When he entered the building, Levy was met with a quaint interior and greeting by the dull ring of a bell from above. There were groups of tables and chairs set up here and there with enough room for one to maneuver from one side to the other, and a bar along one wall. The wall behind the bar was bare save a few shelves that were adorned with various trinkets, nick-nacks, and a singular framed picture. Opposite that, spanning the entire length of the building, stood an intricate mural. Streaks of paint flowed across the wall: pinks, blues, greens, yellows. Nearly every color was present, tied together with carefully placed streaks of white or black. At certain angles, it looked like a figure, cradling something in its arms. At others, it looked like a face, yelling at a vast expanse of nothingness. It was colorful and abstract and, to Levy, had always felt like an expression of something deeper than it portrayed. Not that he knew what exactly it was trying to express. It did add a sort of personality to the otherwise dull tavern that not many places had. Two of the tables were occupied and a couple more people had settled themselves at the bar.

“Welcome to The Sandy Spider. How may I help you.”

The voice, which came from behind the counter, was gentle with the slightest bit of age to it. The woman it belonged to wasn’t even looking at Levy when she spoke. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed on the inside of the glass she was cleaning. Her long, brown, loose curls were half pulled up behind her in a neat ponytail, and a decorative scarf was wrapped over her forehead, fending off any stray hairs. Her shirt was a simple green quarter sleeve which brought out a certain glow to her dark complexion and, despite her soft features, the way she carried her strong build displayed an underlying confidence.

“Long time, no see.” Levy replied simply, sitting down at a seat by the bar close to where the woman stood.

She paused, half leaned over to return the glass to its place below the counter, and her eyes widened. Without missing a beat, she tossed her rag to rest over her shoulder and reached across the counter, firmly grasping Levy by the ear. Levy winced and looked up as she tugged ever so slightly. Her eyebrows were turned down in a glare, but a playful glint flashed in her eyes.

“You told me you’d be back sooner this time.” She smiled.

“Watch the piercings, Aurelis!” Levy grumbled, shooing her hand away as he feigned a pained expression.

Aurelis carefully released her grasp and rolled her eyes as she pulled a glass out from under the counter.

“I wasn’t even close to messing with your piercings.” She retorted.

Levy grumbled and crossed his arms. She was right, not that he would say so out loud. He watched her fill the bottom of the glass with a thick pink syrup before filling the rest with a cloudy, fizzy liquid. Then, after carefully stirring everything together, she slid it over to Levy.

“So tell me how it is out there.” She smiled, resting her arms against the counter as she leaned towards him.

Levy sighed and shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. Aurelis must have known he’d been frustrated and annoyed the past few days. She always knew what drink to give him to help. His shoulders relaxed and he felt more at ease as he looked up at her.

“Same as always.” He finally answered.

He swirled his drink around his glass and Aurelis gave a nod of understanding. He watched as her expression turned thoughtful and she suddenly seemed hesitant. She rubbed a thumb over the glass of the syrup bottle, her eyes fixed on its lid.

“You think I should talk to him, don’t you?” Levy glared to the side.

Aurelis looked to Levy and nodded, before finally returning the syrup to its place in a crate behind the counter.

“He could give you some new information. It could be helpful.” She argued.

Levy glared and was about to counter when the door slammed open, shaking what felt like the entire building. Standing in the door was a man with scraggly brown hair, a sharp, scheming face, and a devious smirk to match. Behind him stood a gaggle of what Levy could only imagine were goons. The lead man stood silently surveying the tavern as his cronies whispered aggressively to each other. Levy looked from the newcomers to Aurelis and found her with a sharp glare painted across her features.

“Who are these guys?” Levy asked, turning to look back at the group.

Aurelis sighed and crossed her arms.

“Giles and his band of idiots.” She grumbled. “They don’t come here often, but I’ve heard enough about their antics to know they’re trouble.”

Levy watched as Giles sauntered his way over to the counter, followed loosely by his lackeys. A few of them wandered off briefly to harass other customers but were quickly reined in by a glare from their leader. Before long, Giles stopped, reaching the part of the bar where Levy sat. Levy looked over, watching as the sharp-faced man took the seat next to him. With a wave of his hand, his goons settled themselves at the table behind them. The tavern had fallen silent, save the gentle clatter of coins on tables as nearly all of Aurelis’s customers paid, and shuffled out of the building. Levy was the only one who stayed.

