-=[::] Xarith's General Goods : Family Matters [::]=- (Dated)

The wind whipped past Xarith's face as he flew down the near deserted side streets of Manehattan. He had yet another loaded bag of odds and ends for his shop. This was just another routine trip from one of his suppliers. He leaned around a corner, crouching low to keep his momentum, saddlebags swinging with him as he rocked down the streets. Eventually after a couple more turns and a shortcut or two, Xarith came to his shop on the main street of the city. He kicked up his board and threw it over his back for the time being as he searched his pockets for the keys to his shop.

Finally after an unnecessarily long time looking for said keys, the zebra found them in the depths of his saddle bags and pulled them out.

Only to drop them on the ground.

With a facehoof that could of shattered windows a couple blocks down the street, Xarith sighed as he bent down to pick up his keys. Only then did he notice it. It was a faint smell... One that could of only been detected if one really had there senses trained to it. Unfortunately enough, this was the case for Xarith. He knew this particular scent from anywhere...

"Oh stars..." the zebra muttered to himself as he picked up his keys and jammed them into the lock. He twisted the bolt until it slammed against the door itself before throwing the door open. He didn't walk in though, not just yet. Slowly placing his board and dirtboard up against the wall, he crept into the front store room ever so quietly. This however proved to be a tremendous waste of time as the door squeaked shut.

Xarith just had a flat look on his face as he locked the door behind him and walked further into the store. He turned to a nearby wall to flip the switch on with a hoof to be greeted by the dim lamps of his shop. What was peculiar though was all but one lit up. This particular one was out for good, slightly cracked. Xarith narrowed his eyes.

Quickening his pace he trotted over to the door that lead to the backroom. The zebra prepared himself as he opened the door ever so slowly peering inside at the first opportunity. The light shone through the small crack in the door illuminating the room before it. It only showed Xarith's numerous piles of supplies and containers each filled with some alchemical potion or brew that he had been working on. He pushed the door with a bit more force this time. He wanted the whole room lit up as he swung it open.

*Thump*

"Ow..."

Xarith stopped for a moment, this time a look of confusion adorned his features. He peered around the door to see a familiar zebra with a slightly scratched hoof in his mouth. They stared at each other for a moment before they spoke. Xarith was the first to say something.

"What are you doing here," he asked blankly. The zebra just grinned as he adjusted the glasses on his face. He scratched the back of his neck before he uttered a sound that Xarith thought he'd never hear.

"CA-CAW..!" The zebra shouted.

Suddenly Xarith was violently assaulted by a metal frying pan wielded by another zebra, knocking him out cold. The two just looked at the now unconscious zebra lying on the floor, each with very different looks on their face.

"I told you only to use the signal if there was trouble..!" a feminine voice said.

The other zebra just gave the mare a confused look as he adjusted his glasses and raised a hoof to his ear.
"What..? I can't hear what you are trying to say..."

The mare rolled her eyes.
"I said to only use the signal if there was trouble..!"

The other still had a confused look on his face. The mare responded with a quick slap to his face.

"I said to only use the signal if we were in trouble! Look what you've done!" the mare said harshly.

The other zebra just smiled a bit as he adjusted his glasses constantly trying to straighten out the situation. "But... Did you see him?! He was going to murder me!" the zebra pleaded to his sibling.

The mare facehoofed.

"Just help me bring him upstairs to his room Nix... We have a shop to run..."

The zebras nodded as they each took one end of Xarith and hauled him upstairs and into his bed. The mare fixed up her messy shirt as she looked at Nix with a worried face.

"Maybe I whack'd him too hard Nix..."

Athanix tapped his chin with a hoof as he examined a rather large bruise on the side of Xarith's head.

"Seems like that to me Xena. You went straight for the kill."

Xena punched Nix in the shoulder on his hoof.
"You know I didn't mean it. Besides, he isn't dead... I think..."

Athanix just shrugged as he threw a blanket over his twin. He walked over to the door and trotted down the stairs to attend to the backroom and it's potions. Nothing he couldn't figure out. Xena just had a flat look on her face as she looked at the frying pan that she still had on her. She shrugged as well choosing that the best course of action was to stick it in with Xarith, making him clutch it like a doll. She smiled, happy with her work as she trotted out and closed the door behind her.

