Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2021 17:13:15 GMT -8
Was there something about this whole ordeal that had been particularly triggering, or was it simply the straw that broke the camel's back? Was it opportunistic, or was it the most base level of warnings? Did it really matter in the end?
Archie sought to elevate, to cultivate, to bask in the success that he could lead others too. He was good at it, it was his thing. More often or not he lived his work more than his life. The pressure was always there, but that was the edge where he thrived, not having time dwell on the things that didn’t matter in the moment. Client to client, gig to gig, meeting to meeting - it was like a good beat.
Taking Agrippa aboard? Seemed natural, business as usual. Sure the medium was different. A bit of help was easy to find, it was an investment after all right? He had seen a lot of promise in that initial meeting, both of them had been excited, and then when it all came down to the brass tax Archie had the first draft with the editors notes.
Did I just get Honeydicked?
This was. . . B A D. . .Sure there was the sliver of what could be something, but it wasn’t he had expected or what he had really been promised. He kept tight tabs on socials, on gossip, and just generally spoke with people in the Lost community. There was a very real chance that Agrippa was simply just fucking around and letting Archie blow all of this money.
The problem? Archie had tapped his connections, he had put his name on this, and people were starting to think that Archie was not as good as he was. That he had made a mistake here. That there was no salvaging this project. Take the L, right? Archie had his house in order and wasn’t going to let his reputation suffer. Clint and the editor had combed the notes from a publisher or two to forward to Agrippa. Archie was somewhat hands off the final leg of the race. He was a ball of feelings.
However when all was said and done? It was something. Something that could probably survive out there in the sea of competition and stand on its own legs. It wasn’t a complete failure - but could you call it a success? In the end, Archie understood Dreams weren’t free so he spent.
For Agrippa though? He needed to understand that. . .Dreams aren’t free.
The meeting was after hours, the office was closed, most of the building was dark, but it was a late night for Have A Hart, and thus when finally arriving his client would be able to walk into the office and find their way to the familiar space that was Archie’s office.
The office was thudding with the deep bass of a hip hop track that was playing from the speakers behind the desk. The desk was largely clear, sans for: A large stack of printed and bound papers - the manuscript to the book, A pile of wrapped and crisp twenty dollar bills - at least a few thousand in cash, and back near Archie’s own edge a bottle of Roku gin, with a glass that he had been nursing.
Archie, in a nice white three piece with nice pastel green shirt and striped green and silver bowtie was sitting behind the desk, eyes closed bobbing with the music as he leaned back, hands clasped over his stomach.
Once Agrippa arrived, it was time to get down to business.
|
|
|
Post by Agrippa on Apr 2, 2021 17:55:59 GMT -8
Agrippa knew.
Even if the text that had summoned them had been cheery and bright, their manuscript receiving as many rounds of scathing review as it did couldn't have sparked much joy for their talent agent. He hadn't been very communicative for the last few weeks of the whole ordeal, and Agrippa was fairly certain that wasn't a positive thing. Creative pursuits were like this- sometimes you create genius, and other times you write yourself into a corner. Usually Agrippa would have just abandoned the whole idea and started something else, but this time they had promised to deliver a specific story by a specific time, so they were trapped and had no choice but to try to dig themselves out of the mess of a plot they had long-regretted trying to realize. It was, they supposed, the reason why most authors had to show up with a finished product before anyone would give them the time of day.
Laptop bag slung over their shoulder, Agrippa crept up to the office door and stood aside it a moment before poking a white face through the entrance and knocking tentatively on the doorframe
"Hello?"
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2021 18:18:33 GMT -8
And so the moment arrived - Showtime. The Fairests hands left each other's embrace and drummed the edge of the desk as Archie opened his eyes and leaned forward with a smile as Agrippa poked his head in, one raising to offer one of the two chairs across from him to his client. He was in a mood, but he wasn’t going to be outwardly rude...right?
