If anyone asked they were just ‘fashionably’ late. This was just a power play and all of it was entirely on purpose. This was most definitely ‘not’ them hurrying to an appointment that had been nearly missed.

With her as the main culprit and cause, because she had overslept and unfair as it was, she was supposed to be the one responsible for their being on time for things. Since it was already long established that regardless of whether Billy didn’t sleep at all or whether he slept like one of the dead, the one thing he wouldn’t be doing is watching the clock.

Before they entered the little eatery where their meeting was supposed be taking place, Edna looked them both over.

She was dressed in a crisp cream blouse and a dark, coffee colored, skirt that she’d found in a boutique that she usually passed on her way out of the city. Billy was  dressed in what she’d thought would be a slightly overlarge suit that  happened to be on sale but with some minor adjustments sat on him fairly nicely.

“How do I look?” said Billy. A faint sleepy, sloppy grin, briefly spreading across his face, before being swallowed up by the usual neutrality.

“Um...Okay, I think.” said Edna. Looking him up and down, maybe a few more times than would have been appropriate, since he had an excuse to do so.  

“How about me?” She said.

“You look good, Ed.”

She nodded, far more pleased by the words than would have made sense to her if she had time to think about it.

With that done, they entered the bistro. Game faces on, back straight, heads held high. Ready for war even though this was just supposed to be some friendly talk between potential business partners.

*****

Matthew Colby, a.ka. Matte-Black Tangent, lieutenant of the Thousand Ghosts, sat in a corner booth in the mostly empty Ivalis-Isle Bistro.

Next to him were his fellow lieutenants,  Fade Singer and Tyrant Queen. In the booth opposite of theirs sat Tundra Fist and Miss Fizzy. Their boss Jermaine Abbott, a.k.a. Thespian Gray, sat betwixt their two booths in an adjacent table.

Matthew checked the time on his cell phone, frowning, because their appointment was already running ten minutes late. He’d already had time to order refills on his coffee, though granted he’d drank that first cup a tad too fast.

Finally the door opened and in walked the folks from two days ago. Walking in front was a man with a tail. A tall man with a tail, wearing a suit. A tall man, with a tail, in a nice black suit, with far too little presence for someone his size.

His face just a tad too pretty, almost girlishly so, his expression empty of all emotion, his gaze simply one of an observer. Passive and Apathetic. Dully set, as if nothing that was happening really had anything to do with him.

Like nothing he saw really mattered.  His eyes not really seeming to take in anything around him, barely doing more than noting all the details. Matthew’s hand unconsciously went to his neck, remembering the velvet softness of the man’s tail, and the cool edge of the blade that had been pressed against his neck.

There was a moment where he felt something like a bit of grudge building. Then he met the man’s eyes, cold dead, and dark as they were, colored the gray-green of rotted foliage. Matt saw his expression.

He realized the man was wearing the same bored expression he’d had as he had when the blade at the end of his tail was pressed against Matthew’s neck. Matthew realized he knew that expression.

It was the same bored expression one would use to do laundry, or head to the local tax office, or simply just lay back in a chair and stare nothing. Thinking of nothing in particular. It was the face one wore when you couldn’t even muster the energy to frown.

It wasn’t a neutral, expression it was a non-expression and somehow for Matthew, it was very chilling thing to see. Somehow he knew that whether it the was man killing him or him killing the man, that same face would be present. Any thoughts of possibly getting even one day promptly died.

Just behind him was a young woman. Shorter than the man was by two or three heads but the man was tall enough that the same could be said for everyone else who was present. Feathery, sunflower yellow hair. Her light brown skin, filled with the ruddy warmth the stubbornly healthy. Her mouth smiling though her eyes did not.

“Ah...sorry we’re late.” she said, stepping forwards with her hand outstretched. Somehow immediately spotting who was in charge and heading over to Jermaine’s table.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Jermaine stood, a wide smile spreading across his face.

Matthew, found himself grinning. Things always got interesting when the boss ran into someone who was cut from the same cloth as he was.

It was either all or nothing. People like them who were both sneaky and clever tended to either repulse each other or attract each other.

“Oh, don’t worry about. Barely noticed. Just glad you made it. Traffic?” said Jermaine.

“No, but you know how it is. You have someplace to be, the clocks and then suddenly all these last minute things start popping up.” said Edna.

“Ah, I’ve been there.” said Jermaine.

They shared a brief laugh then Jermaine invited them to sit down. Signalling the waitstaff that he’d spent the last fifteen minutes shooing away to let them know he was finally ready to order.

“So you guys are the Bone Tree Company, right? Or are there more of you?” said Jermaine. Blatantly fishing.

Edna smiled.

“Oh, nope. It’s just us for now.”

“...Really. Well either way I’ve heard good things. You’re Cold-Mercury Dancer and He’s Nine-Eyed Asphodel.” said Jermaine.

“Nh...Yes. And you’re the famous Thespian Gray. I have to say that thing you pulled in Shyma was quite impressive.” said Billy. Surprising them all by speaking for the first time. His voice lower and softer than his appearance would have one expect.