"Sleep well Kuya. We will take care of your shop." ^^

In his sleep Xarith groaned.

A dark figure quickly raced through the wrecked streets of the city, not making a sound despite her hurried movements. A flash of red streaked off of the pony's rump as the sun hit her tail, the color disappearing as soon as it appeared. Shady was on a personal mission, she hadn't been given any orders since she was freed from her holding place.

Keeping the zebra in her sights was difficult while he was on that wheeled board, but she never lost a mark and wouldn't break that streak now. The zebra she was chasing came to a stop in the shop that was the focus of her suspicions; alerting her to take up hiding behind a few roughed up barrels.

Rumors of this particular zebra being a rebel had reached her... If this was true, worming her way into his trust after the display that was put on previously would put her on the fast track of getting into the inner workings of her enemies. Keeping her attention sharp, she watched the shopkeeper move inside. She stayed in her place, however. Moving inside too soon would make it seem like she had been following him, even if she was.

After a few minutes passed, she stood up from her hiding place and took a few deep breaths to find the correct ponysona for herself. With a grin, she moved through the doorway and into the shop, taking a look around.

Dammit! He's not out here. She thought to herself, keeping her expression flat despite her frustration.

Shaking it off quickly, she glanced at the new zebras she was unfamiliar with. "Good day to you two."

A slight breeze rolled through the window as Xarith suddenly sat upright in his bed, clutching a frying pan. He looked strangely at the cooking tool before giving it a flat look and casually tossing it across his room. He pulled the sheets off of himself as he carefully swung his hindlegs out of the bed.

The door slowly creaked open at this instant revealing Xarith's brother Athanix carrying a small tray with a cup of tea that was still steaming after being freshly brewed.

"Hey there Xarith, glad to see you are back in the world of the living," Athanix said through the tray in his mouth. Xarith just stood up off his bed and rubbed the side of his head.

"What did you guys do to-" Xarith, however, didn't get to finish his sentence as his twin set the tray down and eased him back into his bed by forcibly pushing him back in. "Whoa, whoa, whoa there..." Nix said laughing a bit. "Let's not get too eager to walk around alright? Xena gave you the nastiest bash to the head." Xarith moved his hoof to the side of his head and lo and behold there was a throbbing pain coming from that area. He sighed softly as he lay himself back into his bed. Athanix smiled at this as he hoofed his brother the cup of tea.

"There ya go. Brewed it for just such an occasion."

"Bashing me upside the head, almost killing me?"

"Yep!"

Xarith just gave his brother a flat look with which Nix happily replied with an innocent smile. Xarith just rolled his eyes as he took a sip of the tea. The zebra closed his eyes. Brewing tea was one of the things he could look at and really appreciate in Nix. He had fair skills in alchemy, and it always seemed to show in what he did. Xarith took another sip of the tea and savored the taste of it. It was sweet and soothing like he needed to rest, but it also had another taste to it. One that really cleaned him out and calmed him down. Xarith yawned.

"Hey Nix, what'dya put in this tea..?" Xarith said slowly as his eyes began to droop.

Athanix just laughed weakly as he fumbled with adjusting the glasses on his face.
"Yeah... You know, a little this, a little that..." Athanix coughs, "a little special ingredient..."

Xarith's eyes suddenly shrink to pinpricks as he glares at his twin.
"A little what?!" He says as he pulls Nix closer to him by his cloak's collar.

"It is my special brew after all..! Have a nice nap!" Nix says before he breaks out of his brother's grip and bounds out the door in a flash. Xarith struggled to get up off the bed, but Athanix's herbs were already taking affect. He felt his mind slip as he drifted of into sleep. Not before the sound of the cup shattering across the floor filled the apartments halls.



Meanwhile downstairs at the shop...



Xena had been looking through the shops inventory at the moment. She had been trotting up and down the shop taking note of all she saw. For the most part, it was just coconuts and rum...

"What kinda shop is this..."

Her attention though was turned to the back door as Nix came through it and slammed the door shut behind him. Xena gave him a strange look. "What in the stars did you do this time?" she asked raising a brow. Nix just smiled as he trotted over to the register. "Nothing too serious..." he began. "I just made sure Xarith slept well you know?"

