ample pile relatively close to his circle, “That ones. Those were the ones she's carrying.”

He let Gabel scoot towards it and wince. It was his new design and it was supposed to enjoy a big launch today. Nicolay turned to where he thought he must have been that night then pointed to a shattered coffee cup a little off the pile of glasses, closer to the forge's door and the counter. “That's mine. I threw it at the assailants. Didn't help much. They knew what they were doing.” Then he looked again, looking drowsy and lethargic in his quest for Items that Make Sense. Finally, his eyes landed upon an a rather commanding pair of tongs with the jaw part curved to form a perfect circle. He pointed to it.

And then with a gasp, he realized that he was damn lucky he got nothing more than a bruise from the thing. Small wonders.

“Th, that must have been what they used to knock me down. I know it hurt like hell and pi dividers don't normally make it to this side of the shop,” he winced as he stroked the bump at the back of his head.

OOC: wing this, gyz.

[Lazuli]

At the guard's question, Lazuli tightened her lips ever so slightly, something she did when in thought. “It's not hard if one has bonded well with the water,” she answered. “Especially if it's summoned from the river, which contains very natural water that responds well to a nyad's call...”

She paused for a moment, sad at the topic they were breaching. “Something's wrong if one of my kind did this,” the nyad continued. “I don't know any nymphs who would attack a fellow nymph and a therian out of the blue.”

When Nicolay showed the tong, she felt even more uncomfortable, and it was visible in her steady but pale face. Nymphs would also usually not abandon the use of their element in favor of such weapons. Why? For elements could be softened, could shift in strength just like people. Cold objects did not have any mercy. Lazuli would have added that, but she was busy looking at Nic's abused head. Poor Nic. They would help him get through it.

“Where is Azul?” she asked, echoing the guard's sentiment. “Could she have seen something?”

[Aiden]

Ah, so any decent nyad could have performed this deed. Aiden had been hoping the opposite, so they'd have a smaller pool of suspects. His brows furrowed and he nodded in silent agreement with Lazuli as she wondered about the nymph's motives. They forbid violence, didn't they? So why had a nymph come to the forge to pick a fight?

Turning his gaze upon each item that Nicolay named, Aiden felt sorry for Gabel as the shopkeeper examined the shattered pieces of glassware on the floor. It seemed as if the entire batch had shattered when Azul met her assailants. It seemed as there was nothing here of use to Aiden, until Nicoly pointed at a pair of tongs lying in the corner between the counter and the wall.

Ignoring the squelchy water sounds as he walked toward the tongs, Aiden crouched beside the tongs before picking it up by the middle. They were quite heavy, and Aiden was instantly grateful that Nicolay could even walk right now, considering that it had hit him in the head. With part of his face forming into a leopard's muzzle, Aiden waved the handles of the tongs toward his nose. It smelled of the Cora and chimney ashes, just like the water it had been soaked in. Stubbornly, Aiden pressed his nose to the handle and inhaled slowly, and he paid close attention as another scent emerged from the metal. Lifting his nose into the air, Aiden tried to pick up a trail from the air, but the air simply smelled musty and humid. Hind's teeth.

After re-shaping his face, Aiden closed his eyes as he tried to define what he smelled. “The therian hit you with this. Male, with hints of kelpie wolf.” Most likely the attacker's favored form. Shaking his head as he opened his eyes, Aiden looked toward Nicolay. “Can't say much else. I hate to disrupt Azul while she's recovering, but we need to call her.” He looked from Nicolay to Gabel. Surely Gabel would have his employee's number.

[Nicolay]

“Uhh...” whether Gabel's voice shook with hesitation or age, it was not immediately known. But his wrinkles sagged deeper as he frowned at the faces turned to his direction.

Somehow, it pained Nicolay to see it. He'd always wanted nothing but the best for his employees, and this was likely nothing he had in mind. Still, the Therian couldn't be forced to change his mind. They'd reached the dead-end. Azul will have to supply them with the next clues.

“I'm actually planning to visit her,” he started almost softly, until he cleared his throat, bringing his fist up to his lips. “I've been worried about her, I need to see how she is.” Turning to the sad Gabel, he added, “She could probably help us, too.”

“She might be asleep.”

“Then Rudy,” Nicolay stood up. “She might've-- whoah.” The shop rocked at his very sight and he stumbled back a few steps, hand hovering to his eyes while his right arm stretched out for balance. That was not the smartest move he'd done. Then again, he hadn't had a lot of smart decisions this late. “...might've told him something, right?”

“Nicolay...”

“I'll come--”

“No.” Finally, Gabel found foot to be firm. He was still deeply disappointed, it was easy to tell by his sigh, but that was all that he'd done. “Raoul, we cannot have all of us storming Azul right now. We are,” he addressed his entire store heavily, “all very impatient to find out the culprits and what really happened. But we must remember our positions as owners of this shop and we must understand Azul's situation.” Turning to the quiet Nicolay, he said more quietly, “Go on, then, son. But don't disturb her very much.”

“Yes, Sir,” Nicolay said before he turned to Lazuli and held out his hand to her. To the guard, he said, “I know the way to Azul's.”

OOC: you guys can fast forward to Azul's place. It's likely going to be smallish.

[Lazuli]

When Nicolay began tipping, Lazuli immediately became alert, in case he needed help steadying himself. She was so proud of him for being strong. Taking his hand, Lazuli gave a grateful nod to Gabel and the others. “Thank you for your help, sirs,” she said kindly.

Nicolay took the lead once they were outside, and Lazuli hung on to him, supporting his movements with her own strength. She tried to help him clear the way, muttering brief "excuse me"s and "pardon me"s to the group of stubborn bypassers who were still loitering around in front of the shop. “If you don't mind me saying,” she called out politely to the general vicinity, “the people of this store are quite shaken. They appreciate your concern, but please, could you give them some privacy? Thank you.” It was enough to convince at least a few people to shift their feet.

Good thing for Nic and co., Azul did not live too far away, probably to make it easier to get to work. A few streets and several steep turns, and the group arrived at a brick apartment building that looked oddly tilted from an angle. Upon closer look, they would see that although a bit faded, the walls of the building were very steady. The one building was shared by several families, and Lazuli followed Nicolay's pointing to see that Azul's home was on the upper floor, right on the side. A flight of spiraling stairs was nestled in a corner, and after getting past that, they arrived at a small red door.

Lazuli rang the doorbell, not even sure if Azul was in any condition to get to it.


(( Livvy, if I didn't get the house right, just ask me to change Thanks ))