"Thank you so much," Elez smiled towards a shop merchant, stepping away from their stall with another large bag of food. It had been many minutes now since Elez began his shopping spree, but he had come to notice the strange and awe-filled stares that some civilians were giving him.
"Weird," he muttered, looking around for a safer way to escape their judging glares, only to take off and fly back towards the ship to avoid them. He knew that Angels like himself were rare in New World, but he didn't expect absolutely everyone to stare at him with such curiosity. If anything, it made him uncomfortable, especially since there was a chance that someone may try to sell him because of his species.
As Elez was gliding smoothly through the air, he spotted Zenith walking casually towards the ship as well. Usually, Elez would have sped up in order to beat him there, but this time he stopped and hovered in one place, watching as a crowd of navy soldiers began rushing onto the streets all around his swordsman friend.
"May I help you?" Zenith asked calmly, still holding the timid boy close to his chest while he spoke. As they were walking towards the ship, Zenith had come to know him as 'Pip', but so far, that was all he knew about him.
"Are you the Dragon Tamer Zenith?" A soldier called out, as they all raised their guns up towards him.
"Of course not," Zenith lied, gently petting Pip's hair while the young boy shivered and cowered in his arms. "I'm just a dad trying to get home." He explained, watching as they all lowered their weapons in confusion. It was a well known fact that the Navy was not in fact corrupt, so naturally they were cautious when arresting pirates, since they didn't want to endanger any innocents or children.
"Oh, we're sorry for assuming. You just resemble him a lot." Another soldier replied, before the sound of metal clicking began to echo down the street, ominously filling the already nervous crowd. Zenith looked up towards the sound, his heart pounding harshly in his chest, before his eyes fell to the tall and bulky figure of the Navy Captain who now stood before him.
"This man is a wanted pirate, why haven't you shot him down already and taken him in?" Captain Rettio asked, approaching Zenith with a cold and brutal stare.
"He has a child sir, and he denied being the Dragon Tamer." A soldier replied, as the entire firing squad raised their weapons once more.
"A child?" Rettio question, before his eyes fell to the small figure who lay in Zenith's arms. "Give him to me." He demanded. "Pirates like you don't deserve children, you probably stole him."
"I did nothing of the sort!" Zenith growled, stepping back as his free hand fell to the base of his sword, only to hear the distinct sound of loading guns all around him.
"Give me the child!" Rettio yelled, reaching out to grasp onto Pip and drag him away from Zenith, only for the small boy to slip out of his hands and appear once again as a tiny snow coloured fox. The child's head whipped around as he got close once more, sinking his sharp teeth into the delicate skin of Rettio's hand. "Ah! You useless brat!" Rettio screeched, raising his other hand out of instinct and hammering it down towards Pip in order to strike him. Before Rettio could even attempt to pummel him though, Zenith spun his body to the side, kicking his foot directly into the Captain's crotch.
"Leave him alone!" Zenith growled, holding the fox cub close to his chest while Rettio groaned and fell to his knees.
"Arrest this man!" Rettio called out painfully. "Shoot him down! Kill him for all I care!" He groaned, shakily pulling himself from the ground up as two soldiers ran to his aid.
"No, I surrender." Zenith sighed, keeping Pip close and refusing to let him go. "But I will keep my child with me!" He yelled, unsure of whether he was just keeping up the act, or if he actually saw Pip as a son.
"Take them away," the Captain groaned, limping off towards the Navy containment unit while soldiers surrounded Zenith and pushed him to follow. All while Elez sat comfortably on a rooftop nearby, looking down on Zenith with an amused smile.
"Oh Zenith," he chuckled. "You are never going to live this down." He smiled, snapping open his wings as he flew back towards the Thundershock.
Naturally, Zenith had no idea that Elez had been watching him, instead he felt very much alone in his current situation. But his top priority had remained the same. He would protect Pip no matter the danger that came for him.
"Step inside, please." A soldier ordered, holding open the door to a wet and grimy cell. "Your trial will begin in an hour." They explained, shutting and locking the door as soon as Zenith stepped inside.
"Hey wait," another soldier whispered to their friend. "Don't we need to take his swords?" They asked, before both men peeked up and stared at Zenith's boldly sheathed blades.
"He can't do anything with them in there. The building is made of solid concrete." The other replied, walking off without another word on the subject. Soon enough, their comrade followed behind, leaving Zenith to stand alone in the dark and dripping cell.
"Are you alright?" He finally asked, looking down towards the small boy in his arms.
"...." Pip did very little to reply, but nodded his head softly as he wiped the Captain's blood from his mouth.
"You did great there bud," Zenith smiled, looking around for a dry place to sit before he leaned back against the wall and held the child close. Pip had shifted back into his human form already, curling up in Zenith's arms and occasionally wincing at the light of passing soldiers with lanterns. "Do you not like the light?" Zenith asked, noticing immediately that Pip was scared and hesitant to look towards anything bright, even when they were walking down the street he had been hiding his face in Zenith's chest.
"It hurts," Pip spoke, nuzzling his face into the fabric of Zenith's shirt. "It hurts so much." He cried, only to receive a soft and gentle hug from the man before him.
"It's ok," Zenith hummed, rubbing his hair and allowing him to cry. "It's ok, Madison and Elez will save us." He smiled, confident that his crew members would come for him.
"...O-ok." Pip mumbled, unsure whether or not he should trust his judgement, but knowing deep down that Zenith was far better than anyone he had ever met before. Pip's entire life had been filled with pain and agony, but for the first time in a very long while, he finally felt safe despite being locked away in a prison cell.