Xena just rolled her eyes in the way that the three all did. Then from the corner of her eyes, Xena saw a new pony walk into the shop and greet them. She smiled as she waved back and straightened out her shirt.

"Hiya~!," she said said in a cheery tone. "What can I do you for?"

Shady slowly moved away from the doorway, glancing around the quaint shop. What's with all of the coconuts in stock? Are they really that popular here? She thought to herself, turning to the female shopkeeper once she was addressed.

"Oh, I'm just browsing for now. But thank you." She replied in a simply tone, giving Xena a quick smile before turning away to continue looking for anything that she might deem as suspicious. She paused in front of a shelf for a moment, speaking up without turning to look at the zebra again.

"Do you sell anything along the lines of a weapon here?" She asked simply while looking the items on the shelf in front of her. "With so many griffons running around, it'd be nice to have something for self defense."

Xarith was already out of his bed once Nix had closed the door behind him. He threw a small pouch to the side as he tried to scrap the multiple different tastes on his mouth. He had just taken a bit of herbs to counter out Athanix's Choice. It was a special blend that only he knew would react to the herbs Nix used in his choice. It ensured that it decreased the effects of the herbs. This, coupled with his own natural tolerance to the stuff, was already able to get him moving after a bit. He silently moved out the door and down the stairs to the front shop room...



Meanwhile downstairs Xena tapped her chin with a hoof as she skimmed through the small list of things in the shop. Considering that most of it was coconuts and rum, she didn't see much to speak about on things they could sell as weapons. Or at least on that list of course. Everything else in the back room would be grounds enough for something life threatening to take place. Xarith had more than his fair share of odds-and-ends in that room. She placed the board back down as she grabbed a coconut from one of the shelves.

"Well I don't think we'd have any weapons here..." Xena said tossing the coconut up and down in her hoof. "Considering that the Gryphs' don't like that kind of stuff, and I like the fact that our door hasn't been busted down yet. But these things don't just taste good-" She smiled a mischievous smile as she hurled the coconut at Athanix, who had been standing by, at break-neck speeds. Nix's barely managed to block the fruit as he pulled a foreleg up to deflect it. The coconut went flying off towards the back room door.

Right as Xarith had been opening it. It his him square on the head with a sound *clunk* as he was knocked unconscious again.

The two looked at each other, then at the mare, before speaking to each other silently in some weird sign language that seemed to argue who was at fault at the moment.

Athanix just rolls his eyes as he adjusts his glasses and drags his twin back up to his room. He closed the door behind him and left the two mares in the front room.

Xena just smiled.
"-they are also quite useful when thrown..."

Shady stared at the zebra clerk with a rather dumbfounded expression after the display that ended with her mark getting knocked unconscious. Flicking her tail behind her a few times while hiding her annoyance at the happenings, she stayed calm and just shook her head lightly. "That is...impressive, but I don't have a use for coconuts right now." She replied simply, turning back to the shelf she was looking at before to try and find something that was of interest to her.

"Seeing as you work here; I'm assuming you're familiar with the owner of this fine establishment." She stated simply, not turning to face Xena while speaking to her. "I'm quite...interested in him."

Xena just set her things down on a counter as she motioned Nix over in their sign language. She spoke silently to the zebra getting a few nods from her brother before he returned to the backroom to check up on Xarith.

She straightened out her shirt a bit as she spoke.
"Ah alright. Didja order something from him? I'd be glad to help if you needed something..." she said smiling sincerely.



Somewhere in the distant corners of Xarith's subconscious mind, he needed to facehoof.

Shady turned to Xena and gave the zebra a polite smile, hiding her ever growing frustration with the troubles stopping her from her personal goal. "Oh, it's not about any products or anything of that sort. I just wish to speak to him about something. Something a little private." She replied, taking a step closer to the equine in the room with her. "It's not anything truly important, but I'm a busy pony, so it would be nice to get it out of the way now."

Xena just eyed the pony up and down as she kept a smile stuck to her face. She trotted over and flipped a small sign on the front door from 'open' to 'closed' as she motioned the pony to the back room.

"Alrighty then. If it's important I'll how you up to the rooms." She opened the door and pulled a small bandana from her within her shirt and covered her face with it as she walked inside. "You might want to cover your face a bit. Kuya Nix said that some of the stuff that Kuya Xarith was working on is still unfinished and a bit unstable. You know, just as a safety precaution."

