Dear God. What have you gotten yourself into?
You put on a brave smile as you waved one last time to the crowd. Their cheering became muffled through the walls as you followed Aydan back into the clubhouse. He was still wearing a pleasant smile. You were tensed up completely, listening to your heartbeat through your ears as the two of you climbed the stairs. Everyone was outside right now, which meant that the rooms and halls were empty. It was making you nervous being alone with the boss again. But…that wasn't really true , was it? Curioso was still here. You briefly wondered if Elise followed Aydan around in a similar manner - reducing herself down to…well, she didn't have a mask, so would she be nothing ?
The two of you arrived at his office again. He gestured for you to take a seat and you plopped right down, feeling tired from putting on such a show. You could only imagine how your jester felt right now, conjuring up all that fire for you. You've never really seen him exhausted before. How much could he do before everything wore him out?
The other man sat across from you and regarded you differently. There was a twinkle in his eye, his expression pleasantly surprised as he leaned forward and clasped his hands together.
"I've never seen anything like that before," he confessed, sounding nearly out-of-breath.
"I wanted to show you what I could do," you replied timidly.
"Just looking at you, I would've never guessed," he ran a hand through his hair with a laugh. "But you have such a remarkable aura. I just thought…well, nevermind. Forget the training. You're in !"
"I am?" you perked up in your seat.
"You're going to be one of my best…I know potential when I see it." he grabbed a folder from one of his drawers and began scribbling away. Then he paused. "Why didn't you join sooner? Have you been in any organizations before?"
"Oh, no. I've just been busy with my family and all," you sat back casually. You've told so many lies today that it was starting to come naturally to you. "But after the divorce, I've had more free time on my hands. Wanted to put my talents to use for once."
"Divorce? What drama!" Curioso's voice sounded in your ear, and you couldn't help grinning.
"You must have dinner with us and stay the night," Aydan continued. "I'd like to introduce you to my colleagues. They'll be impressed with what you can do."
You hesitated. This would be a great opportunity for you to learn more about this place and the people in charge…but something about this invitation didn't feel right. You should leave while you still have the chance. But…what more could you learn from your office? You need to get to the bottom of things now.
"I suppose I can stay," you shrugged. Your company smiled at you and stood from his seat.
"We have a guest room ready for you. The judges should be finished within the hour and the less experienced guests will be gone. We'll begin things afterward."
You followed him out and down the stairs. You'd have to get familiar with the layout of this building and look around when you had the chance. There was something rich in the air, like you could smell all the magic that was here. You attempted to memorize the route to your room when Aydan stopped in front of a door and opened it without ever touching the handle.
"Please get comfortable. Come and find me if you need anything. Do walk around the place if you'd like…just avoid the courtyard for now. The others might feel jealous to see you've already been accepted. Not like they'd be surprised!"
You chuckled and he took his leave. You stepped through the threshold and shut the door behind you. You turned the lock and listened with satisfaction as it clicked into place. Your sense of safety dissipated when a thought occurred to you. Would this really stop anyone here? That telekinesis guy could easily unlatch the lock if he wanted to…for this reason, you grabbed a nearby chair and set it methodically under the doorknob.
You turned around to admire the room. There was a lovely fireplace and a comfortable-looking couch in front of it. A small table with a set of chairs, where you could eat and work. You opened the door to the bathroom and whistled at the impressively-sized bathtub. God, you were aching for a hot shower right now. Maybe you had just enough time to freshen up…
"What a room! It must cost them a fortune to afford this luxury!"
You jumped at the sound of your friend's voice and turned on your heel to find Curioso lounging on the couch. You realized you haven't seen him in-person since you came here. The sight was relieving to see, to know he was physically here with you. A grin took over your face as you rushed over and practically jumped on the cushion to envelop him in your arms.
You haven't hugged Curioso since that night you consoled him. It was such a nice feeling that you briefly wondered why you hadn't done it again. You owed him everything right now. And you were just so happy to see him again. All this time spent only listening to him in your ear - it made you crave his company.
