TAGAtlas NOTES N/A
Étienne was petty — there was no denying it. Hell, if asked, he was probably proud of it. A man with an ego as big as his wasn't someone to trifle with, as he took his petty revenge quietly and swiftly without so much as hesitation.
Which is exactly what had happened to the Spades Gang, when Étienne had nearly been killed by their escaped Infected a couple months back when delivering goods for them. Worse yet, he'd been caught up in their silly feud with the Military, and had almost been arrested for conspiracy with their illegal fights. The gall of them to have released those beasts while he had still been there! Regardless of whether or not they knew who he was in relations to Eclipse — if it had been someone else in the organization rather than him, he still would have felt a deserved fury towards the gang. That fury translated into immediately refusal of service for the Jabberwockies from that day forward, all out of spite.
The gang was a good client for Eclipse, even if they were untoward with their business, but the Eclipse Boss didn't care. They'd learn quickly that he wasn't one to mess around with, and Étienne's fury lasted long enough that, eventually, the Ace of the gang himself reached out to contact Eclipse and inquire about their relations.
Someone else could have gone — hell, anyone else should have gone. Diplomacy wasn't the man's strong suit, but as the deterioration between their organizations was due to a slight against him, he felt it only natural that he be the one to attend the meeting with the gang and deal with this little... Issue. He didn't go alone, of course. Much as he had wanted to, his advisors insisted that he take a couple of their high ranking members along, just to make sure the gang wasn't stupid enough to assassinate Eclipse's head.
Which is how the man currently found himself inside yet another of their illegal fighting dens, positioned at the back where the booths offered a good view of the fight, as well as privacy from the rest of the onlookers. The Boss sat in the middle of the booth, arms slung over the back with a glass of whiskey in one hand — a lit cigarette pinched between his index and middle fingers. Étienne didn't care for the fights, which was evident by the expression on his face, but they'd been told the Ace would meet them here. The two men he'd taken with him sat on either side, enjoying their own drinks and chatting up the waitresses while they waited.
To say Eclipse had been quiet was an understatement. What had been a consistent, reliable stream of business shriveled into a dry bed of silence. When Atlas had noticed the finances taking an impact, he investigated, and figured out that all business at stalled. Crates of supply that had been stacked at rendezvous points remained untouched and none of his high cards had seen an Eclipse member.
Atlas may have been pompous, arrogant, but he was a businessman before that, with the notion that an Ace could not successfully lead without financial power. As untouchable as Atlas believed himself, there was a crumb of fear that he may be replaced, and he was powerless to stop a mutiny by lower ranked Spades.
Which is why he was attentive on the matter, and initiated contact with the Eclipse. Atlas trusted little, and the Eclipse were not exception, yet they were vital in the supply lines that ran outside of the city. No one could pass Military checkpoints with as much finesse as them. Atlas mused over this fact with a puckered lip, as he recalled the last time they tried to shuffle out a Spades supply using only members of the gang.
Though the underground was typically cool, Atlas still felt hot and constrained in clothing. For some semblance of humility, he didn't go with a bare chest, but wore a mesh shirt, black lacings stark against the milky whiteness of his skin peeking from beneath.
The Ace approached, his feet soundless and his back rigid like a soldier's. The Eclipse were pointed out to him, though he recognized none of them and only knew the name of the group's boss, "Etienne". The one reclined in the center, with sandy blonde hair and a smug look about his features, seemed to be leader.
"Which one of you is 'Etienne'?" he asked, twisting the French name into his South African accent, his eyes directed at the blonde man in the middle.
TAGAtlas NOTES N/A
Étienne didn't care to pass the time by engaging in idle chitchat with the waitresses, very unlike the two men that currently sat on either side of him. He was there for one reason, and one reason only — to potentially put an end to the strain on business between Eclipse and the Spades. As far as the Eclipse boss was concerned, he was perfectly fine with things remaining cut off between the smugglers and the heathens that called themselves the Jabberwockies. They were good clients — even if the trust between the two factions remained razor thin. But as far as he was concerned, Eclipse wasn't exactly hurting for business at the moment, which meant it was easy to cut off those that had done him wrong.
His blue-grey eyes remained trained to their surroundings, watching people as they drew close, only to retreat again. He was very aware of those walking around them, eager to pick out their contact before they approached the table. Which is when his attention landed on a tall, lanky man — barely dressed in what could be described as a shirt — as he approached the three Eclipse members. The way in which he held himself made it clear he was comfortable in his surroundings: obviously someone from the Jabberwockies.
It's not until he approaches them and questions which of them is called Étienne that it becomes obvious he's the Ace they're meant to meet. The French man's lips twist slightly in mocking amusement at how his name is butchered, but he's used to it at this point. He notes the way the other man's eyes are already focused on him, knowing instinctively that the blond man must be the one in charge.
“That would be me,” Étienne confirms, twisting the cigarette in his fingers so that he can take a drag without putting his glass down. He doesn't speak again immediately, choosing instead to take his time to release a puff of smoke from his mouth as clever eyes taken in his opponent. Smoke still trailing lazily from between his lips, he finally leans forward to place his glass on the table in front of him, snuffing the cigarette out in an ash tray as he does so, before once more leaning back with his arms draped over the back of the booth. Arrogance. Head held high, he put on an air of someone in power that wouldn't cower to the Ace of Spades.
“So you've finally decided to call a meeting about the lack of business between us, have you?” he questions, the smallest amount of snark evident in his tone. “I wonder why that is?” A smirk, even if the smile doesn't quite meet his eyes. No, deep inside, he's still rather pissed about the previous encounter with the gang.
