The Lower District, just like the city it mirrored, was filled with areas dedicated to specific workforces. An area that was a forge the size of a volcano, the warehouses filled with companies that worked tirelessly to transport anything they were asked to. There was a district where people like Elyza and her partner worked, the bank district which was close to the heart of the city, the adventure’s blocks filled with little locally owned shops to help support the Guild’s patrons. However, while all of them interested Elyza in a way or another, be it simply how they worked, the legacy companies that operated within them, and especially the cultures that occupied, built around, and the restaurants in them, she had never deeply delved into the history of the ‘Pandemos’ square.
The area was characterised by the use of red lanterns, which were used to smooth out and hide any blemishes of skin, almost as if the blood moon was perpetually shining upon them. As she followed her partner through the various passageways, she had to squeeze the persuasive smell of perfumes and flowery artificial oils out from her nose. Her eyes strained to see through the crowds of workers, ears overwhelmed with the music of the various brothels and the beckoning calls of those within, Alex took the lead, carving a way through. The fact that he was immune to the invitations of them all, even giving a few friendly waves did not surprise her, here was a man who had slept with goddesses, yet it still seemed to stir up some annoyance within her.
But as his pace slowed down, and the crowd became more pompous, she soon spotted their goal. A four storied building that managed to dwarf the others around it even when it was restricted by an entire city above. Its arches, walls, and almost storey spanning windows were of a similar design to the Guild building, but not from marble, forged from a mix of stained wood and interlocking stone bricks, its windows covered by purple curtains. The lower level was open to all, allowing them to walk into the belly of the brothel without crossing any doors, customers streaming into the area through the archways. A bar was nestled between two stairs leading upwards, the corners of the floor filled with sofas where various parties were happening, served by hosts and hostesses. The middle of the room was a kid’s dream, mounds of pillows littering the area, surrounding hookahs that streamed out smoke from their nozzles.
A quick glance around and Elyza already spotted a dragon in human form, an incubus, various bakenekos, lamias, kobolds–both western and eastern, a pair of drow and elf twins, dwarves and what appeared to be three goblins in a trench coat being dragged out by some guards. Alex snapped his fingers in front of her, stealing her focus, “This isn’t your first time in a brothel, right?”
She was actually offended, narrowing her eyes, “Of course not, but you seem to have been visiting them for too long.”
He flashed a grin at her, replying with a chuckle, “Alright, alright, just making sure I don’t have to tiptoe around you…” He looked around the room, his eyes snapping between every single face in their view, searching for something before they turned around towards the bar, holding for a second before remarking, “You want a drink while we’re here?”
“Is it not the middle of the day?” She questioned, studying the bartender as she did.
“Technically…” He pulled out his pocket watch, adding, “It's currently dusk up there.”
She sighed, inadvertently smiling at his act as she yielded, “I would like a drink.”
“Why am I not surprised,” Alex remarked, quickly moving away from her swatting reach, forcing her to follow him to the barstool, which was attended by an almost translucent humanoid made from slime. Her mind fell back a week to their encounter with the Eudaimorphs, but, even without spotting that it was wearing physical clothes, its head was lacking the apparatus that contained the soul of the monsters she had met before.
“Hello, Alex, the usual?” She overheard the bartender ask her partner, which earned him an immediate smack on the head, which elicited no reaction from the slime, who added, “And what would the lady like to have?”
“Glass of scotch, on the rocks, be as generous as you can be,” She remarked, taking a seat next to Alex, adding, “and since you seem familiar with my partner, you may call me Elyza.”
“Tiffany, it’s a pleasure to meet you, though I’m surprised that even he would bring his betrothed to a brothel,” The slime remarked, a sphere of ice forming in her hand, clearer than even the water from the glaciers, swirling it in the glass, before pouring two shots worth of caramel liquid and serving it to her.
“Partners in the other sense, Tiff,” He clarified, snatching a bowl of peanuts left unattended by the party beside them, tossing a handful of them into his mouth as the bartender took out a martini glass, three bottles, and a shaker.
Pouring out two shots of coffee liqueur, one of tequila and three of what smelled like orange juice into the steel container, the slime remarking, “With your egotistical tendencies?”
“Somehow, I seem to manage,” Elyza stated, taking a sip of the scotch as Tiffany dropped some cubes of ice into the shaker, enjoying the malty alcohol’s smokey flavour and the fire burn of it flowing down her throat as the bartender started to shake the cocktail.