"Are you okay?" he asked, clearly taken off guard. His hand uncertainty rested on the small of your back, not knowing what else to do at your sudden display of affection.
You came to your senses and let go, shuffling to sit beside him instead of his lap. "I'm great! And it's all thanks to you."
"It did go really well," he moved his mask to glance around the room, tapping his bottom row of teeth with an artificial finger. "You must be the most popular person here."
"But I'm not," you shook your head. "That was all you . I feel bad for taking credit for everything you did."
He turned back to you sharply. "I implore you not to feel that way, Detective. We're doing what we need to do. I don't mind you having a little fun with my magic."
His voice hushed down when he said your title, in case anyone was overhearing you two. You'd have to remind him to use your fake alias, but it might be suspicious if anyone heard you talking to someone like this at all. You were supposed to be alone right now. You kept your ear out for anyone in the hall while you two talked.
"Having fun ?" you repeated, and scoffed at him. "It scared me to death thinking my hand was on fire like that."
"But it wasn't! Didn't you have a blast playing with those flames? Now you understand why pyromaniacs have so much fun."
You smacked his chest playfully and stood from your seat, running a quick check around the room. You searched all the drawers and found a small handbook that was missing its title. It looked like it had been around for ages. You handed it to the jester, who opened it right away while you walked off to the bathroom.
"I'm going to get cleaned up, take a look at that thing and see if there's anything useful. I think it's an informational guide to their club or something."
"Aye-aye!" he fake-saluted you and you rolled your eyes. You felt a million times better having him around like this.
When you stepped out of the shower, you found a fresh pair of clothes folded on the sink waiting for you. Curioso must've conjured these up for you - but you had no clue when he had managed to teleport inside and place them in here for you. You hadn't seen a single thing past the layer of steam on the glass. These were different from the clothes you arrived in and from the silk ensemble you were forced to wear. But now that you were done with the initiation, there was no use for them. You weren't regarded as a 'newbie' anymore, and you found no reason to label yourself as such.
So you changed and stepped outside, to find your friend sitting at the table reading the pages of the book you handed to him. He didn't even look up when you entered his sight, engrossed in what he was reading.
"Thank you for the clothes," you raised your voice to get his attention. He waved you off.
"This is insightful..! Their organization is hundreds of years old, dating back for quite some time. Apparently their practice originated from a family, and Aydan is their most recent descendant."
"But what is it that they do ?" you asked, pulling out the other chair and sitting across from him. He was so tall that your knees touched, but the contact wasn't jarring at all.
He finally looked up at you. "They're a magical cult. This family - they were regarded as the finest sorcerers back in the day, and formed an organization that prioritizes the use of magic, and have power over those who don't have any innate abilities. They want control over the world, which is why they have subsidiary divisions, like the one Sophie was in."
"So these are magical wizards who want power over… normal people?" you bit your lip in thought. "And how are they keeping others in line?"
"Their cause got a little less popular over time as witches were burned and warlocks were hunted," Curioso turned the book around so you could see the page he was on. It was detailing the history of their association. "So now they're focused on recruiting as many people as possible. It doesn't seem like they're putting anything into practice just yet - it seems to be a club showing off their fancy magic."
"But do you think they intend to stick to their origins?"
"I can't say for certain. We may need to look deeper into this."
You nodded in agreement. You still wanted to know why those people Sophie involved herself with were kidnapping innocent persons and experimenting on them. And why they made such a game of killing them…it was all power-play, you were sure of it. But you needed to find and gather some evidence saying so to prove anything. You weren't going to walk out of this empty-handed like you did last time.
"We should look around now so we can scout some more tonight. Get an idea of where they might keep their paperwork."
"Good idea."
"And maybe I can get you to meet this Elise."
Curioso fell quiet and looked elsewhere. You tilted your head at him. This was the second time he avoided this idea.
"...Do you not want to meet her? I would think you'd be excited to see someone who is also under your curse."
