Breakfast with Elina

His musings were interrupted by a knock on the door, and a quick look with his divine sense revealed Elina. He was about to stand up to open the door when he recalled that he had already revealed his powers to her yesterday. Since that was the case, then there was no reason to hide anymore.

He waved his hand and the door opened. Looking at Elina whose hand was raised to knock again, he smiled. "Good morning, Miss Elina."

"Good morning," Elina said, as she walked into the room, taking note of the distance between the door and The Observer.

As she gently closed the door, The Observer couldn't help but ask. "If you're here, who's at the reception area?"

"Mathias. He's a coworker."

"So, what do you want?" The Observer did not believe that she would come to his room for no reason.

"I- Well- Have you had breakfast yet?"

The Observer raised an eyebrow. "No, I haven't."

"So… do you want to have one. With me. To the- there's a cafe nearby. I just, I just wanted to thank you for what.. for how you helped yesterday. If you don't want to just say no and I'll leave."

As he watched her nervously try to invite him for breakfast, The Observer struggled to hide his amusement. When she was done, he nodded. "No problem." He had never had the habit of rejecting free food. "When do we leave."

"We can go now," Elina motioned toward the door, even as a smile bloomed on her face.

On the way to the cafe, The Observer noticed that several times Elina had looked on the edge of asking him something, but each time she refrained. "You know, if you have something on your mind you can just say it." 

His assurance seemed to give her some confidence. "How did you become a wizard?"

"I'm not a wizard, but a cultivator," The Observer corrected. 

"Like a farmer? Farming gives supernatural abilities?"

"It has nothing to do with farming. What we cultivate is the self, as we embark on a journey to understand the universe and our place in it. The Great Way."

"Isn't that like science? Understanding the universe?"

"No. Science is focused on the physical, while cultivation is mainly focused on the spiritual. But the physical and spiritual are intricately connected, and one can affect the other. Which is why we are able to develop our spells and magicks that can affect the physical."

"Your power does not depend on the gods?"

"It does not. Like I said, we cultivate the self."

"Can I become like you?"

The Observer shook his head, crushing her hopes. With how low the spiritual energy in this realm was, it would probably take her years to break into the Qi Collection stage, and many more years to even get close to Foundation. In the end, it would be better and far easier to find another route to power. Maybe by her becoming a Devotee.

After arriving at the cafe, Elina insisted on covering the cost of his meal, before beginning a series of inquiries about him and the essence of his abilities. The Observer answered as best as he could without revealing too much. In the middle of the meal, Theron walked into the cafe and straight to their table.

Settling down into the space beside The Observer, Theron nodded at him before greeting Elina. "Good morning, Miss Elina."

"I don't think I know you," Elina stated, even as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You don't," Theron agreed. "But I'm not here for you. I'm here for him. My master has agreed to meet with us an hour before noon. But, I suggest we leave soon." Theron directed the last part of his speech to The Observer.

Noticing Elina's displeasure at Theron's presence, The Observer decided to do some introductions. "Elina, this is Theron. My- one of my employers."

She was about to speak when her eyes widened. Leaning forward, she asked in a low voice. "Is like you?"

"No, I am not." Theron disagreed with a frown, displeased that he had been compared to The Observer.

"He's not like me," The Observer also refuted Elina's statement. "He's what you would call a charlatan."

"Excuse me? And what about me strikes you as a charlatan?"

The Observer gave him a deep, long look before saying one word. "Everything."

Shaking his head, Theron turned to Elina and explained. "I am a Devotee of Eidara."

"Wait, a Devotee? Like in the magazines?" Elina's eyes lit up as Theron nodded, confirming her suspicions. "Prove it."

"What?" Theron obviously did not expect such a reply.

"Prove it. Tell me a secret."

A mischievous look appeared on Theron's face, and his eyes clouded over. "Well, since that's what you want, who am I not to oblige? When you were a child, you stayed at a farm. One day, you and a boy named Wisdom went to the store where the hay was kept. After ensuring no one else was around you both-"

"Stop, stop," Elina's face turned beet red as she hurriedly tried to stop Theron from speaking. Theron obliged her, and she slowly sank back into her seat. "How did you- you know what, don't worry about it. Pretend I never said anything."

Glancing at Elina, The Observer wondered what Elina and Wisdom had done that made her so flustered now that it was mentioned. However, to stop the mood from getting more awkward, he decided to change the topic. "By the way, there's a spirit haunting the hotel I am in. Any idea how I can get rid of it?" He asked Theron.

"What are its characteristics?" Theron asked, and The Observer turned to look at Elina, prompting her to explain it to Theron.

"I'm not sure what it looks like," she explained, "but anytime it appears, it surrounds the hotel with darkness, and a dark mist will then fill up the rooms. I've noticed it's affected by light, but that doesn't seem enough to kill it. Also, whenever it appears, someone always gets sick."

Theron proceeded to ask her more questions to clarify the details. When he was done, he sank into deep thought. Eventually, he said, "I believe it might be a Wraith, but I'll have to come personally to confirm that. If you don't mind, I could visit tonight and try to figure out what I can."

"Thank you. If you are able to get rid of it, I promise to make it up to you somehow," promised Elina.

Once he finished his meal, The Observer bid Elina goodbye before leaving the cafe with Theron. Outside the cafe, he followed Theron to the side of the building, where Theron suddenly stopped and looked around, his expectant look showing that he was waiting for something.

A few seconds later, a carriage appeared down the road and Theron quickly flagged it down, before motioning for The Observer to enter with him.