Crude Summoning

Stepping closer, his cloak brushed the bar, the lantern light catching faintly on the intricate stitching near the hem. Midnight. Alleyway behind the estate. That’s where you’ll find me after the deed’s done. With the artefact. He tilted his head, his smirk softening into something quieter—more serious, though no less dangerous. And only then will I give you what you’re after. Everything I know about your family, your past, the questions clawing at you every time you so much as touch that necklace. You’ll have it all. But first, you’ll prove you’re worth the trade.

Ailwin let the silence stretch just long enough to make his terms perfectly clear, the din of the tavern filling the space between them like background static.

This isn’t a test of your magic, Jareth, he said finally, his voice dropping into something darker, quieter. It’s a test of your grit. And if you’re the man I think you are, we’ll both leave that alley richer in ways no one else will ever understand.

Without waiting for a response, Ailwin turned and strode away, his presence vanishing into the tavern's murky depths as if he were just another shadow slipping between the cracks.

@Jareth