Chương 22: Chapter 21 - A Jester's Proposition

The South-East Quarter felt wrong. Buildings here leant closer together, their upper floors almost touching, blotting out much of the sun's light. Even though it was still midday, shadows pooled thickly in alley mouths and between narrow side streets. Shuttered windows stared down at them like unblinking eyes, while lines of laundry hung overhead, moving slightly in the cold winter breeze and giving the entire place a slight damp smell.

Finding their way here had been as simple as asking one of the servers back at the Pig's Hole for directions. And despite the fact that they were now walking along what was presumably another main road connected to a second gate, there was noticeably less foot and wagon traffic to contend with.

"It's quite gloomy here," Elowen murmured, looking around carefully as they walked along the cobblestone. Varrin snorted.

"It's a charming place for sure." Even here, the drab surroundings did nothing to diminish his beautifully striking features, and now that there was no crowd for him to disappear into, those looks drew quick glances from the people passing the party, each one hastily followed by an embarrassed glance away. For someone as guarded and cautious as Varrin, Ren supposed that his beauty, and the attention it brought, might be a curse.

"The place the note talked about should be down here somewhere..." he said, stopping in front of a pathway that lead between a set of buildings.

"Three streets left of the main road," Varrin concurred as he turned down it. It didn't take much longer for the party to reach their destination. They didn't even need to ask for any further directions, because much like The Pig's Hole, The Bumbling Magician stood out thanks to its coloured roof, which left Ren wondering if this was some sort of staple among popular taverns in The Crossroads. The tall building sat wedged between two much smaller ones, its roof painted a fading blue.

Hanging from a creaking iron bracket was a wooden sign depicting a drunken wizard in robes too large for him, staff tilted dangerously as if he were about to topple over. Beneath it, the words 'The Bumbling Magician' were carved in uneven lettering, confirming beyond any doubt that this was the correct place. Ren stepped forward first and pushed open the heavy wooden door, excited to see what lead the jester had for him. The tavern's interior was unremarkable to the point of being almost disappointing.

A handful of rough wooden tables and a long bar polished thin by years of use filled the lobby, not one of them occupied by a single patron. In fact, the whole place stood completely empty, offering nothing but silence and the faint crackle of a dying hearth fire that did its best to warm walls stained with streaks of old smoke and spilled ale.' Nothing like The Pig's Hole one,'Ren thought, looking around as his friends entered the establishment behind him.' Though I guess it would make a better place to lie low?'

He couldn't imagine that Mr. Jester was a part of any large official organisation considering what he was dressed like. Behind the bar stood the tavernkeeper, a broad man with thinning hair and heavy-lidded eyes who was currently wiping a glass clean. He didn't look up as they entered.

"You lot looking for food or a room?" he said flatly.

"Or both?"

"Actually, we're looking for someone," Ren responded, stepping forward. The tavernkeeper glanced up, his eyes flicking first to Varrin and lingering there half a second too long, then dropping to the sword slung across his back. His gaze shifted again, settling on the cleaver strapped to Ren's side, then on his ruined and bloodied clothes, before sweeping past Elowen and finally coming to rest upon Lorelle. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"…Who?"

"A man dressed in red and white," Ren said.

"Calls himself Mr. Jester." The tavernkeeper's expression twisted into immediate irritation.

"That insufferable bastard?" he snapped.

"Yeah, he's here. Won't shut up either. Keeps laughing about how funny it is that he's staying in a place called The Bumbling Magician." He scoffed.

"I don't see the humour."' It's better than The Pig's Hole,' Ren thought to himself before asking, "Can we see him?" The tavernkeeper hesitated, eyeing Varrin's blade and Ren's cleaver again.

"…I'm not going to cause trouble and stop you," he said slowly, continuing with his cleaning, "but if you're going to kill him, do it outside. Bloodstains are Flaming hard to scrub out," He sighed and jerked his thumb toward the stairs.

"Two floors up, last room on the right."

"Thanks," Ren said with a nod. The party crossed the lobby and climbed the stairs in silence, entering a narrow, dim hallway, the floorboards creaking softly under their feet.

