Chapter 3

Nico and Sy just stood there looking at Colton. How were they supposed to do this?

“How?” Sy blurted out.

“That’s for you two to figure out. I have been told that you are the best in the city, you have three days until it arrives. I’m sure you’ll come up with something,” With that, Colton looked back down and went back to whatever he was doing when they came in.

They understood it as them being dismissed, so they got up and left quietly. On the way out, there were many more men around, but they didn't see Markus, so they just left without speaking to anyone.

They wandered around for a while, not saying anything, and ended up sitting at a pier just watching the bay.

They just sat in silence. It was a beautiful view, and the blue water against the white snow off in the distance created a peaceful image. It was a big contrast with the hundreds of workers working to unload the ships.

"It might not be that bad. "

"You think?" Sy doubted.

"Well, think about it. There can't be more than 20 horien in the city," Nico reasoned. More to himself than Sy, if he was being honest.

"When was the last tine you heard of someone stealing from there? This isn't like breaking into an some lazy merchants house and stealing his silverware. It's the horien we are talking about. You know the big blue bastards with their silly little tents all hover town," Sy got up and yelled at Nico.

"I know but think with me. You didn't hear about anyone doing it because no one tries. And I bet they aren't expecting anyone to try either."

"Yes! Because you would need to be bloody insane to try." Sy said, red in the face.

"I'm trying to look at the positives here. You think going back there and telling Colton we won't do it will solve it?" Nico raised an eyebrow. "Because that's the other option we have."

"Ugh. This is so messed up" Sy crouched down and put his hands on his head.

"Come on. Let's go" Nico got up and started walking away. "We have 3 days to come up with a plan. "

The horien were very hands-off when it came to managing Vostok. They came in, removed the nobles and made sure everything was working as it should before most of them took off.

They shipped in whatever we were lacking from off-planet and shipped out the few natural resources we had to offer. That's where the warehouse came in.

They stored the stuff they brought in there. Then released it into the economy by exchanging it with the local variety of goods and shipping those back to the capital to be taken off-world.

Nico didn't know how exactly they chose which merchants they worked with. But those that did get chosen got rich fast.

The warehouse was located all the way across town, near the eastern wall. People called it the warehouse, but it wouldn't be wrong to call it the horien port. The far side of the east port was used exclusively by the warehouse and was directly connected.

It was a busy place. The front of it was more like a government building or a bank than a warehouse, Nico thought, and he guessed in a way, it was both.

"Look around, but be careful. We don't exactly blend in these parts," Nico said to Sy, who just nodded.

The entrance was an open area. People were forming lines to speak to a couple of workers in uniforms behind desks. An open entrance stood to the right where you could see the proper warehouse area with workers bustling about.

Nico was starting to wonder if there weren't any horiens around when he noticed Sy to the side. He stood frozen, looking behind them and following his gaze, he found him.

An horien male stood just outside the entrance talking to a group of human women. Nico didn't notice him at first because he was accustomed to not being able to miss them if he tried, if he was being honest.

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This horien was a bit shorter than Nico, with short styled white hair and horns that started out curved but straightened out and shot up for a couple of inches.

But the weirdest thing was how animated and friendly he looked. He even laughed at something one of the women said.

Nico caught himself staring at the strange sight, and he wasn't the only one. He saw a couple of men looking with dark looks on their faces and decided it was time for them to go. He tapped Sy on the shoulder, and the both of them got out of there.

"That was new", Sy said. "I have never seen one of them act so normal. I think it freaked me out more than the other ones.

"I don't know about that, but the good news is that's the only one I saw. If they only have one horien around here, it will make our lives much easier," Nico said. "We should be able to monitor the entrance from the top of one of the buildings across the street. We also need to ask around and see what we can gather about that place.

They made their way back through one of the main streets. Nico was thinking that they were getting close to the spot he worked at yesterday, and someone might recognise him when he got a whiff of baked goods.

"I'll leave it to you," Sy said just as his stomach grumbled. He elbowed Nico and took off laughing.

Nico subconsciously passed a hand through his and looked at the storefront to his left. He needed to get it cut, he thought as his black hair, and piercing blue eyes with slightly blushing cheeks stared back at him on the glass.

He hesitantly made his way to the bakery across the street. A bell jingled as he opened the door, but no one noticed him. The girl behind the counter was just finishing with the last customer.

"What can I get you, sir?" she said, writing something on a small book.

"Hopefully, something not poisoned," Nico said with a grin, and the girl's head shot up and looked at him. Her expressive brown eyes looked at him, and her mouth opened slightly in surprise.

"Nic! You’re here," She said, smiling. She stepped out of the counter, reached back into her head, and pulled her hair free from the bun she had while working. “Dad, I’ll be stepping out for a bit. Take care of the counter.”

Nick saw her dad sticking his head out of the kitchen and grunted while glaring at him. While Nico smiled nervously at her dad, he let himself be led outside.

“Hello to you too, Lira”, he teased her but didn’t let go of her hand.

“I thought you had forgotten all about little old me” she let go of his hand and pretended to fix her hair embarrassed. “Thanks for giving me a break though. Sis had been out all day doing who knows what and left me alone listening to gossip all day.”

“You’re welcome, my lady” he did a little bow. “Your dad seemed to be in a good mood, though. He didn’t yell or anything. I feel like I'm growing on him.”

“Well, that might be a little too far, but you know he wouldn’t poison you or anything”, she sighed. “He’s a little grumpy, but he’s just protective.”

Lira’s dad was the best baker in town. Their family was quite well-off compared to the rest of Tivazyl but not entirely on the level of the merchants. She lived with her dad and older sister. Her mother got sick and died when they were younger.

Lira used to run with Nico and Sy when they were younger. She let them hide inside her father’s shop one day when they were about to be caught by some guards and have been friends ever since. When they got older, she started helping around the bakery and gradually stopped being able to hang out with them, but he still went and visited her at least once a week.

Her dad hated him and all the kids back in the hideout. Something about how they were a bad influence on Lira. Nico didn’t see what the big deal was. All they did was teach her how to pick a lock and maybe a couple of pockets. It’s not like it was a bad skill to have. Somehow he still tolerated Nico. The rest of them would get chased out with a broom if he saw them get too close to the shop.

They hanged out for a while and eventually got back to the bakery.

“Wait here.” She led him to the alley behind the bakery and told him. After a while, she came back holding a big box. “This is all the leftovers from the past week. I threw a couple of fresh honey buns I know Sy likes.”

“Thanks Lira. you know you don’t have to do this. We get by fine now.”

“I know, but it makes me feel like I'm part of the gang,” she said, shrugging.

“You are part of us. Just taking a little time off, that’s all” he smiled. “Anyways, I better get back. It’s starting to get dark” They stood there awkwardly for a bit until Nico turned to leave. Right before she went back in, Lira stood on her tiptoes, kissed him on the cheek, and quickly closed the door.

Nico stood there staring at the closed door, not knowing how he should feel. He knew they were both aware of how they felt about each other, but it was more complicated than that. They were from different worlds, no matter how much they liked to hang out and accept her. He also felt like he had too much going on to be worrying about his feelings, so whatever happens, he’ll deal with it later.

When he finally got back to their hideout, everyone was waiting for him. Sy must have told them he was going to the bakery.

“He’s back!”

“About time i’m starving.”

“Man Nico’s girlfriend is the best” Nico smacked the kid that said that on the back of the head.

“Alright, quiet down while you eat, I need you to pay attention,” Nico said. “I need you guys to ask around about the horien warehouse. We need to find out who works there, how much they get paid, where they live and I need it tomorrow. We have a job to do.”