Business as Usual? Or a total Cluster? [Open]

“Starlette, don't forget to flip the sign from Closed to Open, dear.”, Starlette's great grandmother called out as she slowly made her way down the hidden staircase that led from the shop and to the apartment that Starlette and her great grandmother shared.

Starlette, who had had her nose in a brand new spell book, glanced up at the clock to see that it was less then thirty seconds from ten in the morning. ”Alright, Gran. I got it.”, Starlette called out as she placed her book down on the counter next to the register and got up off of her purple colored stool. She walked around the counter, over to the door, and flipped the sign from Closed to Open.

Pushing her long white-blond braided pigtails back and behind her shoulders she walked her way back over to the stool where she sat down once more. She picked up her spell book and returned to reading it just as her grandmother made it the rest of the way down the stairs and from behind the curtain that kept them hidden – Starlette knew better then to ask if her grandmother needed help: it was a one way ticket to grumbling. ”Already have your nose in that book, eh? If you're not careful you'll have it read and memorized by tonight.”, her great grandmother said with a chuckle.

Starlette just grinned and shook her head as she flipped to a fresh page. ”You know me, Gran. I love to read. Plus, it's always interesting to see the different spells and potions that other people have come up with.” Just as she finished speaking the bell above the front door to the shop chimed, indicating that a customer had arrived. Starlette took in the appearance of three men who were wearing very expensive suits. One was a red head, one had white hair, and the other had black hair; all of their styles were perfectly cut and maintained as if they went to the barber each and every day. They weren't the sort of people who normally frequented the shop, and so both eyebrows rose as she watched them. ”Hello, welcome to Afterlight. Let me know if you need anything.” One of the men grunted in response before the three began to look around.

”Hmph. Keep an eye on them Starlette: they give these old bones of mine a bad feeling.”, her grandmother spoke softly in her ear after the trio were far enough away not to hear.

Starlette glanced over to her grandmother as she adjusted her glasses back up on her nose – they liked to slide down when she read. If her grandmother had a bad feeling about them then there was almost a one hundred percent certainty that they were trouble – her great grandmother's feelings were never wrong.

A usual day of tricking around town, wowing onlookers. The sarcastic grin seemed stuck on his face since Amaranth, one of the Kanes, taught him a really cool trick, a signature move. He promised not to let it get to his head, but he couldn't help himself. He felt like one of the elite, the top fish in the city now.

The family still hadn't come looking for him even after all this time, but he no longer cared. Fuck them. Fuck them, fuck them, fuck. Them. Now he was shacked up with the most powerful family in the city. Now he had money, now he had plenty to eat, and now he could do things most ordinary people could only dream of. For the most part, he didn't care if that lame family hadn't come looking for him, but part of him was disappointed; angry. Part of him felt betrayed that even though they were blood, none of them seemed to care at all.

There was particular building that he used to pass that was abandoned. He didn't really pay it much mind, because no one lived there. Today, however, Yata had to do a double-take. Someone was living there now, and from the looks of things, they'd set up some kind of shop there. Yata changed directions and headed in that direction. There was an expensive-looking car parked out front, noticed as he got closer. Did Jr dude know of a new business in town?

If not, Yata thought it wise to at least go check the place out, to gather some intel, just in case the Jr dude didn't know. He stomped the back of his board and grabbed it as it flipped upwards. Yata twisted open the door and stepped inside.

The place looked like some kind of magic store from a video game where you bought spells and armor. Yata would have looked around the place in fascination, if not for the 3 guys in the store in suits, which also made Yata do a double-take. Something wasn't right about those 3, causing a grim expression to spread across his face. These guys gave off the stink of those Templar guys the Kanes were talking about. And it looked like they were already trying to get their grips into one of the new businesses.

Yata quickly tucked his chain with the Company Pendant on it inside of his shirt. With his board tucked under his left arm, he began to scan a shelf on one side of the room, looking at nothing in particular. He suddenly felt that it was a good thing he came in here. He couldn't let these Templars do whatever it was they had planned. For now, he would wait and listen.

The three well dressed men would meander around the shop, looking at things with interest. It was clear to them that this shop was the real deal and not in fact one of those phony late night television types. The scrolls were authentic magic, and the potions looked the same as well. This was the sort of setup that they had been sent by the bosses to find. When the three heard the door to the shop open again they looked up to see a older kid with a skateboard coming in: there didn't look to be anything out of the ordinary or special with him, so they returned to looking around.

