Chapter 35 – Friends in Strange Places
	
“So these guys you were talking about,” Giu asked. “Any idea who they are?”

He held out his cup, Elexy filling it with red liquid before scurrying away. For a so-called security guard, the kid had a knack for hospitality. Tea sat back on a chair propped by several freshly fluffed pillows. Giu half expected them to ask for a crown at some point.

“Nothing more than a guess,” Mr. Stone said, still hammering away in his forge. “They would always show up and ask for the same thing. Namely you. And any info on you.”

He dipped his latest creation into the water, coming out with a small dagger with a translucent blade. Elexy came by to add it with the other weapons out on display.

“Did you give ‘em anything?” Tea asked.

“Didn’t have to. Little Elexy here always chases them off.”

“Dad!” The salamander grew even more red. Giu couldn’t help but wonder why the group was so afraid of a small lizard. That was, until he remembered the damage his equally small partner could inflict. As if reading his mind, Tea offered a wink. 

“I don’t know much about those guys,” Mr. Stone went on, “but I figure if anyone does it’s probably Juzia.”

“Which would be?” Tea asked.

“One of Imona’s old adventure friends. Pretty much known each other since they were kids. She never talked about her?”

Giu thought back. The name didn’t sound familiar, neither from Immy herself or her files. If she had mentioned her, it was probably once and never again. They could add it to the list of things she didn’t like to talk about. To him at least.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “But a lead’s a lead, I guess. Any idea where to find her?”

It was Elexy who responded, coming by with another photograph. A woman with gold slits for eyes and light purple scales was smiling in the frame. She reminded him a bit of the girls he’d fought back at Haywar. A snake woman?

“Just look for the sweets shop on Dragon Road,” Elexy said. “Ms. Juzia’s there all the time.”
Giu nodded, finally finishing his drink. Tea took the photo itself, putting it away with a grateful nod.

“Then I guess we’re off then,” Giu said. “Anyone else Immy was close to we should look out for?”

“Maybe Mr. James.” Elexy shrugged. “Does it really matter? You’ve got your lead. Hurry up and go.”

“Elexy!”

The salamander groaned. Given he was supposedly set to guard the whole shop, Giu couldn’t quite fault the kid’s bluntness. He gave Tea a nudge, the pixie rising from their throne of pillows. 

“Right. Let’s go, Tiny Paws.”

“Would you not call me that?” Giu groaned as they headed for the exit. The pixie only snickered in response.

***

Dragon Road, as the name suggested, was located just a bit past the dragon statue. As far as Giu could tell, it was a market district, though according to Tea it was a glorified tourist trap. Perhaps that was why he saw his first pixie that wasn’t Tea floating near the shops.

He almost missed them, the small orange figure purchasing a sandwich from the Hissing Deli. But as Fang passed, he saw them pull a pouch of silver pounds from thin air. Saw the gem shining on their forehead. He had to do a double-take just to be on the safe side. Tea sighed.

“Yes, Gi. That is a pixie.”

He winced, suddenly realizing how much he’d been staring.

“Sorry.”

Tea shrugged. “It’s a natural reaction, Gi. Pixies aren’t really a common thing groundside.”

“Groundside?” He looked up to the sky, Angelita floating in the same place it had been since they arrived. And even if he knew how much Tea hated to talk about the place, he couldn’t help but be a bit curious. Not so much to prod his partner for answers, but enough to keep an ear out for them.

Which reminded him.

“Hey, T.”

“Hmm?”

“Where does that stuff go when you vanish it away?”

The pixie looked back at him. “You mean the Item Space? I told you about that.”

“Yeah, but the things you pull out sometimes. Baked cookies. Clothes. Weapons. Is it really just some endless void? Can you just stuff anything in there? Can I go in there?”

Tea thought a moment, a smile crossing their lips.

“Tea?”

The pixie snickered. “Maybe. We can do some experiments when we’re done here.”

Giu grinned. Finally he’d see what was on the other side.

After a bit of scanning through windows and asking around, the two managed to track down the sweets shop. All three of them. Showing people the photo only confirmed the fact that Juzia liked to visit all three. Sometimes in the same day.

“Crap,” Giu sighed, leaning back in the cart. “This is gonna be annoying.”

“Or perhaps all you need is some assistance.”

Giu blinked. He looked over to find a woman’s gaze meeting his. One which would have made the canine jump if he didn’t recognize her scent. And her face. Slightly. Fang came to an abrupt halt, Tea raising a brow to the strange woman perched atop their cart.

A raven. One whose white feathers and round face Gi had trouble placing at first. That was, until he imagined her wearing a paladin’s uniform.

“Hello, freelancers,” she said with a wave of her wing. “Small world, isn’t it?”

It had been quite a while, but Giu recognized the raven who’d given him his first major payout. The same woman who’d contracted them to capture the Dragon Thief so long ago. What was her name again...

“Oh, it’s you,” Tea said. “Sir Nightfree, correct?”

The raven shook her head.

“Just Nightfree today. I’m here as a concerned citizen, not a paladin.” She flapped off the cart, landing right beside Fang, who gave her an inquisitive sniff. “I take it by the twimono you two have fled like the rest?”

They both looked at each other. A paladin was still a paladin, even off duty. And any words they said were more than likely to be relayed to Anome and the rest. Even with the war going on, it was doubtful those stubborn soldiers would give up their eternal justice crusades.

But Nightfree seemed to read their minds as she let out a soft laugh.

“Not telling a paladin, right?” she asked. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna force an answer out.”

It made Giu relax slightly, though Tea still kept a wary gaze on the raven.

“I see no reason to cause trouble in a foreign land,” Nightfree said. “We’ve got enough to worry about what with the war and all. Those rabbits are bad enough. If anything, now’s the time for allies, not enemies.”

Her gaze met his directly.

“You’re searching for someone, correct?”

Giu flinched, Tea’s suspicion turning hostile.

“A snake woman, right? One of your friends, I assume?”

They both relaxed, Giu seeing a knife vanish out of Tea’s hand. He didn’t bother questioning what they’d meant to do with it. 

“Y-yes,” Giu said. “We’re looking for a woman that hangs around the sweet shops. Her name’s Juzia.”

He nudged Tea, who pulled out the photo, showing it to Nightfree.

“Hmm. She does look familiar.” She poked at her wings with her beak. After a few seconds, her eyes grew, the raven jumping. “Oh! I saw a woman just like that!”

Tea and Giu both sat up.

“Really?”

“Where?”

Nightfree waved. “Over by Scaly Treats."

She started flapping her wings.

"C’mon, I can show you the way.”

She didn't wait for their response, already soaring on ahead. Tea quickly set Fang into action, the twimono racing after their new lead.