Hope

Irwyn found a certain amount of fascination in the environment of the mall’s top floor. It was really more of a gathering place for mages than a shopping place, as he had already noticed the day prior, however, he had not really gone to explore any of that back then.

Now, Irwyn was sitting down, holding a hand of cards and faking the slightest flinch before calling the raise. The mage on his left thought for a moment and then called as well. Poker has never been Irwyn’s first choice of a party game but he found out he had… missed such things despite thinking otherwise. Just playing a game for its own sake, gambling a bit with nothing to prove.

It brought back memories of Aaron and Kalista wiping the floor with everyone else and getting poker out of their rotation for another month before the two managed to gradually persuade everyone else for another go.

And the feeling of it was surprisingly pleasant considering he was playing with literal strangers. And that was in part what Irwyn had realised: Everyone around seemed strangely accommodating. Not a single argument had broken out in Irwyn’s vicinity over the past few hours. No brawl or recklessly flung spells. No irrational behavior in a gathering of this size.

That just did not seem possible.

The original better, a much older mage, raised again without the slightest change in their expression resulting in an extra fold, a call from Irwyn and a fold from the last mage still in play. Irwyn held a three-of-a-kind of sixes while, as it turned out a moment later, his opponent had three kings, losing Irwyn the hand. Not that he minded too much: The amount of money being bet was not too significant; barely enough to make things more exciting.

“You bluff too much with your face, Irwyn,” the winning mage grinned. “If you keep doing it every other hand it becomes obvious.”

“I was never the best at this game,” Irwyn shrugged. Nor was he getting the best cards; that had been his strongest hand yet. But it was notable how friendly the mage was being. What for? Something was amiss yet Irwyn couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Another hand everyone?” the man asked, reaching for the deck. There was no dedicated dealer at the table so they took turns shuffling.

“I think I will pass,” Irwyn shrugged lightly though everyone else chose to remain.

“Well then, have a good day.”

“You as well,” and still, they were so very polite.

The subsection of the floor he was in was a large one compared to most. It seemed dedicated to various games from gambling - light and heavy - to board games and myriad other such things, often whole buildings dedicated to singular games since the floor itself was wide and tall enough to host such things. It was almost like small towns inside the massive mall construction, each specialised in one kind of activity.

He had obviously seen the one dedicated to dancing and music, the artisan section, and this one, however, there were more: A space for physical sports explicitly forbidding the use of magic or a pretty little place dedicated to art and drawing; he had also glanced a section seemingly dedicated to less… polite activities in what he thought was a corner, though he had chosen to leave before someone mistook his presence for interest.

When he passed through another boundary Irwyn’s shoes made not the slightest thud. It took him about two steps to realize that all sound was suppressed as he glanced around. The place seemed… serene. There were a few people minding their own business and perhaps enjoying the scenery. Which was a stark contrast to what the city usually was: Tall grass and beds of flowers replicating nature barely touched and unstained. Even the walls were painted to look like distant meadows and the light source was clearly meant to replicate the midday sun, even the heat on Irwyn’s skin almost feeling like genuine sunlight; just the slightest bit Irwyn could not quite put his finger on felt off.

The only real construction present were the benches, a few of them scattered around and never facing one another. Irwyn was a city rat to the bone so he did not particularly care for nature, however, silent solitude… that sounded nice for a while.

So Irwyn picked an empty bench and sat down. The shuffling of his clothes quickly revealed that the suppression of sound excluded the benches, probably in a bubble to allow for conversations and meetings. Not that Irwyn minded as he tried to sort his thoughts. As he had considered before, this place was strange. Not just the room he was in, but everything on the whole floor. People seemed not only so friendly but also… unworried. Ideas were whirling in his mind as to how it was even possible…

"Well, I didn't think you were going to stick around," Desir's voice suddenly sounded from behind the bench, making Irwyn flinch. He had been distracted enough to not notice the blue eyed man approach though that might have been mostly the sound negation.

"This place is strange," Irwyn sighed, hiding his startlement and voicing out his thoughts instead.

"How so?" Desir raised an eyebrow as he sat down on the other side of the bench. One of his blue eyes still looked slightly uncanny to Irwyn no matter how hard he looked, though at that point Irwyn had grown used to it.

"Shouldn't you be with Alice?" Irwyn deflected.

"She already left," Desir shook his head in exaggerated offense. "Her father appeared out of nowhere saying that he was done and ready to leave as soon as she was. She barely said goodbye as she skipped away! Can you believe it?!" Desir overplayed the mock outrage for a moment, then chuckled.

"Well, you seemed to have left a strong enough impression on her," Irwyn frowned. "I am surprised she would just immediately leave."

"No, it's honestly exactly what I would have expected," Desir disagreed. "She is clearly a papa's girl. I know the type: I would bet she's never had a serious fight with her parents over anything in her whole life… and was decently pampered. It doesn't so much as occur to her that she even could argue or make suggestions."

"Well, you are way better than me at this kind of thing," Irwyn admitted. He could read a face and make some connections from that. But that was mostly current things, long-term and relationship-adjacent insights eluded him for the most part.

