Ortmyre gave a brief evaluation of the room. Magical influences saturated the main area, mostly in the form of the obviously enchanted lighting. What raised the first of his concerns was the presence of multiple layered enchantments throughout the room. It would take some obvious poking about to find and identify what all effects were accounted for, and it was far too early to be that forward with his investigation of the building. The apparent owner asked for his name again, unbothered by the fact that Ortmyre had ignored him initially to continue glaring at the common area. Ortmyre turned his gaze to the owner now looking him over. He too seemed to be magical, but the aura he gave off did not feel strong enough to be the source of what created everything around them.
“Mr. Ortmyre. I’m just looking around for now.” He said softly. He continued his scanning with a rather bored and disappointed expression. The bright smile of the owner was likely just a presentation, an act put forth for an observer. Ortmyre had seen plenty a person who attempted to use a smile to cover over their motives. Ortmyre himself had done so in earlier years, but he was over maintaining such ruses. He watched the owner magically shift back to the bar where he stood ready to receive. Ortmyre just returned to ignoring the other man, now focusing on the other guests. He leaned forward to find the source of the sound of pages turning, a girl down the hall to the right of the door. She would be out of sight to the majority, but she appeared to be no threat. Ortmyre always found himself a bit jealous of those who could manage to be totally unaware of the presence of magic and manage to be content and relaxed as she was.
He began to make his way through the round tables. No one sat at the tables yet, but it was of no surprise. His informant had mentioned that this location had only been noted for a few days at most, and was not the easiest to discover initially. Such venues took time to build up a steady group of customers at all times. Reaching the center of the room he looked around again, slowly taking the details of the room as a whole. The entrance was now at his back, the girl now out of sight. To his right, the bar stood with a row of mismatched stools. To his left, the large stone fireplace stood empty, its mantle piled with trophies, and an old antique sword in the center. The variety of things were nothing one person would likely seek out and earn, they merely looked like the discount table at a general store. Ahead on the back wall was a line of smaller tables. Ortmyre stepped back to the final smaller table in the corner, turning to see how it fared. Unlike the center of the room, this spot allowed for a view down the back hall which lead to the kitchen. Only the girl was out of sight, but that space would have been hard to watch from anywhere outside of the front hall itself. The bar was no good, it drew attention to sit at the bar looking out, not to mention he would never be able to focus knowing the owner was right behind him. Ortmyre drew out the chair and sat. He allowed himself a moment to close his eyes and let them rest, the sensation of so much magic concentrated in one space causing them to ache. Even as he covered over his shut eyes and rubbed them the telltale glows of enchantments and effects were noticeable. An unfortunate side effect that had been left unmentioned to an eager youth looking for an edge over his competitors. He opened them wide and blinked a few times. The owner was standing at the table edge. Ortmyre did his best not to visibly grind his teeth as his instincts readied him to react.
“Can I bring you food and or a drink Mr. Ortmyre?” The owner voiced. His hands were behind his back in a posture of waiting service, but it still caused Ortmyre to shift and keep a few of his tools accessible. He had lived long enough to have a healthy caution towards being prepared for anything; particularly watching for others in his line of work. While Ortmyre planned for the worst though, he still was growing tired of not being able to ever hope for something better. This new assignment was not like before. He wasn’t actively in pursuit, observation alone was the primary task. Only if he found a problem, was he to remove it at his own discretion. For once in his life he could make a living by just watching. His shoulders relaxed slightly, he looked up at the patiently waiting owner.
“Yes, a good portion of whatever your lunch is, and one of your better ales.”
The owner nodded and vanished, off to gather what was requested. Ortmyre let himself release more of the tension from his shoulders and forced himself into a restful posture. It was time for him to learn how to exist in one place again. No more roaming contracts, no false identities, no risky exchanges. He had been given a position that for once in his life paid him to be passive. It was still true that they could go back on their offer of work, and execute him as originally intended, but if that was the case he had it coming. For now he would do as they asked, listen for voices against the crown, and look for meetings of rebellion. Simple enough to do, and still well within his ability to disrupt. This little bar was as just as promising of a source of trouble as any and gave plenty of reason to continue returning to here and watch over. Ortmyre glanced back at the bar where the owner was staring intently at an empty glass on the bar as it filled from no apparent source. If anything Ortmyre would have plenty of things to watch while he bided his time. The owner appeared beside the table again, the food and glass placed in front of Ortmyre.
“Enjoy your stay.” The owner said then appeared back at the door just as it opened. Ortmyre looked at the roasted potatoes and beef. The foam of the ale gently bubbled. This had the potential to be an excellent location to spend his workdays.