(3rd Person POV)
The crowd sat with a mixture of emotions that none of them had quite expected to be carrying when they walked in. Master Delly among them. They had come ready to watch something fail. Instead, they had been thoroughly, quietly dismantled, and the worst part was that they couldn't even be annoyed about it.
Whatever had just happened in this theatre was not going to stay in this theatre. That much was already plain.
Arthur stepped back onto the stage.
"I hope that the story of Dorothy was something you all enjoyed." He smiled, looking out over the house. "And that it was, as promised, unlike anything you have seen before."
The crowd stirred immediately.
"What was that? How did you do any of it?"
"Those moving images on the wall — what is that sorcery?"
"Is it a magic mirror? A summoning array?"
Master Delly leaned forward in his seat, saying nothing, but his eyes were sharp.
Arthur raised a hand, and the noise settled. "What you witnessed tonight was a film — moving images captured using a device my company produces, called a camera. What projected them onto the screen was another device, a projector. Both are products of Hellfire Company."
Murmurs moved through the crowd.
"Hellfire? Never heard of them."
"A camera? A projector? What are these things?"
"Are they magic tools? Where do you buy them?"
"Can anyone use them or only mages?"
The questions layered over each other, eager and disorganised, the kind that come from people who have just seen something they cannot fit into any category they already own. Arthur answered what he could, kept the rest interesting, and after a few more exchanges brought it to a close with the kind of unhurried confidence that left people wanting more rather than less.
The applause that followed was louder than the first. Several people in the front rows threw silver coins onto the stage — an old gesture of approval that the theatre world recognised immediately.
Arthur smiled and gestured to the staff to gather them. "For the cast and crew," he said simply.
He gave a final bow and stepped back behind the curtain.
Master Delly watched him go. He sat very still for a moment, turning something over behind his eyes.
'That projector. That camera. Whoever controls those devices controls something that no theatre in this city — in this country — has. If I could get my hands on even one of them...'
He caught himself and looked sideways. Lykan had been sitting nearby this whole time. He turned to say something to him.
Lykan was gone.
Master Delly's eyes narrowed slightly.
'Of course. Lykan said the theatre wasn't his anymore. A man that young pulling off something like this — he didn't build those devices himself, he has backing, resources, a company behind him. Acquiring the theatre from whoever this Arthur is would not be the same as acquiring it from a desperate old man.'
He drummed his fingers once on the armrest.
'But everyone has a price. A young man especially.'
He stood and straightened his coat. "We're going to the backstage."
His butler hesitated. "Master... that person does not strike me as someone easily approached."
"Do you think I'm blind?" Master Delly said, reaching for his cane. "Hmph. Young or not, money talks to everyone. Nobody is above that." He set off toward the curtain without waiting for a response.
The butler followed, helplessly.
A staff member moved to block them at the entrance. Before a word was exchanged, Arthur's voice came from somewhere behind the curtain. "Let them in."
They were admitted.
The backstage was modest but busy, the crew still moving around with equipment. Arthur stood near the centre of it, and beside him were Lykan and Leonard.
Master Delly took him in properly now, at close range, without the stage between them.
'He's young. Younger than I expected.' He kept his expression composed, but behind it, something quietly recalculated. 'Young men with money and ambition tend to think they know everything. That is usually where they trip.'
"Impressive showing tonight," Master Delly said, his smile settling into place like a man putting on a familiar coat. "I don't say that to just anyone. My name is Delly — perhaps you've heard of me. I own the Western Theatre."
Arthur looked at him with the mild, pleasant expression of someone who found the situation quietly entertaining. "I've heard the name," he said.
"Then you'll know I have some experience in this business." Master Delly chuckled. "I think you and I have quite a lot to talk about, young man."
Arthur smiled. "You want the camera and projector, I take it?"
Master Delly feigned surprise, then laughed. "Ha-ha, can Lord Arthur read minds as well?" He let the laughter settle, and when Arthur's expression didn't particularly shift, he dropped the performance. "Yes. I'll be direct. If Hellfire Company produces such things, why is this the first any of us are hearing of it?"
"Because I only registered with the Merchant Guild about a month ago," Arthur said pleasantly. "Young company."
"A month!" Master Delly clapped his hands together. "One month old and already producing something like this — remarkable, truly remarkable."
'A month. Does he think I'll swallow that? Hmph. Whatever he's hiding, I'll find it eventually.'
"Would you like to purchase a camera and projector?" Arthur asked, cutting to it. Hellfire was selling them. That had always been part of the plan.
"He-he, yes." Master Delly scratched the back of his head with a practised casualness. "And — while we are already talking — if the price is right, I would also be very interested in this theatre. I can promise a generous offer."
Lykan's eyes flashed. Leonard put a hand on his father's arm before he could say anything. They both exhaled quietly and let Arthur handle it.
"I'm afraid the theatre isn't available," Arthur said flatly.
"Ha-ha, of course, of course, I wouldn't dream of pressing you." Master Delly waved it off without missing a beat. "As for the camera and projector then — surely we can work something out between us directly?"
"They aren't available either. Not yet. There's a release date planned — when that comes, you're welcome to purchase them the same as anyone else."
Master Delly's smile held. "Surely for someone of my standing, a little early access could be arranged? I'm not asking for much, Lord Arthur. Just a small consideration between fellow businessmen."
Arthur looked at him with a calm, flat expression. "Did you not understand what I just said, or is there something wrong with your ears?"
The room went still.
Lykan blinked. Leonard stared.
Master Delly's smile dissolved. "...What did you just say to me?"
"You heard it."
A muscle worked in Master Delly's jaw. He straightened slowly, and when he spoke again his voice had dropped to something quieter and considerably less friendly. "Lord Arthur. I wonder — have you perhaps heard of the «Legion Swords»?"
His butler stepped forward. "Master, please—"
"Silence." Master Delly didn't look at him. His eyes stayed on Arthur, watching carefully. Waiting. The name had never failed to produce something — a flicker of unease, a shift in posture, a recalculation behind the eyes. It always landed.
Arthur looked thoughtful for a moment.
Master Delly waited.
Arthur tilted his head, genuinely searching his memory. "Legion... Swords? No. First time hearing it."
Not a trace of anything on his face. No hesitation, no caution, nothing. Just mild indifference.
Master Delly's eye twitched. He held the silence for a moment longer than was comfortable, then reached for his cane and settled his hat. "How unfortunate." His voice was quiet and pleasant in the way that certain things are pleasant right before they aren't. "I do hope nothing unpleasant finds its way to Lord Arthur's door. This city can be quite unpredictable for newcomers."
He turned and walked out without another word. His butler offered the room a stiff, uncomfortable look before hurrying after him.
The door closed.
Leonard spoke first. "Master Arthur, you need to be careful with that man. He doesn't make empty remarks." He frowned at the door. "And the «Legion Swords» — the way he said it, with that kind of confidence... there is almost certainly a serious organisation behind him. I've heard rumours that someone powerful was backing Master Delly, and now we have a name."
"I had heard the same rumours," Lykan said, his expression grave. "But I never knew who. Whatever the «Legion Swords» are, he mentioned them as a man who knows they will answer if he calls."
"Either of you heard of them before?" Arthur asked.
Both shook their heads.
"Hmm." Arthur considered it for a moment, then let it go. He was a top-level deity. Mortal threats were mortal threats. "No matter. Whatever he decides to do, it doesn't concern me much."