To Rule In Shadow

Adrian calmly took a seat in one of the open office chairs around the meeting table, completely ignoring the half dozen dangerous looking men standing opposite of him and focusing his gaze on an older, bearded man that projected an aura of confidence and power. 

Doing her best keep a neutral face, Miranda followed his example and sat down near him. She was a little unsure of what to do with herself, but decided on withdrawing a pad of paper and a pen from her purse, which Pavuk had graciously retrieved for her, in order to be ready for any note taking.

When she finished preparing and glanced up at the assembled company, she realized that the bearded man was watching her carefully in a manner that made her deeply uncomfortable. She was no stranger to the male gaze, since she'd dealt with being stared at ever since she hit puberty, but this was different. The man betrayed almost no emotion. If anything, his eyes reflected a sort of cold indifference as if he were looking at some kind of insignificant insect and he was debating about whether or not to squash it.

"I've heard the stories," The man finally rumbled, "but I'd assumed they were exaggerations. Yet, here you are in the company of a mundane human. You even allow her to sit at your side in the midst of our negotiations. Is there a reason you are debasing yourself by consorting with lesser beings?"

In almost any other circ.u.mstance, she would have surged to her feet to give the asshole a piece of her mind, but any hint of anger had long been crushed out of her by the suffocating atmosphere in the room. Now, she was only praying that the meeting ended quickly.

There was a slight tightening of Adrian's body posture that she almost missed, and suddenly the world seemed a little bit darker as he began to speak with a sharp grin on his face. "Come now, Alexander, there is no reason to speak ill of my colleagues. Who I choose to associate with is my own business, and I'll not have you insulting them in my presence."

The older practitioner's knuckles cracked as he focused the full force of his gaze on Adrian. "Oh? Are you here to lecture me about the rights of the uninitiated as well? I have neither the time nor the patience to listen to such inanities."

"Of course not. I'm here to collect my payment for services rendered."

The man known as Alexander sniffed dismissively. "I believe I asked you to defeat Gavin in a duel, and yet he is still interfering in my plans. Why should I give you anything if you haven't fulfilled your end of the bargain?"

"You asked me to humiliate him in a public setting, which I did. I had no obligation to do anything further than that."

"Any humiliation was secondary to my real objective, which you ultimately failed to deliver upon."

Adrian leaned back in his chair. "If that's the case, you should have worded your request more clearly."

The bearded man folded his hands in his l.a.p. "That is a poor excuse for failure."

With a snap the temperature in the room dropped to near freezing while the ceiling lights flickered and died. As shocking as the change was, Miranda managed to keep her calm, huddling a little closer to herself against the chill. A small part of her regretted coming to the charity ball in such a skimpy dress.

"It sounds as if you are trying to go back on a deal you made with the Ruler of the Hall of Shadows. I am sure that a man as learned as you should know there are consequences to such a decision." Pavuk said while appearing on the other side of Adrian to the obvious surprise of Alexander's followers. The man himself didn't change his expression.

"Is it not reasonable that a customer refuse to pay for a flawed product? And yet you seek to threaten me? It's regrettable how far the Hall has fallen from its past grandeur."

Pavuk stepped forward while emitting a harsh cl.i.c.k.i.n.g noise that had the practitioners falling into combat stances, but he stopped as Adrian raised his hand and waved him back.

"I take those accusations quite seriously. While the outcome may not have been entirely to your liking, I nevertheless fulfilled your request to the letter." He explained calmly with his usual feral grin. "If you continue to refuse to live up to your obligations, I might have to take this as an insult, whether or not you intend it as such."

For the first time since they entered the room, Alexander's expression changed, morphing into a smirk. "I assure you that the insult is intended. If you think your title or the past exploits of the Hall makes you something to fear, you are mistaken. I know very well that you are little more than a spoiled child who's gotten his hands on something far beyond his comprehension, and no amount of your threats will make me change my mind."

[This doesn't make sense. Based on what I've heard from Adrian, he is supposed to be some big bad boogeyman in the supernatural community. This smug asshole might be quite powerful himself, but I can't see why he'd be willing to make a dangerous enemy like this. Could it be some kind of trap?]

While she was working through the implications, Adrian stood up, the simple action somehow filled with a threatening intent that was all but palpable. It was clear that he was about to act in some fashion, and she feared that it would be exactly what Alexander wanted. She had to change this.

Mustering up her courage, she cleared her throat loudly, interrupting the silent standoff and causing everyone to turn in her direction. "Sir, if I may, I would like to remind you that our company's current focus is on client satisfaction."

Adrian raised an eyebrow at her. "That may be, but I can hardly stay silent here."

"Which is why I would like to suggest an alternative. If our present company does not want to engage our services any further, we should accept it as a loss and move on."

"You are saying I should just let him get away with it?" He asked angrily, earning another smirk from Alexander.

