Stardust drifted down from the sky, coating Theo as he and Maraz walked. He turned his head, looking at the man. “What’s… this offer about?”

Maraz tsked, shaking his head. “Theo, business before dinner? Come now, you can wait, can’t you?”

Theo focused his eyes forward, frowning. “I suppose so…”

Shifting his eyes up, he watched stardust fall down from the night sky, catching the soft light of the moon and the flickering fires of the street lamps. That method of distraction worked for all of two seconds. What is it? What could he possibly offer?

Unable to handle it, he turned to Maraz once more. “Is-” He stopped himself, swiveling his head forward once more. No. The man would enjoy knowing he was in Theo’s head too much.

The soft crunch of stardust underfoot became the only sound to accompany Theo’s thoughts. Is it… some offer to buy my shop? That wouldn’t work though, he knows I’d say no to something like that...

Theo frowned, forcing his head to not turn toward Maraz again. He could feel the man enjoying him squirm like this. His heart thrummed in his chest, his mind spinning with possibilities.

A threat, maybe? Does he know where my parents live? The beat of his heart shifted from thrumming to violent hammering. I don’t- maybe he somehow found the letter I had Pina send? But Maraz seems like he doesn’t want to resort to violent methods with me - at least not yet. So, hopefully not them?

The stardust continued to fall from the sky. It was a heavy night. Their footsteps left tracks behind them at this point. Each sparkling piece of crystallized mana glimmered in the moonlight, doing nothing to calm Theo’s heart like it usually would have. His mind turned toward Maraz again, the moment’s respite lost as his mind refocused.

Is it… Adam? That would be a threat but… Adam hasn’t woken up, it would certainly be easy for Maraz- He stopped that train of thought - it worried him too much.

At this point, his mind and worries detached him from the present. His world became consumed by the possibilities. Until a hand grabbed him and yanked him to the side. He yelped in pain.

“A bit distracted, Theo? You nearly walked right into that rainwater barrel,” Maraz said, grinning at him.

Theo, shaken, glanced back behind him at the barrel. He nearly had run himself into it. “I um, I would have figured you’d have let me run into it. And laughed, or something.” His cheeks burned, worry shifting to embarrassment.

Maraz pursed his lips, pausing. He turned forward once more, his steps almost imperceptibly faster. “You’re right. That might’ve been funnier. But I know the owner of this restaurant and I don’t think he’d appreciate you soiling his seats with rainwater.”

“Ah,” Theo said, his mind filling with worries again. He barely even heard what Maraz said. The walking trudged on. Each step counted off in his head, another distraction. It didn’t last long, maybe two or three streets. He couldn’t take it anymore. Turning to Maraz, he opened his mouth, raising a finger.

“About seven minutes. I’m impressed. Figured it would have been less,” Maraz said, smirking. “But, you can wait a bit longer. We’re here.” He stepped up to the door of a building, opening it for Theo. He flicked a finger and stardust blew off of him in a single cloud.

Sounds of conversation flowed out from the door, breaking the silence of the night. Dusting the stardust off of himself, Theo stepped over the threshold, gasping at the opulence before him. Suddenly, his vest and button up shirt felt underdressed.

“Maraz, you didn’t tell me this restaurant was like- like this,” he said, gesturing toward the room. He bit his lip, rolling down his sleeves and struggling to button the cuffs.

Maraz rolled his eyes. “I invited you, Theo. Don’t worry about the cost.”

“That’s not what I- I would have worn something more dressy, Maraz,” Theo hissed under his breath, glaring at the man. He dropped the expression when Maraz raised an eyebrow.

“You’re… certainly something, Theo. Here. Give me your arm,” Maraz said, sighing. His voice held more demand than request.

Theo offered the arm. Anything to have eyes off of him soon.

The man’s hand encompassed Theo’s arm, and then some. Despite that, Maraz moved with surprisingly dextrous motions for such large hands. In mere moments, he let go of the second cuff, finished. “I have a seat reserved in the back room anyway. Private.”

Theo took a moment to take in the room before realizing Maraz was already halfway across it. Oh dear. He picked up the pace as best as he could, his still-recovering body already protesting the walk to the restaurant.

Eyes followed Theo across the room. He crossed his arms, trying to ignore the looks from the well-dressed individuals. Darn Maraz. I’d have put on a better vest.

Watching Maraz move through a plush set of red curtains, he moved his feet even faster. His shirt clung to his back from the sweat that built up. He silently thanked his vest for keeping that hidden.

Once past the curtain, an attendant nodded to him. The room, blissfully empty, almost allowed the knot of anxiety in his stomach to release, before his eyes found Maraz again.

“Mr. Lukien? Your seat is over there,” the attendant said, waving a hand toward Maraz. “The chef’s recommendation for today is fillet of altus venison, topped with fermented nierven truffle.”

