“I'm sorry. I'm very sorry.” Augustus says as he lets go of Markus' arm. “Excitement got the best of me. It was rude to grab you like that.” He then moves from the table, standing up to face Markus. Taking off his hat, he bows slightly before saying “My apologizes sir.”

Augustus is actually an imposing figure compared to everyone in the pastry shop. He stands at the same height as Markus, but is nearly double the width. A close look at his face shows a man likely in his forties. All of a sudden, he sticks his hand out for a handshake. There is a moment of hesitation from Markus, but he returns the gesture too. A firm handshake is exchanged between the men.

“My name is Augustus, and you are?” Augustus says with a big smile. His words are genuine and kind now. The man clearly has a talkative personality.

“Markus... and these two are Aurora and Eclair.” Markus replies, pointing to the girls as they're introduced. They both wave towards the man.

“Marcus! A strong Roma name! Good to meet you.” Augustus says back, giving Markus a strong pat on the shoulder. “Oh, and this is my companion Abel.” Pointing to the person sitting next to him. The man is still busy eating, offering only a wave in response.

Abel sits quietly as he eats. He also looks to be in his forties. A worn face with some small scars define him. However, his most unique feature is his black shoulder length hair in a perm style.

“Ya, nice meeting you both. Listen... we have to go soon. What do you need?” Markus says with an annoyed tone. He had been hoping to keep needless interactions with the locals to a minimum. The earlier conversation with Rodrick revealed how much he still doesn't know.

“Ah, yes straight to the point. I'm a traveling merchant. Mostly with clothing and linens and such. Wife does the designs while I sell to the shops. New World Looks is our company, and we focus on modern Earth fashion.” Augustus says hurriedly with animated hands.

Markus looks back to the parked truck outside the pastry shop. On the side, there is a company logo with Latin scribbles. However, Markus realizes the words sit on top of a drawn planet Earth. Turning back to face Augustus, he says “Interesting work I bet.”

“Oh my! Getting the latest designs from the capital is always exciting. The manufacturing of the samples I see is incredible sometimes, but I wish we had the ability to reproduce them correctly. Alas, the modern Earth designs still haven't been widely excepted yet. People still clinging to fashion from the last century, and...” Augustus is talking with serious passion, but quickly realizes what he's doing and stops himself. “Sorry. I could talk about the other world for days.”

A nervous smile forms on the face of Markus. Augustus is very knowledgeable about Earth, and he may be able to pick out his identity. Anything said needs to be carefully thought about.

“Anyway, your clothes... definitely modern Earth. But I see I've made a mistake. I thought they were a new style.” Augustus says while giving a few tugs to the sleeve of Markus' jacket. “Seen a few similar versions. I was going to ask where you got them.”

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Thinking quickly, Markus slightly stutters an answer saying “D-d-down south. Few months ago. Just thought it would be a nice change for me.”

“Good! With more men like you I'm sure the modern styles will be more popular.” Replies Augustus with a bright smile, patting Markus on the shoulder again. “I'm sorry I wasted your time. Tell you what, I'll still offer the free dinner for you all as an apology. Come visit the Evergreen restaurant in the north part of town around six tonight.”

A few moments of hesitation come from Markus before he says “Sure... I'll think about it.” It was an automatic response, and he hopes nothing more will come from it.

“I'm glad. Since your wearing those clothes, you must admire Earth too. We can have a grand time talking about it. I know all sorts of things like the latest gossip and information. I even know the hot spot areas for appearances. In fact, when I was a boy, I met a man from Earth. It's my favorite story.” Augustus says excitedly.

“Sir! No! Don't spend all of your nights drinking and chatting again. Stick to the schedule.” A man calls out to Augustus. It was Abel, adding his voice of reason.

Augustus dismissively waves his hand while saying “Hush Abel. That's my me time when I travel. You're a friend, but a bodyguard too. Just keep me away from trouble.”

A loud, audible sigh can be heard from Abel as he shakes his head.

“Well, nice meeting you two, but we have to go.” Markus says as he sees a chance to break the conversation. He hurries to the front door with the fae close behind him, and waves goodbye to the men as the group leaves the shop.

As they leave, Augustus waves back saying “Nice meeting you. Take care friends.”

Markus is only able to glance at the truck parked outside as the group leaves the pastry shop and heads up the street. Its a missed chance to examine a vehicle closely. Right now Markus is more concerned with putting as much distance between him and the two men.

After walking a few blocks, Markus begins to slow his pace. He looks around nervously, making sure he wasn't followed. Finally, he settles down and starts walking much slower.

“Hey, you sure it was a good idea to even suggest you might see him tonight?” Aurora says to Markus.

Eclair nods in agreement saying “Ya, I was getting nervous for you inside back there.”

“I don't know. I really don't know. I wasn't going to see them tonight, but now I'm not so sure.” Markus responds with a head shake.

“What!? Why?” Asks Aurora with concern.

“Because Augustus is a wealth of information. The man is obsessed with anything Earth. He's my best clue to go home so far.” Markus replies to the girls in a serious tone. He then asks “For example, do either of you know where I should go next? What about places to search for other gateways?”

The fae pause, unable to think of any good answers. Aurora speaks up saying “No... that's a good point. The cave by Little Creek is the only place I know with a connection, and it was always very rare for any Earth folk to come from there. All my years of scouting, and I barely have any knowledge about the topic.”

Eclair's eyes light up from Aurora's words. She says “Wow, not even you? I mean... I'm sure books and research exist somewhere.” There's a pause from her, before she continues “No... that might take ages. You really need to think it through. There's still time to organize at the inn.”

“Okay, you both helped me make up my mind. I'll meet Augustus tonight. I really think he's going to be the fastest path for information.” Markus says with some excitement. It's the first solid lead since arriving on Noverra. Whatever the conversation later, it might be the most important one in his life.