Juzia nibbled on a pastry, taking in all the chatter and confusion around her with a blank stare that made it impossible to decipher how much she understood. Every time he thought he saw a flash of recognition in her eyes, the snake would prove otherwise as she asked the most mundane of questions. Questions such as…
“So what kind of lizard are you, anyhow?”
Of which she directed towards Giu, the red canine briefly wondering if he’d been so bad those first few weeks. He glanced to Tea, but the pixie was too focused on listening to Nightfree.
“They all came in force,” the raven said. “Before I knew it, two had me pinned down while the others swarmed her. I managed to break away, but by then it was too late. When I tried to give chase, I got blindsided. I woke up to Juzia trying to help me.”
Tea nodded at the story, Juzia watching Giu the entire time. Was it because some part of her thought he was familiar? Or was she still trying to wrap her head around what a canine was? Whatever the case, she returned to eating her pastry, more than likely half-paying attention to what they were saying.
“What is going on, anyhow?” Nightfree asked.
Despite her injuries, she tried to use the wall to stand again, leaning against it. Tea offered her a potion, but the paladin waved it away, steadying herself against the stone.
“Those fiends in masks,” she said. “I’ve fought thieves and bandits before. They’re never that skilled. And they don’t tend to target civilians so viciously.”
Giu and Tea looked at each other. Given the secrecy of their mission, it was doubtful that telling a paladin the truth would end well. But at the same time, Nightfree had just risked her life to protect their biggest lead. A friend of Immy, no less.
Paladin or not, she deserved to know why she’d just been attacked. They owed her that much.
“It’s because they’re not attacking randomly,” he said. “It’s me they’re after.”
Nightfree furrowed at that, Juzia also looking up in confusion. Or maybe that was just how she’d already been. Giu sighed.
“They call themselves the Crystallites,” he said. “Not really sure what they want, but they’ve been targeting anyone associated with the Gustavs. Hence why they attacked my me, my mentor, and my mentor’s friend over here.”
He pointed to Juzia, the snake looking back as if he was talking about someone else. Nightfree rubbed her head.
“Is that so?” she asked. “Then is that why you came to Seladon? To put a stop to them?”
Giu shook his head.
“We came to find my mentor. But these guys seem like they’re trying to pick a fight.”
“Which we’re more than happy to give them,” Tea added, leaning on his shoulder.
Nightfree took in the response with another nod, the raven wincing as she sat back down. As much as Juzia couldn’t remember, she at least seemed to recognize a bird in pain as she offered a napkin or two to stop the bleeding. All of which the paladin rejected.
She fished through her pockets, pulling out a small vial of green liquid. An ointment of some kind, which she applied carefully to her feathers.
Tea tugged at Giu’s arm, the two moving into a huddle away from everyone else.
“Gi, I don’t think we should stick around here,” they said. “A paladin’s down and there’s guards everywhere. We don’t wanna stay for questioning.”
He could only nod to that.
“Guess Juzia’s a bust. Crap.”
“We still got Mr. Stone,” Tea said. “And remember what Elexy said. There was another lead. That James person.”
His eyes lit up. “Oh, yeah. But…”
He glanced back at Juzia, the snake watching Nightfree as she leaned back in pain. Even if the latter refused help, they couldn’t leave the former to wander around until her memories came back. Not when her friend was right around the corner.
Giu broke away, walking back up to the two.
“You can’t remember a thing about who you are, right?” he asked.
Juzia blinked, Nightfree opening one eye. Giu gestured back to Fang.
“If you wanna know who you are, come with us,” he said. “We know a guy who’ll probably be able to fill in the blanks.”
Juzia gave him a skeptical look. One she shared with Nightfree, the raven suddenly given the task of snake guardianship. Not that Giu really cared. As someone who’d been in her shoes only months before, he knew how valuable a guide was.
Nightfree offered a wing.
“I’m not imposing am I?” she asked.
Giu shrugged, Tea narrowing at the paladin a moment but ultimately nodding.
Juzia smiled, helping Nightfree back to her feet and towards the cart.
Fang didn’t seem particularly happy for the extra weight, but some coaxing from Tea earned the twimono’s patience.
***
Stone was far from happy to see them again.
“Blood of the ash, not you too, Juzia!”
He looked the snake over, of which she responded with the same confused stare she’d given Giu. Elexy showed her the picture he had, but it only seemed to further confound the amnesiac reptile.
“What in the ash happened?” Mr. Stone asked.
“Those masked guys,” Giu said. “Can you look after her?”
“This ain’t a shelter, canine.” He sighed. “Blood of the ash. Elexy, go prep the guest room.”
The salamander kid scurried away, Juzia lingering next to Nightfree. Though Giu hated that the Crystallites got to her, at least she’d be safe enough with people she knew taking care of her.
