THE MOMENT
"Because Ballisea never gets to play with you, that's why," Cassie giggled at Aurelio's question. His exasperated expression seemed to hint he knew the answer and was simply confirming it with her. The chubby teen with wild curly brown hair and the young woman with a white ponytail were walking through a shady part of town in every sense of the word.
It was golden hour with the sun falling in the west, and they were walking on the east side of an alley. None of the towering buildings had windows on their side, and the city blocks were densely crowded, so very little light came through; it was an intentional design. The part of the city they were in catered to civilization's underbelly in an attempt to keep it contained, and along with being enforced with deadly penalties, it'd worked quite well.
"It's not even for me, it's for the twins...," Aurelio grumbled as they navigated the dim, winding alleys. Every few feet, they walked by closed doors decorated with symbols and numbers. Each one was a legitimately illegal business that was only open for those who knew how to read the codes. "She loves 23," he added.
"Like we don't all know you better than that?" Cassie’s laughter continued. "She loves the girls, as much as she could, and it’s likely still more than you. And, since you're just trying to solve a puzzle that would also help them coincidentally, Ballisea decided this is a formal request for an Audience."
"Fine... so what's the game?" He asked. He'd followed her unquestioningly, but now that the topic came up, he was curious why they were there.
"Win," Cassie nodded. "In her name, obviously," she added. He had a tendency to miss the obvious for the sake of the obvious. As apparent as it was, given the topic of discussion, he was likely to accept 'Win' as the complete task.
"How many?" he asked. He knew it wouldn't be as simple as one. His question came just as Cassie stopped in front of a door. She reached out to knock on it; but first, she gestured back down the dark alley and around the turn they came from.
"She just wants to establish a small foothold to remind them she's always around. Every door on this block, and the previous," she winked at him. Then, she knocked on the door and vanished, leaving him alone. The door opened inward to reveal a muscular ogre wielding a club, and a shorter, lean gentleman in a plaid suit.
"I'm here to challenge the owners," Aurelio spoke first as they eyed him silently.
"I'll assume you know we don't accept independent challengers...," the small man said as he appraised the teen. "Tell me... For whom do you fight...?"
Aurelio sighed and spoke the most chafing phrase he was ever required to utter. He didn't know if Cassie knew it, but he was sure this was the entire point. The fights were no challenge, and Ballisea didn't really need to establish a foothold anywhere. But, in order to earn an audience with her, he needed to go door to door and repeat the same phrase dozens of times.
"I represent Ballisea and the Void Court."