Although he never really thought about it when he was away, Tical missed walking up and down the streets of Rhydin in the middle of the night. As weird as it seemed even to him, it vaguely reminded him of roaming the streets of Brooklyn in the middle of the night. There was always that hint of danger, that something could happen if you wandered into the wrong place at the wrong time. However, at the same time he felt strangely comfortable with that. Now that the Outback was under construction again, he had to walk a little bit further to get back to the waterfront. That was fine with him, it gave him more time to roam the streets.
As he walked he thought about various things. He had been back a few days now and had plans, big plans. He was going to need some help but he would need fresh blood. He knew he could always depend on the Crew if it came down to it, but this had to be his own thing. After all, this was his brainchild, his baby, he was going to do everything on his own. Plus, the Crew had their own lives. Lives he didn't want to disrupt, at least not yet. Plus, from what he had heard when he got back into town, it seemed like the media and fan frenzy from the Crew capturing the TDL Cup this season had just passed and he was glad he had missed that, well at least the media part of it. The fans he had always enjoyed, and they enjoyed him...the female ones more so than the males, but that was fine with him.
He reached the waterfront a lot more quickly than he would have liked to, his footfalls were joined by an annoying creak as he walked along the docks toward a non-descript warehouse. It was the only one in the row it was located with the outside lights on, however. Tical whipped out a key and jabbed it towards the lock, but much to his surprise the door swung open slightly. At first he went immediately on guard, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He ducked into the crack in the door, using the shadows until he heard blaring voices and became immediately aware of what was happening...
He stepped into the large open area of the warehouse, which had been completely gutted. In fact, once a person stepped into the actual "warehouse" they realized it was nothing like a warehouse at all. The walls had been fitted with black padding and had large black drapes drawn across them at either side. The floors had been ripped up and then tile had been brought in, black marble. To offset the dark coloring, a few couches of various materials and colors were set against one of the walls. That was easily explained, however, Tical had not decided what scheme he was going to go with in that department yet. At the center of the warehouse floor, a large circular bar had been installed and recently stocked. Above the bar were four large, mounted high-definition TV screens. There were also a few smaller TV screens mounted into the four walls of the establishment at strategic points. One of the large screens was active though, the volume jacked up quite a bit:
"Welcome back to the Rhydin Sports Network! Coming up this hour, we got another Team Dueling League update for next season. Who has their roster changing? Which star duelists are on the move? Can the Wrecking Crew re-up for a repeat? Also this hour, we let you know who the thus-far favorite is for the upcoming Warlord Tournament over in the Arena. Trust us, it's not who you think!"
Tical stood at one end of the bar, looking up at the active screen and shaking his head. At that point, another non-descript door at the back of the room swung open. A petite, but nimble young blonde woman spun out of the doorway carrying a large tray filled with newly cleaned glasses. However, once she caught sight of Tical standing at the end of the bar she almost dropped the tray. She managed to hold her composure long enough to stalk to the bar and set the tray down, immediately snagging the remote control laying on the bar and furiously turning down the volume on the active television.
"Hey boss, didn't realize you would be back early. Sorry about havin' the TV so loud...I can't hear it so well in the back." She nervously tucked a few strands of blonde hair that had fallen into her face back behind a slightly pointed ear and smiled. The smile had the effect of making her ocean blue eyes sparkle.
“Do you really have to watch the same thing all day everyday, Laurel?” Tical asked in a slightly annoyed voice, his light brown eyes moving past her to the area near the door she had just emerged from. His initial rush of adrenaline had calmed, but he was still on the guard. The only things he found back towards the far wall of the warehouse were the aforementioned door and another bar, this one a long one that almost stretched the length of the wall and fitted with mirrors behind it.
“They’re talkin’ ‘bout the Crew a lot now that you guys finally won the Cup. Lots of the sportscasters wanna know where you been, too. And, I know what I like.” Laurel flashed another smile and to punctuate her statement, she tapped her index fingers against her shoulders proudly to draw notice to her shirt. She had on a navy blue shirt that read “Property of Kitsune Stadium Athletic Department”. The t-shirt was tied in the back for the dual purpose of showing off the young woman’s very flat abdomen and so that it fit her better, both purposes going virtually unnoticed by Tical. He noticed one thing.
