The Edifice

14. An Update

"I think," Nim murmurs softly, pulling out her phone. My heart skips a beat as I recognize it as being the same foreign model that Lee had used back in his father's basement. "I know who you're talking about. You remember Eisha, don't you, Kasi? She used to date her dealer and I'm pretty sure he was a Someone Noble."

"Dealer... as in drugs?" I ask, wincing despite the fact that this more than anything might indicate she's thinking of the same person.

"Is he someone famous?" Venus pipes up with a pout, tapping her chin dramatically. "The name's familiar to me, too, but I think it's a celebrity. He was in a magazine right? I wouldn't know some townie plug."

Abraxes sneers at her distastefully. "Fuck's sake, Venus. Flashing your tits to a tabloid agent doesn't make you a fucking celebrity. You're not famous when one of the Creeds is buying your club entries."

"I wasn't bragging," Venus huffs defensively. "You're such an asshole."

Nim leans in to cut off their bickering, suddenly invested in the idea of finding Lee. Whether it's the energized euphoria of her intoxication or simply the idea of a shared friend it's impossible to tell. "Eisha's should be at the party tonight. I'll text her and see if she can bring him. Otysses will let her in, won't you Oti? You love pot."

"Maybe I'm not in the mood tonight, Nim," Otis hisses, that scowl still etched on his face. "Nobody's ever told it's rude to invite strangers to someone else's party?"

The pink skinned girl yelps in surprise as the phone vanishes from between her very fingers, reappearing seconds later in Otis's. He tosses it nimbly with one hand before sliding it into the pocket of his jacket. Nim opens her mouth to argue, but something ticks over internally and she slowly closes it as though biting her tongue. I glance between them in confusion.

"The night's still young," Otis continues grimly. The second part of his reply fading to a low whisper. "Kitty if you want your magician friend by the end of it, you're more than welcome to him. But we need to have a talk first."

The limo settles back into uncomfortable silence, leaving me to ponder my next move. Currently, the outlook isn't good. From Otis talking like he's about to tie me up in a basement somewhere to Abraxes, who still looks at me as thought I'm a meal plated before him.

The reptilian boy in question suddenly groans in agony as a new song comes on, some strange clubby cover of an old Katy Perry hit. "God, can someone put some decent fucking music on."

"'Kissed an Elf' is a classic," Otis responds, looking almost offended.

"What's the matter, too mainstream for you?" Nim teases. "Weren't you the one who got kicked out of her place last week?"

Abraxes glowers back at her. "Don't get me started. She gives succubus a bad name. God, I'm getting a migraine just listening to this crap."

"Well, this will help," Venus says from up the back of the limo and my chest constricts in panic as a chorus of shouts erupt in response.

She empties yet another bag of the glittering powder on an emptied drinks tray and passes it around the car. They all take their turn with the fairy dust, breathing deep and falling like dominoes back to their seats. Nim looks precariously close to vomiting after her hit, some of the pink flush draining from her cheeks as she clutches her chest.

"Whew."

Otis is the last to receive the tray, several times it passed over his lap before finally arriving in his hands. He seems unfazed by it, as though some long standing ritual of theirs to leave him until last. A good two thirds of the original dust remains, but to my amazement and utmost concern, he finishes it off. At least six lines worth.