Finally, after another minute or two the trio turned and made their way up to the counter with empty hands. ”Did I hear right? Your name is Starlette?”, the white haired Templar would ask, though without waiting for a response he would continue on. ”Tell me something, Starlette... what would you say to making a deal? I could make you and your elderly friend here quite rich if you'd be willing to help me and my organization out.”

”We've done our research and we see that you had to relocate from Velo City after it was attacked.”

”And that you had to drop out of highschool to support what's left of your family.”

”So what do you say? You provide us with these magical scrolls, potions, and show us how an ordinary human uses these powers like you, and you in exchange will receive a hefty lump sum of say... a million credits added immediately to your bank account.”

”Think about it, Starlette. You could go back to school, and never have to worry about your and your grandmother's comfort again. You'd never want for anything, and you'd never go hungry.”

”Do we have a deal?”

The bell above the door would announce the arrival of yet another individual to the shop, and as emerald green eyes took in the appearance of this new individual Starlette found herself looking at someone who seemed quite the opposite of the trio. This new guy had a skateboard with him, and Starlette found herself feeling a bit green with envy: she had always admired the skateboarders when she had been in school, but she had always been seen as too nerdy to fit in enough to even try and ask questions. ”Welcome to Afterlight, I'm Starlette. Let me know if I can help you with anything.”, she called our her usual customer greeting.

She adjusted her glasses once more and shared a look with her great grandmother before the pair looked back in the direction of the trio. The three men had looked towards the new individual when he had entered as well, but they seemed to find him lacking interest at the moment. Instead, the three men were headed back up towards the counter, empty handed. Before Starlette could say anything they began to speak. They were offering her a deal: in exchange for her scrolls, potions, what she assumed was the information about both, as well as how an ordinary human could use magic, they would pay her a million credits. A. Million. Credits.

Before she would start losing her mind, or agree instantly to anything, she found herself thinking back to what her great grandmother had told her when she saw them enter: her old bones had told her that something didn't feel quite right about them. Her grandmother had never been wrong before when judging someone. She also thought about how much information they knew on her: how her and her grandmother had recently relocated from Velo City, how she had had to drop out of highschool just to support her family. It had her feeling like this was some sort of setup, as if these three individuals were up to no good.

”.... As kind of an offer as this is, I think I'm going to have to decline.” God, she had just jumped straight off the proverbial bridge. A million credits would have made all of her and her great grandmother's troubles go away. It would have ensured that the pair lived a comfortable life while ensuring that Starlette had a one way all expenses trip to college. They would have been set. And she had just thrown it all away because of a hunch her grandmother had about these three, and the fact they the creeped her out a little bit.

When he walked in, the 3 guys, who he was 90% sure were Templars, gave him a once over, then looked back to the girl behind the counter. She gave a usual store greeting and told him to let her know if she could help with anything. Yata gave a casual wave behind him as to say ok, looking at things on the shelves and walls.

He wasn't really looking at anything, but really craning his ears over in their direction to listen to the conversation, which confirmed that these guys were Templars. Starlette was the girl's name. She and someone elderly came here after that Alien dude destroyed Velo. The girl couldn't go to school since she had to stay home and take care of the elderly person. The Templars were trying to buy the girl out. She apparently had scrolls and potions, and could use powers; all of which had to be pretty handy if they were already here, so soon after they'd set up shop, trying to buy her off.

But the girl turned them down, even though they were offering her a million bucks. Yata, recording everything on his Company Cellphone in a discreet manner, knew that wasn't going to set over well with them. They were probably going to start making threats next, and even if the girl knew how to use magic spells and powers or whatever, he didn't think she was going to last very long 3 on 1. He'd probably have to kick these guy's asses, but he didn't want to wreck this place.

Yata couldn't let these guys get their paws on this place. As a Company member, he couldn't allow these dudes to get any footholds anywhere in Edge that he knew about, because that would mean they were closer to getting their hands on one of these artifacts that he'd heard about. With a frown, he turned to look over his shoulder at the Templars and the girl, thinking of which one of these assholes would be on the floor bleeding first.

”Come on, now. Are you really in a position to turn down that sort of money? Think about all of the things you could do with it: you could go to college, you could make sure that your grandmother is well taken care of. You could even go on some vacation to a tropical paradise and not have to worry about paying for any of it.”