Desir on the other hand seemed like a shark in water there. Irwyn clearly remembered that basically any woman he had seen interacting with Desir was blatantly swooning; making Desir quite the ladies' man. On a second thought, Irwyn remembered that Desir seemed to have a similar effect to say least some other men like just this morning, so perhaps everyone's man? Then a thought occurred to Irwyn.

"Desir I have a question and it might be a bit strange," though if his suspicion proved correct or was better to settle it sooner rather than later.

“I am listening,” Desir nodded.

“I am not sure how to say it without sounding awkward… though I just had an intrusive thought,” Irwyn sighed, unsure how to formulate the sentence. His lack of any interest whatsoever also did not help with the task. “I am bad with this kind of thing so I will just ask: Have you been hitting on me?”

"Oh… what if I was?” Desir leaned closer, his gaze and body language suddenly sharpened by a notch. The expression of utter seriousness took Desir over in a moment, making Irwyn hesitate about how to interpret it. "Just messing with you!” Desir then laughed out loud, interrupting Irwyn’s thoughts before they could spiral and completely relaxing his posture. “No offense, but you are a couple of years too young for my tastes.”

“Is that the main reason?” Irwyn asked inclining his head, more out of curiosity than anything given he had no interest to begin with.

“Well, it is a convenient excuse,” Desir grinned lightly. “Truth is, Irwyn, I can tell a lost cause from how you look at people.”

“Look at people?” Irwyn frowned.

“You look them in the eyes too much when talking,” Desir nodded as if it was the most obvious thing.

“That is what you are supposed to do in a conversation,” Irwyn was still not seeing Desir’s point.

“Exactly Irwyn,” Desir chuckled. “They are supposed to stay on the face. But that’s not how people are, you see: The eye wanders. To the hip or cleavage, perhaps muscle - arm or stomach - maybe to some other thing that they find attractive. Everyone slips and takes a pique once in a while; me very much included though I have grown good at hiding it,” then Desir pointed a finger at Irwyn. “Not you though. Pretty or ugly, thin or fat, young or old, women or men, you just never look Irwyn. I have started watching you when we still journeyed on-and-off together and never once did I notice you do that Irwyn; you always keep staring everyone directly in the eyes, at most glancing at movement or change in posture before returning right back up. Obviously, I have noticed other clues as well so if I had to bet I would guess you somewhere at the far opposite end of promiscuous. Then why would I bother, knowing you would not interested anyway? As I have said yesterday, plenty of ass out there for anyone looking.”

“I see…” Irwyn nodded, somewhat relieved. “I apologize for asking something so… awkward.”

“Irwyn, no need to apologize considering you are the only one feeling uncomfortable here,” Desir chuckled. “Though you might find these things embarrassing to talk about in public, you may have noticed that I have no such qualms.”

“I suppose the shirtless dancing was a clue,” Irwyn sighed. “It’s not that I find the topics inherently discomforting to be spoken out loud, I just wish to not be involved nor need to figure out what people are hinting. Frankly, usually, I would not even bother with the consideration, though I hold you in high enough regard that I would hate another divide forming because of a misunderstanding.”

“Irwyn, I hardly need your lecture-length excuse for being a bit of a prude,” Desir laughed it off.

“It’s not an excuse,” Irwyn defended. “Back where I come from my best friend’s sister worked at a whorehouse that our group had ties with. I had been there many times and simply ignored any approach rather than make things awkward.”

“I am sure this sounded better in your head,” Desir was beaming, amusement creeping across the man’s lips. “But if your argument is ‘I used to frequent a whorehouse’ you should probably reconsider whether that point is worth making.”

“You know what I mean,” Irwyn sighed and rolled his eyes, though a slight grin did reach his face.

“You mentioned something was bothering you about this place?” Desir changed topics after a couple seconds of silence, making a show of looking around the scenery. “I will admit I am not an expert on gardening but I spot nothing obvious beyond the walls being painted.”

“Not this room,” Irwyn shook his head with a sigh. “It’s the whole floor.”

“How so?” Desir inclined his head with a show of attention.

“People are too friendly. Too carefree and accommodating,” Irwyn tried to explain what he had been feeling. “I have seen no real struggle, no serious arguments. I would expect the occasional magic to be flung in a place with so many egos yet there is none of that. Not even so much a yell or an argument.”

“I have to ask…” Desir had paused for a few moments before speaking. “Did you come here completely on random or did someone direct you here?”

“I stopped at that bar to leave a message for you yesterday morning and then came here because it was the closest mall on the map I have,” Irwyn raised an eyebrow not sure where this was going. “Frankly, I just wanted to have a look at these upper floors since I have managed to obtain a license and ended up figuring out that the highest floor has to have a secret entrance somewhere. You were there for most of what happened after curiosity got the best of me.”

“You know, when our acquainted bird told me there is something strange with your Fate and whatnot, I was not sure what he meant but I think I am kind of getting it now,” Desir shook his head in apparent disbelief. “Of all the places in the whole city, you just stumble your way here and then get surprised why it’s so ‘strange’!”

