A soft rustle passed through the wooden sanctuary of the tavern. Isaac and
the piano were one as usual, with him shuffling his sheets of music. He
played a few notes on the keys and then paused. Taking a nearby pen, he
wrote on his only semi-complete music sheet. The piano man was clearly
taking his knowledge of the keys to the next level; he began writing his
own notes, seeing what he could come up with.
If one could clearly read his notation and music, his melody carried a matching tone to his appearance. His song was slow and deliberate, somber and careful, quiet and full. However, the music in reality compared to the music on the paper was two completely different things. Isaac's notation was sloppy and his handwriting was poor at best. The neighborhood chicken would likely make clearer marks on the paper, without running or smudging as much ink. That being said, Isaac himself had no trouble himself comprehending all of his work, mostly because he knew what he was thinking better than anyone else.
After pondering the next line of his score, the Venus Adept sat back on his bench and actually let his mind wander. The past few days had been quite busy, with many faces, both familiar and new coming in and out. One of the newer people to come in was Kraden's young assistant, Wing Sarten, and a renowned professor by the name of Georg Lichtenstein.
Sarten was an educated person of twenty years. The young man had been taken under Kraden's teachings when the professor realized the boy's potential and intelligence. Wing himself was of medium height and of student's build. His dark brown hair, much like many in the city of Tolbi, sat in an organized spiked mess atop his head. Wing's eyes were emerald in shade, and they sparked with a natural intelligence. His clothing was simple; a plain white dress shirt and a pair of navy blue trousers with black socks and shoes.
Professor Georg Lichtenstein, on the other hand, was a man of as many years as Professor Kraden. Age had taken hold of the man; wrinkles and age marks slowly taking over his skin. However, the signs of age did not curtail the glowing aura of experience from his presence. His ice blue eyes contrasted a great deal with his white hair and bushy eyebrows. He was clothed in a plain brown suit, with plain brown shoes. He was not at all an extravagant man; if anything, he was more down to earth than even the simplest of folk. Through all of these simplicities, he and Kraden were intellectual equals and remarkably well known in the education world.
Isaac found these people both interesting, as well as annoying. Out of the three of them, he could only stand Kraden over any sort of period of time. Perhaps it was because the scholar knew when to speak and knew when to keep silent, or maybe it was his liberal idealism. Either way, the professor was one of the few people Isaac welcomed as company at any given time. Although when he chose to be in Kraden's presence, he still scarcely said a word, but rather turned an ear to the teacher to listen.
Sarten however, was far too idealistic for his own good. He believed that the government should be responsible for just about everything. His wide- eyed perspective annoyed Isaac a great deal, but the pianist never spoke up against Kraden's assistant. It wasn't worth the trouble or the effort. Arguing with a stubborn idealist who was likely planning of writing his efforts down and publishing them; well... that wasn't a good idea unless he wanted his ears chewed off.
Lichtenstein just bothered the piano man to no end. Isaac would testify that Georg was a great man, both wise and kind. What really bothered Isaac was how utterly meticulous Georg could get. The professor was precise to the highest possible standard, and therefore he spent a lot of time correcting people. This got on Isaac's nerves, as well as many others.
Isaac was snapped out of his deep thoughts by a call from a friend.
"Isaac?"
"What is it, Jenna?" Isaac asked coolly, looking back over his notation.
"We're going to be having company later tonight."
"Mia?" Isaac asked, not really paying attention.
"No, they're some of Felix's old friends; you remember them." Isaac snorted lightly, signaling he had no idea who she was speaking of. "They're Proxian."
"It's Saturos and Menardi then." Isaac replied.
"Indeed." Felix stated, descending the staircase. "It has been far too long since I've last seen them."
"When will they be here, brother?" Jenna asked.
"Later this evening, Jenna. Until then, I want you two to help me clean up the bar a little bit more than usual."
"I don't see why we need to." Jenna replied. "I mean, they're both as down to earth as you."
"It's not like you have to make a first impression." Isaac replied. "The two of them are your best friends." Felix smiled warmly and tossed a rag into Isaac's face. The Venus Adept pulled the rag off his visage and frowned indignantly. Before he could reply, Felix raised a finger and cut him off.
"Just do it, piano man." He said with another smile.
******************************
There was a knock on the large wooden door. The sound resonated throughout the large office, reflecting off the walls and bookcases. The soft scratching of a pen stopped with the emergence of the sound.
"Come in." A feminine voce replied. The doorknob turned immediately following her acknowledgement. As the big door to the chamber opened, it gave off a distinctive creak. "Good afternoon, Mr. Morris. What can I do for you?" Mia Calvin asked, looking up from her paperwork.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Calvin." The elder man replied, closing the wooden door behind him.
"Please, just call me Mia."
Morris's expression brightened lightly as he approached his superior's desk. "Your father was very adamant about people calling him James, you know. Truly you are his daughter." He replied. John Morris was a man of short stature, clad in an expensive looking battleship gray suit with a crimson red tie. His hair was a shiny and rich black and his eyes were a calm chestnut brown. The businessman's manner was kind and respectful, warm and inviting. It was no mystery why James Calvin was a close friend to this man.
"Father hated formalities too?" Mia questioned.
"Oh, yes. Very much so." Morris returned with a hint of a smile. "He absolutely insisted that anyone, be it a co-worker or a factory worker, call him James." Mia was inwardly relieved somewhat by this revelation. However, this relief came at the cost of saddening her with memories of her late father. "He was such an unorthodox businessman; but not only was he good at it, he was a good friend." The man sighed. He looked to what Mia had been working on when he came in. "Oh, I'm sorry; you look very busy with that income report. Should I come back when you finish it?"
