Sentry of the Arcane

Chapter 20: Fitz

"I'm guessing you want to show me something?"

The six of us had only entered the conference room a few seconds ago. I tense up, my fingers tightening their grasp on Laurel's canvas. When I realize that it's only Mr. Wallace, my muscles relax, but my heart still pounds loudly at what he'll say after seeing the drawing. I glance over at Sophie and notice how she seems to have the same expression as me. Sighing, I shake my head explain ourselves. "Actually, Mr. Wallace- you're correct; we do want to show you something. But-" I pause, glancing over my shoulder at the others. "It's a picture. A drawing, to be specific, on what we think David Grahams looked like when he wasn't disguised.."

At this, Mr. Wallace straightens, his face rather tense. "When he was disguised? He would've looked almost the same as he would now, wouldn't he?" He then studies our faces. "Or...I'm wrong." He then facepalms himself. "Of course, the pictures I gave to the Sovereigns."

Sophie nods. "We spent the last few hours learning that David changed his appearance. Using photos and images online, we've come to a unanimous decision that this is most likely what he looks like."

I nod, agreeing to Sophie's explanation. I sneak a glance at the female Percipient as I flip the canvas over so David's face is facing Mr. Wallace's direction. Since the canvas blocks me from seeing Mr. Wallace's expression, I inch towards Sophie and whisper, "What does he look like? Surprised?

Sophie opens her mouth to say something, then closes it for a moment. Sophie looks at my eyes before ducking away from my gaze. Then she replies quietly, "Um... more like expressionless. If anything, he looks confused and in awe."

I frown at this. Gently placing the canvas on the ground, I ask Mr. Wallace, "Well..? What do you think, Mr. Wallace?"

He suddenly shakes his head, as if he were snapped out of a trance. "It's a nice drawing..." Mr. Wallace begins, furrowing his eyebrows. "Amazing, even. But I don't think I've seen him like this before, so I'll take a look later. Is that alright?" He looks directly at Sophie and me for our opinions.

Sophie and I look at each other. I nod at her before turning towards Mr. Wallace again. "We're fine with you looking at the picture later," I tell him, straightening up. "Do you want us to leave it here with you?" He nods, and I walk over to hand him the canvas. Returning to my original spot, I ask, "When do you want us to come back?"

Mr. Wallace hesitates for a moment, thinking. Then he shrugs. "Sure, if you want that. Come down at dinner. I'll tell you guys whatever I can find on it. How about that?"

This time, he looks at all of us as we nod. We then thank him and turn around to leave.

Suddenly, Mr. Wallace's voice rings out, "Tonight's going to be a rather elegant feast, so dress accordingly."

The six of us don't say anything as we exit the conference room. But when the doors closed, Audrey and Donovan let out the groans they held in for the past minute or so. Laurel squeals as she hugs herself while Benen just wears a confused smile on his face. And at this, Sophie and I do the thing we're becoming known for- shaking our heads.

...

(A/N: Sophitz moment. Yeah, I'm going to be notifying you when Sophitz is the main part. Have fun with that.)

After another refreshing shower, I'm quite surprised find a suit perfectly fit for me in my walk-in closet. Black slacks, a white shirt, and a black coat are laid out for me, making me wonder who has access to my room since I didn't see the suit before. A scowl on my face, I don't hesitate into changing into the elegant attire. I look over to my right to see a neat, teal tie hanging off of a clothing hanger. Furrowing my eyebrows more, I carefully take the tie and go into the bathroom, wasting no time in putting on my tie effortlessly. I go back to the closet to also find a pair of black dress shoes in my size. Shaking my head, I also slip the shoes on.