The Fabulous Spec-Fic Smack Down 2024

1.2 Table six

At first observed table six because we agreed that the couple watching everyone seemed the most suspicious.

The bar where we had already jumped over to in the morning, even before it opened, and hid tiny microphones, was called The Man's Cave. And I don't know if it was because of the name, but from the first time Pipaluk brought me here, I felt a sense of resistance, a bad feeling. It was as if I was stepping into a private men's world, which, even in appearance, gave me the feeling that women had no place here. Even the sign didn't seem inviting to me—no flashiness, just a simple brown board with the bar's name in white letters. The fact that we had to go down a long, dark staircase as if descending into a cave increased my aversion, and the bar itself, with its dark furniture and emerald green walls, felt far too gloomy. I wasn't even surprised that there was no decoration on the tables—no little flowers, no candles, as is common elsewhere. The old jukebox, with its flashy blue and orange colors, didn't fit the overall look.

We had quite a challenge figuring out where to hide the microphones. My first idea was to place them under the table, but there was the risk that someone might accidentally bump them with their knee, knock them off, or notice them. So, the only option left was the pictures. Each table had a simple black-and-white charcoal drawing on the wall, and there didn't seem to be any particular theme except that they all featured some kind of animal. I hadn't even noticed them the first time, only now, when we were trying to hide the microphones on them. My favorite was the picture with ants crawling on an infinity-symbol-shaped strip of paper. Then there was one where a child was squatting, watching a frog; a cat on a fence with its fur standing on end; a flamingo standing on one leg; a wine glass turned upside down with a tiny green grasshopper sitting on it. Finally, at our table, there was a picture of a dragonfly, and it was the only one in color with blue wings.

When we returned to the bar full of guests and listened to table six through the headphones, I suddenly felt like we weren't even on the same day. There were small details I needed to remember. Staying focused on table six, I only now noticed that the girl with the long, curly black hair ordered a cocktail, and the boy she was with was intently studying the menu, repeatedly calling back the waitress but then not ordering anything.

"Come on, Ron!" the girl's frustrated voice said. "What's so hard about this? Why don't you order a beer like everyone else?"

"I hate beer! Lily, seriously, have you ever seen me drink beer?" The boy's voice was surprisingly boyish despite his appearance as a grown man. His short red hair framed his small, serious eyes as he scanned the other guests to see what they were drinking.

"Then why don't you get wine? Back in wizard school, you used to drink red wine all the time!" Lily tried to help.

"Yes, I liked wine back then, but I'm not sure I'll like it here; everything's so different..." Ron said, signaling the waitress, who quickly walked over.

Pipaluk, taking advantage of the moment when they weren't talking, signaled to me that he wanted to say something. "Did I hear correctly that they're talking about wizard school? Then they must be wizards?"

"Do you seriously believe that? I always thought it was just a fairy tale..." I replied, but we didn't continue our conversation because Ron finally ordered a glass of red wine, though I missed what kind.

"And that's why I wanted to talk to you, Lily. What you're doing is very dangerous because there are rules. You can't use your powers here. I know that animal didn't escape from the zoo. That was you, wasn't it?"

Lily looked visibly angry, and I tried to discreetly observe them, positioning myself so I could face their table, which wasn't easy since I had to sit too close to Pipaluk, who was mainly listening to the events. The girl was fiddling with her straw, trying to drink the last drops from her tall glass. When she finished, and we almost went deaf from the noise, she signaled the waitress to order another cocktail of the same kind.