Screeching to a halt, Kezrah caught himself hanging off the same tree Grayson met them at. Scoping out the university building, he noticed less citizens, and a whole lot more guards.

And police.

One dismissively glanced at him upon his arrival, then away, letting Kezrah slip further back into the foliage.

Cheetah tabaxis tended to crash hard after exerting their stamina, so Kezrah took a few minutes to recover, panting hard. Meanwhile, he handled the orb in his palm experimentally.

When he had first swiped it, a roll of pulsing unrest warbled through his hand and wrist, almost making him drop it. It calmed soon after though, reduced to a background tremor, thrumming into fur and flesh alike.

After taking a quick sip from his flask (with his unwitting equivalent of a tongue, part of his Void extending from his face as a tendril), Kezrah roused from leaning on the tree, stretching.

There was a surprising amount of patrols, cycling the area. Not enough to disrupt the still present crowd though, who were now looking up at some… Aasimar, speaking in a strong and crystal voice onstage.
Bright, ethereal, with an all-knowing and benevolent smile on her face; typical.

He involuntarily bristled, then reprimanded himself. Unlike any other lands he’s been to, aasimars weren’t an uncommon find in Irideen. They were still rare, but it didn’t cause a ruckus, considering their affinity to politics and all.

Refocusing, Kezrah secured the orb into a hidden pocket beneath his poncho, casually walking down the park to get even closer to the back entrance.

Guards and police alike lined up along the plaza perimeters. Windows (now resolutely shut off) showed the occasional passing security inside. And he highly doubted he could just waltz up and ask if Vel was still inside.

Or, maybe he could (it doesn't seem like they've gotten his description yet, seeing as how he wasn't getting dogpiled at the moment), but he really would prefer not to interact with any of them.
One look at the police’s lightning batons by their belt, however thin and harmless looking, made his tail get agitated.

Then again, any law enforcement generally did that.

Tightening the buckle of his old (but lovingly cared for) mask, Kezrah managed to take all but two and a half steps toward the nearest guard, when he heard something snap behind him.

Whirling toward the noise, Kezrah reluctantly prepared to dash into the thicket again, when a faint “Wait!” made him do exactly that.

Tumbling through the branches were the same moon elf and jester chasing them from before. He tensed, but was tired enough to not sprint off right away.

“Wait..” Zaeli held up a hand, gulping down air. Charlie mimed wiping off her sweat dramatically. “Just... okay just, gimme a second.”

Kezrah considered the two exhausted persons, and concluded he could easily outrun them again if they turned out to be threats.

It was hard to evaluate the jester in all her puffy attire, but the elf was limited to a simple purple dress atop a dark turtleneck, alongside a long pair of shorts and tall hiking boots. There were silver armor plates on her shoulders and knees, matching the shiny silver of her kinked hair and braids.

Crossing his arms, “Take your time.”

“You’re a fast boi y’know that?” Charlie waggled a finger at him accusingly.

“...Thank you?”

“Sorry, alright, ok-” Zaeli composed herself, pacing her breathing, “-ok. We’re not here to hurt you or anything, I just.. I need to ask you something.”

Kezrah relaxed a bit, but kept conversation quip, “What is it.”

“Tell me,” Zaeli took pause, clearly ruminating on how to go about this. She’s had her fair share of negotiating in the past. Kind of had to, “What invention you and your gang just stole.”

Kezrah remained indiscernible at the bold query, so she tacked on,
“I’m not after it, I only need to know its function. Your gang’s actions have been... anticipated. By others who are also after it.”

“I’m not in the gang.” Kezrah simply (and honestly) replied, “I was aiding Mr. Hollister with.. something, before the gang came to steal his invention.”

Zaeli’s nose scrunched up, “Why did you run away with them then?”

Growing irritable, he took a step forward to hopefully daunt them away, “Why do I need to tell you any of my business?”

A short intake of breath, before Zaeli schooled her face into something harsher,
“Because, if you don’t give me a reasonable explanation as to what’s going on, I’ll call out to those guards over there what you did.”

Kezrah’s ears slanted back as she pointed to the nearby police, tense again (while pointedly ignoring the jester’s “ooohh snap!”).

Godammit, he should’ve just fucked off as soon as he recognized them. With that sort of threat now, he’d either have to willingly allow the police to search him to satiate the elf’s claims when they came over (i.e. NOT happening), or he’d have to sprint away again.
And running would only confirm the claim.

