A New Contract [Closed]
WHO: Felix Harrowgate (harrow_gate) and Mildmay the Fox (milly_fox). Oh, and the random suit.
WHAT: A meeting.
WHERE: Felix's apartment.
WHEN: Early evening, sometime before Mildmay complains about it.
They were having an argument. It was one of those arguments that was mostly Felix talking and Mildmay scowling at the parts he disagreed with-which, truth be told, was most of it-but then that was how they did it. Mildmay didn't say anything as Felix talked, just continued to sit in his plush chair. He wrapped a bandage around his arm, around a wound he had earned from one of his unforeseen obstacles. Obstacles Felix had known about. Obstacles Mildmay was a little bit perturbed with.
There was a knock at the door, interrupting Felix as he was talking. "Well," he said, as he stood to go open the door. "I wouldn't dream of giving you a job that wasn't the least bit challenging." As if that explained everything. He unlocked the door and pulled it open. "You would get rusty without me to look after you and your skills." Turning to whoever was at the door, he smiled disarmingly and asked, "How can I help you?"
On the other side of the door stood a man in a suit. He looked uncomfortable for a moment, then cleared his throat. "I was told there was a Felix here who I should talk to should I have something I needed done." Felix could tell right away that this wasn't really a client of his. The man might be there to talk to him, but the person he really wanted something from was Mildmay the Fox.
From his chair, Mildmay gave Felix an annoyed look that Felix could feel, but the redhead ignored it.
The man in the doorway crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. "Something not quite legal," he continued. "Have I come to the right place?" He looked between the two occupants of the room.
Mildmay snorted and continued bandaging, then flexing, his arm. He didn't look up at the suit. This was Felix's area. Felix would make the arrangements, and he would just do as Felix asked. That was how it always went, he thought only somewhat bitterly.
Felix smiled benignly. "It would seem that way, yes." He opened the door wider and gestured for the man to come in, locking it behind him when he did.
The man pulled out two files from his briefcase, and looked between the two men. "Which is Felix?"
"That would be me," Felix answered easily, still smiling. The smile never once reached his eyes.
The suit held the files out. "These would be for you then."
Felix took the files and flipped them open, scanning the first page quickly first and then starting to read them a bit more closely.
Mildmay scowled at Felix's back but pushed himself to his feet to glance over Felix's shoulder at the content of the files.
"There are two boys," the man explained as Felix read. "Brothers. A redhead named Lucio and his older brother, Pietro. The blonde. We want him... taken care of, if you get my meaning. And Lucio... I assume you're capable of human smuggling, yes?"
Felix hummed something that wasn't really agreement or disagreement, still not looking up as he flipped through the pages. But what he said was, "Things can be arranged."
"Good. The details are in the files; information on their location, the drop-off point, payment, etc."
"The money has to be in cash," Felix said, still reading. "Less of a trail, that way."
"Of course," the man said. "All of that will be arranged for."
"And half in advance."
Mildmay looked over Felix's shoulder again at the pictures and scowled.
The man pulled out a card and handed it to Felix, who took it and slipped it into his pocket. "Call this number after I leave," the man instructed. "They will arrange for the first half of the payment."
Mildmay looked at the man again. "What'd they do?" His words were somewhat slurred, somewhat hard to understand.
"That's not necessary information for your job." Alongside this statement, the man gave Mildmay a hard look.
"Of course not," Felix agreed, also giving Mildmay a look. Information like that wasn't always free, but it could be acquired elsewhere if circumstances required it.
Mildmay's expression didn't change at the man's comment, but he winced at Felix's look.
"Suffice to say that the younger boy is valuable enough for my employer, and the older boy is in the way," the man said mildly.
"I don' like the idea of truckin' li'l bits around," Mildmay mumbled.
"You'll take the job or we'll go somewhere else," the man said with a careless shrug. "Your choice, so decide now." Mildmay looked away, staring at the wall, and didn't answer. The suit crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his fingers against his arm impatiently. "Well?"
Felix closed the files and finally looked up, glancing at Mildmay, eyebrow arched. "If you don't want to do it, then don't." He said it as if he didn't care one way or the other. And in some ways he didn't. He didn't face the same dangers that Mildmay did. All he did was make the arrangements. But he did have a care for his reputation, and for Mildmay's. And they had a reputation for being able to just about anything.
"'ll do it, an' you know it," Mildmay muttered.
Felix managed not to smirk, and the man uncrossed his arms. "All right. I will tell my employer to expect your call."
"Was there anything else?" Felix asked the man.
"I don't think I need to warn you that harming the redhead would make my employer very, very unhappy."
Mildmay gave a shallow sigh, still not looking at either of the other men. "'Course it would."
