Mister Louie got back to me while I was on the drive back to the hotel.
"I double-checked and I can tell you for sure that the number you gave me was a burner," he said, amused. "Now why would anyone be giving you a burner, Alisa?"
I held back a sigh. "Maybe because they don't want to talk to me?"
"Who in their right mind would wanna ignore a sweetheart like you?" Louie laughed. "Is this someone dodging a debt or something? Coz you seem pretty determined to catch him. You don't usually ask me for a favor this big."
That made me smile. "I wanna keep things a secret for a little while, Mister Louie. And you could say I'm the one who owes this person a favor and you know I always pay my debts. So I have to be able to contact him so we can talk it out, you know?"
"Hmmm... well, whatever your reason, I hope you know that whatever I come up with using my methods, it won't hold in court? This is kind of the definition of invasion of privacy and such." He was cautioning me, but he didn't sound upset about it at all. In fact, I could almost hear the faint satisfaction in the dwarf's voice.
"You think you can find him for me?"
Louie snorted. "Dear, who do you think you're talking to? I'll get him, don't you worry. He's an Adventurer right? And a pretty popular one, too. No matter how private he is, he's bound to get a call from the Guild and the Anomaly Guard. I've been wanting to try this new magic algorithm I've been working on in secret--"
Beep! Incoming call from Dad! Beep!
The message flashed before my eyes.
"Sorry, I got another call Mister Louie, I'll call you back."
"Sure thing, dear."
"Hey Dad. What's up?" My Dad's face flashed onto my holo screen, and from the moving scenery behind him I could tell he was in the backseat of a car like me.
"Are you going back to New York tonight?"
"Mmmhmmm. How about you, Dad? You still in Manila?"
"Just finishing up. Let's have dinner with a friend of mine. You remember my old party member, Harry Rosche? His niece was in the same club as your brother Spencer in high school." He grinned at me. "Harry happens to be the Anomaly Guard Regional Director for Greater Asia."
Oh-la-la. Dad sure moves fast. I grinned back. "How interesting. I've always been curious about your old buddies, Dad."
"I thought, since I was in the neighborhood, I'd invite him and his niece for a little catching-up. We rarely get to stay a week in Greater Asia these days."
"But isn't the Regional HQ in Hong Kong?"
"Yes, that's why I booked a private Portal for them. I'll be picking them up at the Manila Terminal around 7pm, so dinner is at 8pm. Don't be late."
One of the most interesting applications of magic in modern times was Portal technology. Initially, Portals were only used in traveling between dimensions--mostly by elves since they were the race best adapted to magic--but ever since the Gaia Incident, Portals became extremely unstable and were at a constant risk of becoming Breaches that would invite Anomalies over.
It took decades and the combined ingenuity of advanced human technology, dwarf craftsmanship, and elf knowledge of magic to produce the first stable Portals that could be safely used. Taken a step further, Portals became the most convenient form of transportation in the world. They were helluva lot expensive, too. So they were mostly used for mass transport like shuttles or private pods and cargo, since the cost of generating and maintaining a Portal was too much. Unless, of course, you were a Vega and you owned ten major terminals and could easily shoulder the reservation and operation fees of commercial Portals (which you don't own) for personal use.
Dad sure was taking things seriously. I better step up my game, too.
*****
Contrary to popular belief, wealthy people eat in normal places, too. Maybe there are rich people who really only eat in fancy high-end restaurants and think fast-food chains and diners are beneath them, but not the Vegas. We love food. And we don't really care if the one who prepares it is a certified culinary master or a veteran streetfood stand owner, as long as it's good food.
It was the first time I've ever been here, but from what Dad told me, he and his party used to come here all the time back in the day, to celebrate special occasions.
The restaurant was called Piper's Castle. I didn't know who Piper was, and the place looked nothing like a castle, but they served damn good food and even better liquor. No wonder Dad loved this place.
We were seated in one of the private dining rooms on the second floor. Harry Rosche, his black hair shaved military-style, nearly as tall as dad and slightly bulkier (he was a Rank A Tank) but with the kindest smile I've ever seen, sat beside his niece Diane. Diane was a very pretty, dainty sort of girl, and was very familiar to me (I once caught her making out with Spencer one summer, but of course we never talk about that) since she was the Student Council president when I was in high school. Anyway, Dad was sitting beside me, already on his third glass of what must be the best beer I've ever tasted, when an old lady came into the room and gave us a plate of purple cakes for dessert.
