Julian munched on a piece of dry toast as he gazed over the city of Gromwell. After their little escapade last night, both Julian and Carmilla retired. After they had slept like a log and washed up, they ordered a simple breakfast with room service.
"So," Julian grabbed a piece of toast and greedily shoved it down his throat before swallowing it with a big gulp of water. "What's our plan for today?"
"We need to find out who that Artifactor was from the other night. As far as I know, there are no other registered Artifactors who could use powers like that." Carmilla licked her fingers clean and took a swig from her orange juice. Julian crossed his arms as a pensive look clouded his face.
"Where do we start, though? We can't comb out the entire city in that other world, that would take too long." Julian brushed through his hair and looked through the window-in-lead. 20 stories down, the slumbering city of Gromwell stretched as far as the eye could see. It looked like the entire populace had disappeared overnight, save for some garbage collectors and the occasional drunkard. Julian knew better; they were just sleeping off their hangover.
Julian's thoughts were on the previous night, however. The Artifactor that had almost shot his hand off and nearly burned them both to a crisp was dangerous. An unpredictable danger. And Julian didn't like unpredictable things. Certainly not things that wanted to kill him. His expression twisted into a vicious snarl. Something told him this was a lead he had to research, which was the sole reason he went along with whatever Carmilla said.
As long as I get my hands on that Artifactor for some… questions, Julian thought. A soft knock on their hotel room's mahogany front door roused the young man from his thoughts.
"Excuse me, Miss, Sir? There is a visitor here to see you. Shall I tell him to come to the room?" It was one of the hotel's staff. Julian threw a quick glance at his purple-haired companion. Carmilla scrounged her nose for a single second as she thought of a suitable answer.
"No, let him wait in the lobby. Tell him we will be there shortly." With those words, Carmilla stood up and disappeared into the bathroom.
Julian was perfectly fine with that. He reached for his knee-high pants underneath the bed and found his shirt frumpled underneath the pillow. After he had ironed out most of the wrinkles with some swift strokes of his hands, Julian waited for his companion. After ten minutes, she finally came out.
Carmilla had tied her hair into a classy braid that barely reached her hips. A comfortable plaided skirt hugged her upper legs tightly while she skillfully balanced on her black three-inch heels. She adjusted her glasses and waltzed straight out of the room with Julian right behind her.
It took only a moment to reach the luxurious lobby with the modern elevators installed in the hotel's tower. Julian's nostrils were tickled by vanilla and carpet detergent's classic perfume as he walked towards the fountain in the middle of the lobby. While the sound of cascading water filled his mind, Julian looked around.
"Now where is this mystery guest?" Julian's tone almost succeeded in masking his irritation. He didn't like surprises. He didn't like them when he was young, and he positively hated them now! His cold blue-eyed gaze inspected his surroundings, starting with the reception desk. It was only when he moved his eyes to a collection of red velvet-covered seats that he noticed a familiar figure. He clicked his tongue.
What is he doing here, Julian thought.
"My sincerest apologies for the early visit. I hope I've not disturbed your slumber?" A copper-haired butler paced towards us, his face the epitome of gentleness. Julian squinted his eyes. He recalled the man's name was Remy and that he was a butler. The blue-eyed Artifactor didn't bother keeping any more information about the man in his mind. A part of him cursed him for that.
Behind him slumped Edward, who seemed to have fallen out of bed only moments before coming here. He could barely keep his eyes open, his short brown hair stood in all directions, and he had done the buttons of his white shirt in such a way it looked more like a train had run over them. Carmilla softly shook her head and shook the man's outstretched hand.
"No, not at all. We were just finishing our breakfast. How can we help you?" Carmilla threw her long hair backwards and gazed at the man in front of her.
Julian always had been amazed by the speed Carmilla could swap between relaxed and focused. The blue-eyed Artifactor always needed a litre of sparkling water and at least an hour before his brain had cleaned itself from the dreamy cobwebs. Julian judged Edward, the burly young butler, to be the same in that regard.
"Well, I've come bearing an invitation from the Master." Remy bowed and pulled a paper out of a neat brown leather suitcase. It was a small piece of paper. Carmilla took it from the copper-haired butler and skimmed over before she handed it to her companion.
Julian didn't really understand what was written on there. Not because it was any kind of foreign language, but because it was so archaïacally written. Most of the words on the page should be put into a museum. But he managed to read between the lines.
It was a dinner invitation—specifically, a dinner invitation for tonight in the Master's mansion. Julian saw the same symbol of a pile of money along with a quill and a contract printed in the right-hand corner. At the bottom, someone had signed their name with twirling letters: Boreas Fletcher.
That name again, Julian noted. The young man rubbed the piece of paper between his fingers; he noticed it was expensive paper.
"Tell your Master… Boreas Fletcher, was it?" Carmilla tapped her heel on the floor while her brow curled into a thinking wave. "Tell him we'll be at his doorstep at 7 o'clock."
Julian looked at his purple-haired companion. He never expected Carmilla to accept the offer. However, it was true their initial search didn't turn up any leads. Julian had to admit this was the fastest way to achieve his goals, albeit a less safe one.
