Act 3: The Ball - Preparations of War

The fairy wrinkles his brow and nods. "Oh, yes. That. It just sounded like that was right around the time you guys did your thing in the Shroud. It can't be a coincidence. Can it?"

"Let's go see him then. But we'll need someone to wait here in case it's time for our fitting appointment while we are talking. I'll go get Théo and explain what's happening. Be right back." Steve leaves to do just that.

A few minutes later, the adventurers are standing in front of room 248, ready to knock on the door. Théo is waiting in Steve's room, still drowsy after being woken up so early in the morning, but alert enough to be prepared for anything. He's trained for this, after all.

Fluffle looks at the empty hallway before he leans towards his companions and asks, "So, who is going to knock?"

Steve leans forward and knocks three times on the door.

The three adventurers wait for a few seconds before they hear footsteps approaching the door and someone unlocking the door. When it opens, the same Van Willis that they've met a few days ago is there, smiling at them.

"My friends! What a nice surprise!"

The old man, thin and spry as a youngster, immediately invites the group into his room, which is the same size as their own.

"Please, please, enter! Make yourselves comfortable!"

He doesn't seem to mind in the least that his guests have caught him wearing only his pajamas and one of the robes furnished by the hostelry.

"Take a seat! Have you eaten already? My breakfast should arrive soon, so you could order your own when it arrives."

"Thank you." - Mihai walks in - "Our last meeting was kind of abrupt. We haven't had a chance to talk in the last few days."

Van closes the door behind the party and arches an eyebrow. "The last few days?" he asks. "Oh, but I believe we haven't seen each other since last year! How have you been?"

He walks to the table and sits at one of the chairs near the end of it.

"Please, sit, sit!"

He motions at the chairs around him.

As Steve takes his offered seat, he tries to sus out whether Van is lying or not.

Deception 19

Konrad sits in a chair. "Ah, thank you. I've been quite well. Haven't had anything to eat yet, and I'm grateful for the offer. Are you sure you don't mind? We can wait for you to be dressed."

Deception 26
Is Van being fake with us right now? Is this pretend or a ruse, or what? Cuz we definitely saw him just a few days ago.

Steve, Konrad and Mihai can immediately tell that Van is lying. It's so blatant, he doesn't seem like he's even trying to hide it. Fluffle has noticed it too and he's looking at his companions with raised eyebrows, clearly confused by what is happening.

Van shares a knowing look with the adventurers and continues smiling.

"No, I don't mind at all," he says to Konrad. "It's always nice to speak with young people such as yourselves. I've heard about your victory at the Arena; truly remarkable, I must say! The stuff of legends, really."

The praise helps Konrad regain his footing and anchor to something familiar. "Thanks! Coming back as nobody, and leaving as a champion and a hero. It was easily the biggest highlight of my visit."

It was not.

Spellcraft 27
I am looking for disturbances nearby. Something that would indicate that there is someone or something that shouldn't be here. Also, Green Magic connection.

"Of course it was! You've made history!" Van laughs and pats Konrad on the shoulder to congratulate him. Then, someone knocks at the door. "Oh, that must be room service," Van says as he stands up. "Anything you'd like? It'll be my treat, of course."

Konrad:

"I'll take you up on that," says Steve, always happy to snag a free meal. He ends up ordering a frittata, a croissant, and, because he hates coffee, some apple juice.

Perhaps they will drop the charade after they eat, or once they are sure that they are no longer expecting guests? At any rate, Konrad answers, "Yes, I was thinking about scrambled eggs just now, lots of scrambled eggs covered in cheese."

Just so, Konrad orders a big plate of gourmet scrambled eggs covered with melted cheese, asking for that on nearly half the plate, with the other side having a chunk of braised ham soaked in mead, with strawberries in the remainder, and a glass of milk.

"Just an apple for me, thank you," Fluffle says.

"I'll be just a moment," Van answers as he heads towards the door.

A minute later, the servant has set a plate full of scrambled eggs, bacon, baked beans, sausages, buttered toasts, and some fruits on the table, as well as a glass and a pitcher of orange juice. Once the servant has left, Van sits down and pours himself a glass.

"You won't mind if I eat this now, I hope? I've ordered some biscuits to eat while you enjoy your own breakfast; I know how uncomfortable it can be to eat while the other person has already finished."

"Oh, that's very thoughtful of you," Fluffle says.

"I try," the man says with a smile. "Now, can I ask what brought you here? While I am delighted to see you again, I can't help but wonder why it had to be at such an early hour in the morning. Not that I mind, of course."

"Honestly, we were a tad worried whether we would be able to catch you. We were under the impression that you were very busy. As are we."

"Oh, yes, I've been very busy lately. I'll be busy for most of the day, so it's actually good timing that you came to see me so early in the morning. How I wish I could just teleport wherever I needed to go; that would save me so much time!"

Van Willis laughs and takes a bite of his toast.

"That would be so useful," exclaims Steve, not missing a beat, "If you ever figure out how, you should totally teach us. Imagine, we could have been doing this three days ago instead of just now. Think of all the good we could have done here."

"People having so much power wouldn't be a good thing, however. What happens if they go rogue? Truly terrible things might happen." Van Willis' expression becomes a little more serious as he places baked beans on his toast. "You'd need someone to keep these people in check. Someone who's powerful and wise enough to keep them all in line. Assuming you can even find one such person, what would happen if these powerful individuals teamed up against their custodian? All hell would break loose, I imagine."

Konrad pulls out his pipe. "We have had dealings with people who do not deserve such power. But what would that make the custodian? Being all-powerful and all-wise, then he would be allowing the coup against him to take place. The charitable observer would call it cunning. The pessimist would view it as a defeatist strategy. What say you?"