“You really gotta stop jackin’ my clothes. Speakin’ of which, did you find an apartment yet? And did they finally finish puttin’ everythin’ together?” Laurel’s habit of rambling on unnecessarily had spread to Tical as he fired off a battery of questions.
“No, I’ve been busy here. Somebody’s gotta let the delivery guys in an’ make sure that everybody doin’ construction is actually doin’ the right crap. Most things just need a few minor touches, though. The upstairs is a complete pile of crap, though. Don’t know when they’ll finish that.” Laurel had immediately gone on the defensive, but that was part of her nature. She nicely summarized the questions as she moved behind the bar and started stocking glasses without missing a beat. At the end she turned and motion towards a set of wide, steel stairs to indicate the “upstairs” she was talking about.
Tical shook his head and muttered, “Lazy bastards.” Then he promptly turned and headed for another steel door at the front end of the warehouse. Pulling open the door, he turned around and shouted towards the circular bar in the middle of the warehouse. “And find a place to live. I’d like to actually sleep in my loft one of these days.” With that, he disappeared behind the steel door.
“Yeah, yeah.” Laurel replied under her breath as the steel door closed solidly, leaving her alone with the television again. As she mashed on the volume button on the remote control, she grinned. One of the reasons she grinned was that it was good to see Tical back, even though he was fussing at her. The other reason was articulated just before the television overtook her words, “Besides, it’s not like I am the only one who’s here…”
The more things change...
Moderators: Ria Graziano, Maria Graziano, Ticallion Carter, Myria Graziano
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Ticallion Carter
- Adventurer
- Posts: 79
- Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 3:49 pm
- Location: An upscale bachelor's loft in New Haven is his primary residence.
-
Ticallion Carter
- Adventurer
- Posts: 79
- Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 3:49 pm
- Location: An upscale bachelor's loft in New Haven is his primary residence.
Laurel was a handful, Tical knew that from the first day he met her, however. She was cute, that was already a problem. It became a bigger problem now that she was beginning to realize that she was cute. What made her almost completely unmanageable was the fact that she looked up to Tical a great deal, so she began to emulate him and the mesh of her personality, his personality and her looks made for a potent mix. She broke a lot of hearts, and there were going to be many more left in her wake. One day, though, she was going to make the guy who tied her down very happy he decided to pursue the chase to it’s end. That was certain.
Part of the reason she was looked up to Tical was the circumstances of their meeting. She knew who he was previously, because she had always been a sports nut. However, what he did for her was a debt she could never repay and it fostered virtually the whole spectrum of affectionate feelings within her. The most overriding of these was the fact that in her mind, he was like a big brother she never had, despite them being almost the same age. He protected her when she needed it most and she knew he would do it again if he had to.
Laurel had always been attracted to the bad boys. The guys that started bar fights, listened to loud music and had contempt for authority. That had just always been her personality, something she couldn’t quite explain. That’s how she met Tical. One night in particular, after she had broken up with her last boyfriend, Laurel had been “getting over” him by spending her nights in one of her favorite hole in the wall bar spots. As usual, she was getting harassed by some of the male patrons. Most notably among these was this guy Johnny and his group of friends. She never knew Johnny’s last name, but she figured that most people didn’t, except for whoever his mother had been and a few of the more dedicated vigilantes around Rhydin. Johnny was the kind of guy Laurel was attracted to generally, but she had always been put off because he seemed slightly off. Slightly insane. The way he looked at her was a dead giveaway (although the string of lawlessness he and his group of flunkies were accustomed to engaging in should have been a better giveaway). This night though, Johnny was particularly “charming”.
