^^ Gregor ^^

--- Gregor ---

I collected the negative portfolios as Anza, Indra, and Tara all left. I listened with one ear when they met someone in the hall, and his dog, and then set all the negative portfolios into my satchel.

If I was going to get in good with a lot of people who loved money, giving them a way to take money from someone else was a good start. Plus, the amounts of money in these files were likely to warrant me a meeting with someone who mattered, and that person would likely be a magical creature, likely a Dwarf or Fae.

I smiled and tossed Tina onto my shoulders, making her squeal in surprise, and giggle as she clambered over me, getting comfortable on my left shoulder like a parrot.

I gave her a pad of paper and a pencil, and walked to the elevator, (ducking through the doorway, and setting her on her feet.) She pressed the G button, and I hummed as we started going down.

We stopped on the third floor, and the tall Asian woman from before, or, on second thought, a younger version, was standing there, staring at a small device in her hand. She glanced up, and flinched violently, tossing the phone on accident.

I caught it just before it hit the wall, and held it out to her. "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you." I muttered, and moved away from her as she stepped into the elevator.

She reached across me to press the G button, and I froze, tensing up. She noticed, and hummed. "Are you alright, man?" She asked simply.

I nodded slowly.

Tina giggled. "Big Bro is afraid of womens." She whispered conspiratorially.

The girl laughed softly. "Ahhh, I see. Don't worry, I don't bite... much."

I cleared my throat, loosening my collar, and looked away.

"Wow, no kidding, huh? Where you from, munchkin?" She knelt and asked Tina a question.

"We are from Svalbard! We are Russian! I am Val-"

"Little one." I chided her softly.

"Oh, right, I'm not supposed to introduce myself. Names have power." She nodded.

The woman smiled. "Ahhh, I see. Well, that's true, but as long as it's not your true name, it's fine, huh?"

"Not always. Ogres are really vulnerable to Name Magic." She sighed.

I frowned. "Little one!" I chided again.

She grinned adorably. "Sorry..." she said unapologetically.

The woman blinked. "Ogres?... wow, I'm actually really surprised, I thought you guys were like... almost Extinct!"

"We are." I grumbled.

She nodded. "Ah. Sorry. Well,- oh damn, not again." The elevator halted, and she moved in front of me, forcing me against the wall to avoid her, and then she kicked the controls roughly.

Nothing happened.

"Damn... I've got to get to work you stupid machine!" She growled at it, and kicked again.

I hesitantly reached and slammed my hand against the part that the owner had early. The lights flickered, and then we started moving again.

The woman turned, to find my chest directly in front of her face, and my hand next to her head. She grinned teasingly. "Well hello..."

I flinched away, and looked away. "Sorry."

She laughed. "Oh don't be. You're adorable. You need any directions? I've got to get to manhattan, but I can spare a minute."

"I-Uhm... well-"

"We're going to the New York Stock Exchange! Big Bro has an interview there tomorrow, but we have some Stock Portfolios that mean old rich people owe lots of monies, so we're taking them to the Mean Sharks in the Exchange, as leverage, to force them to give big bro the Job." Tina spewed sensitive information like a firehose, like always.

The woman blinked slowly, then smiled. "Well well... I'll kill a rabbit later for the Fate... I work at the Exchange, as well. Come on, we can get there pretty quick. We don't have to cross the bridge."

I hesitated, and then sighed when Tina looked up at me pleadingly. "Alright. I appreciate it."

She nodded and started walking towards the bridge, after waving to Mary, who sat in her office, doing paperwork.

We reached a stone Pathway, and several cars drove across it, tightly packed together. The woman smiled. "2:00 traffic. Hell to drive in, honestly. Come on." She stepped between the cars, and exited onto the other sidewalk swiftly.

I followed, Tina on my shoulder, just in case, and then walked behind the woman. I made a decision, and sighed. "I am called Gregor Atkinson. This is Valentina. Please do not misuse our names." I said to the woman.