Shady shrugged her shoulders lightly as she followed Xena towards the door to the back room, face staying more or less neutral. "I don't have anything of that sort on me. Do you have one I could borrow?" She asked in the most polite voice she could muster up."

Moving into the back room, she gave the air a slight sniff to try and deduce what was being made. Potions... Not enough to get a confirmation just yet. They could just be for healing a sick pony. She thought to herself while sticking close to the zebra with her.

Xena just nodded as she politely hoofed the mare a small handkerchief. She carefully made her way around the various pots and viles of potions and brews as she led the mare to the stairs that lead to the 2nd floor of the store.

"Kuya Xarith's room should be on the first one on the right. I think the other rooms are locked and are used for storage. Please knock before you enter too, alright? Kuya Nix should be in there as well," Xena said as she smiled and trot back to the front room. "I need to watch the front desk. Lemme know if you need anything else."

Shady nodded as she tied the piece of cloth around her head to cover up her muzzle completely. "Thank you very much, Miss." She replied, a grin growing on her face, the handkerchief blocking it for her and letting her forget the effort to hide it.

She glanced up the stairs before slowly climbing up them to the second floor. Taking the directions she was told, the earth pony knocked a hoof against the door of Xarith's bedroom, patiently waiting for an answer.

Athanix was sitting by on a chair next to Xarith just kicking back as he drank some of the tea he was going to give Xarith. He set the cup down and cracked the window open allowing the breeze to blow through the room. He sighed contently as he trot back over to his seat. Though before he could sit down, someone knocked at the door. He shrugged and did a little roll for the heck of it and opened the door.

"Yeah-yeah, can I help you with something?" Nix said.

Shady blinked her eyes a few times as the door was answered for her, yet another zebra she wasn't looking for. She scowled lightly, letting the handkerchief hide it for her. "I'm looking for Xarith, I have some important matters to discuss with him." She replied simply after giving herself a moment to return to her polite facade. "Could you please show me where he is?"

Nix just nodded and allowed the mare in. He pointed over to Xarith, now awake, and sitting the bed just lookin' out the window.

"Hey Xarith," Nix said throwing a nearby pillow at the zebra. "Some mare is here to see you and stuff like that." Xarith just nodded a bit and got out of the bed as he trot over to Shady.

"Hey there. Was there something you needed..?"

Shady slowly made her way into the room once invited in. Glancing towards Nix, she raised a slight brow. "Can we have a moment please? I would prefer some privacy." She said in a polite tone, turning back towards Xarith afterwords.

"I'm sorry for coming into your private quarters like this, but I have something in need to ask of you." She said, lowering the handkerchief from her muzzle to simply hang around her neck. Giving the zebra a coy smile, she moved a bit closer. "It shouldn't be anything too important, but it's something I find myself rather curious about..."

Athanix just shrugged as he nod quickly an acknowledgement. He closed the door behind him and trot down the stairs back to the alchemy room to check on the potions yet again.

With that done, Xarith turned and smiled at the mare. He trotted over to a small nightstand of his and put on his heavy cloak. As he slipped his forelegs through the sleeves, he spoke.

"Before we continue with this, mind if I'd get to know who I am speaking to?"

Shady gained a slight grin as the first zebra left the room, stepping closer to Xarith as he pulled his cloak onto himself. "You can simply call me Shadow." She replied, smiling sweetly while approaching the zebra merchant.

"I don't suppose a handsome zebra such as yourself would mind giving little old me some information I find myself hungry for, would you?" She asked, putting on her best facade she could muster while getting closer to Xarith.

Xarith just slipped the cloak on as faint sounds of metal within them escaped the cloth. He then threw his satchel over his head and let it rest by his side as an audible metallic *click* also escaped from the cloth. He shook the bag around just a bit to make sure everything was secure. He turned around and smiled politely at Shadow.

"Sorry 'bout that. That's just some of my gear. Needs to be clipped into place when I'm skating around the city," Xarith said as he spoke. He trot back over to the mare and adjusted the strap of his bag a bit.

"No problem Shadow. I'd be happy to help with anything ya need. What kind of information do you need? I'm sure I've got an entry on it somewhere..."

