Rylan shifted his weight on the cushioned wicker chair, the same one Sloan had once planted him in after he'd gotten unwell inside the pub's main room. The same one his sister had sat in when she'd met him.

Funnily enough, Rylan now looked much more like what she'd probably expected at the time, with a full grey beard, deep wrinkles, and an immaculate chef's outfit.

Yuel had really gone all out with the cosmetics—apparently the man had been part of an acting troupe once upon a time—and Rylan had to admit the resulting look was impressive.

Once again, he lifted a hand to scratch his chin, itchy and tight from the dried glue.

[Yuel says to stop fidgeting, Boss,] Arphin warned. [You're going to dislodge the adhesive!]

Rylan huffed out a breath, but dropped his hand, turning his head to shoot a glare at the door the two former pirates were hiding behind with Arphin, looking in through the bamboo slats from the cover of the dark hallway. "Why did I agree to this plan again?"

[It was your plan in the first place, Boss,] Arphin reminded him.

"Doesn't mean I had to agree to it," Rylan grumbled.

After some deliberation, Rylan had decided to trust the twosome with the secret of Arphin's true nature, as they hadn't cared about the bounty on his head either.

Arphin was ostensibly more valuable, but at the same time, one couldn't just steal a runegear that required attunement, let alone a spiritgear. Not without killing the bearer, anyway, and by that point, a spiritgear was unlikely to cooperate.

In fact, there were surprisingly few active spiritgear in the kingdom, as many never chose a new owner. Though Rylan wasn't sure what happened to the ones who didn't either...

He caught a flash of green, and straightened up. "I think I... hear our guests. Everybody get ready."

There were some things Rylan was still keeping to himself. The former pirates didn't need to know he could see their spirits—two soft white blobs—through the door, for example.

'Oh, Arphin,' he sent through their tether. 'Could you do that thing where you let me hear what Yuel says directly? I'd rather not have any delay or confusion.'

[You got it, Boss!]

It actually still took about a minute before they heard the low rumbling of Sloan's voice in front of the small side room. It seems the man thankfully had understood that he was supposed to make a one time exception, as a moment later the door opened to let through Brockus and Iliana.

The two local Quinthar had become semi-regulars of the pub and always ordered the special, so Rylan had a bit of a soft spot for them, even if they'd never met before.

As usual, they were decked out in their lacquered green armour, but they had left their weapons at home, as requested.

Rylan preferred not to take any chances. He had an escape route prepared out the back as well, just in case.

"Don't react too much," Yuel whispered from behind the door. "You're in control here."

As instructed, Rylan barely reacted to their entrance, staying seated and just lifting his head to stare at them silently.

"Thar Ironbeard, well met," Iliana said, straightening up and raising her hand for a Quinthar salute. Brockus joined in the gesture and, after a moment, Rylan followed suit.

Ethereon spun into motion, rendering the world monochrome, except for the green glows that Rylan could already see, which brightened further.

"Well met," he said gruffly in the voice he'd been practising for days. "Please. Have a seat." He snapped his fingers then, signalling for Fylsa to come on in with a plate of rice crispies and ask his guests what kind of drinks they would like.

"Very nice," Yuel whispered. "You're doing great, Ryles. Now make some small talk. You can't appear too eager."

Small talk? Fog me...

Thankfully, Brockus struck up a conversation about the Knackered Hag and what kind of meals Rylan liked to make. His replies were a bit stilted, but Yuel assured him it was fine, and that it fit his persona as a reclusive hermit.

Eventually, Iliana seemed to lose her patience. "So, Thar Ironbeard," she started. "We were of course very pleased and surprised to receive your invitation... why the change of mind?"

"Keep it casual," Yuel whispered. "Be direct about what you want, but make it seem like a minor matter."

"It's nothing much," Rylan grunted. "I'm just looking into something, and I was wondering if you'd ever come across one of these."

As he said this, he pulled out a rolled-up slip of paper and tossed it on the wicker coffee table between them.

Blinking, Iliana picked it up and unfurled it, revealing a life-like drawing of a console, in colour, that Leahna had produced based on his description.

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Brockus frowned at it. "What exactly is it?"

"It's called a console," Rylan replied casually, lifting his tea for a sip. "It's an old Hermean thing. I'm somewhat of a history aficionado."

"Oh!" Iliana said after a moment longer, her face lighting up. "I think I have seen this before! In one of the city's protected sites!"

Rylan's heart soared, but he fought not to show it.

"All right, that's great," Yuel whispered. "But we need more info... Ask something irrelevant about the layout, like, ehm..."

"If you don't mind my asking," Rylan started. "Did the main entrance of the room it was in face north or south?"

"Like that, I guess," Yuel muttered.

Iliana blew out a breath. "Wow, ehm... good question."

"Where was this?" Brockus asked, turning to her.

"You know, the ehm, Stellar Temple, in the main room."

"I stand corrected!" Yuel whispered. "Well done!"

Brockus squinted up at the ceiling "I think it's more south, then."

Rylan let out an interested hum, fighting not to smile.

