Shadow Lore

[Tirin]

Kanin raised a curious eyebrow as Fortune tabled his offer, though quickly lowered it and returned to an impassive expression as he took a small sip of his newly-poured drink. The offer made a lot of sense, really - the goblin's resources would doubtless provide significant benefit to the Farros cartel, and accepting would almost ensure the safety of each of the council's members (from Fortune himself, at least). As far as Kanin was concerned, though, it didn't provide enough - Fortune's assets were desirable, but his tighter control over the cartel was not. Better still was the possibility of one or more of the other members (certainly not him, of course; failure would be a death sentence for Fortune, and he was too useful to kill off besides) disappearing if they became a liability; it would absolve Kanin of the responsibility of dealing with them himself.

"Interesting proposition, Fortune. I'll give it some thought, and I suppose we'll vote on it next meeting. This is yours, by the way." He said as he pulled the flash drive from within his jacket, setting it on the table and sliding it to rest just in front of Fortune. "Now, next order of business is what t'do with Vincenzo's boys. Antonio's plannin' something shady and no doubt Bruno's pissed enough to help him out with it. Not sure about Giovanni, but if I had to guess he'll end up following his brothers." Kanin paused to take another swig from his glass before presenting their options - at least, those that he had considered already. "The way I see it, we can either let 'em be until they cause us any problems, offer 'em a place on this council or in the cartel, or ice 'em before they stir up trouble. If any of you've got something better, I'd like to hear it. If not, let's get this decided now."

 

[Easy]

Fortune grabbed the little storage drive and slipped it into a pocket with hardly a second thought, except that it was unwise to have shown off their business connection in front of all these people. "The firsst fing," he said, as if nothing had happened, "is to find out what they're plannin', an' if we can use it." His thoughts returned briefly to the little 'present' he'd given the three brothers, and he turned an unsympathetic gaze across the room, at Shayliss.

"Information acquissitionss exspert?"

 

[Rondait]

Shayliss nodded and said "Give me a couple of seconds, please." She closed her eyes and sorted through all currently available animals. There was a small kitten, four pigeons and four mice, of which all but one mouse were currently not on any sort of mission. Through her mental link with her animals she command one pigeon and one mouse to follow each of the sons and to collect any information they could. All those around the table saw however was her sitting down straining with her eyes closed and mouthing words. She then opened her eyes and smiled.

"Well, I just sent a few inconspicuous spies to follow each of the sons, they should get to them in a few hours for the birds and the mice should find them in the morning. If they talk I'll know and by proxy so will you." She then turned to Kanin, "In my opinion, unless we find solid evidence that they plan on starting trouble we should let them be. Their father wouldn't have wanted us to harm them in cold blood."

 

[Easy]

The goblin stared for a moment, invisible judges metaphorically tallying score behind his eyes. He wondered what it was like in that head of hers, besides probably full of sunshines and rainbows.

Of course Farros had, probably, just wanted to keep his sons from getting themselves killed right away after he died. One was slow and timid, another one stupid and impulsive, and the third one was sleazy and could barely even keep control of the other two. It wasn't just a business decision; this wasn't like running a restaurant chain. You couldn't just jump in with a marketing degree and figure it as you went along, and decisions that brought in big money now could be serious problems five minutes from now. If the old man had left his organization to those three, Fortune was sure that they'd be dead within a week. Probably by his own hand.

What he'd suspected when he first heard the names was supported by what he'd seen when he first looked around the table: He'd been put there for the boys' sakes. Himself and Kanin were both well enough connected and well enough positioned to have killed Farros's sons as part of a bid for his territory, and their names added enough weight so that even the major players around town would think twice about stepping in against them. In the meantime, the old man had crowded the 'council' with a bunch of small-time nobodies and put his loyal man Lucci in charge of it, no doubt with the intention that this would lead the cartel to dwindle into nothingness and eventually, slowly and peacefully shut down, leaving the younger generation of Farros with nothing more to get themselves killed over.