"No, it's fine. What's on your mind?"
"I just came to remind you that there is a stockholder's meeting in an hour and a half. Considering you own 51 percent of the company, it would be prudent for you to attend. In fact, because this is the very first stockholders meeting since you took over you really can't afford to miss it."
Mia nodded in reply. "It's not like I had a desire to go home early anyway." She replied solemnly.
Morris's expression softened considerably. "I know the past few days have been very taxing on you. This job isn't an easy one, especially for someone in your position. I doubt Jacobson and some of the others haven't made this as easy as you would've hoped." Mia's head dipped into what resembled a nod. "Despite that, I'm sure James would be so proud of you if he knew how quickly you have picked up this job."
"I'm flattered; though there's a lot more to this job than I am yet to know."
"That is true as well; but you have started out very well." Morris turned on the ball of his left foot. "I'll leave you to the work. Remember, the stockholder meeting, Mia. It's very important." The older man then excused himself from the room, leaving the female president alone.
No, this job hadn't been easy. Not by any means. The very day she took over, she found a typed threat letter in her desk. Every day since then she had gotten venomous stares from almost every executive in the company. Not only that, but they constantly tried to dodge any assignments she had to give them, and then did their very best to avoid her at any cost. Even if she had managed to get the work to them, they did the bare minimum, and much of their work was riddled with intentional mistakes that she was forced to iron out. She had no time to chew them out, and it was likely it would do no good anyway. They were already bitter that they lost a possible promotion, but to lose the position to a woman was unthinkable. So, they struck back in every way they could.
At times, it seemed like only Morris was on her side, and it was very possible that he really was her only ally. Arkan, Calvin Steel's vice president remained neutral on the whole issue, not wishing to get involved on either side. Jacobson was making accounting a living hell; he had become very ornery about doing his job, and often turned in ledgers at the last possible second when they were ready days in advance. Klein had done little to stunt production at all, but it was obvious he was still a little reluctant to let Mia take the helm. Finch was too busy with his own work to do anything about Mia's appointment, but he didn't seem to have any desire to cause problems. Babi, who remained absent from the building most of the time, was passively resisting the change. She wasn't sure what exactly Babi had been up to during his absence, but she was certain it was not in her favor.
The stockholder's meeting was going to truly be a nightmare.
*************************
The president of Calvin Steel walked behind the lectern and prepared to speak. She was on an elevated podium, looking into a rather large room filled to the brim with stockholders, both major and minor. The eyes the group fiercely studied her. Each pair of eyes held deep veins of ire and contempt. Some boiled with a fiery hatred, others froze with a nasty antagonizing stare. Still others bared the fangs of a viper, and even more still were blades of the sharpest swords, ready to pierce her alive. The temperature of the room seemed to rise ten degrees immediately after Mia took her position behind the lectern.
"Good evening, stockholders of Calvin Steel." She began. "As you know, the company has been through many changes in the past few weeks. The untimely death of my father has put the company in a temporary state of instability. However, I know that this instability is not insurmountable. My father built this company from the ground up to be very stable, and I am sure we can continue his legacy with pride." She paused. "With a little bit of time and effort, we can fix the small problems and continue to be a leading competitor in the steel manufacturing business." The eyes in the room did not soften at all. If anything, the gazes grew more and more venomous and penetrating.
"Compete? With a woman as our president?!" A random voice from within the crowd said.
"We're the laughing stock of the business community!" Another voice sounded.
"There's no way anyone will buy our products now!"
"Please, order." Mia said. "We will not be a laughing stock because we will continue to perform as everyone has come to expect, and we shall do more than that."
"Big talk coming from a woman!" A heckling voice lashed out.
"Yeah, you can't compete! You don't have any killer spirit!"
"A woman's place is in the kitchen!"
"Go home and make me my dinner!"
Mia's blue eyebrows arched downward at these harsh comments. "Enough!" She shouted.
"Oh, she's angry. Maybe we should stop!" Laughter burst out among the masses of businessmen, who seemed to be enjoying every moment of Mia's torment. Mr. Babi was the only one whose expression remained unchanged.
"Maybe she'll go home and let a real man do the job!"
"She's not even a real woman! She's not even married!"
"Only thing that stupid girl is good for is the convent." The snide remarks continued for several more moments, each of the remarks growing more and more stinging and personal. Every insult in the book had been thrown at her, plus a few new additions. When the businessmen seemed to lull in their assault, the president spoke.
"Are you all quite finished?" Mia demanded, her eyes solid with an icy rage.
"No way in hell!"
"Well, if you all are so displeased with my leadership and direction, you can take all of your shares of stock, all of your precious pennies, and all of your petty insults and shove them up where the sun doesn't shine!" The room fell silent. This was a first; nowhere before had anyone been so outright blunt to their opponents at a Calvin Steel stockholder's meeting; and the last person it would've been thought to come from was a woman. "Any questions, gentlemen?"
"Yeah, I have one." A man said, standing up. "When do you plan on stepping down to let someone competent take the job?" More laughter resonated through the room.
"I can see that this meeting is over." Mia replied venomously, eyes still chilled with anger. "To all those who actually care about the state of this company while it is under my supervision, I will see you at the next meeting in two weeks. As for the rest of you who do not approve of my position, don't bother coming back. If you're going to be part of the problem, you will not be a part of this company. Good evening." The president quickly wheeled around and deliberately walked out the door.