Jermaine’s expression wavered for one second before returning to its trademark grin, both lazy and confident. Matthew was sure that the woman with the yellow hair caught the lapse. Sharks like her and his boss weren’t the type to miss blood in the water.

More importantly, there was the question of how the two had known about the thing in Shyma. It wasn’t enough to be alarming but it did make Matthew wonder who else knew. It couldn’t be too widely known, after all, they were all still breathing.

“Well I guess we can say we’ve both been busy, yes?” said Jermaine, chuckling.

“Yes…” said Edna.

“I have to say, the boys I have in the field have had nothing but good things to say about your work. Especially that portable bathroom charm. I think we both know a little about how hard it is to find a safe place to piss in the wastes.”

“True...Though it’s just a little thing ‘he’ whipped up.” said Edna.

“Oh? So he’s the man behind the magic.” said  Jermaine, sipping of the freshly poured wine and gesturing at the Billy.

“Yes. His end of things is in the workshop, my end is in the field.” said Edna. No doubt aware that she was offering up information.  

“Interesting…”

“Anyway, so you sent your friend over there to say hi, the other day. We were wondering what it was you wanted to talk about. I think he mentioned something about a collaboration?” said Edna. Lightly nodding in Matthew’s direction.

“Oh, right, right.”

The food they’d ordered was brought over and everyone quietly began to eat, while Jermaine explained the details of the project.

“So you kids know about the ruins right? The labyrinths and ghost cities that actually pop up in the wastes?”

Edna nodded. Matthew’s attention turned to the other guy and he was astounded to find that he seemed to have maybe fallen asleep. Staring at nothing and staying so still that it looked like he might have possibly nodded off with his eyes open.

“The ruins from the old world and the alternate realities the ancients setup? The ones with all the treasure a girl could dream about? The ones featured in comics and plays and dime novels all over Monde?” said Edna, her smile growing a tad wry as a bit of sincerity and honest interest slipped in.

“You’ve got it in one, Miss.”

“Nh...You’re talking about the new one. The prism that just appeared by the ruins of Liadan.”

The tall one spoke, startling them yet again, the thinness of his presence and his prolonged silence making them forget him. Making it a shock every time he spoke.

“You know of it?!”

Billy simply shrugged. In truth for people like him, whether it was magic or the internet of the old world all that was needed was the right tools and the right keywords, if he really wanted to find something out.

Edna just chuckled.

“Please….It’s not like it’s the worst kept secret on Monde or anything…”

“Too True and that’s where our little proposal comes in.” said Jermaine.

“Do go on.” said the girl.

“If you insist.” said Jermaine, with a wink.

“So there’s the prism a triangular tower that goes both into the clouds and into the earth. Made of clouded crystal.

The prism is surrounded by a the shadow things, the people who really know about this stuff, the big guilds and the folk in the Ministry, their not sure ‘what’ they are. The shadow things are surrounded by a forbidding. This huge aetheric field that only lets the shadows pass in and out, you dig?” said Jermaine.

“I dig.” said Edna. Whilst spearing an asparagus shoot with her fork.

“Heh..Anyway, here’s the thing, the big news is that finally, after a whole decade of nothing, the field is finally weakening.”

Edna’s eyes went wide.

“And you guys want to be in on the raid? But wait, I heard that labyrinth raids are invite only. Only the great royals, the elites of the big three and the biggest sects have access.”

“True, it ‘is’ invite only.” said Jermaine. Following his words by putting an envelope down onto the table.

“You guys got an invite?” said Edna, her voice hushed and excited.

Jermaine just smiled.

“I know a guy, who knows a guy and both owed me big time.”

“Well, shit...I do believe you have my full attention now, sir.” said Edna.

This got an honest laugh from Jermaine.

“I’m glad to hear that, Dancer. So yeah, we have an invite and we have people, but here’s the rub. I’ve heard that you two, are specialists. Especially the big guy.”

Hearing himself addressed Billy turned to look Jermaine in the eye, his expression still as impassive as ever.

“Word is, that you two were a big part of why Jelani’s still standing.”

Edna froze, and though it was only for a second she gave her companion a look that only a sharp and observant eye could catch. Vaguely surprised, vaguely annoyed.

“Ah, you flatter us. We were just pieces of a greater whole.” said Edna.

“Maybe...Maybe not. But if that’s so, then why is the Mayor of Jelani trying to get you two on his payroll?”

Again the girl gave her companion a look and again most of the people there missed it.

“Because he has too much time on his hands? You saw the letters, Ed. It was that contract we turned down.” said Billy, not even bothering to stifle the yawn that finally escaped him.

“Heh...Maybe...Maybe. Anyway, I know talent. I can recognize talent and I think my team needs you two.” said Jermaine.

Hm...I think that that’s something we could get behind, Mister Abbott. Perhaps we should discuss this further.” said Edna.

“Please…. Call me Jermaine.”