"Suddenly Xain?" Tores blurted, caught completely off guard by the boy's unexpected appearance.
"Whoa, talk about bad timing," Jos added with a shake of his head, his tone laced with dry humor.
Malvin let out an exaggerated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as he nodded. "Yeah, you can say that again. Seriously, say it again because of the sheer number of times that little shit pops up to ruin my day." His hand fell to his head, fingers clutching at his hair as he stared down at the floor in exasperation.
"I'm pretty sure that's just his way of showing friendship and affection," Aeron remarked in his usual deadpan tone.
Malvin's head snapped up, his glare locked onto Aeron. "I don't want it! Tell your little brother, when he gets back, to stop ruining my life!"
Before the exchange could spiral further, Loreen interjected, her tone calm but curious. "What happened after that, Captain? What did you do?"
Clare, ever optimistic, nodded eagerly. "I'm sure Xain helped you somehow," she added innocently.
Malvin shot her a look, his lips pressing into a thin line as if he wanted to refute her but couldn't bring himself to do it. After a pause, he sighed. "I can't deny that," he admitted grudgingly. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. What happened next was..."
---
Silas crouched slightly, his muscles coiled as if ready to spring. His gaze locked onto Xain, his intent unmistakable: he wasn't going to let the twelve year old escape this time.
Seeing this, Xain's eyes widened in alarm, and he quickly began waving his arms in a frantic attempt to de-escalate. "Wait, wait, wait! I just came to talk! Let's not do the whole chase thing again!" His voice was high-pitched with panic, his movements jerky.
Malvin, standing behind Silas, mirrored his partner's desire to drag Xain in, but after a moment of consideration, he raised a hand and called out, "Stop."
Silas paused, his eyes flicking back to Malvin in confusion. "What? Why?" he asked, his voice laced with surprise and disbelief.
Malvin rolled his eyes, his expression a mix of irritation and patience. "You know why," he replied flatly.
Silas blinked, confusion lingering for a moment longer before the realization clicked. "Oh," he muttered, relaxing his stance. "Yeah, I guess he did save you."
Xain, who had been standing stiffly like a cornered animal, froze. His expression shifted to a mix of embarrassment and surprise as he glanced away. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered, avoiding eye contact.
Malvin crossed his arms, fixing the boy with an unyielding stare. "Drop the act already," he said sharply. "We know you were the 'girl' from almost two weeks ago."
Xain let out a nervous laugh. "Ahh, you figured it out. How embarrassing," he admitted, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
Malvin's expression didn't soften. "So, why did you come up to us?" he asked, his tone clipped.
Xain pouted slightly, folding his arms with mock indignation. "Not even a thank you?"
"The fact that we're not arresting you is the thank you," Silas shot back dryly, glancing at his partner. "Right, Malvin?"
Malvin nodded firmly. "Now talk," he demanded, his eyes narrowing as they bore into the boy.
"Okay," Xain began, his tone surprisingly serious, "have you found any clues about the killer?"
Both Malvin and Silas froze, caught off guard. Out of all the things they expected the boy to bring up, this wasn't it.
"Why do you want to know?" Malvin asked, his voice laced with suspicion. His sharp gaze bore into Xain, searching for any ulterior motive.
"A crazy killer is on the loose," Xain replied, shrugging as if the answer were obvious. "I don't have to be a Guard to care about this."
As much as Malvin wanted to dismiss him, the logic was sound. This wasn't just their problem—it was everyone's. Whether you were a Guard or a criminal, a killer this dangerous wasn't someone you wanted roaming free.
Silas glanced at Malvin before relenting. "We haven't found anything," he admitted, his tone heavy with frustration.
Malvin didn't contradict him, but his eyes never left Xain. "Now, why did you want to know?"
"To see if you knew anything or if you were close to solving the case, to be honest," Xain said, meeting Malvin's gaze steadily.
Malvin tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. "That's all?"
"Pretty much," Xain replied, his voice quieter now. "I mean, people are scared. Heck, I'm scared. Who wouldn't be?" He glanced down, shifting his weight uncomfortably. "I just... I just want to know if me and the people I know are going to be safe or not."
The quiet sincerity in his words caught both men off guard. For a moment, neither knew what to say. Here was the same boy they had been chasing just weeks ago, now standing before them asking for reassurance. It stirred something complicated—feelings they couldn't quite name.
"It's not just that," Xain continued, his expression darkening. "Between this and what's going on in the slums, it's getting hard for people."
Malvin's head snapped up, and Silas leaned forward slightly, his focus sharpening. "What are you talking about? What's going on in the slums?" Silas asked.
Xain hesitated, then looked up at them, his expression unreadable. "Figured you wouldn't know about that," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for the two of them to hear.
The comment stung more than it should have, but it wasn't bitter or mocking—it was resigned. Like he wasn't surprised that the Guards were in the dark.
Malvin's fists clenched at his sides. *Just one thing after another,* he thought bitterly. "Spit it out," he said curtly.
Xain glanced back up at them and continued, "Something bad's going on in the slums. People are acting more erratic—getting into fights more often, committing more crimes. That's probably something you've noticed."
Silas and Malvin exchanged a glance, the weight of his words settling over them. Had there been an uptick in crimes lately? Possibly. They'd arrested four people in the past week alone but they hadn't stopped to connect the dots like this before.
"Do you have any idea why?" Malvin asked, his voice cutting through the silence.
Xain shrugged, his face thoughtful. "Not really," he admitted, before pausing for a brief moment. "But if I had to guess... it might be related to drugs."