Ch 2.67: Proprietor

She almost hadn’t recognize him outside of the uniform with his all black outfit, hadn’t recognized Prisma and that blue dress either, but Elaina really didn’t have the headspace to deal with either of them. “I can go wherever I want,” she said, turning away from the boy.

“I’m not talking about you, idiot,” Waine said as he pointed to the head of the group. “I’m talking about the cop!”

“Me?” Tira said, stepping forward with an angry scowl. “What did I do?”

“Guests, please, please,” a sultry voice said. It drew the attention of both groups, Tira and Waine both turning to the source. Elaina wasn’t sure who she was looking at, but she could tell she was important in an instant. Long, black hair that curled all the way to her hips, dark eyes, a tight fitting, vibrant red dress, and an amount of bracelets Elaina wasn’t sure she’d ever seen in one room, much less on one person, various silvers and golds jingling on her arms and even from a strip of cloth attached to her hip as she walked over, a the sound cutting through the mumbled conversations behind her.

“My apologies,” she added. “I am meant to be welcoming event participants, but was distracted for a moment by other matters. May I ask what the problem is?”

“The problem is that there’s a snitch in here,” Waine said, still pointing at Tira. “She’s head of the school watch! She’s gonna get us all suspended.”

“I’m the snitch? Isn’t your father literally the minister of education?”

“Now now,” the lady said, stepping in between the two of them and holding her hands out. “The only people who aren’t welcome here are one’s who’ve broken the rules of the establishment.” She side-eyed Waine, speaking directly at his group. “I believe I’ve already briefed you on the full rules. I suggest you find a table, lest you be disqualified from round two before it even begins.”

Waine looked like he was ready to go again, but a hand from Prisma fell on his shoulder. “Come on,” she said. “If she wanted to report us, she just would’ve done it, not come all the way here herself.”

Waine grunted, but finally turned around. “Let’s find a table of three and get this over then…”

Elaina wanted to sigh in relief, but she had a feeling that things weren’t over, not even just with Waine either. “Who are you,” she said, turning to the woman that had stepped in.

“I’m glad you asked, Elaina,” the woman said, stepping back and glancing over the the group. “My name is Shein, and I’m the proprietor of this fine establishment. I’ve heard a lot about you four.”

“Your assassin spill everything she saw?” Tira asked, trying to step forward.

“Yes, but I’m more interested in speaking to the actual leader,” Shein said as she continued making eye contact with Elaina, “not the front that falls asleep at the first sign of combat.”

“I—” Even Tira seemed caught off guard by that, slinking back slightly.

It was a little distressing to see Tira like that, but Elaina had steeled herself for this, was ready to take her actual duties seriously, so she stepped forward. “Why are you doing this? Just to get us to come here?”

The woman half shrugged, half gestured to the room behind her. “I’m making a ton of gold off of this, as you can see. We were actually planning something like this for a while, but the information we got when you four bumbled your way through the forest and back to town was interesting.

“After all, we’re offering up a ‘Temmie’ as the grand prize, apparently, but I’m note even sure what that is. I thought using the name would be enough to get the attention of four students who did know, though. Especially since you, my dear, seemed so distraught at the idea of losing yours.”

Elaina wasn’t quite sure how to respond. She couldn’t really deny any of that, but she wasn’t about to reveal any actual information either. “We’re just here to play your game, and win.”

“Fine. But how about this, a little side wager,” the woman said, snapping her fingers. A uniformed guard came over with a piece of parchment on top of a small table, then placed a quill and inkwell right next to it. “I’ve written out the contract. There’s no trickery, no wordplay. My gamble is this, if you don’t win the grand prize at this tournament, you must explain what a Temmie is, and what you were doing in that cave. If you do win, however, I’ll provide you with something of equal value. The crystal orb itself, of course, but also the location of another one.”

Elaina’d had negative interest in the deal at first mention, but the location of another subcore was enticing. She looked back at her party, wanting to find advice, but all of them were looking to her, the party leader, the admin, for guidance instead.

“Let me read it,” she said, turning to glance at the paper. From what she could tell, there wasn’t any word trickery going on. “Tira, is this safe? The contract, I mean?”

Tira came over and looked over the document as well, nodding. “It’s not like she’s going to take us to the lord’s court over something like this anyway. If we try to welch, she’ll use enforcers, and they don’t care what’s on some paper regardless.”

Elaina looked back up at Shein. The woman’s smile was irritating, a smirk that screamed she knew she was in a higher position than the people she was dealing with. “How do we know you’ll keep up your end? That you even know where one is?”

“I run a gambling house, dear. I’d be out of business if I didn’t pay my debts.”

Knowledge for knowledge. A wager that seemed fair, at least. Elaina could always lie a little bit if they lost, she guessed. And if they did lose, they were in big trouble anyway. A subcore going to some random town citizen or Endrin student would be a catastrophe. “Okay, we’ll do it,” she said, signing the paper.

“Wonderful! Then let me explain one final rule,” Shein said as she reach to her side, pulling off four of the extra bracelets she’d been wearing on her dress. “In order to compete, you must be wearing these at all times.”

Elaina raised an eyebrow as she was handed one, but shrugged as she grabbed it. It was a gold loop, with what looked to be a crystal center. “What’re these for?” she asked as she clasped it around her wrist. She didn’t need an answer though, as the purpose became clear the moment it was on.