“Don’t we all,” She replied, straining the liquid into the martini glass, before pushing it towards her partner.
He took a gulp of the drink, sighing with satisfaction before stating, “You two could at least slander me behind my back.”
“It's not slander if we’re telling the truth, Alex. At the worst, you could call this defamation.” Tiffany corrected, wiping off a little spill from the counter.
He grinned as he chugged the rest of the drink in a single go, snapping his fingers next to his ears before retorting, “Can’t argue legality with the ex-lawyer.”
That elicited a sigh from the slime, and Elyza got the opportunity to ask her friend, “Is this the one we are here to meet?”
The sigh came from her partner this time, and Tiffany had a grin on her face, “You’re here to meet the boss… Been a month since the last drink.”
“I gave that bitch three months worth of backup, and still I’m worried,” There was a genuine mix of fear and annoyance in his tone, but he still smiled as he spoke.
The bartender chuckled, “Good that Vic’s hasn’t had her break yet, she can reel the boss in if it goes horribly wrong.”
“That sadist would probably just watch me get drained,” The way the conversation was going concerned her, but before she could ask him to clarify further, Alex flipped a gold coin that landed on the slime’s head, adding, “Chug that last drop and let's go into the den.”
Elyza felt that it would be better to ask the questions in her mind in a less public position, so she swirled the diluted remains of the scotch, swigging it as she got up to follow. Her partner sprinted up the stairs, taking two at a time, but she was still able to reach him before he stepped onto the second floor.
As soon as her eyes scanned the space before her, she knew that they were now under the care of Aphrodite, a mural dedicated to her painted on the ceiling, observing the acts happening under her. There was a pervasive smell of perfume in the air, no doubt to mask the acts happening under the goddess’ nose, the noises muffled but still recognisable. There was a desk in front of them, ladies and lords waiting on the flanks for their companion of the day to invite them into the rooms behind the curtains. Yet, it was unattended, a single bell waiting to be rung.
Alex gestured to her to go first, walking by her side as he winked at a few of the nobles that glanced at them, when suddenly she felt a hand caressing her waist, arms wrapping around the two. She was alarmed, inadvertently shuddering as the individual breathed lightly on the tip of her ear, giggling before their voice began, “Well, well, well, you two seem like a whole city of trouble, fortunately for you, I’m great at disciplining troubled children.”
The words seemed to have an unnatural effect on her, Elyza’s breath quickening, her chest, and face heating up for a second before her partner pushed her out from the woman’s grip, and it ceased to persist, remarking with a sigh, “It's me, Yana, and don’t use your charm on my friend.”
She turned to look at who he was talking to and almost immediately her mind connected the face to something she had seen in the history books, “Aren’t you–”
A compulsion to cut herself off overcame her words as soon as the woman brought a finger to her lips, winking her fiery green eyes as she spoke, “And here I thought I had hit the jackpot for the day. Which reminds me that you still owe me from last time.”
“You’re a–” His partner’s words disappeared the same way when he finally relented to her own wishes, continuing as he handed her a gold coin, “I can only envy your children whenever they want something.”
The woman had already stopped listening, walking towards another pair that had caught her eyes, allowing Elyza to sneak back to her partner, “Isn’t that…”
“It is,” Alex answered her lingering question.
She thought about it for a moment, admitting, “I would guess someone of her standing would not risk being spotted here.”
“She’s a grown deity, and neither of us are about to travel to the sea and rat her out, are we?” He remarked, cracking his knuckles to relieve his stress.
“Was she one of your companions in your past?”
He took a moment to answer, “Surprisingly, no, something about me having too high of a standing?”
Sighing, she continued towards the desk, covering the distance without any other unwanted distractions, pressing down on the bell to ring it once. Her partner slid to her side, knees thudding against the wood as he stopped himself, his fingers drumming against the bell till the ringing became a high-pitched whine. She was able to grab his hand only a few seconds after he began, but not before the purple curtain that formed the wall of the desk started to part.