"Most excellent! We will be taking our leave now. We look forward to seeing you tonight! Edward!" Remy glanced over his shoulder and saw how Edward almost careened into the nearby fountain. Before Julian could react, Remy took a swift step forward and pulled on the man's arm, so he twirled around and landed with his back on the fluffy carpet. With a dull thud, Edward's head bonked on the floor.
"Wuh--?! I-I'm here!" The brown-haired elf's eyes shot open as he looked around. For a moment, his eyes were filled with worry and questions. Only when he saw Julian and Remy looming over him, he scrambled back to his feet. He quickly bowed towards Remy.
"I-I am terribly sorry, Sir!" A slight blush crept up through Edward's budding beard as the morning sunlight falling through the glass roof reflected from his golden earrings. Remy rolled his eyes and forced an apologetic bow out of his Elven companion.
"Tsk. I told you staying up late is not for you." Remy turned around on the back of his immaculately polished shoes. Edward slumped after him with a tired expression plastered over his face. Julian's eyes rested on Remy's back long after he had disappeared while his mind went into overdrive.
Too fast for a normal reflex, too calculated and way too much force to be a simple reaction, Julian realized. Had he planned it or was this guy just stronger than he looked? The blue-eyed young man shook his head to clear his thoughts and glanced at Carmilla over his shoulder.
"I didn't know you had any interest in dining with officials?" Julian had long since surmised the man behind those fancy papers had to be someone of high standing. Coupled with the archaic language and the expensive writing, Julian assumed this Boreas Fletcher was someone of high character. Julian didn't care much for people of high standing. Truth to be told, he hated them. Thinking they were better than anyone else just because they had money. However, Julian found it exhilarating to use them for his own goals.
"I don't." Carmilla sighed and turned on the back of her heels. "However, that butler's invitation was too convenient to be a coincidence. I assume the one inviting us must've caught wind of our questions yesterday at the town hall and want to ask us questions about it." Carmilla bit on her painted nails as several wrinkles creased her forehead. "Which make it our best opportunity to get an edge."
"Fair enough." Julian's face remained expressionless. However, behind his cold eyes, his mind was going a thousand meters a second. A soft smirk appeared on his lips as a plan formed inside his head. His cold eyes sparked with ingenuity as he looked Carmilla straight in the eyes.
"Can I… do the talking when we arrive? I think I've got the perfect way to set this setback to our hands." Julian smirked.
Carmilla parted her lips but thought better of it. She had seen that look before, back when Julian worked under her as one of the Empire's cybersecurity staff. And whenever that happened, any dark organization that had the misfortune of crossing him on the web would fall. A soft smile flashed over her rosy lips as she nodded.
"Fine, but we need to get into the city first. Because with those clothes…" Carmila threw a questionable gaze at her companion. "They'd stop you before you set foot in the house."
"What's wrong with my clothes?!" Julian already felt a headache coming up at the thought of going shopping. It had always been one of his most hated things to do in his free time. Whenever he had the change, he'd waltz into the nearest clothing shop, grab the most comfortable clothes in his size and waltz right out again.
"Nothing. It's just you… you need something more formal for tonight. I'll even have the costs written off as a mission expense." Carmila offered a compromise, but Julian still didn't like it. He rolled his eyes and tried to argue with his purple-haired boss. However, she wouldn't have any of it. They were going shopping, and that was final.
Half an hour later, a sulking Julian sloffed after Carmilla who followed the directions on her phone to the nearest shop. However, a mass of people blocked the way. No matter how she tried, Carmilla couldn't force her way through. Just when she tapped away on her phone to search for a new destination, the sea of people parted in two.
Two green uniformed guards walked away with a stretcher between them. On it lied a disfigured figure, charred on some places and in the same pose as the corpse from yesterday. Julian studied the corpse intently. Aside from the burn marks, there were also faint traces of a multi-coloured powder. Someone clearly tried to mess with the body.
"Clear the way, get along with your business." The leader of the guard troops pushed everyone away from the crime scene. He noticed Carmilla and Julian, smirked once before going on with his investigation. Julian scoffed.
"Another corpse with the same powder. I'm sensing a trend here…" That was not all Julian had seen. He noticed a shop right about where the crime scene had been cordoned off by red-white striped rope. A shop. Julian judged it to be of Elvish craftmanship, with the long name on the name board. A second corpse, a second Elvish shop…
"Right… Now we have a problem. This was the only shop that was open during the daytime. The others are only open during the nighttime…" Carmilla brushed her fingers through her hair as she bit her lip. Julian's eyes twinkled.
"Aw, such a bummer. That means we can't go shopping, right?" Julian hummed a happy tune as he twirled around and walked back to the hotel with a smile on his lips. Carmilla sighed and adjusted her glasses.
"You are insufferable sometimes, you know that?" The woman shook her head and retreated back to the hotel.
That evening, both Julian and Carmilla received another message. This time, not included with a messenger. It was merely a short message written in the same flowery style and expensive paper. It was an address. After they looked it up on Carmilla's phone, it was a mansion located in the merchant's district. The large garden included.
