After hours at the exhibition Marcus and friends returned to the suite they had rented for the time. The view from the 59th floor of the Feigenbaum Tower was fantastic. They decided not to leave the room for lunch and instead make full use of the room service. The suite and services were expensive, but Marcus didn't care. He had enough money to spend and if it was spent on a good time with his friends, it was worth every cent.

They had just started to work their way through their lavish meal when a knock on the door interrupted them. A servant together with two bodyguards of Vivian Shan delivered the Herculean Bracers to Marcus. The package came with a note. "She is inviting me to dinner, today," Marcus said, fully surprised while Janette was in the middle of trying on the new bracers. "Do you think I should go?" He asked. Kou said, "Of course. Building a good relationship with her is an incredible chance. If we can achieve even a basic level acquaintance with her the future of the clan looks that much brighter. Actual first hand enchantments instead of second hand market would put us on the same level as the most powerful clans in the world!"

"But you should be careful. I heard a rumor that she prefers young, innocent men," Janette said, while she used one of her knives to cut herself. "Crazy, it just tickles," she giggled. Marcus rolled his eyes, took her knife away and removed the bracers from her arms. He would make some in depth tests with the bracers once he was home again, and definitely not in front of Sophon and Achara. "Let's eat now, I will think about it afterwards," Marcus decided, and sat down next to Kou, who fed Sophon a few soft noodles.

It was nearly like in the old days, before things had started to go crazy. Just the four of them (+Sophon) eating and talking about trivial things. Janette stole food and Achara scolded her. Marcus and Kou talked about old movies and how modern movies just couldn't compare. It was a great time and after lunch they all found a place to relax in the gigantic suite. Janette was talking with Cherry on the phone, while the Saito family enjoyed a little afternoon nap together.

Marcus sat down in a large leather chair and closed his eyes. Satiated and relaxed, he let his thoughts run free for a while. Eventually he reached out to his companion. Xeen, was the enchantment really that bad?

Yes!… No. It is hard to explain to somebody without the framework. It is like somebody painting a picture without knowing anything about brushes or colors. There was effort and character, even a bit of talent, but it was painful to look at, because she lacks even a fundamental understanding of her craft.

How do you intend to teach Artificers? Marcus asked and Xeen gave him a summary of his ideas. After some discussions Marcus rummaged through the room until he found a block of paper and a pen in one of the bedside tables. He started to draw, following Xeen's instructions. Janette watched him work, but didn't interrupt him with questions until he was done. "So you are going to meet her?" She asked, and Marcus nodded. "Be careful, she is a dangerous woman," Janette said, with a serious face before he left.

The note had told Marcus to go to the penthouse suite of the tower and before he even got close he found her bodyguards controlling the area. To his surprise he was neither searched or told not to use powers, which was standard for most high profile celebrities. He was guided into the main room of the penthouse by two guards, who closed the door behind him. The first room alone was large enough for a family of four to live in, and the furniture looked extremely expensive. The penthouse was designed to evoke the feeling of the Golden Twenties in the 20th century. Why? Marcus had no idea.

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"Marcus! I am happy you followed my invitation. Come down and join me." Vivian Shan welcomed him and he could see she had changed her attire to something light and practical. Her clothes looked unique and Marcus would bet all his savings that they were heavily enchanted. Her extensive make up was gone, together with her intense atmosphere. "Thank you for the invitation, Vivian," Marcus said, testing the waters if they were on a first name basis now. The woman smiled and waved him over. He walked down a small staircase and joined her on a XXL sofa. On a table in front of the sofa was a mountain of fast food and snacks. "Take what you want. I ordered enough of everything. There is also ice cream in the freezer and coffee in the kitchen," Vivian said.

This was a completely different person, Marcus thought and took some chicken wings with hot sauce. She smiled and worked on a burger. "Are you not worried about poisons?" Marcus asked. She pointed at a bracelet on her arm, "Poison protection. And I am confident, the poison that can kill you, hasn't yet been invented." Her heartfelt laughter rang through the room. They ate for a while and Marcus decided to break the silence, "You are quite different compared to the exhibition." She nodded, "It is rare that I can let my guard down. There aren't many people I can trust." Marcus blinked, "We only talked a little bit. How can you trust me already?" Once again Vivian laughed.

"I trusted you before we talked, Marcus. Why do you think I looked for you?" Vivian asked, with a bright smile and Marcus slowly got the feeling he was missing something. The Artificer got up and vanished into the kitchen for a moment. When she came back she had some ice cream with her and another object, which she lobbed into Marcus' arms. He caught it and found it was an unassuming black mobile phone. It looked exactly like the one Kim had given him. "Ye-jun is talking about you all the time. If I can't trust his judgment, then who can I trust at all?" She said, and started on her vanilla ice cream.

"You are one of the people he is working with!" Marcus exclaimed, while he inspected the phone. "We all are working together, trying to keep the world from falling apart. Still, if it is true what you have uncovered, this world will come to an end not too far in the future," Vivian said, with a sad voice. Marcus took a deep breath and adjusted to the new information, Vivian Shan was a close ally of Kim. "Do you have chocolate ice cream?" He asked, and she nodded with a mouth full of vanilla ice cream. They spent some time eating ice cream and talking about his adventures and her stories about crazy deals and attempted assassinations.

"Rumor has it that you are dating one of the divine ginghi sisters. Is that true?" Vivian asked, with big eyes and Marcus needed a moment. "Ehm…. Yes, Azaa and I are courting," he said. As he spoke the words he realized something that he had missed until this very moment. WE are courting… It was a sudden revelation, so simple and yet so profound. From one moment to the other Marcus knew what he wanted to do next time he saw Azaa. It would also be a good opportunity to give her a gift….

Vivian watched him, as he was lost in his own thoughts, and said, "You are a weird person, Marcus." "I am not exactly what people expect, I know." Marcus smiled, but she shook her head. "No. That isn't what I meant. I know you are smart and capable. Ye-jun wouldn't have chosen you as his disciple, if you were just big and strong. I mean you are weird, something about you is off. Like, I see you in front of me but… you feel heavy," she said, and Marcus swallowed hard.

I feared this might be possible, but I had hoped her low level would make her fail to notice me. She is more talented than I gave her credit for.

Wait, Artificers can sense you?

Well, they might sense that you are different, but they should have no idea why.

He tried to say something, but she stopped him. "I know what I know. If you don't want to share, that is okay. But don't lie to me. I want to continue to trust you Marcus," Vivian said, and he nodded. After some silence he said, "It might be cocky, but the Colors of the Wild would like to have a good relationship with you." Marcus watched her expression and she laughed, "Okay. Why not?!" She quickly added, "But in return you will introduce me to the ginghi. They don't have an Artificer, if I am correctly informed, and I am looking for new customers. Especially those who aren't subservient to the USA and the Block." Marcus thought about it for a moment. "I can only promise you to talk to Azaa and Shen. The rest is up to them," he said, and she found this acceptable.

As it turned out, the suite also came with a game console and Vivian enjoyed beating Marcus in competitive games, only in racing games he was able to stand up to her. Hours passed in a blink of an eye and it was already close to midnight. "Thank you for the fun evening," Vivian said with a warm smile, as Marcus prepared to leave. He nodded and took something out of his jacket and handed it to her. It was a folded piece of paper. She opened it up and gave him a confused look. "It is a riddle of sorts, but I am confident you will be able to figure it out," Marcus said, and left the suite with a smile.

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