Chapter Text
The silence was overbearing. I helped Urbain save face, and escape an unknown fate, but that wasn’t the weight pushing into my chest right now.
The sharp stare of amber eyes was.
“It’s curious,” Corbeau mused as he rose from his chair, “how often accountability and liability are two sides of the same coin.”
My entire body stiffens.
“You speak of loyalty,” he continued, “yet you stand here alone.”
He walked calmly around his desk, trailing his hand along the marble slab. When he stopped in front of me, he faced me with his shoulders squared, back straight in a perfect picture of steady intimidation.
He looked me over from head to toe, as if evaluating a stump marked for removal, until his eyes met mine once more.
“Do you understand the terms you’re agreeing to?”
“Did he?”
The quiet between us parted for the briefest moment, then swallowed my reply whole.
I wasn’t loud. I wasn’t indignant.
But the question rang all the same.
The exhale through his nose was my only indicator he was about to reply.
“According to the signature on the contract, he accepted the deal we had discussed as well as the consequences of failing to meet those terms.” Corbeau had yet to raise his voice, but the cold distance in his tone made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “When your ‘friend’ upped the ante to include Team MZ in addendum, he knew exactly what he was doing.” His hands clasped behind his back, his presence closing the distance between us. “Something clearly feigned.”
He pinned me in place just by his cadence. The authority in his voice kept me still while he slipped a paper off his desk. After sparing the sheet a quick review, he passed it to me as if he were handling a local advert instead of Urbain’s life.
“Negotiations barred, the contract stands.”
“Then I’m sure you won’t mind if I look this over.” Not a question. He said nothing in reply and his posture didn’t change. I know he heard me, but I was too vindictive to wait for a proper response.
It didn’t take long for me to see that the arrangement was airtight. Legal jargon aside, it was brief, two pages on one-sided paper. I handed it back to him. With the contract in hand, he turned his attention to the shuffle of various papers atop his desk.
After a few too many moments in silence, I assumed I was dismissed. As I turned my back and headed toward the elevator, his voice pierced the tense atmosphere once more.
“Keep your Rotom off silent. I’ll be in touch soon with your first assignment.”
“You can’t be serious!” Lida’s voice screeched through the strategy room, palms on the tabletop and chair nearly flung backwards.
“I wish I wasn’t.” I answered, leaning back in the chair and crossing my arms.
“And you’re sure you didn’t skip anything?” Naveen asked to my right and, unlike our impromptu leader, still seated.
“I checked every line, down to the commas and periods. Not a loophole in sight.” I paused and let out a breath. “It’s either this, or we find a quick way to become millionaires.” I shot a look at the two of them before adding, “Legally.”
“Forget the loopholes, what about you?” Lida pushed. “What could he possibly be having you do that makes up for that much money?”
“Part of the addendum said that if Urbain defaulted on the loan, he’d owe the money plus interest. Otherwise, Team MZ pays the original amount, basically however Corbeau sees fit.” I rolled my eyes. “One hundred thousand is way less than one million…”
“Yeah, but that’s still shady as hell, Estelle.” Naveen warned and I nodded, having had this conversation with myself on the walk back to the hotel.
“There has to be a way around this. It’s not fair – “
“It’s a legally binding contractual obligation, Lida. You’re still a minor and Naveen has to care for his grandmother. What’s unfair is that our no-show team lead penned his friends down as collateral, and I just happen to join the team afterwards.” I put my hands flat against the table and lifted myself from my chair, feeling the emotional weight of the day compounding gravity against me.
Naveen and Lida shared a silent conversation with their eyes and I closed mine. Not to give them privacy, but to keep myself calm.
“It’s fine.” I said and it didn’t sound convincing at all. I took in a slow, deep breath and lowered my tone. “It’s fine. It’s gonna be okay guys, really.” I opened my eyes and looked to them, seeing their concern and apprehension clear as day.
“I think we should take a break.” Naveen suggested. “It’s been a long day for all of us. Whatever happens tomorrow can wait for us.”
Lida and I nodded in agreement.
“I think I might just grab something quick and head to bed, if that’s okay.” I asked in a tone just above a whisper, suddenly exhausted.
“Of course, sure.” Lida’s voice was soft, nurturing in her own way. “Get good rest, let us know when Corbeau reaches out. Even if I can’t actually help, I’d rather stay in the loop.”
“Same here.” Naveen nodded too.
I nodded and gave a small “Mm” in reply, more an acknowledgment of their support than a comment, and excused myself from view.
I was so stuck in my own head that the few minutes between my departure from my friends and my back hitting the bed felt instantaneous. I laid with my feet still touching the carpet and stared at the tin ceiling tiles, following the curves and divots in the pattern as my mind flooded with thoughts.
I was angry. Righteous fury was coursing through my veins, dampened only by the mental fatigue slowly taking over.
I was worried. I was anxiously searching my memory for any sign of Urbain. Any time he left any of us on read. Any single sign that this was part of a pattern he’d hinted at in the short time I knew him, and each time I came with the same impression: Urbain would never do that.
I was uneasy. The dread of my fate in Corbeau’s hands pushed trepidation under my skin, settling further into my bones. The dawn of a new day often brought opportunities and clarity, but all I could feel was his ominous presence.
And on top of all of that, I was homesick. My heart longed for ‘home’, but there wasn’t a place I could call home anymore. My hometown hadn’t been my home for a while now, and this city was too new to feel nostalgic. The empty ache in my chest wanted safety and comfort, but the request went unanswered.
I wanted to cry. I wanted to fling my arms around myself and just have the tantrum I deserved to have. I wanted to make a plan to leave Lumiose behind with all of its problems and not look back.
But that went against everything I was and who I am, leaving people behind when I can help. If I come across someone in need and I can help them, my internal moral code demands I do. It’s annoying.
After some deep breathing and sorting out which feelings are useful and which need to be shoved into the corner, I felt a little better. Just in time for my phone to go off.
Corbeau: Café Soleil. Bleu Sector 8. 10PM. Bring a team with dark and ghost moves.
“Tonight?!”
I couldn’t believe it. Not even a night's rest before the man was making use of me. And by text, no less… he didn’t even have the balls to call me.
I read the text once more, noting his brevity, and went through a quick battle plan in my head. If I brought dark and ghost moves to the table, there was a strong probability of fighting ghost pokémon… and possibly their trainers.
The thought of hurting innocent people made me sick to my stomach, but I decided to bide my time and, if the night went sideways, to flip the script if needed.
I couldn’t decipher if I needed an entire team but I sorted one out just in case. My most loved companion, my Sylveon, knew a dark and ghost move so Seraphine was leading my team. With her steadily by my side the situation already felt more controllable. Despite the naïve nature of bringing a fairy to a fight where syndicate goons carried poison and steel pokémon, I was firm in my decision. She knew a psychic and a fighting move as well. I was well prepared for any surprises. Doublade, Zangoose, Ceruledge, and Greninja rounded out my team with Lopunny as my closer.
With my team quickly finalized I sat up to look at the clock. It was nearly 8pm and the thought of waiting around in my room made me more anxious than whatever was going to happen later. The spike in my emotions moved me to take a quick (hot) shower, grab a more utilitarian outfit, and pick up some coffee before my first night on the job.