"Considering our current goals, that is exactly what I am suggesting. Concluding this contract as it stands now is the best choice." She turned towards the smug asshole and bowed her head. "On behalf of my organization, I sincerely apologize for any dissatisfaction you have with our service. We hope that you will give us a chance to prove ourselves in the future."

Alexander snorted. "Fine, we can conclude it with this. Remove yourselves from our presence."

Adrian stared at her, anger already fading as he began to understand what she was aiming for. When he started to grin, she knew that he'd figured it out.

"Of course, thank you for your acquiescence. We will be leaving now. There are several potential clients we need to contact." Miranda replied respectfully while standing and heading towards the door.

"Wait. What are you on about, woman?" Alexander asked, gaze sharpening on her.

"While that is hardly any of your concern, given the situation, I suppose it is only fair that we maintain full disclosure. In times of crisis like these, the services of the Hall can be quite useful. It would be prudent to offer our assistance to those most in need, namely the Esoteric Order and the Bureau, who seem to be struggling."

Adrian laughed. "I think they would be willing to empty their coffers to employ us at this juncture. Of course, I would then be obligated to do everything in my power to derail the Liberation Front's mission. Perhaps I should start with that little group that snuck past the Order's defenses while everyone else was occupied."

The muscles of Alexander's jaw tightened as his anger nearly overwhelmed his steely will. "You dare to threaten me…"

"Of course not. I would never threaten an esteemed client." Adrian replied with a feral grin. "Ah, I suppose you aren't really a client anymore."

The old practitioner stood suddenly, crackling electricity sparking from his hands. For a moment, Miranda was sure that he'd erupt in a display of power and found herself cringing behind Pavuk, but then the moment passed.

Alexander exhaled deeply, allowing his tension to ease in the process. "Fine. You win. I shall fulfill the original terms of our deal so long as you remain neutral throughout the rest of this conflict."

"I'm glad you changed your mind about our contract. It grieved me deeply to think that I had failed to live up to your expectations." Adrian mocked. "However, as far as your second stipulation goes, I am afraid that I am under no obligation to agree to it."

Lip curling now, the practitioner growled. "You subject me to that farcical display and still have the audacity to try and bargain further?"

"Now now, Alexander, there is no need to get upset. This is a simple business transaction. You want us to stay out of this little dispute of yours, and we have no problem doing so if we have the right kind of motivation."

Adrian calmly swept the assembly with his gaze before focusing on the bearded man once more. "So, what's it worth to you?"

------------------------------------------------------

A quick trip through the Hall later, and Adrian had safely deposited Miranda back at the office with an assurance that today's business had been concluded. He had Pavuk remain in the convention center to observe the conflict until it had fully resolved. It seemed like matters were coming to a head, and he wanted to remain ab.r.e.a.s.t of the outcome regardless of any promises of non-involvement.

He took a moment to change out of his stuffy dress clothes, savoring the feeling of relaxation that followed as he put on a simple pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a sweater. Despite having attended a large number of formal events, he never could enjoy the process of dressing up.

Once he was finished, he went looking for Stella to tell her the good news. He eventually found the Fae woman in one of the abandoned offices on the second floor, sitting on an empty desk and staring out the window with the lights off. Adrian was a little surprised to realize that it was raining outside.

As he walked towards her, she suddenly spoke up without looking at him. "It seems you have fulfilled your side of the bargain."

"I have. Alexander Tarn broke your contract. You are free now."

She glanced back at him, her large eyes looking especially alien in the light of street lamps outside. "Free until my time of death, that is."

Adrian shrugged while joining her and leaning against the desk. "Maybe, but that was what you agreed upon."

She watched him for a few more moments before looking back at the window. "There was no other choice."

Silence filled the room, broken only by the pattering of rain against glass. Finally, Adrian could wait no longer, and asked. "What will you do now?"

"I shall return home and live out the remainder of my days. Some of my kin may have survived the raid. If so, I will join them in enacting our retribution." Stella murmured emotionlessly.

"Hm, fair enough. If you are ever in town again, feel free to drop by."

The woman stood and started walking towards the door, pausing briefly to look back at him. "You have freed me from my bonds, and for that I am grateful, but we will not meet again in this life. Though I will serve it in death, I have no d.e.s.i.r.e to be involved with the Hall any further."

And with that she left, heading towards whatever hidden passageway she could use to travel back to her home realm. Adrian watched her go with mixed feelings. On one hand, he'd never felt exactly comfortable around the strange creature, but on the other he regretted not spending more time speaking with her about the supernatural world.

[Oh well, I suppose I will have to rely on others for that.] He thought to himself before opening a door back to the Hall, intending on depositing the spoils of today's endeavors. His instincts told him that he'd reached some kind of threshold with the Hall's reawakening, and he was looking forward to seeing what securing a fairy's soul would do.