"There's no cause for worry," Felix assured the man, resisting the urge to elbow Mildmay hard in the ribs.
"Well, then. I shall take my leave," the man said, picking up his briefcase. "Call the number and the payment will be arranged." The man walked towards the door. "Shall I let myself out?"
"Please." Felix smiled again, the same insincere smile as before. "Have a nice day."
The man returned the smile with a small one of his own. "Indeed. Have a nice day." He unlocked and then opened the door and left, closing it behind him.
Felix turned and walked to the couch, sliding easily onto it. "You know," he said softly, musing, "if you don't want the job, then don't take it." He tossed the files to the other side of the couch.
Mildmay continued to stare at the wall, but his eyes flickered briefly to where Felix sat. "The guy was lookin' for you, not me."
He arched an eyebrow at Mildmay. "No, he was looking for someone to get the job done." He looked amused, as if there was some joke he found funny that he wasn't sharing. "That's you, not me."
The other man growled softly, annoyed that Felix was being deliberately obtuse. "But t'was your name he had, not mine. So if'n I say no, s'not me what looks bad, it's you."
The redhead tried not to smirk and mostly succeeded. "Well, yes, there is that."
Mildmay finally looked up and scowled at Felix. "If'n I didn't do it, you'd badger me for days. Peskerin' why, and what for and the like."
Across the room, Felix frowned at him. "I don't badger," he said indignantly, but it was mostly feigned. Both of them knew that Mildmay was probably right. He pulled out the card and flipped it through his fingers a few times. "Do you want to take the job or not?"
Mildmay snatched the card and sat back down in his previous chair in one fluid motion. "You know I'll do the damned job. S'not like I haven't done it's twin a hundred times over."
Felix didn't bother hiding his smirk that time. Mildmay sighed and tucked the card away, once again not looking at Felix as he went back to stretching out his arm. Felix smiled genuinely. "And anyway, how bad could it be?"
Mildmay's arm finally made an impressive popping noise, and he flopped back in his chair. He raised his good eyebrow in a rather good impression of Felix. "Well, I dunno, Felix. How bad could gettin' a damn cat figurine be?"
Felix managed to look innocent as he asked, "You got it, didn't you?"
Mildmay growled again, but less seriously this time, and stood up. "I'm gonna go give this fella a call." He looked down at Felix, straight-faced. "Go primp or somethin'." He turned and stalked out of the room.
Felix sniffed, but he was grinning as he murmured, "As if I need to..."
WHAT: A meeting.
WHERE: Felix's apartment.
WHEN: Early evening, sometime before Mildmay complains about it.
They were having an argument. It was one of those arguments that was mostly Felix talking and Mildmay scowling at the parts he disagreed with-which, truth be told, was most of it-but then that was how they did it. Mildmay didn't say anything as Felix talked, just continued to sit in his plush chair. He wrapped a bandage around his arm, around a wound he had earned from one of his unforeseen obstacles. Obstacles Felix had known about. Obstacles Mildmay was a little bit perturbed with.
There was a knock at the door, interrupting Felix as he was talking. "Well," he said, as he stood to go open the door. "I wouldn't dream of giving you a job that wasn't the least bit challenging." As if that explained everything. He unlocked the door and pulled it open. "You would get rusty without me to look after you and your skills." Turning to whoever was at the door, he smiled disarmingly and asked, "How can I help you?"
On the other side of the door stood a man in a suit. He looked uncomfortable for a moment, then cleared his throat. "I was told there was a Felix here who I should talk to should I have something I needed done." Felix could tell right away that this wasn't really a client of his. The man might be there to talk to him, but the person he really wanted something from was Mildmay the Fox.
From his chair, Mildmay gave Felix an annoyed look that Felix could feel, but the redhead ignored it.
The man in the doorway crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. "Something not quite legal," he continued. "Have I come to the right place?" He looked between the two occupants of the room.
Mildmay snorted and continued bandaging, then flexing, his arm. He didn't look up at the suit. This was Felix's area. Felix would make the arrangements, and he would just do as Felix asked. That was how it always went, he thought only somewhat bitterly.
Felix smiled benignly. "It would seem that way, yes." He opened the door wider and gestured for the man to come in, locking it behind him when he did.
The man pulled out two files from his briefcase, and looked between the two men. "Which is Felix?"
"That would be me," Felix answered easily, still smiling. The smile never once reached his eyes.
The suit held the files out. "These would be for you then."
Felix took the files and flipped them open, scanning the first page quickly first and then starting to read them a bit more closely.
Mildmay scowled at Felix's back but pushed himself to his feet to glance over Felix's shoulder at the content of the files.