She was right; the meeting had been hell.
************************************
Jenna had just finished scrubbing the last table just as a knock came to the front door of the tavern. Felix was swift to round the bar and answer the call. No sooner did the door swing open was Felix embraced in a hug by two visitors.
"Felix! How have you been?" A woman's voice asked. Her phrase was laced with joy and excitement, all because of the sight of seeing an old friend.
"It has been quite awhile." The man who came in with her said after releasing the tavern owner.
"Indeed it has, my friend."
Jenna put her cleaning rag aside and walked over to greet her older brother's friends. "Saturos, Menardi; how long has it been since we last saw you two?"
"Oh, six months, I think?" Saturos replied. His voice was thick with a powerful Proxian accent, which made his words a little difficult to understand.
The man had emigrated from the country of Prox when he was young with several thousand refugees fleeing a terrible famine in their homeland. Menardi and her younger sister Karst were also part of the same group of refugees. They came to Tolbi for the same reason everyone else came; they thought they could rise in society like a rags to riches fantasy tale. However, the dream they had remained just that; in Tolbi they were scarcely better off than in their homeland.
Saturos and Menardi had fled from Prox to escape hunger. What they arrived to was not welcome arms as they had hoped. They arrived to discrimination, hatred, unemployment, unsanitary conditions, corruption, and distrust. Coming from Prox, they were much different than any average Tolbi citizen. Their unusual skin tones and thick accents pointed them out as foreigners. Unfortunately, many Tolbians harbored a fear of the peoples of Prox.
Throughout history, Prox was involved in a number of great wars. The Proxian peoples were known as the greatest and most aggressive of warriors. Tales of vicious and terrible fighters and mages ran amok through peoples around the world. Every tall tale was believed; everything from the so called practice in which every warrior who downed a foe in battle would drink a pint of their victim's blood to the rumor that all women performed devil summoning rituals nightly to keep their men.
Of course, none of this was true. Yes, Prox had fought in a number of wars, most of which were in self defense from invasion. It was true that their warriors were of an excellent mold and were well trained. This is where they got their infamous reputation. However, in truth, the people of that nation were truly peaceful, wanting nothing more than to simply enjoy life, whether it be a simple or grand. Unfortunately, the intimidating features of most Proxians, the pointy ears, the oddly colored skin and eyes, and the reputation as dangerous fighters made them hated in most civilizations.
Saturos, Menardi, and Karst all learned very quickly how the world of Tolbi worked. Being Proxian was bad enough, but also being Adepts . . . well, that didn't work out very well in their favor. They had faced many hardships in their new home. Saturos had taken a very long time to find a job; even when he finally did, it was a very low paying factory job with no safety precaution. More than once he came home injured by the dangerous equipment in his factory. Thankfully, both Karst and Menardi knew some healing Psynergy, and they were able to keep Saturos patched up. Fortunately for the laborer, none of his injuries were life threatening at any time; however, his continued attendance even after injury made his coworkers highly distrustful.
Menardi and Karst couldn't get jobs professionally, so both worked as seamstresses in their own home. Unfortunately, mechanical devices and power looms replaced most manual labor for even this market, so the prices the female Proxians charged were absurdly low. They had no choice; competition was thick and fierce, and they needed every cent they could get.
"Six months. It really has been far too long." Felix said.
"Yes it has." Menardi replied, sitting down on a bar stool.
"So Felix, you look as though you're doing very well." Saturos replied. "Where is everyone else?"
"I'll call them down." He returned, walking to the base of the staircase. "Everyone! They're here, come down and say hello!" Footsteps above followed immediately, some quick, some slow, but all eventually came downstairs.
"Saturos, Menardi! Very nice to see you again!" Garet bellowed in his trademark jovial voice, hugging both of the visitors in a powerful grip.
"Ah, good to see you too!" Menardi gasped out, trying to loosen Garet's bear hug a little too much.
"Could you loosen up a little, Garet?" Saturos asked, his voice slightly raspy from the strength of the bartender.
"Ooh, sorry." Garet replied, letting them go.
"So, how are you and Jenna getting along, kid?" Saturos asked, slapping him on the back. Both Jenna and Garet blushed slightly as the visitor asked.
"We're..." Garet stuttered.
"We're engaged!" Jenna finished.
"Really? So you're actually going to spend the rest of your life with that woman?" Saturos asked, giving Garet a look of disbelief. The larger Mars Adept paled slightly as the smaller questioned his decision. After seeing this, Saturos burst out laughing. "You've got it good, Garet. You two will be fine."
"Saturos, you were about this close to death a few seconds ago." Jenna fumed, making a pinch gesture with her right hand.
"Forgive him, Jenna. He's never grown up completely." Menardi sighed.
"Do any men ever grow up?" Jenna inquired rhetorically.
"No." The other female replied.
"Ivan, Sheba, get over here and let me get a look at you two!" Saturos exclaimed. Both Jupiter Adepts obeyed and stood in front of him, smiling. "You two have grown quite a bit. Though, you still are a small fry, Ivan."
"I'm not short!"
"Stop picking on our hosts, Saturos." Menardi sighed. Saturos feigned a look of innocence that Menardi gave a snide look to. "Don't think that innocent act works on me, mister. I've got you pegged."
"It looks like we have a pair of understudies for Garet and Jenna." Sheba said, chuckling. Almost everyone burst out laughing, save for the piano man and Jenna.