If Starlette still wouldn't agree at this point the black haired individual would speak up, grinning a bit in a cocky manner. ”Why don't we sweeten the pot a bit? How about five million dollars? We'll give you five million dollars if you hand over your potion recipes, tell us how you make those magical scrolls, and explain to us how an ordinary human uses magic. Do we have a deal?”

The third member of the little trio would remain quiet but grin from ear to ear. Clearly they had every intention of trying to buy this girl off. Of course, they had other methods of getting what they wanted if these wouldn't work. If Starlette still wouldn't agree at this point then their grins would be wiped off of their faces and ones of annoyance and anger would take their place. ”Listen here, Starlette. One way or another we're going to get what we want. Now we're trying to be nice about this and offer you a nice deal that'll have you living large for quite a while. But if you don't give us what we want then we'll employ other means to get what we want... “

”How would you like this little store taken away from you? To be stuck living out in the streets.”

”With your grandmother here stuck in a nursing home.”

”Come on, Starlette. Take the deal. Don't make us get rough.”

… Of course these guys weren't going to just take no for an answer and leave. No, they were much too hardheaded for that. The one with the white hair was still trying to sell her off: telling her all of the things that she could do with the money including college, taking care of her great grandmother, and even a nice vacation. It was things that she herself had already thought about, but it wasn't worth giving up her secrets for. Especially not to people she felt she couldn't trust.

And then the black haired gentleman was sweetening the pot, or trying to, by increasing the credits she would get from one million to five million. Five million credits. And all she had to do was turn over her recipes to her potions, how she made her scrolls, and how she as an ordinary human was capable of using magic. Starlette would simply shake her head no: she wasn't about to go against her better judgment no matter how much money they ended up offering her. She wanted a chance to go back to school, she wanted her grandmother to be taken care of properly, but this wasn't the way to do it.

And then things started to take a turn for the worse: these men didn't like her telling them no and so their attitudes and method of gathering the information were beginning to change. They were threatening her, her business, her grandmother.

”I told you I had a bad feeling about them, Star...”, her great grandmother said softly with a sigh and a frown.

Starlette nodded to her grandmother and then motioned for her to head back behind the purple curtain. Her grandmother looked at her for a moment, nodded in silence, and then turned and walked the few feet that separated her and the purple curtain that hid the back room and the steps that led upstairs. Starlette kept her gaze trained on the three individuals in case they tried to stop her, though she did glance in the direction of the skateboarder quickly. ”I'm not giving you three a damned thing. Get the hell out of my shop and don't show your faces around here again. You can't bully or bribe me into doing something I'm not willing to. My grandmother said you three might be trouble and she was right; I'll never give you the information you want. Now go!”

Yata put his phone on the shelf in front of him. He positioned it so that it was recording the whole scene, and what he was about to do. Yata pulled his pendant out again, not caring if the Templars saw the gold C or not. As he thought, these guys weren't going to take no for an answer.

With a certain tune blaring from his headphones, Yata went into action. A skateboard was launched accurately across the room. If direct and immediate action wasn't taken, it would collide with the nose of the red headed Templar, likely breaking it.

Almost right after Yata threw the skateboard, he performed a cartwheel and a flip. Halfway through the flip he would execute a right handed punch and a kick with his left leg at the same time; the punch aimed towards the area between the nose and the top lip of the white haired Templar, the kick aimed towards the left cheek of the black haired one. The punch and the kick would likely land at the same time.

If the skateboard hitting the red head was successful, it would ricochet backwards to be caught with Yata's left hand. Yata himself would land between the three men as they would all go to the floor, or crash into things on their way down.

"You heard the lady, fuck faces," Yata would say, a sarcastic expression on his face. "She said no deal. You think it's a good idea to be trying to extort someone under Company jurisdiction?" Yata crouched somewhat, ready to deliver more pain to these losers if they still weren't convinced that doing what they were doing was beginning to seem like a bad idea. "Now you can take what's left of your dignity and fuck off, or I really get serious. And I don't mind getting serious."

He was in a position to move off in any direction. Would they be smart and leave? Or would they be stupid and try something. Honestly Yata was hoping they were stupid.

One of the Templar's took a skateboard to the face; his price of payment for not paying attention and disregarding the skateboard kid as a non-threat. The others were equally taken care of until all of them were on the ground. They were unhappy to say the least, but if one kid could give them this kind of ass beating then they knew they were out classed. They knew they would have to play this smart – trying to go toe to toe with this kid wouldn't solve the problem.