“This place is not the norm then?” Irwyn frowned. “I had seen other malls with whole floors exclusive to mages around Abonisle, though I hadn't been able to enter at the time,” well, he had seen only one but it was close enough.

“Yes Irwyn, this one is special, not the least because anyone who causes trouble here gets their knees readjusted,” Desir grinned. “Which is a big part of why no one causes trouble. It also gets you banned which might be worse.”

“So this place has some serious backing,” Irwyn nodded. That much made sense. “Given you are here, is the Ibis the owner of it or something along those lines?”

“Not quite, though he is involved,” Desir shook his head. “This place is the most neutral territory you can find in all of Abonisle and not just for the Guild. If there is a dispute between two groups of enchanters, maybe between battle mages or logistic experts or whoever, they come settle it here because everyone knows not to cause trouble. That there will be no ambush or assassination no matter how deep the protential for profit or grudge; at least not a physical one, plenty of slander if you look hard enough.”

“That’s more than an agreement, someone serious is involved here,” Irwyn immediately concluded. “House Blackburg?”

“Exactly,” Desir nodded. “The Mayor of Abonisle - who happens to be the head of a branch situated here - is partial to this place. I have not found out exactly why that is, though the gathering mostly sprung up around the man over the last decade or so; he had been quite busy since before we arrived at the city, though usually you can meet the man face to face if you wander around. Nowadays a bunch of the richest mages around sponsor this place to maintain this level of luxury. For example some of these enchantments which could cost more than the construction of the building itself were done pro bono. This place is also much harder to get into than you seem to think.”

It even made perfect sense. Irwyn was not at all familiar with all the various politics of the myriad factions that undoubtedly existed all around Abonisle, however, he had a strong impression of what House Blackburg could do when retaliating. The Guild’s third tenet remained dedicated specifically to not messing with House Blackburg. If everyone knew this place was defacto owned by House Blackburg, who would dare cause trouble? Not to mention there was probably a background of retaliations, punishments and whatnot that Irwyn was unaware of. Also, a thought struck him since he was already thinking of high nobility.

"The Mayor..." he broached carefully. "I had not even realized the city had a mayor."

"Well, someone has to be in charge," Desir shrugged.

"You mentioned he used to frequent this place until recently. Does he not have a family?"

"A few adult sons as far as I know," Desir thought. "If I remember right his wife died in the last lich war and he has not remarried. I never tried to learn much more to be honest."

“I suppose it doesn't affect us much," Irwyn changed the topic after that. He got a different answer than he had half-expected but it was still a clue. Asking more night needlessly arouse suspicion. Instead he returned to the topic of entry. "Still, harder to get here than I think?” All he needed to do was get through a relatively simple puzzle lock after all.

“Oh don’t make that face or I might actually punch it,” Desir scoffed. “I have no idea how skewed your perspective on magic is but you are not the norm Irwyn. Far from it actually. I would be considered rather talented by most standards yet I feel years behind while years older. Alice is unquestionably a prodigy yet you wiped the floor with her while improvising against her expertise. A good third of the people get here by being sponsored by someone else and half of the rest used to.”

“I see…” Irwyn acknowledged, slightly awkwardly. “I suppose my perspective of such things had most likely been skewed,” he admitted.

“Now I kind of want to know who you would compare yourself to,” Desir sighed lightly and shook his head when he saw Irwyn considering what to answer. “Don’t tell. I have a few guesses and I don’t actually want to know about most of them.”

“I don’t think I am allowed to tell you anyway,” Irwyn shrugged.

“Please don’t even hint at it,” Desir grunted. “I am going to already have my hands full with the job you offered me.”

“So you have decided to take it on?” Irwyn smiled slightly. That was certainly pleasant news.

“Well, I expected to be busy with Alice for a few days yet though that has been cut off abruptly,” Desir shrugged. “I have nothing better to do at the moment. I also had a quick chat with the bird yesterday who gave me his go-ahead. Even mentioned he might contact you if something reaches his own ears, though I wouldn’t count on it; he has personal friends high up that will probably offer more than you can, not to mention that it might earn him some favour with the mayor depending on who this redacted person that took a personal interest is.”

“We will see,” Irwyn nodded not revealing anything. He did, after all, intend to go through far fewer intermediaries than he had led Desir to think. Zero, in fact, once Elizabeth returned.

“Anyway, unless you want me to show you around I will be on my way,” Desir offered.

“No, I think I am fine by myself,” Irwyn shook his head. “Want to process a few things in silence,” and solitude.

“Fair enough,” Desir nodded. “Have a good one.”

“Goodbye,” Irwyn said and Desir indeed left.

Irwyn sat at the bench for a while longer, thinking. The scenery was not bad for that, lacking in anything too interesting. When he got up with a light sigh a few minutes later he took barely a few steps before he had to suppress a stagger. Because on a bench not far away he noticed a face that he happened to know.

A certain someone who he had met not long after his arrival in Abonisle. A Light mage who could become invisible and investigated Irwyn’s hotel on behalf of the Old Hummingbird.

Well… Elizabeth was still likely days away and Irwyn had been very curious about how that spell had worked.