Novelux Smokestack Hostel & Bar

[Chibi Pika]

Located right on the edge of downtown Novelux and only a stone's throw from the industrial district was the Smokestack Hostel & Bar. While it wasn't exactly pretty from the outside, with its soot-stained brick and rusted metal fixtures, the place made up for it with cheap drinks, decent bar food, and reasonably clean accommodations. You wouldn't catch anyone from the upper society here, but you'd see plenty of workers, tradesmon, and out-of-towners passing through. One could easily come away from an evening spent in the bar with a whole mess of rumors, from the dealings of Lennox Fermlein to the movements of the Vanguard. How much of it was true was another story entirely.

The upstairs windows had a good view of the harbor, with the Battle Dome just barely visible. Moreover, the upper balcony also made for a good entry and exit for flying mon...

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“We probably will need to speak to each other again, now that your group has reached Novelux." He paused for a bit, considering, then added, "I'll ask Farin to find you where you're staying. We can arrange something then."

That was the last thing Valere had said to the Wayfarers before making himself scarce at Sparkwright Polytechnic on the day that the Covenant's plot to kidnap the university's namesake had been thwarted. True to his word, not long after the Wayfarers had made their way back to the hostel that night, Gladion would have found a note establishing contact, and the shadow of a familiar Noivern fading into the night.

That was then. It had been some weeks since, and the Wayfarers had had much to contend with, from the spread of shadow-corrupted dungeons, to the efforts to return Cipher to Earth, to the fierce battle in the depths of the Voidlands. But now, with the group returning to Novelux to follow up on Articuno's request to investigate the shady operations happening within the Covenant, there was finally the opportunity for a meeting.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

The world wasn't ending anymore, but that didn't mean Gladion had room to breathe for a bit. No. That would be too damn easy. Not only was Blackglass Caldera something he had to make sure happened, he also had to deal with Valere. He firmly believed he'd done nothing wrong, but still couldn't help but feel a sense of forboding. He tried not to look nervous as he made his way into the place, but he was. He didn't regret treatising with Articuno, he didn't think anything that could happen here would change that. Not when it promised to actually make a difference.

Didn't mean Valere would see it that way. Nor did he think it was a good idea to lie to the Gallade. He didn't even really want to try to spin it, although he wasn't sure if that was entirely a voluntary thing or if it was just gonna happen the second he started to think about how to frame the discussion. (And he was already anxiously poring over how to frame it. Was that the same impulse that made him "fluent in spin?" It probably was. Shit.)

It wasn't possible for a Silvally to look entirely inconspicuous, but he tried to at least look unsuspicious as he made his way over to the meeting spot.