Alan turned to look at his brother Ares, who was casually playing with some of the store's exotic bugs. Alan noticed Ares talking with an undead orchid mantis, with whom he looked to be performing odd gymnastics on the edge of the gear table using his little summoning platform made of powder salt. Three days had passed since Ares had overexerted himself in the woods, and two days had passed since Ares had returned home with an enigmatic red letter that Ares was highly protective of. Every time Alan tried to ask a question about it, Ares would brush it off and try to change the subject. Alan was curious about the situation and what had transpired two days before.

He noticed Ares in such a strange condition that day, but he wanted his brother to be happy and knew he didn't appreciate being questioned about things like that, so instead of questioning even further today, he proceeded to sweep about the store and began to get ready for the day to begin. It was an early 8:00 O'Clock morning, and Alan somehow managed to drag Ares out of bed relatively early. Alan was hoping that it wouldn't be too crowded today, and for the first hour of working that belief was true. The main store they ran was mostly empty - except for him, Ares - because Inez and Eléa were off negotiating a contract with the local steam gun business.

Soon after, a woman in a dark red coat came, and Alan approached her to greet her, but she just ignored him, as if she was looking for something based on her stride, but also for someone based on her arm stance. Alan imagined her arms were crossed in an angry gesture. Alan noticed her searching through the books on the wall, which was weird because her large hat concealed half of her face, Alan thought that it was a bit silly that she would attempt to look for a book with such an attire, but stranger customers had come to the past for him so he simply just tried to shrug it off.

Alan looked to the rear of the store to check what Ares was up to, only to see him obtaining a second orchid mantis to play with and starting to watch him quickly arrange prey for the mantises to catch - almost like a race, Alan grumbled that his brother was wasting such goods - but he chose to follow his principles that he established to not annoy his brother and to just let him be. He proceeded to clean the floor of the store, but something about the client who had strolled in captivated him. There was something familiar about them, yet they were also incredibly different to anyone else at this establishment... hell, anyone else in Upper Nimbia.

They felt at home, but yet as though they didn't belong. Alan hesitated for a little more before noticing the client aggressively snatching a book's spine and pocketing it in her clutch. Alan stepped up and boldly approached the scarlet client, ready to talk in a tone filled with anger. Why would someone even attempt to steal goods from this middle rate store?

"Oi, I don't think that's authorised." Alan spoke to the woman in a very formal, yet incredibly upset tone, and when she didn't react, he took another step towards her, till she abruptly stopped moving and turned to face Alan. The scarlet lady had golden skin and dark brown eyes. She was somewhat taller than Ares, but still a little shorter. o Alan couldn't see most of her face since her hat obscured it, but it also had a familiar tone to it.

"Does this shop belong to you?" The scarlet woman inquired.

"Um, yes?" Alan's response was condescending and now plain mad. "My name is Alan; how may I assist you?" Alan scrunched his brow, "There can't be anything decent in here that I can not help you with?"

The red woman put one finger beneath her hat and pushed the brim down slightly, showing a focused stare and a severe look with a tinge of fury. Alan observed she was dressed strangely for the weather in Upper Nimbia - but Alan couldn't quite put his finger on what she wore beneath her scarlet cloak, which nearly resembled armour except it looked to be made of some type of substance that looked unfamiliar. A ring she was wearing was encased in a gleaming substance. Alan said one simple phrase that he thought would be a throw away line - a statement to distract the woman so that he could use his necromancing power to revive a beetle and poison her quickly in a high dosage, but the expression she returned was once of pure shock. The words he said were...

"Hey, lovely shiny ring, must be one of those mainland folks, I suppose?"

Ares had been attempting to mind his own business in the back of the shop, but an overwhelming sense of dread overcame him as he saw Ersa walk in. It was totally expected that she would arrive, but Ares hoped that she would forget the contents of the letter she had written.

Ares could completely recite the contents of the letter, which she seemed to have written utilising abilities of a more sophisticated sort of black magic... or perhaps she was multitalented - but in any case, she penned the contents of the letter during the earlier-in-the-week excursion to the café. He spoke aloud in his brain,

"Hello, Ares, I believe, is it? Based on the necklace I'd say so. Your name and my name share a similar fate; it's stated that names with letters that can be swapped around to become the name of another person have a specific power in the black magic realm. Nonetheless, it is evident that you are unaware of this, which is why I am inviting you. Meet me up at the café tomorrow at 19:00, a lovely night time meal where we can talk for a bit. Please be there.... or else I'll track you down."

Ares was perplexed and terrified for his life, so he opted not to travel to the venue and instead stayed at home for another boring day. But he wondered if that was the best option. He wanted to get away from the routine, but he had no idea what was in store for him. Ersa's statements about Stelmaugh piqued his attention; a black magic academy where he could hone his powers was something he badly desired. But the fact that he hurried away and didn't even bother facing Ersa to hear what she had to say irritated him; why was he so terrified of change but so desperate for it?

Then, those words from Alan rang throughout the empty shop as they entered Ares' ears "Hey, lovely shiny ring, must be one of those mainland folks, I suppose?" Ares looked up to see Ersa standing their, and after hearing the word "shiny ring", he sought for this ring on Ersa's body and found a gleaming, shimmering ring... one that appeared to be made of the same material as the necklace... the necklace that only persons with black magic could see. A large booming sound was heard as Ersa suddenly disappeared into thin air. Ares noticed Alan was stunned and was taken aback, but before Ares could move a single muscle, the crimson lady reappeared, more agitated than ever.

"God dammit, I said I was going to track you down! Think you can escape from me?" Ersa whispered quietly.... is what Ares expected her to do, but she simply smacked her hands hard on the desk that Ares was sat near, breaking the summoning circle for the mantises owing to the salt becoming offset from her enormous slam.

Ares glanced down, trying to come up with a strategy to escape. Another option is to have Alan knock her out and report Ersa to the Upper Nimbian administration... and then things can return to normal. The same days... the same soothing days that had previously wrapped their arms around him when he was younger had now transformed from a warm embrace to a clutching chain that bound him to the town of Upper Nimbia. He could do all of that, but Ersa was from a place of black magic - a powerful practicioner at that. Compared to him being a puny necromancer that doesn't even know half of the concepts of black magic. He's been kept off from the domain of magic for so long, and given how magically free Upper Nimbia was, this may be his final opportunity... a chance to explore his goal. He gave a look in her eye and said...

"Can we talk?"