Colin's posts

Rohan shook his head.

"No, I don't believe so." he said. "You will have full control of the bank account within 3 business days, and we will want you to be here in another week or so after that, just so you can introduce yourself to the executives here and such." he told her.

"I shall remain on-hand as your official business advisor from outside the company, until you decide otherwise." Hal chimed in.

"And henceforth, my own involvement with this case has ended." Tobias then said. "I was contracted and paid to transition this smoothly, and it seems that has come to an end." he reasoned. "There are plenty of corporate lawyers in this building, but I do know you are friends with Kalin Kiczys. You are obviously free to bring her on retainer if you wish." he went on.

"And that does finish things up." Rohan added.

"Oh! And if you like, you may designate something here as an anchor point, so you can freely use your mana to teleport right here into your office." he then stated. "The only other people that are in here are cleaning staff, and they're only in between 6 and 7 pm, daily, with their own special keycards." he assured her. "So you should never interrupt anything."

She was handed a stack of papers that looked to be about 30 papers high, causing Hal to sigh.

"Mister Conroy and I will explain what you're signing as you get to it." he said.

"Indeed." Tobias agreed.

"Yes, your mother was very much involved in this company... much to... many of our chagrin..." Rohan mumbled. "However, once she passed away and control shifted to her son, he immediately made things so that he would need to do NOTHING with this company." he explained. "He knew nothing about fashion, and he knew he knew nothing, so he put it in the hands of those that worked here." he went on. "And since then, there's been a massive employee shifting and shuffling, morale is up considerably, productivity has skyrocketed, and we're doing more consistently better than ever, since we've introduced some more budget-friendly lines." he went on.

"Yes, seems Deryck and your father made it so that this was a place for modern mana hunters, as opposed to those that kept to the old ways." Hal told her.

"Regardless, let's get this massive stack of paperwork done."

Hal, Tobias, and Rohan looked at each other, before nodding.

"Let us do this, then." Rohan said.

The 4 then made their way to the conference table, converging at one end of it, and started to work. Or, rather, Tobias, Hal, and Rohan discussed their legal and business matters, while Desiree pissed around on her phone, answering any questions that came up. In the end, they were discussing everything for close to 4 hours, before Hal turned and looked at Deisree.

"Right." he said.

"So. It seems like you are going to be the CEO of the company, and have your brother's share of the stocks, as well as the salary that comes with the position." he told her. "It also seems that he had liquidated all other assets and placed them into the bank account that is connected to the CEO position." he went on.

"To sum things up, after you sign the necessary paperwork, and once the bank account transfer goes through, you will not only be a literal billionaire, but you will have close to 150 million in free disposable income." he explained further. "Ie: 'fun money' from Deryck liquidating all other assets he had. Everything his mother left to him that wasn't the company."

"A pleasure, Desiree." Rohan responded.

"And in danger? Heavens, no!" he exclaimed. "We only employ modern mana hunters." he told them.

"Modern?" Hal asked.

"In terms of attitude." Rohan replied. "Just because one is a mana hunter, does not mean they must adhere to what society pressures them to be. Most even realise that the old ways of thinking were... well... old. And stupid." he went on.

"However, many aren't sure what to do with their lives. So this company is a place where they can make something of themselves, no matter who they are or where they come from. We employ over 95% of the modern mana hunter population in North America." he then stated.

"Huh." Hal mumbled. "That's... refreshing."

Hal made his way over towards the version she had indicated, and looked it over.

"Hm." he mumbled. "Well, I can see why it was popular." he said. "It certainly makes a statement." he went on. "Not my sort of aesthetic, but I can see the design philosophy behind it, and understand it." he went on.

"Ms. Niell had her faults..." a new voice stated, and when Hal and Desiree turned to see who it had come from, a new person had entered the room. He was wearing a lighter-coloured suit, had longer brown hair, and was carrying a loose leather satchel across his shoulder. "...but she always had instinct for fashion." he said further, approaching them.

"Rohan Gerrard." he introduced himself.

"Hal Sharp." Hal responded, causing Rohan to nod at him, before looking to Desiree.

"Nice to finally meet you, Miss Niell." he said to Desiree. "Or... Miss McCormick?" he then inquired.

The elevator reached the top floor, and the doors slid open. The three stepped out and made their way to a larger set of doors, with a keypad and card reader on one of them. Desiree used the card she'd been given, and the doors clicked open, allowing the trio to enter through them... and before them was a massive and almost imposing office area. So much so, it was almost overwhelming.

The décor overall was extravagant, the walls and floor was luxurious, there was a long conference table in the middle of the room... with a massive gem in the centre, covered by glass, and many plush chairs surrounding said table. There were framed magazines with notable designs of outfits that the company had made over the years, pictures of award-winning designs, and actual units of clothing that had reached specific sales goals and beyond.

There was also a small set of stairs which led to an actual desk where work could be done, but it was removed from the area as a whole.

Hal could only describe what he saw as 'ego-stroking', but for the most part, he understood it. Except for the gem. THAT just seemed gaudy.

"Miss Niell had a certain... flair... for her decorating." Tobias commented. "And her son did nothing to change it." he added.

"Huh, I see." Hal responded. "Hence how you know about the mage side of the world." he commented.

"Basically." Tobias replied. "That and my dealings with Mister Niell and Mister McCormick." he said further.

"You've dealt with Marcus?" Hal asked.

