Chapter 39: Four of Hearts

'Recently, haven't I been too callous of a person, even when I don't mean to act that way?' Lumière sighed inwardly, thinking about his actions in the weeks past. 'The careful balance that my emotions need turns me into a soulless, swayless person, it seems. It is the safest option to keep my morals grey, and my heart unwavering, even if I act different on the surface.'

'For the sake of not seeming weak in the face of many strong powers, I have to act brazen, and a bit unhinged in a way that would dissuade people from messing with me. On the inside, however, I have to stay calm. Isn't this too difficult to balance?'

Lumière let out a sigh, and stepped out into the road.

Lumière had previously gone to the Blackfeather Group's establishment in order to ask Constantine for his assistance in locating a certain man he had seen prior. That man was the 'Four of Hearts' who he had seen making his way into the House of Cards during his first arrival at the organisation's establishment, although Lumière hadn't disclosed that much to him. While he wasn't expecting Constantine to come up with anything, he had been able to identify a man alike to the one Lumière had described, and noted his habits to pass onto him. The Four of Hearts spent a large portion of his time in the Festival of Leithes, a tavern in the middle borough's festival district where he simultaneously also lived. He was often accompanied by a woman with stark-black hair and violet eyes, whose position as a magic-user was unknown.

'Three of Hearts wants me to approach this man because he's worried that they won't be amiable when approached by a direct competitor, but isn't it also risky for me? Doesn't everyone seem to be wary of Heretics? Moreover, when approaching him with business that directly relates to his competitor, won't that make him cautious and hesitant regardless? Is he betting on the fact that we heretics make naturally good liars? Does he imagine I can convince Four of Hearts to meet with him amicably by lying?' Lumière let out a harsh sigh. When going out, he had recently begun to wear his performer's attire. He thought that it would help him blend in with the general crowd of the middle borough, as if he was an entertainer from the festival district returning from work. This made it far less likely that he would be stopped and questioned by the Peacekeepers that patrolled about constantly, therefore directly decreasing the risk of his illegal weaponry being discovered.

Still, despite his attire, he carried his sabre with him. Even though it clashed with the 'magician' persona he was trying to portray, he wasn't a fool who would go without his best assets in the event of danger. In the event that he was asked about it, he would say that it was part of his act- a 'swordswallower'. If they were to inquire further for any odd reason and ask him to demonstrate, they would simply look like a strange fool themselves, so it was likely that the questioning would stop at that.

After walking through the streets of the middle borough, he eventually came to the bustling tavern lit up a bright orange by lamplight. Ornate glass windows with iron textile surfaces were dyed a dull green, and the door was wide open, bathing the area outside the tavern with a scent of rich alcohol and fragrant delicacies. He stepped inside the tavern, and was immediately greeted by the loud, booming voices of the patrons, who all seemed caught up in their own reveries, forgetting the struggles of the passing day. It wasn't like the low-end, horrid taverns within Etten-Leur, which were frequented by the craven dockworkers and coalminers, who desperately wanted to forget their painful existences. In comparison, there was less of a bitter stench, and more of an inviting, calm environment.

Lumière began to walk past the tables filled with laughter, and eventually came to a man and a woman sitting quietly in the corner of the tavern, discussing trivial matters. The man looked up towards Lumière, as if inquiring as to why he was staring at them. He had a drink in his hands, which he set down quickly after. He had stark-white hair, and wore a light-brown jacket that Lumière recalled greatly.

"May I help you, sir?" He asked of Lumière.

However, Lumière's response, brought forward by his falsified brazen demeanor, was likely something the man didn't expect.

"Do you want to play cards? You look like the type that would enjoy a game." Lumière asked of the man with dull-turqoise irises. Immediately, he pulled the One of Spades card out of his pocket, revealing it to the man before him. The supposed Four of Hearts's eyes lit up slightly, and an ambivalent smile crossed his face.

He looked over to the woman beside him, and without any hesitation, introduced himself.

