Random 42

They found a small place nearby that was warm, if a bit cramped for space, and offered among other things something baked filled with jam, which, Sylvie decided, was exactly was she needed. On a table in a niche, not in direct view of any of the other guest, Sylvie handed back Sebastian's money, minus replacement for what little she had given Kirrya. "Never asked directly. Either very non-greedy, or very sentimental, it seems. I promised her the spindle back when I was finished with it, a week or so, I said. Oh, and that you didn't go after her." She paused and gave him a look. "You left quite an impression, you were right."

Sebastian, who took the money a little reluctantly, had the good grace to look embarrassed at those last few words. "I thought as much," he sighed and examined the jam. "What answers did she have?"

"The mage behind it is called Langoll. He had some interest in Kirrya's mother."

Sebastian's eyes widened. He pursed his lips momentarily. "This is becoming a bit too outlandish."

Sylvie stared at him. "With you saying that, I'm worried. What?"

"I heard that name when I was hiding under Ludovic Saba's bed. I broke in there yesterday --after Martha sent me off," he said, staring at Sylvie. He was most curious about her reaction to his words.

Sylvie had another bite of pastry to get time to digest that. She took her time chewing. She looked at Sebastian with an oddly mixed expression heavy on amusement and finally answered, "Honestly, I'm mostly wondering whom he had in bed for that odd a topic for pillow talk."

Sebastian grinned, pleased. It was both amusement and... well. "Oh, Brice." He gave a second's pause. "They were bickering about bureaucracy in the adjacent room. They almost got into another fight when Ludovic told him that Langoll had visited... I believe Brice's words were something to the effect of..."

He thought for a moment. "Something like... 'it was supposed to be that nobody should have a way to connect him to us if anything went wrong'." Of course, that may have been referring to something else.

Sylvie raised her eyebrows on cue, but didn't really buy it. She turned serious when the implications became clearer, and sighed.

"Well. I asked Kirrya what else she could tell me about Langoll. He's from Hilyet, but occasionally visits here. She has last seen him years ago and couldn't give anything in the way of a useful description. She did remember that he was greeted like a regular customer at the Green Grapes."

He nodded, knitting his eyebrows together. "Did she say anything else about him?"

"That he was a patronising bastard, but I guess that might have been because she was thirteen or so."

"Wonderful." Why did there always have to be a mage in the opposite camp? "I suppose we could have Sister Auker ask Montmore if he know anything more about Langoll. I'm a little hesitant about breaking into a mage's room. Following him around, well, that is a different thing."

Now, was that just wording, or what? "And you're not hesitant about breaking into any non-mage's room at all?"

He shook his head a little. What a question. "Less hesitant, let's say. But magical traps, well, those aren't exactly my specialty."

One might have blamed general excitement of the day combined with little sleep, if one wanted.

That thought pushed Sylvie in a sort of problem-analysing mindset. "Mh. The really thoroughly primed ones go off as soon as you try to find out if they are there." She was referring to using magic to detect magic.

"And considering what kind of thing is going on, if he is behind this... well, he's bound to play it safe," Sebastian said with a frown. "No lucky breaks there." Unless the man had somehow forgotten something crucial -- and Sebastian wasn't sure what that could have been.

"Back home, that is. If there are really just three mages in Canyet, and one of them is out of town..."

"Hmm. Good point. But there's still conventional obstacles to consider," Sebastian said and leaned back in his chair. "Or maybe not all that much of that if he trusts his own work."

A bit late it dawned on her that this was not an hypothetical or academical problem, but entirely practical and possibly lying in the near future. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

"I think I need to get some sleep before I do something really stupid."

"Like what?" Sebastian said, only a little amused.