Loan

November 3, 1981

Evening, Leaky Cauldron

Room No. 208

Kai slumped down into the chair, letting out a heavy but relaxing sigh.

"Close the doors, Petyr," he said, opening a water bottle. "I am afraid someone has noticed us down there."

From the data given to him by Arlen, Kai already knew that to even see the Leaky Cauldron, a Contestant must have over 10 Intelligence. Then one must stir his Mana upon reaching the location. Only then would the pub present itself to a non-wizarding Contestant.

Or better known as Coggle, a twisted form of Muggle used for non-magic people of this world. It wasn't pretty, but it passed on the intent.

"What did you feel, master?" Petyr asked, taking off his hat and his overcoat.

Gulp! Gulp!

"Too much!" Kai said, panting, sweat dripping down his chin. "The Mana was suffocating me too much."

Kai could scarcely believe what monsters were dining down there, drinking merrily and chatting like everything was normal. The Mana within the small pub was so much that it had made him shiver. So Kai had to go out before coming back with Petyr as his companion. Being a character from the book, Petyr wasn't subjected to the Mana fluctuations as Kai had.

"How much did the innkeeper take?" Kai asked. "Can we stay here for three days?"

Petyr shook his head. "Tom is his name," Petyr told Kai. "The money was only good enough for two nights. I paid him for one."

"Why?" Kai asked, not unkindly. He had already given Petyr full access to his funds, in-world money and Mission Credits both. They were external things to Kai. He liked them, but not enough to not gamble them by trusting a being who was the product of an Item that belonged to himself.

"The Mission Hint and that line from Mission Summary," Petyr said, leisurely taking a place on another chair. "We can't go empty-handed to a greedy person. Never. Even if you are formidable, master, in this Magical World, it won't be enough. Not to him, I am sure. So I have a plan."

Kai stood up. He approached the window, looked out at the darkening sky, and closed the shutters. "What plan?" he asked, returning to his seat. "I hope you are not thinking that I would rob a bank or something."

This was another thing that the data had mentioned. Do nothing stupid that would seem out of the norm at a glance. The wizards of Magical Law Enforcement would be upon you in no time. And a Contestant of Kai's level could never hide from them.

"Haha!" Petyr chuckled, a low derisive laugh. "I was indeed thinking of robbing the bank (-Kai raised his eyebrows-), but in the same way, all banks rob the commoners. Loan. We will rob the bank, but officially."

"Explain," Kai demanded, closing his eyes.

"Give me one 3 HP capsules," Petyr explained. "I heard many wizards talking about potions down there. I will approach one of them and present the capsule as the new drug I am working on in the muggles' way, but with better results. Then, with the help of that wizard, we will go to the bank and take a heavy loan for further research. No matter how tedious the process would be, I am sure with the help of a wizard it can be easily done within time."

"Easily?" Kai mocked. "Aren't you overestimating it by quite a lot? Why do you think any wizard would be interested in it? Why do you think any wizard would even give us a chance to explain? And why do you think any wizard would help us get a loan from a wizarding bank?"

Petyr smiled. "It's not that I am overestimating, master," he said, "but it's you who are underestimating two things."

"What two things?" Kai asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Your face," the character said, a small smile dwindling on his face, "and my tongue."

Kai had no reply to that. Even when he had been shivering down there, he had felt too many eyes lingering on his face; into his eyes. Wizards and hags were smiling amiably at him as if he was their own house member. Kai tapped his fingers on the arms of the chair, giving what Petyr had suggested a deep thought.

Sigh! This little sigh decided the outcome. Kai nodded. "Very well," he said. "Let's try it. Now go, I need Cersei's help."

Petyr bowed. He was just about to vanish when Kai called out. "Wait!"

"Yes, master?"

"Petyr, how far can you go by yourself before disappearing?"

"10 ft from you," Petyr replied, still smiling.

Kai looked into Petyr's eyes. "10 ft from me, or 10 ft from the Book?"

For a moment… For a teeny-tiny moment, the smile vanished, becoming a hideous scowl. But then it returned, just not soon enough for Kai to have not noticed it.

"If you were to hand over the Book to me, I can go as far as you would like me to be, my lord," Petyr said, his eyes trembling a bit, his figure blurring. "Of course, I can't activate the Book's Skills by myself."

Petyr Baelish vanished.

Kai sat there, gazing hard at the place where the character had been standing. He craned up his neck and then stared at the roof. This stare lasted for quite some time. He ran his hands along the length of his silky white hair, feeling the sweat and tension. Then, after a while, the corners of his mouth twitched. The thing that could have been a smile became a frown, then a smile again.

This maniacal tendency lasted for a while too, eventually blooming into a full-blown burst of laughter.

What was going through his mind? What had been making him smile and frown? And what finally made him laugh?

Kai and Kai alone knew the answer.

He took out the Book, opening it to the Lioness of Casterly Rock. The Primordial Theater imbued life into the tale and Cersei walked out. She had a bright ocean blue frock-like apparel on her. Her golden hair was loose, reaching far below her waist, and her earrings glittered red and green.

Her face was rosy, matching the color of her lips.

Cersei was about to say something when Kai strode towards her. She stepped back, shocked and confused. Kai pulled her in.

And before she could say something, his lips were on hers.

***********

AN: A significant character will appear in the next chapter.