A customer! Or at the very least an interested party! Sidon's heart did a little leap of excitement, which threatened his vow to take it easy as he got up to greet the person entering the shelter.

"Hello!" he said. "Welcome!" He threw his arms open in greeting and instantly winced, lightly touching his hand to the spot where Calamity Sidon had stabbed him. Right. No grand gestures, then.

This was going to be much harder than he expected.

Still, he replaced the flash of pain with a smile that was probably was more menacing than he'd ever intended. He bobbed his head down in a little bow, figuring the larger one he'd have liked to have executed would not be a good idea. "How may we be of service today?"

...what a ride! Here Sidon was building up to get all excited about betta fish (such beautiful creatures, graceful and vicious and fierce!), but then that second part landed and Sidon had to blink a few times as he let it all register and settle in his brain.

Take it one things at a time, Sidon.

"Messed up the chicken coop?" he asked, frowning down at the confusing fellow. "But everything seemed to be in working order this morning. Ah!" He snapped his fingers, flashed that grin again. "You know, I would be very confident in saying that Zack has already gone and fixed it. Either that, or one of the vets. I imagine the threat of chickens run amuck would have been a very pressing matter!"

He chuckled a little, winced because even chuckling hurt a bit, and mellowed it out into a faint smile. The smile turned toward a frown again as he considered the rest.

"But why would you make off with the chickens in the first place?" he asked. "Were you hungry?"

It was the only conceivable reason he could think of.

And just think! This was low-key, taking it easy Sidon!

But, mercurial as a can of tuna fish, his eyes widened a bit in alarm at the...attempt at an explanation. "That's right!" he gasped. "For the ritual!"

He shook his head, then smiled again. "A ritual," he added with pride, "that ultimately failed! It appears as though your pilfering of poultry was all for naught!" His grin gained that sharpened edge, but the fist pump that usually accompanied it was probably the smallest he'd ever done since he was a little hatchling. He was being careful!

"But it is good that you're trying to make up for it," he said with an approving nod. I am certain that if you are truly remorseful, then you will be forgiven! You can do it! You are off to an excellent start by seeking out atonement, though I am afraid I cannot help you there. While I may be a prince in my homeland, I am but a humble Furnado employee here. The one you seek is named Zack; he is my boss. He is usually here on Tuesdays, but I am sure I could call him up and he'd be willing to come down to meet our apparent chicken-napper."

"I'm sure they're quite well," Sidon offered encouragingly. "If they're even half as durable as a cucco from back home, they're probably better off than the majority of us right now! But let me call him up."

And so he took out his phone (how he did it and where he kept it when he clearly had no pockets was a great mystery, one probably best left unsolved) and pushed in a few numbers to see if he could get a hold of Zack. Phones were still such an interesting novelty to him that he sort of seemed to dance on his feet a little as he waited to see if the bossman would pick up or if he'd get the sheer joy of leaving of a voicemail for him.

"Zack!" Sidon spoke brightly into the phone, a bit more loudly than strictly necessary. "It is I, Sidon!" Sure, Zack couldn't see him, but he was still getting the bright grin and the (for the time being) tiny little fist pump. "The Zora Prince! And your faithful employee. Do not be alarmed. Everything at the shelter is running smoothly and quite well, save for one small thing. Would you be available to stop by? I have with me here a gentleman who claims to have stolen your chickens, and he would very much like a word with you."

He flashed his smile at the chicken-grubber as he awaited Zack's response, throwing in a thumbs-up for good measure.

"Errm." Although the foul fowl fiend had made it seem like he didn't know where the chickens had in fact gone, Sidon took a moment to check for any signs of any feathered friends on the man. "No, it does not appear so. In fact, he expressed concern for the creatures, which leads me to believe that he has not only stolen your chickens, but that he then proceeded to lose the looted goods."

His hand covered the phone for a moment as he whispered to Sparkle, "That assumption is correct, yes?"

"I think," Sidon replied, "that he would simply like to speak to you about it to see if there is anything he can do to make amends. He seems most remorseful, I must say, but I shall ask him."

And he covered the phone with his hand again, and whispered (which wasn't actually all that quiet) to the chicken thief, "Would you like for Zack to escort you to the trooper station?"

Sidon nodded, clearing his throat a little before relaying the information to his boss. And he knew he was just sharing what one person said to the other, but he was rather pleased by it. He felt so useful, so important, so diplomatic! Surely, this exchange may one day help him in his future as king!

"Our sticky fingered friend would quite rather you did not take him to the trooper station, Zack, if it could at all be avoided, though it appears as though he understands that it is completely your right and your power to do so if you so desire. Personally, if I may intrude with my own opinion, I believe his sincerity is genuine, and, were it me in your chicken-less situation, I would be pleased to let him go with but a warning and a promise to never steal chickens or any other creature, feathered or otherwise, again, with the threat of a serious or more harsh punishment in the event of a repeat incident. After all, it is important that we learn from our mistakes, is it not?"

And, yes, Sparkle, that was a big giant shark-man showing you all his shining teeth in a big grin and winking at you right now for the solid he was clearly doing you right now.

Sidon opened his mouth to say something about the fact that his judgement had all-too-recently nearly gotten him killed, but then he thought better of it and shut it, nodding instead. "Excellent," he said, "I think that is wise. I shall ask him.

"Chicken thief," he continued, covering the phone again as if it was a secret that he'd be asking the culprit exactly what Zack had told him to ask, "it appears as though Zack agrees that a warning will be sufficient enough to redeem yourself. A warning, and perhaps a few clues as to where you think some of the chickens may have ended up. It seems that, while Zack has been masterful in acquiring a few of them, there are still some that must be located and rescued. And perhaps, if you do not have any suggestions on where we might begin such a quest, I personally believe it would mean a great deal to him should you happen to discover them before he does and return them safely to their coop to save him the trouble of searching more."

Sidon sighed a bit in relief. Although it was totally appropriate to do so, he was wondering if Chicken Thief would be this young man's only epithet. It was good to have an actual name.

He nodded again to relay the information to Zack. "Sparkle the Chicken Thief,"--it was practically a title now, okay?--"believes that they have likely not traverse far from the point of the utterly failed ritual in which they were attempted to be used, so he will make haste in searching from that point outward, if that pleases."