"Infrequently, but yes." Tobias responded. "Good man. Little misguided at times, and... to be frank... seems like he's keeping a metaphorical ball-and-chain attached to his ankle, when it seems he's already been given the key to unlock it." he went on, before pausing.

"My apologies." he then said to Desiree. "I did not mean to speak ill of your father." he told her.

Hal just chuckled.

"Desiree'll agree with what you said." he commented.

Once the doors were closed, and they were off, Hal narrowed his eyes a little, before shaking his head. Tobias seemed to notice this, and looked over towards Hal.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"...I'm just on edge." Hal responded. "I feel like I am literally surrounded by Mana Hunters." he told him.

"Oh, that's because you are." Tobias replied.

"...excuse me?" Hal asked in response.

"This building employs nothing but Mana Hunters." Tobias said. "In fact, it is a point of pride that Mana Hunters are the sole employ here."

The room they appeared in seemed... strange. It was mostly empty, with some carpeted flooring, simple paint on the walls, fluorescent bulbs on the ceiling, and some comfortable chairs strewn about.

"...and this is...?" Hal asked.

"The receiving area for mana transport." Tobias responded. "This way, please." he told her.

The three then headed for the one door in the room, and when they stepped through it, they were in a massive lobby area, with plenty of people milling about. Some were just making their way to where they were going, others were discussing things amongst each other. The décor was... lavish, one might say. It certainly LOOKED like a fortune was spent to furnish it, but Hal and Desiree could tell... it was less 'flashy', and more 'tacky'.

This did not surprise Desiree at all, given what she knew about her mother.

However, both she and Hal could immediately tell one thing. One simple, yet potentially terrifying thing; they were absolutely SURROUNDED by mana hunters.

"Well, better early than late." Hal responded. "But this is optimal, anyway." he then said. "I can gauge this Tobias, myself." he went on. "I know of him, and I know who he is, but I want to get a read on his possible intentions." he explained. "And no, it's not a mana thing or a djinn thing. It's an experience." he then stated. On one hand, he felt it should go without saying, but he also figured that clarification was always a good thing, even in times where it would be wholly unnecessary.

Sure enough, about 10 minutes later, Tobias arrived, and looked over towards Hal.

"Tobias Conroy." he introduced himself, extending his hand.

"Hal Sharp." Hal responded, accepting the hand, the two of them issuing a firm handshake to the other.

"I assume you are Ms. McCormick's business advisor?" Tobias then inquired.

"I am." Hal confirmed, as the two released their grip on each other's hand.

"Excellent." Tobias responded. "If you are both ready, then we may proceed in travelling to Winnipeg." he then stated. "I am ready and prepared to depart right now." he assured them further.

Everything was set up, Hal was given access to her suite, and on the day that everything was to happen, he made sure things were fine with Lunet, before making a call to Desiree to make sure she was ready to receive him, and not in the middle of anything.

When she confirmed she wasn't, he made sure he was dressed in one of his better navy blue business suits, and teleported his way there, arriving just inside, where her door was.

He looked around, before seeing her standing at the end of the small corridor, nodded, and made his way over.

"Well, today is the day." he said.

"I'd ask if you're nervous, but that's a given." he admitted.

"You ready, though?" he then inquired.

"There are no degrees out there that are useless." Sharp replied. "Yes, some have more practical application than others, admittedly, but studying philosophy is certainly no waste of time." he told her.

"The largest problem is that philosophers are hardly, if ever, recognised and appreciated in their own times." he then said. "it takes many lifetimes for their wisdom to truly be appreciated, sadly." he lamented further. "So, for whatever it may be worth, perhaps something YOU have mused or penned will be regarded as insightful genius in the future." he offered.

"In general, people that question the mind, those that dare to challenge people to think, are often shot down in their own eras." he sighed. "Philosophy may be a thankless road in the present, but without those like you, there would be far less beauty in the world, and MUCH less enlightenment." he finished.

"...regardless, that tangent aside, you're very welcome in advance, but let's not put the cart before the horse." he then suggested. "Thank me AFTER this has been dealt with." he continued.

"For now, I suggest you prepare for Friday." he finished.

"..." Hal was silent for another moment or so. "I see." he said. "Well, in that case, there's even MORE impetus for you to return from this safely." he then reasoned. "I will do everything in my power to ensure it, if need be." he continued. "I promise." he said further.

"That being said, we should prepare for Friday." he then suggested.

"In whatever way we deem appropriate." he went on.

"If there's nothing else, I'll make sure my schedule for Friday is completely cleared, get Agent King to fill in for me for that day, and be ready to go whenever." he continued.

"Also, thank you for trusting me with this new development." he then said.

"It means a lot that you feel I can help." he went on. "...feels good to be able to put that MBA to use outside of those damn quarterly meetings." he chuckled.

"Understandable." Hal responded. "All of this seems... very suspicious. Almost too good to be true." he went on. "However, it is entirely up to you what you do with this." he continued.

"I shall accompany you there, and even act as a bodyguard if need be." he went on.

"Admittedly, I'm not sure WHAT we may be walking into, but I've dealt with a LOT in my existence." he told her. "It takes a lot to catch me off guard, so I can promise I'll certainly make it not easy for them." he vowed.

"For now, I'll make sure that all of Friday is clear. And I'll be ready to go whenever you are ready to go." he then said.

"This shall run on your schedule, you'll be calling the shots." he promised.

"Feel free to use my personal number for planning this out between us as well." he then added.