Oh right, Nale would have taken his key when he took all of Elan's stuff.

He knocks on the doors.

No response!

Uh-oh…

He can try to pick the locks, but he doesn't know how to do that and he'd rather not get in trouble again. Maybe he can look for someone on the hotel staff.

"Hi, I'm Elan," he says to the first hotel employee he finds. "I'm staying here with the Order of the Stick, but I got separated from the rest of my party and I don't have my room key on me. Do you know where they're at? They were supposed to teleport into Azure City yesterday, but nobody's answering the door."

The hotel employee blinks at him, then at Thog, who has been here the whole time. "I... do remember someone of your description being listed among that party," he hedges. "But they have not returned to the hotel, no. You might check with the Metropolitan Teleportation Authority, by the city gates."

"Okay, thanks!"

Elan mostly sounds cheerful but he's totally starting to worry. He tries to remind himself that he'll find them faster if he follows the plot hooks instead of freaking out completely. And that means backtracking to the gates.

Who's that coming through the gate, slightly battle-damaged?

And who's that, holding her hand?

Oh good, Haley's safe!

Wait a second.

"Nale!"

He points all accusatorily.

Nale looks, if anything, more bewildered and outraged!

"Nale! Thog!"

"thog happy to see nale again! not-nale also fun but nale best friend."

Oh no, Nale's trying to do an UNO Reverse! What Thog just said should help, but what if Haley only thinks Thog is saying it because Nale asked him to? Ugh, this is tricky.

"I'm not Nale, you're Nale! Thog totally agrees, too! And he's like your best friend so he should know!"

"He's literally standing right next to you! Thog, obviously you wouldn't betray Nale, especially not this quickly!"

"no betraying," Thog agrees.

Belkar is the next partymember to show up. He's wearing a very impressive hat.

"What's the hold- oh, gods, ew. I thought we were done with invisibility jokes?"

"He's standing next to me because we broke out of prison together so that Imaginary Roy wouldn't be disappointed in me for letting him slaughter his way through the guardhouse with Greater Invisibility! Oh hi Belkar."

"Hey, hang on. There's two Blondies. ...does that mean the one we've been traveling with isn't just wearing really bad cologne?"

"My cologne is fine!"

Yay, Belkar's on his side too!

"You're right, Belkar, that's Nale! He knocked me out in Cliffport and switched our clothes and glued his goatee on my face so he could kill you all while I was in prison!"

"Augh, why are you like this! Why are you even here! I already beat you!"

"I'm here to protect my friends, obviously! How would you like it if I pretended to be you so I could hurt all your Linear Guild friends?"

"That would be fine!"

Beat.

"If I were Nale! Which I'm not! Goddamn it!"

Haley takes out a dagger and Sneak Attacks Nale.