It was a peaceful night in Blue Casket, only a few of the beatniks had bothered to come and even they didn't do else than sit as if the whole world around them was dead.
And it was, and nothing would have made them feel better. Then again, being on a good mood wasn't their style so they were depressingly quiet anyway and had small conversations about how painful death was.
Olivia didn't have anything to do. Maximino had travelled to El Marrow to meet some big guy and hadn't taken his fresh girlfriend with him despite that she had asked. The woman was now on a pretty sour mood and sat alone in a corner table with her cigarette, trying to come up with something.
She wasn't really interested in Maximino's character, just his money and power over the city. She had never believed in true love, it was just a fairy tail and an illusion created by fools. Real life -- and the life after death too -- was just pain and suffering if you didn't know how to enjoy it.
Should she read a poem or not? She didn't have a new one now, but would quickly think of something once she got on the stage. Olivia might not have been the most honest person in the world, but she was a master in the art of performance and knew how to win the audience to her side, whatever her show was about.
Suddenly she noticed how someone came in and she turned to look. Probably one of the missing beatniks who didn't want to miss the night after all. Not that anything specific would happen, but Blue Casket and the company of each other was all they had.
But after taking another look at the comer Olivia immediately noticed he was a total stranger and she turned to have a good look at him.
He was a man and dressed in a deep blue suit which almost made him disappear in the dim light. Or it would have been like that if his white skull hadn't betrayed him so easily. The stranger seemed to like blue, his shirt was blue, his tie was blue and Olivia was amused to notice his shoes were blue too. The woman was sure the man's favourite music was blues.
But who was he and what was he doing there? Guys like that never came to Blue Casket, the club was favoured by beatniks and other people like that. Olivia could imagine this man into Maximino's Cat Track, High Roller's Lounge or some other place similar to them.
But maybe he was one of Maximino's men? Olivia straightened her back in excitement, maybe her boyfriend had thought about her after all and sent this guy to get her to El Marrow?
The man took a look around and immediately after spotting Olivia started to walk closer.
"Olivia Ofrenda?" he asked softly and Olivia took a suck from her cigarette.
"I am. What do you want?" she asked with the arrogant tone she used with everyone. The stranger clearly didn't like it, but didn't say anything. Instead of that he bent closer after giving a suspicious look at the beatniks who seemed to be a bit too curious about what he had to say.
"I want to talk with you. Alone." he said. Olivia glanced at him in interest. It was clear that this man had nothing to do with Maximino, but it didn't make it any more boring. It was the other way around, this was a whole new adventure and anything could happen.
"Of course, I have always time for fans," she said and from the stiffening of the man came to the conclusion that he didn't really like her that much. Well, it was his problem, why to come here if he didn't like her way of treating others?
Olivia stood up slowly and led the man in the back of her club where she always met private guests. She kept the door open for him, though it was usually the other way around, and stepped in after him closing the door.
She sat on the first chair and crossed her legs.
"So, what do you want?" she asked as the man sat in front of her. He placed his other hand on the arm rest and rested the other on his knee managing to look pretty self-confident.
"Information," he said sharply and Olivia laughed dryly.
"Then go to some other place. I'm just an artist, I know nothing that might interest you, mister...?" she said hoping the man would reveal his name. That didn't happen though, either he didn't want to or he was just too stupid to get her message.
"Don't play the rebellious poet role with me. I know about your relationship with the kingpin of this city and I'm also sure of that no one knows the gossip of Rubacava better than you," he said. Olivia placed her cigarette down and snorted in thought.
"Could be. But even if I had the information you desire, what do I get for revealing it?" she asked as if it didn't matter to her at all. The man was quiet for a while.
"I know someone who has much more power than Maximino ever will. When the proper time comes I can introduce you to him," he said. Olivia tapped her chin. It was quiet and both of them waiter patiently.
"What do you want to know?" Olivia asked finally making the decision. She had never planned being with Maximino forever, she wanted to climb the ladders until she was on the top. She didn't know who this strange man talked about, but if a powerful man like that even existed, but why not to join the game anyway?
"Tell me everything about the lawyer who just arrived," the man said and Olivia glanced at him in curiosity.
"Why are you interested in him?" she asked in surprise. She had thought the man wanted to know something like who was the closest to Maximino or how you got a VIP card to High Roller's Lounge. The man raised his hand.
"Just answer me. My intention is not to explain my motives, or else the one who pays the most will find them out," he said and Olivia snorted in frustration. Oh well...
"He's really nothing worth of mentioning. Arrived here with no money and was desperate enough to pay a visit in Juelo's Rub-A-Mat. After that he went down to the docks and I don't know what he did there. Apparently his life wasn't that good or else he wouldn't be walking through the Land of the Dead." At this point the man snorted as if something was really amusing.
"I don't know anything else, he's still too new," Olivia continued. The man nodded pleased and stood up.
"But you haven't met him personally. It seems I'd better visit this small cafe too," he said and Olivia followed him back to the public area of her club. She didn't say anything, but lit a new cigarette. Then she glanced at the man again wanting to ask his name, but he had already left.
"Well," she muttered to herself, but shrugged then. If something interesting happened she would find out.
Maybe she could read a poem now?
