Loren placed the pen on the extremely shiny table and leaned cautiously back in his very upright chair. With vacant eyes he watched as the man sitting across the table arranged the papers in front of him into four neat stacks.
The man nodded to himself, lips pursed into a satisfied little smile, then pushed one of the stacks towards Loren and another to a young, curly-haired man in a very businesslike suit. The third stack he kept for himself, and the last one he handed to the little, balding gentleman sitting on his right.
"Thank you," the little gentleman said with a formal bow. With meticulous care he slipped the papers into one compartment of his slim leather briefcase and stood up. "As far as our bank is concerned, the matter is hereby settled to our fullest satisfaction. Good day, gentlemen!"
Loren rose automatically on his feet and shook hands with the little gentleman who exited without further ado. He could just about feel how Karos was beaming behind his back, but resisted the temptation to glance over his shoulder. Arjan's bright smile right next to him probably gave a close enough approximation of the father's current expression. Not that Loren needed to see the man to feel yet another dizzying surge of incredulous gratitude wash over him.
Karos had indeed done what his proud son had predicted, and thrown himself wholeheartedly into the daunting project of achieving the impossible. Engaging all his fifty years of experience and not negligible reserves of personal charm, the man had donned his best suit, the one normally reserved for meetings with particularly moneyed existing or potential clients, and begun his mission.
Over the past few weeks he'd visited several banks and talked at least a dozen people giddy. He had met selected lawyers, including the one in whose office they were at the moment, and listened attentively to their suggestions. He had talked nearly his entire extensive circle of friends into joining in the enterprise. And, after only minimal hesitation, he had paid a visit to one rich, idle nobleman who had some years earlier taken residence in Saygorr and for whom he'd painted several commissions.
That had been a visit Karos had described in much detail, and not only because it had been such a lucrative one. The rhagamiss was an extremely reclusive man with a taste for paintings that showed young, handsome male flesh obscured by very few garments. During their conversation Karos had somehow let it slip that the young man with this crazy dream had in fact modeled for the latest of such paintings that the rhagamiss had purchased from him, to his great delight and satisfaction moreover...
After this revelation the nobleman, already favorably interested by then, had been like wax, reported Karos. His son had accused him of playing dirty, but he'd imperiously waved such concerns aside. The rhagamiss was fully aware of the fact that Loren was very firmly taken, but had nevertheless expressed interest in having his share in the planned partnership – and who was Karos to say no to a rich man with such desires?
So maybe Karos had applied some underhanded tactics, maybe not, but the main thing was that he'd emerged victorious. Now Loren was staring at the results of all that effort. The papers in front of him stated unequivocally that the villa located at Hillside Alley no. 12, South End, Saygorr, Princedom of Baldón, Revnash, was now property of a limited partnership company where the primary partners were himself and Arjan.
The amount of legalese he'd heard in the course of the day had been enough to make his head buzz, and he decided to think about it all a bit later. Nor was he going to think about the daunting task that lay ahead. As verified by the written statement of the experts hired to inspect it, the villa was basically in good condition and would not require any major works, but of course that was only one half of the truth. Turning it into a place suitable for living in, let alone making it suited for receiving any customers crazy enough to stay at a hotel so high up, was bound to require hours and days and weeks of work, and lots of money, and –
Damnit, he was not going to think about all that now! Loren shook himself back to the present once more, just in time to avoid Arjan's nudge, and took his leave from the lawyer who congratulated him heartily. The curly-haired man, the very same estate agent who'd first shown them the place, also came to shake hands with them all. He smiled widely.
"Congratulations, gentlemen! I'm rarely as happy for a real estate deal as I am now, but you're exactly the people who can breathe life once more into that lovely house." Then the man winked at Loren. "I also wish you all the best with the hotel – and not only because I, too, have my share in it!"
Loren's jaw dropped. "You... you what?"
"I think you heard me all right," the estate agent said with a little grin. "During our meetings I've heard enough of this project to get extremely curious, and I just couldn't help investing a little money in the enterprise. But as I said, that's not the only reason why I'm hoping so much that this will work out. That villa deserves owners like you, and I firmly believe that if anyone can succeed in this, it's you."