A low voice began, sounding as if the entire weight of the world was upon it, its tone rising as a woman’s head emerged from the curtain, upside down. The sight stalled Elyza’s brain for a minute, her eyes struggling to understand why the face ahead had hair that fell as if they were part of a waterfall forged from the night, white speckling the threads. Her eyes were akin to the void, almost like Alex’s, except that hers had a small sparkle of red within them, mascara making them appear more piercing than they were. Her cheeks were flushed by powder, the colour of her lips matching her eyes.
“Of course it’s you…” She sighed out, continuing to move forward, still upside down, the curtains revealing more of the reason why. Her torso was draped in a shawl woven from silk, under which was what appeared to be a three-piece suit, even sporting a blood-red tie. The matching pants to the ensemble were absent as the purple screen parted to reveal a spider’s abdomen, which instantly broke Elyza’s brain from its impediment. As the woman’s six tarsus crawled down the wall, keeping her head in the middle of both of their views, her hair fell naturally around her head, her appendages knocking against the wooden floor as she settled herself. They were as graceful and slender as the woman appeared, resting her hands on her stomach, bowing slightly to greet her.
“I apologise for his behaviour, since I know he will not,” Elyza remarked, bowing back to the arachnid.
“It's part of my charm,” Her partner proclaimed with a grin, slipping his hand from her grip as he waved to the woman, “Hey, Vic, miss me?”
“Yes, I did, and it's good to see that you finally have someone to keep you on a leash,” The arachnid remarked with a gentle smile, turning back to her as she introduced herself, “Victoria.”
“Elyza, a pleasure to meet you,” She replied, giving a courteous wave mimicking how Alex did so, a single movement with her fingers rolling around a non-existent sphere.
“I gather you’re here to meet with the Boss?”
“Yup,” Alex replied, leaning against the desk with his head buried into the wood, dread filling his voice, “How fucked am I?”
“Quite,” Tiffany stated, patting his head, giving his hair a scratch with her black nails, “The contingency batch was emptied fifteen days after you last visited, my webs were chewed through.”
Elyza slammed her palms quietly on the desk, having had enough of her partner’s cryptic-ness, “Explain to me what you two are talking about.”
His head jerked up, his eyes staring into hers, debating whether to tell her the entire story or not, definitely from embarrassment, “It's… complicated, and intimate, in a way that you may find strange.”
The words worked only to pique her interest further, “How so? You have talked at length about your previous relationships, what makes this one any different?”
His mouth opened, yet nothing came out, his throat refusing to make any noise, which was strange, especially for him, “… Honestly, you’ll understand after the ordeal is done, and I don’t have the heart to tell you beforehand.”
“Then we should go before the doors burst open,” Tiffany remarked, gesturing both of them to follow her behind the purple curtains, Alex jumping after she vaulted over the desk. The room behind was nothing to be impressed about, stretching for the length of the building but having only two desks within the corridor. Both were stacked with paperwork, a horned man biting his nails as he did the books, paying them no attention, the other empty, and by the smell of smoke lingering in the air, whoever sat there was taking a break elsewhere. Tiffany climbed up the wall next to the spiral stairs at the very back, leaving them two to climb up the metal steps.
As soon as her head was level with the next floor she saw a giant door blocking the supposed main chamber of the building, specks of black tarnishing the intricately etched visage of Cupid, along with his other variations, Eros, Astrild, Amor and Kamadeva, rising from a place of blood and fire. She could tell by the sheen that it was forged from silver, meaning her mind could predict whoever rested behind those doors had to be connected with demons, or even more theatrical than her partner, both uncomfortable thoughts.
“You think my scent is seeping through the door?” Alex asked, placing a hand on the metal, apprehensive of going inside.
“Most likely,” The arachnid replied.
His eyes fell upon Elyza, holding for a moment, which befuddled her, “What?”
“Aren’t you coming with?”
She almost pinned him to the door, her annoyance, and feelings of betrayal bubbling over, but she was somehow able to keep her halberd at bay. Staring back, the idea that he would want her to observe him with another woman should have led to anger echoing from her voice, but she kept calm, “No, I would not want to intervene in such a private affair.”
He appeared confused at her words, his eyes narrowing as if he didn’t know what he was asking for, “I can guess you’re pissed at me, and I can guess why, but I think this would probably be funnier if I don’t broach the concerned subject.”
“Only time shall tell,” Elyza parroted in his tone, gesturing at him to proceed forward.
“Alright, Mrs. Dramatic,” His grin almost made her smile, but she tensed her jaw to stop herself, glaring at him till he slipped into the confines of the room.