“Agrippa,”
He began in an even cadence,
“You know you are here because you were jerking me around right? That you sat around twiddling your thumbs so I could blow a whole stack of cash on an editor, fast tracking things to a publisher when really I should have posted it on the web so some teenagers could fawn over it . Because it really feels like I would have been bent over the barrel on this one if I hadn’t lit a fire under your ass and made you put pen to paper and crank out something that wasn’t destined for the dog bowl. But I am sure you had plenty of time to go on some spooky adventures didn’t you? Fun is what it is all about isn’t it? Trust me, I am very pissed off.”
The delivery was almost cheery, as Archie spoke - an exuberance in his voice, his hands beginning to move in a way that seemed to lend to what he may have been saying. Now - unless Agrippa was well versed in conversational Yiddish this would all be lost on them. The Fairest wore a contemplative look for a moment.
“What I am saying is. . .I don’t think we are speaking the same language, Agrippa. So I figured it was time we meet up, connect a little, and get back on track about what is going on here, how it is going to go down, what it is going to look like, and really set out the structure of this partnership. Dig?”
As he spoke his hands made a back and forth movement to accentuate the flow of communication before one arm came to rest on the side of his chair and the other found the glass of Roku gin. One glass - there wasn’t any sharing at the moment.
“So lets level - How do you feel about this piece, and what do you want from it?”
|
|
|
Post by Agrippa on Apr 3, 2021 7:49:29 GMT -8
Agrippa had barely entered the room before Archie started speaking in Yiddish. The language, unrecognized and unexplained, froze the unicorn mid-step. They stared, concerned and blinking for the entire duration of the obfuscated admonishment, only letting an ounce of tension go in their shoulders once the Fairest resumed speaking in the language they both understood. Despite the friendly tone Archie affected, Agrippa appeared strung up to the wire. The look was unsettlingly natural for a beast with the features of a prey animal. Archie got a silent affirmative nod to his first question, and a tentative approach that finally took the seat being offered. They didn't look particularly comfortable in it, and they weren't trying to.
"...This is about how many drafts it took, isn't it?"
They studied the stack of papers that had stolen months of their time, and taken a good few years off of their life from the stress. They weren't sure they regretted putting in the time, but they certainly regretted having done so under the circumstances that they did. But they weren't going to say that, at least, not yet.
"If by piece you mean that there-"
They nodded towards the stack, eyes refusing to come off of it
"-then I think its alright now. I really just want it to be out there. Get more stuff out there as well. Keep on looking forward to the next thing... One of the nice things about not writing novels with sequel bait is that I don't have to be tethered to any single thing for too long."
Agrippa bit the inside of their lip, praying that the Fairest wasn't going to be to lead them on through a conversational labyrinth.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2021 9:02:17 GMT -8
”We both embrace the Antler Crown as our Court, Agrippa. So let us narrow this down for you so you aren’t drowning in open water. What do you want from this? Legacy or Wealth?
The Fairest leaned forward, elbows resting on his desk and fingers interlocking as he kept a smile on his face - as fake as it was - and stared the Unicorn down as he simply tried to give a course of action.
”Which of these two desires inspires your writing?”
|
|
|
Post by Agrippa on Apr 3, 2021 9:46:44 GMT -8
Agrippa's lips parted silent, hesitating as an answer caught in their throat- the conversation wasn't going in the direction they would have anticipated, and their brain was taking its sweet time reversing and doubling back
"...Neither."
They frowned
"Or legacy, depending on your definition, I suppose. I wish for my works to exist and affect people. Some may consider that to be a legacy, others would consider a legacy lost if the work existed without the author known. Its a bit of splitting hairs, but the existence and effect is far greater a concern of mine than fame. Of course I do need some amount of wealth to survive, but it isn't what drives me. Certainly wouldn't cross mountain and sea to earn more than I really need."