“We’d like some drinks, miss,” Giles smirked, pulling a knife from his belt, balancing it by the tip on the counter. “And make it snappy.”

Aurelis stared at Giles with a look of disbelief.

“You really think that’s gonna work this time?” she put a hand on her hip. “Because, if you recall, it didn’t last time.”

Levy chuckled, expecting such a response from her, and kept his gaze forward as he took a sip of his drink. Giles wrinkled his nose at Aurelis and frowned. He glanced back at his goons who were occupying themselves with more antagonizing whispers.

“I’m a bit parched…” He looked back to Aurelis before pausing and turning to Levy. “And I have business to attend to.”

Levy slid his glass to the side and turned his head to look Giles in the eye.

“She gave you an answer.” He said plainly.

Levy knew Aurelis didn’t need him to stand up for her, but frankly, he just wanted them out of the tavern as fast as possible. He didn’t get to see her often, and, although the conversation was starting to annoy him, he didn’t want it to be interrupted.

“You’re lucky my business has to do with you, newcomer.” Giles declared. “I don’t like people sticking their noses where they don’t belong.”

“Is that so?” Levy questioned, glaring down at the man.

Giles glared back, grabbing his knife in a poor but confident hold, and stood, doing his best to intimidate Levy. In response, Levy stood his 6-foot frame towering over the man. With that, there was a waver in Giles’s stance, but his arrogance continued to fuel him.

“I don’t like people interrupting my conversations.” Levy replied.

“That’s too bad.” Giles smirked. “I need you to come with me.”

Levy raised a brow.

“Nothing personal, buddy.” Giles shrugged.

Without warning, Giles thrust his arm forward, aiming to bring the knife into Levy’s side. Expertly, Levy side-stepped the strike and firmly grabbed his opponent's arm. In one swift movement, Levy swept Gile’s feet out from under him and pulled the knife from his hand. Just as the goons realized what was going on, Levy swung his arm, throwing the knife right down the center of the group, sticking it in the far end of the table. None of them dared to move. As Giles scrambled to get to his feet, Levy brought a foot down solidly onto his chest.

“You asshole.” Giles spat, clawing at Levy’s boot.

Levy glared and unclipped the leather strap securing his pistol in place, pulling it from its holster. A look of fear washed over the little man’s face and he froze.

“Either you’re going to get familiar with that door over there.” Levy gestured his pistol towards the entrance. “Or you’re going to get familiar with this.”

Levy shifted his hand, aiming the muzzle of the weapon down at the group leader's head. Glowing blue energy pulsed from its sides, filling the room with a low hum.

“Nothing personal, buddy.” Levy mocked.

Finger resting on the trigger, Levy moved his foot from Giles’s chest and watched as the man gathered his goons and carefully made his exit. Levy pulled the abandoned knife from the table and walked over to the front entrance, making sure the troublemakers had left before settling back down at the bar, returning his pistol to its holster. There was a moment of silence before Aurelis spoke up.

“See what I mean.” She smiled.

Levy chuckled and took another sip from his drink.

“Those guys are nothing but a bunch of lowlifes.” Levy responded, leaning an elbow against the counter.

Aurelis chuckled and collected the previous customers' pay and dirtied dishes before moving back behind the bar. It didn’t take long for new customers to start filing back into the tavern. As Aurelis began cleaning off a plate, Levy ran a finger along the rim of his glass.

“At least think about it?” Aurelis gave a pleading look.

Levy looked up at her briefly before frowning back down at his glass.

“Even if he did give me anything new, would I know?” He countered with a pout. “Everything he’d ever told me has been cryptic and misleading.”

Frustration renewed, he took another sip of his fizzy drink, though this time it didn’t taste nearly as calming as it had before. There was a moment of silence between him and Aurelis as the tavern became filled by the idle conversation of the new tavern-goers.

“I’d just go out there and get lost again.” Levy added quietly.

Just as Aurelis was about to respond, a customer settling themself at the end of the bar called her over. With one last glance at Levy, she turned and walked away, a friendly smile replacing her concern. Levy sat at the counter for some while longer. He spent half the time watching the bubbles of his drink rise to the surface before popping and the other half, he was spun around in his chair, admiring the mural as he took small sips from his glass. It didn’t take long for him to empty his glass and he was sure Aurelis was keen on trying to convince him further. Before she could, he set his glass down on the counter and made his way to a doorway not too far from where he sat. The only thing the door led to was a set of stairs. So he followed them up.