“..Listen, I’m not quite interested in reporting thieves, but I AM interested in learning what all this fuss is about over Void energy, and why there seems to be multiple parties–”

The rest of Zaeli’s words tuned out of focus as Kezrah tried to rack his brain to remember if there could’ve been any other possible spies in the chamber earlier.

He knew Kirin was there, but didn’t bother letting Vel know since he hadn’t signed any contract of discretion, or paid the fee.

Kezrah only would’ve actively gone on the offense had the intruder attacked Vel (a dead client's no happy client; tragedy he wasn’t paid upfront for this like every other job), which.. did actually end up happening.
Although, everything did also get thrown out the window once he realized Kirin was. Like him.

That identical telltale writhing of Void he felt when his sisters were born, briefly interacting with their own voided elements before it retreated, satiated. Gave him enough pause and whim to decide to defend the hexblood instead, money be damned.

But other than that… he knew there was no one else there. How could there have been? Surely he would’ve noticed??

“–only learned about this ploy on short notice, but even then I’m highly concerned with how-”

“How did you know the invention was Void related.” Kezrah interrupted once he shook out of his thoughts, “No one was meant to know about that in advance.”
Not even Kirin seemed to realize that until after Vel showed it.

Zaeli huffed, “I told you already, I just said I found out through a group of rather unsavory nobles who’re also interested in it. And with a gang apparently added to the mix, you can see why I’m worried about all the bad company this object seems to attract.”

In her experience, anything bad people clamor for, tends to be bad.

“And what of it to you? You some kind of detective?”

“I..” Zaeli faltered, frowning.
Maybe in the beginning of her journey, she could’ve fancied that title. But it didn’t take long for the notion to whittle away through the past two celestial cycles.

The first year, she had been cut and dry. Exhausting every available resource to find who that symbol belonged to.
Dead end after dead end, by the second year, she’d basically resorted to investigating any potentially hostile plot to rear their ugly heads in her wandering travels. It was undoubtedly more dangerous, desperate too, but it was impossible to not feel restless at this point.

Tired too.
She had inadvertently helped numerous groups along the way, solved the occasional decade-long mystery sure, but when will she finally deliver their comeuppance?

“..No, I’m not a detective.”

“Then what’s all this for? Just some ‘concerned citizen’ passing through?” Kezrah sounded highly skeptical, and for good reason.

Zaeli grimaced, the same automated explanation she always gave to curious bypassers in her travels quickly rushing to the tip of her tongue:
I’m searching for a dangerous group of people. Their insignia looks something like this. Do you know anything of it?

But. Something told her that wouldn’t really work here. If she wanted to dig to the bottom of this lead–cluttered with more people than ever–she’d have to be more genuine.
And besides.. it’s not like her previous methods have really been working all that well for her recently.

“You’re half right. I am concerned about the people’s wellbeing, and the fact that there are all these nobles and gangs after Vel’s creation.. if it’s dangerous, that can not bode well. If it isn't, then I can be well on my way, though I greatly doubt that.”
There’s no smoke without fire and all.

“As for the other half?” Deep breath in,
“I have been.. hunting for this group. The past couple of years. They… they wiped out my village. No one but me survived. They left nothing, and I’ve found nothing since. Maybe all of this isn’t connected in the slightest, and that’s probably the case, but- I can’t pass that up.”

She gestured haplessly, “And either way, what I do know is that something is going on here in regards to whatever Vel made. It’s enough for me to go this far. Whether to help find the group I’m searching for, or to possibly help those around me.”

Zaeli nearly forgot Charlie was with her, jumping when she practically materialized beside her.
The jester didn’t say anything, only tilting her head in what Zaeli could either interpret as apology or admiration. A gloved hand gently squeezed her shoulder, and Zaeli returned a small smile.

“I don’t know.”

Turning from one mask to another, “Sorry?”

“I don’t.. know how powerful it is, or even what it was made to do.” Kezrah nodded toward the university,
“That’s why I’m back here. Vel's still in there, and I wanted to go ask him some questions. But I can’t with all these damn guards in the way.”

Zaeli looked to the university building with everyone else, contemplating.

Kezrah suggested it before she could,
“Want to help me find out?”

The building seemed near impenetrable.

“Seems to me, we both want the same thing.”

There was hardly a window of time between every changing shift of guards.

“And the answer’s right beyond those walls.”

The probability of not getting into any trouble here was slim to none.
But then again.. when has Zaeli not known that?

“I’ll help.”
She offered up a hand, and Kezrah shook it firmly. “Now… do I get a name?”

He surprised himself with his own laugh.