"Are you implying that I have Garet whipped?"
"Implying nothing; stating yes!" Sheba laughed.
"Hello Menardi, Saturos." Isaac said, keeping his tone as even as always, his eyes as calm as ever.
"Isaac, hello! Are you still playing the piano like you always used to?" Menardi asked. Isaac nodded slowly as not to be curt. "Could you please play us something?"
"Yes, it has been too long since we've heard you on the keys, old friend. I'm sure you've become even more sublime than you were before." Isaac regarded Saturos's words with a glance of his sapphire eyes and the slightest of nods. The Venus Adept turned around and walked to his instrument.
The song that followed was no less than gorgeous. The notes were played with an astounding perfection; a powerful precision flowed through his music. This flawlessness was not a practiced one; no, this excellence came from the talent, it seemed. Every measure, every note, every beat dripped with an amazing brew of beauty. When he finished his show, he rose to the applause of everyone in the bar.
"More beautiful than I remember." Saturos said, rising. "You should play professionally, you know."
"I'd rather not." Isaac stated, rather bluntly.
"Why not?"
"I'm not for sale." The piano man replied, in the same cold tone he always used, this time adding a bit more frost to his words than normal.
"I see." Saturos replied.
"Alright you two, enough being somber! We have guests, let's have a good time!" Jenna exclaimed.
***************************
Several hours after the arrival of the Proxians, there came another knock at the door. Despite the sign marked "Closed," this knock persisted for a few moments. Finally, the door to the cool and misty night opened.
"I'm sorry, but we're closed right now." Jenna said as the door opened.
"My apologies, I'll. . . come another time."
"Mia?" Jenna asked, shock filling her eyes. "What are you doing out here so late at night?"
"I needed to relax. . . see a friendly face or two. It's been a horrible day."
"Well, come in, come in. I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you." She said, helping Mia inside. The young woman looked absolutely exhausted. Her eyes sagged with fatigue and she looked remarkably tense. The Mercury Adept was wearing the same blue dress she wore the last time she had visited the bar, but its casual look belied the obvious agitation its wearer had.
"Jenna, who was it?" Felix asked, turning around from speaking with his friends. His chestnut brown eyes caught sight of Mia, and he nodded. "I see. Good evening, Mia!"
"I'm sorry to come here at such an hour." Mia said, averting her eyes from Felix's warm gaze. The owner looked at Jenna's female friend and nodded.
"It's fine, Mia. You're one of Jenna's friends, and you always have a place here."
"Thank you for being so kind, Mr. Felix."
"Please, Felix is fine."
"Hey, who's your sister's friend, Felix?" Menardi asked, looking around him.
"This is Mia. I met her a few weeks ago here in the bar. She's been dropping by for visits every now and then. Believe me; it's good to have the company sometimes." Jenna smiled.
"Well, don't be so shy then." Saturos said. "You're among friends here. My name is Saturos, and this is Menardi."
"Pleased to meet you." Mia replied. She knew on sight they were Proxian; it wasn't the first time she'd ever seen one, though speaking to one was a new experience to her.
"Hey Isaac, isn't it time for you to play again?" Jenna asked over the heads of her visitors. Isaac, who was still sitting at his piano stool, cocked his head toward Jenna's voice. "I mean, I think we could all use another one of your songs."
The Venus Adept's eyes hardened a little, studying what Jenna had in mind. Obviously she was asking for a reason; a reason she obviously didn't care to say aloud. She knew that he would take this course, so she quickly put up her best façade to avoid his calculating stare. It was in vain though. Isaac quickly figured out why Jenna asked him to play again, even with her mask on. The Mars Adept wanted him to play for Mia. It was clear that Jenna hadn't gotten past the notion of trying to set them up. By having him play, she probably would allow Mia to think that he'd play for her whenever she came in. Isaac gave off a silent sigh; there was no way around it without being rude to everyone.
"Very well." Isaac said quietly and shortly.
"Can I make a request?" Menardi asked. Isaac turned his gaze to the Proxian, and nodded. "Play that one you used to practice a lot when we visited last. You know, the long one; the one that was probably half an hour in full length?"
"Fine." Isaac replied. "I'll be right back." He rose from his seat and quickly disappeared upstairs without another word. Conversation between the people below perforated the floorboards below him as he searched through his drawers and folders of sheet music. Searching through countless pages of music vexed him as he tried to find the one Menardi requested. Of course it had to be the one he hadn't played since he perfected it four months ago. Isaac sighed as he finally found the tables he was looking for, and he sat back on his bed.
It was already very late at night, and Saturos and Menardi wouldn't be leaving until tomorrow morning. Mia wasn't likely to leave until morning either; it was now too dangerous in the streets to let a woman walk home alone; especially one as attractive as her. Isaac pondered where their unexpected guest would sleep that night; Garet and Jenna had already given up their bed to Saturos and Menardi. Well, it was more than likely Felix would make the offer to give up his. However, Isaac somehow didn't feel right about letting Felix give up his bed; if Mia decided to stay the night, he would give up his own.
The Venus Adept stopped as he rose from his bed suddenly. Did he just think what he thought he did? This was unusual to say the least; Isaac, though not necessarily selfish, rarely allowed thoughts like those to cross his mind. Mia was a friendly person, and Isaac certainly had no problems with her, but for him to stick his neck out for a relative stranger to the family? He sighed in exasperation; he was worried Jenna's prodding had somehow gotten to his head. Or, perhaps it Felix was starting to rub off on him. Either way, Isaac forced the thoughts from his mind and walked downstairs to play for his audience.