Laurel had admittedly a little more drunk than she would have liked to that night, and she almost paid for it. Upon her leaving the bar, she was confronted by Johnny and his cohorts again, this time without any witnesses around, and that's when it happened. That's when she met Ticallion Carter. He happened to be passing near the alley adjacent to the bar at the height of Johnny delivering a barrage of slaps to Laurel. To his credit, he could have continued along, but he confronted the group.
The first thing that struck her about him was what she had already known from following his career through the rings, he was supremely confident in himself. Nobody else would have stood up to four proven criminals like that, even petty ones. This wasn't exactly the MegaBrawl for Moonberyl. Fortunately for both of them, he didn't have to fight all four. Once he made short work of Johnny, the other three thugs realized who Tical was and broke into a full sprint out of the alley.
That was the beginning of a short, but strong friendship. Laurel was concerned about retaliation if she went back to her place, so Tical let her stay at his loft in New Haven. When he left for another promotional tour for Tyr Enterprises, Inc. he left her in charge of the warehouse. Okay, so maybe originally he was opposed to letting her work for him, but she had persuaded him mainly because she had spent so much of her free time around bars that she had picked up a few things about bartending. Plus, even Tical had to admit that Laurel could draw a crowd. In more ways than one. Plus, she owed him one. In her mind, she always would.
***
The steel door closed solidly behind Tical as he began to jog quickly up the short staircase on the side of the warehouse. The staircase led to another solitary door behind which was a large area that used to be the foreman's office of the warehouse. Tical had the construction crews he hired work on that first, transforming the office into his own and adding a few modifications. At the top of the stairs, Tical was greeted with his second surpise of the night.
Another half-open door, this one complete with light spilling into the stairwell from inside. Tical was much less concerned with this one than he had been earlier in the night. After all, Laurel was downstairs. She wouldn't let somebody just stroll past her and up into his office, would she? Then again, Tical had almost snuck up on her.
Well, there was only one way to find out in Tical's mind. He took a step towards the open door and pushed it the rest of the way open...
Part of the reason she was looked up to Tical was the circumstances of their meeting. She knew who he was previously, because she had always been a sports nut. However, what he did for her was a debt she could never repay and it fostered virtually the whole spectrum of affectionate feelings within her. The most overriding of these was the fact that in her mind, he was like a big brother she never had, despite them being almost the same age. He protected her when she needed it most and she knew he would do it again if he had to.
Laurel had always been attracted to the bad boys. The guys that started bar fights, listened to loud music and had contempt for authority. That had just always been her personality, something she couldn’t quite explain. That’s how she met Tical. One night in particular, after she had broken up with her last boyfriend, Laurel had been “getting over” him by spending her nights in one of her favorite hole in the wall bar spots. As usual, she was getting harassed by some of the male patrons. Most notably among these was this guy Johnny and his group of friends. She never knew Johnny’s last name, but she figured that most people didn’t, except for whoever his mother had been and a few of the more dedicated vigilantes around Rhydin. Johnny was the kind of guy Laurel was attracted to generally, but she had always been put off because he seemed slightly off. Slightly insane. The way he looked at her was a dead giveaway (although the string of lawlessness he and his group of flunkies were accustomed to engaging in should have been a better giveaway). This night though, Johnny was particularly “charming”.
Laurel had admittedly a little more drunk than she would have liked to that night, and she almost paid for it. Upon her leaving the bar, she was confronted by Johnny and his cohorts again, this time without any witnesses around, and that's when it happened. That's when she met Ticallion Carter. He happened to be passing near the alley adjacent to the bar at the height of Johnny delivering a barrage of slaps to Laurel. To his credit, he could have continued along, but he confronted the group.
The first thing that struck her about him was what she had already known from following his career through the rings, he was supremely confident in himself. Nobody else would have stood up to four proven criminals like that, even petty ones. This wasn't exactly the MegaBrawl for Moonberyl. Fortunately for both of them, he didn't have to fight all four. Once he made short work of Johnny, the other three thugs realized who Tical was and broke into a full sprint out of the alley.
