Aeliana settled into the chair opposite The Observer, Theron occupying the seat beside her. After collecting herself, she initiated the conversation. "So, have you paid for your meal?" she inquired, studying The Observer as he took a thoughtful sip of his tea.
"Mrs..." he started.
Quick to correct, Aeliana interjected, "It's Miss."
"Right, Miss Aeliana, why don't you just state what you want," he suggested. "I understand you're trying to ease the situation, but I would appreciate it if you're just frank with me."
Nodding in agreement, Aeliana took a moment before getting to the point. "We need your help, Mister..."
"Reynard."
"Mister Reynard."
"So, what do you want my help with?"
Before Aeliana could respond, Theron interjected, placing a hand on hers, his eyes conveying a silent message. He stepped in, "We need to get somewhere, but the journey is going to be dangerous. We want you to help protect us on the way there."
"Hmm, and why me? I'm sure you must have other friends with supernatural powers."
"None of them are willing to help," Aeliana admitted. "Where we are going, it's in the territory of the mad gods. The place is guarded by the Paragon of Destruction, and no one we know is willing to face him." She was quick to lay out all their cards on the table, showing that if nothing else, she was desperate.
Despite sensing Aeliana's desperation, The Observer shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help you." He just got here and picking a fight with someone who had a title like 'Paragon of Destruction' was nowhere on his list of things to do. Besides, he still hadn't fully recovered from his injuries and he had no intention of getting new ones.
"Wait," Aeliana urged. "We aren't asking you to perform a charity act. We're willing to pay." She conjured a gray mist, revealing a bracelet with a black amethyst gem. With his divine sense, The Observer recognized the potent power residing within it.
"What is that?" he couldn't hide his curiosity.
"A relic," Aeliana replied with pride. "It's imbued with the power of Nyx. It can allow you to meld with and move through shadows undetected, influence the energies of life and death, and create a small pocket dimension of dusk. I'm willing to offer it to you in exchange for your help."
Despite the temptation, The Observer hesitated. "I'm sorry, but it just isn't worth it for me." During his battle with his Master back in the Immortal Realm, he had destroyed all his artifacts in order to escape, even his sword spirit had detonated itself to give him a chance to stay alive. As such, the possibility of gaining a new artifact was incredibly tempting, but, it just wasn't enough to overcome the possible downsides.
As he rose to leave, Theron reached out to stop him. Turning around, The Observer noticed Theron's eyes change, as shadows and light danced within them and he stared vacantly into empty air. He quickly recovered himself and turned to glance at Aeliana, who seemed to perk up. "You're injured," she observed. Without denying it, The Observer nodded. "What if I help you cure your injuries completely… and also help you find a new spirit."
At that moment The Observer had some guesses as to what just happened. Theron must have used some sort of scrying ability to view his past and figure out what he needed the most. It was unnerving that the man could simply do something like that, it meant nothing from The Observer's past was hidden from him, and The Observer did not like that one bit. Then there's the fact that he somehow transmitted that information to Aeliana.
The Observer sought clarification from Theron. "I'm guessing you can see the past and communicate telepathically, right?"
Theron nodded. "It's standard for Devotees of Eidara."
"Hmm," The Observer nodded, pondering a countermeasure for Theron's abilities; for the moment he could figure nothing out, but he eventually would. Accepting their offer, he stated, "Alright, I'll help you. But you have to make a down payment of that bracelet first."
"It's called the Shadowweaver," Aeliana revealed as she handed the relic to him. The moment he touched it, a shining sigil flew from it, embedding itself into him. Fury filled his heart. Looking up, he noticed Theron looked unsurprised, in fact, he looked almost smug, while Aeliana seemed surprised too. It didn't take much to put two and two together.
"You did that?" The Observer inquired calmly, and Theron nodded. "You've taken the payment, and that ensures you don't run away with it."
"Is that so?" The Observer's calm demeanor didn't change even as he mobilized his divine energy. While he understood that Theron wanted to ensure his cooperation after he agreed to work with them, he hated the fact that he hadn't been informed beforehand. He raised his hand at Theron even as he utilized his Law of Space and warped him away from the restaurant.
Startled, Aeliana attempted to distance herself from him. "What did you do to Theron?"
"He fine," the Observer reassured her even as he looked around the restaurant. None of the other occupants seemed to notice something had happened here. Remembering that when those two had first come in, they had been invisible to him, he guessed that they had put some sort of concealment about him.
"Well, let's leave. You can tell me the details as we walk." The Observer stood up and started walking, but Aeliana had no intention of following him. He turned back and looked inquisitively at her.
"Where is Theron?" She demanded. "If you don't tell me where he is then… I'll… I'll call the Paragon of Secrets here."
The Observer blinked slowly at her before speaking. "I warped him to the wilderness outside the city. It shouldn't take too long for him to get back."
She summoned a white stone from gray mist. The stone was unassuming but was in the shape of a disk with a single sigil at its center. Holding the stone, she looked pointedly at The Observer and said, "Are you telling the truth? Do you have any intention of harming us?"
Nodding, The Observer confirmed. "I am, and I don't."
She took a look at the white stone. Nothing about it seemed to have changed, and she relaxed a bit. Eventually, a gray mist covered it again, and when it vanished it took the stone with it. "If it's alright with you, can you follow me home? I'll go into more detail when we get there."
"No problem," said The Observer as he walked to the cafe door and held it open for her. "After you Milady."
She nodded at him and walked out, with him following. "Why did you send Theron away?" Aeliana inquired as they left the restaurant.
"His face annoyed me."