❖ HIGHWAY TO HELL ❖ (aeluri/Tuesday)

Aeluri fiddled with the buttons on the left sleeve of her blazer as she walked along. The rich crimson garment was over top of a dark gray collared shirt and accompanied by a matching pair of red trousers. Earrings dangled from her earlobes for the first time in a while. The woman’s heels clicked on the rough sidewalk with each step. Occasionally people would step aside as she approached, giving curious glances to such a professionally dressed individual. Though she was in a more wealthy part of Crocus, she still stood out among the crowds. Only a certain kind of person wore a suit so vibrant.

The dark mage had just recently appeared from a nearby alleyway. Her magical abilities granted her the handy tool of transporting herself through shadows. Thus, she could simply step into the shadows of her rented room within the Hidden Blades headquarters and appear out of the darkness in an alleyway just blocks away from her destination. Though the ability took some energy, Aeluri found it quite convenient. She had casually slipped out of the alleyway and joined the pedestrians, heading to Le Trésor.

Just a few days before, Aeluri had received a letter via owl - an unusual method. The raptor had swooped down when she was returning home after a mission and landed on a nearby wall. She had stared it down for a minute, trying to decide if there was a threat. Seeing mail delivered by owl was something she had only heard of in stories. Typically it was transported from city to city on trucks or trains. Approaching slowly, she reached out and took the envelope from between the talons of the creature. It let off a loud hoot and took to the air, leaving her to observe the mail. The paper was thick and textured, sealed by golden wax and stamped with a wolf’s head.

Upon returning to her quarters, Aeluri had popped the wax and opened the letter inside. It took her a moment to become accustomed to the looped cursive handwriting.

Greetings Ms. Atra,

My name is Count Julian Wagner. I hail from the capital city Brieburg of the country Blierhyria, which borders Minstrel to the north…

Aeluri skimmed through the first paragraph, scoffing as the writer listed off all of his titles and accomplishments. He really seemed to be entitled and wealthy. Just what did he want from her?

I am writing to you today to request your assistance in an important matter in Fiore. Recently, a young man by the name of Louie Calvin Klein has traveled to Fiore. He is the son of some dear friends of mine. His father has requested that someone be present to watch over him and give him some guidance as he finds his way in Fiore. Neither his father nor myself are able to leave our positions to oversee Louie. All relatives that we have contacted have refused the task, even a cousin of his that lives right in Fiore. Thus, we have had to search for outside sources. Out of all our searching among people of note in Fiore, your record and experiences as a dark mage have led us to believe that you would be a worthy mentor for Louie.

Aeluri had raised her eyebrows in surprise. This was… unexpected. She had never even considered teaching someone else. That was probably because she couldn’t stand the majority of people.

Louie has received a letter too, and we have planned for you two to meet at Le Trésor in Crocus to make sure that this will be a good match. Just a forewarning - Louie can be a little… tough to deal with. We believe that you can handle him though, and provide the guidance that he needs. Once you two have met, further instructions and information will be sent from Mr. Klein, Louie’s father.

Of course, this task will not go without reward. We would not expect someone to accept such an undertaking without proper compensation. Thus, we are offering…

Aeluri’s eyes had nearly popped out of her head. That much jewel, just for hanging around with a rich little twerp for a while?! She jumped up and picked up Umbra - who had been sleeping nearby - and twirled in a circle with the feline squeezed in her arms. He let out an alarmed meow. “Umbra!” she had cried, “We’re gonna be so rich!”

Aeluri was surprised to see that the cafe had lacrima-powered sliding glass doors. They opened with a gentle hiss as she approached. This was definitely a wealthy side of Crocus if they had technology like that everywhere. As she entered, her mismatched eyes scoured the room for the man she was intended to meet. The letter hadn’t detailed much about Louie, so she didn’t know what he looked like. Certainly it would be easy to pick him out though.

It turned out to be extremely easy. Aeluri noticed a striking young blonde sitting at a nearby table, gold jewelry nearly overwhelming his outfit. His shirt had a few buttons popped open at the top, but Aeluri kept her eyes on his face. The young man looked annoyed. Not in the ‘something bad happened’ kind of way, but in the everyone is inconveniencing me and wasting my precious time’ kind of way. Aeluri knew he was impatiently waiting for her, even though she was perfectly on time.

The dark mage made her way towards the table, her heels clicking softly against the smooth tile flooring. Without a warning or introducing herself, Aeluri pulled out a chair for herself and promptly sat down. Staring intensely into Louie’s ruby eyes, she figured he wouldn’t be intimidated by her crimson and gold stare. She placed her hands on the table, left over right, and tilted her head slightly. “You must be Louie Calvin Klein,” she purred, tapping a blood-red fingernail against the table gently.

The annoyance Aeluri had sensed on Louie was gone in an instant, replaced by a pleasant smile. He was hiding his impatience, she was sure. Perhaps he had been taught to keep a professional air about himself. The Count had mentioned that he was the son of a friend, so surely that meant he came from a wealthy or influential background.

Louie reached over and took her hand, raising it to his lips but no further. Aeluri was unnerved by the sudden contact, but didn’t flinch. Appearances were everything in these first few moments. She could feel that his skin was soft. No calluses or scars blemished his hands, probably from never working hard a day in his life.