Shady's ears perked up upon hearing the clicks and clinks of metal in Xarith's coat. "I would like to possibly see what kind of equipment you have on you, you've made me curious. But that can wait for another time." She replied, moving up to Xarith and draping a foreleg over the zebra's shoulders. "For now, I find myself curious about the type of ponies you...support from this shop."

The zebra just raised a brow as he looked at the mare.

"Now what do you mean by, 'the type of ponies'..?" He politely lifted Shadow's foreleg from his shoulder and trot over to his desk. He pulled out a couple files and spread them out a bit so that he could quickly glance at them before scooping them back into a folder. "One'd think that I would support all of the individuals who came to my shop." He smiled slightly and turned back to Shadow.

"You're going to have to be less ambiguous here for I am sure that it is in our common interest that you find what you are seeking, correct?"

Shady chuckled lightly while listening to what Xarith had to say to her, staying in her place once she realized the zebra wasn't going to fall for her playful tactics. "Well, I was simply wondering if this is a safe house or supplier of items for those who are...less friendly towards those awful griffons, if you catch my drift buddy." She stated simply, keeping a coy grin on her face while she spoke to punctuate her statement a bit more.

Nodded slowly. He started to piece together what Shadow was trying to say. He took this into account as he spoke again.

"One could say this is a safe-house and supplier... Why? Did you need a place to hide, or maybe were you in need of resources? I'd be happy to arrange something if there is the need," Xarith said as he pulled a large bound notebook from his satchel with a hoof. He nosed through the pages before he stopped and looked at the mare.

"That is given that this is the information you wanted, right?"

Shady hid a large grin that wanted to make its way onto her muzzle as she listened to Xarith's answer. "So, you hide those in the rebellion from the griffons here? That sounds wonderful. I am in need of a little assistance." She said, letting some of her joy show by giving the zebra a coy grin. "You see...there are some griffons that would like to see me. I need to lay low for a few days."

Xarith's expression almost soured when he heard Shadow speak of the 'rebellion'. Luckily for the zebra, he had spent enough time with costumers to keep his previous expression unchanged. He quickly stuffed his notebook back into his bag and collected his thoughts. There would be no way he'd be giving out all of his secrets now, much less to somepony he just met. However, he didn't want to kick the mare out and tell her that she needed to find someplace else to crash if the griffons were really after her. He adjusted his bags yet again as he looked at Shadow.

"I think I can let you stay at my place for a while if you need to lie low. I'd be glad to help in any way I can," Xarith said as he trot over to the door. He opened it and yelled down the staircase.

"Hey Xena! I need you for something!"

Just a second later, Xena appeared next to Xarith adjusting her apparel in the same fashion that the three zebras always seemed to do. She smiled politely as she spoke.

"What'dya need Kuya?"

Xarith just nodded and spoke.
"Xena, I need you to show our guest here to the extra room. She needs a place to crash for a bit." Xena just nodded and grinned as she opened the door a bit wider. "Right this way please. The room is just down the hall."

Shady nodded and gave the zebras a false smile. "Thank you very much, kind zebras. It should only be a day or two, and I'll help out if I can." She offered, looking back at Xarith for a moment while leaving the bedroom. Too bad I'm just going to bail once the sun goes down and they're asleep. I got what I need, should be enough information to get this little rebel hub closed down.

Without much hesitation, Xarith closed the door as the mares left. This was going to be a problem. He didn't want his shop to be associated with the rebels. The last thing he wanted was to be homeless after the griffons came and burned down his house or something. He shook his head. Maybe not something that extreme, but would probably have the same effect. Making him homeless and without a stable form of income. Two things he had to avoid if his siblings were going to stay with him now.

He tossed his bags onto the table and let it's contents spill out. Out rolled papers and potions as well as his collapsed spear and notebook. He spread the papers out on his desk and looked out the window to the skies. They would be the same shade the next morning before he would be finished with his work. He threw his notebook and the more important papers into a modified, locked drawer. Closing it and locking it shut, he began to work on the other documents.

After a while he put his quill down and picked up the spear, flicking it once letting it extend to it's full length. He lazily twirled it around before setting it down by his desk and getting back to work...

Meanwhile...

Xena led Shadow down the hallway to a small room one door before the end of the hallway. She opened it to show a small room only about 5 by 5 meters with a only a single bed, nightstand and lamp on it.