They nodded to themselves after another short silence, their eyes wandering back up to the Fairest with a look now more curious than cautious.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2021 18:51:20 GMT -8
He nodded.
“I ask for some very simple reasons. I find myself in a position where my investment is substantial, and we are in this for the foreseeable future. Everything I have seen thus far, it begs the question if I should go ahead and exercise termination - cut my losses and run so to speak. However, here we are, a semi-finished product that will do something I am sure. Plus I don’t want people to think I am going to just give up on people chasing their dreams at the first sign of trouble.”
His voice seemed to have a positive slant.
“But…”
There was always a but.
“Everything has a price - because if Dreams were free, we wouldn’t need to sleep, right?”
The Fairest offered the kindest smile he could muster as his blood was more simmering than boiling - his rant letting him blow off some of that but there was still a heavy tension in the air. The deep bass of the music still pulsing through the room despite being low enough volume to not intrude on their conversation.
“So I have made it as simple as I could, so there was need to meander, or stumble. I have nailed the choices down - Legacy or Wealth.”
He unclasped his hands and one landed on the thick manuscript.
“Legacy is your name on the front, being someone, and using this as a stepping stone to grow your brand and flourish. Letting your work reach more, and more. It really would be your platform, and lets your bibliography become more than just another fish in the sea.”
“However - I would be recouping my investment in the most direct and monetary fashion. I’ll see this through to the end, but it refills my coffer. The most obvious way to repay money spent is money earned.”
His other hand went and fell onto the stack of cash that had also been placed on the desk.
“Now, life does cost real money - and I could make sure that you get to reap what you sow. The continued success of these works will make sure you can live nicely, comfortably, maybe buy an old timey typewriter to feel nostalgic.”
“Trade off? I take another name and slap it on the cover. Use it to elevate someone else so that I don’t have to spend my resources on a second source. Whatever good comes from your work? You can rest easy knowing its there, but the credit is someone else's.”
He laid these out as simply as he could - pro’s and con’s - because he didn’t want the Unicorn to have doubts, especially following the wishy washy nature of the answer he had given.
“So don’t worry, the dream’s not dead - we just need to figure this out before we get back to work.”
Smile
|
|
|
Post by Agrippa on Apr 5, 2021 6:39:11 GMT -8
Agrippa's hope in the conversation died at sentence three of Archie's elaboration, and it only continued to decay as the ultimatum was laid out clear. By the end of it, they had sunk low in their seat, trading an anxious ramrod posture for limp defeat. An expression on the miserable side of neutral lingered on for a long moment as their eyes passed between the two stacks of paper that held the beast's very fate in the balance. A frown broke it, though the unicorn did not speak for an eternity longer.
"...I choose wealth. Between the options, that one I would rather."
The key word came out funny and wrong, like it was in a language the writer didn't quite understand. They opened their mouth as if to say something more, though nothing came out and they shut it decisively soon after. This wasn't the time they should be speaking- they could recognize when they had the shovel in hand, and they weren't about to start digging.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2021 20:09:26 GMT -8
Agrippa had tried his best to articulate, to explain, but in the end they made their choice. At the end of their day, food on the plate, and some walking around money was more important than being known, than being somebody. It was telling, how some people didn’t mind that they constructed works with no want to leave a signature. It was frustrating, aggravating, infuriating.
“Done and done.”
A smile was across the Fairests face. A simple deal.
“I’ll send you over the amendments Eh Es Eh Pee.”
He leaned back in his seat, handing once more interlocking over his stomach as he stared a hole through the Unicorn.
“Now, point of order. How good is your ID? Can it take bank transfers? Royalties? Google? Or would moving money into accounts be a problem? If that is the case, I would be happy to help set up a network where you don’t need to worry as much about that.”