Speaking of which…
He looked over to Tea, the pixie floating by the forge. Their ears twitched at his approach.
“You alright, T?” he asked.
They glanced at the fire, ears twitching again.
“Just some thoughts.”
“Such as?”
Tea groaned, their voice lowering a bit.
“Gi, this poisoning schtick might be a problem,” the pixie said. “Once is a fluke. Twice an MO.”
“Definitely with you on that, T.”
The pixie looked to Juzia, who was being guided by Mr. Stone, Nightfree trailing behind.
“It’s one thing to kill a guy,” Tea said, “but to just scrub their brains like that. Erase what they were.”
“It’s not really erasing, T. I still new stuff about me. Some stuff is just…instinctual, I guess.”
The pixie grew quiet, their gaze returning to the fire. Giu frowned.
“T.”
They looked up. “Hmm?”
Giu folded his arms.
“Spill it, pixie. What’s on your mind? And don’t say it’s nothing.”
Tea stopped themself, their ears falling. As if he’d let them brush him off that easy. The pixie might not have been the most open book in the world, but he knew the difference between thoughtful Tea and worried Tea. And their face was screaming both.
The pixie shifted.
“Gi,” they said,” is it possible that’s what they’re really after?”
He raised a brow, the pixie soon elaborating.
“They wanted you dead, right?” Tea asked. “When they attacked you and Imona. They couldn’t get the job done right then and there. So who's to say they haven’t changed it?”
Giu didn’t respond. As usual, it wasn’t something he’d considered, but it didn’t sound too far-fetched either. If plan A failed, you moved to plan B. Which he’d assumed had been to try killing him again. But…
“These Crystallites,” Tea said. “They clearly have no problem up and erasing people. They might kill, but they might also just erase your memory. Honestly, I don’t know what’s worse.”
They looked up at him.
“What happens if they get a hold of you again, Gi? What happens if they pull out something a little stronger than what they gave Juzia?”
He opened his mouth to refute the idea but shut it as realization dawned.
The memory potions. Redge had said it himself they were temporary. That they were pretty common if you knew where to look. But he’d also told him how pixies were experts on potion crafting. And how a pixie could have been responsible for his poisoning…
“You think they’ve got something even stronger?” he asked. “Is that even possible?”
Tea shifted. “We are directly below the potion experts, Gi. It wouldn’t take much to get your hands on a pixie. I’ve met plenty who’d upgrade a temporary elixir to something more permanent.”
He shivered. Permanent? He was almost afraid to ask what that’d mean.
A memory block that didn’t go away. A permanent state of amnesia. Compared to dying in a ditch or being shredded, he wasn’t sure which would have been a worse fate to undergo. Tea flew closer.
“It’s not a pleasant thought, Gi,” they said. “I don’t really care if they try it on me. I’m a pixie. We don’t get poisoned easily. But you’re no pixie. And I don’t want to-”
“The tab still stays, doesn’t it?”
Tea blinked. Giu tapped his chin in thought.
“If I do get amnesia, I’ll still owe you a crapton of silver pounds, right?”
The pixie didn’t respond, Giu tilted his head as he tried to recall everything from the top of his head.
“For getting me my crystallization license,” he said. “For all those nights you were charging me to sleep at your place. For the potions. And I figure you were probably charging me for the meals you cooked too, extortionist pixie.”
Tea still didn’t say a word, staring at him like he were speaking in fluent lizard. He smiled.
“I might lose my memory,” he said, “but my tab still stands, right? You’ll still be expecting me to pay off all the pounds I owe you. So I figure if anyone’s gonna bring me back up to speed, it’s gonna be you, right?”
The pixie frowned, Tea’s ears twitching as they stared back at them. Given all they’d been through, Giu doubted a little memory loss would be a problem.
Tea was his partner. The same person he’d fought off gangsters with. Avoided paladins. Made train loads of silver pounds. Even in the event he got wiped, that time wasn’t going anywhere. And he had little doubt Tea would bring him back up to speed.
The pixie finally responded with a grunt.
“And the cookies,” they said. “Those are an extra 500 pounds at least.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Uh-huh. So that’s what, 10,000 silver pounds?”
Tea smirked. “Give or take, dummy.”
He shrugged. Such was the price it seemed to be the partner of a money-grubbing pixie. But it wasn’t one he was unwilling to pay.
In truth, he knew what they said was right. There was a real chance he’d get his memory wiped again. Just as there was a chance Immy had her memory wiped already. But that didn’t mean a thing as long as they all lived to hear the tale.
If he forgot, Tea would remind him. Just as if they forgot, he’d remind them. No matter what happened, they’d still be the same people. They’d still be partners.
The pixie put a paw on his chest.
“Then I’ll make sure to fill in the blanks,” Tea said. “But if they try something like that, I’m gonna burn ‘em all first.”
