Post by Drake on Sept 29, 2020 9:09:43 GMT -6
PRO BONO
Drake's PL: 40,000 | Items: Devil Lamp
Drake's PL: 40,000 | Items: Devil Lamp
"You can't be serious," Drake said incredulously, expression twisted into one of pure disbelief. Such a phrase would normally never be directed at Vern; current head of the Tatsuryu family and colloquially known to be a man with little discernable emotion. Yet here they were, with Drake at the edge of his cushiony brass seat in the midst of Vern's office expressing his surprise to the boss' face. For years Drake had followed his orders without question through thick and thin, never once doubting any plans Vern had in motion. Now? "Dad! Really!? This isn't just some like prank...? Revenge for that mustard trap!?" Vern for his part hardly moved. The man was a towering behemoth of pure muscle and chiseled features, hardly one worth trying to intimidate. He leaned forward every so slowly, shaded eyes starting directly into Drake's as the teen squirmed in his seat uncomfortably.
"...Did you like the muffin?" He said, gesturing a tray of the confectionaries. "Er, yes? It was pretty good but I hardly see why-" Vern grumbled, nodding in approval. "I'm glad you think so. I was thinking of opening a bakery..." A flash of irritation crossed Drake's face but it was quickly snuffed as the boy took a deep breath. "Look, even if I was on board with leaving the whole crime thing behind, which I'm not, it isn't that easy to just get out. All our old contacts and employees will see us as a liability! Why do you want to give up this kind of income right now anyway!? Without it, we'd be SCREWED!" Vern exhaled lowly, shuffling in his seat. "This line of work won't be sustainable forever. Times are changing in the world of law, and you yourself are well aware that keeping our little 'secret project' under wraps is growing harder by the hour. It isn't viable to assume that we can keep it up when the time comes for you to be appointed at the next head of the family. I already regret taking it this far, but we gotta face the music at some point."
With the wind knocked from his sails, Drake slumped into the chair and ran a hand through his hair. "It ain't my fault our bloody genetics work the way they do..." At the end of the day, it simply wouldn't be possible for Drake to be the long-term head of the Tatsuryus, and as their one and only remaining child that meant the dissolution of their power from syndicates in the first place. It was a smart move for Vern to appear to want to go about the change willingly, but that presented different risks. "As for your concerns..." Vern took a puff from a lit (and somehow nicotine-free) cigar. "You underestimate the loyalty of our workers. They're family, not lowly thugs we hired. I even brought up the idea to a few and some were open to come work for us still... including your favorite of the bunch."
Nichols no doubt. The pair were close enough to be considered good friends despite the age gap. "We have to find a way to make the payments, dad. I can't accept a world where we can't and... we already lost my sibling. Going clean won't bring in enough cash to keep it up for any longer than a few months at most." This problem WOULD'VE been mitigated had the damn servers recovered from Ratman worked out. They didn't, and now the family was down a few million potential Zeni that could've made this whole thing way easier. "Mm," Vern grumbled, mulling over Drake's words. They were true, but either direction they took they were trapped. Without the income of a criminal, they couldn't make payments, and staying a criminal would only delay their exit from the field until it got them forced out instead. "Go and see the location for yourself. I already began renovations and for now, most of our associates simply think it to be a laundering front." Without a word Drake picked himself up and moved for the door. Fine. If his father was insistent on the matter there wasn't much he could do about it.
"'Dragon Cafe'," The boy read aloud, a single eyebrow raising in disbelief. While still clearly under construction, the front window pane to the rather large storefront was decorated with a cartoonish Dragon holding a tray of baked goods. A few workers, some Drake recognized from the family, were hard at work inside on renovations. Was this really gonna be their future...?
"...Did you like the muffin?" He said, gesturing a tray of the confectionaries. "Er, yes? It was pretty good but I hardly see why-" Vern grumbled, nodding in approval. "I'm glad you think so. I was thinking of opening a bakery..." A flash of irritation crossed Drake's face but it was quickly snuffed as the boy took a deep breath. "Look, even if I was on board with leaving the whole crime thing behind, which I'm not, it isn't that easy to just get out. All our old contacts and employees will see us as a liability! Why do you want to give up this kind of income right now anyway!? Without it, we'd be SCREWED!" Vern exhaled lowly, shuffling in his seat. "This line of work won't be sustainable forever. Times are changing in the world of law, and you yourself are well aware that keeping our little 'secret project' under wraps is growing harder by the hour. It isn't viable to assume that we can keep it up when the time comes for you to be appointed at the next head of the family. I already regret taking it this far, but we gotta face the music at some point."
With the wind knocked from his sails, Drake slumped into the chair and ran a hand through his hair. "It ain't my fault our bloody genetics work the way they do..." At the end of the day, it simply wouldn't be possible for Drake to be the long-term head of the Tatsuryus, and as their one and only remaining child that meant the dissolution of their power from syndicates in the first place. It was a smart move for Vern to appear to want to go about the change willingly, but that presented different risks. "As for your concerns..." Vern took a puff from a lit (and somehow nicotine-free) cigar. "You underestimate the loyalty of our workers. They're family, not lowly thugs we hired. I even brought up the idea to a few and some were open to come work for us still... including your favorite of the bunch."
Nichols no doubt. The pair were close enough to be considered good friends despite the age gap. "We have to find a way to make the payments, dad. I can't accept a world where we can't and... we already lost my sibling. Going clean won't bring in enough cash to keep it up for any longer than a few months at most." This problem WOULD'VE been mitigated had the damn servers recovered from Ratman worked out. They didn't, and now the family was down a few million potential Zeni that could've made this whole thing way easier. "Mm," Vern grumbled, mulling over Drake's words. They were true, but either direction they took they were trapped. Without the income of a criminal, they couldn't make payments, and staying a criminal would only delay their exit from the field until it got them forced out instead. "Go and see the location for yourself. I already began renovations and for now, most of our associates simply think it to be a laundering front." Without a word Drake picked himself up and moved for the door. Fine. If his father was insistent on the matter there wasn't much he could do about it.
"'Dragon Cafe'," The boy read aloud, a single eyebrow raising in disbelief. While still clearly under construction, the front window pane to the rather large storefront was decorated with a cartoonish Dragon holding a tray of baked goods. A few workers, some Drake recognized from the family, were hard at work inside on renovations. Was this really gonna be their future...?