"There ya go miss. This is the guest room," Xena said outstretching her hoof to show the mare the room. "Sorry about the whole no windows thing. I think Kuya's room is the only one with them, that selfish nut." Xena shrugged and just smiled. "If it gets to warm, just open the door or something, and if you need anything just go ask Kuya X or Kuya Nix. They don't sleep too often." With that the zebra trot back down the hallway and into a different room, presumably her's.

Not long afterwards, there was a small explosion that came from the alchemy room. Not loud enough for the neighbors to hear, but apparently loud enough to get Xarith to burst through his door.

"By the stars Nix..! I told you not to mix those!" Xarith yelled as he quickly made his way down the steps and to the alchemy room leaving his door open.

Faintly coming from downstairs...
"Oh come on Xarith. We all know that Athanix's Choice isn't an explosive. It's a cocktail!"

Not as subtly came the resounding smack of a -
*Facehoof*

Shady raised a brow at the commotion going on one floor below her, listening to the zebras carefully and simply letting a chuckle leave her now that she was alone. The mare glanced into the room she was going to be 'staying' in and let a sigh escape her. No windows...This is going to make things a little tougher, but I enjoy a challenge. She thought to herself, moving into the room and kicking the door closed behind her.

Xarith was still working on his documents at this late hour, scribbling away on countless papers with his quill until it eventually snapped. He had not been needed on any messenger jobs, nor did he need to restock his shop with his siblings around to help him out.

Athanix was still goofing around in the alchemy room as he mixed and matched a bunch of different brew that probably should ever be mixed in the first place. He tossed a vile behind his back and taught it with another hoof as he poured its contents into another vile, watching as the colors began to change. He just smiled to himself.

Xena was busy locking up the shop for the night. She closed the register and trot over to the door taking her time to double-lock the padlocked doors. Then, when the zebra was satisfied with her job, she kicked the door once to double-check and trot into the alchemy room and walked over to Nix.

"Hey there Kuya Nix. Whatcha workin' on..?" Xena said.

Nix just shrugged. He had no idea. Xena just rolled her eyes at this. She walked over to a nearby table and opened a drawer, out of curiosity, with some springs and gears in it. She took on in hoof and looked over at Athanix.

"Kuya Nix? Why the stars does Kuya Xarith need these again? We're alchemists... Not mechanics." Nix looked over and just smiled. "You know where that's from. It's just some special part's for Xarith's cloak, just like mine or yours." The zebras mare just sighed and closed the drawer again. She trot over to Nix and just began to help him with whatever he potion he needed to make. Besides, with how long Nix has been awake, and how much work was left, he probably had no idea what he was doing...

Shady opened an eye as she laid in the guest bed, thinking to would be late enough in the night for the others to be in their rooms. It took patients to pretend to be asleep for hours straight, but she had more than enough. The mare eventually rolled herself out of her bed, slipping the bandanna she still had from Xena around her muzzle to protect herself from any possible lingering potion fumes. I don't understand why this room can't have a window in it, but I guess mister rebel wants to keep all the fresh air for himself. Seeing as the other two don't seem to have windows either.

Opening her door as quietly as she could, Shady peeked out into the hallway and grinned as the coast was clear, slipping out and silently making her way towards the stairs. Her ears perked up and moved to focus on some sounds coming from the bottom of the steps. They're still there...Dammit. She thought to herself, nearly growling as she backed away from the staircase.

Xarith rubbed his temples as he worked. This paperwork was getting a bit too boring for him. Time for a break. He stood up and began to twirl his spear around a bit. The zebra also called downstairs to his sibling.

"Hey Nix! Can I gets some tea please?"

In the alchemy room, Athanix's ears perked up as he smiled and went over to an already made cup of warm tea. He smiled and put it on a tray. "No problem bro! It'll be right up!"

There was a brief moment of silence. Then Xarith spoke.

"I swear on the stars Athanix, if you put anything in my drink, you'd better find yourself a nice box to sleep in for the night."

Athanix just laughed as he tossed the cup of 'tea' into the sink. It began to slightly smoke as it hit the metal. Seeing this, Xena rushed to pour some bases into the sink to balance it out. Nix, however, grabbed another cup of tea which was also freshly made, and in fact, actual tea.

