Rob
Pew Pew Pew
White Cross, Black Suit
3373 Words
3373 Words
Rob
Karl
Karl
“Fräulein!” a young woman called over to Rosa as she stepped off the plane. “I have taken the liberty of getting our luggage already!”
“Thank you, Mila,” the blue-eyed Quincy replied softly as she looked around the airport for the vehicle she had her contacts prepare. “Have you perchance also seen a silver Mercedes-McLaren SLR when you went to recover our belongings?”
“Eh, yes, I did actually!” Mila replied excitedly. “Are we...?”
“Yes, so please lead the way.”
“Awesome!”
Smiling softly at the enigmatic young Quincy she soon found herself standing near the car’s trunk, lifting their luggage into it. It was every bit the car she had hoped for and though she couldn’t wait to put it through its paces, she knew she couldn’t.
Not with someone like Mila right beside her... not to mention the fact that she had a role model status to fulfill, not just for the girl beside her, but for all that stood with her.
Getting the keys to the car tossed to her, she stepped into it and brought the engine roaring to life.
“Let’s go,” she said to her companion as she drove off, “I will drive us to our hotel, change into something more appropriate and leave for my meeting.”
“I still don’t know why I can’t just come with you!” Mila mocked as she crossed her arms. “It’s not fair!”
“I know, Mila,” Rosa chimed in softly, “but I really can’t bring you along with me for this, please understand.”
“Hmmph,” the young girl snorted as she looked out of the window. “Promise me you’ll take me out for lunch tomorrow!”
“I promise.”
As the pair arrived at their destination, Rosa parked the car someplace she could find it again - she was rather known for forgetting things - and checked in before they went up to one of the higher leveled rooms.
It was quite an astonishing room when they finally made their way through the endless halls and had arrived at their suite. Even though Rosa was used to a bit of luxury, this still seemed excessively more luxurious than anything she had ever stayed in.
“Well,” she began as she chuckled softly after she had finished dressing herself up for the meeting, “make yourself at home, I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Promise!”
“I promise to take you out for lunch tomorrow, Mila.”
With that she left for the elevator and made her way down towards the parking lot again, stepped into her car and brought the engine to life again before driving off towards her contract.
If there was one thing the slim vice-chairman of Cerberus loved it was a brand new, bespoke suit. He was always searching for better, more tailored and generally higher quality suits. He’d been through the Italians, the Brits and even the Japanese but nothing was quite what he wanted. At least now with this new company involved he might finally get a suit that pleased him. He’d heard good things about the woman who ran the company.
Now outside he heard the low rumble of a low-slung McLaren Mercedes and an elegantly dressed woman slid out with surprising grace for someone in a skirt. If the lanky youth had any interest in women beyond the professional he would’ve said she was attractive. Now he was more concerned about the cut of suit he’d get. As she entered he rose and bowed.
“Shihara Zakki. Pleased to meet you!”
If there was anything Rosa had learned as the boss of a rather large company it was that being multilingual was definitely a necessity to a good and healthy relationship between different contracts. When she first came to Japan she knew nothing of the Japanese, nothing of their culture and nothing of their language either.
Because she returned to Europe so shortly thereafter she never really got to learn the language first hand, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t practiced it over these past few months. She knew she would return here one day.
Waiting for the man to finish his bow, she extended her arm and shook the youth’s hand as she said, “Rosa Weiß, and the pleasure is all mine Mister Shihara.”
As she was being led inside she upped her pace for a bit so that she was right beside Zakki and continued, “Apologies for my Japanese in advance, I have not been in this country for quite some time so my pronunciation is a bit rusty.”
The lanky youth inclined his head slightly and a smile that gave his mouth a slightly sardonic cast spread over his face. In a moment slightly accented English began flowing forth from his full lips.
“I quite understand. I’m thankful that my mother taught me how to speak English. It does come in handy. Now if you’ll come right this way I’ll lead you to my office where we can talk in more detail.”
It was only now that Zakki began to notice a definite level of thanatoresonance emanating from Rosa. The longer he spent in her company, the more he felt it. It wasn’t the same as Vizard or Shinigami resonance but...no...it couldn’t be. The vice-chairman kept his mind quiet in case there were errant people around who could read minds. One could never be too cautious where Cerberus was concerned.
After a short walk and an elevator ride they reached the contemporary furnishings and sleek marble surfaces of the slim young man’s newly renovated office. Vice-chairmanship had its perks. Now the pale young man pointed to a low, leather-covered chair.
“Please have a seat and we can start to talk about my suit. I have a few things in mind. Oh...can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee?”
Another perk of his position was the ability to have lackeys who’d run around fetching things for him. Naturally he made his own coffee but why not have an errand boy to fetch it for guests? It added to the impression of power and control.
“I’ll have some coffee, thank you,” Rosa responded relatively swiftly as she sat down, “black please.”
There were a few things that were noticeable right away. One: this was definitely not your average Joe corporation as all around her humans with spiritual signatures seemed to lurk around and about... and then the man in front of her himself.
He seemed to house power unlike any she had ever felt before, and it worried the Quincy a tad.