Would the Unicorn clue in? Everything had a price.
|
|
|
Post by Agrippa on Apr 9, 2021 1:11:10 GMT -8
What might've sounded like a helpful offer to an Agrippa of earlier times now sounded like a trap. Really, they weren't sure whether their current ID would pose any problems for larger bank transfers, since they had mostly gotten paid in cash since their return. But they weren't going to give that information up freely now, and they certainly wouldn't hand this extortionist anything even remotely resembling keys to their bank account. Agrippa shook their head emphatically. It was the most confident gesture they had made since entering the room.
"I'll check that."
The pronoun had just the slightest emphasis on it, if the Fairest cared to listen that closely
"Does it need to stand up to cheques? Or just larger wire transfers?"
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2021 7:25:00 GMT -8
“Recurring transfers based on royalties. You are going to need more than a piece of plastic with a picture on it that may or may not get you at of a traffic stop. If you can’t confidently lease a car or get a background check for a gun? You may run into problems.”
When cash over the bar wasn’t an option this was the sort of questioning that needed to be done. There was nothing that flagged harder than funny financials. Archie had a long time ago had the sense to set up his own Agency as an account that anyone could drop dollars into to pay for any project, and then he could always pay out in cash as needed while keeping the books balanced. It helped keep middlemen out of the way and stop them from asking questions.
However, this was not a free service. Accountants needed to paid and he wasn’t going to do that as a net loss from his pocket, so he made sure to take points off the back end to help recoup those losses. The numbers were fair when talking about
”My guess is that if you aren’t sure, the answer is no - so we can just get this out of the way and I can start to set up a way to get paid that is more amenable to your means.”
|
|
|
Post by Agrippa on Apr 11, 2021 3:50:27 GMT -8
Agrippa recoiled slightly as Archie ploughed right through what was admittedly an obfuscated plea to let them take care of the matter themselves. The change of posture afforded their demeanor an ounce of spine that ultimately failed to translate to their words
"If you were to set this up, could it be transferred when and if I were to secure my identity to the degree necessary? I haven't been back all that long, and gathering more documentation and history is an ongoing effort."
They bit their lower lip, unafraid of demonstrating their discomfort openly
"I wouldn't want to burden you by using any more resources than absolutely necessary. I could even wait on the money for a time."
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2021 19:34:12 GMT -8
“This is less a burden, than a duty. I can’t in good conscience allow you to risk your alternate ID everyday because your employer is curious about just who they are dealing with. Then suddenly your Fetch is getting an email or phone call about your dealings in Vegas, and then they may come to cause all sorts of troubles. Or Hunters, that is how we get hunters. So you can see how I am more than obliged - otherwise I have risk assuming responsibility when things come crashing down.”
It was a lesson that if people wanted to make their scratch, and have it ready for the masses they needed to make sure they were prepared to ward off curiosity .
“And yes, when you can have adequate paperwork to assume full control without needing a middle man you are happily able to take over the deposits with only contractual payments needing to be obliged.”
Responsibility was a bitter flavor, but Archie had a duty to maintain the line between the mundane and the fae. Plus there were other reasons, personal and professional that Archie decided to press these lessons decisively.
|
|
|
Post by Agrippa on Apr 12, 2021 23:45:55 GMT -8
Agrippa nodded meekly, resisting the urge to argue that they did in fact know the potential risks, and found the insinuation that they wouldn't to be a patronizing insult at best.
"I'll gather the paperwork as quickly as I can..."
They trailed off, letting their lack of further protest to the arrangement do the speaking for them. Archie knew he won- they both knew that. He didn't need to hear it.
"Is there anything else I need to do?"
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2021 17:11:07 GMT -8
He reached out with his right hand, collecting the glass he had poured for himself before the meeting. The same hand Fawkes had taken out of commission for sometime. He casually tipped the glass back, letting the taste of juniper overwhelm his taste buds in the moment, leaving Agrippa hanging.
The gentle feeling of the bass still thruming through the room.
The volume low enough the lyrics were inaudible.
“Do you get it, Agrippa? What this is?”
|
|