He saw the logic in this decision quite well, and he respected it. If saving the boys' lives was his primary concern, he had done good work of it. He'd eliminated most of their natural enemies in a single stroke, and done all he could to make progress with all the rest. All that remained was to hope that his boys wouldn't be stupid enough to pick a fight with Fortune himself, or that Fortune would be merciful out of sentiment if they did.

Yes, he was quite sure of the man's intentions. But the wish of a dead man, even if it be the very last one, had no place in business. That was old-school thinking.

"'ss good," he said out loud. "'ss a good start. People in thiss business like to block magicss for important talkss, though." And signaling devices, unfortunately, he he added to himself.

"Which bringss uss to human, heh, resourcess." He turned to Jain. "No one can move on Farros's assetss wif'out hiss old management. How many of yer 'friendss' can you introducse to 'em?"

 

[TimTh33nchant3r]

Jain stifled an urge to sigh at the goblin's conditions for joining the council. An extra vote? Why bother attempting to legitimize a takeover at all if he was just going to edge the other council members out any damn way? Was this entire scheme of Farros's just a waste of time? Fortune probably didn't give a fuck about what the old dragonborn's values. He noted the exchange of the flash drive between the Kanin and the goblin, and decided that if they already knew one another they were probably going to just work together to try and push the council into doing whatever they wanted and kill anyone who didn't play along.

The brightly-colored pimp didn't bother wondering how the elf had obtained the information about the brothers plotting to get their inheritance back. It didn't matter anyway, since he planned on giving it to them, or at least the ones that proved worthy. Antonio seemed promising, especially if he was plotting something. Jain let out a low whistle at the girl's mention of spies in many places and little birds. That seemed like it could be a neat trick. He briefly wondered if there was some magic that could record that sensory information. The possibilities for voyeurism were boundless.

With a smile that revealed clean, white, teeth, Jain answered Fortune matter-of-factly, "I have plenty of friends with time to spare on their hands." Suddenly, his demeanor shifted to a more mocking tone as he asked, "The question is, is this worth that time of theirs? Maybe I should get a double vote for fronting my outside time and resources for this little endeavor. Hell, maybe I should get a vote for each of my participating friends, because why not? Let's give extra votes to Shayliss for the birds and mice as well! It'll be fun! Votes for everyone!" Just as abruptly, he wiped the mocking grin off his face, rendering it an implacable, expressionless, mask, and said flatly, "I'm not going to vote in favor of anyone getting extra votes. Period."

Idly tapping his cane on the floor, he added thoughtfully, "Regarding the young Farros boys, let's see what they're thinking, sure, and if it's not completely stupid maybe start them on a lower rung of the cartel. Have the ones that show potential learn the way of things from the ground up, yeah?" Jain ticked off fingers as he continued, "Farros wanted them to learn, we can keep them out of trouble, we can spin it politically within the cartel to look better than just a bunch of strangers coming in and bossing everyone around, and they may, just may, prove useful for something, which having them handy when they might would help with that. I will go ahead and arrange a few meetings between some of my friends and the more experienced individuals in Farros's organization as well, rhetoric and hyperbole notwithstanding." With a friendly smile and a wink toward the butler, he added, "What about you, Lucci? Do you count as a veteran of Farros's organization for the purposes of winning people over?"

 

[Easy]

Not being the type of person to roll his eyes, Fortune did the gangster equivalent instead, and sighed out a puff of cigar smoke, while the man with the gaudy suit filled the room with stupidity. He'd thought the gaudy suit had indicated some kind of low-level pimp, but it turned out to be a clown instead. Go figure.

"Farros's boys can't be trussted in any important possitions," he said flatly. "An' they'll juss' be inssulted wif' a grunt job. They're the kinda kidss that fink important people-" a casual glance at Jain - "don't work th' sstreets.

"Kidss like that jusst causse trouble. They got no plasce in thiss line a' work. We can forsce 'em out or pay 'em off, maybe a sstipend from cartel profits, ssome honorary titless, but I ain't hirin' 'em for nuffin'."

