As the subway he was riding traveled closer to the center of the city, Eric was absorbed by his phone. This wasn't particularly unusual for him, but what was strange was what was on the phone this time. That afternoon, he had received a text message, which was in itself a rare occurrence, but especially bizarre was the nature of the message. It had come out of nowhere, from a number he didn't recognize, and it only said one thing.

[b]"Central Park, 9pm tonight."[/b]

That was all. No further explanation, not even directions to a specific meeting place. He doubted it could be a wrong number. Whoever sent the message knew very well that its recipient was in New York City. Nobody in the mundane world had any reason to contact him like that, which meant that the origin of the message was underground, magical, or perhaps even both. It was possible that someone had taken notice of his digging around, and was trying to help him. Or maybe, just the opposite, he had angered the wrong person during his days as a thief, and his past was about to catch up with him. Either way, it was something he would have to face, and if it turned out to be nothing then there would be no harm done.

[i]It would have helped if they were at least a little more descriptive, though,[/i] Eric found himself lamenting as he arrived at his destination, [i]How am I supposed to find one person in this huge-ass park?[/i] Of course, Eric had a strong suspicion that he would be the one being found. This mystery person had clearly been spying on him. All he would have to do is wait. In the meantime, he decided to do a more conventional park activity and take a walk.

Eric made his way through the network of pathways that spanned Central Park, passing by a good number of people on their own nighttime strolls. Three months prior, when he had been preparing to make the move to New York City, a few people told him that it was strange that somebody so withdrawn would choose such a crowded place to live, but Eric actually liked people, at least from a distance. The diverse population of the city could be interesting sometimes. And here, he had no connections. He was just another face in the streets. Nobody pitied him, judged him, or expected anything from him. But most importantly, where there were more people, there were bound to be more magicians as well. 

Eventually the time came close to nine, and Eric ceased his walking and came to rest leaning against a lamppost. He checked his phone once again. 8:55. Whatever was going to happen was supposed to happen soon. Putting the phone away, Eric observed his surroundings. Could one of these people be the one who called him here? Perhaps he should try a small spell visible only to other magicians in order to draw them out. But no, there was still some time left until the appointed hour. He would wait a little longer. He tilted his head back, crossed his ankles, and stuck his hands in his pockets. His relaxation wasn't feigned. Whatever happened in the next few minutes, it would have to be pretty crazy to rattle Eric Tyler.