View source for 2202/A Business Relationship

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/05/10
|Location=Chicago-667
|Synopsis=It's a quiet time for Harry Dresden, but a small boon from months ago comes back around as a Mister 'Simon Hargrave' arrives in an expensive suit with fat stacks of cash to try and buy Harry out. It goes as well as one might expect.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=206, 518
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|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:206|Harry Dresden (206)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Harry's office is in a rather non-descript building in Midtown, on the third floor. The sign on the front has recently changed though. It's not just Harry Dresden, Wizard. At some point recently, someone has added 'Inga Freyjersdottir - Seer' underneath that on a long strip of paper. Guess the guy who paints the glass hasn't been in yet? <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dresden actually hasn't been here to clean the place in a while, and is busy getting everything slumped back into a resemblance of normalcy and cleaning up the mass of crankmail and other stuff that's been jammed through the mailslot.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's a nice, quiet afternoon. Early morning, really. Very early morning. The sun is still rising and hasn't gotten through the clouds properly yet, but there's an extremely well-off man with slicked back white-blond hair and a pale complexion, perfect features and stunning even in his mild affliction of middle age.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He wears a cream suit, which rather than clashing with his skin colors seems to accent it, with a dark shirt inside and a light tie. Everything is designer, but the brands are strange and foreign. He wears a pair of very expensive sunglasses.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And stands at the broken elevator, impatiently jamming a finger at the button. He finally relents, sighing, and makes his way up the stairs, gesturing at his driver in the stretched, archaic looking car he arrived in, a 'modern' antique with tinted windows.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He reaches the door, adjusts his tie, breaths in with his nose almost reverently, twinges of disgust and something else flickering across his passive countenance, before he raps his knuckles against the door.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He didn't call ahead.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then, he moves to simply open the door and step inside.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He's relatively well-built, his aura of 'ageless pretty person' still distinctly... human-ish. He's certainly not Fey, but even a man might call him beautiful.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He leaves his sunglasses on, inside.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Mister Harry Dresden?" He calls politely, looking around the office, noting the disrepair that the place is in. He doesn't seem to pay it any mind.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:206|Harry Dresden (206)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Harry blinks a bit, looks at the office and then at the door at the knocking. Hells bells, wh-<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then the man is inside without even a question or a greeting. A little ripple of something dark passes Harry's mind, a half muttered Latin-ish word at the forefront of his mind, but...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The guy was clean dressed, and that special kind of pretty. Sidhe, maybe. Not local, he would have noticed.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The wizard draws himself up to his full height, brushes some dust off his grey shirt which only mushes it around a bit, and mmmh. "That's me. Dresden. What can I do for you?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Totally Normal Businessman indeed greets Harry when he enters, a thin and wiry smile passing on his face. When he speaks, he has that sort of restrained nobility. The act of someone who normally is used to snapping their fingers and having something happen, now dealing with the outside world.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He also has a mildly weird European-Japanese fusion accent.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Ah. Did my man not call ahead? I'm sorry. I simply wanted to hire you to perform a task. I understand you are... adept at finding things. I will pay you handsomely to retrieve an item for me. Is this not your chief service? Name your price, and I shall pay it. Money is no object."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:206|Harry Dresden (206)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hnnngf. Dresden's face twitches a bit at 'money is no object.' Of course it's not. Mr. Non-Descript but Pretty. It's a neat trick of course, but Harry is slowly trying to push past that and remember things about this guy's face. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yeah, I /am/ good at finding things, but I prefer to know who I'm working for and having that money first. Believe it or not I've had checks bounce from people who said those exact words."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The man's face is... Quite pretty. A sloped, manly jawline with a mildly hawkish nose, sharp features that still seem to be put together very, very well.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He's memorable! In a sort of memorably generic pretty person. He extends a hand, looking over Harry. "Ah. Forgive me. In the hand is a business card. "My card." He offers, with a little bow. Very little. Upon the card is 'Simon Hargrave' though the characters are very foreign-looking. Under it is a simple description of his role in what is apparently some very nice pharmaceutical group.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Ah. Checks. I did not think I could handle acquiring local bank accounts, so I simply acquired some currency." He pulls out one of those wads of hundred dollar bills. The stacks of a hundred, crisp bills, with a bank tape around it. Unmarked, fresh bills. Ten thousand dollars.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Will this be sufficent for the task? Forgive my ignorance of currency exchange."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Now. Can we do business?