At first observed table six because we agreed that the couple watching everyone seemed the most suspicious.

The bar where we had already jumped over to in the morning, even before it opened, and hid tiny microphones, was called The Man's Cave. And I don't know if it was because of the name, but from the first time Pipaluk brought me here, I felt a sense of resistance, a bad feeling. It was as if I was stepping into a private men's world, which, even in appearance, gave me the feeling that women had no place here. Even the sign didn't seem inviting to me—no flashiness, just a simple brown board with the bar's name in white letters. The fact that we had to go down a long, dark staircase as if descending into a cave increased my aversion, and the bar itself, with its dark furniture and emerald green walls, felt far too gloomy. I wasn't even surprised that there was no decoration on the tables—no little flowers, no candles, as is common elsewhere. The old jukebox, with its flashy blue and orange colors, didn't fit the overall look.

We had quite a challenge figuring out where to hide the microphones. My first idea was to place them under the table, but there was the risk that someone might accidentally bump them with their knee, knock them off, or notice them. So, the only option left was the pictures. Each table had a simple black-and-white charcoal drawing on the wall, and there didn't seem to be any particular theme except that they all featured some kind of animal. I hadn't even noticed them the first time, only now, when we were trying to hide the microphones on them. My favorite was the picture with ants crawling on an infinity-symbol-shaped strip of paper. Then there was one where a child was squatting, watching a frog; a cat on a fence with its fur standing on end; a flamingo standing on one leg; a wine glass turned upside down with a tiny green grasshopper sitting on it. Finally, at our table, there was a picture of a dragonfly, and it was the only one in color with blue wings.

When we returned to the bar full of guests and listened to table six through the headphones, I suddenly felt like we weren't even on the same day. There were small details I needed to remember. Staying focused on table six, I only now noticed that the girl with the long, curly black hair ordered a cocktail, and the boy she was with was intently studying the menu, repeatedly calling back the waitress but then not ordering anything.

"Come on, Ron!" the girl's frustrated voice said. "What's so hard about this? Why don't you order a beer like everyone else?"

"I hate beer! Lily, seriously, have you ever seen me drink beer?" The boy's voice was surprisingly boyish despite his appearance as a grown man. His short red hair framed his small, serious eyes as he scanned the other guests to see what they were drinking.

"Then why don't you get wine? Back in wizard school, you used to drink red wine all the time!" Lily tried to help.

"Yes, I liked wine back then, but I'm not sure I'll like it here; everything's so different..." Ron said, signaling the waitress, who quickly walked over.

Pipaluk, taking advantage of the moment when they weren't talking, signaled to me that he wanted to say something. "Did I hear correctly that they're talking about wizard school? Then they must be wizards?"

"Do you seriously believe that? I always thought it was just a fairy tale..." I replied, but we didn't continue our conversation because Ron finally ordered a glass of red wine, though I missed what kind.

"And that's why I wanted to talk to you, Lily. What you're doing is very dangerous because there are rules. You can't use your powers here. I know that animal didn't escape from the zoo. That was you, wasn't it?"

Lily looked visibly angry, and I tried to discreetly observe them, positioning myself so I could face their table, which wasn't easy since I had to sit too close to Pipaluk, who was mainly listening to the events. The girl was fiddling with her straw, trying to drink the last drops from her tall glass. When she finished, and we almost went deaf from the noise, she signaled the waitress to order another cocktail of the same kind.

"You know, Ron, everything I learned in school has become meaningless. Those exciting times... And now, I am sitting in an office, just doing paperwork. This job isn't what I expected when I dreamed of becoming a great and famous witch at seven."

"I completely understand; office work isn't nearly as exciting as fighting dark wizards or discovering secret spells. But you still shouldn't break the rules, don't you think?"

"Do you remember how much fun we had at school? Those pranks! And some of them, they never even realized it was me!" the girl exclaimed excitedly.

"So what's the problem? You're so bored you don't know what to do with yourself? Why don't you find a hobby?"

"Oh, come on! Like knitting or crocheting, like some old lady?"

"That's not what I meant. Something creative. You must be good at something... For example, I draw. Or there are dance classes, hiking, reading, or yoga—that would calm you down."

"Everything has changed so much!" Lily said sadly. "But how do you handle it so well that practically everything we learned can only be used at home, among ourselves, so no one sees as if we're doing something wrong?"

"Because those things are forbidden! But if you're so attached to your wizarding self, why don't you open a fortune-telling or curse-removal office? I've heard those do well." Ron grimaced as he drank the wine; he didn't like it, but he kept trying, tasting it.

"I'm not good at those things. I can't help people. My area is dark magic, shapeshifting, and potion-making." Lily smiled somewhat mockingly at this.

"Oh no, I know that look!" The boy shook his head in resignation. "Whose life have you messed up at the office?"

"Whose haven't I?" the girl laughed.