Dad clasped the little woman's hands in both of his while Harry pulled out a chair for her to sit in.
"Kids, I'd like you to meet Madam Josefa, the most magnificent clairvoyant to ever live!"
My eyes widened in recognition. Diane had apparently heard the stories, too, because she gasped out loud and said "You're Madam Josefa Zabala, the heroine who ended the siege at Blackbird Hall!"
"Is that what the history books call it nowadays? You two numbskulls should teach these young'uns better." As fragile and sweet as she looked, as sharp and unforgiving her personality seemed to be. I immediately liked her.
"That was no siege. It was pure idiocy. Using fire spells willy-nilly to kill off a dozen lizard Anomalies in the middle of summer, and they were surprised when the whole town went up in flames! Fire inside the town walls, ravenous Anomalies outside, nowhere to run or hide."
Madam Josefa at the time was an Anomaly Guard Squad Captain and she had a vision of the impending disaster. The trouble was that her vision didn't specify which town, nor in which City State. All she knew was that the place would be somewhere in the tropical lands of Greater Asia, without a hint of sea nor river. Working with that minimal information, not to mention the time pressure and limitation of the technology of their generation, they still managed to avert a disaster that could have cost the lives of nearly ten thousand people. It truly was a heroic feat.
My Dad loved telling us stories about his former mentor's adventures. To think that I'd get to meet the woman who made my Dad into one of the best Adventurers out there before the rest of my siblings.
I snapped a group photo of us and sent one to my eldest brother with a little message:
Ha! In your face, Conrad. Dad really loves me best.
(My only excuse for this childish behaviour was the beer. It was really good beer. Thank God I didn't think to post it on my social media account.)
Madam Josefa urged us to take one purple cake each. The moment I swallowed the cake, my stomach felt like I'd been sucker-punched and I bent over double. Similarly, Dad and Harry and Diane wore similar expressions of pain and befuddlement. And just as quickly as it came, the pain disappeared. Madam Josefa gave Dad and Harry a look of particular disgust.
"I ought to tan your hides! Such disgraceful behaviour! Is this what parents do these days? Getting drunk with your daughters like this when you're supposed to be putting a stop to the oncoming disaster?" My senses felt incredibly sharp and clear after ingesting the cake, and Madam Josefa's scolding was much too loud.
"They're not kids anymore--"
"You are all children to me! I'm a hundred and twelve!"
The two giants mumbled their apologies but the old lady was having none of that. "I did not bring you here so you can get wasted on beer. We have urgent matters to discuss."
Madam Josefa pointed her fan in Harry's direction.
"You begin, Mister Director."
Harry flinched visibly at being reminded of his title. He glanced at Dad, then he sighed.
"We have reason to believe that a second Wane will soon be upon us. It's not public information yet, but it soon will be."
Did I hear right? A second Wane?
The look of sudden seriousness on my father's face was a sign that this was indeed true, no matter how hard it is to believe.
"Soon? How soon?"
It was Madam Josefa who answered. And for some reason she was looking right at me when she did. "In two years."
"If it's in two years...there's not much time."
Dad was not amused. He grabbed a beer and emptied it in one go. His cheeks were red and his frown had turned into a pout. The effects of the purple cake must be wearing off."He should declare his intentions first. I'll meet with him myself."Huh. Well, that would prove difficult, since I don't think Jester is aware that he had any intentions to declare at all. Dad seems to be forgetting that I am still in the 'unrequited crush' phase of our relationship. Even calling it a 'relationship' was seriously stretching the boundaries of the word.This was getting quite embarrassing."Dad, I think we should discuss this when there's actually something more substantial between us to talk about. I mean, I think I like him, but he doesn't know that yet." I winked at Harry, who was chuckling silently in the corner."Mister Rosche, Madam Josefa, Diane. Thanks for keeping us company. I think we should be leaving now."