That was the beginning of a short, but strong friendship. Laurel was concerned about retaliation if she went back to her place, so Tical let her stay at his loft in New Haven. When he left for another promotional tour for Tyr Enterprises, Inc. he left her in charge of the warehouse. Okay, so maybe originally he was opposed to letting her work for him, but she had persuaded him mainly because she had spent so much of her free time around bars that she had picked up a few things about bartending. Plus, even Tical had to admit that Laurel could draw a crowd. In more ways than one. Plus, she owed him one. In her mind, she always would.
***
The steel door closed solidly behind Tical as he began to jog quickly up the short staircase on the side of the warehouse. The staircase led to another solitary door behind which was a large area that used to be the foreman's office of the warehouse. Tical had the construction crews he hired work on that first, transforming the office into his own and adding a few modifications. At the top of the stairs, Tical was greeted with his second surpise of the night.
Another half-open door, this one complete with light spilling into the stairwell from inside. Tical was much less concerned with this one than he had been earlier in the night. After all, Laurel was downstairs. She wouldn't let somebody just stroll past her and up into his office, would she? Then again, Tical had almost snuck up on her.
Well, there was only one way to find out in Tical's mind. He took a step towards the open door and pushed it the rest of the way open...
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Ticallion Carter
- Adventurer
- Posts: 79
- Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 3:49 pm
- Location: An upscale bachelor's loft in New Haven is his primary residence.
Stepping inside the spacious office, Tical's light brown eyes immediately scanned the room. The source of the light was the antique style lamp perched on the top of his long, maple desk. The light from the lamp was supplemented weakly by the moonlight streaming in from the windows behind the desk. Next to the lamp was literally mountains of thickly bound books strewn about the desk. The pile of books formed a neat little barrier around an almost equally as large stack of papers which were strewn about as well. The particularly largest stack of papers was currently employed as a pillow for the head of his latest "intruder" who was little snoring: Henry William Warrensworth, III. Super-agent extraordinaire.
Tical crossed his arms over his solid chest, watching H.W. for a couple of seconds. Now, he was really annoyed. He was a person who lived in the present, he was forced to because everytime he dawdled in the past or looked with anticipation to the future, he always regretted it. It was a lesson he learned a million times over, and would probably learn a million more times. The present told him that now, at this particular point in time, he was pissed. H.W. appeared as if he had taken up residence in his office for the time being. There was a huge stack of boxes with numerous files shoved into them sitting in the large leather chair in the corner opposite of the door. Aside from that, the well-tailored smoke grey jacket to H.W.'s suit laid neatly folded across the back of the leather couch near the eastern wall of the office. Tical quickly calculated in his mind that this meant two things: the first was that H.W. had been here for awhile and Laurel didn't bother to warn him, something he was sure she had knowledge of; the second was that H.W. had some bad news for him if he was waiting for Tical to come back into town instead of summoning him to come to his offices later.
Tical stood in the doorway, arms still folded, deciding what he was going to do about H.W. He had decided he was going to wake him up, but he was contemplating whether or not he should slap him over the back of his head to do it. Finally, he exhaled loudly and turned and slammed the door to his office closed behind him. Hard. *Boom!*
H.W.'s body seized up and he flung he head backwards, almost toppling out of the wheeled leather chair behind Tical's desk with the force of his movements.
"I wasn't sleeping!!"
"Well, well, well. Fancy meeting you here, H.W. Please tell me that Laurel got you drunk and you just happened to pass out up here and you are on your way home." Tical crossed the room to a bookshelf near the large leather chair in the corner as he spoke.
"Ticallion. You're back, good. We have some things to go over and-- Hey, I would imagine that you of all people would be happy to see me." H.W. frowned slightly and then reached onto the desk to pick up his gold-framed glasses, putting them onto the bridge of his nose and quickly shuffled the stack of papers he had been sleeping on moments ago.
"Don't get me wrong, H.W. I am. I'm always glad to see you. I just ain't glad to see you in the middle of my office sleeping on my desk." Tical's anger immediately melted away as he reached the bookshelf. At least one of these two had finally pulled through, Laurel had scored him a decent stereo, complete with a CD changer, for the office and set it up in the middle of the bookshelf. He had been looking for one of these since he got to Rhydin. He pushed the eject button on the unit, scanning quickly through the five disc changer...all empty.