If one could clearly read his notation and music, his melody carried a matching tone to his appearance. His song was slow and deliberate, somber and careful, quiet and full. However, the music in reality compared to the music on the paper was two completely different things. Isaac's notation was sloppy and his handwriting was poor at best. The neighborhood chicken would likely make clearer marks on the paper, without running or smudging as much ink. That being said, Isaac himself had no trouble himself comprehending all of his work, mostly because he knew what he was thinking better than anyone else.
After pondering the next line of his score, the Venus Adept sat back on his bench and actually let his mind wander. The past few days had been quite busy, with many faces, both familiar and new coming in and out. One of the newer people to come in was Kraden's young assistant, Wing Sarten, and a renowned professor by the name of Georg Lichtenstein.
Sarten was an educated person of twenty years. The young man had been taken under Kraden's teachings when the professor realized the boy's potential and intelligence. Wing himself was of medium height and of student's build. His dark brown hair, much like many in the city of Tolbi, sat in an organized spiked mess atop his head. Wing's eyes were emerald in shade, and they sparked with a natural intelligence. His clothing was simple; a plain white dress shirt and a pair of navy blue trousers with black socks and shoes.
Professor Georg Lichtenstein, on the other hand, was a man of as many years as Professor Kraden. Age had taken hold of the man; wrinkles and age marks slowly taking over his skin. However, the signs of age did not curtail the glowing aura of experience from his presence. His ice blue eyes contrasted a great deal with his white hair and bushy eyebrows. He was clothed in a plain brown suit, with plain brown shoes. He was not at all an extravagant man; if anything, he was more down to earth than even the simplest of folk. Through all of these simplicities, he and Kraden were intellectual equals and remarkably well known in the education world.
Isaac found these people both interesting, as well as annoying. Out of the three of them, he could only stand Kraden over any sort of period of time. Perhaps it was because the scholar knew when to speak and knew when to keep silent, or maybe it was his liberal idealism. Either way, the professor was one of the few people Isaac welcomed as company at any given time. Although when he chose to be in Kraden's presence, he still scarcely said a word, but rather turned an ear to the teacher to listen.
Sarten however, was far too idealistic for his own good. He believed that the government should be responsible for just about everything. His wide- eyed perspective annoyed Isaac a great deal, but the pianist never spoke up against Kraden's assistant. It wasn't worth the trouble or the effort. Arguing with a stubborn idealist who was likely planning of writing his efforts down and publishing them; well... that wasn't a good idea unless he wanted his ears chewed off.
Lichtenstein just bothered the piano man to no end. Isaac would testify that Georg was a great man, both wise and kind. What really bothered Isaac was how utterly meticulous Georg could get. The professor was precise to the highest possible standard, and therefore he spent a lot of time correcting people. This got on Isaac's nerves, as well as many others.
Isaac was snapped out of his deep thoughts by a call from a friend.
"Isaac?"
"What is it, Jenna?" Isaac asked coolly, looking back over his notation.
"We're going to be having company later tonight."
"Mia?" Isaac asked, not really paying attention.
"No, they're some of Felix's old friends; you remember them." Isaac snorted lightly, signaling he had no idea who she was speaking of. "They're Proxian."
"It's Saturos and Menardi then." Isaac replied.
"Indeed." Felix stated, descending the staircase. "It has been far too long since I've last seen them."
"When will they be here, brother?" Jenna asked.
"Later this evening, Jenna. Until then, I want you two to help me clean up the bar a little bit more than usual."
"I don't see why we need to." Jenna replied. "I mean, they're both as down to earth as you."
"It's not like you have to make a first impression." Isaac replied. "The two of them are your best friends." Felix smiled warmly and tossed a rag into Isaac's face. The Venus Adept pulled the rag off his visage and frowned indignantly. Before he could reply, Felix raised a finger and cut him off.
"Just do it, piano man." He said with another smile.
******************************
There was a knock on the large wooden door. The sound resonated throughout the large office, reflecting off the walls and bookcases. The soft scratching of a pen stopped with the emergence of the sound.
"Come in." A feminine voce replied. The doorknob turned immediately following her acknowledgement. As the big door to the chamber opened, it gave off a distinctive creak. "Good afternoon, Mr. Morris. What can I do for you?" Mia Calvin asked, looking up from her paperwork.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Calvin." The elder man replied, closing the wooden door behind him.
"Please, just call me Mia."
Morris's expression brightened lightly as he approached his superior's desk. "Your father was very adamant about people calling him James, you know. Truly you are his daughter." He replied. John Morris was a man of short stature, clad in an expensive looking battleship gray suit with a crimson red tie. His hair was a shiny and rich black and his eyes were a calm chestnut brown. The businessman's manner was kind and respectful, warm and inviting. It was no mystery why James Calvin was a close friend to this man.
"Father hated formalities too?" Mia questioned.
"Oh, yes. Very much so." Morris returned with a hint of a smile. "He absolutely insisted that anyone, be it a co-worker or a factory worker, call him James." Mia was inwardly relieved somewhat by this revelation. However, this relief came at the cost of saddening her with memories of her late father. "He was such an unorthodox businessman; but not only was he good at it, he was a good friend." The man sighed. He looked to what Mia had been working on when he came in. "Oh, I'm sorry; you look very busy with that income report. Should I come back when you finish it?"
