Chapter 67: Preparations III

As they passed by the front of the Pearl, it was noticeably more crowded than before. Leo barely managed to catch a brief glimpse of Kai through the window, the [Receptionist] chatting with a line of clients behind the counter and looking significantly more alive than he had when they’d visited at noon.

“It’s busy hours,” Spade said simply as she circled around the building, leading them through a series of narrow alleyways that were distinctly reminiscent of Sindrey’s slums. They were entering through the back door, where they’d have more privacy.

“Figures,” Leo muttered under his breath. He glanced around, but no one else was nearby. This back entrance probably wasn’t public knowledge. The maze of cramped alleys acted like a shield deterring unwanted visitors.

In front of them, the door itself was a plain, weathered thing. A bit of dust rose when Spade knocked on it in a quick pattern of three followed by a longer pause, then another three knocks. The sound was hollow, and the whole door shook a little under the knocks.

Leo waited, tense, his fingers tight around the straps of his bag. Finally, after what felt like ages, the door swung open with a low creak.

On the other side, Lenore raised an eyebrow at them. She was dressed in another robe, but this one was a dark navy blue with twisting embroidered golden accents. Her dark hair had been pulled up into a messy bun that left her neck and collarbone bare. In one hand, she held the ornate pipe. The end was still smoking.

“Well? Don’t just stand there. Quickly.” She gestured for them to enter, and they slipped through the door while Lenore closed and locked it behind them.

Compared to the dim outside, the room they’d stepped into was surprisingly well lit. Leo took a moment to blink and let his eyes adjust before he looked around.

They appeared to be inside some sort of dressing room. It was larger than expected, but packed with racks of clothes, old furniture and blankets, candleholders, perfumes, makeup, and a number of mirrors. Several open compacts and brushes lay strewn across the scattered tables, having been recently used and abandoned.

Leo shifted awkwardly. It was so crowded that he was sure he’d knock something over if he wasn’t careful. He felt distinctly out of place.

Lenore, however, had no such issue. The woman stepped past them towards the clothing racks without pause, barely giving them a chance to set their bags down before she was thrusting a set of clothes into their hands. Leo blinked down at the folded bundle while the woman raised an eyebrow, amused.

“You didn’t think you could walk into the masquerade wearing that, did you?“ She nodded. “Go on.”

Leo turned the clothes over in his hands. From touch alone, he could tell the fabric was high-quality. Smooth and silky with the tiniest bit of give, it was the sort of material produced in the south. Northern regions favored stiffer, sturdier cloth. He couldn’t imagine how expensive it must’ve been.

Glancing around, the former thief spotted a series of curtains in the back forming a crude dressing room. He hurried over and ducked inside.

Now that he was alone, Leo gave the clothes a second glance. It was a suit, complete with an overcoat and a half mask for the masquerade portion of the evening. A simple, elegant geometric pattern ran up the sleeves in a bronze shade that complimented the dark green fabric. This was a fairly common style among nobility in Adrya, and it looked like Avel’s upper class fashion didn’t differ much.

He was relieved Lenore had picked something relatively plain. Leo already felt weird knowing he’d be wearing such expensive clothing in the first place. At least he wouldn’t also have to worry about looking like a peacock.

The former [Thief] changed quickly, though he struggled with getting the shoulder pads aligned. Putting something on yourself, it turned out, was distinctly different from helping someone else.

The thought made his eyes darken. He shook away the memories and forced himself to remain focused. The auction. The fragment.

Finally, Leo stepped outside the curtain. The suit felt wrong on him, the fabric too fine and constricting. He fiddled with the collar self-consciously. It didn’t help that Lenore was watching him like a hawk, the woman’s eyes narrowed as she studied him clinically.

She stepped closer, moving around the [Fragmentholder] in a circle. She hummed to herself.

“Well, the height looks about right.” She frowned. “A little large, but I suppose it’s acceptable.”

Leo shifted uncomfortably, well aware that the suit was a bit too baggy on him. He doubted the tailor had been designing it with a malnourished thief in mind. He decided to change the subject and held up the mask.

It, like the clothes, was simple. The mask covered only the eyes, and it was constructed out of a dark, solid material with only a few golden swirls adorning its edges.

“I’m guessing this is for the ball,” Leo said. Lenore nodded.

