Instead of Morgana who he was expecting, two elves stood in the doorway. A man and a woman.
The woman was tall and lean, with silver hair cut short above her jaw and beautiful amber eyes that moved from Lukas to the room behind him in a single sweep.
She wore fitted dark leathers with a guild insignia stitched above her left breast, a sigil of two bones crossed over each other.
She had a short sword sitting at her hip, and Lukas could tell it wasn’t in the least bit decorative.
The man beside her was broader, with the build of soone who had spent years doing physical work.
His hair was a deep red tied back in a ponytail, and his ears ca to the sa slight point as hers.
He held a leather folder under one arm and wore the sa guild insignia on his collar.
And of course, neither of them was Morgana.
Lukas looked between them, briefly confused. "And you are..."
"Lukas Valentine! It is an honor to finally et you in person. It wasn’t quite easy to find you." The woman spoke first. "We represent the Crossed Bones guild, and we have an offer we believe you won’t be able to refuse."
"I seriously doubt that," Lukas muttered under his breath. "So what’s your offer?"
The man tilted his head. "May we co in?"
"You can co in," Lukas said, "if you’re prepared to open with an offer that includes a million gold coins as a sign-on fee."
Both of them froze, their eyes montarily widening. "Say what now?"
"That’s our current baseline," Lukas continued pleasantly. "It’s what the Iron Fist guild put on the table this evening. If you want a seat at the table, that’s where the conversation starts."
The man and woman exchanged a look, communicating rapidly with their eyes and expression.
It was clear that the numbers Lukas just spoke of were outside what they’d been ordered to offer.
"We’re... willing to negotiate," the man finally said.
"Good." Lukas nodded. "Then here’s my suggestion."
"Go back to your guild tonight, redraft your offer with that number in mind, and co back after the tournant is finished."
He looked between them both. "I’ll sign with whoever puts the most sincere contract in front of . All you need to know is that you’ll have a fair shot."
They accepted his words, knowing this was the best they’d get out of him, before leaving.
He watched them go, closed the door, and turned back to the room.
"It’s just another guild," he said. "They’re here for the sa reason as Iron Fist. I sent them away with a tiline, but after the tournant, we’re leaving this hotel."
"Agreed," lody nodded.
As for Akira, she looked amused.
Lukas had barely lowered himself back into his chair when there was another knock on the door.
He stopped, looked at the door, then slowly stood back up.
"You’d better be Morgana," he muttered under his breath.
He pulled open the door to see Morgana standing in the doorway.
’Finally!’
On her face was her usual lion mask, with a slit revealing her green eyes. Those eyes lit up the mont they saw him.
His eyes flicked to the space behind her, taking the man standing there.
The man stood a foot taller than Lukas and was broad at the shoulder. He was covered from the neck down in plate armor, and his aura radiated from him, telling Lukas he was S-rank.
Lukas’ eyes flicked to him, then back at Morgana.
"Lukas," she said with a nod.
He eyed the man behind her, before stepping back. Co in."
If anything happened, he trusted the two S-ranks he also had with him.
Morgana nodded before following his invitation and entering the room. The armored man followed, and Lukas closed the door behind them.
Akira and lody were both watching from across the room with composed expressions, but Lukas could see the curiosity in their eyes.
"These are my wives," Lukas said, gesturing between the two groups. "lody and Akira."
He turned to the visitors. "This is Morgana Le Fay, and—"
"Baldwin," Morgana said. "My guard."
Baldwin inclined his head in greeting but said nothing, electing to simply watch them.
Lukas gestured to the round table. "Do have a seat."
Morgana crossed the room and took a seat, her every movent graceful and regal. Baldwin took his place behind her.
Lukas took the seat opposite her. "So, may I ask the purpose of your visit?"
"You’re not even trying to ask who I am." She said. "So you rember ."
"Of course." Lukas said plainly. "There are very few people in Havenhart that can walk around while concealing their aura completely."
"I see." She nodded.
"So what brings you here today?" Lukas repeated.
Before answering, Morgana reached up and unclasped the mask.
It ca away in one hand, and she set it on the table in front of her.
Dark green hair cascaded down her back, and her bright green eyes caught the light in the room and held it, twinkling.
Her expression was cold, but they could tell it was simply her normal expression instead of an expression of displeasure.
lody and Akira stared at her, taking in every detail without even trying to hide it. Morgana noticed their attention, but was already used to it, so she said nothing.
"I noticed two guild representatives leaving the floor as I was coming up," she said.
"Yeah. We’ve been receiving visitors," Lukas confird.
"I suspected as much." She folded her hands on the table. "Then I apologize in advance for similarly imposing on your evening."
She leaned forward. "I also have an offer, Lukas. One I believe is different from whatever the guilds have put in front of you tonight."
Lukas’ eyebrows rose.
He leaned back in his chair and stared at the woman sitting across from him. What could she possibly offer that the others couldn’t.
"I’m listening," he said.
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