"Does no one in The Crossroads respect the Eternal Flame?" Lorelle muttered under her breath, a hint of irritation in her voice. Ren offered her a sympathetic glance that, admittedly, she probably couldn't see, but said nothing, coming to a stop outside the final door. His heart beat a little faster than he would have liked as he raised a hand and knocked, the sound echoing through the room beyond it. A loud crash suddenly rung out from inside, followed by a brief silence. Finally, a jovial voice rang out.

"Come iiiiin~!" Ren took a deep breath and opened the door, getting greeted by a room with absolutely nothing in it, no furniture save for a large canopy bed sitting dead centre. The floor was bare wood, the walls stripped of decoration and a at the far end was the only thing illuminating the bare room. Mr. Jester lay sprawled belly-down on the floor, chin propped in his hands as he looked up at the group, a wide smile plastered across his face as his legs swayed lazily back and forth through the air behind him.

"You're finally here!" he said cheerfully.

"I was bored out of my mind while I waited, so I picked up a new hobby!" He kicked upward, rolling into a smooth handstand before arching back onto his feet in one fluid, theatrical motion. In his hands appeared a small statue.

"Check this out!" He tossed it at Ren, who caught it easily, his reflexes sharp despite the surprise at the odd scene. He looked down to inspect it. The statuette unmistakably depicted Mr. Jester, only impossibly buff and exaggeratedly heroic, posing dramatically while holding a woman in his arms like one would a bride. The craftsmanship was absurdly detailed, every muscle and fold of fabric rendered with realism Ren thought only achievable in real life.' … He just picked up this new hobby?'

Ren thought in amazement.

"Is this supposed to be you?"

"Why of course!" Mr. Jester said, flexing his arms proudly.

"Can't you tell?" Unimpressed and a little disappointed the jester didn't suddenly grow obscenely large muscles like some sort of act, Ren pointed at the woman.

"And who's this?"

"That," Mr. Jester declared, swooning dramatically, "is the beautiful Miss Lady!" Ren, as well as his friends behind him, could only stare in confusion.

"But!" the brightly dressed jester snapped upright.

"She does not reciprocate my unconditional love! Can you believe she would do such a heart-rending thing to me?" None of them said it aloud, but the thought was shared.' We can believe that.'

"I'll never give up on pursuing her love! She'll see it someday, my grand magnificence!" Mr. Jester finished triumphantly. This nonsense was not what Ren had come here for, so he tossed the small statuette aside. Mr. Jester shrieked and dove forward, sliding across the boards on his stomach with surprising speed, snatching up the statue before it could shatter on the floor.

"Careful!" he cried, clutching it to his chest.

"Do you know how hard that was to—" But Ren cut him off, not wanting to let Varrin, or Elowen and Lorelle for that matter, to get cold feet and try and leave before he could gleam anything useful.

"How do you know we're from another world?" Mr. Jester smirked and rose to his feet, staring directly into Ren's golden eyes. He tossed the statuette over his shoulder without a care, and the sound of it shattering echoed throughout the room, little fragments skittering out across the floorboards in every direction.

"Alright," he said, tone shifting.

"This is how it's going to work."

"We each will answer one question at a time, we go back and forth until we are satisfied. Deal?" Ren glanced back at his companions. All three of them gave some form of acknowledgement so he turned back and gave his answer.

"That's fine."

"Excellent!" Mr. Jester clapped.

"Since you came all this way just for me~ I'll answer first!" Ren didn't hesitate and repeated his question from before.

"How did you know we're not from this world?"

"Someone told me~!" Mr. Jester smiled, twirling in place. Ren opened his mouth to press for more information but was cut off.

"Ah-ah-ah!" Mr. Jester wagged a finger in his face.

"It's my turn now~ You should have asked a better question." Ren clenched his jaw, realising that this wasn't going to be as clean-cut as the original proposition sounded.

"Now… what to ask…" Mr. Jester said, tapping his chin exaggeratedly.

"Oh!" he snapped his fingers.

"I'm looking for someone, so maybe you've heard of them? Maybe even met them? And don't lie—I'll know if you do." Ren felt a prickle of unease run up his spine.

"Does the name Medici mean anything to you?"