Silhouette

In the Black Bank, a beam of light descended from the fake cosmos of the ceiling in the manager's office, and when its glow disappeared two figures were left, standing on the platinum planks on the floor. James retracted the tendril he had formed to hold onto Blake's hand and took in the decor of the room. If the previous space had been luxurious, this one was fit for a king. Three out of the four walls of the doorless and windowless room were made of solid gold and covered by various paintings of vastly differing styles, including classic, modern, and abstract. The last one was completely bare and made of black reflective material, it was to the back of the manager's throne-like seat at his desk and reminded James of one of those classic large windows in a villain's throne room or equivalent. Though Blake had referred to this room as his office, its large size and the type of furniture within evoked more the feeling of a living room, perhaps a den. Various couches and seats with frames made of geodes, amber, and gems, with cushioning made of furs of countless colors, sometimes all at once, disposed around tables made of similarly precious minerals. The whole thing screamed tasteful debauchery, or migraine-inducing new-rich, depending on tastes regarding decoration.

The human man walked forward and instead of stopping next to the closest seat guided James all the way to his desk, the piece of furniture looking more like pieces of a mine put together than something meant to be worked on. The manager stepped around it to stand next to his throne and opened his arms to invite James to the seat that suddenly floated off the ground before landing in front of the desk.

"Come, come. Would you like a drink? You'll find I have quite a vast collection of beverages for you to choose from."

James sat in the seat and he shook his head.

"No, but thank you for the offer. If you would not mind, I'd prefer to take care of this little affair quickly. Unlike yours, my subordinates often need me to handle certain matters, and each second spent away from them is yet more work I have to take care of when I'm back."

The manager chuckled as he gracefully lowered himself onto his throne.

"Oh, trust me, I can empathize. Before Nanyet became my second in command, I might as well have been the only person working here. Still, though I understand your need for speed, surely you'd appreciate some socializing Mister Silhouette? Few would reject a chance to come on friendlier terms with a Black, given the weight of our name."

James had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, Blake was right, an opportunity to become the friend or at the least the ally of someone with such a powerful background would be a great boon, on the other hand, this felt like he was being roped into a scheme, and knowing exactly who was the Black family, any scheme of theirs would be something he'd be better off avoiding. At the same time, refusing the proposition altogether would likely antagonize the man whose help he needed right now.

"If you insist, though I still wish to take care of the matter at hand as soon as possible."

"Well, let us begin there then. Surely the rest of a pleasant talk will flow from your request. Judging by the time it took for you to visit us and your general attitude, am I correct to assume you aren't here for a loan, Mister Silhouette?"

He had to answer, of course. This time, a half-truth felt like the best path forward. He would let the manager know of his professional plans while keeping his more personal goal of a normal life to himself. If the Black Bank became James' bank, they would only see him loaning or buying properties, they wouldn't know which places were for his operations and which was his home. Even if they did know, the privacy agreement would forbid them from sharing this information. The Black family may be a dystopian capitalist clan, but they took their business seriously, and clients need to trust their bank, especially when said clients are dealing in millions they earn from the drug trade or heists.

"Indeed. I am currently preparing a new shop in the proper city of Zalcien, and I find myself lacking in usable funds. Most free estate companies do not accept cash, especially not from the slums."

"Ah, you wish to open an account with a card and rely on us to launder your money. Yes, that is within our expertise. But, before we continue, may I speak freely, Mister Silhouette? I will offer you small benefits if you take the time to hear me."

"So long as I only have to listen for now."

"Wonderful."

Blake snapped his fingers and the black reflective wall behind him turned into a view of a lightly clouded blue sky.

"Truth be told, Mister Silhouette, Zalcien is, in the great scheme of things, a minor variable. A forgettable place, with nothing unique about it aside from the Sunken City, and that is far from enough to matter. But you, Mister Silhouette, you have the potential to change that. Runar was a master of runes, an expert few could rival this side of the country, but all that knowledge was wasted by his inability to fully make use of it, to create a functional industry. But you, you have shown you could. It took the old magical family noble years to rise to this point, whereas you, a complete nobody, have grown so fast and so quickly, and though your market has yet to match your potential you have already taken out the greatest threat to your person."

The sky shifted, and James realized he was looking at a view of Zalcien from above. The city had a perfectly circular shape, and even from so high, he could see the angle of the great foundation it was built upon. Not only that, but he could visibly see the great dirty blotch that was the slums that forever tarnished it.

"I was aware of your interest. I noticed your ravens."

For the first time since he met, the smile James saw on the man's face appeared genuine.

"Wonderful, aren't they? Delightfully intelligent, too. Would you believe me if I told you they had neither Core nor Aspects? They are mundane birds, highly trained and bred to enhance their minds, but they are perfectly natural critters. Mere animals, forgettable compared to the much more powerful and grandiose creatures around. They remind me a lot of myself."

"Surely you underestimate yourself."

"Oh, do not try to spare my feelings. It is the factual truth, I am a completely mundane human. The eyes are the result of a small cosmetic surgery, and the magic I rely on is one anyone can use so long as they've been approved of by the Fair Folk. It is their powers that I draw on, not unlike a warlock and their patron. This is why I am here, in Zalcien, and not in a larger city or establishing a new operation in a forgotten corner of the world, far from prying eyes. Because, compared to the rest of the Black family, I might as well be a harmless civilian."