Theo barely even processed what the attendant told him as he followed them to his seat. He mumbled a confirmation, clambering into his seat across from Maraz. The plush chair enveloped him, giving him sweet relief from the walk.

Maraz stared at him from across the table, confidence radiating out from his smile. “Wine?” He snapped once. An attendant walked over with a bottle, pouring a glass for each of them.

Shifting in his seat, Theo tried to scoot forward, frowning when nothing changed. His legs didn’t quite reach the floor. Of course Maraz would choose the tables with high chairs. He leaned forward, taking the glass. With a quick swirl, he sniffed the burgundy liquid, inhaling its floral aroma. He’d seen a person do the swirl thing before, he figured it was important.

Maraz chuckled, shaking his head. “You’ve never been wine tasting, have you, Theo?” He took a sip himself, after a far more refined swirl and inhale. He even held it up to the magical lights, checking the color.

“No?” Theo muttered, sipping from his glass self-consciously. Rich, acidic tones hit his tongue and the alcohol burned at the back of his throat. He took another sip. He’d need it - and it tasted lovely. A small part of him worried about Maraz poisoning the wine, but the man drank it himself. And he’d promised no harm would come to him. Surely, that meant it was fine. Right?

“If you raised your prices, you might one day be able to frequent establishments such as this,” Maraz said, raising his glass toward the room. “Oh, but business before dinner? Where are my manners? Though, I do have to wonder why you came here to Romuen with these prices, rather than staying in Renwurd.”

Theo sat up straighter in his chair, forcing his restless legs to not swing. He focused his eyes on Maraz’s. “Romuen is the City of Adventurers. I just- I wanted to supply adventurers here. With my affinities…” He swallowed, his mouth growing dry. “Adventurers have always been my ideal clientele. And, they keep us safe from monsters so-”

It started with a small chuckle. Soon, Maraz guffawed, leaning in his seat, tilting his head back, a hand on his stomach.

In his seat, Theo frowned at the man, his ears growing hot. “W-What is it? Why is that so funny?”

Maraz wiped a tear from his eye, smiling. “You. You’re just- all the headaches you’ve caused me, and it’s because you’re a fanboy.” He began counting on his fingers. “You sell for cheap prices with a stock specifically for adventurers, most of the group I’ve observed you interacting with so far is adventurers, and you’re even dating one of them.”

The mention of Adam made Theo shift in his seat. Suddenly, it wasn’t such a luxurious, comfortable seat anymore. He crossed his arms. “I’m- I’m not a fanboy. They just keep us safe. I was… in trouble. Once.”

Raising a brow, Maraz nodded. “Go on. You have my attention.”

“I- when I was younger, much younger, mind you, I… wandered off. I’d always thought being an adventurer would be exciting, so I wanted to go on a little adventure of my own. Renwurd is near a forest, similar to Romuen,” Theo said, pausing to measure Maraz’s response. The man gestured for him to keep going.

“I-I grabbed a stick on my way in. And I had a wand my dad made. A simple Windbolt enchantment. I’d used it countless times against rocks I’d put on a fence. But… the forest is full of more than rocks. I’d been in it before with my parents. The most dangerous thing we’d seen was a geller shrew.

“That day, however, I had some… unfortunate luck. I was having so much fun. It was the first time I’d done anything rebellious. Probably the last. I swung that stick around like it was my sword, and I created a game of keeping a falling leaf in the air with the Windbolt spell.

“Turns out, all that noise I was making brought… untoward attention to me. A small pack of briarwolves found me. I was so scared. They circled around me, and, just before they struck, the Perilous Party arrived. They were a local adventurer group that frequented my family’s shop.

“We’d always given them our normal, fair pricing,” Theo emphasized the fairness, eyeing Maraz. “They found my parents running through the village trying to find me, and they decided to search as well. Not a second too late, it turned out.” He almost smiled at the memory. “Goodness, my parents scolded me for weeks.”

“Gods, Theo. You really are a fanboy. But… I suppose your prices make sense in that fashion,” Maraz said, taking a bite of the food in front of him.

Theo glanced down, his eyes widening. He’d been so caught up in telling his story he hadn’t realized the food arrived. A plate of venison sat in front of him, topped with truffles. Nierven truffles. He’d forgotten he even ordered that. Hopefully Maraz wouldn’t be too mad. Those truffles were expensive.

The man seemed occupied with his own food - some kind of fish - so Theo moved to grab the- forks? Why were there so many forks? And spoons. Who needed three spoons for venison? He perused the selection of forks, picking the four-pronged one that looked the most functional.

The choice of knife was just as agonizing. He picked the one that looked closest to a steak knife. The venison turned out to be tender as can be. His knife glided through the meat. He poked a single truffle onto the fork before jabbing it into the venison.

