About the deal (Part 1)

I watched the man from the front desk leave and, now with enough privacy, turned to Mr. Allen.

“I should start by saying I’m not ready to give you a definite answer yet,” I told him. “Last time… Well, I wasn’t exactly prepared for what you had to say.”

“And I’m ashamed at my lack of tact,” he said, sighing deeply. “Jennifer, Cecilia and Natalie gave me an earful for it…” I admit I didn’t remember their names, but since I did remember that Jennifer was the name of the girl Mila, Thomas and I helped that one day, I inferred that Cecilia and Natalie were Mr. Allen’s two other girlfriends. “You want details, Mr. Brooks, and I’m ready to answer any and all questions you may have.”

Any and all? Let’s test that. “The… spell that alters perception of your relationship with multiple partners. How did you do that?”

I had an idea of how magic worked by now, but not a full grasp. Frey managed to complete a spell by using a high amount of sexual energy and restrictions to further lower the amount needed. Up until now I thought it was something only Frey could do, or at least something related to sexual magic. Was I wrong?”

“I bought it,” Mr. Allen said.

“Ah?” I blinked, stunned for a moment. “You… bought it?”

“There is a market out there for supernatural phenomena,” Mr. Allen explained. “Enchanted items, rare valuables and the like are sold in a black market. There are people out there devoted to the development of spells of various effects. They inscribe them in scrolls and can be easily cast so long as the user possesses the adequate amount of magical energy. I bought one said scroll from the black market and used it on myself.” His eyes widened in realization and his smile became brighter. “Are you telling me… You developed and cast the spell on your own, then? Mr. Brooks, that’s incredible!”

Shit, did that backfire? Did I accidentally give him information about myself? Though I had little to do with the spell, actually. That was all Frey. Well, if Mr. Allen was impressed, it meant I was right in thinking that Frey was better at this stuff than she gave herself credit for.

But that other thing was a shock to hear. A market for supernatural stuff? People bought and sold magic?

…

Oh!

“Mr. Allen… What do you really intend to do with the… potion you need my help creating.”

Mr. Allen grinned and chortled. “Sharp nose. Still, I did not lie, Mr. Brooks. I want that potion for myself. I’m overcome by the desire to share nights of overwhelming pleasure with my girls. That is my biggest current goal, and I’m willing to spend however much is necessary to get it. That said…” He sighed again. “Money is ephemeral. You can win the biggest lottery prize, but spend without a care and it will be gone in the blink of an eye. Should I let that happen, my avaricious partner would never let me hear the end of it.” He chuckled. “And I, myself, have too many desires to spend everything on a single wish. I know that after I secure a way to produce the potion, there will be something else I’ll want. A man’s desires know no end.”

I nodded slowly, beginning to understand. “So you also wish to sell the potion?”

“Correct. To an extent at least. There is a lot I don’t yet know about the potion itself. About how potent it is, how many can be made in a day, a week, a month, a year. If it were easy to make plenty of, and we did, flooding the market would make its value plummet despite having a monopoly on its production. I have ideas, but none I can speak confidently of until I know the quality of the product itself and its process of elaboration.” Mr. Allen smiled wryly. “It’s a compromise. To pursue my own desires, I must also look for a way to make a profit. To spend as much as I do on luxuries, I must earn even more. I try my best to make those two objectives align, which is why most of the businesses I own or am a part of are related to entertainment. And now I’d like to, ideally, develop a long-term partnership with you to produce the potion I want and also make a profit out of it.”

I swallowed. A long-term partnership… So like I thought, it wasn’t a one time thing. Dammit, my head was starting to spin. Ideas, thoughts and worries flooded my mind.

“T-These kinds of deals…” I started again. “They aren’t… legal, right?”

Mr. Allen grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. “I suppose they aren’t. There’s no way they can be. After all, we’re dealing with the exchange of goods and services governments, as entities, aren’t aware of and can’t regulate. The money flowing through these markets needs to be laundered as well.”

“...” I frowned. I admit, the legality of it didn’t exactly bother me. Corrupted politicians and businessmen already did plenty of wrong while protected by legal loopholes and back alley deals. No, what worried me was if dealing with Mr. Allen would come back to bite me in the ass. I mean… “If I did work with you, how would I explain whatever money you paid me, then?”

“There are ways.” Mr. Allen looked around his own restaurant. “The easiest one would be formally employing you in any of my businesses. It’s how I already deal with other partners who offer similar services. You wouldn’t have to do anything, just be hired on paper.” He looked me directly in the eyes. “Mr. Brooks, I realize it might be hard to believe me, but I don’t make promises I can’t keep. Not only is it wrong, but it’s bad for your karma, which is very much a thing. So with that in mind, I promise you that if you accept my offer, I will guarantee the security of you and yours, both in legal terms and in protection from supernatural threats.”

That… did make this deal a lot more tempting.

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