She halted, and looked at me, then smiled widely. "Pleasure to meet you, Gregor, Valentina! I'm Lillian Wong. Call me Lilly. You probably met my mother." She sighed exasperatedly.

I grinned. "She is very stubborn... and loud."

"That's her, yeah. I'm a lawyer at the Exchange, anyway. I handle the legal stuff, like wills that say certain money has to be invested, and stuff like that, as well as interviewing new people, to get a feel for them. I'm an Empath, so I usually know how people work, if I let myself look. You'd have met me tomorrow anyway, I suppose." She smiled reassuringly.

I chuckled. "I guess my interview started early, huh?"

She nodded. "Indeed it did! And those portfolios you have would be my responsibility as well, now I think of it. The commission usually goes to the higher-ups, though, which sucks, but that's what happens in a capitalist economy."

I hummed. "So if I wanted the commissions, I'd have to not be an employee?"

"No... you're the discoverer, and you weren't an employee when you discovered them, so they can't legally take even a cent of it from you if you don't let them." She shook her head.

"And if I want to give them the commission for the negatives, but keep the positives, which are substantially more, without letting them know? To create a goodwill, but also help myself?" I smiled.

She grinned evilly. "I like you. Gimme 10%, and I'll make it happen."

"I have a feeling that's Illegal."

"Dammit." She sighed, and laughed softly. "That was a test. Yes, that would be illegal. Never agree to any deals without dealing with me first, if you get this job. Like, ever. You always check with me. You can finalize deals; that's different." She held up a finger imperiously.

"How so?"

"Well, finalizing just means that the terms are set. If the legal team, namely me and my people, approves the deal, you can set the deal on paper and do the signatures." She explained, and we started down a set of stairs, next to the bridge.

"Interesting... are we going through the Troll Market?" I asked.

She nodded. "Quickest way across the bridge." She tapped a wall softly, and Tina and I jumped when it creaked open, revealing a room full of doors.

She led us in, closed the main one, and opened a red door that had the words 'west exit' on it.

We came out of the wall on the other side of the river, just like that, then opened the door again, and selected a new door, from a new selection, which were street names, all over lower Manhattan.

She chose 'Broad and Exchange', and we exited just a few hundred feet from the Exchange, which was a giant building with Greek architecture, marble and pillars and the whole shebang, with an American flag across the open pillars.

"That... was interesting." I grinned.

"Yep. Too bad it can't take me to Paris... the jump distance is too short to cross the Atlantic." She sighed, and we started walking down a the street, which I noticed was actually several dozen different streets, numbered efficiently.

I made sure Tina didn't wander off, salivating over the giant buildings.

"She's always wanted her own castle." I chuckled, in response to Lilly's curious look.

"Every princess needs a castle." She nodded seriously.

Tina grinned. "See? She gets it."

We reached the building, and she nodded. "Welcome, Mr. and Ms. Atkinson, to the New York Stock Exchange." She smiled.

I nodded slowly. "Alright. Tina, I can't take you in, so you're going to have to amuse yourself, but stay safe, alright? And remember don't trust anyone, okay?"

"I thought I wasn't supposed to trust the Fae?" She asked, confused.

"No, don't 'thank' the Fae. Don't 'trust' anyone that isn't me or your siblings. Okay?" I sighed.

"There's actually a waiting room that she's fine to relax in, or she can come with us. This isn't a super-official meeting, you're fine." Susan reminded me gently.

I nodded. "Great, I don't know if I trust her not to get into trouble."

"Hey!" She growled indignantly.

I frowned. "Hay is for horses. Now shush, alright? This is very important."

She frowned back at me, but silenced.

We walked in a side door, and into a security checkpoint, which was rather simple. They scanned me for metal, and my bag went through a smaller scanner. Tina was slightly confused, but she followed me closely, hugging my hand when they tried to separate us to pat me down.

"It's alright, little one. Go stand with miss Lilly, yeah?" I shooed her over gently.

She frowned at me sadly, but followed orders, and I submitted to the pat-down by the small man that was apparently in charge, despite his weakness.

