Two days later,
Jace was walking on the road, with people bustling around. It was evening, so the sky was dim.
While continuing to walk, he came to a stop. Looking to the right side, he saw a cafe.
Laywin's Cafe.
Jace sighed deeply.
In the past two days, he had performed divinations over and over, using every angle until his spirituality depleted multiple times.
But he found no signs of anything odd about Natalie and Madam Webbers.
He turned right and started walking toward the cafe.
He knew that Madam Webbers was likely a Sequence 6 or 5, because he had seen her at the party, and that's what his intuition as a Seer told him.
Other than the few Beyonder gatherings that he had read about in the book, Jace truly had no connections in the Beyonder world.
He couldn't always follow the canon in the book—he had to make his own way.
And Madam Webbers was a way to start.
After careful consideration, he decided it was best for him to meet Madam Webbers.
Yes… that's right. I'm only meeting her to make connections. This definitely isn't about an 'intimate relationship'.
He said those words to himself as he opened the door of the cafe.
Jace was impressed by the cafe. It looked quite similar to those from his world—or perhaps time.
Oh… what would this world be without you, Roselle Gustav.
He looked around the cafe and found a figure of a woman in a white shirt and black pants with a long coat, her hair tied back.
She sat by the window at an empty table—it was Natalie, of course.
Though Loenese men preferred ladylike women in dresses and such, Natalie, with her sharp, stern, yet clean features, attracted several eyes.
Jace walked to the table. He took off his brown hat and brought it to his chest, giving a small bow as he greeted her.
Natalie nodded and gestured for him to sit.
Jace took a seat in front of her, placing his hat aside.
They sat in silence for a few moments before it was broken by a waiter with a notepad in his hand.
"What can I get for you?" he asked.
Natalie spoke first.
"A black coffee," her voice cold.
To Jace, it seemed like this woman truly was a tight-ass.
But Jace was a soft guy. He looked at the waiter.
"A coffee with milk and sugar," he said in a gentle tone.
The waiter left to fetch the order.
Natalie looked at Jace and asked, "So, have you decided?"
Jace looked at her for a moment, then asked, "You said this woman was your employer, so she must be of a higher sequence than you, right?"
Natalie nodded.
Jace continued, "And from what I know, she is a rich lady, so she has lots of connections in the Beyonder world, yes?"
"Yes," Natalie replied, then continued, "For a person like you, who has superior intellect and knowledge of the mystic and Beyonder world, having a connection with Madam Webbers would be significantly beneficial…"
"Even if we include… that kind of… relationship."
Jace nodded, but then quickly shook his head.
"What? No—I only wish to have a cooperative relationship with her, nothing more than that."
He nodded again, trying to convince himself.
"Yes… it has nothing to do with that kind of relationship. Only business transactions. Yes."
Natalie seemed to have caught him and said in a flat voice, "Yes, of course."
Jace noticed a hint of sarcasm in her voice, so he defended himself.
"I mean it!"
"I believe you," Natalie replied flatly.
"I really mean it…" Jace muttered under his breath.
Natalie likely heard it but chose to ignore it.
The waiter returned to their table, served their beverages, and left.
The coffee was hot, so Jace blew on it a few times.
He took a sip and found the taste quite to his liking.
"Let's go," Natalie's voice cut through his appreciation of the coffee.
When the hell did she drink that hot coffee?
Jace looked up, coffee still in his hand, wondering where she was asking him to go.
Oh.
"Right now?" Jace asked.
"Yes," Natalie said.