"You've got to see the Stellar Temple someday," Iliana continued, putting down the drawing again. "Console or not. It's got this circular dome with thin, integrated glass cylinders, and the light that those let through forms this pattern of dots on the ceiling, in the shape of constellations. It really is a sight to behold. And, you know, the city is always more than happy to accommodate its Quinthar..."

Rylan hesitated. Should he take the risk of trying to maintain this disguise over a longer period of time? It would be the most direct means of accessing the console. On the other hand, it might be hard to get solo access to it...

"Reject them," Yuel whispered firmly. "We've got what we need."

"I'll consider it," Rylan replied politely. "Thank you for the visit. Today's meal is on the house."

Burtrand would get over it.

Iliana looked a little disappointed, but didn't make a fuss about it. After a few more pleasantries, the two Quinthar stepped back out into the pub.

With a groan, Rylan scratched at his chin.

Yuel and Nazyr entered the room, sporting wide grins.

"Ye're a regular old man ye are," Nazyr guffawed as Rylan got up from his seat and stretched out his back. "Well done, kid!"

"Indeed, excellent acting, milord," Yuel said, as he handed over Arphin. "You should try for the Skill!"

Well, Rylan did not have the Presence for that, but they didn't need to know that.

"Thank you, and thanks for helping me with all this," he replied earnestly. "I really appreciate it."

"Think nothing of it," Yuel said, waving it off. "This is the most fun I've had in weeks! Well, outside of two nights ago." He winked at Nazyr, who started to laugh again.

Rylan wisely didn't ask. "All right, so we have a name," he said instead. "The Stellar Temple. Now what?"

"Now," Yuel drawled, sitting down where one of the Quinthar had sat and grabbing one of the leftover rice crispies left. "You sit back and let us work our contacts."

"You think you can find someone who knows the location of this place?" Rylan asked with some doubt.

Nazyr snorted.

Yuel just smiled. "She said it was a protected site, didn't she? Trust me: nobody knows where the guards are like the people who make a living slipping past them. We'll find out everything you need to know... though it probably won't be cheap."

"Of course," Rylan replied dryly. "All right then. If you can get the info, I'll pay whatever it takes."

Yuel cocked his head to the side. "You're quite determined about this, aren't you? You know, you still haven't told us what you need that console for... Are you sure it's worth all this hassle?"

"Oh, it will be," Rylan promised. "Trust me."

Rylan ended up having to pay only ten silver florins for the location of the Stellar Temple. Frankly, he thought that was a steal; he would've easily paid five times as much. Thankfully, he hadn't needed to do any negotiating himself.

The site of the Stellar Temple was actually pretty deep in the cloudsea, a good eight hours on foot from the city. But Yuel said he knew a better way of getting there, though he hadn't specified, claiming he didn't want to ruin the surprise.

The information package they'd purchased also came with some more details about the place.

Apparently, the Stellar Temple was located on top of a small hill, overlooking the ruins of what must have once been a Hermean village. More importantly, there were two functional Dungeons at the site: an Equipment Dungeon, and a Challenge Dungeon.

That was actually bad news, because it meant there was a small garrison of guards at the site at all times, and at least one of the city's Sapphire-Grade Quinthar.

At first, Rylan had been surprised to learn that a Sapphire would be relegated to guard duty, but as Artoran explained it, it was pretty difficult for an independent Quinthar to become a Sapphire.

You really needed to know what kind of waveform and Attributes you needed to gain a specific Skill, and that kind of knowledge was hoarded and strictly guarded. The cities each had their own repository of information on the matter, and only the ones who pledged themselves fully to the city by means of a Talon-arbitrated Contract could access it.

The exact details of such agreements were shrouded in mystery, but it seemed clear that the Quinthar who signed one agreed to put in a certain number of hours per season in service to the city.

And it wasn't like a Quinthar stationed at a site like that would just be twiddling their thumbs. More often than not, they would actually spend most of their time patrolling the surrounding area, taking care of any Malequints and dangerous predators that were encroaching on the city's territory.

Either way, trying to sneak in was pretty risky. And so, despite his impatience, he listened to reason when Artoran suggested they wait for an opportune moment. Something that required a greater security presence in the city, like one of its many festivals. Though the next one was still at least a season and a half away, unfortunately.

With the dark solstice behind them, the days were slowly growing longer again, yet the weather was still turning colder. So even at lunch, Rylan focused on making warm, filling dishes.

"Mmm, something smells good!" Rylan's sister commented happily as she stepped into the kitchen one afternoon, still rosy-cheeked from the chill air outside.

Rylan glanced up from the stove, where he was gently stirring a sweet rice pudding with hot spices and raisins—which he'd recently learned was Leahna's favourite. "Good. It's almost done, so if you could go ahead and set the table, that'd be great."

Leahna nodded, tucking a roll of paper away before she headed for the cabinets next to the stove.

"You seem in good spirits, my dearest daughter," Artoran observed. "Did something nice happen at work today?"

Leahna shook her head, her smile never dropping. "No, I just got word from Cassie; she's coming into town!"

"Oh? What for?" Artoran asked with interest.

"Apparently she's accompanying Crown Princess Aliana as one of her ladies-in-waiting," Leahna gushed. "Her Royal Highness is touring the free cities, and will be visiting Cliffport in a few weeks!"

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