Chapter 55: 55 Meeting
The room is wide and well lit, like a CEO's office, only with less decoration.
The spartan look to the room tells me that this is only a temporary meeting location, rather than somewhere that sees much active use, which makes sense.
No need to invite an unknown parahuman into your house after all.
At the opposite end of the room from the elevator is a large mahogany desk, I don't actually know if it's mahogany, but I would assume it is.
The desk itself has a few files and a laptop on it, but nothing else.
Most importantly, there are the three people behind the desk.
Flanking each side stand a man and woman respectively, the man on the right and the woman on the left, my left that is.
Like the one exiting the elevator with me, they are all wearing black business suits, though their masks are both more encompassing, covering their whole faces, only leaving holes for their eyes.
It's kind of annoying that they all have matching outfits, because a lot of capes dress around their powers, like a pyrokinetic dressing in red for instance, but with them just wearing suits, I can't make any guesses on their powers just from looking at them.
I honestly don't even know if it's intentional too, since image is one of the most important things for a cape and I'm sure the outfits help the image of this being the most professional villain group in the country.
With the information available limited, there is very little I can deduce.
One thing I can tell though, is that neither of their heartbeats are fluctuating at all or beating all that fast, which means they don't think they are in danger which makes me think that they are both CQC type capes.
That would make sense, considering they are probably here to be bodyguards for the man they are flanking.
Which brings me to the man sitting in the chair.
Uppercrust.
Honestly? He's not really what I was expecting.
For one, he is old.
Like, 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 old. Not to the point that he has a hunched back, he probably keeps himself in shape, but he has the short grey hair and the wrinkled face and I'm pretty sure that's a liver spot peaking out from behind his simple domino mask.
It's certainly a rarity for capes to be old, not only because most triggers are teenagers, but mainly because the life span of a cape is generally not too long.
The lady who greeted me walks past me to stand beside the other woman, leaving me the only one on this side of the desk.
Shrugging mentally, I walk up the chair on my side of the room and leapfrog over it's back to sit myself down.
Once I am in the seat, I notice a subtle change in Uppercrusts demeaner that proves his experience as he easily understood my unsaid message.
It really is amazing how much information can be traded with so little interaction.
Earlier, he left me waiting without a clear reception, something that was most likely a power play of some kind.
Then, I come in here and I am outnumbered four to one, while my side of the room is completely bare while his at least has a window and some life to it, another power play.
Even then, there is the fact that his chair is like, twice as big as mine, another stupid, subtle power play.
Like, on one hand, I get that image is important, but on the other hand, I think all this stuff is stupid.
So I showed him that.
Normally someone in my position is supposed to wait to be offered a seat, doing so would set a clear power balance, or I could take my seat without paying him mind, this would make us seem more even but would also be insulting should I not be capable of backing my actions up with power.
It's all really complicated and stupid in my opinion, so I flipped the board a little.
By hopping over the chair to sit in it like that, I have both made the power play of sitting as if I own the place while also making it clear that I think such power plays are stupid thanks to my childish method of seating.
Once again, it is surprising how much shit can go on in so little time.
With his elbows on the table and his fingers folded in front of his face, Uppercrust leans towards me, his eyes pinning me to my seat, glistening with wisdom gained through years of life.
"Tear. I will cut straight to the chase." His stern, baritone voice slowly sounds out, "The only reason I even 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 the thought of meeting you is because of the Butcher. Even then, I am of half a mind to simply call this off and send you on your way. So tell me Tear, why should I listen to a single thing you have to say?"
Blinking at the sudden hostility, I lean further back into my chair, lifting one leg over one of it's arms and resting an elbow on the other so I can rest my face on a closed fist, becoming the picture of relaxed.
Seeing one of the 'guards'' eyes twitch at my casualness draws a smile from me, not that they can see it but you can hear a smile, even if you don't realise it.
"My my~ is this what they call negging?~" I say in a teasing tone of voice before continuing in a slightly more serious but still light-hearted tone "Why are you even so against spending time with me?~ We've never even met!~"
I finish with an audible pout, turning my head to face away from him, making me have to side-eye him to meet his eyes.
After I finish speaking, I discreetly glance at each of the people in the room, a faint feeling 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 settling in my mind. Not like a bad feeling per say, more like something just isn't as it's supposed to be, though I can't quite think of what it is exactly.
But as I am looking between the four of them, my eyes land on the girl I met first and I take note of the fact that her heartrate has calmed down considerably.
Clearly she feels more comfortable with her friends with her.
My attention is brought back to the room by Uppercrusts stern response.
"I have seen the video Tear. I have seen what you can do. What you have done. Why would I ever allow an unstable, 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 element such as you to operate with my people?"
Without really even thinking about it, I laugh out loud, as if he just told a great joke, and it's a genuine laugh too, just probably not for the reason he would think.
It's just that he considers me dangerous.
Him, a gang lord who has been in the business for decades, possibly one of the first parahuman gang lords and most likely the only one still alive from back in the day.
Yet he sees 𝘮𝘦 as a threat, someone who has only had powers for about three months.
If that's not a good joke, then I don't know what is.
Still, I should probably actually respond.
My laughter dies down and I bring the hand that isn't holding up my head up and rest a finger on my cheek, visibly pondering.
"Don't you think you're making a mountain out of a molehill here?~ It's not like this needs to be as complicated as you're making it you know?~"
Even as my leisurely voice sounds out, I am only half paying attention to the conversation itself, most of my focus on finding the source of that niggling feeling I've been feeling in the back of my skull that something is off.
"Is that so? In that case, please simplify it for me." He demands.
A burst of air leaves my nose out of brief amusement before I suddenly still as it all clicks in my mind.
