When Celegwen fell asleep, Aithusa crept out of the hut. He put his hand on the side of it and stood, hearing a few cracks coming from his back. Xanu and Aithusa made momentary eye contact, and Aithusa nodded. I appreciate it, Xanu, he said to the black dragon. He shifted to his dragon form much slower than usual. He was listening to Celegwen when she said not to make the injuries worse, but she would have killed him if she knew he was leaving.
He flew up, causing a significant gust of wind from his massive wings. I promise it'll be worth it.
Aithusa flew to the marketplace and landed quietly atop one of the buildings. He shifted into his human form and limped down a staircase to the streets. The market at night reminded him of an old battlefield. Empty but filled with evidence of havoc and hundreds of people. He looked at the signs and walked to a wooden door.
A young woman answered the door and dropped her jaw. "Aithusa?" She said breathlessly. "Oh, my gods! I thought I'd never see you again!"
"Hi, Abygail," he whispered, hugging her. She wasn't slightly shocked by Aithusa's beaten appearance because she knew exactly what he was like. They walked inside, and she made them tea. "Been a while. Last I heard, you were getting engaged."
She held up her left hand to show her ring. "I have two babies now. Last I heard, you were partnered with an Elf rider."
Aithusa nodded. "Enough small talk, Abygail. You and I both know neither one of us likes it. I need your help."
She laughed, tucking her short, olive hair behind her ears. "Of course you do! Why else would you be here?" He took Zukiro's smashed necklace out of his pocket and placed it on the table. "That's almost obliterated! What happened to it?"
"Long story. Do you think you can fix it?"
Abygail looked it over and smirked. "Give me an hour."
She disappeared into her workshop for just over an hour. Abygail was a friend he hadn't seen in six years. They kept tabs on each other in case either one of them needed something, but neither interacted until then. She came back out and sat across from Aithusa, laying the necklace on the table.
He picked it up and smiled, examining every bit of it. "Why'd you leave the cracks? You used to make things good as new."
"It isn't new," she said simply. "Besides, you smashed that thing to pieces!"
Aithusa grinned. "Another thing... I think it held some kind of magic. I don't know exactly, but when it broke, it took its owner's memories." She pulled a small bag out of her pocket and sprinkled an invisible substance onto the necklace. "Thanks, Aby."
"Don't be a stranger!" She said, as Aithusa walked out. He gave her a sarcastic glance, and she laughed. Walking to a large and abandoned alley, he shifted to his dragon form and took to flight.
Xanu, he said, as he approached, I need to show you something. He landed and shifted to his human form. Grinning, he walked over to Xanuthos' perch and pulled the repaired necklace out of his pocket. What do you think?