"I'm Four of Hearts. I wonder why a person such as you is seeking me out in an establishment not associated with our organisation? Do you have some sort of business with me or my friend?"

"Your friend?" Lumière eyed the woman beside him.

"Three of Diamonds. Let it be known, fledgling, that it is quite rude to approach someone so blatantly. If we were hostile, what would you have done? Could you still curse us if we attacked you because you were too forward? Are you a fool, or just plain stupid?" The woman's eyes furrowed slightly.

Four of Hearts waved her comments away, speaking in conjunction with her hesitance.

"Now, now. He doesn't know of the way we partake in processions, obviously. Rather, to approach us like this knowing who we are, it's clear he knows much about us. It would be foolish to call him a fool." Four of Hearts laughed slightly. His eyebrows also furrowed in turn, and he looked over towards Lumière. "After all, an enemy wouldn't approach us so blatantly, knowing our power far exceeds their's. That would be a signing of their own death warrant, wouldn't it?"

Lumière's body began to sweat slightly, and in the face of the kind man's sudden cold demeanor, he began to regret taking the deal with the Three of Hearts. It wasn't yet clear to him just how powerful the gap between them was. After all, when it came to matters of supernatural powers and sorcery, he was far too inexperienced. However, after discussing the matter with Father Benedict earlier, it had become clear that as the levels, the 'arising' of the staircase that led towards the heavens related to the cards, the 'Four of Hearts' was an intense force. In comparison to the fledgling Lumière, he was equivalent to a 'practitioner' of the Alchemist domain. As the name suggested, Lumière came to the conclusion that in a mere instant, he would surely die of some sort of ailment or poison from the man's concoctions, or he would stumble into wordplay that ultimately bound him to a contract formed by the alchemist, and he would be forced to obey it at all costs. This wasn't so much a matter of business that the Three of Hearts had contracted him to do, but a deadly conversation filled with traps and trickery that he had to navigate with the lightest step.

It was clear by the coy smile on Four of Heart's face that that was the case.

"If you were a friend, you should have just said so." The man smiled genially, gesturing with his hand in a passive manner. "This Tavern has many private rooms for guests to convene in a silent setting. Come, we can discuss matters there."

Lumière knew that the man he assumed was the Four of Hearts had immediately grown wary of him. As he, the lady, and Lumière stood up to adjourn to a private room, he kept eyeing Lumière out of the corner of his eye, as if sizing up the immediate danger that he posed. Still, Lumière followed the white-haired man and the beautiful and elegant lady past the roaring atmosphere of the tavern, eventually arriving in a small, quiet room in the back of the establishment. The floor was carpeted in a dull green, and orange lamplight bathed the room in a faint glow. They sat at a wooden table with iron edges, and two wooden benches that looked as if they would splinter into countless pieces with the slightest forceful touch.

As Lumière sat down in the room, he noticed that the violet gaze of Three of Diamonds had begun to glow slightly, a mark of the Astrologer's activation of power. It was clear that she had begun to analyse him using some sort of method, likely trying to ascertain his origin, or his motives. He had learned from Father Benedict, another astrologer, that they were skilled in divination methods above all things. While magic stronger than oneself could not be directly divined, anything below the user's current level of power could be gazed upon. This meant that Three of Diamonds had readily assumed that

However, Lumière was not a mere 'fledgling' heretic. He was also a servant of a lofty, strange, and mysterious deity whose royal domain rested in a world of shadow. That power that he had been bestowed- the boon of a true evil God, was likely not something that Three of Diamonds could manage to look past. Even she had begun to realise it, as she stared at Lumière with a further mixture of vitriol, suspicion, and slight fear. Lumière grinned slightly, before looking over at Four of Hearts as if ignoring her attempt at divining his intentions completely.

"Would you like a drink, Mr. One of Spades?" Four of Hearts offered with a smile. "It's on me, after all. You might as well take advantage of it."

"I don't drink often. Such a luxury would be a waste on me."