”Listen.. we'll leave. We'll leave. No need to do anything else, kid.”

The other two seemed to catch on with what was being said and what was going on, and they all nodded stupidly in agreement. This wasn't the end, not by far. But, they would simply bide their time and come back at another moment in time. They were going to get this shop one way or another, they just now realized they'd have to be a little smarter about this.

If they weren't stopped, or attacked again, the three would begin backing out towards the exit, and then leave...

[Exit Unless Prevented]

Gran was upstairs, so Starlette didn't have to worry about her getting in the way and ending up injured. However, before Starlette had a chance to react, or say anything further, the Skateboard kid was suddenly pulling a pendant with a C that hung on a chain out of his shirt and then thoroughly attacking the people who had been threatening and attempting to bribe her. His words made it clear that the C on his pendant meant he worked with the big shots who lived in that huge tower that looked like it reached up into the heavens.

The goons seemed to take their ass beating in stride, and seemed all for getting out of the shop if they weren't stopped. Something told her that this wouldn't be the last she saw of them, and that there would likely be trouble in the future. This was the last thing she had wanted: it was bad enough her home and her belongings had been destroyed in Velo City, but now it seemed like trouble had followed her to Edge City, too.

If the goons were given passage to leave without a further ass beating Starlette would reach up and adjust her glasses with a frown and a loud sigh. ”Great, this is just the kind of trouble I needed so soon after getting here...”

She would then shake her head, frowning. What was she going to do? There was no where for her to run and hide, and no place for her to put her grandmother where she would be safe. If these kind of people had money like they claimed to throw around – and their clothing and the car they had proved as much – then was there any place she could go to that would be safe? She doubted it. ”My shop hasn't even been open a week.”, she muttered beneath her breath.

Yata kept the sarcastic look on his face. He didn't take any other actions towards the Templars, as they'd realized the error of their ways and wisely started to leave. Yata wasn't stupid though; these guys would come back.

When they were gone, Yata went to grab his phone. "That's gonna make for entertainment later," he said while pushing stop to quit the recording on the screen. Yata went to the door to look out and make sure they were leaving. "Stupid fuckin Templars..."

When the Jr dude heard about this he was sure to get some praise. Yata single handedly preventing those guys from getting their filthy fucking paws on this place. "So, Starlette, huh?" Yata was getting more confident around pretty girls, even though his face was still turning red somewhat, and he refused to look directly at her. Still, his adrenaline was pumping, and he'd just kicked 3 guy's asses by himself, so his confidence was boosted too. "Magic potions and scrolls, yeah? Must be some powerful stuff if those Templars came in here like that. They're bad news, they don't go fucking with just anybody. What kinda stuff are you capable of? My bosses will wanna offer you and your people some protection, especially if he hears you came from Velo and survived that stupid alien kid."

Yata would stay leaning on the door frame, keeping watch outside until the 3 morons got in their big fancy car and fucked off.

”The majority of my stuff varies in strength and power. A lot of my potions are potent enough to regrow limbs and stuff... but I don't have the recipes written down, they're all saved to memory. Same with how I make my scrolls: it's a personal trade secret. As far as my powers.. eh, I can do all sorts of stuff. Go invisible, make myself silent, use the elements, I can leave elemental traps behind.. that sort.” Normally she wouldn't have bothered telling anyone about what she could and couldn't do: but this guy had just whooped three guy's asses who were threatening her, and he also belonged to the Company, so she figured it was alright.

”Templar? Hmm...” Starlette's great grandmother had made her way out from behind the purple curtain again and into the shop properly. The elderly woman looked around, seeing that there wasn't any damage to the shop, before looking towards Yata. ”Thank you for helping my granddaughter.”

Starlette looked over to her grandmother and vacated her stool so that her grandmother could sit in it. ”Here, Gran. Sit down and relax.”

Her grandmother chuckled at her and humored her by sitting down. ”What's your name, young man?” Starlette looked back towards her savior as well, wondering the same question but a bit too shy to ask. Starlette adjusted her glasses, remaining silent while waiitng for him to say something else.

Yo, Jr dude

Got something that might interest you. A female and her grandmother moved here from Velo, survivors of the alien attack, they know how to make potions and magical scrolls. Real hard core shit. The girl is a magician and I bet her Gran is one too. Templars tried to come in here and extort the place, I took care of them tho. Since those Templar fuck faces were involved I thought I should let you know.