"Alrighty then. You win this one. I'm coming upstairs now," Athanix yelled up the stairway.

Xena facehoofed as she looked at Athanix and rolled her eyes.

"Can you be any louder..? We have a guest in our house trying to sleep, and you two dolts are screaming across the house. She awaited a response, and when none came, she turned around only to see Athanix's back turned to her already heading for the staircase.

Shady quickly turned to head back to her room after hearing the two zebras loud and clear. Can't this family just go to sleep already? She thought to herself as she quietly closed her door behind her, simply standing behind the door with an ear pressed up against it to listen in on anything that was going on in the hallway or the other room. Oh well, you don't get to be where I am without patients.

Athanix skipped steps as he trot up the stairs with tea on his tray. He tapped on the door with a hoof and slowly opened it seeing his brother twirling his spear around. Nix just left the tea on the desk and trot back down the stairs to Xena who was already halfway done grinding the mountain grape and goldenleaf.

Xarith just collapsed his spear with a loud *clink* and tossed it onto his desk. He took the tea in a hoof as he sat at his desk trying to keep himself a wake as he sipped it slowly as he continued to work just a tad slower than before.



Somewhere, Nix stifled a laugh to himself.

Shady grinned as she continued listening in on the actions of the shop owners, nodding her head as she moved to open the bedroom door once again. Still up, but no matter. She thought to herself as she silently opened up the door and slipped out into the hallway. Let's see... I'll need to either find a way to sneak past those two in the potion room, or wait for the rebel to sleep... Shame I can't just go in there and remove him...

Downstairs, Athanix couldn't stop laughing to himself. The zebra was having just a bit of trouble blending the Valerian herbs together for some anesthetics. He just shrugged after tossing the ground herbs into a small pot and waited a bit for the potion to change colors. After a while, the potion was still a dirt brown color when it should of been a nice bright green a bit ago. Seeing this, Xena trot over to Nix looking into the pot.

"Um, Kuya Nix? Why hasn't the Valerian turned the potion green yet..?"

Athanix just smiled to himself.
"Oh--no reason."

Xena just facehoofed as she ran upstairs and burst into Xarith's room.
"Kuya! Don't drink tha-..."

Xarith was already passed out cold on his desk.

"Ugh..." Xena said as Athanix yelled up to her. "What? I'm just helping him get some sleep!"

Shady took a step back towards the far end of the hallway; somehow the zebra known as Xena hadn't seen her. Must be the darkness of the hallway. The mare lowered herself towards the floor to make herself less visible, a sly grin growing onto her muzzle. Good, that rebel is out cold...I have my escape route now. She thought to herself, waiting patiently for her chance.

Xena just facehoofed as she went over and grabbed her brother and dragged him over to his bed. With much effort and a bit of strain, she finally managed to get him into his bed finally deciding on throwing him in and doing the same with his covers.

She turned around to face the desk and began to organize some of the papers. She also took time to kick the spear up and place it neatly into an open drawer.

Shady stayed silent in her shadowy hiding spot while listening to the movement in the room. She just needed to wait for the one named Xena to leave and she would be able to slip out the window unnoticed and report what she had discovered in the shop. Almost there...my superiors are going to love this info...

Xena just threw the rest of the papers in a drawer after she was just fed up with organizing them. Besides, they probably weren't even very organized to begin with, so what harm could that do? Sure, maybe just a bit of crumbled paper here and there, but really, nothing too Earth-shattering as far as she was concerned.

Now just a bit tired of dealing with Athanix's mess, she decided that it was high time she went to sleep. She called down to her brother after locking the door behind her.

"Hey Nix. I'm goin' to be now. Try not to lose any limbs," the zebra said as she walked over to her bedroom doors and shut them. Athanix didn't respond. Instead he was busy looking around for some missing ingredient in his potion. He found it in the small, round shape of a coconut. Smiling to himself, he kicked it up with a hoof and used another to place it on a nearby table. With a quick, and persice strike to the fruit, he cracked it neatly in two. Smiling yet again, he took one half to snack on, and began to scoop out the coconuts contents for whatever random potion it was being used in.

