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As Emery stepped into his suite, he instantly knew what was wrong. It was not empty. He was not alone. Indeed, there in the lounge, perched upon one of his chairs, was a tall figure with eyes that gleamed in the deep shadows of their hooded face. All of their other features were unknowable beneath the swathes of cloth that covered them from head to toe, all shades of shadowy blacks and deep purples. Their voice was high and lilting however, as they revealed when they began to speak.
"Ah, Detective Hyde, you are home at last! I was beginning to fear that you would be out all night. Please, do have a seat, there is something that we must discuss."
His first instinct, naturally, was to pull his gun out of his vest and train it on the stranger. “Who are you and why are you in my home?”
“Please, detective, there’s no need for that,” The intruder said, seeming entirely unbothered about the potential of being shot. “Do you think that if I meant you any harm, that I would have sat here in full view to await your arrival, and then announce myself? When I said I wanted to discuss a matter with you, I meant it. I promise not to take up too much more of your time, so if you would please join me, that would be most appreciated.”
Emery hesitated, eyes flicking away from the stranger to the chair they were gesturing towards, to the rest of the space, trying to see if they were the only intruder. From his quick scan it seemed they were, and it wasn’t like he had time to do a full sweep of his home with the stranger looking at him expectantly. So, reluctantly, he sat down across from them, though he kept his gun resting on his lap, hand still tight around the grip.
“Excellent. Now then, I happen to have a certain… Interest in a particular Game, and a friend of mine was kind enough to inform me that you have taken your own interest in it.”
Emery kept his expression carefully schooled. When had he last properly cleansed his mind of secrets? Wondering was pointless though, it was not as if he would remember it. “I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.“
The shining eyes beneath the intruder’s hood narrowed, analyzing him. He adjusted his grip on his gun slightly, but the other seemed to realize something, because they started laughing. “Oh, forgive me, it is my own fault for speaking so vaguely. It didn’t mean that game - I meant this one.”
They reached into their robes for something, and Emery had to wrangle in his impulse to move to shot. They hadn’t been hostile yet, the exact opposite in fact. That could change in a moment of course, but shooting someone who had broken into his home without detection and potentially angering them didn’t seem the wisest course of action. His restraint was rewarded when, indeed, the stranger did not pull a weapon or bomb or what have you out, but… A deck of cards? Ah. So it was about that then.
As the other continued to speak, they seemed to instinctually start shuffling and splitting the deck they now held. Their movements were so fluid, so practiced and casual, that Emery had to admit to himself that it was impressive. “You are seeking to start another game of the Marvellous, yes? As I imagine you can guess, I have played it before, and no, before you ask, I have no interest in playing it again. In fact, my disinterest is part of why I’m here.”
They leaned forward then, their shuffling ceasing as their tone turned suddenly grave. “If you are certain you wish to play this Game - and you best make damn certain - you best play to win, and never look back. The others who are willing to play with you, they’ve been playing for decades, at the very least, because if you don’t win it won’t let you go. There is a reason the same players come back to it, over and over again. Even if you win it won’t want to release you. Never playing again is not a rule after all, and it is a hungry beast. It wants, and wants, and wants, and is never satisfied, so it takes, and takes, and takes. You won’t leave satisfied either, even if you win, but it is as Orpheus was told - you must not look back, or you will lose it all. Do you understand?”
“What’s the point of playing then, if it won’t satisfy?” Emery asked after a beat of heavy silence.
“Because most go into it not knowing that. And even when they do know it, they still try anyway, just in case it will end different for them, the exception that makes the rule. And do not be mistaken, you shall be given what you desire, as best as can be provided, but it will never be entirely satisfying.” Sitting back again, the stranger sighed. “Even with me telling you this, you will still play. It’s already gotten its hooks into you.”
He had to bite back the denial that was on the tip of his tongue, because they were right. He needed to play the Game, because what if-
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because you’re the only one who actually has a chance. The others, like I said, have been playing for a long, long time. If one of them managed to win, I am doubtful that they would actually give up the game. They are too deep into it, they would always find some way to play it again, no matter what became of them. You have the advantage, being the newest player to the Game, because you’re not addicted to it yet. It is far harder for someone who wins their first time to be drawn back in. Not impossible mind you, so remain wary, but the odds are in your favor, which is vital for a game of gambling and chance like this. Don’t waste the chance you have.”
The tension that has been hanging in the air seemed to dissipate somewhat, the stranger’s shoulders sagging slightly in something like relief. “Now then, I believe I’ve taken up enough of your time.”
They rose from their seat, tucking the cards away again, and it was only then that Emery truly registered how tall they were. They moved to start leaving, but quickly paused, seeming to remember something. “Forgive me, I had nearly forgotten. You’ll want to be contacting me again, later down the line. Reach out using this information, and I’ll provide some more guidance.”
They pulled a business card out of their robes, placing it onto one of the side tables, before at last making their way to the door. They looked back once before departing, and for a moment a sharp smile flashed at him. “Farewell for now, Detective Hyde.”
And just like that the stranger was gone. Emery remained seated for a minute, listening as their footsteps faded away. Once he was satisfied that they had actually gone, he stood, and with surgical precision searched through the rest of his home to make sure there was no one or nothing else there that wasn’t supposed to be. Once satisfied, he tucked his gun away and fetched the thick gloves he used when working with poisons. One could never be too cautious, and the stranger had been wearing gloves themself.
Carefully, he picked up the business card from the table. Nothing about it particularly stood out - beyond being nicely made he supposed. He flipped it over to check the back, a habit from his work, but still, nothing. Quite possibly just a regular business card then. Flipping it back to the front, Emery finally read the printed text.
Idris Nightlocke
Correspondent & Professional Research Fellow
Inquires Received at Laboratory #___, Benthic College, the University
Well then. That was his plans for tomorrow sorted. Such an easy lead rarely fell into one’s lap, and he was not one to let such an opportunity go to waste. Not if it meant learning more about someone who could be a threat to him.