There was a rap on wood as Tiffany adjusted her feet to be more comfortable standing still, her words flowing like she had been in the situation before, “He hasn’t… told you what’s about to happen, has he?”
“I gather this has happened before…”
“Yes, it has, but not with someone he cares about,” She remarked, a smile etching itself just as it did on Alex when he knew something she didn’t, “Just keep an open mind, and try not to laugh at the end.”
“Hey there buddy,” Alex’s words were able to permeate the door, surprising her, but not the person to her side, Elyza’s ears perking up to take in more of his voice.
There was a gap, “Magni, brother, are you feeling alright? Not planning to jump on me when my back’s turned again, right?”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Wait, Magni?” Elyza blurted out, leading Tiffany to chuckle, “Your boss is a man?”
“I knew that bastard didn’t tell you,” The arachnid remarked, her feet tapping the floor once again as she took a step back, “It is highly recommended you give them a bit more room, and try to keep your visualisation to a minimum till it's over.”
“I know you’re thirsty, and I’m willing to provide, but you need to be calm and rational, alright? So turn around, and show me a smile,” Alex spoke, his voice sounding more echoey and deeper into the room.
There was a slight creak, before there was an enormously audible, “Oh, fuck.”
Silence followed once more, before there was an animalistic growl erupted from the room, magic latent in the silver doors activating as they shuddered, the grooves etched into the metal charging with rivers of blue mana, and as soon as it did, her partner’s voice shouted as loud as she knew it to go, “YOU RAT BASTARD, HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME AGAIN!”
She didn’t stifle her laugh, and soon there was something else to laugh about, “GET OFF ME, I SWEAR IF YOU RIP MY CLO– STOP LICKING MY HAND! I’LL GIVE IT TO YOU, JUS– FUCK IT.”
She smelled the drop in pressure, turning to advise her accomplice to cover her ears, which the arachnid had already done. The crackle of two lightning bolts boomed through the air, the building quaking through its foundation as something big slammed into the silver barriers ahead of them. The metal screamed under the force of the impact, deforming so badly that it ripped two of the hinges from the metal frame.
“Open the fucking doors, I think I have him under control, but do keep your fingers to yourselves,” Alex proclaimed, his tone one of exasperation, the words taking a toll on him.
Tiffany balanced herself on her four legs, her other two tarsi slipping inside the gap between the silver doors, bending the metal with ease. The crumpled heap gave way to reveal a man wrapped in her partner’s shadows, wriggling against the black tentacles restraining him, snapping his razor sharp teeth at Alex. He was about as tall as she was, draped in what appeared to be red silk pyjamas, his blonde hair cut short and slicked back.
Her partner on the other hand appeared to have fought through a stampede, his hood pulled back, hair going in all directions except down, only for a moment, his hands combing through them in order to settle them back into place. His shirt was clawed apart, tiny slits exposing the skin beneath, patches of red dotting the white fabric, a tiny cut on his chin distracted her from the claw marks on his neck. Perking up as they caught something dripping, her eyes pulled to her friend pressing one hand into the other’s palm, blood smothering the skin, with no signs of stopping.
Instinctively pulling out the bandage she kept in her pouch, she rushed past the snarling man, grabbing her partner’s hand to gauge how deep the cut was. The red that had collected within spilled onto the floor, eliciting a grunt from the wound’s culprit as she ripped Alex’s other hand from the palm. Blood had already started to clot in the wound, slowing down the rate at which it was being drained, but as she started to wrap the wound, her partner held up his finger, telling her to stop.
As he looked back at the upturned desk in the middle of the room, she followed his gaze, which landed on a gilded goblet whose insides were stained red, which was soon grabbed with a hand made from its shadow. The hand flicked the chalice through the air, disappearing as soon as it did, the goblet immediately caught by Alex. Part of the base had been sharpened, but otherwise it was a normal chalice, albeit with gems stamped into the metal. She did not need to ask his reasoning, as he used the base to cut another cut into his palm, forming a cross. The blood flowed freely from the fresh cross, Alex wringing his hand above the goblet so that it collected the cascading crimson waterfall.
Filling it till his viscous blood could spill over the edges, he gave the chalice to Tiffany, and finally allowed Elyza to wrap his wounds. As she swathed his palm, he had to shake his fatigue away before he met her gaze, allowing her to flick his forehead, asking, “Was it funny enough for you?”