Tical whirled around to face H.W. who was thumbing through the stacks of papers. That wasn't like the agent, he cut straight to the point. Tical didn't care in the least right now, he was too excited about the stereo.
"Hey H.W., how long has this been here? And, where did Laurel put the CDs?"
H.W. stirred slightly out of his newly rediscovered concentration and stared at Tical quizzically through his glasses. "What?" Another red flag that was immediately ignored, most of the usual color was drained out of H.W.'s face and he was noticeably thinner.
Tical threw his hand dismissively towards H.W. and opened the narrow door near the bookshelf and stepped inside. The sounds of someone searching feverishly through items emerged from the closet seconds later. However, they immediately stopped and Tical stepped out of the closet, his annoyed look again plastered across his face. A thumb jutted out towards the closet door.
"You moving in?" Tical asked H.W. with a hint of impatience.
H.W. snapped back from a momentary daydream he had been having and looked at Tical and shook his head quickly. "No, well..it's complicated. I just bought some paperwork and suits over from my office for the time being."
"Time being? What the hell? I swear, I'm about to start charging you guy's rent. This isn't a free ride." Tical muttered and stepped back towards the bookshelf, searching madly for compact discs.
H.W. pushed himself weakly away from the desk and stood up, his well shined black leather shoes carrying him across the imported carper and wooden floor of the office towards the door.
"Woah. Where the hell are you goin'?" Tical turned as H.W. passed by him.
"Downstairs. I need scotch. I saw the delivery guys show up this afternoon and I know Laurel's down there. I can hear that racket from up here." Yeah, he definitely looked and sounded like a man who was sick, somebody who had been jammed through a ringer. Tical figured he was just overworked, H.W. was too straight-laced in some area of his moral fiber to be a drug addict. Even him wanting scotch was kind of strange.
Tical shrugged and began his search again. "Whatever, man."
H.W. trugged back in the room looking even more downtrodden a few moments later. A half-full glass of scotch and ice was held protectively between both of his hands and he fell solidly into the couch once he reached it. "Laurel asked me to inform you that the 'CDs' or whatever you were griping about earlier have yet to arrive. Her -uhh- 'friends' have yet to locate what you are looking for. There's been a little bit of confusion."
Tical threw up his hands in frustration and dropped into the wheeled leather chair behind his desk. He glanced briefly at the papers strewn about his desk before he propped his right elbow up on a book on the desk and settled his chin into his right hand.
"What's crackin' H.W.? You look like you've been beat to hell. So, what are we lookin' at? What's the damage?"
H.W. took a healthy drink from his glass of scotch and swallowed, letting the burn in his throat pass before he pushed up his glasses and looked up to Tical. His slate grey eyes shifted slightly before he spoke.
"Business wise? Everything is slightly behind schedule, but that is to be expected. Laurel swears that she could not get as much accomplished as anticipated while you were aware. Tyr was ecstatic to hear that you had agreed to their offer to renew the contract, I had convinced them that we were going to walk as far as the endorsement. The collection is selling exceptionally well, but that is due to your performance in the TDL Cup finals."
All good news, more money coming in was usually good news. But it was all a set up, a set up to an A-bomb that H.W. was set to drop and Tical knew it. His life always led him to situations like this, today was no exception.
"But....?"
"Well, it's a delicate situation really. The short of it is that I will be unavailable to extend legal advice or any of my assets or contacts to you. This is strictly temporary, however."
Tical nodded slowly, that was bad, but he also knew that wasn't it. H.W. had turned lawyer-talk on him, this was ultimately going somewhere bad but it would take awhile to get there. Tical figured that H.W. had taken on additional clients while Tical was gone in order to supplement his income. Perhaps the fat residuals he was receiving from the previous contract or the resigning between Tyr Enterprises, Inc. and Tical wasn't enough. After all, Catherine, H.W.'s wife had just given birth to the couple's second child before Tical left for the promotional tour. And on the other hand, H.W. had to support his mistress, Heather. Heather also happened to be H.W.'s secretary. Heather ALSO happened to have a very nice apartment in town that was well beyond her means. Awhile back, she stopped receiving paychecks and was completely supported by H.W. Tical had left that alone, though. Hell, given his resume', he was the last person who should be given anybody moral advice.