He raised the first bite to his mouth, the earthy aroma of the sauce reaching his nose. Biting down, the tender flavors enveloped his mouth. The nutty accents of the truffle paired perfectly with the wild nuances of the venison. And the sauce tied the whole piece together, creating a gustatory symphony in Theo’s mouth.

Then he noticed Maraz staring at him, shaking his head. He chewed slowly, swallowing. His ears grew hot again. “W-What?”

“I just spent five minutes watching you pick silverware and you finally took your first bite and it looks like you’ve never eaten food before. What do you think?” Maraz asked, chuckling and taking another bite of his own meal.

Theo frowned, his eyes drifting down to the table. “I- it’s delicious. Thank you, Maraz. For treating me to dinner, and helping with Adam. I know you have… plans for this dinner, but I should still thank you for the nice things you’ve done.”

Narrowing his eyes, Maraz scoffed. “Don’t get sappy on me, Theo. It won’t work.”

Theo waved his hands. “Oh, no, I wasn’t trying to- I appreciate that even if you have ulterior motives, you’re still doing nice things for me. I’ve… never eaten from a restaurant with food this… complex? Accented? I’m not sure the proper word for it. Is this Infuser-made?”

Maraz nodded, a small grin returning to his face. “Perceptive. It is. The head chef here is a primary Infuser, secondary Integral. His dishes are second to none.”

“Well, I have to agree. It’s-” He took another bite, savoring every chew. “Delicious.” Taking another sip of wine, Theo found that even that went perfectly with the dish.

“I’ll make sure to let the chef know you speak so highly of his craft,” Maraz said, steepling his fingers. “Now, on to business.”

Theo froze mid-bite. He swallowed quickly, lest he choke. “O-Okay. What um, what did you have in mind?” Perspiration broke out at the small of his back once more, just as his shirt had stopped clinging to him, too.

“Your… boyfriend, Adam,” Maraz said, his eyes scanning Theo’s every feature. Or, at least, that’s what it felt like.

A seed of anger ignited in Theo’s stomach. He worked to keep it from tinging his voice. “Wh-What about Adam? Did you have something to do with him getting hurt?”

Maraz’s eyes widened this time. “What? No. I told you, Theo. I want to solve this… problem, without violence. I’m actually offering you a solution.”

A part deep inside of Theo wanted to believe Maraz. But he couldn’t bring himself to be the first to say it. “What do you mean, a solution? To what?”

The same eyes that widened, rolled now. “You know what I mean. I have access to… resources. I can have Adam restored. Wholly. But, you know what the trade for that would be. And this would cost me, so I’ll require a larger percentage of your profits to go to the guild.” The man pulled a piece of folded paper - not parchment - out of his breast pocket. A contract.

Theo’s heart clenched in his chest. Restore Adam? Completely? It was too good to be true. And… he’d have to change his prices? Just bow down to Maraz and shell out most of that excess he’d make anyway?

A thought occurred to him. Adam would feel eternally guilty if he knew that Theo changed his prices for him. Especially with it being contract-bound. It tore at him. Save Adam and go against all of the principles he’d grown up with? There had to be another way. Galeen had mentioned that one healer, Vidalia. Surely, he could save up enough to utilize her services.

Theo knew his answer, despite the tears brimming in his eyes. His voice shook with every syllable. “You’re an evil man, Maraz.”

Maraz’s eyes rounded. He stared at Theo, the contract hanging limply in his fingers.

“Thank you for the dinner but- no.” Theo jumped down from the seat, tears running down his face now. He didn’t even register the pain that racked his ribs as he ran out of the restaurant. A few shouts of shock followed his trip as he nearly crashed into patrons and waitstaff alike.

The cool night air stung at his eyes. Theo slowed his run after the pain grew too great. His chest heaved, a sob escaping him. He wiped at his eyes with a sleeve, scowling when he noticed the buttons. Maraz did those. He tore at the buttons, loosening the cuffs and pulling the sleeves up to his elbows once more.

Theo stopped in the middle of the street. He looked around, squinting his eyes to see through both tears and heavy stardust fall. It was then that he realized he had no idea where he was. Maraz had led the way to the restaurant.

Well, as long as I retrace my steps I should be able to find a familiar street… Romuen is organized, after all.

As he took a corner, Theo found himself on a street he, fortunately, recognized. The same rainwater barrel he’d nearly crashed into earlier sat on the other end of it. However, a loud crunch of stardust sounded out down the other end of the street.

Two hooded figures stood, staring at Theo. A half-hidden club hung from the waist of one of the figures.

He realized now, not a single soul walked the street. First Maraz, and now I’m being mugged? Or- did Maraz lie?

“I um- I can hand you my coin purse, I don’t want any trouble, truly,” Theo said, reaching to the bag attached to his belt.

“Not what we’re looking for, Theo,” one of the hooded figures said, shaking their head. A he, judging from the deep, gravelly voice.