“Be thankful, I could’ve chosen something much more flashy,” she said with a hint of amusement. “I hear feathers are all the rage these days.”

Leo shuddered at the thought. “Yeah, no thanks.”

Lenore laughed, but Leo’s attention was quickly drawn to two of the curtains shifting.

Like Leo, Allan had been given a simple suit, but his was a dark navy blue with silver embroidering. If he didn’t know better, Leo would’ve easily mistaken the [Healer] for a noble.

In contrast, Spade was wearing what looked like a standard issue guard uniform with an equally plain gray mask. Leo raised an eyebrow.

The [Executioner] shrugged. “A mask doesn’t do much to hide my identity, I’m afraid.” She gestured at the scars littering her face with a raised eyebrow. “It’s easier for me to pose as a guard.”

Leo supposed that was true, especially since Spade had worked in Alnwick before. Still, he couldn’t help but be a little jealous. He’d much prefer the more comfortable clothing.

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Lenore walked around Allan and Spade as well, assessing. She looked rather pleased.

“Well, it seems I’ve outdone myself.” She eyed Allan approvingly. “You’ll fit right in.”

The [Healer] just smiled. “Thank you,” he said politely.

Lenore gestured to a row of shoes lined up against the wall. “You should be able to find a pair that fits,” she told them. “The dress shoes all have a compartment in the heel.”

Leo raised an eyebrow at that. “Seriously?”

“Of course,” the woman said lightly. She took a puff of her pipe, blowing out a circle of smoke that seemed to glow in the warm light. “They’re large enough for a small knife. Spade can hold onto any larger weapons.”

That was another benefit of having the [Executioner] posing as a guard, Leo supposed. He and Allan moved over to the shoes, and he was glad to see that one of his new throwing knives could fit in the compartment. The warden’s dagger couldn’t, but this was better than nothing.

He grabbed a second one to give Allan, then carefully handed the rest of the knives and his dagger over to Spade. He didn’t like not having them on him, but at least they’d be within reach if something went wrong.

Allan, meanwhile, looked much more reluctant to give up his axe. He slowly held it out to Spade, eyes slightly narrowed. The [Executioner] raised a scarred eyebrow. Leo glanced between the two of them, but whatever the issue was, they seemed to come to a silent agreement. Spade took the axe, and Allan turned away.

“Is there anything else we need?” he asked. The former [Thief] hummed and glanced at Lenore.

“You have the money? For the auction, I mean.”

Lenore chuckled. “Who do you think I am?” She stepped over to a dresser sitting in the corner of the room and pulled open a drawer, rummaging around before finally removing a large, worn book.

The woman flipped it open, and Leo saw that the inside was hollow. Lenore withdrew a bag of coins and handed it to the former [Thief].

Leo nearly stumbled when the bag landed in his hands. It was heavy, its contents clinking and shifting whenever he moved.

Curious, he opened the bag and found a pile of gold coins, including 100 gamil pieces. He never saw those in the slums. At a glance, there had to be well over 1,000 gamils inside. His breath caught, stunned.

“Six thousand. I did say I was serious about that painting.” She pulled a second, smaller bag from the compartment, then closed and returned the book to the drawer. “This is the rest of your earnings from the crest sale. 33 gamils.”

Leo’s jaw finally dropped, and he quickly closed it. Based on the amused glint in Lenore’s eyes, however, she had seen the reaction.

“Who did you swindle?“ Leo couldn’t help but ask. If this was how much was left after Lenore had taken her cut, he couldn’t imagine how much the original person had paid. He’d been expecting maybe 5 gamils extra at most. They had to have been incredibly desperate.

The woman simply smiled in response, not bothering to explain further. Leo gingerly placed the extra coins in his own coin bag in one of the coat’s inner pockets. For the auction funds, Lenore handed him a leather briefcase that looked as expensive as the clothes.

“Anything new on the fragment?” Leo asked.

“Nothing new, no.”

Leo bit his lip, but the response wasn’t a surprise. It looked like they were on their own for that one. Instead, he asked, “Is there anything else we should know?”

“About the auction?” Lenore shook her head. “I will need to coach you on a few things first, though. Especially you two.” She gestured at Leo and Allan, who exchanged confused looks. The woman laughed.

“You didn’t think you could walk into the most prestigious ball of the year and blend in with no extra training, did you?” She clicked her tongue. “You still have a long road ahead of you.”