"No, it's fine. What's on your mind?"
"I just came to remind you that there is a stockholder's meeting in an hour and a half. Considering you own 51 percent of the company, it would be prudent for you to attend. In fact, because this is the very first stockholders meeting since you took over you really can't afford to miss it."
Mia nodded in reply. "It's not like I had a desire to go home early anyway." She replied solemnly.
Morris's expression softened considerably. "I know the past few days have been very taxing on you. This job isn't an easy one, especially for someone in your position. I doubt Jacobson and some of the others haven't made this as easy as you would've hoped." Mia's head dipped into what resembled a nod. "Despite that, I'm sure James would be so proud of you if he knew how quickly you have picked up this job."
"I'm flattered; though there's a lot more to this job than I am yet to know."
"That is true as well; but you have started out very well." Morris turned on the ball of his left foot. "I'll leave you to the work. Remember, the stockholder meeting, Mia. It's very important." The older man then excused himself from the room, leaving the female president alone.
No, this job hadn't been easy. Not by any means. The very day she took over, she found a typed threat letter in her desk. Every day since then she had gotten venomous stares from almost every executive in the company. Not only that, but they constantly tried to dodge any assignments she had to give them, and then did their very best to avoid her at any cost. Even if she had managed to get the work to them, they did the bare minimum, and much of their work was riddled with intentional mistakes that she was forced to iron out. She had no time to chew them out, and it was likely it would do no good anyway. They were already bitter that they lost a possible promotion, but to lose the position to a woman was unthinkable. So, they struck back in every way they could.
At times, it seemed like only Morris was on her side, and it was very possible that he really was her only ally. Arkan, Calvin Steel's vice president remained neutral on the whole issue, not wishing to get involved on either side. Jacobson was making accounting a living hell; he had become very ornery about doing his job, and often turned in ledgers at the last possible second when they were ready days in advance. Klein had done little to stunt production at all, but it was obvious he was still a little reluctant to let Mia take the helm. Finch was too busy with his own work to do anything about Mia's appointment, but he didn't seem to have any desire to cause problems. Babi, who remained absent from the building most of the time, was passively resisting the change. She wasn't sure what exactly Babi had been up to during his absence, but she was certain it was not in her favor.
The stockholder's meeting was going to truly be a nightmare.
*************************
The president of Calvin Steel walked behind the lectern and prepared to speak. She was on an elevated podium, looking into a rather large room filled to the brim with stockholders, both major and minor. The eyes the group fiercely studied her. Each pair of eyes held deep veins of ire and contempt. Some boiled with a fiery hatred, others froze with a nasty antagonizing stare. Still others bared the fangs of a viper, and even more still were blades of the sharpest swords, ready to pierce her alive. The temperature of the room seemed to rise ten degrees immediately after Mia took her position behind the lectern.
"Good evening, stockholders of Calvin Steel." She began. "As you know, the company has been through many changes in the past few weeks. The untimely death of my father has put the company in a temporary state of instability. However, I know that this instability is not insurmountable. My father built this company from the ground up to be very stable, and I am sure we can continue his legacy with pride." She paused. "With a little bit of time and effort, we can fix the small problems and continue to be a leading competitor in the steel manufacturing business." The eyes in the room did not soften at all. If anything, the gazes grew more and more venomous and penetrating.
"Compete? With a woman as our president?!" A random voice from within the crowd said.
"We're the laughing stock of the business community!" Another voice sounded.
"There's no way anyone will buy our products now!"
"Please, order." Mia said. "We will not be a laughing stock because we will continue to perform as everyone has come to expect, and we shall do more than that."
"Big talk coming from a woman!" A heckling voice lashed out.
"Yeah, you can't compete! You don't have any killer spirit!"
"A woman's place is in the kitchen!"
"Go home and make me my dinner!"
Mia's blue eyebrows arched downward at these harsh comments. "Enough!" She shouted.
"Oh, she's angry. Maybe we should stop!" Laughter burst out among the masses of businessmen, who seemed to be enjoying every moment of Mia's torment. Mr. Babi was the only one whose expression remained unchanged.
"Maybe she'll go home and let a real man do the job!"
"She's not even a real woman! She's not even married!"
"Only thing that stupid girl is good for is the convent." The snide remarks continued for several more moments, each of the remarks growing more and more stinging and personal. Every insult in the book had been thrown at her, plus a few new additions. When the businessmen seemed to lull in their assault, the president spoke.
"Are you all quite finished?" Mia demanded, her eyes solid with an icy rage.
"No way in hell!"
"Well, if you all are so displeased with my leadership and direction, you can take all of your shares of stock, all of your precious pennies, and all of your petty insults and shove them up where the sun doesn't shine!" The room fell silent. This was a first; nowhere before had anyone been so outright blunt to their opponents at a Calvin Steel stockholder's meeting; and the last person it would've been thought to come from was a woman. "Any questions, gentlemen?"
"Yeah, I have one." A man said, standing up. "When do you plan on stepping down to let someone competent take the job?" More laughter resonated through the room.
"I can see that this meeting is over." Mia replied venomously, eyes still chilled with anger. "To all those who actually care about the state of this company while it is under my supervision, I will see you at the next meeting in two weeks. As for the rest of you who do not approve of my position, don't bother coming back. If you're going to be part of the problem, you will not be a part of this company. Good evening." The president quickly wheeled around and deliberately walked out the door.
She was right; the meeting had been hell.
