Down to Business, Chapter 2
Resplendent Earth 9, R.Y. 777
It was nearly zenith by the time the two of them got out of the door to attend business for the day, Dirge of the Ivory Scarab was already annoyed that half the day had been wasted. Unlike most of Ash’s cohorts and acquaintances, Scarab preferred to wake early and be productive throughout the morning. Since Ash was tagging along today, he should have expected this. Ash was notoriously difficult to wake early, but matters had been made significantly worse by the ‘crisis’ of the morning.
The Poor Man's Breath was abnormally thick across the city today, not only did the heavy, black soot fall across The Nighthammer District, but it had even reached the typically pristine Cinnabar District where Ash’s penthouse was located. Considering their business was in Nighthammer, the snow like soot would only get heavier as they got closer to the shop, a fact that Ash was quite aware of and he had completely, stubbornly refused to go out in it for fear that it would soil is clothing. When Scarab had suggested he wear a cloak, Ash laughed before violently dismissing him from the room. Ash, a professional assassin, informed Scarab that he did not own a cloak, and found the idea of covering his face to be deplorable.
Siren, who was more hungover than Ash, found the entire situation to be hilarious and only encouraged Ash’s stubbornness. Scarab had seriously considered giving up and going on with his day, but eventually Moon stepped in and kicked Ash out of the apartment with even more vigor than Ash had ejected Scarab with.
They’d finally made it onto the pulley car that would transport them from Cinnabar to Nighthammer, Scarab begrudgingly acknowledged to himself that tickets and seats for the car were much easier to come by once the morning rush had subsided. He’d never admit that to to Ash though. His boss was now wrapped in a slightly oversized brown cloak with frayed edges and the hood hanging across his face, huddled into a corner seat of the car and sipping coffee from a metallic flask. Moon had found the cloak in the back of a closet, something that Yusuf had left there after a visit. Scarab preferred to stand, as he did most mornings, lightly holding onto one of the handlebars affixed to the ceiling of the car for support over the familiar jostling and bumps of the ride. They rode in silence as Ash pouted in the corner, and Scarab meticulously planned the rest of their day, they had a lot of wasted time to make up for.
When they arrived at the Nighthammer stop Scarab stepped off of the car onto the cobblestone street without signaling to Ash who was still dragging himself out of the corner lazily. As expected the black soot fell heavily from the sky, collecting on the streets and walkways as a black and gray dust, causing Scarab to pull the hood up on his own cloak as soon as he was into the open air. Several young children worked diligently with thatched brooms outside of the larger shops to sweep the walkways clean for paying customers; most of the inhabitants of Nighthammer didn’t bother with such futile efforts.
Ash’s longer strides eventually caught up to Scarab, with the taller man keeping pace once he’d caught up. They were walking uphill, away from the port, with the wind at their backs and headed towards the shop.
“We’re late, the shop opened hours ago.” Scarab broke the silence that had hung between them since Ash threw him out.
“The shop can survive a few hours without you, and probably years without me. It’s fine.” Ash managed to both take a serious tone, conveying his annoyance at being reminded the time, and ease the tension that Scarab felt during their silent ride.
“Still…” Scarab paused in hesitation, clearly having difficulty taking Ash’s carefree approach. “A lot of people gather for the morning update now.”
“I told you they would.” Ash responded matter-of-factly.
Near the top of the hill, with the shop in sight, Scarab slowed to look behind him for any carriage traffic before crossing the street. Halfway across he realized that Ash hadn't followed and was talking to a young girl who had been sweeping the walkway in front of a restaurant, Scarab shook his head and didn't wait. He pulled the tall wooden door open and walked into the shop, surveying the current clientele, which had already dropped down into the midday lull. The staff looked up to him from their jobs in a mixture of surprise and relief, when Scarab was in town he was never late, but Ash wasn't in tow as an excuse so we waved off the wordless questions and stopped at ‘The Incunabulum’ to read this morning’s Civilities.
The Incunabulum was an immense tome of thick parchment pages sitting atop a thick, short pedestal of black granite, with barely a binding or cover left to speak of, each page filled with a scrawl of black ink. The book contained every major and minor decree the Council of Entities had ever passed; every law and reversal of law, re-writings, edits, and blatant retconnings the Council had managed to pass, broadly known as civilities. The Incunabulum in The Nexus District was updated constantly throughout the day as the Council worked and voted, it was a never ending ebb and flow. As futile as sweeping the soot from the streets. But as far as Scarab knew it was one of only two copies in the entire Nighthammer District, making it an extremely valuable book to those who bothered with such things; the other was kept at The University library and was updated overnight while The Council rested. Theirs was updated twice per day, once in the morning as the store opened and the mornings first Civilities were read aloud by the scribe who transcribed them; and once in the evening just before the rush of workers left their places of employment for the day.
Just as Scarab finished reading this morning’s civilities, the door opened and Ash walked in making his way over casually and dropping the hood of his cloak, Scarab noticed the girl he’d been talking to across the street was now sweeping the walkway in front of their own shop.
“You know it’s not worth the money, the soot never stops falling here.” Scarab managed the statement without sounding demeaning.
Ash shrugged before responding, “You said the same about this thing.” Ash gestured towards The Incunabulum, before continuing, “And sweeping the side-walk isn't nearly as expensive.”
Scarab decided to concede the point and raised his hands to indicate so, “Fair enough, the book brings more people here than the wares. I can admit when I’m wrong.”
“Good thing, you’re wrong an awful lot.” Ash replied without hesitation and that characteristic smirk crossed his lips for the first time all day.
“Besides I know that girl.” Ash continued on a more serious tone, “Three years ago her entire family were slaves in Great Forks, working on a plantation I have some stock in, sounds like they came here shortly after I last saw her there. She’s the only one left alive, so I figured she could use the silver.”