When the little group had finally filed out of the office and dispersed, Karos swept the two young men in his extensive arms and hugged them.
"What shall we do now, my dear hotel owners?" he inquired. "Don't you think this calls for some celebration?"
"I think it does, but do we have any money left for that?" Arjan retorted.
Loren's insides lurched; he knew that the jibe was not entirely in jest. Karos merely 'pooh'ed with gusto.
"My dear boy, what do you take me for? Of course we have, unless you wish to have a five-course dinner with a full selection of wines at the Casino! Let's just go to find Reonn, he should've returned and made himself presentable by now."
Loren's feeble suggestions that he could cook something were met with loud disapproval. The father and son unanimously declared that they wouldn't hear of such a thing, least of all on this very day, and before long he found himself being walked towards the Honey Pot. Their journey was only interrupted by a brief stop at their lodgings, where the group was joined by Reonn, and soon thereafter they burst into the already more than half-full restaurant.
The meal was a raucous affair, and all the congratulations, questions and suggestions pouring over the jubilant foursome ensured that it took nearly three hours until they finally exited the Honey Pot once more, sated and tipsy from toasting. They hadn't agreed on any detours, but their feet seemed intent to take them on one nevertheless, and some time later the four men stopped on the quiet yard of the rose-colored villa.
"It's damn pretty," Reonn stated with conviction, measuring the place with expert eyes. "And not in too horrid condition, either."
"A neglected beauty." Karos' arm made a magnanimous arch across the air. "Pushed into a corner, forgotten, only waiting for Prince Charming to give her the kiss of new life..."
Reonn regarded him critically, then shook his head. "Why do I get the feeling that you've been reading something unsavory lately?"
"No, no," Karos corrected, "I just happened to be in the Honey Pot the other day, when Doschet was reading highlights from his latest novel. The one that's being published somewhere in the North country."
"Oh, right. I thought it sounded like something suited for Queenly tastes," Arjan said, nose curling delicately. "But hey, shall we go in? Loren, you've got the keys, right?"
"Sure thing."
Loren swallowed, fished the keys from his pocket, weighed them in his hand. The lock resisted for a while but then yielded under his hands, and the hinges squealed as he opened the door and breathed in the house's scent once more.
In silence they walked in, opened the double doors and then just stood in the middle of the ballroom, the dusk of evening slowly creeping to embrace them. The house was quiet, but when Loren closed his eyes for a moment, he could've sworn that he heard it breathe slowly around him. It was talking to him, whispering its thanks, apprehensive but curious. His house...
"Oh gods, there's such a lot to do that I wouldn't know where to start," Arjan sighed beside him.
Loren's eyes snapped open and he raised his face to look at the landing on the top of the curving stairs. He smiled.
"It's a lot of work all right," he agreed. "But I can hardly wait to get started."
"It's a good thing you got that commission out of your hands, son," Karos said with a sagely nod. "Pretty soon you won't have much time for your art, unless you sneak away from this gorgeous lover of yours for a moment. That glint in his eyes says he means business!"
"Gorgeous, hmm?" Reonn arched an eyebrow.
"I'm an artist, all right?" Karos protested. "I can't help looking!"
"Don't you worry, Reonn," Arjan said. "It's just that Dad knows Old Rose is soon going to claim most of your time and attention, too. He's jealous, that's what it is. Besides, Dad, shame on you – as if I'd even dream of sneaking away and leaving Loren to cope with this all alone? We're in this together."
He wrapped an arm around Loren's waist and pulled the blond close. Karos smiled at his son's display of affection, then looked thoughtful.
"Damnit, you're right though," he said. "You're all going to spend most of your time here from now on, and leave me to work all alone."
"Look at the bright side of things," Arjan suggested. "You can always come here, too, and paint in the garden. There are lots of beautiful nooks and corners in the garden, not to mention the scenery from the ledge! Why not do some outdoor stuff for a change?"