Atlas knew what power looked like. That quiet, easy confidence, like a predator without cause to fear. Even before the blonde answered, he knew, smoky eyes set on Etienne, on the slender smoke trail that snaked from the cigarette perched between two, arrogant lips. Had Atlas not keep a keen focus on controlling his facial expressions, he might curl his lip at how annoyingly comfortable the other seemed to be in enemy territory. Like Etienne knew he had the upper hand.
Steadily, Atlas nodded his head, though it looked more like an affirming bow. Though he did not move to sit beside the boss, instead followed his blue gaze out to where two brawlers fought over concrete speckled in their own blood.
"I see you've taken to the fights. It goes to show how one man's pain is another man's enjoyment." Atlas wondered if Etienne got the subtle meaning of his expression, how it reflected the position the two leaders were both in, yet it would trouble him not if the flew over the boss's dirty blonde head. The orientation that they were in was awkward, as Atlas could not quite sit near Etienne, who looked content as ever settled between his two lackeys. So Atlas turned himself and leaned against the railing that overlooked the fight with crossed arms. He regarded Etienne coolly, disliking games that were played against him, and even further admonishing the haughty twinkle in the other's eye.
"I wonder that as well," Atlas said in sincerity, arching a pale brow quizzically. "I thought the Spades and Eclipse had a good and profitable relationship." There was nothing teasing or insincere in his voice, as he was frustratingly in the dark about this whole situation. No matter who he questioned or "coerced" for information, the truth had escaped him.
Rare concern broaching his tone, he asked, "Have you found a new narcotics supplier?"
TAGAtlas NOTES N/A
There's tension between the two leaders, even if it may not be obvious from anyone watching the interaction. But surely the two of them felt it — two men that had control over dozens, standing face to face with a clear division between the two of them. Étienne doesn't make any kind of motion to dismiss the two men sitting on either side of them — almost like a show of power, to make it clear he didn't consider himself on equal footing with the Jabberwockies Ace. Eclipse was a powerhouse that was known as a threat to the Military's rule. The gangs? They were lowly criminals that scuttled around in the dark of Stronghold. They were good business partners when they wanted to be, but that was about it.
The Boss's eyes momentarily glance over at the fight that was currently going on, before his gaze returns to the man in front of him who lounges nonchalantly against the railings overlooking the arena below. Étienne's lips twist into a sort of half grin, taking another drag of his cigarette before he leans forward to stub it out in an ashtray in front of him. Finished, he leans back and places his arms against the back of the couch once more.
“Can't say I care much for them. I'm not much of a gambling man,” Étienne muses, tilting his head slightly before he continues, “although I do enjoy watching others crumble beneath their own stupidity.” If there had been a secret meaning behind the Ace's initial words, then Étienne matched it with one of his own. A much more targeted meaning.
His gaze remains trained to the man in front of him, listening quietly as the Ace responds to his comment. A questioning gaze, even if he does not outright as a question — curiosity, more than anything. Indeed, the Spades and Eclipse had a fruitful business negotiation for a while. It was only out of spite from the Boss that the relationship had crumbled. Étienne lets out a soft hum, which may or may not have been heard over the raucous cheering for the fight. He questions just how much he wants to spill right away, as it was no secret the man enjoyed toying with others.
But before he can answer, the man asks a question that has Étienne's heart jump into his throat. Prideful and arrogant, he wasn't one to let his darker secrets be exposed to Eclipse. He hid his addiction like a naughty child, recklessly endangering his health for a quick high to hide the pain. Thankfully his two men were still stupidly flirting with waitresses, and didn't catch the Ace's question.
“It's being seen to,” Étienne quips in response, leaving his answer vague as his heart continues to hammer in disguised fear. “Tell me, how have the Spades been doing as of late? I heard about that Military raid on one of your arenas a few months back. What a shame,” the Boss redirects the conversation quickly, a sort of bite to his words as he speaks.
At Etienne's reply, about watching other's crumble to their stupidity, Atlas nodded, though there were no humor in his voice. "There is no better revenge."
Vengeance. Such a petty, low form of anger, though useful in its own way. With the power it instilled, the ceaseless determination, one could strike fear into their enemies in a simple, cathartic blow. Atlas noted the shift in Etienne's eyes, the quick glances to his guards, who seemed more occupied to flirt with the attendants than to keep an eye on their leader. Excellent- the bunnies were doing their job well.
More pressing was the hitch in his voice, the thickness that implied it cloaked some emotion. What emotion, it was hard to tell, though the quickening of the man's heartbeat alluded to activity, to excitement or maybe even nerves. Atlas' intrigue was peaked, and where he went into this meeting with strictly business on his mind, he was suddenly enthralled by the opportunity presented by Etienne's weakness. For though it had been hinted at to him by his informants, Etienne's reply solidified what Atlas guessed at- addiction.
Atlas waved off a glass of red wine offered to him on a silver plate by one of his bunnies. He was in no mood to imbibe himself. Though his stance presented as relaxed, a king reclined deep in his own territory, Etienne's question irked him.
He allowed his lip to curl in displeasure, and it was visible in the sharp, shadowed angles of his face. "They've been sticking their noses further and further into our business. Vince is working double time to keep them off our tail." Then his mouth pressed into a thin line. Did Etienne have something to do with that? Atlas disliked that thought- it meant the Eclipse had their fingers entrenched far deeper into Stronghold business and politics than he had believed. They were equal enemies of the Military, yet that would not make them allies, and judging by the acrid tone of Ettie's voice, the clear contempt and hate in his gaze, the Eclipse leader was seeking some kind of repentance from the Spades.
"And what of you? Have they found that secret hideout of yours?"
Posted 08-21-2021, 05:04 PM
I Wrote the Book on Petty Revenge