Scarab was a bit taken aback by the story, not only at the truth that the girl was an orphan, but that Ash remembered the child from years ago. “I didn't know…”
Ash shrugged it off carelessly, nodding down at the book as he turned away from it and Scarab and started towards the office at the back of the store, “You done here?”
Scarab nodded in response, though Ash couldn't see it anyway. “You’re not going to read todays?” Scarab spoke as he followed after Ash, a bit of surprise in his voice.
Ash shook his head as he entered the office, “No. I haven't been to Nexus in months, catching up would take forever, and I doubt I’d follow half of them anyway.” He paused for a moment and started to gesture with one hand as Scarab entered the office, “And just because I think someone should do something, doesn't mean I think I should do it. You don’t see me sweeping up soot either do you?”
Scarab knew better than to engage Ash in meaningless argument, he didn't have time for it and he wouldn't win anyway. Instead he nodded and made his way over to the desk, assuming that Ash wanted to see financial and inventory paperwork. Instead, Ash shut the door behind Scarab and went over to the large canvas painting with a depiction of Hollow, Nexus as a first age city, on it and lifted the large painting off the wall, setting it down to the floor which exposed the closed safe door behind it. Scarab always thought it was kind of an obvious place to keep the safe…
Ash proceeded to enter the combination on the rotary style lock, meanwhile Scarab set about his work for the day. He pulled several folded papers from inside his jacket that Moon had given him and began to read over the data while comparing it to the paperwork he’d started to pull out to show Ash. Moon had given him a list of what supplies they’d brought to drop off at the shop, and he needed to figure out what was needed where. The vendor carts that operated as a part of the business in the different districts across Nexus would need to resupply soon, so be began the task of assigning inventory.
Ash pulled two large sacks of silver from the safe and set them on the floor near the door without taking the care to count the sum inside. Once he’d shut the door to the safe and rehung the painting in front of it he plopped down on a chair across the desk from Scarab, putting his feet immediately up on the desk and nudging some of the papers Scarab was trying to read. Scarab didn't even conceal the frustrated sigh as he looked up at Ash.
Ash spoke before the frustrated Scarab could, “Silk and Yusuf have some supplies to drop off to you before we get out of here tomorrow.”
“I know.” He tapped the paper he was reading that Ash’s foot was partially covering, “Moon gave me a list this morning.” Scarab didn't let his frustration nor his surprise that Ash was departing so soon enter his tone.
“Oh… Good. That’s settled then.” Ash moved his foot semi-awkwardly off of the inventory list, closer to the edge of the desk. “Need anything else then?”
Scarab could sense the inpatient, dismissive tone in Ash’s voice and thought he’d best voice his concern before Ash disappeared, “Short stay, don't you think?”
“Aye, I suppose so. To tell you the truth Nexus doesn't really agree with me all that well.”
Ash pulled a cigarette from inside his jacket, held it in his lips and lit it with a snap of his fingers. He settled into the chair a bit deeper, appearing to get comfortable before he continued, “Besides, you don’t need me here anyway. Shopkeeper isn't really my thing…”
“Don’t you think that’s a bit odd? I mean, you own a shop, in Nexus, and don’t like either…” Scarab replied genuinely curious.
Ash shrugged, as if that hadn't occurred to him at all. “That’s what I pay you for. Frankly you run this place a lot better than I ever could, and I think you enjoy it. I’ll tell you what…” Ash paused and pointed towards the painting, or more likely the safe behind it, “I'll start interfering with your business here when I show up to collect and that safe is empty. Otherwise, do what you do.”
Scarab nodded in affirmation, he did like what he did and he preferred to stay here than to gallivant across Creation in The Geronimo, conforming to Ash’s eccentric whims on a daily basis. Scarab was too independent for that. Like everything else in Ash’s life, it was unclear if he was perceptive enough to notice that and put Scarab in a position to succeed, or simply lucked into it. Either way it worked out for them both.
“I appreciate your confidence in me.”
“You earned it, it wasn't given freely.” Ash sucked in for a long moment on his cigarette before exhaling toward the ceiling.
“Listen. Most of my operations don’t exist to make a ton of profit. Fuck, most of them operate at a loss. That’s intentional, they serve other purposes.” Ash paused again, but not even long enough to take a drag of his cigarette. “This place is set up to make a good bit of profit. We sell a rare commodity, at insane profits… Thanks to Moon. Have the quickest, most secure shipping method in Creation, despite what The Guild would tell you… a halfwit could turn a profit with that setup.”
“Well in that case…” Scarab thought that he knew where Ash was going, but wasn't sure if he’d just been called a halfwit in the process of getting there or not.
Ash blew a plume of smoke out, and responded quickly. “You know what I mean. I don’t need you to turn a profit here, I need you to make enough that the whole network is viable. Plus support my lavish lifestyle.” Ash cracked a shit-eating grin.
“Piece of cake…” Scarab responded sarcastically, knowing full well the kind of money Ash could burn through. “Don’t forget spreading your network of contacts, and making sure you've got legitimate business in all corners of Nexus so you and your band of thugs have easy access to anywhere you care to go.”
“See! You got this down already.” Ash slipped the cigarette into his mouth and stood up from his chair, extending a hand out to Scarab.
Scarab took Ash’s hand, and the two exchanged a business-like handshake that Scarab had to admit was a bit out of place for their typical relationship.
“A pleasure doing business with you, Scarab.”
“Thank you Ash.”
Ash smirked wryly and headed for the door, pausing to pick up the two sacks of silver before he opened the door and headed out of the shop. Only a Grass Spider would be so brazen as to carry two sacks of silver through the streets of Nexus with no protection, Scarab suspected it wouldn't be a problem, shook his head at the entire affair, and went back to work.