It was Maraz. But he promised! The foolish part of Theo felt hurt. Maraz always seemed… honorable, even if in ways he didn’t fully understand.

Theo turned on his heel, sprinting down the street as fast as his legs would carry him. Not far, it turned out. Every step he took barely moved him from his spot. To his eyes, the road extended on for far longer than it originally had.

Mana flowed into Theo’s eyes, revealing the spellwork in the air. Fundamental. Some kind of spatial spell. A sealed space it seemed like. Calling for help would do nothing. He risked a glance backward, both figures slowly walked toward him.

It already didn’t feel great, but now Theo’s chest ached. I don’t care about the consequences, I’ll deal with the toxicity later. He reached into his bag, uncorking a potion. Swigging it, Theo realized the problem immediately. He’d packed a stamina potion into his bag, not a healing potion.

Whatever. It would help. The liquid vigor spread through him, granting energy to his tired body. He still hurt, but his legs picked up speed. A plan began to formulate in his head, but Theo needed time.

Pointing his palm at his pursuers, Theo tried his best at aiming while running. “Stun Bolt!” In his panic, he overcharged the spell. Mana coursed down his arm, firing out of his hand in a brilliant spark. It missed. He raised his hand again, firing off two more Stun Bolts. Only one landed, but it dispersed in the same way it had when Maraz blocked the very same spell.

Theo grit his teeth. Right, Maraz knows about my Stun Bolt. Time to switch tactics. He rifled through his bag once more, finding the wand he’d packed. A different formula from Pina’s Gale Buffet, but similar.

The two hooded figures ran at him now. I just need to disturb the one casting this spatial spell. The other one lifted a hand, a sphere of fire forming at his palm.

Oh dear. Theo lifted the wand, aiming it at the fireball. “Pursuing Zephyr!” Three wind blasts shot out of the wand, homing in on the fireball. It backlashed on the two, coating them in flames.

Theo’s eyes widened. “Oh my goodness, I’m sorry! I just wanted to stop the fireball!” The strangeness of his surroundings receded, however, as the spatial mage’s spell broke.

Theo screamed for help now, enduring the sharp lances of pain that stabbed through him with every bellow. The edges of his vision began to narrow in, just a bit.

Wait, Telsa gave me something before I left… What was it? Theo reached into his bag, his hand landing on the smooth object Telsa slipped him in his shop. He held it up to the moonlight, inspecting it as he ran.

A Windthrow stone? Telsa, how was this supposed to- wait. That’s perfect. The plan that had been forming in Theo’s head crystallized. His eyes fell on his target, the rainwater barrel.

He’d bought himself some time, but it was up now. The figures, a human man and woman, had thrown off their burning cloaks. They ran after him once more.

A fireball exploded to Theo’s right. He stumbled, his eyes straining from the sudden light. He pointed his wand behind him, wincing as his ribs protested the motion. “Pursuing Zephyr!” Without any idea of if that bought him time, he begged his legs to carry him even faster.

I have one shot at this, Theo thought, running his thumb over the stone in his hand. He remembered aiming for the stones on the fence back in Renwurd. How he’d line up a shot. Throwing was the same principle, right?

Theo reached back, throwing the stone with all of his might toward the barrel. The enchantments on the stone lit up, a gust of wind carrying it ever-faster. It missed. But that turned out to be fortuitous. The stone bounced off the wall behind the barrel before falling in.

Gusts of wind from the stone blew the water out of the barrel, soaking both Theo, and covering the ground behind him.

He turned, hoping beyond hope that this final part of his plan would work. A memory of him and Pina resurfaced in his mind as he casted. “Spinwash!” Mana poured out of Theo, causing the puddle of rainwater, mixed with the fallen stardust, to explode off the ground in a torrent of water.

It coated his two pursuers, they were closer than he even realized. He wasn’t done, though. His hand still raised, Theo pulled on his mana pool one last time. Every vestige of mana he had inside of him, he released. “Condense!”

The slurry of rainwater and stardust shifted. Even some of the water on Theo changed form with his spell. Every bit of liquid in front of Theo congealed. His pursuers froze in place, unable to move against the substance he’d formed.

Theo stopped running, his body threatening to give up on him. He walked up to his would-be pursuers, fear in their eyes. Reaching up to the man’s face, he peeled back the congealed water from the man’s nose. After doing the same for the woman, he glared at both of them.

“There. You can breathe. I don’t want you casting spells, so I’m sorry but I can’t unseal your mouth. This spell should run out… eventually. Or maybe Maraz will help you,” Theo said, shaking his head.

The look of confusion in their eyes upon the mention of Maraz shocked Theo. “Did Maraz… not send you? Um, blink once for yes, twice for no.”

Two blinks. Theo frowned. “Then who-”

“That’s what I’d like to know.”