It was peaceful in the Rub-A-Mat too, but that was nothing special. Juelo was still depressed and had told Manny to do all the work. Not that he cared, when there were no customers there was no work.
He sat on a table polishing some spoons he had found. They had not been used in a while, but he still wanted to look industrious in the case someone came in.
And no one knew, maybe Meche decided to come this night and Manny sure didn't want to seem lazy in front of her.
He didn't really know what the woman meant to him, he told himself he was searching for her just to apologise and help her, but there was nothing else in it.
Certainly not.
"Hi, Manny!" Glottis's familiar voice greeted and Manny turned to face his friend who stepped in. He placed the spoons on the table and landed on the floor.
"Hi, Glottis. What are you doing here?" he asked. The big demon flapped his ears playfully.
"I just decided to pay a visit," he said a bit reluctantly and Manny sighed.
"You already ate all the food that was supposed to be enough for the rest of the week?" he guessed. Glottis nodded looking guilty.
"Yes," he answered. Manny glanced behind him where all the food of the cafe was stored. He thought it was pretty useless to make new sandwiches every morning, no one ever bought anything.
"Come here, let's see if I find something," he suggested and Glottis looked at him being unsure.
"I don't know Manny, we have no extra money," he said and his friend shrugged.
"So? Glottis, if no one eats these they will be thrown away. Do you want that I worked for nothing when making them?" he asked. Glottis thought about it.
"No," he then announced.
"In that case you must eat them. No one will buy anything, so it's up to you to make sure I won't be forced to throw anything away," Manny said and Glottis gladly agreed.
"Really? Wow, Manny. Thanks," he said moving closer the different sandwiches.
Suddenly the door was opened and a stranger stepped in. He was completely dressed in blue and Manny immediately knew he was weird. He couldn't say why, but for some reason he didn't like the guy. On top of that he was sure he wasn't there to buy anything.
Glottis glanced at the man and sighed in disappointment.
"A customer... There goes my meal," he muttered as if his heart was torn into pieces. The man snorted and glanced at the demon in despise which was enough to make Manny dislike him. Glottis himself didn't even seem to notice that the man didn't approve him that much.
"Evening," the stranger said taking a chair near Manny.
"Evening. You want tea or coffee?" Manny asked deciding that if they had a customer he could at least try to sell something. The man shook his head.
"Neither. I'm here for information," he said.
"When you buy coffee and a sandwich you get information for free," Manny remarked making the man sigh in frustration.
"I don't have time to play with you, Calavera. I want my information now," he said sharply.
"Pretty difficult since you didn't tell me what you want," Manny stated. Glottis concentrated in the sandwiches and searched them flapping his ears.
"Very funny. I want you to tell me everything you know about Nick Virago," the stranger said. Manny tilted his head in surprise.
"That lawyer? That's odd, he must be pretty important if you want to know about him when he has done nothing. Your friend?" he asked.
"Hardly," The stranger's voice was filled with venom and Manny decided to lay down the subject.
"I could tell you something about him, but there's one problem," he said.
"And that would be?"
"Which is better, cheese or ham?" Glottis asked.
"You clearly know my name, but I have no idea who you are. It's not like me to tell anything to strangers," Manny said. The man didn't seem to like this, but he controlled himself pretty well.
"Nicander," he said shortly.
"Nicander?" Manny repeated and the man nodded darkly. Either he didn't like his name or didn't want to tell it to everybody.
"And now, Calavera, I want to know everything about Virago," Nicander told with an ordering tone and Manny shrugged. He didn't want to get in any trouble with anyone now while he was no one important, so he could as well tell what he knew.
"I don't know very much about him. He paid a visit and made clear he has no sense of humour. After that he left to look for a place to sleep, though I think he didn't find anything. Those who walk from El Marrow are not really wealthy," he said.
"You didn't tell me anything new," Nicander commented.
"So you already knew that and have seen someone else. What made you come here too?" Manny wanted to know. Nicander shook his head.
"That's not your business, Calavera," he said standing up. At the same time Glottis had finally made a compromise between the sandwiches and chosen both cheese and ham. He was coming to sit next to Manny and didn't notice Nicander until they had collided.
The man who was much smaller than the demon fell down and Glottis looked at him in surprise.
"Oops. I'm really sorry," the demon said trying to help the man up, but Nicander wasn't that happy about that. But Glottis was bigger and when he wanted to do something he usually didn't give up. So he helped Nicander to stand up again and cleaned his blue suit a bit.
Nicander was about to back away and snap something mean, but then he noticed something.
"Your fingers..." he muttered and grabbed Glottis' other hand in surprise.
"What?" Glottis asked. Maybe his hands were dirty? Nicander was quiet for a while and shook his head then.
"Nothing," he said and didn't sound that arrogant anymore.
"That man was really weird," Glottis said after Nicander had left.
"You are very right about that, Glottis," Manny said. He took few steps to return to polish the spoons when he noticed something on the floor. He bent down to pick it up and viewed it in thought.
"What is it Manny?" Glottis wanted to know and Manny showed the item to him.
It was a yellow card with a black skeleton whose eyes were blinded with a rag of some sort. There was nothing else on the card, no names, no even initials.
"Hm. I wonder what this means..." Manny said to himself shoving the card in his pocket.