User:Nextoy/Farside Pub/Shady Business

''We business men all have the same goal: create opportunities, maximize profits, and overcome the competition. However even looking past ethics there's a point when we all have to stop, step back, and realize that some deals aren't worth making. I'm not saying "don't sell your soul to the devil," but there are much scarier things than him. And they're beyond terrifying for one reason alone: they're real.''

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''"Welp, this was the meeting place. Farside pub, middle of some random highway away from the city. Whoever he is sure likes his privacy." ''I thought to myself, walking inside the bar. For a roadside rest stop it was actually pretty nice looking, and the gas prices were much more reasonable than in the city.

"Hey there, what can I get goin' for ya?" The barkeep asked in a thick accent as I walked in, seeming rather cheery despite the small number of customers.

"Hey, I'm looking for someone. A man named Jacollo Armani told me to meet him here." I explained, walking next to the counter and looking around. "Do you know where I could find him?"

"Ol' Jack? A city slicker like you should probably stay away from him. Good customer for who he is, but not exactly the business man he claims to be. Anyways if you really need to see him he stepped out back for a moment, so he'll be back shortly." The barkeep explained, his look growing grim as he focused on the mug he had been cleaning.

"Well I'll just wait here, then. Um, can you get me a glass of water though?" I asked, with the barkeep taking a glass and filling it up with the tap. I didn't want to offend him, but at least keeping bottled water would be nice if he didn't have some kind of water filtration system.

Not too much time passed before a man in a purple business suit came in, his tie ordained with different gemstones going down in a line and his ears being oddly long and rugged at the top. The moment he spotted me I got the feeling that this odd looking man must have been Mr. Armani.

"Ah, you must be Simon Winters." Jacollo greeted, with an odd, dark tone to his otherwise cheery voice. He seemed to have a very faint Yankee accent to him, but otherwise it was difficult to figure out what his nationality or heritage was from. Especially given his sharp features.

"Yes, and you must be Mr. Armani." I replied, standing up and offering my hand. When his fingers wrapped around them it felt... different. His nails were long, straight, and incredibly sharp - but his hands... his hands were this strange mix of bony, slimy, and oddly thick; almost as if his bones were larger than a normal human’s.

"Come, I've reserved a table for us. Oh and barkeep, could you bring a Bloody Mary to my table, please?" He asked his voice actually rather eloquent and sophisticated beyond the faint accent.

"Ah told you that we don't keep any sissy drinks around here!" The barkeep yelled at him. "Now you can either get a real drink or you can go thirsty."

"I know you keep lemonade in that fridge of yours. Two glasses would be nice, and don't skip on the added sugar." Jacollo replied, his voice full of sass. The barkeep mumbled curses and insults under his breath as we took a seat at the far side of the pub, with Jacollo wearing this wide, toothy smile the whole way.

"Now Mr. Armani, about our-" I started, with the strange man quickly interrupted me.

"Please, call me Jacollo." He insisted, holding his bony fingers to his chest, "But yes, about the proposal. Electronics companies are very hard to get off the ground, and I like to make sure I have a..." he stopped for a moment, his hand swirling the air in (what I assume) was a way to help him think. "...Solid investment, you see."

"Well, yes, but I'd like to think that-" I started again, this time the waitress interrupted me to hand us our drinks. We both thanked her before I continued on. "I'd like to think that my product has a solid place in the market. I mean it's no iPhone or Samsung Galaxy, but with your resources I believe that a new brand of smart phone can make a huge change in the market." I explained, watching Jacollo quietly listen in; his eyes closed and his fingers bouncing on each syllable.

"And this phone, I wouldn't suppose you had some kind of test model with you?" He asked, opening one eye to see me look down in regret. This was the one time I was thankful for his interruptions. "I see. But a man like you surely brought blueprints and design documents, yes?"

"Yes, of course." I replied, getting my briefcase onto the table and opening it up, handing him a sheet of papers. He looked over them carefully, his grin faded into a small, toothy o-shape. As he looked through the papers I noticed that his teeth were rather sharp, sliding into each other in almost triangular grooves. This mere fact, coupled with his hands, creeped me out. But so far he was the only person to stay interested in my product, so I had to look past that.

"Fascinating ideas, but if you’re going to work with me I'd like to make a few upgrades after the first "generation" is released. If, of course, it catches on." He explained, handing the papers back to me. "And if it doesn't then naturally I'd need a return on my investments, but we can discuss that another time. Or hopefully never, since never seems more..." He looked away for a moment, then back to me with his inhumanly wide grin returning, "optimistic." He finished his tone much more jolly than before, yet still rather sophisticated sounding.

"What kind of upgrades are we thinking?" I asked him, starting to get a bit nervous. That grin of his was incredibly unsettling.

He rolled his eyes, the grin fading as Mr. Armani's grin faded once again. "Mostly just some extra money grabs, more app compatibility, things we can discuss later on." He explained, his tone sounding a bit annoyed. "Either way, I'm feeling a bit antsy. Care to walk with me?" He asked, but as he stood up his shadow lingered in position for a moment. When it looked up and realized that it's owner had moved it gave a surprised look to Mr. Armani, quickly rising to match him.

Disregarding it as my imagination, I walked with him. As we headed outside, our coats back on as and the briefcase in my hand, the shadows started to dance. I was too close to making the deal to let myself be affected by it.

"Simon, was it?" He asked, not letting me reply. "I enjoy people like you. Visionaries. Sadly, visions rarely get too far along. However, I'll give you as many people, space, and resources you need to see this vision turn into something. Though if it remains merely an idea to the company profits, then it'll be on you." He warned, the shadows turning into spears and coming close to us.

As the spears touched my shadow I felt something prodding at me. My clothes were untouched and my skin felt together, but my insides were pained by whatever was happening. I wouldn't scream, I wouldn't cry, but it hurt more than anything I'd felt before.

"This is my offer. Do we have a deal?" He asked, the shadows releasing from me. He held out his bony, slimy hand as his shadow formed into something more like a goblin or... something inhuman. I took his hand and shook it, unsure of what was to follow. "Glad to hear your on board, Mr. Winters. We'll get started as soon as you move in." He replied to my acceptance, an almost screeching laugh coming from his shadow. "Let’s just hope you don't disappoint me."