Yata

"I'm Misaki Yata," he responded to the old lady, after typing out the text on his cellphone and pressing send. "Much appreciated if you just call me Yata because Misaki sucks... and yeah, those guys were part of this creepy cult called Templars. I don't think it'd be safe if I said too much about em. Could put you two in danger. Anyways, I put a word in to my bosses, we'll see how things work out."

Yata kept looking around. The books and scrolls everywhere started making him think back, to when he was reading up on a certain psychic power. "Say... You have any scrolls or books or anything on something called... Idiosyncratic Manipulation? it's a psychic connection to a certain object. I was gonna ask my bosses about it, but you mention a lotta cool abilities. I'll pay for it of course..."

Portal Creation:

A door in time and space opened. A tall young man stepped out, dressed in an Armani suit and D&G leather shoes. His white hair was slicked back with gel and shaved on the sides, with a few bangs hanging down into his face. With the way the suit hugged his form, one would be able to see that he was toned and muscular, as if he'd been working out.

"If they don't have something like that, come and see me. I'm familiar with what you speak of, and I think I already know what you have in mind," he said to Yata as the door closed. Red eyes look around the store and finally fall on Starlette and her grandmother.

"Apologies if my entrance startled you. My name is Alec Kane Junior, i'm the Boss of Edge City. Yata is in my employ. Thank you for bringing this to my attention Yata, that was smart thinking. Also, good job with those Templars." Jr put a hand on Yata's shoulder while nodding his head. "Like I said, if they don't have what you're looking for I should be able to help you."

Jr looked back towards Starlette "I wasn't aware that someone else purchased this place. It belonged to some kind of bounty hunter or private investigator previously... I don't think he was very good anyway. The property will be better off as is. So, it's to my understanding that you have knowledge to craft powerful scrolls and potions? It's no wonder the Templars tried to extort you..."

If this was as valuable as he thought it would be, Jr would offer them sponsorship. it would mean they'd be technically part of The Company, and trying to extort them would be the same as trying to extort The Company; a dumb move.

Starlette and Gran listened as he explained that his name was Misaki Yata, but he preferred to just be called Yata. Apparently these Templar's were some dangerous individuals, so much so that he didn't want to say too much about them and risk putting them in harms way. Then he mentioned that he had explained things to his bosses. And then he asked about something that Starlette had only ever heard about in theory, but which made Gran grin and nod.

She was turning to step into the backroom when suddenly a man with a nice suit and white hair was appearing out of nowhere. Gran turned, more curious then frightened, but Starlette stepped in front of her great grandmother. Both listened to the newest arrival speak, explaining that he was Alec Kane Junior the Boss of Edge City. Once realizing that he wasn't a threat Gran turned and walked into the backroom to go get what Yata had asked about.

Starlette remained where she was, listening to Junior speak as she threw a curious glance in the direction her grandmother had gone to – apparently, she had made some new stuff that Starlette didn't know about yet. ”Yeah, it's something I've known how to do since I was about ten or so.”, she responded to Junior's question. ”A lot of the stuff I sell is pretty powerful. Potions and scrolls that can make your movements silent, make you invisible for a bit. Other stuff that can paralyze large groups of people, or even regrow limbs. Suppose I should have guessed that trouble would come from it all eventually...”, she explained.

Gran then walked out from the backroom with a small book in her hand and a scroll. She would slide both across the counter and towards Yata. ”No charge, dear. Consider this my thanks for keeping my granddaughter safe. There's no telling what those evil men would have tried had you not been here.” Her grandmother then turned her attention back onto Junior as Starlette adjusted her glasses once more. ”Do you think these men will come back? We can't afford to move again; we barely had enough to go from Velo to here when the city was blown sky high.”, her grandmother asked.

"Oh, awesome. Thanks a lot," said Yata, grabbing his new items after she slid them across the counter. No doubt Starlette had to be good in what she did, but the Grandmother had to have the best of the best stuff in that back room there. It was no telling the kinds of stuff she must have had in there...

Idiosyncratic Manipulation gives its user the ability to manipulate a single item that has personal importance to them. They may have a Telekinesis like control on the object and possibly manipulate its shape/size/appearance. Of course, this would be specifically for his boards, to assist in his tricks, and in fights. The scroll seemed to instantly transmit this ability into his head when he read it, and the book had pointers explaining ways to properly use it so that he didn't overload his brain.