"I don't trust her. We are supposed to be loyal to who we serve. There's no doubt in my mind that she will spill our secret to Aydan if she learns about us."
"Then she doesn't need to know you're mine," you paused hearing these words come out of your mouth. Since when have you ever claimed him? He was just your friend! "Maybe you can meet her under some false pretense. Gain her trust so we can learn some more about her master."
"Hmm."
You shuffled in your seat thinking of what else to say. After a moment, you reached out and placed your hand over his. "-And, hey? Thank you for everything you're doing. I had no idea we'd end up in this mess. I owe you big time."
"You should only thank me when we're out of here. We're not in the clear yet." he slipped out of his seat and made his way to the door. "Let's start looking around, shall we?"
You took the hint and stumbled a little out of your seat, moving the chair aside and unlocking the door. You kept your bag on your person - knowing that all the current evidence you had was inside. You couldn't afford leaving it behind and allowing someone to stumble on it. Blue and red colors pooled around you like mist, and you looked down to see Curioso's likeness on your sleeve.
It was time for some detective work.
When you left your room, the commotion in the courtyard must've recently ended, as patrons were now pooling back inside. You swore under your breath as you tried your best to avoid the crowds, who were excited to see and speak with you after your performance. You were pulled into a couple of conversations you didn't really want to have, and excused yourself each time. It felt like an eternity before you were finally left alone.
You casually strolled around until you found an empty hallway, and discreetly tried each doorknob that you passed. It seemed like every one of them was locked until one easily gave - and you peeked inside. It was the dining room. There was an impossibly long table with dozens of chairs. How many people were attending dinner tonight? You knew you were one of them. That thought made you feel a little nauseous and you shut the door, moving on.
"I'm going to need more of your help tonight," you whispered quietly.
"I imagine my assistance won't be ending anytime soon," Curioso replied.
"Are you getting tired at all? That stuff you did out there couldn't have been easy."
"Please! They may use magic, but these people are still human. They need to rest. I don't."
You opened another door with high hopes, but found that it led to another bathroom. You groaned in dissatisfaction and picked up your pace. You were making a mental note of which doors were locked so you could break into them later. Or find a key. But did magicians use keys to lock doors, or spells? Your head hurt just thinking about it, and figured that would be a matter you'd worry about later.
When you opened the next one, you froze where you stood. It was a game room with a couple of billiard tables, a few pinball machines, and dartboards. In the middle of it all stood the suited assistant, Elise, who was preemptively gathering the balls and chalking the cues. She paused in her movements and turned to you, and you knew there was no chance of walking away from this.
"Do you need any help?" she offered, dropping everything she was doing. You shook your head adamantly. The last thing you wanted was to interrupt her.
"Oh, no, it's fine. I'm just getting familiar with the place."
She regarded you for a few seconds longer before resuming what she was doing. As you stood there in the doorway, you thought deeply about this situation. Aydan was nowhere to be found right now, which made this an opportune time to get to know his servant. You whistled casually as you closed the door behind you and made your way to the pinball machines. You pretended to observe them as you watched her out of the corner of your eye - her movements were so stiff and robotic that you believed she'd done all this a hundred times.
"Elise, is it?" you asked nonchalantly.
"That is my name," she confirmed. Even her sentences were curt and sounded rehearsed.
"It's lovely. Just like your suit," you complimented. Her body turned to you but there was no face for you to look at - no head to know if she ever tipped it in acknowledgement. She faced the table again and brushed its surface carefully.
"I'm quite interested in what it is that you do around here," you continued, taking a few steps closer to her. You hoped to get her talking, one way or another. "Do you only serve Aydan?"
"I am Master Aydan's servant, and I keep the clubhouse. I am to serve all of our patrons and obey Master's orders."
You pretended to brush some dirt off your shoulder. "Do you like doing your job?"