She wasn’t kidding. For the next hour, Lenore ruthlessly drilled them on upper crust manners, from the way to talk and hold yourself to the order of dances they could expect to the types of food that would be served and how to properly eat them. It suddenly made sense why Lenore had told them to come to the Pearl so early, Leo thought darkly.

“I don’t understand how these are any different,” Allan muttered. His dark eyes glared at two spoons set out amongst the rest of the cutlery on the table. Leo snorted. It had been a long time since he’d seen the man so visibly annoyed for a mundane reason. It was almost refreshing.

“That one’s for hot soups. See? It’s less curved. Supposed to help the liquid cool or something.”

Allan blinked and picked the spoons up, turning them over. “Huh, you’re right.”

Leo nodded sagely. “It’s stupid, I know.” He twirled a butter knife absently in his hand. He really didn’t think they’d need to know any of this for the masquerade, but Lenore wanted them to be “prepared for anything.”

“What about this?” Allan held up a small glass.

“Non-alcoholic drinks. And you’re supposed to hold those with your left hand.” Lenore had made sure to emphasize the last part. It was one of those southern customs that the nobles of Avel had decided to adopt. Allan sighed at the reminder and switched his grip.

“You know, I figured you’d be good at this,” Leo said amusedly. “I mean, you’re so good at acting.”

“That’s different.” Allan didn’t look up from the array of silverware. “It’s easy to change expressions. This? This is all memory.”

“To be fair, it’s a lot harder to remember stuff when it’s dumb.”

Allan chuckled. “Doesn’t seem to be stopping you.”

Leo finally set the butter knife back down, the silver clinking slightly as it hit the table. He snorted. “I’ve also had way longer to learn.”

The ensuing silence made the [Fragmentholder] pause. His eyes widened a little as he realized what he’d said, and he turned over to Allan, who was watching him with an unreadable expression.

Leo swallowed, waiting for the inevitable question, but it never came. Instead, the [Healer] simply hummed and turned back to the table. Leo’s shoulders sagged back down with relief. Damn it. This was bringing up way more memories than he’d like.

The sound of footsteps approached as Lenore strode over from where she’d been sitting and chatting with Spade. Leo once again felt a jolt of envy that the [Executioner] didn’t have to deal with all this. She seemed to know it too, judging by the raised eyebrow betraying only the slightest hint of amusement.

“I assume you’ve had enough time to practice,” Lenore said when she reached the table.

She didn’t give them a chance to respond, immediately launching into a string of questions followed by a ‘practical exam’ where they had to walk around while she called out every problem with their posture. She didn’t let a single misstep pass by, and by the end Leo was ready for the night to be over. Knowledge of noble habits and behaviors did not, it turned out, translate to actually being able to walk and talk like one.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Lenore stepped back and nodded.

“Well,” she said, “I suppose that’ll do for now.” Leo and Allan exchanged looks.

“So we’re good?” Leo asked hopefully.

Lenore took another puff of her pipe, blowing the smoke out in a long, steady stream that coiled around the room like a serpent. “Oh no. Allan’s cutlery knowledge is depressing at best and your posture is shit.” She smiled sharply. “But it’s good enough for a few hours’ work.”

She reached into a pocket concealed between the folds of her robe, pulling out the invitation card Leo had seen earlier. “This is your ticket inside. I assume you haven’t already lost your masks?”

The three of them held them up, and she nodded approvingly.

“Good. When the masquerade ends, move to the stage after the musicians leave. Past the curtain you’ll find the auction entrance.” She tapped the card as she handed it over to Leo. “Show the guards your invitation again and tell them ‘orchid.’ You’ll get your bid cards and be led to the auction area.”

Leo nodded, tucking the card safely away in his coat pocket. How long had they been at the Pearl? The masquerade must’ve started already, or it would be starting soon.

With the event so close, his earlier tension returned. He could feel his shoulders stiffening in anticipation as they readied to leave.

This was it. They’d need to blend in, find the fragment, then either win or remember who won the bid so they could locate them and steal the fragment from them afterwards. The plan sounded simple enough in his head, but Leo was acutely aware of all the ways it could go wrong.

“Oh, and Leo?”

The former [Thief] turned around at the sound of his name. Lenore was watching him, pipe still in hand, an eyebrow raised. She smiled.

“Make sure you get me that painting.”

Leo snorted.

“Will do.”