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:206|Harry Dresden (206)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Too pretty, but that's again normal. Why does that accent sound so familiar? It's on the tip of his tongue but he just cna't place it. He does take the business card though, and flicks at it a few times as the man goes through the spiel about local exchange rates and-<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That's a lot of cash. Harry's eyes narrow faintly, and he grumbles a little bit at the cash in the wad, flicking through it fast enough. The weight's right. Appears to be the correct numbers on all the bills. Consecutive. Bank money. Probably not stolen.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Harry grumps, walks over to his desk and plops the cash on the top of it. "Alright, I'll hear you out. What's the job?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's very simple." Begins Hargrave, as Harry inspects the bills. There is some mild distaste in the impeccable man, as if there was some doubt that his money was good. It was very good!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"That money is for you to render unto me the tincture of liquid - 'medicine' - I believe she may have called it - that a young girl gave to you. My group became aware she was doing this, and we simply wish to steward the medicine. She doesn't understand what she's doing, and our group was made to make certain that... Everything remains stable, mmm? It's for everyone's benefit if you retrieve the vial, and hand it over to me. More money can be arranged if that is not... ah, up to your fee."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hargrave gives a cold smile, revealing perfect white teeth. He looks as if he's going to make another comment, but instead simply adjusts his big pair of sunglasses and continues to stare at Harry.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:206|Harry Dresden (206)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The staring doesn't bother Harry, not any more. But he does make a face as he 'catches' the man staring at him behind those sunglasses. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's there to try and mask the sensation of unease at the man's words. His brain wracks for a moment. Yuuki. The vampire, a true vampire. A nice, true vampire. Rare these days. "That thing? Jeez, uh, that was a while ago. I mean, I'll look through my stuff. I didn't use it, if that's what you're worried about, but I think I've got it in storage somewhere." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A slightly confused look. Play up the dumb angle, Dresden. "That much for that? Well. That's your funeral I guess. I'll see what I can find."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's a pause. "Of course. It took my group a long time to find out that you were given it. We value it highly and feel that it would be dangerous in the wrong hands. But, of course, that's why I am paying you..." Hargrave shifts, a subtle motion as he sweeps his hands to the fat stack on the table. "Top dollar. But, it can only be in three places. We've... done our research. It is either with you, in this room, or at your apartment. So, Mister Dresden. If you've not used it, why not turn that into some more figuratively liquid assets? Perhaps..."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He looks around distastefully, this time not quite hiding things. "Sprucing up your office, perhaps?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:206|Harry Dresden (206)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh now that's just insensitive. The research, not the comments about his office. "Well, probably. This place is pretty small to do magic, don't you think?" A happy grin from the Wizard, prehaps a bit too happy. "Not to worry, Hargrave. I'll see if I can fish it out of wherever it ended up at the house and give you a call. I'm sure my partner can find out something to do with the cash too."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Harry suppresses the urge to bite his lip at the mention of Inga. DUMB.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's a twinkle of amusement behind Hargrave's glasses, and at the corners of his mouth. "I wouldn't know, Mister Dresden. I'm a businessman. And you..." He picks up one of the pamphlets (What A Wizard Really Is!, by Harry Dresden) with his hand by the corner, like he was carefully picking up something very delicate.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Or a piece of trash.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You would be the Wizard."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There is a light tone of noncommittal rumination, as Hargrave looks back at the door. "Ah yes. Miss... Inga, was it? I thought I smelled a woman's presence. It was hard, though. But... Mm. No, you don't have it. You carried it with you for a long time, but you didn't bring it with you. A shame. Well, that amount should be a very easy passing for you. Perhaps I could keep your group on retainer, as well? I believe you have a skill-set my group would find interesting."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:206|Harry Dresden (206)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A lip twitches. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yeah, Inga's the better half. Really, though I'll take a look for it at the apartment. We'll... see how it turns out. Retainer usually isn't a thing I do but future contracts and jobs are never a bad thing." Harry's smiling again. It's the calulated smile you make at predators and monsters. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The one that you smile because if you don't smile back at the shark it eats you.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:518|Yuuki Kuran (518)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hargrave nods smoothly. "Of course, Mister Dresden. It's a pleasure doing business with you. Think of the money as... a show of respect, one professional to another. Give my... warm regards to your partner, Mister Dresden. Perhaps we'll be in touch?" He finishes, before turning on a heel and crisply walking out the door.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;If Harry listens, he'll hear the dial sounds of a cellphone off silent.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;If he Listens, he'll hear Hargrave mutter. 'It's in the apartment.' to someone on the other end of the line.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He walks calmly to the stairwell and starts walking down.<br> <br>


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