"This house is more like a palace." Lanaya stared at the huge building underneath them. They circled once before they landed near the huge double-winged door.
Rylai nodded. "The Invoker likes to live grand." She jumped to the ground and waited for the Assassin to dismount, too.
After ringing the doorbell they had to wait awhile. Rylai assured her that it was normal. "First, the house is vast and second the Invoker doesn't drop whatever he is doing just because someone is at the door. Nothing is more important to him than himself."
After a while, the door opened. A tall elf stood there, hands in his pants-pockets and a frown on his face. He didn't say anything.
"Trick or treat!" Rylai announced cheerfully.
The elf stared at her, nothing in his features changing. Then: "You want to come in?"
"Oh, no, thank you. I'm sure you are busy and I wouldn't want to bother."
The frown deepened the tiniest bit. "Don't mock me. I was trying to solve this puzzle before you disturbed me. For trick and treating."
"You want me to have a look at it?"
The frown vanished, his expression completely blank now. As was his voice. "No."
Lanaya got the feeling that this was something like a game between the two. There was clearly some underlying meaning to Rylai's question. She didn't know anything about their friendship, so she didn't know what it was.
"Do you have sweets?" Rylai batted her lashed at the Invoker who stared again and then sighed. As if he had just accepted his fate.
"Of course." He returned only a moment later, as if he'd had the sweets stored nearby.
"Do you come to Kunkka's party later?" Rylai took the sweets and smiled, she was happy about every single piece of candy she got.
The frown got even deeper now than before. "Party." He didn't say anything else, but Rylai obviously knew what he meant because she laughed and waved.
"See you sometime around, then. Good luck with the puzzle."
"I don't need luck." The Invoker muttered under his breath while he closed the door.
Back on the griffon Lanaya asked: "What was that all about?"
"Nothing special. He likes to play the grumpy elf and I like to be extra nice to him. He hates everyone but I'm sure he likes me and I think that's hilarious. He even has sweets for me every Halloween though he always pretends he doesn't." She shook her head and popped something from her basket into her mouth.