He read the book while listening to Starlette explain again some of the things she was able to create with spells and potions. The grandmother was worried that the Templars were going to come back. If Yata knew better, he counted on them to do that, and if he knew Jr, he wasn't just going to sit back and let them. Yata was involved now, so neither would he...

The old lady was able to give Yata what he asked for. He didn't exactly know what that was, but knew it was something that would benefit Yata. Jr listened to Starlette explain that she could make items that could make movements silent, paralyze people, turn people invisible, and even grow back missing limbs. Were the Templars to get their hands on such things, it could be bad.

"Yes, unfortunately, I do think they will come back," Jr answered. They'd just got here from Velo after what that alien did; they probably had little to nothing. Starlette would probably do well in defending them, but against a force she would be overwhelmed quickly. "They're like roaches... you stomp a few, and a few more appear. These guys seem to be everywhere, and have their fingers into some of everything..."

Jr rubbed his chin, his red eyes looking around the building. "I'll tell you what, why don't you let The Company sponsor your store? We'll have state-of-the-art security and surveillance systems installed and 24/7 monitoring. No worries, we won't put any cameras anywhere they shouldn't be, just in this room and outside. All of the expenses will be on me. You won't have to pay us any rent, royalties or percentages, nor will you have to share any of your secrets with us. All profits you make will be yours to keep. You and your secrets simply need to be protected, especially in times like this... I imagine you two must have lost everything in that attack on Velo, so when I get back to the office i'll put a modest amount into your accounts to get you started. Sound good?"

It was a win-win situation for them, and Jr didn't see them saying 'no, we don't want all this free stuff.' The Templars were definitely going to try and get their hands on this place; Jr wanted to prevent that. He would come down here and keep watch himself if he had to.

Starlette glanced at her grandmother: she had known the elderly woman hadn't yet taught her everything she knew, but she had no idea she had a private stash of things in the backroom. It made her think that she had a lot more to learn, and a lot further to go in her magical training. However, she didn't think of it for long as Junior started speaking again, saying that unfortunately the Templar's would more then likely come back: they were as bad as roaches.

Starlette and her great grandmother listened to Junior's suggestion: he wanted to put state of the art security and surveillance systems into Afterlight: both inside of the shop and outside. He went on to say that they wouldn't have to pay for any of it, nor would they have to pay any sort of rent or give up their secrets. And finally, due to them having lost everything in Velo City during the attack that destroyed the place, Jumior wanted to put a modest amount of money into their accounts to get them started.

Starlette looked towards her grandmother: the woman was like a walking psychic in her 'feelings'. Her grandmother looked back towards her, smiled, and nodded – she didn't have any bad feelings about this. Starlette relaxed and smiled back as her grandmother looked towards Junior. ”We'd appreciate that, greatly. Thank you.” Starlette nodded in agreement.

”And if you, or anyone else in the Company ever needs anything let us know. It's the least we can do.”, Starlette added.

Her grandmother gave her a one armed hug then and chuckled suddenly. ”Maybe now that you don't have to worry about me being safe or not, you can go back to school and get your diploma so you can go to collage like you wanted.”

Yata decided to give his new ability a try. He had to concentrate for a second, but eventually his skateboard was rolling around the room, seemingly by itself. It jumped and did several tricks by itself, just from the power of his mind. It put yet another evil grin on his face; this was a trick that was going to be very handy.

Jr dude said he was going to sponsor the store. He'd put in security systems and probably some cameras. He even said he didn't want anything in return, and that they didn't have to pay him or share any of their secrets. All he wanted was for them to be safe. With some of the stuff that they knew, and these Templar fuckers roaming around, it made perfect sense.

Granny said Starlette would be able to go back to school, but would that be a good idea here in Edge? School was just a breeding ground for idiots, girls more interested and jocks and their nails more than school work and bullies. He hadn't thought of going back to that place, what was the use? He worked for the Company now... but if she was going, then he wouldn't feel right not being there to have her back. She seemed like a bookworm, and he knew several that would enjoy eating her alive.

Back to school, then? He hoped it wouldn't interfere with his bouncing job...