 

[coolpool2]

Two big names were sitting at the table and they seemed to know each other. That could prove to be a problem later down the road. The lady had an interesting ability if she was telling the truth. Some sort of telepathy between familiars? The colourful human didn't give off an air of danger like some of the others, but it didn't know enough about him to judge how much of a threat he could be. Sacha's expression stayed unchanging as it smiled. “If they do not pose a problem I see no reason to get rid of his sons. That being said, if they prove to be a nuisance they may have to be dealt with accordingly.” If possible it would be better to not associate with them at all, but that would probably be hard to avoid. Sacha turned to the goblin as it changed the subject. “I don't have any friends who I could introduce to them, I prefer to take care of my business personally. Oh, and on the subject of your double vote. I don't think you should get a second vote. Your resources are your resources, if you do not want to commit them that's fine with me.”

 

[Jeroth]

Lucci's eyes followed each council member with their introduction. He had known their professions, their jobs and even where they lived. The dockets that were prepared were very well-detailed. His eyebrow raised at the demand of Fortune. He could have spoken up, but he was merely an advisor. Soon, the other council members tossed in their two cents as Lucci politely answered Jain's question with a grin. "I suppose I do. I've been with Vincenzo for decades and I've been his right hand. If anything, my word has some sway in the cartel."

"Tsk." The halfling was bothered by Fortune's demand for an extra vote. He understood that he had a lot more to bring to the table than he did, but he just didn't like it. "Considering that Vincenzo threw me on this council and my opinion has some value - I don't like it." The halfling folded his arms as he looked at Fortune. "But Kanin brought up a good point. We can talk about votes and what not later. If your resources manage to help us out with this current scenario, then I'd gladly reconsider. As far as the brothers, the youngest one doesn't seem to be that bad. He actually seemed to miss Vincenzo opposed to the other two that were vying for the head of the cartel. I don't think we should be killing them off, but I don't think we ought to be decorating them with ribbons and showering them with cash. Bruno looked like he was about to beat someone into a pulp and I feel like it'll be impossible to please him without getting rid of the council and letting him be the head of the organization." Diarmuid cleared his throat before continuing. "So, all-in-all, I think giving them some cash and following what Vincenzo said in his will would work out. Let them live out a life somewhere else. We'd just need to make sure that somewhere else is close enough that we can keep constant tabs on them."

 

[Tirin]

When he realized how Shayliss' method of gathering information worked (from, of course, rooting through her mind as he did everyone's), Kanin had to force himself to keep from smiling. It was very convenient, from his end, that she got the information transmitted directly into her mind from her spies - it meant that he could intercept most of it without the girl being any the wiser. Though she was naive, that fact alone made it worthwhile for him to keep her on the council, and he doubted that Fortune would have any reason to kill her outright anytime soon - at least as long as she was smart enough to stay out of the goblin's business. Jain was much bolder, though perhaps to the point of foolishness given how happy he had been to mock Fortune's offer, and while his "friends" were a valuable resource, they were an asset that could be seized if the pimp were to meet with an unfortunate accident. If he were to become too unruly or headstrong, he was very much expendable; hopefully he would catch on to that fact before action had to be taken.

"I'm with Fortune on this. Those kids are gonna want our jobs or our lives if we keep 'em around, and paying Bruno to do anything is a waste when I could do it better myself. Most cases like this, I'd be happy to just get rid of 'em, but I owe their father. I vote we pay 'em to fuck off and keep outta trouble, and treat them appropriately," the killer clearly meant "lethally", "if they don't." He drained the last of his drink and set the empty glass on the table, glancing over to Diarmuid for a refill. "Since we all seem to be in agreement about payin' 'em, I'd like us to go over the books and see how finances are doing - keep an eye out to see if anything went missing in the last day or so, too. If so, we'll have to have a talk with Antonio." His next words came not from his lips, but were whispered directly into Lucci's mind - the butler had not been exempt from his inspection any more than anyone Kanin did business with. "I'd like access to those documents. I need to know where and how to contact everyone - and I'd prefer if nobody but you had my address. In my line of work, that's bad practice."

