After a short trip to the hardware store to pick up some plumbing and/or electrical supplies – Mavis couldn’t be sure which, exactly – they got back in the car to continue their little journey.
It had been a long day. At this point, Mavis was ready to go sleep for a week and hope that she didn’t get called upon at all in that time. Not only had she done some regular wallpaper installations in the morning, but she’d spent the better part of the afternoon magically putting up her best wallpaper yet, only for the building to be burnt down. And now she had to go along with this Lorenzo guy to wherever he was taking her to meet his strange boss.
“Care to tell me where we’re going?” Mavis asked as they pulled onto the main road.
“We’re going to visit some luxury home contractors – at least that’s what it will look like. Have to be discrete about meetings like this. We’re more closely watched when we aren’t on the job than when we are on it.”
“So your boss is an architect for the elite?”
Lorenzo nodded. “That’s right. Elites who need new home builders on the Mornington Peninsula know they can rely on Gideon Nightshade.”
“Gideon Nightshade? That sounds totally fake.”
“Oh, I can assure you, there’s absolutely nothing fake about Gideon. The man is as forward and blunt as they come. You don’t want to get on his bad side.
“What, is he going to make me feel bad?”
Lorenzo gulped. “Yes, but it’s far worse than you can imagine. See, before becoming an architect, Gideon was a psychologist. He didn’t Ascend in that, but he certainly knows how to get in your head regardless.”
Sounded like an intriguing fellow. Although, Mavis wasn’t quite sure she wanted any part of this. She’d only investigated out of boredom and because it was what Dirk wanted, and now she was being dragged along faster than she could comprehend.
What was the alternative, though? She was along for the ride. Might as well see it through, despite her reservations.