A Pledge of Health
1st of March 2007 A.D.
"Mr Marcone I am empowered to..." you stop, tilt your head and judge the look in his eyes. "Do you know what Sanctuary is?"
"I am not entirely unfamiliar with the locale nor with some of the more
obvious implications," he presses, fishing for implications that are not obvious though he gives you plenty of time to consider it, stopping for an overpriced 'Big Chicago Dawg', the kind of relish and celery construction that seems to have an identity crises between being a hot dog and a salad.
"From?" The emphasis makes it clear you're willing to play games if that's what he wants. There's a full six hours marked down in your schedule for just this meeting. Not needing to sleep has its advantages.
"Ms McNeil," he admits and all of a sudden the missing piece of the puzzle falls into place. Not to say that your other selves are unskilled at getting people to the negotiating table, but people like Marcone generally test for weakness before assuming strength. Nothing to gauche as violence of course, but something, a prod at your companies, an attempt to get Thomas away from him. All the while you had forgotten he'd spent time in the company of a Fallen Angel and one who did him a great service beside. You make a mental note to get Tiffany something nice when next you see her. "I will admit the... magical details are not my forte, but I don't need to get into that. Numbers will tell all on their own. Right now you're being careful not to step on the toes of the other Accord Signatories, but if you really needed to bring down an iron fist, there's nothing most of them could do to stop you is there?"
"There are reasons beyond courtesy why that is a bad idea, ones that I hope to have a chance to explain later, but in essence yes I do posess considerably more military power than I have shown so far and considerably more economic power beside. Are you familiar with post-War history?"
"Passably," those dollar-green eyes follow you with almost disconcerting intensity, food already forgotten.
"Then consider me an admirer of the Marshal Plan. Chicago has been the target of all too many unfriendly eyes and though so far it has managed to weather the storm without catastrophic loss that doesn't mean there are no scars. You can do more than simply protect it against those same malignancies, aid in its restoration... and of course profit thereby."
"Give me names, numbers." Though he tries to be hard edged, there's a chip in his defenses, a sign you had struck the mark. It's not that Marcone thinks he's the hero, indeed he had long since accustomed himself to being one of the villains, but he had either read or intuited Machiavelli's famous saying, in proper context, it is better to be both feared and loved.
"You'd still be in the drug trade, just the other kind." A small wry smile is all you allow yourself before flipping Clippy towards him, a medical report on which Sanctuary medicines would be most effective on earth. There's simple stuff like a cure for the flu or weight loss pills that actually do what they claim and don't ruin your health in the process, then there's the serious stuff anti viral and anti fungal medications even cancer treatments, the presence of the guvel had ensured that the Five Cities had plenty of experience in that regard, though adaptations would have to be made to account for unaltered human biology and the lack of access to cloned or cybernetic organs. Still the irony of literally using life-saving medications as a bribe to a criminal kingpin doesn't escape you.. nor from the look of him does it escape Marcone.
"I can also provide what can be thought of as spells-made-solid, ones you can hold in the hand and count wholly your own, luck in business and in battle though I will require arcane materials to work with..."
"Materials...?" It doesn't take essence sharpened sight to see the wheels turning behind his eyes. Fate manipulation magic is rare and while Gard might be able to provide some of that Odin's price is unlikely to be cheap.
"Red Court and Black Court Vampires, old ones though, demons assuming they don't melt away," you enumerate not entirely without hesitation at the thought of Marcone sending out gangsters with Tommy Guns on a hunt though Red Court territory, but he has more sense than that you are pretty sure. So you continue: "Certain enchanted metals and rare herbs."
"A fair trade assuming all this plays out as you've said." A firm nod marks the point at which most people would metaphorically bow out of his presence, but you have one more offer to make.
"There is one more thing I can offer." Clippy's screen flares with an image of Olivia fighting, Boston Edinburgh, Paris shots taken at extreme range, at impossible angles, all finding their mark only for her to vanish in a hiss of displaced air and appear on another perch, taking another shot.
"What's the cost?" No beating around the bush here, he knows why you would have offered this last rather than first.
"Service, I can awaken the Po without asking for anything in return, but absent my mediating influence the empowerment it would come with unpredictable flaws on the scale of White Court vampirism. Indeed said mediation works on the White Court too even though I didn't make them."
He relaxes a little, looks like you'd guessed right, he does know about Thomas, enough at least that this corroborates your story, enough that this looks less like a trap.
"I will keep that under advisement for a later date if things go as planned Ms Carpenter..." he stops himself as he reaches out a hand. "Or do you prefer Margret."
Truth be told you would prefer not to have to deal with the likes of Marcone, but that's not the world you live in. "Molly." you shake on it.
Agreement Reached: Alchemical Medicines and an offer to forge Splendors for an exit from the Drug Trade and protection rackets for Marcone's organization. He is open to IDU in the future if things work out.
What do you want to do next?
(Plan Vote
Here)
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OOC: Welp that went pretty well, you may have to explain why you are helping the Chicago 'Made Guys' smuggle magical medicines into the US, but at least it's not heroin. 