"So, the rhinoceros was you too? You know it injured five people when it ran wild through the city, right?"

Lily laughed, but Ron continued, "I'm apprehensive about you! You need to grow up! You must admit that there's no place for these pranks in the adult world anymore!"

"And become as boring as you or your little girlfriend? What is the point if we can't use anything we've learned? I'm going to the restroom," she said abruptly, suddenly stood up, and disappeared.

Pipaluk and I took the opportunity to discuss things.

"It's clear that our little witch, Lily, is suffering from a quarter-life crisis," my companion said confidently. I nodded in agreement.

"But I still can't get over that we're talking about real wizards here. I always thought these were just pseudo-sciences without real magic. But the way they talk about it, it sounds like they're actual wizards."

"I can't reconcile it with science, but I've always believed there are inexplicable things we can't understand by logic alone."

Lily glided past us, heading back to their table, and I noticed that the woman on the blind date had also just returned from the restroom.

"Where were we?" Lily asked after sitting down and finishing her cocktail with the same slurping sound. Pipaluk took out her earphones because he couldn't stand the awful noise.

"You were saying how boring everyone is, except for the mischievous witches..." Ron replied with no small amount of sarcasm in his voice.

"I think I've been bad this time..." Lily responded.

"Now?" Ron raised an eyebrow, and I admit my stomach was anxious, wondering what she might have done.

"See that blonde woman over there in that ridiculous, overly sexy turquoise dress for her age? I hate people who tell their entire life story to strangers," Lily began.

"Oh no, I have a bad feeling about this! What did you do?" Ron said, holding his forehead.

"She's meeting a guy here for the first time, someone she's only chatted with online until now. She's super excited, and her perfume was so disgusting I almost threw up."

"Get to the point, Lily!" Ron urged impatiently.

"He won't be able to open the door. The guy. So she'll be waiting here for nothing."

I felt a horrible suspicion, and I grabbed Pipaluk's arm, nodding toward the open window.

"Do you think it's him?" Pipaluk asked, and I could see she realized it, too. Meanwhile, Ron is trying to convince the witch that what she did was wrong, childish behavior, and that she needs to grow up. Lily just laughed.

Then the guy appeared, shouting down through the basement window that he was coming down, which made the group at table four furious, and they wouldn't let him come down. Two of them went upstairs, and we knew they were going to beat him up and chase him away, poor fool.

The woman in the turquoise dress in the bar had no idea what was going on, but Lily had fun.

I almost got up to intervene, but Pipaluk asked me to stay calm. "Don't forget, whatever you do, you can't change the future. And besides, that's not why we're here. We need to figure out our black bubble." I had to admit he was right, but I was furious at the little witch. I didn't think a person could be so cruel just for their amusement.

Ron shared my opinion because he said more or less the same things to Lily.

"Come on, Ron! They have phones. They can call each other or meet somewhere else. By tomorrow, they'll laugh about the whole thing! Years from now, they'll remember how funny it was when he couldn't make it to the date."

"Are you sure about that? What if they never contact each other? What if the woman gets offended and doesn't reach out, and the guy misunderstands the situation and doesn't reach out either?"

"If they give up that easily, their relationship won't last long anyway, so why bother? Maybe fate doesn't intend for them to be together!" Lily replied, then focused on the couple at table two, where the tall girl and the boy with glasses were sitting.

Ron followed her gaze and grabbed her arm. "Lily! Enough! Don't even think about doing anything stupid. If you pull another prank today, I'll report you to the authorities!"

"You're going to snitch on me?" the girl gasped.

"Yes. Because you can't just toy with people as you please, like you're some god. You're not. You have abilities that you're abusing right now. You can't do that! Do you understand?"

Lily pulled her arm free from Ron's grip. What he said had some impact on her.

"This world isn't what I imagined for myself. I wanted to use my abilities. But there are just rules. Everywhere. I'm 21 years old and constantly feel like everyone expects things from me—when I get married, have kids, buy a car, or a house. I don't want any of that yet. I want to be a witch. A real one. You understand, right?"

Ron lowered his eyes and shook his head.

"You need to find a balance between the two. This office job isn't for you. But listen, you can't break the rules! Do you understand?"

Lily finally nodded as if she understood that her behavior wasn't correct. I thought how lucky this awful girl was to have such a kind and supportive friend like Ron.

It was around midnight, and we hadn't noticed the black bubble or any signs of time travel at table six.

"So, those we suspected the most have nothing to do with time travel. Do you agree?" Pipaluk asked.

"Yeah, I agree. But did you notice the picture of the cat at table six? I don't want to make unnecessary connections, though." I finished my beer and started getting ready to leave.

Pipaluk also sounded agreement when he saw the picture, but he didn't dwell on it either. "Which table should we focus on next?" he asked as we headed up the dark stairs. "This time, you choose!"

"I don't know," I replied, admitting it was a tricky question. "I'll figure it out by the time we reach the top of the stairs."