- Nov 4. -
Ian Garlin stewed, glaring at the oblivious woman projected on the upper left quadrant of the television monitor. Long fingers tip, tap, tapped on the bare mahogany desk as the star of his personal show went about her business. That business, however, was restricted to the sphere of her desk " a phone call here, a type-written document on the computer there, a file that needed stamping. She was industrious, a good little busy bee in the hive of the Kitsune Foundation.
"We're a laughingstock still, you know." Ian finally broke the silence in the dark-shaded space as he simultaneously broke his gaze from the woman. "Years later, and they still laugh about how we couldn't control a bunch of young and idiotic thugs who never even did anything for us. How they screwed us and just walked away from our investment without a backward glance. And we got stuck with that bitch in the office." He jutted his chin toward the monitor before shifting his brown eyes back to the shadow-shrouded figure near the door, clutching a clipboard to his chest.
"I can't even get rid of her," he continued after a lengthy pause. "Edder made that clear. He has such a damn hard-on for her. Either that or he just wants to make sure I remember how much they managed to humiliate me." His lips curled up, slightly sharpened teeth glinting weakly in the pale light as they came into view from the snarl.
Ian's focus of attention finally transitioned from the woman in the monitor after several moments of tense, thick silence. "What do you need?" he asked his fidgeting assistant. The man's knuckles were white with the force of fingers upon the clipboard. The younger man stepped forward, just another in a long line of nameless and useless helpers. This one, at least, had lasted more than a month.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Garlin, but you told me to let you know if Maria or any of the other former Wrecking Crew members did anything in the duels. Well, she challenged last night." His gaze slipped to the ground in that announcement, his shoulders hunched forward and he folded over the board in his grasp.
This one wouldn't last much longer, Ian observed. The boy was starting to get a spine and starting to question his boss's methods and reasons for doing things. He'd started out fine; he'd even passed the usual trial-by-fire initiation that marked employment under Mr. Garlin with flying colors. It was likely that this boy was taken with the bitch too and disapproved of Ian's opinion of her. Damnit. He was almost efficient. He hated the thought of having to train another one.
Although ". He could find a kid and train that brat right. That was a possibility. That way, too, he wouldn't have to pay it and there wouldn't be any awkward questions.
"Maria challenged?" he finally asked the boy. "What title?" The boy " what was his name" " shook his head, peeling the board far enough from his chest for just a moment, just long enough to read the short notice. "For Overlord, and it wasn't Maria Graziano. It was Ria."
Ian started, brown eyes jolting to the monitor once more. "What' When did that bitch get above Master at Arms" Why in the hell didn't you tell me?" The boy gulped, then drew a steadying breath. "She's a swordsman right now; it was a special event that the Swords master, G, announced. She took the challenge to the Overlord."
"Did she now?" Ian leaned back in the sumptuous and comforting leather chair. "I see. Bring her in." The boy turned and scuttled out to do his master's bidding. Ian's gaze was drawn to the monitor yet again where she puttered along, blind to everything around her that wasn't work.
It wasn't long before his assistant " whatever his damn name was " snuck into the framed picture. Ian studied their bodies as the boy leaned over the cubicle wall, speaking to her. The clipboard was no longer glued to his chest; rather, it was set on top of the cubicle wall and resting lightly there. His smile blossomed, echoed by the woman's answering one. She finally glanced down the lane, toward Ian's office, and nodded. A few taps of the keyboard and then she swept around the wall toward the pathway to his office. The pair stepped out of view and Ian turned off the monitor.
He counted the seconds, short seconds, until the knock on the door signaled their arrival. "Come in," he granted brusquely. The door inched inward and she moved through, followed by the boy. Whatever the hell his name was. "You can go," he informed him. The boy nodded quickly and pulled back, taking the door with him by the knob.
"Sit," he ordered Ria. Her brows knit at the command and she hesitated for a long moment. "Uhh, a"ight." Finally she complied, edging toward the waiting chair on the other side of his massive desk. " Whasup" Ya wanted me?"
He sneered at her, not bothering to hide his contempt. "I am your employer, Mrs. Graziano. Not your Club-Crew Member. Speak properly." She started; while Ian Garlin had never been friendly he had always been polite " distant, but polite. "And intelligently, damnit," he added after a moment. "Your damn accent makes you sound like a baboon screeching in the zoo."
"Uhhhh?" she stared, mouth gaping at the admonishment. "Huh' Wha tha "ell?"
He leaned forward, ignoring her attempt to respond. "You and your ape-husband and the rest of your damn Club " "
"Crew," she managed to correct, even if it was an automatic reaction. "Whatever," he scowled. "You tools completely embarrassed this foundation. You took our money and our good will and then you walked away, thinking you're all kings of the damn world and don't owe any of us anything. Even if you thought you could pay what you owe us by working for us, you can't. You're a pathetic, useless bitch."
Her jaw slack, fish-faced, she couldn't do much but stare at the man as he gave his diatribe. Her mouth worked, somewhat, in that it opened and closed multiple times. Nothing issued from her of any substance, though, and he continued. "We'll get what?s coming to us, Alexandria Graziano." His brown eyes bored into her hazel ones, so there would be no mistaking the seriousness in his message. "You're going to make this right; you're going to do it with your Overlord challenge."
She blinked, then. "The " challenge" What' How?"
A smirk grew, slow to start but spreading swiftly. "You're going to win. And you're going to bring the Crew back to prominence. You're going to make your f****** happy family bring money in by being important again. You're going to restore the hell you caused by your s***." He paused, a long and still moment hanging between them. "You're going to win, and do this, or we're going to kill you. ALL of you."
She surged to her feet " and then promptly fainted.
