Issac and Zadie stood in the corner, rereading the card while the other people in the room began talking to each other, their voices growing louder with every second.
"Does this mean that we have to go to the front?" She asked, looking the card over. "Issac?"
The man had a blank look on his face as he stared at the bellboys all around the room. He continued to flex his fingers while gripping the Champaign on his other hand.
"Issac?"
"Let me try something." He said, walking to a bellboy, yellow, holding a tray of miniature cakes in his hand.
Upon seeing Issac approach him, he held out the trey to him, "Cakes sir? They are our speciality. The master's favourite."
"Your master has great taste," he said, popping a cake into his mouth. "It would be a dream come true if I could meet him."
"You wish to meet him?" he asked, excitement in his voice though he tried to contain it.
"Yes, do you know how I can?" Issac asked, taking another cake while he looked at the boy gently.
"Here." he took out a card from the front pocket of the waist, or server, apron he wore. "This might just help you."
"Thank you," Issac said, taking the card between his ring and middle finger as he grabbed another cake.
___________
"What did you do?" Zadie asked as Issac made his way to her holding the card up.
"This." He said, handing it to her. "It says that the answer is where you least expect it to be."
"They are different." She said, looking at the cards. "But ... I thought every server has the same card and each card lead to another clue."
"What did the information about this say?" Issac asked, drowning the drink in his hands. "I believe that they said that you can ask any server for the clues."
"They never said that each was the same," Zadie said, grinning. "How did you find this out though? I never guessed that it was something like this."
"Just a speculation," Issac said, about to put the glove back on as another server walked to them with a tray full of drinks.
Green.
He made eye contact with Issac and walked to him. "Would you like some more drinks, sir?"
"No," Issac said, putting the empty glass on the tray. "How many servers are here?"
"Ten, including myself." He said brightly. "If you are concerned about the work to pay ratio here-"
"No. No." Issac said quickly. "I just wanted to meet the owner of this establishment. Everything is exquisite here."
"I am sure the master will be very happy." He said, smiling at him as he reached into his apron as well and handed Issac the card, the two brushing fingers, "You might need this to meet him."
Issac saw a flash of memories suddenly but managed to force himself to move forward to his current thought.
I have to tell the others, is all he heard and he frowned. What does that even mean?
"Thank you," he said, taking the card from him and handing it to Zadie to read while he kept his eyes on the boy.
He passed some other people who took drinks from his tray. He almost lost him several times but he found him again.
All their masks are identical, if not for the colours, Issac would not have been able to tell one apart from the other … unless he touched them … and that is a few people too many already.
The boy whispered to every server he passed and they all turned in his direction as Issac attempted to not look suspicious, failing miserably.
"They are onto us," Issac whispered to Zaria who was also keeping an eye on the servers.
"I noticed." She said, crossing her arms. "I believe we have to collect from all ten of them?"
"Yes."
"And then what?"
"I don't know. Just get the cards first. We are done with red, yellow and green. Seven more."
"Ok." She looked up at him. "I just realised, your other eye-"
"It's been four chapters, I am impressed you noticed only now." He raised an eyebrow at her. "And yes, it is a glass eye. I forgot to take it out and it is annoying me right now."
"Hopefully we will be done with this in ten minutes tops." She grinned. "Split up?"
"Sure. You take orange, blue and brown. I will take the remaining four."
"Ok."
The two split up as Issac began to make his way to the one with the pink mask.
"H-"
"Please excuse me, sir." He said quickly, picking up a wooden box. "I have to take this to the storage room. Is it about the owner?"
"Yes."
"There will be a card in my pocket." He said, holding the box in his arms. "Take one and use that."
He reached into his pocket and pulled a card out. Pausing before the card was fully out, he looked at the boy's hand and 'accidentally' brushed against it.
"If that will be all." He said, walking away, leaving Issac to stare after him and the card in his hands.
I need to find Zadie.
___________
Zadie walked away from a server, reading the card in her hands with a frown. Just then she looked up to see Issac walking to her.
"Issac." She said, picking up her pace. "This card, we already have it."
"I know." He said, handing her the card he got. "I also got the same card. It is from green."
"This means one of two things." She said, looking at his card. "The two that we just met have the same exact same cards like the ones that we met only before, which is too coincidental. Or-"
"They are the same people from before." Issac continued, remembering what he saw when he got brushed pink's hand.
Pink and Green exchanged their masks when they passed each other only a couple of seconds or so before. They did it so effortlessly and fluidly that, unless you observe very carefully.
"I was thinking that it was too easy," Zadie said, smiling at him.
"You look excited." He said, looking back at her.
"Of course. Now it will just be a battle of the wits and stealth." She said, handing him lipstick as she walked past him. "I am sure you know what to do. Hopefully, something good will come out of that old man."
"Sure." He said, grasping the lipstick in his hand single gloved hand. "I hope so too."
____________
Issac and Zadie began to walk up to the servers they have met and asked for the cards. Once they are given the cards, they opened the lipstick in their hands and gently brushed it against their shirt.
Process of elimination. Issac thought, walking away from green with the card in hand.
He then approached pink, but paused when he saw the light pink streak on his shirt and turned away from him to blue.
This went on for a couple of minutes before the two met up again at the corner of the room, inspecting the cards in their hands.
"Done," Zadie said, holding the ten cards in her hands. "Now what?"
"I do not know," Issac said, scratching his hand absentmindedly. "None of the cards are related to each other in any way."
One of the servers walked up to the two, "Excuse me, ma'am and sir? Have you collected all you need to?"
"Ten," Zadie said, holding the cards out to him.
"Good." He said, looking at the cards. "I will take you there now. Keep the cards well, they will allow you to meet him. Please follow me."
The two exchanged looks before following the server out the doors as everyone in the room stared at them, silence filling the room.
"Put on your glove," Zadie whispered to Issac, grabbing his arm to stop him from breaking the skin in his hands as they passed the door.
"No, it will feel all warm inside." He said, balling his hands into fists. "Dirty and warm … not a good combination."
She looked at Issac then to the server. "Excuse me?"
"Yes?" He asked, not stopping.
"May we borrow your washroom?" She asked, not looking at Issac when he whipped his head to her.
"We are almost there." He said, ignoring her completely as he continued to walk. "Please hold."
"Why do you need the washroom, Zadie?" Issac asked, grabbing his wrist instead of scratching it as it began to heat up.
"Not for me, you idiot." She frowned. "For you. You need to wash your hands before you claw then out."
"I am fine," he said dismissively.
"We are here." The server said, stopping in front of a large door that they did not see before when they came that way. "I shall leave the rest to you."
With those words, he walked away and then disappeared behind a turn.
"What now?" Issac asked, spotting a keypad at the side of the door. "Any ideas?"
"We have to input something?" She asked, looking at the keypad. "Smartass. Look at the keypad."
Issac leaned forward and stared at the keypad. The keys are entirely brand new, so there is no way to know which numbers were used the most.
"Impressive," Issac said, eyebrows raised.
"Now is not the time to be impressed." Zadie scolded. "What do we do?"
"He said the cards would help us, right?" He pointed to the cards in her hands.
"I think I understand," Zadie said, laying the cards on the ground, back facing them as she placed them side by side.
She looked at the designs at the back and looked up at Issac, "Press in what I tell you to."
He nodded and walked to the keypad, waiting for her command.
"One."
As Issac pressed the button his body froze as another, random memory intruded his head, sending him into another person's body and life in the span of a couple of seconds.
He left his body give way when all he could hear is a faint shout from behind him.
"Issac!"