It wasn't a lie, but it was simultaneously a deliberate withholding of truth. Whenever Constantine's company had offered him a drink, he would have liked to decline, but in such a social setting where he was a guest of the 'Boss', it was hard to do so. So, with a bit of fabrication, he would always make such a delicacy 'disappear'. It wasn't that he mistrusted Constantine, rather that he suspected he would be more of himself under the influence. For a man who cloaked himself in lies, being a real person was the strongest, inalienable fear.

The last time he had drunk alcohol without inhibition was with Elise. It wasn't a matter of hiding his true self from her. His inadequacies, his sorrows, and his anguishes were all things that she accepted wholeheartedly. This wasn't a matter of her being such a genuine, kind person, but rather that it was just the bridge of connection they had forged by being friends for so long. People like Constantine could be a person like that- one that he could be real with, but one of the greatest anxieties was the first step in acting as his genuine self. After all, to avoid that fear, it was easier just to lie.

Therefore, Lumière was hesitant to drink, and be himself.

Four of Hearts eyed him with a semblance of suspicion, but he discarded the offer and began to inquire into the business that Lumière had with him. Rather, it was the woman beside him, the Three of Diamonds, that spoke first. While Four of Hearts seemed a gentler soul, Three of Diamonds was a haughtier, forward type of person.

"So, why have you sought us out?" It seemed she had deliberately kept the matter of her divination's failure a secret for the time being, as if trying to keep her use of her powers hidden. When in discussion with a strange figure, it was best to keep as little information from seeping out of one's words as possible, as to try and keep the upper hand, or to try and not provoke the other party's hostility. To Three of Diamonds, who had suspected her divination would work on Lumière, only to realise he harbored a strange, profound secret, had started to feel anxiety etch itself into her heart. Still, she kept her usual demeanor about herself, as to not provoke suspicion. "You must have some sort of business with us, to seek us out, and ascertain who we are."

Lumière nodded in response.

"You're right. However, I'm merely a messenger."

Lumière held up his right hand to show off the intricate runes that had been marked in his own blood, now a faint black ink on his skin. Four of Hearts's eyes lit up slightly upon seeing the etched runes, and a grin spread upon his expression.

"Is it the current Three of Hearts?" He asked. "Then, is it a trade deal, or an invitation to duel?"

"You know of him?" Lumière asked, slightly surprised.

Three of Hearts shook his head.

"It's a matter of elimination of answers. The runes on your hand point to a contract- the power of an alchemist. This can only be part of the 'hearts' domain. However, there's often no reason for a higher power to seek a lower number of the suit. This can only mean that the person below me, the current 'Three of Hearts', whoever he may be, wants to advance. It's not a hard thought process to parse through, is it? So, my question still stands. Is this an invitation to business, or a duel?"

Lumière's sheepish grin didn't distract from his surprise. He knew it wasn't a hard process of thought, but Four of Hearts had thought it out almost immediately, as if his mind was capable of calculating such things in a split second. Still, he kept his calm demeanor about him, and replied succinctly.

"It's a business deal, supposedly. He wants to meet in a non-hostile manner, in the House of Cards. I'm merely an intermediary to show goodwill in this regard. After all, what do I have to gain from fighting you?"

Three of Diamonds beside them nodded in agreement.

"This definitely was a good way to go about it, but you were far too brazen in your approach. If you had been dealing with anyone else, you may have been killed on the spot. This isn't the House of Cards, after all. Killing isn't exactly prohibited in the real world, at least not in this manner." She spoke in response.

Three of Diamonds had already begun to bow to Lumière's presence, having discovered that he was a strange, mysterious person who couldn't be divined. However, Four of Hearts still anticipated having the upper hand, and so Lumière had to continue to be brazen, and a little unhinged. So, to her words, Lumière only had one more thing to say.

"You're still human, aren't you?"

Three of Diamonds and Four of Hearts looked at him with strange expressions, which quickly filled with a slight sense of fear as he spoke once more.

"If anything were to go wrong, one bullet would be enough to ease my worries."