Ian Garlin stewed, glaring at the oblivious woman projected on the upper left quadrant of the television monitor. Long fingers tip, tap, tapped on the bare mahogany desk as the star of his personal show went about her business. That business, however, was restricted to the sphere of her desk " a phone call here, a type-written document on the computer there, a file that needed stamping. She was industrious, a good little busy bee in the hive of the Kitsune Foundation.
"We're a laughingstock still, you know." Ian finally broke the silence in the dark-shaded space as he simultaneously broke his gaze from the woman. "Years later, and they still laugh about how we couldn't control a bunch of young and idiotic thugs who never even did anything for us. How they screwed us and just walked away from our investment without a backward glance. And we got stuck with that bitch in the office." He jutted his chin toward the monitor before shifting his brown eyes back to the shadow-shrouded figure near the door, clutching a clipboard to his chest.
"I can't even get rid of her," he continued after a lengthy pause. "Edder made that clear. He has such a damn hard-on for her. Either that or he just wants to make sure I remember how much they managed to humiliate me." His lips curled up, slightly sharpened teeth glinting weakly in the pale light as they came into view from the snarl.
Ian's focus of attention finally transitioned from the woman in the monitor after several moments of tense, thick silence. "What do you need?" he asked his fidgeting assistant. The man's knuckles were white with the force of fingers upon the clipboard. The younger man stepped forward, just another in a long line of nameless and useless helpers. This one, at least, had lasted more than a month.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Garlin, but you told me to let you know if Maria or any of the other former Wrecking Crew members did anything in the duels. Well, she challenged last night." His gaze slipped to the ground in that announcement, his shoulders hunched forward and he folded over the board in his grasp.
This one wouldn't last much longer, Ian observed. The boy was starting to get a spine and starting to question his boss's methods and reasons for doing things. He'd started out fine; he'd even passed the usual trial-by-fire initiation that marked employment under Mr. Garlin with flying colors. It was likely that this boy was taken with the bitch too and disapproved of Ian's opinion of her. Damnit. He was almost efficient. He hated the thought of having to train another one.
Although ". He could find a kid and train that brat right. That was a possibility. That way, too, he wouldn't have to pay it and there wouldn't be any awkward questions.
"Maria challenged?" he finally asked the boy. "What title?" The boy " what was his name" " shook his head, peeling the board far enough from his chest for just a moment, just long enough to read the short notice. "For Overlord, and it wasn't Maria Graziano. It was Ria."
Ian started, brown eyes jolting to the monitor once more. "What' When did that bitch get above Master at Arms" Why in the hell didn't you tell me?" The boy gulped, then drew a steadying breath. "She's a swordsman right now; it was a special event that the Swords master, G, announced. She took the challenge to the Overlord."
"Did she now?" Ian leaned back in the sumptuous and comforting leather chair. "I see. Bring her in." The boy turned and scuttled out to do his master's bidding. Ian's gaze was drawn to the monitor yet again where she puttered along, blind to everything around her that wasn't work.
It wasn't long before his assistant " whatever his damn name was " snuck into the framed picture. Ian studied their bodies as the boy leaned over the cubicle wall, speaking to her. The clipboard was no longer glued to his chest; rather, it was set on top of the cubicle wall and resting lightly there. His smile blossomed, echoed by the woman's answering one. She finally glanced down the lane, toward Ian's office, and nodded. A few taps of the keyboard and then she swept around the wall toward the pathway to his office. The pair stepped out of view and Ian turned off the monitor.
He counted the seconds, short seconds, until the knock on the door signaled their arrival. "Come in," he granted brusquely. The door inched inward and she moved through, followed by the boy. Whatever the hell his name was. "You can go," he informed him. The boy nodded quickly and pulled back, taking the door with him by the knob.
"Sit," he ordered Ria. Her brows knit at the command and she hesitated for a long moment. "Uhh, a"ight." Finally she complied, edging toward the waiting chair on the other side of his massive desk. " Whasup" Ya wanted me?"
He sneered at her, not bothering to hide his contempt. "I am your employer, Mrs. Graziano. Not your Club-Crew Member. Speak properly." She started; while Ian Garlin had never been friendly he had always been polite " distant, but polite. "And intelligently, damnit," he added after a moment. "Your damn accent makes you sound like a baboon screeching in the zoo."
"Uhhhh?" she stared, mouth gaping at the admonishment. "Huh' Wha tha "ell?"
He leaned forward, ignoring her attempt to respond. "You and your ape-husband and the rest of your damn Club " "
"Crew," she managed to correct, even if it was an automatic reaction. "Whatever," he scowled. "You tools completely embarrassed this foundation. You took our money and our good will and then you walked away, thinking you're all kings of the damn world and don't owe any of us anything. Even if you thought you could pay what you owe us by working for us, you can't. You're a pathetic, useless bitch."
Her jaw slack, fish-faced, she couldn't do much but stare at the man as he gave his diatribe. Her mouth worked, somewhat, in that it opened and closed multiple times. Nothing issued from her of any substance, though, and he continued. "We'll get what?s coming to us, Alexandria Graziano." His brown eyes bored into her hazel ones, so there would be no mistaking the seriousness in his message. "You're going to make this right; you're going to do it with your Overlord challenge."
She blinked, then. "The " challenge" What' How?"
A smirk grew, slow to start but spreading swiftly. "You're going to win. And you're going to bring the Crew back to prominence. You're going to make your f****** happy family bring money in by being important again. You're going to restore the hell you caused by your s***." He paused, a long and still moment hanging between them. "You're going to win, and do this, or we're going to kill you. ALL of you."
She surged to her feet " and then promptly fainted.