When the old lady said she'd appreciate it, Jr pulled out his cellphone - the same kind of phone Yata had - and pressed a button. In a muffled tone he had a quick conversation with someone before he hung up. "Excellent, the arrangements have been made. A few of my people should be here within the hour. You'll also find a deposit in your accounts."

(25,000c was added)

Jr pulled out his card and handed it towards the old lady. "This is my personal number. Call me anytime for anything. If one of my people can't come and help i'll come myself, just like I did now."

Jr was about to leave, before he gave a glance to Starlette. She seemed like the reserve type, and a little shy, but a magician... it sounded sort of interesting. "So, a magician, hmm? As it turns out, several positions just opened in The Company. Why don't you come by Darkman Tower when you have some free time? It's the tallest building in the city, you know it. We'll have an interview and see if you're Company material. Expensive benefits in being a Company member..."

Finally he gave another glance to Yata. "You continue to impress, Yata. I'd have had no idea about this place if it weren't for you, and who knows what would have happened if you weren't here to stop those Templars. Furthermore you could have called me or one of my sisters or someone else to come and handle this, but you took care of it yourself, initiative... tell you what, i'll take a chance and put this in your hands. Stick around and supervise the installation. It'll be your responsibility to keep an eye out on this place and this neighborhood in general, when you're not bouncing for my sister. How's that sound? Do a good job and there's a promotion in it for you..."

Jr gave a wave behind him as he turned to head into another door that was opening. He stepped through it, and it closed again.

[Exit]

Starlette watched as Yata gave his new ability a try: his skateboard moved around the room and even did tricks by itself – or rather, that's how it looked. Starlette was sure Yata likely had something to do with controlling its movements.

She returned her grandmother's one armed hug and couldn't help but smile a bit more: she had all but given up on the idea of getting her diploma and having a chance at going to college. But, now it looked like she wouldn't have to worry about her grandmother's safety at all and could indeed go back. The thought caused a butterfly feeling in her stomach: nervousness.

Starlette watched as her grandmother took the card the Junior held out and nodded. She tucked it away safely into the pocket of the light coat she always wore over her dress and snapped the pocket shut. ”Alright, I'll do just that if anything comes up.”

And then Starlette's attention was turning to Junior as he glanced back at her while preparing to leave. At his question about being a magician she nodded: it was indeed one of the names her and her family went by these days – at least the magical ones. She listened as he said that several positions within the Company had just opened up. He suggested she come by Darkman Tower in her spare time for an interview to see if she was Company material, and mentioned expensive benefits for Company members. While her mind was busy doing a whole bunch of 'I can't believe this, is this really happening?' happiness she grinned and nodded to Junior in response. Oh yeah, that wasn't an opportunity she planned on passing by.

Her grandmother simply chuckled and gave her shoulder a gently squeeze. ”See, Starlette. I told you I had a feeling things were going to turn around for the better.” Starlette nodded again, momentarily beyond speech at the moment, while listening as Junior gave Yata the job of keeping an eye on the store and the neighborhood, while mentioning that if he did a good job perhaps a promotion would be in order for him.

She would then watch Junior leave before sitting down on one of the stools and letting out a slow breath. ”Wow... I didn't expect all of this when I first woke up this morning...” As she talked Gran went over to their computer next to the register and booted it up, searching for something.

The Jr dude said he was impressing him. Yata had never heard anything like that from his parents. All of their attention was always on those other loser siblings of his. The Jr dude went on to say that the neighborhood and the shop were under his watch now, and that if he did a good job he'd promote him. Yata nodded his head with a grin. it seemed like he had 3 jobs now: a Company member, a bouncer and a bodyguard.

Jr asked him to supervise the installation of the security stuffs and then left. Not too soon after, a black van pulled up, and 3 guys in dark colored jumpsuits got out. Yata opened the door to let them in. After walking around the shop the guys began to install the equipment. One of them put in a burglar alarm that would alert The Company and the police when tripped, another set up a CCTV system with small, inconspicuous cameras, and the 3rd ran wires and set up the power supply.

These guys seemed like they knew what they were doing so most of the time Yata sat on his skateboard out of their way and read the book that Granny gave him. Though he wasn't really reading the words; he was moreso wondering what kind of reaction his people would have if they knew about all the good he was doing now, after so long of being considered a bully and a troublemaker. All this time passed with him being gone and no one came to look though, so he figured they wouldn't even care. Fuck them was how he felt about the whole situation.

