The establishment that sat on quite the popular spot within Rose Garden was slightly well known for a more odd selection of wines and spices. It wasn't that they were necessarily of a better quality then what others could offer, but they always seemed to have a knack for finding wines others never heard about. This time they even offered a job for mages to come taste their newest addition. Of course unbeknownst to the job takers this was a wine of a more peculiar kind. Instead of the usual fermented grapes and berries this wine was enhanced with a special mixture of chemicals which affected the mind in such ways that the taste changed depending on the person. The intended purpose of this was to create a drink that would be appreciated by all, something that could become a staple in the restaurant business. Now of course any single person could taste this, so you might wonder, why mages? That is, because the creators of the chemicals put into the regular house wine weren't quite sure if the effects would be amplified or decreased by the presence of a magical potential.
The restaurant itself was located in a favorable popular position, had a fancy mural and interior and gave the feeling of luxury for those who could afford it. Although the sun was out and the people were about it was only dimly lit within the room with the bartender and Shade, giving the artificial feeling it was evening. Walking among the many people was one peculiar fellow dressed in a black suit, a loose tie and a collectible limited edition 90% cheap plastics Horatio top hat. Who wouldn't recognize such a quality product? The man stood large, tall, though grand in stature yet lacking the pompous attitude of most patrons that would walk these kinds of luxury streets. The man, commonly known to his fan and people who adore him as Horatio, and to a very select few as strange, seemed in a bit of a hurry. He had been approached by one of the guild attendees about the fact that one of the guild members lacked a partner on this venture. He was to taste wines. Perhaps not a job completely suited for someone of his reputation and talent, but he was never one to let a fan down.
The establishment came in sight and Horatio, showing his white teeth with a wicked smile gave his entrance a second thought. This establishment was a bit too expensive to just jump through the window like his usual grand entrance, even he had the common sense to realize that. But just knocking or entering through the door was the way plebs would do it. The second he planned become a full minute as many people passing began wondering what such a queer man was doing in front of the entrance of a respectable business. But then, it struck him, the perfect way!
Through a series of events in his past Horatio had become well known with the layout of any restaurant that followed the more basic and classy approach. As such he managed to find the entrance intended for the intake of products without much hassle. Horatio had the devils luck on his side again, because one of the cooks, or perhaps one of the service staff, left open the backdoor from where he entered. A quick glance around and he found himself within the confinements of a dry storage, with a walk-in fridge not far away from him. In the distance behind another door he could hear the light clatter of stainless steel on stainless steel, a most familiar sound. One quick chuckle later his plan would be almost finished.
Only 5 minutes had passed. Who knows, maybe Shade had already grown impatient within this time period. But the moment was there at last. With a loud 'thud' the door normally intended for waiters and waitresses swung open and hit the wall. Walking out of it was, of course, Horatio; the self proclaimed ACE OF THE UNIVERSE, and in both of his hands one plank filled with fancy char cutlery and in the other a selection of fancy looking snacks like scampi's in tempura and Gyoza's in a sesame seed dressing. Taking one more breath before he considered the show 'on' he began to exclaim.
''Gooood afternoon ladies and gentlemen!Now you might be wondering, what is the grand Horatio doing on the other side of where he was supposed to enter? Well, you see, the easy answer would of course be the say I entered through the backdoor someone carelessly left open, but the REAL answer is of course that I used only the GREATEST of teleportation magic to conjure myself to the other side of the restaurant. I wouldn't want to belittle the staff after all! Now, if I might have your attention, I, THE GREAT WIZARD ARCHITECT OF GASTRONOMICAL EXCELLENCE have made some light yet befitting of the surroundings snacks to go with the wine, after all, I care about my fans as much as I would care about myself!''
His little presentation was full of extravagant movements, and sometimes it seemed like a feat that he never actually dropped the plate and plank in his hands. Of course, that was the only real thing impressive about him aside from the fact that he seemed to genuinely mean he made the snacks he presented. The man walked towards the table, and put down the snacks as he gave a quick wink to Shade before sitting down. ''Well then, WINE PLEASE!''
The bartender was everything but amused by the display of grandeur made by a mage he had never heard of. Yet, of this man was at least half of what he claimed to be he was perfect to test the chemicals within the wine on, so though disgruntled he was in no position to refuse. He grabbed the wine, showed the label as is appropriate to the two guests, and poured them both a full glass. The full glass was a bit against regulation, but it was done on purpose to make sure the chemicals took their full effect within the short time these mages were available.
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