Silhouette

James mimicked taking a deep breath - he may have now lacked the lungs to truly do the act, but the mental connotation still helped calm him. He had dealt with the scammer, and with how the poor man looked when he left he had no doubt he would get most of what he had asked for when he returned to the bar in two days. If not from the chubby man himself, then from the others who had seen the scene and who'd want to please him to get a quick buck or to avoid incurring his wrath. As for Froko, if he tried deceiving James one more time, he had to give him credit for his determination and wonder at his stupidity. James did not truly need the man, and since he posed no threat there was no need to get rid of him. The only downside to just leaving alone for the rest of his days was the hit to his reputation as Silhouette. People would see it as him being too lazy or naive to deal with the scam artist, and thus easier to take advantage of.

Well, I'm sure there'll be an idiot who'll try to start something sooner or later. It'll do the job.

Just because he was now ready and willing to kill didn't mean James liked doing it. Every life he had put to an end was someone who had tried to kill or enslave him so far, and he would be happy to keep it that way.

James let out a mental sigh. Returning to the slums was enough for his optimism from his visit to the city to die and be replaced by the usual gloom. As much as he wished to stay in the safe and civilized parts of Zalcien, he needed to give his new helpers their two days to gather what he needed, and he still had something left to do here, aside from the management of his shop and his people. In his plans to reach the city, one of the things that had bothered James was money, namely the fact that all of his was cash. In the modern age, most transactions were done between accounts via cards or internet deals, so being limited to physical currency was a major problem, especially since he wanted to lead a civilian life. Regular people don't pay with bags full of cash. Hence, he needed not only to set up an official account in a bank but also a way to launder his money - most of his had either been stolen from a drug dealing gang in his early days in this world or been obtained from his customers in the slums. A lawless area. With a lot of murder and theft. James wasn't a betting man, but slum money was likely dirty money in general.

During his musings regarding this matter, while he explored the city, James recalled a conversation he once had in the online chatroom from a small local forum for Cored individuals in Zalcien. One of the regulars of the chatroom James used had mentioned having an account in the Black Bank, a group with dubious morals that supposedly operated on an international scale and was open to all, including Villains, and whose branch in Zalcien was located in the slums, not far from where James had made his home. The economic empire was so ingrained in the city's underworld that the entire area had been after it: the Black Border, the relatively habitable area of the slums close to the city, home to the Black Block, the largest relatively safe mercantile space for the destitute around, and also the place where James' shop was set up.

James had met the local manager of the bank once when his shop had been attacked by one of the now-dead elite members of a no longer existing magical crime group, one specialized in runes. The surprisingly average man had calmly come to interrupt the fight James was close to losing, claiming the battle disturbed his business, and after some heated words from his opponent, the manager flexed his power by rendering the man completely harmless. The attacker fled, and the manager invited James to come to the bank to open an account. James hadn't followed on the offer, uncomfortable with the man's display of power, both supernatural and economical, but now he had to admit that this bank was his best option for his money issues. For now at the very least.

Still, James made sure to jump from shadow to shadow as he approached the massive black cube that seemed so out of place in these dilapidated streets, doing his best to stay discreet. The Bank may have been a fight-free zone, but others might start getting ideas if they saw him openly approaching the building. He'd rather not attract attention, especially not after he just got rid of Runar.

The closer James was to the bank the more he could feel a headache forming. Not just out of the stress of dealing with a manager from such a large barely legal group, but also because of the building itself. The cube of something that was neither stone nor metal appeared simple at a glance, perfectly smooth, but James' enhanced senses could see the countless intricate engravings covering the black block. Runes and enchantments from various cultures coexisted on this five-story high structure, and those with the means to perceive them suffered from the sheer complexity of it all. Even James, who only had been studying magic for a little while and only a few spells, could sense the incredible power before him. It was quite the cunning security system he had to admit: the stronger and more knowledgeable you were, the more difficult it was to approach the Bank in person, meaning anyone who tried to rob the place from the outside would have to deal with overwhelming sensory income as well as the regular defenses. Scrying would be useless as well since there would be too much stuff to spy on or analyze. It was no surprise the Black family had managed to stay in business for so long.

Had James not been of how the building functioned beforehand, he would have been surprised at the sight of people walking through its solid walls to enter and exit. The Bank had no door or window, for the sake of security. Instead, interwoven among the countless defensive enchantments was something that let welcomed visitors walk through solid surfaces to reach a specific room within. With spatial and dimensional trickery, the physical layout of the building's interior was a complete mystery.

When James reached the black wall and slipped within, he returned to his classic Silhouette form as he entered an ornate room, with white marble walls, a ceiling that seemed to stretch infinitely into the cosmos, and a floor of golden tiles, covered by the skinned hide of a red oriental dragon that led to a gigantic desk. The piece of furniture that was almost as tall as a person was not made of wood or even stone, but instead, its main body was made of sculpted pearl while spinning horns served as legs and decorations on its edges. The truly eye-catching thing in the room in James' opinion wasn't any of those displays of wealth, but rather the receptionist standing behind the desk.