"I know what you are thinking, Ticallion. I haven't taken on any other clients. In fact, I have no more offices. I've had to liquidate everything in my name and in addition, I've had to be very careful not to take on anything that would generate revenue for myself. At least for the time being." H.W. began to explain.
So, here it was. Here came the bomb that Tical was expecting H.W. to detonate the last couple of minutes. Truth is, he had actually been expecting it since he came into his office and found his agent sleeping at his desk.
H.W. looked up from the glass of scotch again.
"Catherine has filed for divorce."
Boom.
Tical crossed his arms over his solid chest, watching H.W. for a couple of seconds. Now, he was really annoyed. He was a person who lived in the present, he was forced to because everytime he dawdled in the past or looked with anticipation to the future, he always regretted it. It was a lesson he learned a million times over, and would probably learn a million more times. The present told him that now, at this particular point in time, he was pissed. H.W. appeared as if he had taken up residence in his office for the time being. There was a huge stack of boxes with numerous files shoved into them sitting in the large leather chair in the corner opposite of the door. Aside from that, the well-tailored smoke grey jacket to H.W.'s suit laid neatly folded across the back of the leather couch near the eastern wall of the office. Tical quickly calculated in his mind that this meant two things: the first was that H.W. had been here for awhile and Laurel didn't bother to warn him, something he was sure she had knowledge of; the second was that H.W. had some bad news for him if he was waiting for Tical to come back into town instead of summoning him to come to his offices later.
Tical stood in the doorway, arms still folded, deciding what he was going to do about H.W. He had decided he was going to wake him up, but he was contemplating whether or not he should slap him over the back of his head to do it. Finally, he exhaled loudly and turned and slammed the door to his office closed behind him. Hard. *Boom!*
H.W.'s body seized up and he flung he head backwards, almost toppling out of the wheeled leather chair behind Tical's desk with the force of his movements.
"I wasn't sleeping!!"
"Well, well, well. Fancy meeting you here, H.W. Please tell me that Laurel got you drunk and you just happened to pass out up here and you are on your way home." Tical crossed the room to a bookshelf near the large leather chair in the corner as he spoke.
"Ticallion. You're back, good. We have some things to go over and-- Hey, I would imagine that you of all people would be happy to see me." H.W. frowned slightly and then reached onto the desk to pick up his gold-framed glasses, putting them onto the bridge of his nose and quickly shuffled the stack of papers he had been sleeping on moments ago.
"Don't get me wrong, H.W. I am. I'm always glad to see you. I just ain't glad to see you in the middle of my office sleeping on my desk." Tical's anger immediately melted away as he reached the bookshelf. At least one of these two had finally pulled through, Laurel had scored him a decent stereo, complete with a CD changer, for the office and set it up in the middle of the bookshelf. He had been looking for one of these since he got to Rhydin. He pushed the eject button on the unit, scanning quickly through the five disc changer...all empty.
Tical whirled around to face H.W. who was thumbing through the stacks of papers. That wasn't like the agent, he cut straight to the point. Tical didn't care in the least right now, he was too excited about the stereo.
"Hey H.W., how long has this been here? And, where did Laurel put the CDs?"
H.W. stirred slightly out of his newly rediscovered concentration and stared at Tical quizzically through his glasses. "What?" Another red flag that was immediately ignored, most of the usual color was drained out of H.W.'s face and he was noticeably thinner.
Tical threw his hand dismissively towards H.W. and opened the narrow door near the bookshelf and stepped inside. The sounds of someone searching feverishly through items emerged from the closet seconds later. However, they immediately stopped and Tical stepped out of the closet, his annoyed look again plastered across his face. A thumb jutted out towards the closet door.