"Alright, you're clean. Remember, though, this is a place of business and also a national historical site, so any damage done to the premises is a felony. Have a nice day." He said disinterestedly.

I hummed and grabbed my bag. "Good to know."

I gazed across the halls swiftly, memorizing the structure, as I followed Lilly into an elevator. "My office is on the third floor. If you get the job, your main workplace will be on the second, but you can move between the floors however you like. Most of the time, the non-employee's stay on the first floor, with the touristy stuff." She explained as we started moving.

I hummed. "I see..."

"There's four floors in total, but the top floor is where the meeting rooms and board rooms are, so you'll probably never see them." She continued, and the doors opened, revealing an open floor plan, with glass cubes that contained offices all over, each with a set of curtains for privacy.

I noticed the glass was double-paned, vacuum-gapped, polarized, and therefore both sound and bullet-proof, which made me grin a little, before schooling my features.

She lead me up a short flight of stairs, and into a glass office about size feet above the others. "And here's my office. Take a seat, and we'll get started." She gestured to two rigid seats in front of a desk that had her name on it.

I nodded and sat down in front of her. Tina wandered around, staring at the glass in wonder. She'd never seen so much glass in her entire life.

"Alright, Mr. Atkinson... let's start with the easy stuff. Your portfolio's?" She held out a hand.

I hummed softly, and handed them over.

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in double-crossing a pure-blooded Ogre of the Atkin's bloodline." She murmured.

I blinked slowly. "How do you know about my ancestor?"

She began typing slowly, gazing at the pages. "Everyone knows the myth, no, Story, of Atkin the Black. He was the strongest ogre ever born, and so he became the king, then one day, he decided that wasn't enough. He wanted to be king of the other Fae as well. So he conquered the Trolls and even drove the Giants from his country, Russia, which was then called Ruthenia."

Her computer beeped softly, and she nodded, setting the first folder aside, and opening the second. "Anyway, I know your bloodline because I was one of the Fae who gave first aid in the Baltic Kelpie Revolution, in 2014. Sweden. The wounded soldiers told me about your father. I wasn't aware Wroth had children, but your eyes are a clear indicator. No mistake."

She finished the third folder, and opened the fourth of the seven.

"I see. I was there, as well. I spared an enemy soldier, a Kelpie named Gabriel." I hummed.

She snapped her gaze to me, then back to her computer. "Ah. So that's why you arrived by ship. He thanked you."

I nodded. "He did."

She hummed and closed the fifth folder, and opened the sixth, then whistled softly. "Wow. Good stuff here. Too bad it's so depreciated..." she murmured to herself, typing a bit faster.

She finished, and then set it aside, following up with the last one, which went quickly. "Alright... so, you say you want to surrender this commission, in order to make a good impression with the bosses?" She asked.

"Will that work?"

"It'll make them think you're pliable. Easily manipulated." She shrugged.

"So that's a yes." I smirked.

She nodded. "That's a yes. I'm sure you're fully capable of reversing that image once you work here... sure. And the positive portfolio's, those have to be done before you're an employee, or you have to surrender the records. The commission is still technically yours, but most of the people here are too spineless to hang on to them when their bosses demand them."

I nodded. "And if I ace the interview, how long until I'm an employee?"

"Very Least? A day. Most? A month." She answered easily.

I hummed. "So I can bring them in tomorrow?"

"Sure. And that commission goes to you... do you have a bank account?"

My blank stare must've been indicator enough, because she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay. We'll handle that... I work until about 10:00, tonight, and tomorrow around 8:00 is your actual interview, so I'll have my 8 hours of sleep, I guess... sigh... and we need to have your account up and running before you're an employee, it's a prerequisite..."

I hummed. "When do the banks close today? I may have someone who can take me, and will know what they're doing."

"Good! Very good... well, here. You'll need three accounts, all attached to you, and one attached to no one, officially." She started writing on a note pad.

"Four?" I asked.