He knew what to expect, but knowing about something remarkable didn't make encountering it any less impactful. The thin humanoid entity that seemed made of porcelain was obviously the reason behind the desk's size, the creature being so tall most would be eye-level with its midriff. Its elongated limbs, sizable enough that at rest its hands rested near its knees, didn't ooze uncanniness as one would expect, but instead a sense of grace and finesse that seemed more at home on a painting or a glass sculpture than a living thing. Most of its porcelain-like body was covered by a toga of golden threads, with what James assumed was a hole in the back to let through the magnificent silver wings visible to the sides of the creature. Each one was tall as its body was, and already at least twice as long without being fully spread out. Considering the size of the humanoid, its full wingspan had to be absurd. The feathers on these wings didn't look like organic things, but rather pieces of metal, of jewelry, each the size of a knife and delicately crafted by hand before they were assembled to form those gargantuan limbs. The most impressive thing regarding the being before James however, in his humble opinion, had to be the thing hovering above its featureless head: a ring of flowing mercury, rotating on itself as it distorted with the movements of the liquid, with an occasional glow that appeared to form golden letters forming within, disappearing before most could be sure if they truly saw them.

James couldn't deny that there truly was something mesmerizing about the celestial. At the same time, he was well aware that something that worked for the Black family had to have some darkness within. Not only that but for all of the beauty the thing projected, its form echoed Sydakors' in James' memories, the demon he had slain during one of his outings solely because the creature had underestimated his powers and left an opening to its soul that James managed to slip his corruption through, weakening the infernal creature enough for him to use his Destruction Aspect to permanently kill it. Oh, the demon's head was a bulbous tangle of toothed tentacles instead of the mannequin-like visage of the celestial, and its wings were made of vein-like tendrils instead of pristine silver feathers, but James' improved memory had no trouble superposing the two creatures in his mind, and their bodies matched nigh-perfectly. Sydakors had been somewhat skinnier, but it had been left to starve for at least a century. The fact that despite having the same physiology they caused two vastly different instinctual reactions unnerved James even more, and he immediately went on guard for any kind of friendliness aura the receptionist might be projecting that could affect his mind.

"Mister Silhouette. We have been expecting you for quite some time now."

Even its melodious voice had an echo similar to Sydakors'.

"Have you now?"

The celestial nodded its head in a slow movement.

"Yes. Master Blake has been waiting for you to visit ever since your initial encounter. He was quite disappointed to see you did not come immediately, and every day since has had at least one complaint regarding your tardiness."

Oh. James knew the Black Bank manager was interested in him, given the number of crows that he had seen circling in the skies in areas he was often involved in - the black birds serving as eyes and ears for the family, according to rumors - but he hadn't expected this degree of curiosity. Though he had trouble understanding the game that was being played. He failed to see how letting him know how annoyed Blake Black was at his refusal to come sooner would help the man in the incoming negotiations.

Apparently so did the manager himself, as immediately a beam of light descended from the fake cosmos of the ceiling between James and the desk, and when its glow disappeared the dapper man was standing there. He looked exactly the same as when James had last seen him. The human with fair skin and short shiny black perfectly combed hair wore the same black three-piece suit, with a pair of interlaced cursive capital "B"s embroidered with white threads over his heart. The man's most eye-catching feature aside from his luxurious clothes was his completely black irises.

"Mister Silhouette! It is heartwarming to see you again!"

The man then turned to the celestial behind him.

"Nanyet, how about you let me handle this client-to-be? I'm sure you have quite a lot of work to take care of."

"There is currently no needed activity that isn't covered by one of my other instances or another employee, Master Blake."

"Great! Then see this as an opportunity to have a break!"

"I do not require a pause in my duty, Master Blake."

The manager waved off the celestial's remark and turned back to address James.

"Please ignore Nanyet. They are a diligent worker, but sometimes the intricacies of the mortal realm confuse them. Come, I'll bring you to my office. I believe cushioned seats make business much more pleasant than standing in the middle of the room will."

James didn't know how to feel about the bit of vaudeville between the Black and his employee. Was it some sort of tactic to show he was much more forgiving and friendly than rumors claimed? Was this something to show how much he valued Silhouette's presence that he lowered himself to acting himself instead of relying on the celestial receptionist, implicitly stating that the two of them were more important than the powerful magical creature? Or was Nanyet genuinely blind to social norms, to the point they accidentally let slip non-vital secrets and couldn't see a barely veiled attempt at a simple dismissal?

Regardless, James had come here for a reason, and whether he dealt with the receptionist or the bank manager, his goal wouldn't change. He approached the human who was showing him his hand and began to form a tentacle to grasp onto the appendage.

"Greetings, Mister Black. I must say, the rumors do not do your celestial friend justice."

A smile formed on his face.

"Ah, Nanyet is a valued worker. I know I can rely on them whenever I need to. Aside from important conversations, that is."

"I am still present in the room."

"That you are."

As soon as James' shadowy flesh turned the fair skin of the offered hand, the pillar of light from earlier descended on them, and in a flash, they were gone.