 

[TimTh33nchant3r]

Jain made a mental note to set Lucci up with some entertainment, followed closely by another to keep an eye out for the elf and goblin working in cahoots. This council thing was looking like it could be a bit of a hassle, but at least it seemed like he might be able to turn some manner of profit from it in the long run. He couldn't really bring himself to disagree with the council's assessment of Bruno, but he thought that leaving Antonio to his own devices was likely to cause trouble before too long even if they kept him under constant surveillance. Not that anything he said mattered. He'd said his peace and nobody seemed particularly inclined to listen; he might as well just watch what the others did and see if some kind of opportunity arose.

 

[Easy]

"I'll ssee th' purchasses, too," Fortune added, "an' meet wif' Farros's ssuppliers. Let 'em know 's bussiness 's usual, maybe hint 'bout how they wanna keep it that way.

"Now'ss th' old man's gone, they'll prob'ly be lookin' to try re-negosshiatin' their prisces, or maybe juss' backin' out. I've done thiss sstuff before, sso I'll make ssure they take our cash wif'out sscrewing uss on prisce. Make ssure they know we c'n either give 'em paper, or lead."

 

[coolpool2]

“What a coincidence, I was going to ask to see the records after this talk.” The slime sat up in its chair, smiling as it talked. “Looking at the numbers would give a good look at how the cartel was operating, and how well they were doing. Also, I agree with Fortune about the suppliers, we can't let others think they can get away with whatever want now that Farros is gone.”

 

[Rondait]

Shayliss smiled. She was happy that she hadn't said aloud her opinion of Fortune's demand for an extra stake of the company. He seemed like a dangerous man, and her disapproval of such a request was in her opinion best left unsaid. The others in the room however had responded negatively to the idea, much to her delight. As far as the current matter at hand went she merely said "Well then, lets all go over them together."

 

[Jeroth]

Diarmuid nodded as Kanin looked at him for a refill. The dark rum filled the glass before a crashing wave of carbonated pop filled the glass. Fizzing slightly, the drink was prepared.

Lucci gave a nod towards Kanin before looking at the group. “As far as the records and information about the suppliers, you are all welcome to access it. Give me just a moment to fetch them.” Lucci’s long strides brought him out of the room in a matter of a few steps. The table was left to their own devices in terms of conversation as minutes passed. Lucci brought with him another individual, noticing the group get agitated at the appearance of an unfamiliar individual.

“Do not worry. Ghent has been with me and he can be trusted. If I was the right hand of Vincenzo, imagine Ghent as my own right hand. We… work well together when it comes to rooting out rats within the organization. Ghent, this is the new council that has been selected by Vincenzo. We will be aiding them and I'd like you to introduce yourself to them.”

The documents were laid out in folders on the table - contacts, rivals, possible enemies of the cartel, financial information.

As far as the financial information went, it was surprisingly not as much as it seemed. There was a large transfer of funds weeks back to unknown accounts that couldn’t be found elsewhere.

The contacts consisted of corrupt cops, bartenders, smugglers, assassins, pimps. It was not surprising for them to see dossiers on themselves with glowing notes on abilities and skills.

 

[Lotus]

The tall and slender elf smirks as Diarmuid speaks of him. "Oh, stop. I doubt that I'm seriously your 'right hand', but I do what needs to be done. Nothing more, nothing less."

Ghent rests a gloved hand on the table. "New council, eh?" He quickly examines those gathered. "Probably same as the old council. These things hardly ever change." He clears his throat and stands up straight. "So what was it you needed me for, Diarmuid? You know I've got loads of paperwork back at the precinct."

 

[Easy]

Not being much of a reader, Fortune let everyone else look over the financials first. More than likely they'd all had schooling before doing whatever it was that had landed them here, while he'd always had to just learn on the go. There was little doubt that some, if not all, of them could go through it a lot faster than he could.

