Aslan nodded, closing his eyes in thought as he tried to recall just when Crane was about last. Did he know about the petty purse snatchers? Pretty sure he’d told him what he knew about those ones. The usual pickpockets at the market?

“Pretty sure it’s mostly Longbottom kids at the market, but there’s a couple of raggedy men at it. A Maxwell Higgins is there a lot … but I think he’s nonviolent.”

And Aslan himself had only swiped a handful of wallets at night since he beat up that fellow at the Founders’ Ball. Mostly at the outgoing train station.

“If you need someone to talk to the survivors in the daytime, I’m happy to make time to be here.”

Nisa liked white dresses and bright days, after all.

Aslan hovered on his calves, smiling politely before doing as he was told and sitting back down.

“Thank you, Crane.”

Fuck, it was going to be bland. Aslan looked for something to wipe the tea up with while Crane's back was turned.

Elijah nodded in agreement. The Longbottoms seemed unable to avoid trouble for long, he didn't know of a Maxwell Higgins. Maybe he would introduce himself and see if they were in need of help. "There are a number of them that are perfectly harmless. I will check it out later."

He tidied up his pile of papers and looked up at Aslan agreeing. "I honestly think it wouldn't hurt to have you there. You might have questions I won't, and I'm happy to have you around. Feels almost like we're partners sometimes." He chuckled and looked down at the papers before getting to his feet.

"Alright, I'll be back in a moment." He left the room cheerfully to make them some coffee. He didn't make it often, but luckily the coffee he had , had only been used once. He got it started as he put out the cups and put some cream in his own since it was a bit bitter for him sometimes compared to tea. As he waited, he looked over and he could smell the coffee, it was definitely hints of coffee. He poured it into their cups and his was pale but he had added cream. Seeing Aslan's plain it was not dark as it was when it was fresh but he had let it soak long enough it was darker than tea. "Perfect."

He hummed to himself as he brought it back and put it down. He sipped his own which was weak the way he was used to it. "Hope its to your taste."

It was a strange sort of camaraderie between he and Crane. The closest equivalent he could think of was of that between he and his father and sister, back when they still had the general store. Rosy nostalgia painted it as warm and untroubled, though he wondered in hindsight about all those women who went on in their lives without so much as requesting a reference. Had they all just married off?

“Consider it done,” Aslan said.

Hopefully he caught a nap … what, in the park? In one of the brothels again? He didn’t really have any questions for the girls there at the moment, so it felt like a waste.

Aslan found the stash of rags and cleaned up the tea in Crane’s absence. He liked to think he used the rest of the time before he returned looking into those cases, but in truth his neck was slumped awkwardly over the back of the chair in a way that pinched all the wrong things. He jerked back to alertness at the approaching humming, fingers flipping to the next document before he even quite recalled what he was pretending to be doing.

Aslan saw what he immediately mistook for tea and took it.

“Thank you, thank you.”

Then sipped it. Swished it around in his mouth, searching for flavor – any flavor. Looked down mystified, and sipped it once again. Was this weird tea or …?

“Perfect. Thank you, thank you.”

It smelled like coffee. It offered all the promises of coffee with none of the deliverance.

“Thank you,” he said again, staring deeply into the bottom of the cup … which he could see with disturbing, lake water clearness.

Elijah had given a small nod, thinking it would be enjoyable to do some work with Aslan. He was a brilliant man who took his job very seriously.

When he sat down and watched the other drink his coffee, he became worried as the man took it in an odd way. He almost worried something was wrong but then he said it was perfect. Relief came and he smiled , happy to have treated the other even though it was simple coffee. "Of course! If you want more, don't hesitate." He stopped his and went back to focusing on his work.

Aslan downed his cup, sniffed the empty cup as though the ghost of coffee could have just as potent an effect (plausible, in this case), and set his gaze determinedly on a sentence.

The defendant … The defendant … The defendant …

Aslan started tilting forward, eyes taking longer and longer to open each blink.

Elijah watched and before he knew it, he noticed Aslan falling asleep. He took off his own jacket and folded it up to let the man's head rest as he continued his paperwork. The poor man was probably very overworked. He wondered if the coffee was strong enough as well.

He let the other sleep until it was lunch time and delicately nudged his shoulder to see if he would like something to eat. He already had sandwiches for them both since he didn't want him to be hungry.

For better or worse, Aslan registered Crane as absolutely harmless. He smelled him rather than saw him, and did not so much as peel a lone eye back. Instead, he slumped against the jacket.

When lunch came about, Aslan roused at the nudge and then bolted upright.

“Allah—aha, ha, oh, that’s, hah, uh.”

He saw the sandwiches, rubbed the back of his neck.

“Thanks, Crane. How long was I out?”

He bit into the sandwich.

Elijah smiled slightly seeing Aslan 's startlement a little funny as the man was so very serious in his presence.

"Relax, it is just a little before one. You were so tired, I didn't dare wake you."

It had been almost three hours since he'd last been awake. Elijah could see the exhaustion in his face and was more than happy to let him sleep and demand anyone who entered to be quiet.

"I hope you like them." He said but he knew it was fine. After all, he had made these exact sandwiches before. It had been a time when he and the other man workwd late on getting details to figure out a case and figuring out what they meant .

They were fine.

Falling asleep at the constable station wasn’t, but truth be told? It was pretty low on the list of things he did that were ‘not fine’. He squinted at the files, leaned back, and took another bite of his sandwich.

“I’m going to need some time to think these over,” Aslan said after a moment, willing his mind unsuccessfully to cooperate.

Would Nisa still be in a murderous mood if he went back now? Maybe. Would he sleep right through her stabbing him to death if his head hit a pillow now? Probably. Such were ideal sleeping conditions.

Aslan finished his sandwich (quickly, for Nisa was not there to time his bites), and went to wash it.

“Anything you need before I head out?”

He had looked back down at his paperwork. "Take your take and feel free to come back if needed. I enjoy having company while I work." Elijah smiled and rifled through the papers a little before looking up.

"I can't think of anything. I'm good. Please be careful on your way home though." He was thinking of the attacks and looked back to his paper work. "If you need me, you know where to find me. And if you find anything new out, please let me know." If he knew what the other was going through, he'd have said more. He trusted the other was in control of his life in a way that Elijah would be envious of.