She didn't answer you, focusing on getting all the stray hairs and imperfections off of the pool table. You frowned at this. Was she not the talkative type? Or was it because Aydan wasn't around? You would think the latter would enable her to open up more, but that didn't seem to be the case. Maybe Curioso was right about her loyalty.
You decided to try one more time.
"How far do you two go back? He said you've been his servant for a long time."
She continued to ignore you. This was starting to make you feel frustrated, so you decided to give up and move on. You left the room and shut the door a little more forcefully than intended. You carried on with heavier footsteps this time around, not even trying to hide the fact that you were attempting all the handles you passed by. You stopped at some point, looking at the floor and taking a deep breath to channel yourself.
"She would open up to you ," you whispered in the direction of your sleeve.
"Maybe she would."
"You're going to talk to her tonight," you said firmly, checking to make sure no one was around. "I have a feeling she has valuable information."
"Interesting. This is the first order you've ever given me."
"And I hate to do it, but I need to know if Elise is safe here. If she knows anything that might help us."
You picked up your steps. Why did every place you go to have so many locked doors? It always seemed like you were searching for a key or a way in somewhere. You were about to turn the corner until your friend's voice hissed in your ear.
"Wait!"
You halted. You looked around in confusion but could see nothing special around you. Not even a window or a nearby room. You looked everywhere thinking someone had seen you, but there wasn't another soul in this part of the building. It was darker here and the walls were more empty, not a single portrait hung where you could see.
"There's a door hidden here, to your left. I'm betting that's where we'll find what we need."
Your eyes followed where he directed and extended your hand to touch the wall. There wasn't a door you could feel physically, but you had no reason to believe Curioso was lying. It made perfect sense they'd hide a room that contained confidential documents. You felt like an idiot for not considering that sooner. All those locked rooms must be a distraction for the real thing, should anyone like you go looking.
"Why not uncover it now?" you asked him.
"Too suspicious. We'll come back tonight when no one will see that it's been opened."
"Right," you agreed, and redirected yourself away from the area. "Good work. I would've never found that."
You made your way back to the main area where everyone was. You didn't want to be out of sight for too long to garner any suspicion. You accepted a drink handed to you and took a second to indulge, happy to have found your first lead. Finally, something was starting to go right . You've felt so helpless since the second you came here, having to rely on Curioso for practically everything. It was time for you to take initiative and start tackling this thing as a Detective, and not a pyromancer.
"Hey, I've been looking for you!"
You looked up from your glass to see a smiling Aydan approaching you, with a couple other well-dressed men at his side. You winced as you set your drink down. Guess you'll have to put a pin in that last thing you were just thinking about.
"I've told a couple pals of mine all about the show you put on out there," the boss gestured outside and then to you. "They'd like to see your fire in person."
You smiled politely at them. Curioso helped you, and your little tricks went off without a hitch. They were impressed with what you could do and complimented your work. They walked away after you pleased them, and you let out a deep sigh the moment they were gone.
A sense of dread settled in your stomach, and you couldn't figure out why. Everything was going smoothly so far. You had a talented magic user at your disposal and an emergency pistol on your person. What was there to worry about?
—-
You were starting to feel exhausted in the midst of the party, and excused yourself back to your room. You felt ill as you closed the door and collapsed on the bed. Something wasn't right. Were things going too well? Or were you overthinking again? You tended to do that when things were too ideal. You supposed it was part of being a detective - to look into things even when there was nothing to look for.
Curioso appeared before you in a flash, pulling up a chair to watch you from the side of the bed. Your eyelids felt heavy and you could barely maintain contact with his mask.
"You should get some rest," he insisted.
"I guess I should," you lifted a hand to rub the sweat off your forehead. "Keep watch for me, please."
"Of course."
His voice was the last thing you heard before your eyes closed and things went dark.
It barely felt like 5 minutes had passed before something flicked you on the nose. You reacted instantly, flinching and bringing a hand up to clutch your face. Your eyes fluttered open and you found your friend grinning teasingly at you from above. He was crouched down to meet your eye-level, but even then it still felt like he towered over you.