"Hmpf. I dislike this guy already." Julian shivered in the evening cold. He cursed his own carelessness to not bring any long-sleeved pants. The only clothes he had were for warm weather. The black-haired Artifactor liked those since they were far less constricting than other articles of clothing.
"What? You haven't met the man." Carmilla had painted her lips for the occasion in a matte rosy colour while she wore a white shirt with a black tie over it. A pair of loose silk pants and her trademark black 3-inch heels topped off her outfit. Julian had to admit she looked quite classy.
"Just out of principle." Julian pressed the electronic doorbell and waited for a signal. A couple of seconds later, the heavy steel gate swung open with slight undertones of rusty hinges. As the gravel cracked underneath his feet, Julian looked ahead at the massive mansion.
It had four stories, each bigger than ten feet. The golden light streamed out of the various windows made the building look like it had been coloured in gold. Julian recognized the shine of expensive marble, however. Before they arrived at the front door, Remy put his head out.
"Oh, right on time as you promised." The copper-haired butler opened the door a bit further and let the two guests in. The man closed the door behind them and ushered them through the foyer into a long hall to the first floor.
The house's interior was just as luxurious as the outside. Luscious wooden ornaments everywhere, crystal chandeliers illuminating every nook and cranny alongside some light marble artwork strewn around the hallway. Julian found it all a bit… much. As they approached the end of the hallway, a loud voice erupted from a nearby room.
"No, I do not accept this!" A female voice screamed the wooden door to bits. Remy sighed and shook his head. His wrinkled face pulled into a soft, knowing smile as he pulled the door open. An avalanche of complaints overwhelmed Julian and left him with a dull headache. Before he could react, a silver platter flew towards him. The young man reached out for it but missed. His hand-eye coordination was miserable, as always.
"Ah!" With a soft grunt, Julian kissed the freshly-scrubbed floor. He tasted detergent on his lips and quickly spat some drool into a tissue and cleaned them up. He didn't want to be ill before they got to eat.
"Oh, dear! A thousand apologies, Sir!" Remy extended his hand and wanted to pull the fallen Artifactor back on his feet. Julian brushed the limb out of his sight and clambered to a standing position on his own.
"Thank you, but that won't be enough to get me down." Julian vigorously rubbed his nose to get rid of the dull ache as he moved into the room. While this room wasn't any different from the other furniture-wise, the figures sitting around the table piqued Julian's interest.
On one side, there sat a young lady dressed in a tight azure dress with azure decorations at the ends. Her auburn short twin-tails curled alongside her ears while her brown eyes angrily glared at the man beside her. The man used a velvet handkerchief to brush the building sweat of his bare forehead. His hair had the same colour as the young woman beside him, but his eyes were dull green ones. Both had pointy Elven ears. The woman wore a pair of hoop earrings on either side, encrusted with amber-coloured quartz.
"Come on, Marianne. It's truly for your own good…" The man whispered. The woman called Marianne wanted nothing to do with it, however.
"Hmpf. How can something be good for me if I didn't even get to choose it in the first place!" Her words were laced with poison as she angrily kicked her chair over and paced to the only door of the room.
"Move it!" She spat at Julian. She waved diminutively to the left and waited for her orders to be fulfilled.
Julian didn't budge.
"Of course," A soft smirk played with Julian's lips. "After I entered the room, you can exit as many times as you'd like." The blue-eyed Artifactor replied. The woman glared at the man in front of her. The tapping of her heels echoed through the room.
"One more time. Move it!" The blonde Marianne yelled as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Julian just wobbled back and forth on the curve of his feet and leaned forwards.
"Try me?" Julian didn't want to be a jerk. However, he didn't like rich people in general. Especially if they were going to be an asshole about it. Just out of principle, he didn't give in. That was counting without Edward though.
"I am so sorry, your Ladyship!" With a simple tug, Edward grabbed Julian and put him down a few feet to the side. Julian had to admit he was surprised with the elf's strength. The blonde elf woman nodded and flashed a soft smile in Edward's general direction before she strutted out of the room. The older sweating man bowed and quickly followed after her.
However, Julian was more intrigued with Edward's reaction. The normally rather stoic young elf tried and failed to hide a soft blush shining through his budding beard.
"What an exit…" Julian sighed and took the elder elf's free seat while Carmilla sat down right next to him. Julian noticed a soft perfume of raspberry and caramel hanging around his companion.
"Ah, you must be Julian and Carmilla!" A booming voice cut through the awkward silence that build in the room. It came from a black-haired man. His fuzzy hair reached to his back and to come over as classy, he had tied it in a long ponytail. His fingers were decorated with rings. As the old man smiled, he revealed a row of bleached teeth and flabby cheeks. Right next to him sat almost a copy-cat of him, only much younger. Julian thought the young man was only one year younger than him. They both wore the same black and white tuxedo and had the same eye-colour and rich gaze.
"This will be fun…" Julian mumbled to himself as he leaned forwards and looked the elderly man right in the eyes.
"Alright, let's talk… Boreas Fletcher." Julian smirked. This was going to be fun. It had been a while since he had to lie his way through a conversation.
That old man wouldn't know what hit him.