Shady ducked down into the shadows a bit more as Xena left the bedroom. Her eyes narrowed as soon as the sound of the door's lock moving into place reached her ear. Can't anything go my way? She angrily thought to herself while keeping her eyes on the zebra. She was soon alone again, standing up straight and readjusting the bandanna on her face. She was going to have to try and make it out the hard way.

The mare silently moved up towards the stairs and glanced down to make sure the potion maker wasn't near by. Taking a few steps down, she paused to observe again. This time she was able to see him working on a potion while eating...a coconut? She shook it off quickly, simply remaining silent while waiting for her chance to sneak into the room.

Athanix was just working on his potion as he scooped the last of the fruit into his potion. He grabbed his pestle with a hoof and began to grind down all the other ingredients in his mortar. He hummed some random song to himself as he poured the contents into another, larger bowl. He waited an waited for the ingredients to react with each other.

Soon his plans would come into action. He tapped his hooves together in a scheming manner as he smiled to himself.

"Excellent..."

-Unless he had forgotten to leave another opened coconut at the door leading to the front room. He looked over.

"Nope. Still there."

Shady grumbled lightly to herself as the zebra seemed to be unwilling to move from his location around the pot. Shaking her head, she simply decided to move all the way down the stairs after making sure her bandanna was still tightly on her face. She had dealt with tougher minds before, surely a simply potion maker was no problem.

"Good evening, Athanix was it?" She asked, moving up to the zebra.

The zebra smiled as he spun around, still holding his mortar and pestle. He placed the two on another table as he looked over and directed his gaze towards the mare that had addressed him. He smiled again. A smile that almost looked innocent in nature and motive, but probably not with all things considered. He adjusted his glasses.

"Hey there Shadow," Nix said as the mare moved up towards him. "Why up at this late hour? I don't know many else that would be up, save a few particular zebras..."

Shady kept her expression neutral to hide any negative thoughts running through her mind, simply keeping her eyes on Nix. "It was just getting stuffy in that bedroom since there isn't a window. Couldn't get to sleep, so I'm letting it air out a bit." She replied calmly. "So, what are you making here? Smells interesting that's for sure."

The zebra just shrugged as he threw some other green bits into the bowl.

"It's nothin' really. Just something to stimulate increased production of methylguanidino-ethanoic acid," the zebra said plainly. "Just some zebra stuff." He raised a brow and spoke again. "Why? Was there somethin' you wanted? I'm sure I had something for it," he said politely.

Shady shook her head lightly, letting the words she didn't quite understand simply fly over her head. "No thank, I was just curious about what you were making. I'm not too familiar with potions and the like." She replied.

The mare took a few steps away from Nix to look at the many items in the room around her, discreetly making her way towards the door in case the chance to escape was given to her.

Nix just laughed. "Alrighty then Miss," the zebra said as he grabbed a knife from the drawers and some herbs from a glass jar. He started to cut them up and decided that now would be a good time to strike up a conversation. He didn't want to have an awkward silence form in the room.

"So Miss Shadow. If you don't mind me asking, why is it that you needed to speak to our brother? He has a bit of things to do normally, and I really didn't know that he took visitors."

Shady slowly sat her rump down on the floor by the door to the main room of the shop, doing her best to look calm and relaxed despite her urge to escape the shop. "Well... I looked at a griffon the wrong way and eventually got into a fight with him. I was captured and sent out to get executed with some others. However, a group of ponies saved us and let us escape." She replied. "I just needed a place to lay low for a while until things calmed down and I heard this place was friendly to rebels for the most part."

Athanix almost choked on the air he was breathing when he heard Shadow speak of the rebels. He knew that there was a bit of an underground movement going on here in the city, but he really didn't expect there to be a full blown rebellion. -And he certainly didn't expect his brother to be in it.

With Xarith telling him specifically not to join in on the rebellion...

"Well... This shop is friendly to everyone Shadow. Not just the rebels. Heck, there is a lot more going down around here than even I know about," Athanix said as he worked. He stopped for a moment before shrugging a bit and smiling to himself.

"Probably."

Shady raised a brow while keeping her eyes on the slightly strange zebra, shrugging her shoulders lightly while simply staying seated on the wood floor. "Oh well, I just need a place to hide and he agreed to help. That's all I know." She replied simply, tapping a hoof on the floor lightly while she spoke. "And perhaps he's just concerned for his siblings?"