The restaurant is a chic place, with candlelight tables, waiters in impeccable suits and very quiet live music. Nillian decides to go in, and luckily they have a table for him. The rest of the restaurant is empty at the moment, but a lot of tables have a little sign saying "Reserved" on them. Nillian is led to a two person table a little off the side, not quite in the corner. From his table he has a good view over the whole restaurant, including the entrance.
He receives a menu and makes his choice. He starts off with steamed asparagus in a creamy sauce. As his starter is served the restaurant begins slowly to fill up with people. After Nillian has finished his main course of roast pigeon with red wine sauce which tasted delicious, the restaurant is about full, with only a few tables still empty. It is then that Nillian sees a familiar face, though one he absolutely did not expect to see here.
At the entrance a large man is standing, clad in a dark brown three part suit, radiating money and good connections. But the woman next to him is who draws Nillian's attention, as that is his sister Lyxia(*)! Nillian shakes his head, thinking that he must be mistaken. But as the woman looks over to him he is sure, it is certainly Lyxia. She is dressed in a very fancy blue dress, something he has never seen her wear before.
When she looks his way he raises his hand to greet her. He sees her stiffen, and is suddenly not so sure she wants to see him. She turns around, whispering something into the ear of the man beside her, and she walks over to his table. When she is in range, she furiously whispers to him.
"What are you doing here?! No, wait, I don't want to know. Argh, you are going to ruin all, everything. Listen Nil, please do this for me. He mustn't know who I am. Please?"
At that moment the man also arrives at Nillian's table, smilingly greeting them.
"Is everything alright? Good to meet you, I am Norbert Giles. Sarah said you two knew each other from long ago?"
It takes Nillian a few seconds to realize that Sarah must be his name for Lyxia. Seeing his confusion, Lyxia quickly cuts in.
"Yes, we lived in the same street in Kataras, oh, twenty years ago. Norbert, this is Nillian Luckett."
By then Nillian has recovered, and tries to act naturally, though with some difficulty.
"Ah, yes indeed, nice to meet you too. Hello L...Sarah, it has been a long time since. How have you been?"
"I have been fine, thank you. I am living here in Räan now, working as an assistant to the city council."
At this Norbert laughs, but he does not give a comment, so Lyxia continues.
"How have you been? Everything going well in Kataras?"
"Good, good. I am still working at the University, mainly doing research and writing articles and such, you know?"
Nillian is saved from more confusing conversation as his desert arrives. Norbert and Lyxia take their leave, and walk off to one of the other tables. Nillian tries to concentrate on his desert, but cannot help himself glancing at Lyxia, who seems to be making light conversation with this Norbert, laughing a lot. Unable to concentrate on the food Nillian quickly finishes his desert, pays and leaves the restaurant.
Outside he takes a deep breath and looks around. He is still wired from the shock of seeing Lyxia there and does not want to go to the inn just yet. He decides to see if perhaps the city hall is still open, so he can already start with his investigation. He takes out his map, and walks off towards the city centre.
During the walk he keeps thinking about Lyxia. He cannot phantom what she was doing here in Räan, she should be in the monastery in Kataras. And that man, his name somehow sounded familiar. He had heard it before, but when?
Suddenly something goes click in his head and he can remember when he heard the name before. It was that afternoon, in his conversation with Dr. Aeros and Isobella. Norbert Giles is the name of the mayor of Räan! Nillian suddenly stops, too surprised to keep walking. Almost immediately someone walks into him, and he is hustled forward. Quickly regaining his footing Nillian walks into an alleyway, where he can stop without obstructing the traffic.
He tries to wrap his mind around what he just learned, but it just does not fit together. His sister, here in Räan, in a dress, dining with the mayor? Is he going crazy? These things don't just happen!
It takes Nillian a few minutes to get himself under control again. Then he makes up his mind, and pushes all thoughts about Lyxia away. It is something he just cannot deal with now, and he will have to puzzle that together some other time. Hopefully the next time he sees Lyxia she will explain everything and all will be well. He has no idea what kind of explanation could explain all this, but he would see that when it came to that. For now he should concentrate on his own research.
Nillian shakes his head to remove all other thoughts, and continues on towards the city hall. When he arrives there he sees that he guessed right, it is still open. Nillian walks inside, and enters a big hall. There are several counters there, each staffed with an attendant in official looking clothing. Nillian walks over to the nearest counter. A middle-aged woman is sitting behind the counter, and looks up as Nillian approaches.
"With what can I help you today, sir?"
"Hello, I am looking for some information about a workplace called The Wind Riches."
"Alright. What kind of information are you looking for?"
"Well, the owner has died and the workplace has been dismantled. But I was hoping to find some information on the projects they were working on twenty years ago, a few weeks after the Great Bang in Kataras."
"Ah, I am sorry sir but that information is not open to the public. All transactions and project notes are archived and under lock. Unless you are perhaps a member of the family?"
"Hmm, I am afraid I'm not, no. Aside from family members, who has access to these files?"
"Only administrative workers on the city council have access to such files. Sorry I couldn't help you further."
"No, that is quite alright, I should have expected this. Thank you for your help, and have a good evening!"
Outside Nillian hesitated for a second, and then examines his map to find the fastest way to get back to the inn. Outside it is beginning to get dark, and the streetlights are being lighted. There are less people about, which makes finding the way easier. Nillian returns to the marketplace and from there takes a wind car to the couth of the city. Then he quickly makes his way to the inn. When he gets there he is feeling very tired, and immediately goes to bed.
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