"There are two boys," the man explained as Felix read. "Brothers. A redhead named Lucio and his older brother, Pietro. The blonde. We want him... taken care of, if you get my meaning. And Lucio... I assume you're capable of human smuggling, yes?"
Felix hummed something that wasn't really agreement or disagreement, still not looking up as he flipped through the pages. But what he said was, "Things can be arranged."
"Good. The details are in the files; information on their location, the drop-off point, payment, etc."
"The money has to be in cash," Felix said, still reading. "Less of a trail, that way."
"Of course," the man said. "All of that will be arranged for."
"And half in advance."
Mildmay looked over Felix's shoulder again at the pictures and scowled.
The man pulled out a card and handed it to Felix, who took it and slipped it into his pocket. "Call this number after I leave," the man instructed. "They will arrange for the first half of the payment."
Mildmay looked at the man again. "What'd they do?" His words were somewhat slurred, somewhat hard to understand.
"That's not necessary information for your job." Alongside this statement, the man gave Mildmay a hard look.
"Of course not," Felix agreed, also giving Mildmay a look. Information like that wasn't always free, but it could be acquired elsewhere if circumstances required it.
Mildmay's expression didn't change at the man's comment, but he winced at Felix's look.
"Suffice to say that the younger boy is valuable enough for my employer, and the older boy is in the way," the man said mildly.
"I don' like the idea of truckin' li'l bits around," Mildmay mumbled.
"You'll take the job or we'll go somewhere else," the man said with a careless shrug. "Your choice, so decide now." Mildmay looked away, staring at the wall, and didn't answer. The suit crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his fingers against his arm impatiently. "Well?"
Felix closed the files and finally looked up, glancing at Mildmay, eyebrow arched. "If you don't want to do it, then don't." He said it as if he didn't care one way or the other. And in some ways he didn't. He didn't face the same dangers that Mildmay did. All he did was make the arrangements. But he did have a care for his reputation, and for Mildmay's. And they had a reputation for being able to just about anything.
"'ll do it, an' you know it," Mildmay muttered.
Felix managed not to smirk, and the man uncrossed his arms. "All right. I will tell my employer to expect your call."
"Was there anything else?" Felix asked the man.
"I don't think I need to warn you that harming the redhead would make my employer very, very unhappy."
Mildmay gave a shallow sigh, still not looking at either of the other men. "'Course it would."
"There's no cause for worry," Felix assured the man, resisting the urge to elbow Mildmay hard in the ribs.
"Well, then. I shall take my leave," the man said, picking up his briefcase. "Call the number and the payment will be arranged." The man walked towards the door. "Shall I let myself out?"
"Please." Felix smiled again, the same insincere smile as before. "Have a nice day."
The man returned the smile with a small one of his own. "Indeed. Have a nice day." He unlocked and then opened the door and left, closing it behind him.
Felix turned and walked to the couch, sliding easily onto it. "You know," he said softly, musing, "if you don't want the job, then don't take it." He tossed the files to the other side of the couch.
Mildmay continued to stare at the wall, but his eyes flickered briefly to where Felix sat. "The guy was lookin' for you, not me."
He arched an eyebrow at Mildmay. "No, he was looking for someone to get the job done." He looked amused, as if there was some joke he found funny that he wasn't sharing. "That's you, not me."
The other man growled softly, annoyed that Felix was being deliberately obtuse. "But t'was your name he had, not mine. So if'n I say no, s'not me what looks bad, it's you."
The redhead tried not to smirk and mostly succeeded. "Well, yes, there is that."
Mildmay finally looked up and scowled at Felix. "If'n I didn't do it, you'd badger me for days. Peskerin' why, and what for and the like."
Across the room, Felix frowned at him. "I don't badger," he said indignantly, but it was mostly feigned. Both of them knew that Mildmay was probably right. He pulled out the card and flipped it through his fingers a few times. "Do you want to take the job or not?"
Mildmay snatched the card and sat back down in his previous chair in one fluid motion. "You know I'll do the damned job. S'not like I haven't done it's twin a hundred times over."
Felix didn't bother hiding his smirk that time. Mildmay sighed and tucked the card away, once again not looking at Felix as he went back to stretching out his arm. Felix smiled genuinely. "And anyway, how bad could it be?"
Mildmay's arm finally made an impressive popping noise, and he flopped back in his chair. He raised his good eyebrow in a rather good impression of Felix. "Well, I dunno, Felix. How bad could gettin' a damn cat figurine be?"
Felix managed to look innocent as he asked, "You got it, didn't you?"
Mildmay growled again, but less seriously this time, and stood up. "I'm gonna go give this fella a call." He looked down at Felix, straight-faced. "Go primp or somethin'." He turned and stalked out of the room.
Felix sniffed, but he was grinning as he murmured, "As if I need to..."