His Soul

Guest Of Honor

Dear God. What have you gotten yourself into?

You put on a brave smile as you waved one last time to the crowd. Their cheering became muffled through the walls as you followed Aydan back into the clubhouse. He was still wearing a pleasant smile. You were tensed up completely, listening to your heartbeat through your ears as the two of you climbed the stairs. Everyone was outside right now, which meant that the rooms and halls were empty. It was making you nervous being alone with the boss again. But...that wasn't really true , was it? Curioso was still here. You briefly wondered if Elise followed Aydan around in a similar manner - reducing herself down to...well, she didn't have a mask, so would she be nothing ?

The two of you arrived at his office again. He gestured for you to take a seat and you plopped right down, feeling tired from putting on such a show. You could only imagine how your jester felt right now, conjuring up all that fire for you. You've never really seen him exhausted before. How much could he do before everything wore him out?

The other man sat across from you and regarded you differently. There was a twinkle in his eye, his expression pleasantly surprised as he leaned forward and clasped his hands together.

"I've never seen anything like that before," he confessed, sounding nearly out-of-breath.

"I wanted to show you what I could do," you replied timidly.

"Just looking at you, I would've never guessed," he ran a hand through his hair with a laugh. "But you have such a remarkable aura. I just thought...well, nevermind. Forget the training. You're in !"

"I am?" you perked up in your seat.

"You're going to be one of my best...I know potential when I see it." he grabbed a folder from one of his drawers and began scribbling away. Then he paused. "Why didn't you join sooner? Have you been in any organizations before?"

"Oh, no. I've just been busy with my family and all," you sat back casually. You've told so many lies today that it was starting to come naturally to you. "But after the divorce, I've had more free time on my hands. Wanted to put my talents to use for once."

"Divorce? What drama!" Curioso's voice sounded in your ear, and you couldn't help grinning.

"You must have dinner with us and stay the night," Aydan continued. "I'd like to introduce you to my colleagues. They'll be impressed with what you can do."

You hesitated. This would be a great opportunity for you to learn more about this place and the people in charge...but something about this invitation didn't feel right. You should leave while you still have the chance. But...what more could you learn from your office? You need to get to the bottom of things now.

"I suppose I can stay," you shrugged. Your company smiled at you and stood from his seat.

"We have a guest room ready for you. The judges should be finished within the hour and the less experienced guests will be gone. We'll begin things afterward."

You followed him out and down the stairs. You'd have to get familiar with the layout of this building and look around when you had the chance. There was something rich in the air, like you could smell all the magic that was here. You attempted to memorize the route to your room when Aydan stopped in front of a door and opened it without ever touching the handle.

"Please get comfortable. Come and find me if you need anything. Do walk around the place if you'd like...just avoid the courtyard for now. The others might feel jealous to see you've already been accepted. Not like they'd be surprised!"