What to do

"So now what?" Ciel asked. "We just go in and demand answers from him?"

"I guess," I said. "I mean, I trust Sal, but there's gotta be a connection there. He's must know something, right?"

"And what if it's just a coincidence?" Ciel asked.

"I doubt it," I said. "Is anything ever a coincidence when it comes to this crazy eldritch bullshit?"

Ciel sighed.

"I'll go get ready," she said, stepping out of the room.

I sat in the kitchen for a while, eyeing the bottle Sal had given me before our fight with Oceana. I hadn't opened it yet. Figured I'd save it. It was some kind of hard apple cider. For some reason both the A and the first P in apple were capitalized. I mean, I know I make typos all he time, but it seems like I weird mistake for the labeling guy to let slip by...

After a couple of minutes, the doorbell rang, and Ciel yelled at me to go answer it. So I did. It was Julia. As soon as I opened the door, she reeled back and tried to slap me. I caught her hand before it could make contact with my face.

"Hey," I said. "Sup?"

"He's gone!" She snapped at me.

"What, you mean your brother?" I asked. "When did this happen?"

"He got pulled into the tournament!" She said. "And it's your fault!"

"What?" I asked. "How's it my fault?"

"We were followed!" she said. "The night we went after Oceana! One of the Game Master's servants was watching us the whole time. He realized who my brother was and picked him to be a competitor!"

"What's going on?" Ciel demanded, coming up behind me.

"Hooded Guy's in the tournament too," I explained. "And I think I know why Terrence got taken."

"Explain, idiot," She ordered.

"There was a Game Master servant scouted us out when we fought Oceana and his goons," I said. "He must have seen Terrence at work and thought he's be good for the tournament."

"If that's it, why didn't they take you?" Ciel asked. "You're the one who actually finished him, right?"

"Yeah, but that's just it," I said. "I'm a good fighter, but the tournament probably has a dozen like that already. Terrence is smart. Resourceful. And he through a flaming bottle of Everclear through a portal at some Oathbreakers. hey must have decided he'd make a more entertaining player."

"Either that or the Game Master just doesn't want that crazy watch of yours causing him any trouble," Julia added.

"I haven't even figured the watch out yet," I said. "Look, we're about to go talk to Sal. You coming?"

"Fine," Julia said. "But what exactly is your plan, here?"

"I wanna find a way in," I said. "So I can get Terrence out. Or at least lend him a hand."

"You think getting in's gonna be easy?" Julia asked.

"Nope," I said. "But Sal's my best bet right now."

"All right," she said. "But if you do get to the Board somehow, you get my brother out of there. Got it?"

"Right," I said.