"You moving in?" Tical asked H.W. with a hint of impatience.
H.W. snapped back from a momentary daydream he had been having and looked at Tical and shook his head quickly. "No, well..it's complicated. I just bought some paperwork and suits over from my office for the time being."
"Time being? What the hell? I swear, I'm about to start charging you guy's rent. This isn't a free ride." Tical muttered and stepped back towards the bookshelf, searching madly for compact discs.
H.W. pushed himself weakly away from the desk and stood up, his well shined black leather shoes carrying him across the imported carper and wooden floor of the office towards the door.
"Woah. Where the hell are you goin'?" Tical turned as H.W. passed by him.
"Downstairs. I need scotch. I saw the delivery guys show up this afternoon and I know Laurel's down there. I can hear that racket from up here." Yeah, he definitely looked and sounded like a man who was sick, somebody who had been jammed through a ringer. Tical figured he was just overworked, H.W. was too straight-laced in some area of his moral fiber to be a drug addict. Even him wanting scotch was kind of strange.
Tical shrugged and began his search again. "Whatever, man."
H.W. trugged back in the room looking even more downtrodden a few moments later. A half-full glass of scotch and ice was held protectively between both of his hands and he fell solidly into the couch once he reached it. "Laurel asked me to inform you that the 'CDs' or whatever you were griping about earlier have yet to arrive. Her -uhh- 'friends' have yet to locate what you are looking for. There's been a little bit of confusion."
Tical threw up his hands in frustration and dropped into the wheeled leather chair behind his desk. He glanced briefly at the papers strewn about his desk before he propped his right elbow up on a book on the desk and settled his chin into his right hand.
"What's crackin' H.W.? You look like you've been beat to hell. So, what are we lookin' at? What's the damage?"
H.W. took a healthy drink from his glass of scotch and swallowed, letting the burn in his throat pass before he pushed up his glasses and looked up to Tical. His slate grey eyes shifted slightly before he spoke.
"Business wise? Everything is slightly behind schedule, but that is to be expected. Laurel swears that she could not get as much accomplished as anticipated while you were aware. Tyr was ecstatic to hear that you had agreed to their offer to renew the contract, I had convinced them that we were going to walk as far as the endorsement. The collection is selling exceptionally well, but that is due to your performance in the TDL Cup finals."
All good news, more money coming in was usually good news. But it was all a set up, a set up to an A-bomb that H.W. was set to drop and Tical knew it. His life always led him to situations like this, today was no exception.
"But....?"
"Well, it's a delicate situation really. The short of it is that I will be unavailable to extend legal advice or any of my assets or contacts to you. This is strictly temporary, however."
Tical nodded slowly, that was bad, but he also knew that wasn't it. H.W. had turned lawyer-talk on him, this was ultimately going somewhere bad but it would take awhile to get there. Tical figured that H.W. had taken on additional clients while Tical was gone in order to supplement his income. Perhaps the fat residuals he was receiving from the previous contract or the resigning between Tyr Enterprises, Inc. and Tical wasn't enough. After all, Catherine, H.W.'s wife had just given birth to the couple's second child before Tical left for the promotional tour. And on the other hand, H.W. had to support his mistress, Heather. Heather also happened to be H.W.'s secretary. Heather ALSO happened to have a very nice apartment in town that was well beyond her means. Awhile back, she stopped receiving paychecks and was completely supported by H.W. Tical had left that alone, though. Hell, given his resume', he was the last person who should be given anybody moral advice.
"I know what you are thinking, Ticallion. I haven't taken on any other clients. In fact, I have no more offices. I've had to liquidate everything in my name and in addition, I've had to be very careful not to take on anything that would generate revenue for myself. At least for the time being." H.W. began to explain.
So, here it was. Here came the bomb that Tical was expecting H.W. to detonate the last couple of minutes. Truth is, he had actually been expecting it since he came into his office and found his agent sleeping at his desk.
H.W. looked up from the glass of scotch again.
"Catherine has filed for divorce."
Boom.
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