Alicia was in a good mood - teaching that smug String a lesson lifted her spirits as she watched quite a few guys enter the dressing room where the currently disabled dancer girl resided. Not even the fact that her recently brought beer disappeared did worsen her mood - she just went to buy a new, colder one.
She set down and watched the tavern spectacle for a bit. Quite a few people were playing cards in the back, chugging down insane amounts of beer per minute. What was more interesting was the guests talking about their recent adventures near the entrance.
"The catgirl pyramid is a goldmine, I tell you. I mean, not in a literal sense, but they have amassed huge amounts of riches. It is really difficult to get in at night, but during daytime it's possible when most of them are asleep. Lazy people, those cats. I have gotten my biggest share of money yet without even needing to brawl. I actually prefer this way, I would rather not hurt those delicate, cute cat-persons."
The speaker was a tall, muscly guy who was still fairly sober as far as she could tell - that didn't mean he wasn't just talking big, but then he would have probably told everyone how awesome he was as he beat up hordes upon hordes of catgirls, or rather, how his charm mesmerized the feminine opposition. Alicia was quite out of the loop, she wanted to catch up in the recent news. The catgirl pyramid was a known hunting ground if you had the heart to hurt or threaten catgirls, but Alicia rarely went there.
Her attention was diverted when a familiar person entered the bar - a person that she did not wanted to see in the slightest. It was Fildon, the drunken sellsword guy who harassed and humiliated her recently.
He was drunk even before entering the inn - he was probably thrown out from somewhere else before, so he had to seek the next watering hole to quench his unending thirst for beer, or anything stronger. He was still walking straight, however - his tolerance for alcohol was well developed. He walked past the table where the stories were told to stop before a lonely masked girl who sat in a corner, listening to the stories told. Alicia remained out of his sight.
"I knew you would turn up, you... You! You pierced magician whore! You practically robbed me when I have gotten my ear pierced at your place - never that again! And it didn't even work! I hope you don't mind a punch in the face or two!"
Alicia suddenly felt her blood boil - this drunkard just came in and he was already trouble! And he had no guts, he only dared to threaten a girl sitting alone in a corner with no one nearby to protect her. She did not wait to see if any bouncers were on the move, her body reacting automatically - she rushed behind Fildon in less than a second, and struck him with a swift blow to the temple. She did not even realize how angry he made her, and how hard she struck him until he collapsed in a heap on the floor.
She stopped instantly when she saw he was out cold. She felt a good deal of satisfaction - paying back the humiliation from last time felt good, and when the nearby guards came to throw the unconscious Fildron out, thanking her for doing their job, she also felt happy, not having to tolerate the aggressive drunkard in her sight any longer.
"Oh my, my shining knight in armor. Thanks for saving me, I guess."
Alicia heard the voice in her head - she was being talked to telepathically. It was not her first time experiencing telepathy, but it was far from a daily thing - really far, in fact. She turned around looking for the source.
"I'm right in front of you."
Ali felt foolish when she realized that the girl she just helped out was the one talking to her - since telepathy was often used to cover greater distances, or when the loud noise made traditional speaking impossible, she did not expect the woman right in front of her to resort to speaking directly to her mind. It was a rare ability, even amongst magicians.
She checked the girl (or woman? it was hard to guess her age) out. She wore a mask, covering most of her face - only her bright green eyes were visible. Her clothing was fancy - she wore expensive silks all over her body, fully clothed in red except for a decently sized cleavage. She had shoulder-length jet black hair, adorned with a beautiful tiara. Her ears were pierced with multiple earrings.
Alicia grabbed her beer and a nearby chair, then sat down in front of the woman, checking out her visible features. She guessed the age of the masked woman to be about 25-ish.
"Why are you communicating with telepathy? You are right in front of me. Sure, it's noisy around here, but it's not a big deal.
The answer, as before, came directly to her mind.
"I'm not in a condition where I'm able to speak. To be frank, I haven't spoken with my mouth in the past decade or so. Don't worry about it, I'm quite used to this."
"Well, good for you, because, unlike you, I'm quite unused to people speaking directly in my mind. I also look like a fool to any outsider, talking to myself. Can you also read my mind?"
"Reading minds is a whole lot more difficult - and no, I'm not able to. What I'm able to do, however, is to offer you a job, in case you are interested. The pay would be more than worth your time, and I might offer something extra."
Alicia thought about this for a second. Granted, she came here for jobs, but she would have preferred a more traditional employee, not this mysterious woman who refused to reveal her face or voice. And even Fildon, that drunkard, seemed to have a bad business experience with this strange woman.
"Okay, let's say I'm interested. Who are you? What do I have to do, and what is it in for me?"
Despite the face being invisible, the eyes seemed to be laughing.
"Straight to the point, are you? Very well. I'm Illia, a jeweler. I'm fairly good at my work. As for your other questions, would you prefer to go somewhere more... private? I run a shop not too far away from here, we could go there if you feel awkward seemingly talking to yourself. No one would bother us there."