A Harmonious Meeting

🦋 Co-written with fellow junior detective Markas Virnala & the enigmatic Guido  🦋

---

With a slight skip to her step, Sheryl made her way across the foyer of the Fair Winds to the atrium. The events of the previous night and the damages incurred had been paid for without a fuss. The manager, though understanding, had still looked disappointedly at her, like it was her fault. She wasn’t going to hold it against him, though he is mistaken in blaming her for what happened. The lady and her friends had been told off for starting the altercation in the first place it seems so hopefully there won’t be any further interrupted performances.

She went to her favoured spot in the elegant glass room. One of the waitstaff came over promptly with her late lunch and they briefly exchanged pleasantries before she was left to her own thoughts. They turned to Kruxeral, as they so often do lately. But before she could dwell on them a voice interrupted her thoughts.

“I know you have been looking for me. I am ready to talk, if you want. Please tell Markas too.”

“Joyeuse!” Sheryl says in surprise, sitting up straighter. “Yes, of course. Where should we meet you?”

”Where would you be comfortable meeting me?” she asks.

Sheryl pops a bit of cheese into her mouth, chewing and thinking. “In Daring Heights, perhaps?” Sheryl nods to herself. “Markas lives outside of town but it should be easy for him to meet us here. Have you ever been?”

“I have... seen it. Very well.”

“Let us meet at the Gilded Mirror, tonight? It’s the largest establishment in Daring Heights and I can ask the manager to allow us a private room to speak.” She pops a grape into her mouth and smiles. “It’ll give Markas time to get here as well.”

Joyeuse agrees and then it’s just Sheryl alone with her thoughts again. Kruxeral is still upstairs in her room, but he said to go about her day as normal, he’d see her at her performance later tonight. She plays with her food but a wicked smile keeps tugging at her lips.

This could be the way, if I play my cards right.

---

Sheryl walks into the Gilded Mirror, followed by Markas. After speaking with Leocanto for a moment, he directs them upstairs to a private room. As they enter, the pair spot a familiar tall, dark skinned woman in armour, an eagle emblazoned on her shoulder, sitting at a table. A righteous confidence exudes from her as the pair approach and take up seats opposite her.

"Thank you for meeting me. Let's cut to the chase, I like to be direct. I observed you.”

“You observed us?” Markas asks, a little taken aback by the news.

“Yes. You expressed interest in the order. I observed your behaviour.”

“And what did you think?” Sheryl chimes in, curious.

Joyeuse is somewhat stoic as they continue, “You carried yourselves in a capable and moral way. That is why I am here.”

Markas leans forward, “So, this was a test?”

“Call it what you like.”

Sheryl beams at Markas. “And you being here must mean we passed?”

“Yes, in part… I'm certainly happy to tell you more about the Order and ask you to join it but I am not going to lie, this would have taken much longer had I not had cause for concern about your land.”

“Concern? What's wrong?” Markas asks.

“Are you being cagey with me, Markas?”

“No... would just like to be clear as to what you're referring to. There has been a lot happening around here.”

“He’s got a point,” agrees Sheryl. She tilts her head and asks, “Are you referring to the sigils and gates we’ve been looking into? Or something else?”

“Yes, I am, Sheryl. The Order cares about maintaining some balance across the Planes. I know you have quite a lot on your hands, Markas,” Joyeuse chuckles. “What do you know about this gate?”

Markas blushes a little and Sheryl gives him a sly smile, “Erm… Not as much as we’d like. The first seemed to be a blood ritual which has been... 'released' I guess… And there seems to be more, smaller sigils around. And a group called the Vanguard are involved. As to what the gate holds or where it leads.... nothing so far.”

“What do you think their end game is?” Joyeuse asks.

Markas is first to answer, “I'm not sure. A lot of life was lost towards this end so I don’t imagine it's anything good. It also seems to be old. VERY old.... so maybe something was locked up a long time ago and they want it out? I mean, it's all just speculation right now. No one seems to know anything.”

“There seems to be infernal connections but it hasn’t become apparent to which layer of the Hells,” Sheryl continues. “The people of K’ul Goran seem to be the majority of those in the Vanguard as well. We haven’t been able to find any connections near here yet – all of the leads we’ve had, have been tied up over there.”

Markas nods,”Yes. We have had dealings with fiends here but nothing seemed to tie into this at all.”

