Cold winds whipped around the covered form of the mage as he opened the door to the Promenade. The warmth of the multiple fireplaces dotting the walls of the common area immediately warmed him to him bones as he pulled his hood back from over his face. A din of chatter echoed through the room as he made his way to a nearby empty table. Black bags hung under the man's eyes as he waited on a server to come to his table. He rested an elbow on the table and propped his head up in his open palm.

"And what can we get you, sir?" a portly middle aged woman asked. Rehtul yawned and stretched his arms over his head.

"Much as I'd like to drink tonight, I think it'll knock me out. The strongest black tea you have and a portion of whatever that wonderful smell is coming from the kitchen."

The woman nodded, jotted down his order, and wandered off toward the kitchen. The mage knew his tea would take a few minutes, as it wasn't ordered particularly often around these parts, so he bided his time by watching the people around the room. Another mage seemed to be nearby, one who had been performing some kinds of tricks with coins. Curiosity led Rehtul to wonder if he was just some parlor mage or a true master of his arts. Electromancy was one of his father's specialties, though one that the ice mage had not dabbled in himself.

Nearby there was also a young man, unremarkable but friendly looking enough, and further away was a man with an immensely powerful and somewhat brooding aura, and another who appeared to be elven in nature.

As a plate with a fine china teacup slid across the table under his nose, the mage fished out a gold and handed it to the woman. She took a look at the shining piece of metal and bit it to ensure its quality before Rehtul spoke.

"A rather... slow night, it would seem."

"Aye. Were it not for the mage, I doubt we'd be making much in the way of coin tonight. What bring you here?"

"Research, mostly. Profit, also. I've been taking notes on some ruins nearby that happened to be unearthed during the recent quakes. Quite fascinating, though..." he wandered off as he saw the woman begin to lose interest. Seeing he noticed, she had the good grace to blush before excusing herself.

"Ah well, not much to be done about that, I suppose," he said to himself as he sipped his tea and kept an eye on the gathered group. Now that he had some caffeine in him, he could definitely feel the power radiating off of the other mage. Perhaps the two of them could have a fun discussion if time permitted before the younger man went up to his quarters for the night.