Furthermore, from the looks of it, this corporation also didn’t really... seem the kind to differentiate between highly skilled men and less skilled ones. Which was a good thing, Rosa thought.
“First things first, though,” she continued as her coffee was delivered to her, “I do not normally fly all the way from London to a contract, but my work dictated that I be in the vicinity. As a result I thought it to be a nice change of pace to meet up with whomever ordered the suit for once.”
Reaching for inside her handbag she took out a few forms, a bunch of brochures on several of her stores as well as handful of pieces of paper pertaining information regarding the branch she worked in.
Spitting through them for a second she arranged them, tapped them lightly on the desk in front of her to make it look neat and turned it over so Zakki could see it in all its glory.
“Skim through it if you want,” she said as she locked eyes with Zakki. “Unless, of course, you already have it all figured out. In which case we can make this simple.”
The vice chairman sighed as his inept assistant stayed hovering around. One glare and a wave of the hand dismissed him in a worried rush and the pale young man turned back to Rosa.
“Interns. At any rate I may have to take a better look at these designs. I got some basic ideas from your website but having a chance to deal with someone in person is always better. I appreciate you taking the time to come and see me face to face.”
Zakki began leafing through the brochures which came complete with swatches of the actual fabric that would be used. He ran long, elegant fingers over each surface and enjoyed the tactility of it. One of the pleasures of wearing a good suit was the sensation of fine fabric on the skin. He glanced up at Rosa and asked a pointed question.
“So I take it you have quite a diverse business. I feel as if there’s an interesting background behind a business woman like you. I find that so many people in your field are so dull. However, you, stand out to me.”
This game’s already starting huh? Well let’s see how you play, Miss Rosa he thought with interest as he began subtly leaving hints for the woman to pick up on.
“You’ll find,” Rosa began softly as she took a sip of her coffee, “that I’m not as interesting as you may believe I am, Zakki. I do have a rich background, if that is what you are gaining at, though.
“But,” she continued as she flipped through a few of the free brochures, “is this really something we should be discussing while on a business meeting? If I may,” turning the brochure she had been reading around she tapped on an elegant, anthracite suit, “I think with your stature and status this suit would work wonders.”
There was a brief nod and the barest flicker of a smile from the vice-chairman as his probing was rejected smoothly so for a moment he concentrated intently on the brochure. One long finger tapped against the anthracite fabric that was displayed next to the photo of the suit and he made a show of thinking before he answered.
“Yes. I do feel as if it will work with a few modifications. I’d like it to be single-breasted and I want it all cut much more closely to my form than the usual suits. It looks better on me. Otherwise I enjoy your suggestion.”
“Hmm,” Rosa mused. Everything seemed to be in order, but the man’s previous question about her background still nagged at her conscience. Why was he so interested in her background?
Obviously she knew the man was no ordinary human by now since he wasn’t exactly trying his hardest to... hide it.
“Anything else you would like added?”
The pale youth inclined his head to one side and back to the other before giving Rosa a second look and a slow shake of the head.
“I don’t believe so. Simplicity is the key to a good suit. I’m sure you’ve found that to be true in your line of work. Obviously many years in your business has helped you become very aware of the many subtle nuances that go into each suit.”
Rosa simply nodded at the circular notion as she finished her cup of coffee.
There was a momentary pause while a pair of emerald eyes met Rosa’s and Zakki continued.
“I apologize for my earlier comments. The problem is that I’m quite observant and I couldn’t help but notice that you seem rather unique. I only meant it as a compliment.”
“I see,” the blue-eyed Chairwoman replied as she gazed back into Zakki’s eyes. “I’ll take it as just that then, a compliment.”
There was something Zakki wasn’t telling her. Of course she was unique, but so was he. If he was trying to unearth some dark secret, why not ask directly... instead of blindly insinuate things that could only lead to more questions?
“But Mister Shihara, you are quite the unique person as well, aren’t you?”
A half-smile briefly touched Zakki’s lips and he leaned a fraction closer for a moment before sitting back with his eyes hooded and his fingers tented together in a neat triangle.
“You may be quite correct Miss Weiß. I think we are both aware of things beyond the normal. It is fascinating that you wound up seeing me directly. It may end up being to both of our advantages.”
There was another pause and the slim, pale youth chose his words slowly and carefully.
“There may be a deal for us to make between our companies and I’m not talking about supplying my agents with suits. The mutual benefit of even an informal alliance might be quite high. What do you think?”
“I think,” she began as she stowed away the brochures, papers and information pamphlets, “that I would like to speak with your Chairman about such contracts. But, seeing as how I am but the owner of an international company in the clothing industry.
“What could an alliance possibly accomplish?”
Though she was very much aware that she was no just feigning ignorance, she was still rather interested in seeing what Zakki had to say since she wasn’t even wrong. She was the owner of a clothing company; he was the vice-chairman of a pharmaceutical company.
An alliance would seem like the most unlikely thing ever.
One eyebrow rose up Zakki’s pale forehead and he drummed his fingers briefly on the desk and he regarded her with slight amusement.