Gran continued looking around on the computer for something until several short moments later she pulled up the bank account information for her and her granddaughter: twenty five thousand credits had been added to their account. Gran reached over, tugging on Starlette's sweater as she had been busy watching the new arrivals set up the security system. Starlette glanced over to the computer screen curiously and then her jaw dropped at the figure she was seeing. Junior really had set the pair of them up nicely: that was more then enough money to keep them comfortable for quite a while, on top of whatever they would end up making from Afterlight's sales.

”Wow, Gran... “

”My thoughts exactly, dear.” Her Gran then looked over to the trio setting up the security equipment and then back to Starlette. ”I'm going to go call the school and get you enrolled, again. I'll be upstairs if you need me.” Gran closed out of the page she was on after logging off, and then got up and disappeared behind the purple curtain to head back upstairs.

Starlette glanced Yata who looked to be reading his book, and then to the book she herself had been reading before the Templar's had shown up. As if reading her mind her grandmother called down the steps, ”You should finish reading that book, Starlette. It'll prepare you for our next lessons.”

Starlette blinked, glanced back at the curtain that she knew wasn't see-through, and frowned in a stumped kind of manner. ”How in the world does she do that...”, she wondered out loud. She then glanced to the clock on the wall: she had every intention of heading to Darkman Tower as soon as everything was set up – the idea of perhaps having a chance to work for the Company wasn't one she planned on allowing to pass her by.

Word Count: 3,273

The tech guys set up flatscreen TVs in the back room. They were linked to the cameras in the front room covering all angles, outside covering the front door, the sides of the building, the back alley, and the roof.

Another tech guy installed the alarm keypad behind the front counter, explaining that all one had to do was type whatever code they wanted on it, and the system would recognize that as their personal code. Typing it in every night before bed brought the system online. Should someone try to break in, if the police didn't show up, a Company member would. There were also buttons to directly contact the police and The Company.

"Better hope the police show up first, for their sake," added Yata.

The tech guys even installed a door buzzer, intercom and a new doorbell. One flatscreen was behind the counter with Starlette linked to the camera at the front door. She'd be able to see whoever was trying to enter and buzz them in from where she sat. She'd also be able to flip between all of the cameras in and around the building.

"Alright Mr Yata, everything's set up," said one of the Techs as they were gathering their things after cleaning up the mess they made.

Mr Yata. It made him grin some. "Ok, good job, fellas," Yata said, feeling sort of like a boss himself. "I'll put in a good word with the boss. Be careful out there, buncha weirdos and freaks around."

"Oh we know," said another tech. They waved to Yata and Starlette before leaving.

While the tech guys worked Starlette picked up her newest spell book and got to reading: it was more complex then the others she had read up until that point. This one spoke of making runes and magical symbols on the fly, as they were needed. It sounded dangerous to put it lightly, and she knew she was going to have to practice before she could rely too heavily on that sort of ability.

When the tech guys explained about the keypad she listened, choosing a date that both her and her grandmother would instantly memorize: 1692. It was the year of the witch trials, something that had affected the Tempest family indirectly, but had affected them all the same.

She listened to the rest of the instructions; including the button, the door buzzer, and the screen that would not only allow her to see everyone at the door but allow her to go through the other various cameras now around and in the store itself. She wouldn't have to worry about anyone coming into the store that they didn't give permission to be there now: and anyone stupid enough to try and force themselves in was looking at either dealing with the police, or a member of The Company.

Her grandmother came back down the steps then and Starlette made quick work in showing Gran how everything worked so that they would both be on the same page. Gran learned quickly and when Starlette was done explaining everything she hugged her. ”Good, now you've got nothing to worry about if you're not here. I have you enrolled in school; they're getting a course schedule ready for you and it'll be at the office when you go in on Monday. If you're going to go up to that big tower for that interview you should go soon, Starlette. It'll be dark soon, and I don't like the idea of you walking the streets at that time alone – not with those guys out there. I'm sure they're not happy you told them no.”

”Alright, Gran. Wait.. how'd you know I'd go up there?”

Her grandmother chuckled. ”Instinct, dear. Remember, I always tell you not to ignore it. That's why humans have lost that extra perception throughout the centuries... You've got to learn to trust your gut. When you do that your gut instinct will grow stronger, and one day you'll know things like me.” Gran then looked over towards Yata. ”Did that book help you out? I could find another with more information if you need it.”

Word Count: 428 + 3,273 = 3,701