“I’ll admit that, this time, it did come to bite me in the ass,” He grinned, his eyes fixed on the arachnid feeding the pyjama clad man his blood.
“You know exactly what I thought was happening, and you’re lucky that he didn’t bite anything else” She remarked, tightening the knot so that it caused him the most pain possible, adding as she let his hand go, “I thought you hate vampires, because, and I quote, ‘They always somehow manage to kidnap me and then try to seduce me into becoming theirs.’
“I can deal with that half of him,” Alex replied, rubbing the bandages to soothe the pain biting at his hand, grinning as he thought of something snarky to say, “And you thought I was coming to entertain a succubus, didn’t you? How dare you, I don’t trade my body for services, do I look like a gigolo?”
Without thinking for a moment, her mind came up with only a single appropriate retort, “Under certain lighting, you do.” Her partner’s face was overcome with a mix of offence and pride at her words, but any further jokes were cut off by Tiffany.
“He should be alright for a bit,” The arachnid spoke, and without hesitation the shadows released their captive, following their master’s unspoken command.
His head jerked to the man who had made him spill blood, his eyes filled not with anger, but with, and she knew from experience, sadistic thoughts. He slowly turned to her as the man got up back to his feet, muttering to himself and into the room prayers and apologies, yet Alex had a smile on his face that made her scared for his attacker.
“You know the trick of mine where I force part of my body to be numb to all pain for a brief moment?” She sighed as she nodded, he was about to do something idiotic, and she had already readied herself for whatever was to come.
Strolling towards the vampire, lending him a hand up to his feet, he let the man rest on his shoulder before continuing, “Magni here is the one that taught me that useful little trick.”
The man looked quizzically at her partner, his voice hesitating as he stated, “I don’t believe I was the one to teach you that?”
Alex laughed as he patted his back, taking a moment to let him relax, before remarking, “Of course you didn’t.”
His hand grabbed Magni’s neck, wringing him in place, leaving no way to escape as his knee slammed into the vampire’s pelvis. The impact made Elyza wince as she heard the uncomfortable squelch of organs, but thankfully no crack echoed through the room. He let go immediately, so that the man crumpled into a groaning heap at his feet, flashing a grin as he added, “Thanks for reminding me.”
In between gasps of air, Magni was able to whimper out a variety of expletives that were seldom spoken even a few decades before, before adding, “I… probably deserve that.”
“It may be time to cut you off for a month or two,” Alex remarked, offering his hand again to the vampire, which hopefully wasn’t another trick of his. Magni took no time to accept his help, caressing his groin to ease the pain as he limped over to his desk, her partner lending him a shoulder, adding to his threat, “But lucky for you there’s a party in town.”
Picking up a fallen chair, the vampire settled into the fluffy cushions, Tiffany returning the desk and the guest seats back to their place as he remarked, “Knew that you would be back in town for Rufelis’ engagement party for Lady Felis, too much of an opportunity for you…” He sighed out, gesturing for both of them to take a seat, “What can I do for you two?”
“I need lists and conversation of whoever came through her with attachments with the Cyllenius trade,” Alex stated as he took his place.
Sitting beside him, Elyza added, “Especially any rumours about unsolicited or unsavoury actions the higher ups may have taken, or any sudden transfer of funds to any organisation related remotely to the Temple of Hera.”
He looked past them both, his eyes conveying a message to the arachnid waiting behind them, the wood beneath them shuddering as Tiffany left to retrieve what they had asked for. Magni mused, his voice piercing her ears but still holding a growl that emanated through his words, “I have heard a rumour from many of my staff that may be of some importance to whatever depravity you may be investigating…”
“Go on, anything that can shed some more light on the blot we seem to be chasing,” Her partner remarked, cracking his knuckles to stay focused.
“Can I get a kiss for it?” The man leaned in with the question, but it was clear he wasn’t serious.
Alex smiled calmly, replying, “I’m afraid Thanatos wants nothing to do with the likes of you.”
“Meanie…” The vampire smiled, continuing, “There was an ambassador of the family that came through a while back, and while he was blowing the back of an incubus dressed up like his own son, allegedly, he was complaining about having to ferry around a bishop from across the ocean.”
