Shifting his posture to sit atop his foot, Adonis shook his head.
"Mr. Adler and..." Adonis paused as his face brightened up slightly- as if something embarrassing had crossed his mind. "...and the right hand have gone out. Urgent business, he said."
'On the mere thought of his name? How deep has Eamon burrowed his way into the Steel Fox's heart?' Lumière let out a silent sigh as he chuckled inwardly. 'This man used to be feared as a silent killer, but now he's submissive to a fool. Is love so strong that it would pacify a deadly calamity?'
"I'm here to see Ms. Morelli. Will that pose any issues for you, Mr. Trinder?"
Adonis shook his head once more without saying a single word, so Lumière nodded in confirmation and averted his gaze. To talk so much with the Fox of the Steel Wastes was an anxious event, even if he seemed so calm and simple on the surface. Lumière looked back towards the two similarly-looking men guarding the door, who had by then drawn away their hands from the concealed weapons behind their waists, and stepped aside to allow him to pass.
When Lumière passed through the shoddy door, he wasn't greeted by the sight of endless luxury, as one would expect of a criminal group. Rather, Constantine's home of operations wasn't filled with endless wealth. What he made from his endeavours was split up between those underneath him, and the remains were often given out to the Dwindlers of Cobbler's Street. That is why Lumière often revered him as the sun that Father Benedict would speak of. That is why Constantine Adler had become one of Lumière's most beloved friends.
There were dozens of members of the Blackfeather Group darting about, either carrying around heavy boxes of some sort of cargo or conversing, drinking and gambling atop large circular wooden tables that looked as if they would snap apart if one were to slam their fists downwards. Lit up by lamplight, it looked more like a tavern than a base of criminal operations. However, it somewhat delighted Lumière every time he saw it because it looked as if it was Constantine's heart splashed onto a surface- the picture-perfect representation of who he was. There was fun in having a home, even in the face of crime.
Constantine Adler was a 'man of the people', and so the 'crimes' that the Blackfeather Group would commit were sure not to implicate or harm those of the lower borough. This often included the distribution of illegal spirits and alcohol, counterfeiting and laundering of bank notes, and general fraud. As long as the wealth came from a source of abundance, Constantine paid it no mind. That was why everyone on Cobbler's Street overlooked their operations, and why the church paid him no attention at all. It was most of all why Lumière adored him so much. In a world where Lumière couldn't think to change so much, Constantine had made a constant effort to do at least a bit, and so he was the model by which Lumière wished to mould himself, like a greater man he could aspire to be.
On his right, there was a metal automaton that seemed almost human. His exterior had been painted a dark brown colour, and he had been dressed in fanciful servant's attire. If it weren't for the seams on his skin, or the obvious bolts holding metal plates together, Lumière would have thought him human. They were mostly conscious, although they had been built specifically for servile use, and so they didn't initiate idle conversation unless specifically spoken to. So, Lumière ignored the metal creature.
With a sigh, he passed the automaton. He was quite wary of them. Lumière took a right through an open doorway, failing to knock as he walked in. He then sat down carelessly on a bright red sofa which faced an ornate wooden desk illuminated by flickering lamplight. Behind the desk sat a woman with light pink hair tied behind her head, with locks that fell past her ears. Her eyes were like blossoms and held a sense of mature sultry humour that tried to mask the dead and soulless nature of her gaze. She wore a soft-coloured black dress that flowed down towards her ankles and a brown knit shawl that was draped over her shoulders.
Slowly, she turned around to face Lumière with a look of both fascinated annoyance and some sort of astute pleasure.
"Good morning, Lumière." The woman smiled softly.
"Good morning, Callie."
Calista Morelli was the physician who oversaw the safety of the operations of the Blackfeather Group. Constantine Adler had carefully poached her from a medical program at the National University of Leiden. She had been promised high pay, and Lumière was privy to the knowledge that a large sum of the Group's funds went to her every month. In Lumière's eyes, from an outsider's perspective, she seemed both a leech and a necessity.
Calista immediately got straight to business.
"Why are you here, Lumière?" Calista smiled genially, the corners of her eyes narrowing as she focused in on him as if eyeing every part of his body. "Nothing seems particularly wrong with you, although I suppose you could be a bit taller... more fit... a nicer face perhaps?"
Lumière scoffed, meeting the woman's bright pink gaze as he looked over her in response. Although, even if he wanted to, there was really nothing he could say to hurt her. For whatever man could afford a leech like her, he would surely gain a beautiful bride in turn. Lumière was also quite sure that Calista was aware of her sour personality, which is why she chose to cover it up with a mask of humour.
"I've felt a bit... off recently," Lumière said, skipping straight to the point.
"Sexually?" She teased. "Is that nun not enough for you? I suppose you're still young, so you'd want to explore what the world has to offer. Then, should we do it here?"
Lumière shook his head in response.
"It's not like that between me and the sister. And despite your kind offer, I could never bother to accept it." He retorted.
"Ah, I see. You must be lacking in experience. You're a bit scared to feel what the beauty of the world is like."
"I think I can source that elsewhere. I've no need for you."
"I think you do, otherwise why would you come here? There's surely something you would need from me. I don't think you would pay a soulless woman like me a visit for no reason. When you say that you've been 'feeling off'- if not like that, then how?"
"That's not quite what I meant... I've been seeing and hearing things, and my head has often felt like a mess."
"You know I don't deal in matters of the mind," Calista spoke tersely. "When one of Adler's men gets shot in the chest, I sew them up or I put them in a bag. That's all I can manage, Lumière."
"I know you have some knowledge in that big head of yours." Lumière smiled softly, leaning forward to hug his knees as he curled up atop the chair. He rested his chin on his knees as he looked forward towards the blossom woman.
"Then try telling me, although I can't promise anything." Calista sighed as she rested her head on her hand.
For a long time, until the sun hit the midpoint in the sky, and gradually began to set, Lumière recounted his various experiences over the last week, and how he had seen intense horrors and shadows, although he withheld his meetings with Thomas, his contract with an evil Deity, and the fight against the human amalgamation.
"You said it all started after one of your performances?" Calista asked with a serious expression on her face. "You also felt the same feeling when looking at one of the Dwindlers, the one who eats rats? When did you last see this man?"
"I saw him on my way here, actually... he looked just about the same, although this time, I could see this thin aura around him, almost like I was hallucinating a shadow that lined the entirety of his form..."
Calista's eyes widened as she shot forward in her seat.
"Lumière, return home immediately. If everything seems off, don't step inside the building. Just come back here immediately, and I'll have Adler figure something out." Calista spoke seriously, her gaze having tensed up along with her body. "Well, I would come alongside you, but I'm really quite selfish when it comes to my own safety... I'll tell Mr. Trinder to try and find Mr. Adler for you."
"What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?"
She met Lumière's gaze in an instant, her eyes that were once dull growing filled with a fearful pained emotion.
"If you're sure you saw some sort of aura around him, and he was definitely heading towards the monastery on Cobblers Street… Lumière, your nun and priest are probably in serious danger."