I painstakingly attempt to sip on my black coffee, disappointed, in silence. Sylvia does the same, but much more elegantly.

'How does anyone even drink this stuff?'

"Um, sorry, waiter? Can I can get some milk, or sugar, or cream?"

Sylvia is unable to hold back.

"Pfft."

"What? I like my coffee with a tinge of sweetness to it!"

Sylvia represses an additional chuckle.

"Of course, don't mind me Alden."

When the waiter returns with what I asked for, I pour two bags of sugar and unload three milk pods into my cup, I have no real use for the cream. Now, my coffee is much lighter than Sylvia's. We then both sit in silence until Sylvia's friend arrives. The person to come through that door is Ivana Rodwell, of the Rodwell conglomerate, one of the few Lauderdale [enlightened] to defeat the bear. She salutes us.

"Hey Vivi, hello Alden"

"Hey, Iva"

"Uh, Hello Ivana? You guys know each other?"

"Yes, Iva has been my bestfriend since childhood and her [melody] will be of great help for the plan I have."

"Well, a friend of a friend is also a friend!"

She completely ignores the hand I reached out for a handshake and sits down next to Sylvia. As she settles down, her gaze is fixed on me, never looking anywhere else.

'Figures, rich kids...'

While she seems slightly lacking when sitting next to Sylvia, Ivana is undeniably a beautiful woman in her own right. Her head is adorned by a cascade of voluminous black curls which contrasts her piercing green eyes. Her beige skin resembles the sand at the beach and her figure reflects the same amount of dedication that Sylvia's does. Today, she wears a burgundy turtle neck tucked into a pair of dark grey ripped jeans. Her face is decorated by a set of luxurious glasses and from her ears hang two golden snakes, the logo of the Rodwell conglomerate. She radiates an air of seriousness, expected from the heir of a financial tycoon.

'coffee with two beautiful women, not too bad of a Tuesday afternoon I've got to say.'

Although nearly imperceptible, Ivana's eyebrow twitches.

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"Ivana, meet Alden, his [melody] allows him to summon an extremely durable shield which he can move in space at will."

'She didn't mention my resonance ability huh...'

"Alden, meet Ivana, to make it simple, her [melody] allows her to read minds which is exactly what we need for this mission."

At the mention of her [melody], I freeze. This would mean that none of my secrets are safe when in front of her, while I do not necessarily have anything to hide, it's not something I'm exactly comfortable with.

"Relax, it only works if I'm directly touching you or if you're thinking about me, I won't learn any of your secrets against your will."

'...'

"So does that mean you heard when I was thinking abo-"

"Yep."

'Alright, so she definitely doesn't have a good first impression of me'

"No, I don't."

"..."

An awkward silence fills the café and Ivana shoots daggers in my direction with her eyes. Sylvia seems slightly confused about the situation and alternates her gaze between me and Ivana. Eventually, Sylvia speaks.

"Why don't we begin discussing what I've invited both of you here for. My mission was to investigate suspicious movements in the Aetheria district. There, I located a strange facility with incredibly high security for such a remote place. I was unable to enter, but outside, the main entrance was guarded by four 1st stage [enlightened] and many more were patrolling the surrounding woods. Unfortunately, the situation on the inside is still a mystery. My mission ended after documenting its location, uncovering the identities of some of the workers seen leaving the facility and capturing one of the lower ranked guards which I did not get to thoroughly interrogate myself. What I did achieve to obtain from him was the item produced in that factory. He called it a 'tuning pill'. When I talked to Ivana about it, she informed me that she was familiar with the term."

'That damn pill again!!'

Ivana takes over the explanation.

"Yeah, Vivi might not know about it because of the pride of the FullCastle, but they're commonly used among the high class of society. I remember taking some myself when I was child, though I've stopped after the ritual."

"...Then why would you participate in a mission that involves impeding their manufacturing...?"

"It's sketchy, I like to get the full picture of things, especially if me and my whole family have taken them. Additionally, I will be able to gain tremendous amounts of money if I can uncover their manufacturing process."

'Don't you have enough money already...?'

"You wouldn't get it."

"...Can you stop reading my mind?"

"No."

"..."

Sylvia tries to bring the conversation back on topic.

"... Anyways, the mission I have for us involves infiltrating that manufacturing plant and uncovering the secrets of the pill."

I understand Ivana's reasoning somewhat, but I fail to understand why Sylvia would want to do something like that. Nonetheless, because my run in with the pill nearly ended in my death I, warn her.

"I've also had a run-in with the pill and I can assure you that second stages are involved, I had Maestro Lauren save me last time but she won't be there this time. What's your plan for that?

"I have secured some extra help from the FullCastle family."

"A second stage has agreed to help us?!"

"Yes, my eldest brother, Sebastian."

"Sebastian FullCastle?!!"

"Yes... Are you a fan?"

"Who isn't?! He's like, the man every teenage boy looks up to, the epitome of manly and heroic!!! I have posters of him!!"

"Are you sure this guy is okay for the mission Vivi?"

Seriously, Sebastian FullCastle is an absolute icon of the [enlightened] world. He is the poster boy of our militaristic force. His exploits are spread far and wide, inspiring every kid to want to be just like him when they grow up, me included. It doesn't help that multiple movies re-enact his accomplishments on the battlefield and recount his life in what I honestly believe to be a grossly embellished manner. As I am thinking about her brother, Sylvia brings me back to reality.

"Alden, now that that's covered, will you join us?"

An idea strikes me.

"Ahem, as you may know, I am of humble origins, I would like to be compensated for this mission."

I would normally never ask for money in such a way, but I am in a situation that my pride will not pull me out of. I am in dire need of a way to accommodate Calliope without putting any pressure on the twins. Plus, I am genuinely providing them with my services, it's not like I'm asking for a handout.

"Yes, of course, the FullCastle family wi-"

Ivana takes out a check from her pocket and slams it on the table. I pick it up and start thinking to myself.

'Well, that was easy, now it's time to bargain and get the best out of-'

My eyes open as wide as physically possible, and, if I had drank a sip of coffee before picking up the check, it would have been sprayed with it as I layed my eyes on the amount written on the piece of paper.

"A-are you sure there isn't one, or two, or three extra zeroes on here??"

"Yes."

'She must take me for some sort of idiot beggar now...'

"No actually, I quite like those who make the best of every situation, my image of you has improved."

'I really can't figure her out...'