Aeluri watched his body language with curious, ever-observant eyes. Some things that would hint at what he was thinking or feeling seemed… false, as if it had been rehearsed. His smile felt disingenuous. His ruby eyes gave him away, though. Despite the smile on his face, the perfect skin surrounding his eyes remained untouched, unwrinkled. He lacked what was known as a Duchenne smile. Aeluri saw through his act in an instant.

The man began to speak, his accent complementing his words with a flourish of a different language. Aeluri wasn’t familiar with it, but it was fairly easy to tell that he had addressed her respectfully. The dark mage raised an eyebrow as he dived straight into complimenting her looks. While she was quite vain and appreciated attention, Aeluri found his act almost comical. He seemed to think that the polite, charming, boyish persona would win her over. Perhaps on others, but Aeluri knew it was just a front. Was this what the Count had warned her about?

Aeluri gripped his left hand with her own, her fingernails digging into his skin ever so slightly. With a jerk, she pulled him close to speak quietly in his ear. “Listen, kid,” she began, emphasizing the difference in their age to make him feel inferior, which she now believed he was. The woman’s voice was smooth with an edge to it. “While I appreciate the flattery, both you and I know that’s not the way you really feel. Why don’t you drop the persona so we can get this meeting off on the right foot? I’m sure your father and the Count would be disappointed to hear that you ruined this opportunity.” Aeluri pulled away from him and released his hand. Leaning back in her chair, the dark mage waited for him to speak with a taunting crimson and gold gaze.

Aeluri simply watched as the younger man exploded. He looked like a kettle that had just reached its boiling point within seconds. She could practically picture the steam pouring from his ears in a cartoonish fashion. A reddened face and eyes wide with anger accompanied the imaginary kettle features.

Louie’s irate voice began to batter her with indignant words. Aeluri crossed one knee over the other, careful not to mess up her outfit too much. She interlocked her fingers over the front of the crossed knee. The vibrant red paint on her fingernails gleamed like little rubies against her darker crimson outfit. The dark mage let out a little sigh. When will this pretentious child shut up? she thought. She nearly looked at an invisible watch on her wrist to emphasize how bored she was, but that would probably only make Louie more angry.

He spewed on about how she was trash, scrum, a barbarian, worthless. The insults rebounded off of her iron-clad confidence without so much as leaving a dent. Aeluri had heard many of these things before, often from people of Louie’s status. The toxicity of the high class never failed to astound her. The cause was different for each person, but the manifestation was the same: vitriol upon those deemed less worthy. If she cared about anyone but herself, Aeluri might have been offended for the targets of such nastiness. That simply was not the case.

At last, he quieted down. The man relaxed back in his chair with a frown. Aeluri nearly spit out a “finally!” but held it back. While she cared not for his feelings, she did care about the exponential monetary gains that had been promised. She had to avoid aggravating him as much as she could, despite her intense desire to break the flimsy man in two.

That was, until the next words left his mouth. Aeluri doubled over, the air leaving her lungs in a massive “HA!” Apologize? Aeluri? As if!

“You want me to APOLOGIZE? On my KNEES? Nice one,” Aeluri said between laughter. The thought was exponentially amusing, so much so that she couldn’t contain her chuckling. She continued laughing for a good minute before regaining her composure. A few wheezes later and she was back to normal, sitting up straight.

“Kid, you can belittle me and wish all you want that you’re better than me, but let’s face reality. You’re stuck in an unfamiliar country, you’re running out of money, you have no direction, no connections, no future here. How long before you’re robbed? Beaten? Killed? You need guidance and protection. You need me.” Aeluri leaned forward, her gaze growing more intense with each word. “I can sense the contempt you feel for me right now. What can I say? I’m a pain in the ass. But I’m a pain that’s gonna bring your status back in Fiore. I’m a pain that’s gonna teach you how to survive in this chaotic country.”

Aeluri reached within the pocket of her blazer and withdrew a little envelope. It was smaller than standard size. Each edge was bordered in gold - real gold. A red wax seal held the flaps together. A fancy design was stamped into it, one that Aeluri didn’t recognize. Surely Louie would though. This was a last resort given to her by the Count. Should Louie prove to be difficult, the Count had told her to hand him the little letter. Though she had been asked not to open it, there was a fair guess at what was inside. Something that would change the way he was acting, something that may make him more agreeable.

“If my words aren’t enough to convince you,” Aeluri purred, holding out the envelope to Louie pinched between two fingers, “then maybe your father’s words can.”

The color drained from Louie’s face so quickly it looked like he had encountered a vampire. Aeluri watched with amusement as he scanned over the paper. She had no clue what it said, but it seemed to have a profound effect on him. The blonde leapt from his chair, shouting about all his possessions that seemed to be threatened. Whatever his father had threatened was serious. Aeluri nearly giggled.

She swiftly hid her amusement as Louie settled back down in his chair. “Oh, you’ve changed your mind? Good~” she replied, the edge of her mouth raising into a subtle smirk. “I’m glad to see you’ve come to your senses.” Mismatching eyes watched him crumple the letter up and plop it in his drink. There was malice in those movements, ever so slight. She could tell he was fuming on the inside.

Aeluri let out a pent-up laugh. “Benevolent? Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.” This man was quite the clown. She had laughed more today than any time recently, and she wasn’t the kind to show amusement so brazenly. It was comical how highly he thought of himself. The dark mage had never met someone so uptight.

“So,” Aeluri continued, placing her fingertips together and leaning her elbows on the table. “I want to know just how difficult you’re going to be. Do you have magic? Do you know any self-defense? How much do you know about Fiore?”