“The Chairman is far too busy to deal with new contracts now. I’d be the best choice for that sort of deal. We both know that your clothing company is of no interest to Yokoham. I am referring more to your special skills outside of the clothing retail business, just as I am referring to mine outside of pharmaceuticals.”
He skewered Rosa with an emerald gaze.
“What is your interest in matters beyond what the rest of the world can see?”
“My interest...” Rosa repeated, “in matters beyond what the rest of the world can see? It is quite scarce, I can tell you that much. I do not much care for the land of the dead, nor the land of those we cannot see.
“Not so much out of a sense of fear, but from a lack of perspective.”
Something about the way she said ‘perspective’ was intriguing to the lanky youth so he decided to explore that avenue without overdoing it. He rested his fingers against his lips for a moment and spoke reflectively.
“What would cause this lack of perspective? Are you suggesting that because you’re too close to see it clearly? I wonder, Miss Weiß, why we are talking at cross purposes. We’d benefit from getting to the point.”
Leaning back in his comfortably appointed leather chair the slim vice-chairman of Cerberus regarded the woman with veiled eyes. His face gave nothing away of his true feelings.
“No,” the blonde replied softly at the man’s continued inquiring, “because we do not know all there is to know about it. You say it might because I am, or we are, too close to it, but is that really the case?
“I wonder.”
The enigmatic girl in front of him was becoming more interesting by the moment. There was a depth behind her eyes that made Zakki want to delve into it and see what else was hidden in Rosa’s psyche. Now, in spite of himself, he leaned forward with fascination.
“Sometimes a little knowledge, as the old saying goes, is a dangerous thing. But the only way one can obviate that danger is to learn more. Do you want to learn more Rosa?”
The path that the slim young man was on seemed safest to him. It wasn’t too obvious but it was still encouraging his potential recruit to want more.
“I do not.” There was a certain severity behind the woman’s words that made it all the clear to Zakki that this was final. She knew what ‘wanting to know more’ would lead to, she knew what would happen to people who knew too much, or in her case, a race which knew too much about the happenings of the world.
Her race had been condemned to near extinction once, she wasn’t about to let it go near extinct twice.
“Tell me, Mister Shihara,” Rosa continued as she leaned back in her chair, “what do you really know about that which we cannot see?”
Careful, Zakki, careful he thought as she asked him the question point-blank. This was a tipping point in the conversation. The pale vice-chairman tented his fingers together and sighed for a moment.
“What I really know? I know that people like you don’t quit on these ideas. You might claim you don’t want to know but I can feel something else. However it’s totally up to you.”
Reaching across the table the slim young man deposited his business card for the blond haired, Germanic woman.
“I will merely ask that you consider what we’re discussing today and keep me in mind when you do so. I have no desire to push you any further at the moment.”
Rosa did not move, but instead said, “You did not answer my question, Mister Shihara.” Whether it had been intentional, or unintentional on his part she didn’t know, but something about the way he seemed to steer around the subject made her believe that all he knew...
Was not a whole lot in reality.
“I will ask again,” she continued as she took a hold of the man’s business card, “what do you think you really know?”
Once again Zakki was at a crossroads. Part of him was tired of dancing around the subject and part of him knew that too much information in the wrong hands would compromise Cerberus. Trusting Rosa with too much at once was a stupid idea and the lanky youth was through with stupid ideas in his job.
“You can feel what’s around us right now, Rosa. I’m not your ordinary, average person. I know some of what’s hiding out there. I probably don’t know much of it but I know some of it. My proposal to you is that you help me discover more of what I don’t know.”
There was a brief pause as the slim youth gathered himself and pressed on.
“I cannot reveal many details to you now. I need to test you before I can trust you. If you accept you can call me in the future and we’ll arrange for a test of your skills.”
Standing up the lanky young man bowed to her and graciously gestured towards the door.
“At the very least I’ll get a new suit out of the deal. You know where to find me in the future Rosa.”
“A... test?” That sounded incredibly vague and not to mention that it made her feel a bit worried. Why the hell would he want to test her? Did he have any idea with what type of person he was dealing with?
Did he know she was a... Quincy?
From the looks of it he didn’t, though, so then what was this... an elaborate attempt at recruiting a potential agent for some shady business dealing in ‘the world beyond’?
Actually seems rather likely, Rosa mentally said to herself as she grabbed her handbag, stood up from her chair and made her way towards the door.
“We’ll see, have a good day, sir.”
The vice-chairman of Cerberus nodded simply. He wasn’t entirely sure if his ploy had worked or not but at least no crucial operational details had been dvulged to someone who could harm his organization. If Rosa wasn’t a danger he’d find out for himself. Jeopardizing the entire Corporation was no longer his goal.
“You too, Rosa Weiß. You too.”
He watched her make her way efficiently out of the building and was lost in thought for a moment before slowly turning and settling down at his desk.
With the roaring sound of her car’s engine being brought to life Rosa drove off, reflecting on the meeting she had just left. Zakki Shihara, huh? she thought to herself as she turned around a corner. The fact that he had never really answered her question about the world beyond made her interested in the man, albeit rather slightly more so than not at all.
Smiling softly she shook her head and sped off into the distance.