To Rule In Shadow

"That should cover just about everything." Greg announced. "Do you have any questions?"

"No, thank you." Cornelius jumped in, obviously wanting to avoid another lengthy explanation. "I believe we have everything covered."

"Alright. Then please enjoy your night." He replied, before heading back to the entrance. In order to do so, he had to weave through the bizarre crowd that occupied the foyer.

As Adrian watched, the man was able to nimbly dodge out of the way of a large and bulbous creature that seemed to be part octopus and part bear. He did so with practiced ease, and barely even acknowledged the Bearthulhu's apology before he continuing on his way as if nothing had happened.

"The welcome speech should be starting soon. Shall we head in that direction?" Cornelius asked.

Not having any objections, Adrian followed along while idly inspecting his fellow visitors. The majority of the attendees were human, but they seemed to come from all walks of life, and were wearing some of the most bizarre outfits he'd ever seen. Which was pretty impressive considering where he lived.

There were individuals dressed in full suits, as if they'd just walked out of a board meeting, rubbing shoulders with men that looked to be Buddhists monks. An entire group of women wearing what looked like Halloween witch costumes were in a shouting match with an extremely muscular guy in nothing more than boots and a tiny pair of shorts, like the ones worn by professional wrestlers. There were cloaks, robes, and gowns galore, and in a dizzying array of colors and styles. One man even seemed to be wearing an outfit completely composed of belts of varying sizes and shapes.

Despite all that, the most eye catching were definitely the non-human members. In addition to the aforementioned honey-loving eldritch horror, there were several less striking individuals in attendance, who contrasted with their human neighbors. This ranged from minor differences, such as an oddly bestial face or unusually colored hair and eyes, to the fantastic, like weird amalgamations of various animals, creatures seemingly composed of living rock, and even a sentient gas cloud in a jar.

Feeling curious, Adrian asked, "Is it normal for all of these non-humans to be in attendance?"

"The Esoteric Order maintains ties with the inhabitants of several realms, and regularly invites important visitors to attend events like these. While this creates a few potential security problems for us, we allow them to do so because the Order vouches for their guests-" Cornelius started explaining, before Abby cut him off.

"And they're a major player in the Underworld, so we kind of have to let them get away with all kinds of shit."

The older agent sighed, "While rudely put, that is more or less correct. The problems caused by the Order's guests are usually minor, and aren't worth the trouble associated with antagonizing them. In any event, creatures from other realms are a common sight at one of these gatherings. They come to network, learn, and exchange goods and information. Speaking of which, you might be interested in the Bazaar, an informal mercantile exchange that always seems to sprout up at these things."

"That would certainly be worth checking out," Adrian replied calmly, "but don't you have a job to do here?"

"That's the best part of this gig!" Abby answered cheerfully, "We're only here to observe, so looking around and enjoying what they have to offer is a perfectly acceptable way of performing our duties. We just need to keep an eye out for anything that might become a problem."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Well..." She frowned in thought, "Anything that might escape and cause a lot of havoc in the city, or is particularly dangerous, or..."

"Essentially, we look for threats to the Upperworld that the Order is either not aware of, or unwilling to deal with, and take the necessary steps to prevent any situation that might arise." Cornelius finished for her. "Not that you should be concerned. I've been attending these gatherings for nearly twenty years, and I haven't seen any issues that were worth taking action."

Adrian nodded. It made sense. From everything he'd learned so far, it was clear that the Bureau's position in the world was a bit tenuous, but they obviously had enough power to compel organizations like the Esoteric Order to a certain extent. While they likely had to behave with a degree of diplomacy in mind, it wasn't like they were completely helpless either.

They soon entered the main hall where the welcome speech was scheduled to take place. Supposedly, this was also where the dinner was being hosted, but it had not yet been configured for that purpose. At the moment, it was simply a vast, open chamber with a stage on one end. The hall was mostly full of guests, who were standing in clumps and chatting while waiting for the speech to start.

He was dressed in a plain black robe with a hood, like the kind used by evil cult members in movies. The hood had been thrown back to reveal a man that looked to be in his forties, with wavy black hair turning to grey at the temples, and a neatly trimmed goatee.

He regarded the audience for a few seconds, a confident smile on his face, before speaking in a commanding voice. "Friends, let me be the first to welcome you to the 500th Conclave of the Esoteric Order. Now, I'm sure the majority of you are very familiar with me, and are quite used to my speeches. I'd bet you are simply waiting for me to finish so you can go have fun."