“Not a surprise, they probably want to make the engagement look as good as they possibly can for the larger public, even if it's with the second prince,” her partner concluded, but she could see that Magni had more to say.
“He came back a day or two ago, this time with a company of his peers, most as disgusting as he was, but he was complaining about how the bishop came with his own small private army, which was ‘not part of the deal’. It appears that some unfortunate disturbances have forced someone closely related to the Temple to pull some more strings.” The man finished, taking out a file with a few sketches hidden between written accounts, sliding the paper across to Alex.
“Are they still in the city?” Elyza queried, taking a few pages that detailed the resources the militia held.
“Left a day ago, fortunately not before paying this lovely building a visit,” the vampire revealed, turning to her partner, who was busy flipping through the pages of the document, adding, “I was planning to give it to your prodigal daughter if you didn’t drop–”
“Are you trying to get me killed?” Her partner interrupted, quickly clarifying before her halberd sprung to her hands, “I do not have a daughter, I just acted as two kid’s guardians for a… while.”
His eyes were filled with worry, but the orbs of the abyss did not reveal any malice or falsehood within them, his mouth curled into a reassuring grin, so she had no trouble replying, “I believe you.”
He didn’t seem to believe her, quickly adding, “How about we get out of this place and pay her a visit, because I’m afraid this gossiping bastard might say something that even I can’t lie my way out of.”
“Oh,” She did not care that he was hiding part of his past from her, she knew in her heart he would tell her anything if she asked directly, but she also knew that if she played her cards correctly, she could briefly make him regret talking so much, “Is there something you are afraid to tell me? I believed us to be partners?”
His eyes narrowed, there was some part of him that had recognised the trick, but he was forced to proclaim, “I believe this conversation should continue in the presence of my lawyer.”
----------------------------------------
“Why are we breaking into this house,” She was forced to ask, acting as lookout for her partner as he picked the front door of the first room above a random alchemist’s house. There was no threat to be discovered, the view out the corridor showing the tops of the Capital flooding with orange as the sun hid behind the point of Mount Hafnarfjall, when the citizens were only just beginning to return to their houses.
Alex chuckled as the door creaked open, the lock successfully overcame, “It's not breaking in if you own the place…”
Her head flipped back to him, Elyza’s mind connecting the dots as he whistled with the swing of the wooden door, “You forgot the keys.”
“I did,” he remarked with no tone of embarrassment in his voice, strolling into the flat without hesitation, flicking a switch beside the entrance to let the mana flow through the lights above. The room was bathed with a warm tone, and it was by all manners of the word – normal. As she strolled in, she noted the couch whose cover was dragged to one side, a side table stacked with books and fruit beside it, a study desk shoved to a corner with a single unlit lantern above it, and opposite it a kitchen with dishes that still had remnants of breakfast.
A single fan whined to full power above, the airflow causing some papers on the desk ahead of the couch to flutter, stopped only by a single crudely formed ashtray placed upon it. Flicking the curtains looking upon the streets to a side, he promptly collapsed upon the couch, lying down with his legs upon one of the armrests. As he did, it allowed her to explore the room a bit, but something in the corner of her eye instantly caught her attention.
It was a corner of shelves underneath a portrait of her partner, a bit younger than he already was, standing beside two children, a boy and a girl. The girl was dressed in a coat of arms, sporting the royal colours of the military, forcefully looking stoic, the boy was dressed in a private school’s uniform with a smile so big that it could rival the grin of Alex standing above, hugging both of them. The painting had been done quickly, but it had some skill put into it, yet the comfort that the image displayed between the three was what intrigued her.
On the platforms below were certificates and awards dedicated to two people unknown to her – Felicia Jester and Leo Jester. There were military awards for bravery for the girl, and a plaque with a patent for the boy, both having multiple certificates for scoring the highest in the two paths they had taken. There were also pencil sketches of the two, the handiwork identical to the scribbles inside her partner’s notebook. Before she had an opportunity to ask him, the door swung open, and a woman’s voice announced her entrance.
“You know today was supposed to be my day off?” The girl was a splitting image of the one in the photo. Her maroon eyes accentuated by black mascara like the pharaohs of old wore, two prominent bangs framing her face while the rest were tied back into a ponytail that was quickly dismantled. She wore a fringed purple skirt with a blue top over a white shirt, her lips coloured a modest light red, a plain silver necklace already showing its age adorned her neck, and a pair of crudely bent icons of Bast as earrings.