I don't know how to feel about all that. I feel like he should be talking about that kind of stuff to a psychologist, not a complete unknown who's technically not even his client yet.

"This handicap is what led me to gain a different point of view from the rest of the family. I do not have the freedom to fail, or to miss opportunities that pass by. And you, Mister Silhouette, are the greatest chance I have of growing my business so far. You are not one of those sightless fools who think only of stealing riches or ruling the world, no. No, instead you wish to build a company, a guaranteed source of profit that will never dry out without antagonizing other powers. You are exactly the kind of partner I have been looking for. Someone who just wants to do their business and to be left alone, yet fully capable of defending themselves when things turn sour."

The manager tilted his head as his teeth showed through the smile on his lips.

"What do you say, Mister Silhouette? Would you like to work alongside me, not as a client, but as a partner?"

James didn't know what to say. On the one hand, having access to the resources of the Black Family, as limited as they were by the seemingly low status of the man before as they could be, would be an incredible boon. Not only that, but his name would be associated with the family's, and no one would dare to try anything against him and his ever again. On the other hand...

"I'm sorry to say, Mister Black, as tempting as your offer is I have to refuse. I quite like my independence, and as beneficial as being part of your entourage would be, there are far too many strings attached for me to be comfortable accepting it. I would still be quite happy to make use of your services if you wouldn't mind. I'm certain that in time the closeness of our professional bond will grow, and I may reconsider my decision then. As of now, a true partnership is out of the picture."

The man's smile wavered for a second before he closed his eyes and lightly shook his head.

"Ah, I should have seen it coming. Nanyet's analysis of your personality was quite accurate, I must say. Yes, I should have foreseen your desire to keep control. What about simply becoming associates? More generous rates for you as well as a few special offers, and in exchange the Bank gets an exclusivity deal or lower prices on certain products. We would merely be each other's clients, nothing more, nothing less. You get to stay in control and avoid the weight of the Black name, while still reaping the benefits. Meanwhile, I get to have access to unique creations that will doubtlessly become more and more impressive as your business grows. Everyone would be satisfied then, wouldn't you agree?"

"I find your determination to become my ally quite disconcerting. Shouldn't I be the one grasping at straws to convince you?"

The manager laughed.

"Oh, like I told you, I can see the sheer potential radiating from you, Mister Silhouette. Metaphorically, of course, those sorts of powers are more in line with seers and oracles. In any case, I merely wish to be there for the dragon while it's still in the egg, so that when it hatches it may share its hoard."

"I must say, I'm not familiar with this idiom."

"It is a classic from our founder's homeland. Few in the family take it seriously, but I see the wisdom in it. It's how the Bank first began, after all. Except the dragon was the one doing the raising. He was already old and powerful, and he simply began a scheme to grow his hoard. If he guarded everyone's money while helping the scum of the world, the rest of his clientele would be more likely to die, and his unique system let him keep their money in that case. As his clients grew in strength, so did his hoard grow in riches, until the castle he kept his treasury in became a multinational bank."

He chuckled.

"It makes sense when you think about it. Of course dragons with their years-long slumber would be the ones to hold onto investment and interest rates the most. It was only a matter of time until one particularly cunning specimen would find a way to cement himself in civilized sapient society with no hope of removal. Luckily for us all, Noir Black prefers to rest and wait for the gold to flow in over involving himself in worldly matters now that others can handle the actual work."

"You are sharing quite a lot about yourself and your family, Mister Black. More than I'd be comfortable with myself."

"I told you I wanted to socialize, didn't I Mister Silhouette? In any case, see it as a show of trust. It is undeniable I have access to much more knowledge and resources than you do, so these snippets are merely a way for me to even the field. Still, You haven't answered the question."

James was still left confused by the entire ordeal. He expected a cruel man with predatory practices, yet here the manager was essentially begging him to become allies. Well, his second opposition was tempting. None of the attached strings of being partners, only diminished benefits. It wouldn't cost him much to have a special client with a major discount so long as he still sold at a higher price than it cost to produce, and in exchange, he'd essentially get what he had been looking for in the first place, but better. There was still a tiny part of James' mind that had doubts about this whole thing, a worry that he was still being taken advantage of, that there would be consequences for this, but for the sake of his family and his business he had to go through with it. He refused to let the ratlings live their entire lives in the slums. They deserved better.

"I can agree to us becoming associates. The terms you mentioned seem sufficient, though you will agree that numbers and letters laid on paper are worth more than spoken words."

The man's smile grew radiant.

"Of course, of course. But before we bore ourselves to death with hard calculations and the back and forth of negotiations, Mister Silhouette, you mentioned opening an account and laundering money to begin a new branch of your shop, if I remember correctly. You see, I recently acquired an old abandoned location in the city. A small factory, it was meant to make flying cars but was never used after the city council outlawed personal flying vehicles. I was still unsure as to what I could replace it, but I'm certain you could make of it. If you are interested, we could include the rent in our discussions. Of course, I also have a few more areas I could show you if you're looking for someplace else."

James looked back to the view of Zalcien behind Blake.

"Does this thing also act as a map?"

The man smiled and dozens of red dots appeared on the wall.