There was a smattering of light laughter before he continued. "However, I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't explain things for first time visitors. First of all, let me introduce myself. I am Horatio Newcombeil, twelfth President of the Esoteric Order and tonight's Master of Ceremonies. Please rest assured that I like to keep my public speaking to a minimum, so after I finish here, you won't have to worry about me boring you any longer. Unless of course you are new members here for your Induction. In that case, you will have to suffer through my rendition of the Induction Oath."

Abby leaned over to Adrian, and whispered. "Kinda informal for a stuffy, high-brow organization like this."

He nodded his agreement while casually examining her out of the corner of his eye. Everything about her body posture indicated that she was treating him as an ally. Not quite at the level of a trusted confidant or friend, but a lot more open than would be prudent, given the nature of their interactions up to this point. Which was exactly what he was aiming for.

"Perhaps he doesn't feel the need to be formal in a gathering of his comrades? Or he's trying to keep the mood light?" He whispered back conspiratorially.

"Maybe, but I was kinda expecting some elaborate ritual. This just feels so mundane. I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed."

Cornelius cleared his throat, indicating that he wanted them to cut out their side conversation. Especially since the President had come to an important part of his speech.

"Finally, I strongly encourage those with a inquisitive spirit to visit the exhibition. This year's the theme is the Mysteries of the Deep." Horatio announced with suitably dramatic hand waving.

"Members of the Order's Field Research Team have spent many months gathering rare artifacts, unusual plant life, and the most fascinating creatures the watery worlds have to offer. I've been told its even better than last year's exhibit on astrological calculations and their relation to fortune telling."

At this point the President, who had been slowly ranging the length of the stage, returned to the podium at its center. "Of course, I hope that you will all join us for dinner at eight. We really went all out. As this is a special year, we've scoured the realms for the best dishes and most exotic delights, and we will be serving them to the accompaniment of the music of none other than Leisha Skyborn."

This brought a round of applause and cheering from the crowd.

"I'm glad you approve, but I think we all know the real reason you are here, tonight." Horatio commented with a sly smile. "Since this is a special year for the Order, we will be providing special surprise gifts for all of our esteemed guest. Do look forward to them."

Another bout of cheering filled the room, louder this time.

"Alright! I'm done. Now, get out there and enjoy yourselves." He said with a wave, before vanishing like he arrived. The lights came back on, and the crowd began to disperse.

"So, can we go find the Bazaar first? There are a couple of things I'd like to buy if they still have them." Abby asked, not bothering to hide the tone of expectation in her voice.

Cornelius frowned, then looked over at Adrian. "Is that acceptable to you?"

"That's fine with me, but I would like to head to the exhibition next." He replied coolly.

"Very well." The older agent nodded before turning to Abby, "I have to handle a little bit of business with one of the Order's representatives. Would you mind showing Adrian around? He's new to this sort of thing."

"No problem, Gramps." She shot back with a grin.

Cornelius sighed, "I told you to stop calling me that."

Abby grabbed Adrian by the arm and started pulling him towards one of the doors. She yelled back over her shoulder, "Have fun at your meeting!"

They began searching for the Bazaar, which proved a bit more difficult than Adrian had originally expected. While the two of them were looking through the various conference and meeting rooms, Adrian casually commented. "You seem to get along with your partner pretty well. Even in spite of your differences."

Abby wrinkled her nose, "You think? It feels more like he's just too old and worn out to care about the shit I pull. He's learned a long time ago that its easier to let me have my way."

He laughed. "Maybe that's it. Have the two of you been working together for while?"

"Been a couple of years now, I think. Don't really keep track of it, but we've been partners for as long as I've been in the Bureau."

They lapsed into silence again, until Abby found a promising room. It was a little off the beaten track. From the outside, it looked like a maintenance room or a supply closet, but it had an unusually large number of people flowing in and out of it. She glanced in when they were standing outside, and looked back at him excitedly, "This is it!"

He followed her in, and found himself in an large, but unusual room. Rather than the carpet that he'd gotten used to, he was standing on a hard, concrete floor. The walls were similarly b.a.r.e of any decoration or design, and he could see structural supports up near the ceiling, roughly three meters overhead. The interior of the room had been filled with a variety of stalls and tables sporting a dizzying array of merchandise. A veritable horde of guests were browsing the selection of goods.

[So much for keeping an eye on me.] He thought while scanning the items on sale. Using his borrowed knowledge from the Hall and a few discreet inquiries to the entity still inhabiting his shadow, he was able to get a rough idea of the value of the merchandise.

Unfortunately, it was almost all junk.