35 days after our Fated Encounter."Are you sure about this?" Bea asked me. "Because it's not too late for us to cancel.""Oh, yes, I'm sure. I finally found a window of opportunity after waiting so long. I'm not backing out now." I smiled confidently, twirling in front of the mirror to check my outfit: a calf-length brown pencil skirt, a plain white turtleneck, my favourite black stilleto boots, and a dark-brown fur-trimmed coat (its faux fur, of course, I don't wear clothes made from real animals. I'm not a barbarian) draped over my shoulders. My hair was done up in a casual high ponytail, with a matching brown satin ribbon holding it in place."Oh, I don't mean the date. I meant moving." Bea clarified, handing me my purse."Oh, that. I don't see the problem. Where I live is my business. And besides, the view is so pretty--""There are literally hundreds of other places that could give you a
He should have known something was wrong the moment he stepped into the cafe.First of all, he had never seen the place so full. Almost every table was taken, and his gaze immediately zeroed in on his favourite spot in the corner, hoping it would be empty. Thankfully, it was. He had been looking forward to having a cup of Arabique coffee that he had been craving for the past few days. Of course, he could just order to-go, but sipping coffee while doing some casual reading in his favourite cafe was something that always relaxes him. And boy, did he need some down time.The past week had been a blur of subjugation requests and raids and rescue missions and paperwork. If he had known how much paperwork he had to go through every time he finished a mission, he would never have accepted the Chairman's offer of enlisting as an Anomaly Guard. Well, at least they allowed him to have an aide. He spared a moment to appreciate Boris' hard work and sympathize with hi
Humans are not as compatible with magic as elves or dwarves. Something about inherent biological capacity and environmental exposure. Earth was naturally devoid of magic, and if it weren't for the Gaia Incident, humans probably would be in the same oblivious bubble of ignorance they've been enjoying for the past few millennia.But things did change, and in order to survive, humans had to evolve and adapt to these changes. Nowadays, roughly sixty percent of the human species can be considered Mages. Now, for every three hundred human Mages, one is bound to develop some sort of supernatural ability in addition to their inherent magical abilities. There aren't a lot of them, and their abilities are so unique and varied, that it's hard to categorize them. So, they are generally known as the Gifted.Although magical ability for the Gifted are less than for ordinary Mages, some of them have Gifts so powerful that it can't even be considered a disadvantag
I had been sitting on pins and needles the entire time I was waiting for Jester to email me the venue for our date.I couldn't even vent my stress by picking out an outfit, since I don't even know where we were going to have dinner. Bea said I should email him to follow-up, but I said I didn't want to sound super desperate or something. And part of me was worrying that maybe he wouldn't reply (that would be embarrassing!) or that maybe he'll go back on his promise and cancel on me (I don't think he's that type of guy, but then again he was the guy who gave me a fake number).So, to ease my frustration, I asked Mister Louie to install this tracking spell and sync it to my holo screen so that I can see in real time where Jester might be. Mister Louie assured me that although it was totally illegal, it was also untraceable so I won't go to jail for it, but he did say I shouldn't mention (especially to my Dad) where I got it from.
I hop from one world to another constantly, but I have always found Earth to be the most beautiful of the three (no bias, seriously). Oren has its charms with its soaring mountain ranges that far outsize anything that you could see on Earth, their cities usually twice or thrice as large as any City State anywhere else. For some reason, dwarven architecture focused on space--creating as much of it as possible, and filling it up with anything you can possibly imagine. Very much like a beehive or an anthill. I've been to Mister Louie's place in New York a few times, and let me tell you that if you ever find yourself invited to a dwarf residence, it's best to stay put unless you have someone who knows the place guide you around. His wife (who is human, BTW) says that the confusion grows on you, and I'll have to take her word for it because she says she only got lost during the first few weeks of their marriage.Ellenis is more surreal, with pockets of dense forests, sur
"Why are you interested in me?" Jester asked shamelessly. As if he were asking me why I chose to wear purple today, instead of asking me to reveal my deepest desires. He probably didn't realize his first question would be something impossible for me to answer at the moment. I told him so, and he said, "But you promised you'd answer me honestly--""As honestly as I can, yes, and I am honestly telling you that I cannot fully explain it right now." I looked him in the eye (bad idea, it was like looking at roughly cut diamonds) to show my sincerity."All I can tell you is that I think you're different. And that you are someone I would be better off knowing, than ignoring.""How can you say that?" he persisted. The potato salad and lamb chops arrived, coating our conversation with the heavenly smell of herbs and sauces.I chewed thoughtfully for a moment before answering. I am not very good at giving straightforward answers (