“Near here?” Joyeuse raises an eyebrow, “Do you mean this town? When I said your land, I meant this continent. The Order focuses on the bigger picture.”

“Ah! I see,” Sheryl says, a little embarrassed. “Right, yes…”

“Well”, Markas continues, “There was a temple a few hours from here that we learned had a gateway into the hells a couple of months ago but last I heard it was closed. I've heard of other run-ins with fiends from other adventurers too but they mostly seemed isolated as separate events so far. Compared to how things all seem tied together with the sigils anyway. But what else has the Order seen? If you were able to watch us, I imagine you can see more than just us.”

Joyeuse takes on a thoughtful look for a moment. "It's curious how I met you and that led me to investigate your land more closely,” She gives an inscrutable look to both Sheryl and Markas. “And I don’t believe in coincidences.” Sheryl raises an eyebrow. “We can see, but haven't been watching long enough yet, or closely enough it seems."

“Then let us help.” Sheryl offers, “We have already started looking into this anyway.”

"Good,” Joyeuse states, reaching into her bag, “I have indeed a task for you, as new agents of the Order."

She takes two small pins out of her bag and puts them on the table. The pins are harps made from delicate silver leaves.

Sheryl gives Markas a nudge. “She said we are agents!! That’s so cool!”

"Do you accept them?" asks Joyeuse.

“Yes,” Sheryl says without hesitation, picking up the pin on the left.

Markas picks up the other pin and inspects it.

"What's your concern, Markas?" Joyeuse asks the Grey monk, seeing his inquisitive look.

“Oh... nothing. I want to help, that’s why we asked to talk to you. I would still like to learn more about the Order in general too of course but I know you must be needed elsewhere. I was just wondering how I could learn more. But first, what is it you need us to do?”

“The history of the Order spans hundreds of years, Markas. But, no offence, you might be misjudging this. You are – if you’d like to be – agents of the Order. Not members. Not yet.”

“Ah! Okay.” Sheryl nods, “Still in the probation stages. Got it!”

“I respect your moral behaviour and am willing to trust you,” Joyeuse says with a slight bow of her head

“Oh I understand,” Markas says, turning over the tiny harp in his hands. “I don't expect to learn the Order's inner workings right away.” He turns to see Sheryl pinning the harp to her clothes.

“The Order can come to the help of its agents, but you remain independent, for good or bad.”

Markas pins the badge to his robes, above the feather token already on his chest. “Okay. So you said you had a task for us?”

“Yes, the Order has been busy on the Plane of Air recently, as you know. We noticed a K’ul Goranian noble that seems to travel a lot from Ku'l Goran to there. I think it’s worth investigating.”

“Sure!” Sheryl says, eager to find out what Joyeuse has in store for them. “What’s their name?”

“I don't know, but I know that on the Plane of Air they use a Djinn called Issin the Honest as a middle-man. They’re involved with pirates, of a sorts.”

“Okay. So you want us to check this guy out, see what he is doing?” Markas asks.

“Yes Markas. Also, you said ‘Sigils’. What’s that?”

“These…well, symbols-” Markas says, absentmindedly tracing out a pattern with his fingers on the wooden table, “-being used as... Well, we are assuming locks, related to the event in K’ul Goran before. They seem to be what the Vanguard group are after... in part anyway.”

“Do you know where they are?” Joyeuse asks.

“No. We found one but it was broken before we realised what it was. But we think others might be scattered across different planes. We found one in the plane of air but the largest seemed to be the one in the ground of Kul Goran.”

Joyeuse frowns a little at this, "Maybe we are too late then, I don't know.” She thinks for a moment then looks at the two of them. “That's the task anyway, the Order has faced countless dead ends over the centuries. This might be just one more.”

“Find the Sigils?” the monk asks.

“No,” she replies flatly, “I didn't know about them until a moment ago, Markas. You proved a good agent already.” Markas smiles. “The task is to understand what this K’ul Gorani noble is up to. Maybe it's relevant, maybe not.”

“We will look into it,” Sheryl says with confidence.

"Very well, the best of luck to you. Let me know as soon as you have news."

“We will,” the pair say in unison.

"Au revoir," Joyeuse says as she stands.

“Is there a way I could reach you, if Sheryl is not around?” Markas asks as the woman turns to leave.

“Maybe you could ask the tiefling," Joyeuse says with a chuckle as she walks out.

“…. ah.” Out of the corner of his eye he sees a sly grin on Sheryl’s face.