************************************
Jenna had just finished scrubbing the last table just as a knock came to the front door of the tavern. Felix was swift to round the bar and answer the call. No sooner did the door swing open was Felix embraced in a hug by two visitors.
"Felix! How have you been?" A woman's voice asked. Her phrase was laced with joy and excitement, all because of the sight of seeing an old friend.
"It has been quite awhile." The man who came in with her said after releasing the tavern owner.
"Indeed it has, my friend."
Jenna put her cleaning rag aside and walked over to greet her older brother's friends. "Saturos, Menardi; how long has it been since we last saw you two?"
"Oh, six months, I think?" Saturos replied. His voice was thick with a powerful Proxian accent, which made his words a little difficult to understand.
The man had emigrated from the country of Prox when he was young with several thousand refugees fleeing a terrible famine in their homeland. Menardi and her younger sister Karst were also part of the same group of refugees. They came to Tolbi for the same reason everyone else came; they thought they could rise in society like a rags to riches fantasy tale. However, the dream they had remained just that; in Tolbi they were scarcely better off than in their homeland.
Saturos and Menardi had fled from Prox to escape hunger. What they arrived to was not welcome arms as they had hoped. They arrived to discrimination, hatred, unemployment, unsanitary conditions, corruption, and distrust. Coming from Prox, they were much different than any average Tolbi citizen. Their unusual skin tones and thick accents pointed them out as foreigners. Unfortunately, many Tolbians harbored a fear of the peoples of Prox.
Throughout history, Prox was involved in a number of great wars. The Proxian peoples were known as the greatest and most aggressive of warriors. Tales of vicious and terrible fighters and mages ran amok through peoples around the world. Every tall tale was believed; everything from the so called practice in which every warrior who downed a foe in battle would drink a pint of their victim's blood to the rumor that all women performed devil summoning rituals nightly to keep their men.
Of course, none of this was true. Yes, Prox had fought in a number of wars, most of which were in self defense from invasion. It was true that their warriors were of an excellent mold and were well trained. This is where they got their infamous reputation. However, in truth, the people of that nation were truly peaceful, wanting nothing more than to simply enjoy life, whether it be a simple or grand. Unfortunately, the intimidating features of most Proxians, the pointy ears, the oddly colored skin and eyes, and the reputation as dangerous fighters made them hated in most civilizations.
Saturos, Menardi, and Karst all learned very quickly how the world of Tolbi worked. Being Proxian was bad enough, but also being Adepts . . . well, that didn't work out very well in their favor. They had faced many hardships in their new home. Saturos had taken a very long time to find a job; even when he finally did, it was a very low paying factory job with no safety precaution. More than once he came home injured by the dangerous equipment in his factory. Thankfully, both Karst and Menardi knew some healing Psynergy, and they were able to keep Saturos patched up. Fortunately for the laborer, none of his injuries were life threatening at any time; however, his continued attendance even after injury made his coworkers highly distrustful.
Menardi and Karst couldn't get jobs professionally, so both worked as seamstresses in their own home. Unfortunately, mechanical devices and power looms replaced most manual labor for even this market, so the prices the female Proxians charged were absurdly low. They had no choice; competition was thick and fierce, and they needed every cent they could get.
"Six months. It really has been far too long." Felix said.
"Yes it has." Menardi replied, sitting down on a bar stool.
"So Felix, you look as though you're doing very well." Saturos replied. "Where is everyone else?"
"I'll call them down." He returned, walking to the base of the staircase. "Everyone! They're here, come down and say hello!" Footsteps above followed immediately, some quick, some slow, but all eventually came downstairs.
"Saturos, Menardi! Very nice to see you again!" Garet bellowed in his trademark jovial voice, hugging both of the visitors in a powerful grip.
"Ah, good to see you too!" Menardi gasped out, trying to loosen Garet's bear hug a little too much.
"Could you loosen up a little, Garet?" Saturos asked, his voice slightly raspy from the strength of the bartender.
"Ooh, sorry." Garet replied, letting them go.
"So, how are you and Jenna getting along, kid?" Saturos asked, slapping him on the back. Both Jenna and Garet blushed slightly as the visitor asked.
"We're..." Garet stuttered.
"We're engaged!" Jenna finished.
"Really? So you're actually going to spend the rest of your life with that woman?" Saturos asked, giving Garet a look of disbelief. The larger Mars Adept paled slightly as the smaller questioned his decision. After seeing this, Saturos burst out laughing. "You've got it good, Garet. You two will be fine."
"Saturos, you were about this close to death a few seconds ago." Jenna fumed, making a pinch gesture with her right hand.
"Forgive him, Jenna. He's never grown up completely." Menardi sighed.
"Do any men ever grow up?" Jenna inquired rhetorically.
"No." The other female replied.
"Ivan, Sheba, get over here and let me get a look at you two!" Saturos exclaimed. Both Jupiter Adepts obeyed and stood in front of him, smiling. "You two have grown quite a bit. Though, you still are a small fry, Ivan."
"I'm not short!"
"Stop picking on our hosts, Saturos." Menardi sighed. Saturos feigned a look of innocence that Menardi gave a snide look to. "Don't think that innocent act works on me, mister. I've got you pegged."
"It looks like we have a pair of understudies for Garet and Jenna." Sheba said, chuckling. Almost everyone burst out laughing, save for the piano man and Jenna.
"Are you implying that I have Garet whipped?"
"Implying nothing; stating yes!" Sheba laughed.