“That’s why I thought you would be lounging around here, reading one of these,” Alex remarked without missing a beat, waving around a book with the title ‘Running From the Sycamore Trees’, adding, “I’m surprised you’ve picked something decent for once, Jester.”
“I would have, if that bastard Nemo hadn’t threatened a Baron yesterday,” Felicia answered, kicking off her boots as she stretched her back, giving Elyza a wave as she did.
As he got up, her partner remarked, “He actually asked for you?”
“I would have had an excuse to refuse if someone hadn’t spread a rumour about an unknown shadow following whoever tried to court me,” She reminded, her tone more tired than annoyed, standing in front of her partner before muttering, “Get it over with.”
She was pulled into a bear hug, and even though she tried to go slack to dissuade him, Alex still swung her like a doll as he added, “How’s your brother?”
“Wanting to kill himself now that he has no control over the results of his final,” She groaned, waiting for a few seconds before breaking out of his arms.
“With what I read, he could probably dethrone some of the professors of Chryse within a few more years,” He grinned out, handing her a banana before gesturing towards Elyza, “I believe you two haven’t properly met…”
Her gaze met with Felicia’s and her eyes were not surprised, but excited, “I’ve witnessed her handiwork, and I am thoroughly impressed,” She put forward her hand, and Elyza took it, allowing her to continue, “Major Felicia Jester, a pleasure to meet the person behind the handiwork up north.”
“Or, as she’s lovingly called, ‘Prodigal General Jester,’” Alex interrupted.
“You’re the only one who calls me Jester.”
“Only due to your jolly personalit–”
Her partner quickly shut up as she glared at him, allowing her to respond with a kind smile, “Pleasure to meet someone I have never heard about, and I believe the same bastard that ruined your courting was mostly responsible for the carnage in the town.”
“He tries to keep his past an enigma, but he has not stopped raving about you, or at least I hope he hasn’t changed partners in the past week,” Felicia replied in kind.
“How did you and your brother meet him?” She asked the question that had been bugging her mind for the past hour.
“He has a…” She looked back at her partner for confirmation, and while his face still had the grin that was always there, his answer was clear for both of them, “habit of picking up strays, but I do not know what the past five years of my life would’ve been without him.”
“You were invited to the Cyllenius party?” Alex remarked, his voice devoid of his usual laxity, producing the report that they had received from the brothel.
“Ah, a work visit, and of course I was, I’m the prodigal General, am I not?” Her face was expressionless, but her eyes were burning with ferocity as they tore through the pages.
“I was planning to meet you the day before the engagement announcement…”
“But some recent updates have turned things severe,” Elyza finished, taking a seat on the sofa as her mind ran back to what she had read in the report.
“This is concerning, and this general appears familiar, the sketch matches the stuff of legends,” the Major remarked, holding up a picture of the private head of the landed army.
The man appeared to be like any other general she had seen in the history books, and there was a part of her mind that recognised the structure of the face, and her partner summarised, “Descendant, perhaps? Though after Beisptmord, I don’t perceive it to be a reality.” The city struck a bell in her head, or at least its annihilation did.
“Problem is–”
“You can not act upon it unless provoked,” Elyza stated, her eyes meeting hers.
“Or you have definitive proof,” Alex added.
“I assume you want me to act a part in whatever plans you have?” Felicia concluded, placing the file on the table.
Alex took a seat beside her, and she spoke for them both, “Only if we face an unprecedented obstacle, which is unlikely.”
She thought for a moment, peeling the banana and taking a bite, a few chews in stating, “You find something solid in the records, and I have enough earned freedom to put my garrison to work, if you can convince the King, of course.”
“I may be able to manage that,” Her partner replied with a grin so assuring that she was unsure if he was referring to something treasonous, or embarrassing.
“Make sure that the princess isn’t involved this time,” The Major requested, finishing the rest of her snack before adding, “So we wait for the reckoning to come.”
“And I thought you left the theatrics back in school,” He grinned as he stood up, adding, “Put on your shoes.”
“Why?”
“Ears here convinced me that some bribery was required for ruining your day off before.”
Elyza quickly clarified, “That, and I wanted to know what kind of stories you have on him.”
She chuckled, muttering, “I remember once where he dressed up as a clown…”