Instead, he simply singled out the dossiers with his face on them, which was something that he could do a lot faster than any of the rest of them could. Without really looking at the contents, he simply gathered them together and tucked them under his jacket, as he looked over Lucci's alleged right-hand man and thought: Nothing. Then for half a moment he slipped, and wondered if he'd seen that face around before, and then nothing at all. Withholding one's own thoughts from oneself is a difficult trick to learn, but for those making a start in Fortune's line of work it was often a necessary and vital one.

 

[coolpool2]

Sacha scanned the documents without looking down. It tried to absorb as much information as it could, and decided what was relevant and what wasn't. The slime turned to face the newcomer in the room while it read, “Pleasure to meet you, I hope we can get along well.” It had never been interested in the internal affairs of criminal organizations, but it was not difficult to get an idea of how the cartel ran things. While it scanned the papers, it noticed Fortune putting certain ones into his jacket. For a moment Sacha considered peeking at what they were, it would be simple at this distance. It quickly reconsidered, in this business knowing too much could be a dangerous thing, for both parties. “So what was the old council like?”

 

[Tirin]

The killer's heartless amber eyes scrutinized Ghent as he entered the room alongside Lucci, clearly displeased with the new arrival. Lucci's explanation was enough to keep him from raising complaint immediately, though even that was largely a result of interest in the folders and their contents. Kanin's first instincts regarding the documents were similar to Fortune's: he immediately seized, folded, and pocketed his own report, wanting his address, relationships, and information on his abilities to remain unavailable to those who weren't familiar with them. He doubted he could trust most of the council, and was dead certain that some would be foolish enough to try blackmail - besides, this was easily the best way to preserve his informational advantage. That pressing matter taken care of, he took a sip of his sweet, strong beverage - enjoying the warmth that came with it - before speaking.

"If any of you would like to take your files and do a little bit of editing, now's the time. You can all see mine once I've had a look over it, and not a moment before." He stated, the steeled edge of his voice letting them all know that this matter was not subject to voting or debate. "Before we continue our discussion, though, I'd like to ask our visitor a question." His eyes narrowed to slits as his mind focused on Ghent's, scouring it for even a hint of shock, fear, or dishonesty (and, of course, taking whatever knowledge he could about the man while doing so). "Is anything we say going to leave this room, officer?"

 

[TimTh33nchant3r]

Jain picked up the folder containing the old man's information on him, overcome with an overwhelming feeling of curiosity. The elf was right though, it wasn't the time to go openly digging in each other's secrets, since they had just met and distrust was clearly already rampant. It might just be better to simply burn the file and have done with it. It would save the effort of making a convincing forgery, but cost the dubious benefit of being able to misinform the other council members. Yes, destroying the file after learning its contents would probably be the best course of action, despite the risk of further alienating the others.

Jain heard the steel behind the velvet of the assassin's voice as he asked the newcomer about his loyalty directly. This struck him as an interesting tactic, since anyone in their right mind knew the answer that would be given. Maybe the elf had some kind of trick to suss out dishonesty. That would be a dangerous thing in this crowd, both to the user and the liar. He watched the Kanin watch Ghent, and wondered idly if one of the others was watching him in turn. It seemed unlikely though. They didn't seem to think him terribly threatening, which was perfectly fine for now.

 

[Rondait]

Shayliss quickly scanned the various documents on the table until she noticed the one that belonged to her. She tried to hide a smile, but she couldn't help but be slightly proud that in the few years she's been doing her work she's grown important enough for someone to have a dossier about her. She put the envelope down for everyone else to read pretty quickly, but after noticing everyone else picking their respective envelopes up and hearing Kanin's suggestion that they do so, she decided to simply hold hers. There was no reason to be on an uneven playing field even if she personally felt it would be beneficial for everyone to have access to the information if they were going to be doing business together.

She largely ignored the newcomer in the room. She wasn't particularly fond of the idea of more people joining this inner circle, but she wouldn't dare say anything about it. In her line of work being civil was often the difference between being alive and dead. She was slightly relieved to hear Kanin speak up though, and decided letting the slightly more aggressive members of the council mince words to determine the man's loyalties was the best play she had in her hand.