Bit of a transitional chapter here; you didn't think there wouldn't be an overarching conflict in this little experiment of mine, did you?
I give you…the opposition.
"So?" The man in the black suit leaned back in his chair and scowled. "What happened?"
"No need to worry," the man in the red suit said, smirking. "A minor setback, is all. We didn't anticipate that the old boy would have the right kind of…juice left, if you follow me. We'll find him, and we'll find his…companions, as well."
The man in the black suit raised a thick black eyebrow. "Do you take me for an idiot? Do I look like a middle-management drone? Try something with substance or find a new partner. I'm not interested in being insulted."
"If this is the part where I'm supposed to be intimidated, do tell me so that I can show the proper level of terror. Would you like me to cower? Fall on my knees, wet myself, cry for my mother?" The man in the red suit took his hands out of his pockets and set them against his hips. "Need I remind you that the reason you started working with me in the first place was because your tricks don't work on me?"
"No, but evidently you need to find every excuse to hear yourself talk," the man in the black suit muttered as he stood up. "I don't need to be told what and what not should worry me."
"If this were about what you needed, I would have found you a therapist."
"You may have the occult backing you, but do not forget that I have assets as well. I do not suffer fools. Spare me. Reserve your wit for those dim enough to appreciate it."
The expression on the man in the red suit's face turned to stone. "Very well. The proverbial bush has been beaten to death, it would seem. He is ancient, and he is far more cunning than we could have anticipated. His senses are sharp. But ours are sharper. He maintains far too much confidence. Not only in himself, but in his comrades."
"I continue to hear platitudes. Get to the point."
"Pay attention for once in your life, and you'll realize that I've already gotten there. His confidence in them will be his undoing. We will find him, and we will end this."
The man in the black suit grunted dismissively. "If I had known the headache this would cause, I would have scrapped the entire project."
"We could not have known that the boy would have allies."
"I am not interested in what you could not have known."
"Nor am I interested in your ceaseless bitching. You called us in, remember? You asked for our help with your…personal project. We will deliver. I hear tell that patience is a most frightening skill of yours. Indulge in it."
"This project is fast becoming more trouble than it is worth."
"We are too far invested now. We will bring the boy to you, or we will kill him. The obvious choice is the former. I know how much you hate wasting resources. Especially those of such a…delicate variety."
The man in the black suit sneered. "…Are you appealing to my humanity, Crawford?"
The man in the red suit chuckled.
"I would never, Kaiba-shachou."