My nose.
It's 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 what's been off. I can't smell any of them.
Instead of answering right away, I get to my feet and take a half step forward, briefly looking side to side, yet seeing no indication of what I know is there.
Deciding subtlety is for losers, I quickly take a stance and in the same motion, use my entire weight to throw a punch forward.
My arm moves in a blur, right up until my fist reaches the line where his desk ends where instead of simply continuing uninterrupted through the empty air, my arm is stopped dread in it's tracks with a sickening 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 followed immediately by a loud and sharp 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬, like a gunshot, that only makes Elevator Girl flinch back.
My entire arm 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 and it 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘴, yet not nearly as bad as what Jason did to me, so I don't even blink at the pain, instead to preoccupied with the sight of my splattered blood floating in mid-air, slowly dribbling down what seems to be the clearest piece of glass ever, only visible by the long and encompassing cracks spreading out from the point of impact.
"I see." I hum to myself, bringing my already healed arm to my chin even as I watch as the cracks slowly seem to repair themselves, fading from sight as they do so.
I guess it was Uppercrust after all that was making her feel safe.
I suppose I really should have expected this. He is a Tinker whose specialisation is barriers after all, it only makes sense that he would place one between us.
Looking back at the people in front of me, I ignore the sudden tenseness in the guards as they no doubt prepare to fight me and look Uppercrust right in the eye even as my blood hangs between us.
"Thought as much.~ It's almost like you don't trust me, aren't we buddies?~" I ask airily with a faint wine in my tone.
"I do not trust you and we are not friends." Is his bland answer and I stick my tongue out at him in response, knowing he won't be able to see it.
"Welp!~ As I was saying~ it's quite simple really. From the moment the Butcher shows up in New York and for the duration of time it takes for them to leave, I will go where you tell me to, protect what you tell me to and fight who you tell me to fight, when you tell me to fight. We can even do a contract if you think that sort of thing will effect me.~"
His chair creaks slightly as his weight moves back while he mulls over my words.
"And what of payment? I assume you want to be paid." He asks, and I quickly jump in with an affirmative.
"Yup."
"Then how can I trust that you won't simply run off with the money without actually doing what I would be paying you for?" He finishes and I can tell that he already wants to hire me.
I should rephrase that, it feels misleading. It would be more accurate to say that I can tell how he 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 want his own people to tangle with the Butcher.
"Oh that's an easy one," I say, waving away the question as if it's obvious, "just don't pay me 'till the job's over. Problem solved.~"
I can practically 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 his raised eyebrow and hear it in his questioning tone.
"And you trust me to deliver? What is stopping 𝘮𝘦 from simply not paying you after the fact?"
This time it's my turn to roll my eyes, something that is not very subtle with my bright red eyes.
"Of 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 I trust you.~" I say with a wink.
Right as he opens his mouth, no doubt to ask 𝘸𝘩𝘺 I trust him, I speak again, interrupting him.
"I trust you because you've been in the game for a while and I trust that you are not stupid.~ I trust that you understand the danger a single parahuman with nothing to lose can cause to an organisation. I trust that you understand that making me an enemy for no reason would be foolish and I trust that you are no fool."
The slight quiver of his lips is the only sign I get that he is pleased with my little speech and I can tell that he has already made his decision even as he continues to 'interrogate' me.
"Do you think that you could stand against us? Against the Elite?" He asks, sounding genuinely curious beneath the general sternness of his voice.
I obviously don't think I could face the Elite alone. Kill a bunch of them? Sure, easy. But to actually 𝘸𝘪𝘯? Unlikely.
Still, he only asked if I thought I could stand against them, not whether or not I could win, so I don't hesitate to respond.
"Yup!~"
A snort brings the attention of the room to the only other male present and he speaks up the moment our eyes lock.
"That would be a lot more convincing if you could even brake Boss' barrier." He taunts.
Before even thinking about my response, I am already speaking and it's only after my words are out that they register in my mind and I immediately regret them.
"I held back dipshit. You don't just go around breaking shit when someone invites you over~ not to mention that I didn't want to give you too much of a scare.~"
I can 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 the smirk in his voice as he retorts, Uppercrust not seeming to mind the dialog.
"Oh yeah? Then you wouldn't mind proving that, would you? After all, knowing your strength will help us gauge how much you are worth."
Well shit.
I turn to Uppercrust, silently asking his permission and hoping that he says no.
"I don't mind. The actual barrier itself can be broken as many times as is needed. It will fix itself soon enough."
Damnit.
Well, you know what they say, no backsies.
Readying my fist, I take a punching stance again only this time I push some of my power through from the highest 'source' and down through my arm, all the way to my fist, bursting out to form three small, blood red spikes, each about an inch long and protruding from between my knuckles.
God I hope this works, it will be beyond embarrassing if it doesn't.
With my knuckle dusters formed, I throw the same punch forward.
𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬
My arm pauses.
𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳
And jolts forward another few inches before I bring a stop to the swing, my arm sticking through a hole in the air where the invisible barrier has been broken.
Outside I calmly pull back my hand and relax as the conversation moves on and we discuss the finer details of things.
Inside however, I breathe out a massive sigh of relief.
Fuck that would have been embarrassing if I failed. I'd probably just leave the city in that situation.
Clearing that thought away, I focus back on the conversation.
Especially when it comes to how much I'm going to be paid.
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A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!
This chap is 25% longer than normal. Be grateful.
Edit: I accidentally didn't write anything yesterday and now I have to do at least double to catch up again, so the 25% extra is actually a 75% decrease.. at least for the patrons, you fellow poor folk don't got to worry about not getting your daily fix, so yeah, I will circle back and say you should be greatful.
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