Nyssa:

“I have a reservation,” Nyssa said, grinning at the gnome guarding the door. He only glared at her, his dirt encrusted face wrinkling unattractively.

“Name and species?” His voice was gravelly and rough, like his appearance. Gnomes tended to be one of the uglier species of the People. They were universally thick-featured with drooping noses, wrinkled, dirty skin and huge, pointed ears that flopped and quivered as they waddle about.

“Akiba Masih. Jinn,” she said, plucking the name out of his head. Gnomes were simple creatures. Their uncomplicated thoughts were easy to skim information from.

Nyssa cocked her head to one side, allowing her pupils to elongate until they were just a thin slit. Still grinning, her forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air. It was only a small bit of transformation, but it seemed to satisfy the guard. Standing at less than half her height, the gnome seemed to be more preoccupied with leering at her breasts than doing his job.

She held her breath as the gnome consulted his list, with a perfunctory glance. After a few long seconds of uncomfortable ogling, he gave her a sharp nod. The air around the gnome felt heavy, like the oppressive dankness of a cave. Nyssa knew that the air wasn’t actually as stagnant and cool as it felt. It was just her extra senses feeding her bits of information.

“You don't see many Jinn around these parts,” the gnome remarked, with a sleazy jeer. Most Jinn liked to stay home, in the Middle East. In places like London, there were too many People obsessed with the idea of capturing their own genie in a bottle. Nyssa was lucky that a Jinn happened to make a reservation, not that Akiba Masih was going to get to use it.

The guard simply stepped aside and let her pass. She was greeted just inside the door by another gnome, this one even uglier than the first. He looked like he had just crawled out a mine. His leathery skin was stained black where dirt had settled into the wrinkles for so long that the folds of skin had turned crusty.

“This way,” he said and waddled off. She trailed down the long hallway after him, eyeing the security cameras. Like the first guard, the gnome wasn’t suspicious of her at all. It was easy for the guard to assume she was Jinn, with her little trick - the extent of her transformation abilities, really - along with her olive skin and masses of dark hair. What he didn't need to know was that she was a still bit less than full blooded Jinn. Actually, she was half human, with a few other species thrown in for spice.

The women in her family were known for their freedom of spirit.

Right now, that was working in her favour. Mixed bloods were uncommon so no one usually suspected she was anything less than what she claimed to be.

There was a heavily armoured booth at the end of the hallway. The gnome pulled out a ring of keys, the kind used in old dungeons, and unlocked the door. To Nyssa, the keys and door glowed slightly with an inner light. They had been warded. Probably against being stolen or broken. The gnome popped up on the other side of the bench and placed three stacks of poker chips in front of her.

“Table three,” he said in his hoarse voice, pushing the chips towards her. She nodded her thanks and scooped up the chips.

I can't believe that worked. Nyssa let out a long breath. Thank you, Akiba Masih.

Sensations washed over her as she entered the room. Though it was strangely quiet, the room vibrated with life and the intensity that could only come from a room full of the People. The spirit of those from the Real World sung with more vibrancy than regular humans. A room full of Them was overwhelming, like going out into the sunlight after being in a dim room. It took her a second to adjust.

Tables were grouped around the edges of the room. She walked to the middle of the room, turning slowly and taking everything in. A young, human-looking girl drew the attention of some of the patrons. Most though, were consumed with the cards in front of them.

She spotted a spare chair on a table to her left, the number three blinked softly in neon above it. She took her place next to a squashed looking creature that she didn’t recognise. She did her best to look like she belonged. She watched the game for a few rounds, getting a feel for the players. The creature to her left would not keep still, shifting in his chair constantly. She reached out, studying the odd little creature. Sandpaper scratches rubbed against inside of her skull, sending a shiver down her spine. She recognised the sensation from her childhood when her home had a bogie infestation. Bogies were mischief makers, setting up shop in pokey cupboards and corners of attics. They were more irritating than any sort of danger. Nyssa had never seen one out in the open.

Sitting opposite to her was a little black dwarf with eyes that glowed like the end of cigarettes. The air around it tasted like burned toast.

It was a Kobold.

Nyssa cursed to herself. This was not what she came here for. She played a few hands at that table, cursing at the delay. It would too suspicious if she got up without betting even once. She kept half an eye on the table, scanning the rest of the room for the Person she had come here to see.

She sensed him before she saw him. Little sparks of light tingled against her spine when she brushed her awareness along the table behind her.

There was a fairy there.

She prodded at the place where the fairy sat again. The taste of too sweet candied fruit burst on her tongue, coating it with the sickly sweet taste of fairy. Nyssa froze. There was only one fairy that frequented these parts. She didn’t know his name, no one did, but she was sure this is who she was looking for.