"They just announced dinner, so we better get going," Curioso informed you.
You groaned as you shifted in the bed. You were feeling better after some sleep. You fixed your hair in the mirror and smoothed out your clothes. The latter was useless because your jester conjured up some formal wear for you - which you were grateful for, but grogginess made you roll your eyes and change into it reluctantly. You made yourself as presentable as you could before walking out and following the sound of chatter and utensils clinking. It sounded like a full house. That familiar sense of dread returned to you as you headed into the room you saw earlier, eyes widening when all the seats were filled and the long table was completely set with dinnerware.
Your arrival was noticed and the room momentarily quieted down. You stood as still as a statue as you took it all in - everyone in suits and dresses, Elise passing around utensils and napkins, and Aydan sitting in the tallest chair in the back. He sat up straight and a smile lit up his features, spreading his arms out in kind as he welcomed you in.
"Our newest member has arrived!"
Then the room cheered again, and you felt like you were back in that courtyard. You smiled sheepishly as you made your way further into the room. Aydan was motioning to an empty seat beside him, which must have been reserved for you. The name card on the plate certainly confirmed so. It was hastily taken by Elise the second you sat down. She pushed your chair in, and when you turned to thank her, she had already moved on and was filling other guest's glasses with water.
"You came just in time. The appetizer is about to be served," the man beside you informed you warmly.
"What are we having?"
"Seared scallops to start with, Moroccan Chicken Tagine for our main course, and mille-feuille for dessert."
'Jesus', you thought as a petite plate was placed before you. How exactly did this organization make its money? They must have plenty if they were throwing it away like this. You grabbed your fork and took a bite, practically melting at the buttery taste. You'd only ever had fine dining about twice in your life. The salary of a detective could not afford such luxuries.
Conversation picked up as everyone began eating. You sipped from your glass of water and listened to Aydan telling various stories to everyone around him - mostly of his successes as a fine magus, and exemplary tales of his magic. You had the feeling most of it was exaggerated and tried not to let your disinterest show on your features. You were playing the part as a distinguished guest, these people thought highly of you, after all.
"I was reading the handbook left in my room," you brought up as calmly as you could. "And it mentioned your family. You come from a line of maguses?"
"Of course. I highly recommend reading some of the books my ancestors have published. I have a few of them in our library here."
"I see," you replied, knowing you'd never willingly touch them but they may provide some insight to you. "I'm fascinated by the history of this society. The handbook mentioned it was made to control those who are not born with our gifts?"
Aydan chuckled and leaned over to pat you on the back. "That it was. We have great goals planned for our future - and to have more experts like you joining our cause, I'm happy to say that we are closer than ever to fulfilling them."
"And what are these goals exactly?"
"All in good time, my friend," he grinned at you and reached over to top your other glass with wine. "For now, I'd like to focus on officially welcoming you in. We have a sort of… protocol , you could say."
This did not bode well for you. "Protocol?"
Another man butted in with a cheerful laugh. "Aye! We welcome our new pyromancers by lighting them on fire!"
You jumped in your seat. " What !?"
Aydan was hysterical. "That's a good one, Jovan!" At your surprised expression, he chuckled. "No, we do something else to welcome our most promising members. We shall commence it at dawn tomorrow."
"But what is it?" You were growing more fearful by the second.
"That's for us to know, and you to find out," Jovan nudged you playfully with his shoulder. You desperately wished to be back home right now.
"Ah! Dessert's ready!"
You didn't have much of an appetite when a pastry was presented to you. But under politeness, you took a few bites, all of which were delectable. It was too bad you were going to bring this whole operation down…you'd kill for more food like this. It was all a pity, really.
…What was it they were going to do to you? You hadn't seen anything in the handbook about a welcoming protocol. It didn't give you a good feeling. You were determined to find the evidence tonight so you could contact the police and have them bring a team tomorrow, to help you close this down. You could only hope they'd arrive in time before these people killed you.