"Hello Menardi, Saturos." Isaac said, keeping his tone as even as always, his eyes as calm as ever.
"Isaac, hello! Are you still playing the piano like you always used to?" Menardi asked. Isaac nodded slowly as not to be curt. "Could you please play us something?"
"Yes, it has been too long since we've heard you on the keys, old friend. I'm sure you've become even more sublime than you were before." Isaac regarded Saturos's words with a glance of his sapphire eyes and the slightest of nods. The Venus Adept turned around and walked to his instrument.
The song that followed was no less than gorgeous. The notes were played with an astounding perfection; a powerful precision flowed through his music. This flawlessness was not a practiced one; no, this excellence came from the talent, it seemed. Every measure, every note, every beat dripped with an amazing brew of beauty. When he finished his show, he rose to the applause of everyone in the bar.
"More beautiful than I remember." Saturos said, rising. "You should play professionally, you know."
"I'd rather not." Isaac stated, rather bluntly.
"Why not?"
"I'm not for sale." The piano man replied, in the same cold tone he always used, this time adding a bit more frost to his words than normal.
"I see." Saturos replied.
"Alright you two, enough being somber! We have guests, let's have a good time!" Jenna exclaimed.
***************************
Several hours after the arrival of the Proxians, there came another knock at the door. Despite the sign marked "Closed," this knock persisted for a few moments. Finally, the door to the cool and misty night opened.
"I'm sorry, but we're closed right now." Jenna said as the door opened.
"My apologies, I'll. . . come another time."
"Mia?" Jenna asked, shock filling her eyes. "What are you doing out here so late at night?"
"I needed to relax. . . see a friendly face or two. It's been a horrible day."
"Well, come in, come in. I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you." She said, helping Mia inside. The young woman looked absolutely exhausted. Her eyes sagged with fatigue and she looked remarkably tense. The Mercury Adept was wearing the same blue dress she wore the last time she had visited the bar, but its casual look belied the obvious agitation its wearer had.
"Jenna, who was it?" Felix asked, turning around from speaking with his friends. His chestnut brown eyes caught sight of Mia, and he nodded. "I see. Good evening, Mia!"
"I'm sorry to come here at such an hour." Mia said, averting her eyes from Felix's warm gaze. The owner looked at Jenna's female friend and nodded.
"It's fine, Mia. You're one of Jenna's friends, and you always have a place here."
"Thank you for being so kind, Mr. Felix."
"Please, Felix is fine."
"Hey, who's your sister's friend, Felix?" Menardi asked, looking around him.
"This is Mia. I met her a few weeks ago here in the bar. She's been dropping by for visits every now and then. Believe me; it's good to have the company sometimes." Jenna smiled.
"Well, don't be so shy then." Saturos said. "You're among friends here. My name is Saturos, and this is Menardi."
"Pleased to meet you." Mia replied. She knew on sight they were Proxian; it wasn't the first time she'd ever seen one, though speaking to one was a new experience to her.
"Hey Isaac, isn't it time for you to play again?" Jenna asked over the heads of her visitors. Isaac, who was still sitting at his piano stool, cocked his head toward Jenna's voice. "I mean, I think we could all use another one of your songs."
The Venus Adept's eyes hardened a little, studying what Jenna had in mind. Obviously she was asking for a reason; a reason she obviously didn't care to say aloud. She knew that he would take this course, so she quickly put up her best façade to avoid his calculating stare. It was in vain though. Isaac quickly figured out why Jenna asked him to play again, even with her mask on. The Mars Adept wanted him to play for Mia. It was clear that Jenna hadn't gotten past the notion of trying to set them up. By having him play, she probably would allow Mia to think that he'd play for her whenever she came in. Isaac gave off a silent sigh; there was no way around it without being rude to everyone.
"Very well." Isaac said quietly and shortly.
"Can I make a request?" Menardi asked. Isaac turned his gaze to the Proxian, and nodded. "Play that one you used to practice a lot when we visited last. You know, the long one; the one that was probably half an hour in full length?"
"Fine." Isaac replied. "I'll be right back." He rose from his seat and quickly disappeared upstairs without another word. Conversation between the people below perforated the floorboards below him as he searched through his drawers and folders of sheet music. Searching through countless pages of music vexed him as he tried to find the one Menardi requested. Of course it had to be the one he hadn't played since he perfected it four months ago. Isaac sighed as he finally found the tables he was looking for, and he sat back on his bed.
It was already very late at night, and Saturos and Menardi wouldn't be leaving until tomorrow morning. Mia wasn't likely to leave until morning either; it was now too dangerous in the streets to let a woman walk home alone; especially one as attractive as her. Isaac pondered where their unexpected guest would sleep that night; Garet and Jenna had already given up their bed to Saturos and Menardi. Well, it was more than likely Felix would make the offer to give up his. However, Isaac somehow didn't feel right about letting Felix give up his bed; if Mia decided to stay the night, he would give up his own.
The Venus Adept stopped as he rose from his bed suddenly. Did he just think what he thought he did? This was unusual to say the least; Isaac, though not necessarily selfish, rarely allowed thoughts like those to cross his mind. Mia was a friendly person, and Isaac certainly had no problems with her, but for him to stick his neck out for a relative stranger to the family? He sighed in exasperation; he was worried Jenna's prodding had somehow gotten to his head. Or, perhaps it Felix was starting to rub off on him. Either way, Isaac forced the thoughts from his mind and walked downstairs to play for his audience.