"There are plenty of others around here who do that kind of stuff, and do it better than me." Karos sounded sulky. Reonn winked at Loren behind his back. "I'm a people painter, not a rose bush painter."
"But what if those rose bushes revealed some tantalizing glimpses of a handsome young man between them?" Arjan waggled his eyebrows. "Scantily clad and all, of course. I'm sure that your regular clientele would show at least some interest."
The initial surprised expression on his father's face slowly morphed into a broad, smug smile.
"What a sly, commercially thinking devil you are, Arjan my boy!" Karos beamed.
"I'm merely remembering what you've taught me," Arjan countered. "Better a live artist than a dead one, isn't that what you always say?"
"I hope you haven't touted that principle too loudly when that friend of Fadyen's is around," Reonn put in. "That guy, what's his name, the skinny one?"
"Oh, him." Karos shrugged. "I can never remember his name... I guess he might've heard me a couple of times, because he always glares daggers at me."
"What's this about?" Arjan asked. "Have you made an enemy or what?"
"Bah, he's just another of these 'only art for art's sake is really art' people!" Karos laughed. "Only paints what he wants, is supposedly brilliant and never sells a thing. But I can't see how his brilliance does any good to anybody, least of all himself, when he's permanently so broke that he would've starved already ages ago if his friends didn't take pity on him! I much prefer doing stuff that people are willing to pay me for, and do it as well as I can, even if the topic might not always interest me all that much. That's just a way of making sure that I have the means and energy to paint stuff strictly for my own sake, too!"
"And isn't it lucky that you've even managed to secure quite a few customers who share your tastes?" Arjan grinned. "I've observed that these days you don't need to paint the less interesting topics that much."
"Of course it is," Karos said matter-of-factly. "Besides, they spread the word, too. It was a little while before you came here that I finished a work for a visiting gentleman who'd heard about me from a friend of his who had visited Saygorr some time earlier and bought a painting from me."
"Those people might even be persuaded to try out a hotel that's this high up," Loren said slowly.
"They might," Karos agreed. "A nice hotel, not too big, located on the charming, bohemian Fifth Level..."
"Which means that we'd better do our damnedest to get this place going as soon as possible," Reonn put in. "Gentlemen, I think we agreed a while ago that there's a hell of a lot of work ahead. Maybe we'd better drag Loren out of here right now and put him to bed, so that he won't start it still tonight?"
"Hello? Loren?" Arjan waved a hand in front of Loren's eyes, and the blond turned to look at him with a start. "Is that all right with you?"
"Uh – what?"
"That we go home now. Go to bed. Sleep some. Understood?"
"You. Completely lost to this world," Arjan said and hugged him close. "I bet you were already seeing this place as it will be in a few weeks. Let's get going now and get some rest. Tomorrow is a new day."
"Yes, and the sun rises early!" Reonn rubbed his hands together as the father and son groaned loudly. "You two had better start getting used to waking up in the morning, too, because me and Loren are going to be here at the crack of dawn."
"We sure are!" Loren said with a decisive nod. "Now, let's get out of here. You'll get to see the whole thing tomorrow, I promise."
He shepherded the other men out of the house, then lovingly pressed the door shut and locked it. Behind him, Karos shot an accusing look at his son.
"I'm not quite so sure anymore that this was a good idea after all," he murmured.
"Should've thought about that in time," Arjan huffed. "No use whining about it now, especially when this is all your doing!"
"Stop bickering," Loren commanded. "You're not required to get up at the crack of dawn, so shut up!"
In the thickening dusk they picked their way back to the street and turned to go, but Loren still lingered for a few moments. One hand resting on the iron gate, he stood there looking over his shoulder at the house, then mouthed a silent 'good night' and hurried after his companions.
Author's note: 'Rhagamiss' is a rather common title in Revnash. It indicates that the person in question is the son or daughter of a Count (a hereditary title that also carries with it rather extensive administrative tasks), and since there are altogether 54 counties and Revnashi families in general tend to be large, there are lots of people bearing the title. Not all of them are automatically rich, and since the rhagamiss in question has considerable wealth, he must've done something to acquire it.