"Yes. The first is your Checking, that's where your pay goes, and your spending money. Then there's your Savings, which holds the money for emergencies. The third is your Investment Portfolio. You should file that one with the company, but just make a third one, a second savings, and I'll attach it to the company." She nodded.

"And the last?"

"That's what you'll deposit your Tithe into." She nodded.

"Ahhh. Yes. The Tithe to the MSPA." I nodded slowly.

"Mm. It goes to the Troll Market, mostly, or the schools that are set up, around the world." She shrugged, and then tore the page off, and crumpled it up, burning it in her fist.

At my raised eyebrow, she smiled. "Message to the Agency. They'll respond soon."

The ashes of the piece of paper collected and turned back into paper, with different words scrawled on them.

"Mm, they've been notified. Good. And your sister will need an account, I think? She's an adult, right?" She asked.

"Yes. And Tara will need her own. I'll attach Indra and Tina to two more I control, ones I put money into for their allowance." I explained.

She whistled softly. "You pick this stuff up quick! Alright, so that's... two, three, four, five, six-seven-eight, nine, and ten-eleven... ouch. You're gonna have a very busy day, tomorrow." She chuckled.

I sighed. "So I will... Tina, you're awfully quiet, is everything alright?" I glanced at her, to find her staring out the window at something.

I followed her gaze, and frowned. A man was in a different office, staring back at her, as if in a silent duel.

"Hmm? Ahh, Ryan. He's a werewolf alpha. She probably made the mistake of looking in his eyes. Dominance contest." Lilly explained.

I growled softly, and the werewolf flinched from the subsonic impression that shook his bones, even through the soundproof glass. Tina huffed at me, annoyed, but I just smirked as the pale wolf went about his business expeditiously.

"Hmph. Seems Ogre King beats Alpha Wolf." Lilly murmured.

Tina fumed, her tiny fists clenching as she glared at me. "I woulda won!! Cheater!" She crossed her arms and turned around, ignoring us.

I smiled and pulled her into my lap, patting her hair gently as she continued to ignore me. "You definitely would've, dearest Princess Valentine, don't worry. I'll buy you some sweets later, okay?"

She turned her nose away, refusing to acknowledge me.

Lilly giggled. "I always wanted a daughter. I feel like this is what it's like." She commented to herself, clearly surprised she said it, by her confused expression.

Tina huffed at me, then wiggled free, and hopped into Lilly's lap, sending a clear message that she was more angry than she knew how to vocally express.

Lilly smiled and patted her hair. "You're adorable..." the phone rang suddenly, and she picked it up by reflex. "Ah! George, hi!! Yes, sorry, I'm in a meeting,-... ah... I see, I understand the situation... yes... yes, I'll finish up here, maybe ten minutes, then be in the board room, alright?... sigh, alright, I'll do that." She set down the phone, and sighed.

"Everything alright?" I asked.

"The main lawyers and CEO's just all got together and decided to hold a random meeting. And they want me to bring you, because they know I'm in an interview without them. Also, the stock market is wobbling again." She groaned.

"Wobbling?" I asked carefully.

"Not crashing, but shaking in its boots. It's a scare we get every so often. We have to dump certain stocks, just to protect our client's investments, and that requires full board approval. I'm a member of the board, as the CLO of the Legal Department, which functions as its own individual branch, most times." She explained breathlessly, and started fixing her hair and clothes meticulously.

I nodded slowly. "So... it's a rally? The Council Calls, and you're a War-Chief?"

She smiled warmly. "Exactly."

I grinned. "And they don't like that you're thinking of hiring me without their approval, even though you have the right to do so?"

"You're very sharp, Gregor. Very sharp. I like that." She nodded and pulled her white jacket on, which matched her white skirt, heels, and button-up.

I nodded and stood, steadying my features, and cracked my neck. "Then let us show them your power, little City Fae." I said slowly.

She patted my shoulder. "Indeed. Tina, please stay behind us, and don't make a sound, okay?" Tina nodded, feeling the situation, and followed on my heels meekly as we rode the elevator up into the belly of the beast.