Chapter 131

With masquerade masks donned, Zoey and Delta passed through the two bouncers and were admitted entry into The Church of the Shattered Sphere—the official name for whatever organization they were getting mixed up in.

From the way Delta had described these people, Zoey had imagined raving lunatics posted up on street corners, ranting about nonsense. But seeing this so-called recruitment event, Zoey could tell that idea was wildly incorrect—at least at the higher, more coherent level. Then again, cults had to seem somewhat reasonable to get recruits in the first place. Zoey had just never thought much about it.

Inside, Zoey looked around with interest. The hall hosting the event featured a tall ceiling supported by lofty wood beams. Like most of Treyhull, the architecture was vaguely rustic, though only passingly. Long buffet tables served the dozens—possibly even hundreds—of people who had shown up. Recruitment must have been a success, at least insofar as drawing initial attention. Surely not everyone intended to join this ‘Church’, and were instead taking a look out of vague interest? Though Zoey still didn’t even know what joining meant or entailed. Did these people do anything more than rave about the world ending? What were their goals?

The decor and furnishings, though nice, weren’t rich. Most people walked around in their daily clothes, not dressed up for the event—pulled from the streets possibly in the same way Delta had been. Zoey got the vague impression of a gala, but the clientele weren’t of the typical pedigree. Lots of chatting, finger food, and an upcoming speech, but it was more of a casual event than a formal one.

“Sweet,” Delta said. “I’m starving. Let’s go fuck up that cheese table.”

Amused, Zoey let Delta drag her along by the hand.

She’d already had lunch, but she sampled a few of the items laid out on the tables, mostly with Delta’s insistence. Purple eyes scanned the various people across the hall, the foxgirl keeping track of her surroundings even while indulging in the free food. Zoey also looked around, though feeling more out of place than anything.

“So what’s the plan again?” Zoey asked.

“Find a victim. That’s always step one.”

“No, really.”

“Those people in the black masks have to be the official members, I’d figure. So we’re waiting on them.”

“Should we go talk?”

“Approach them? Ourselves? No way. It’ll seem desperate.”

“Desperate,” Zoey said. “We’re not out looking for a date, Delta. Making the first move won’t seem ‘desperate’.”

“Nah, it totally will. Wait for them to come to us. They’ll be more eager to impress, and so they might let something slip that they wouldn’t have otherwise. I wanna know what this ‘big reveal’ is before we actually get to it.” She poked Zoey on the shoulder. “And stop looking at them. You’ll give us away. Play cool and aloof. Channel your inner Rosalie.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Zoey said. Though she did as she was told. She guessed there was a certain logic to Delta’s reasoning, silly as it sounded.

“You’ve got a pretty girl for company, anyway. Focus on that.”

“I do?”

Delta huffed. “Keep talking like that, and you won’t get lucky on our date.”

Zoey somehow doubted that, seeing how the topic of a date had been brought up in the first place by Delta using the words ‘massive girlcock’, then introducing the idea.

“Speaking of, what’d’you have planned?” Zoey asked.

“Oh, you know. All sorts of illegal activities. Don’t worry about it.”

Illegal activities? “Coming from you, I can’t tell if that’s a joke.”

“Don’t be a square. Besides, you’re a third-advancement wayfarer now. You can get away with all sorts of stuff. Laws only half apply to us.”

“Really?”

“Well, to an extent, yeah. Kind of. Don’t think you understand our social position, even if we’re far from the strongest. Third advancement’s not too bad. Only one out of, I don’t know, fifty people make it here? Less? And that’s of wayfarers, not the general population. So we have a certain default influence, nobodies or not.” Delta hummed. “I guess your cluelessness makes sense, considering your whole backstory.”

“You believe me about that, now?” Zoey set aside all the other stuff to think about later. She hadn’t considered her growing ‘influence’ from the power she was earning day-by-day. And that it would only grow.

“I do,” Delta said. “It’s batshit insane, but I do. Think there’s been plenty of evidence. What’s that like, anyway?”

“What’s what like?”

“You know. Your previous home.”

So Delta did have some discretion—she didn’t go shouting out ‘your home world’.

“Uh,” Zoey said. “Definitely different. Hard to talk about, you know, here.” She didn’t know if someone was eavesdropping, but considering the possibility of enhanced hearing from even a middling wayfarer, she’d rather not go chatting casually about the topic without some guarantee of privacy.

“Yeah, fair,” Delta said. “Guess that’s date material, anyways.”

“Our date,” Zoey repeated. “Which will be packed with illegal activities?”

“Maybe.” She see-sawed a hand. “Again, I haven’t decided. I like to go with the flow. We’re staying flexible.”

“Uh-huh.”

A figure edged into their conversation, and both of them turned. A woman, face obscured by a feathered mask with a base of black metal, had arrived next to them. One of the members of the Church. She stood tall, shoulders pulled back, hands held primly behind her. A polite smile played at her lips and green eyes.

“Good afternoon,” the woman said. “I apologize for interrupting. Do you have a moment?”

“Sales pitch time?” Delta asked. “I suppose it’s only fair. Free food’s never actually free.”

The woman paused, taken off step. “Jacquelyn,” she offered after a moment.

“Zara,” Zoey replied. “And this is Dalia.”

Naturally, they were using false names. Probably it was safer to use ones that didn’t even resemble their originals, but this was easier to keep track of.

Delta grunted, focused on the buffet table. Playing ‘cool and aloof’, Zoey guessed. Personally, she thought the theatrics a little much, but Delta would know better than her.