A Business Change

**Date Started:** June, 1st 2020
**Date Completed:** Ongoing
**Users Involved:** User:GalaxiaWW, User:GeminiVIII
**Setting:** Necro Nevis
**Characters Involved**:
* **Monster Pirates**: Maribel, Caspar
* **Black Spades**: Raphael

## Meeting

A few weeks ago, Maribel waited for more guests in her office. These were not mere brokers that she invited, but influent ones that held titles that Maribel sought after, but without success. She sat behind her desk, the only place illuminated inside the pitch-black room. On the front, two vacants chairs with sleepy faces on their backs waited to be used. A few cups steamed the hot tea poured inside them, placed on a beautiful silver tray that rested in a small table between the chairs.

She took a sip of her own cup, holding it afterwards. She sat silently, for it was about time for her guests to come.

A door at the center of the room began to creek open, a small mist rolling through the room. Stepping from behind the mist was a tall and slender man, dressed from head to toe in a flowing white and black tuxedo, a scarf draped around his neck. He made his way over to the woman, a smirk apparent on his face. He looked down at the two-place settings than back up at the woman.

"Looks like you were expecting a party of two to arrive. I hope you're not disappointed with just one." The man remarked, his grin not budging a bit as his pale skin reflected off of the light from above, revealing his golden blonde hair and odd disposition for all to see as he stepped under the spotlight.

"My my, it seems I got the wrong information. Please, have a sit." Maribel clapped her hands; one of the chairs woke up, walking in a rush towards one of the dark corners of the room with its tiny green feet. She was certain that someone else was supposed to come, but it didn't seen to be the case.

"So you're... Gelos?" Maribel asked after checking in a large book that she kept at the side of the desk.

"Why yes, that just happens to be my name." Gelos muttered, taking a seat in the remaining chair and crossing his legs. "You must be the Mother of Monsters. Your reputation precedes yourself, I've heard a good deal of information about you, nothing too scathing..." Gelos remarked with a small laugh, sitting up straight in his seat, looking Maribel deep in her eyes.

"Well, I can't say your information was completely false. My employer has a knack for making himself scarce, as I'm sure you know. So please excuse any misunderstandings surrounding his presence at this meeting." Gelos muttered clearly.

"I won't lie I'm a bit disappointed." Maribel said, taking a sip of tea. "Though I've heard a lot about Hermes, I don't know much about you. I can only expect you being as good as him, otherwise he wouldn't let you come here all by yourself. Am I right?" She finished, the corners of her mouth slightly curving in a smile. She stared back at Gelos' eyes, hers lacking any ounce of warm or approachability that her epithet could suggest.

"Sounds almost threatening..." Gelos crossed his legs in his seat, running his fingers around the rim of his glass, returning the woman's smirk. "I can assure you, you're in very capable hands. My employer would ensure that, even if he can't ensure his presence at such meetings." Gelos remarked.

"Well, with those small formalities aside, let's get down to the nitty-gritty, shall we?" Gelos spoke. crossing his fingers and resting his hands on his leg, his eyes retaining their natural crescent like shape along with his smile, almost joker like.

Maribel, nodded, placing the cup of tea on the desk. "I'm sure that you know that I'm aiming for higher positions in the Underworld. For a long time, being a mere broker was enough, but now it won't do with my future plans. But my field of work is already taken by more famous and profitable business, putting me in a bad spot if I want to cross this path with my monsters the way I'm doing now."

She took a deep breath, relaxing in her chair, her arms falling over her lap. "What are your suggestions?"

"Ah yes. Yeomora. He's a sly one from what I've heard, his exports are some of the best the underworld has ever seen, however, even the slyest of foxes can have the rug pulled from under them at any moment." Gelos remarked, tapping his finger on his knee. "As it stands now, all you produce is biological weaponry, but you're in a position to do so much more. Why stop there? You have the power to manipulate life, play god, breed entire races of new beasts, but yet you limit yourself with only biological warfare." Gelos waved his hands about as he spoke, further pressing the gravity of his words.

"You're overlooking an entire market that has yet to be tapped, and with the help of my employer, you can spearhead a series of plans that can take over that entire market." Gelos retorted, clearing his throat.

"I'd like for you to call in one of your more unique creatures if you don't mind, this explanation lacks the proper...demonstration." Gelos held onto his chin, pondering on his thoughts as he posed a question for Maribel.

Indeed, Maribel didn't thought about these possibilities. She was investing too much time in the comfort of her island exporting weapons that she didn't notice the amount of options she had at her disposal.

Following Gelos' request, she reached for the fan in the front pocket of her dress. "Caspar, it's time to come." She said, throwing it upwards. The fan fell at the side of the table, "hiding" itself from the guest. The atmosphere in the room started to change; at Maribel's side, everything started to freeze. The ground had a thin layer of ice on it, her tea was frozen solid, her breath steaming in the cold air. At Gelos side, however, a scorching heat took the room. The tea poured in the two cups on the side table started to boil, some pieces of paper caught on fire, even the painting on the ground started to melt.

"This is Caspar. One of the most unique monsters I have created." Maribel said, shivering with cold. At the table's side, two little hands grabbed the top. One hand was blue, covered in ice crystals; the other had pieces of burned skin falling from it. "She is shy, so don't expect to see her full appearance."

"Caspar huh? I know a Casper, however, you could argue he's not nearly as impressive as this being you have created." Gelos said with a light laugh at his comrade's expense, though he wasn't here to hear it. "This is exactly the thing you should be capitalizing on, you're capable of creating beasts that defy logic, that's something people would pay millions for. If you could make something look like that, imagine the changes you could offer people. You can strengthen their god-given molds, shape them anew, breathe powerful abilities into weak forms, the possibilities are endless." Gelos exclaimed, standing up and walking around the beast, unfazed by the extreme temperatures existing on one creature.

Caspar kept her face hidden, turning it away from Gelos as he approached. She soon returned to her fan form, slowly returning both sides temperature to normal.

"So what are you saying is... I should focus on modifying other people instead of selling them my creations as weapons?" Maribel asked, getting up from her chair, walking to the side of the table. She crouched, picking up the fan on the ground.

"Precisely!" Gelos exclaimed with a smile, politely taking his seat and crossing his legs. "Just think of the countless people in need of an organ, a new face or even more. You shouldn't just sell these magnificent creatures. You should use them as templates." Gelos remarked, raising a finger in the air confidently, nodding along with his words.

"I can see that... but it may be difficult to find customers without a few samples first." Maribel took her seat once more with a thoughtful look. She knew what she had to do to make this new business work, but was she willing enough to do it? She had the option to use slaves as samples, but it could be detrimental to her in the long run if they decided to turn against her. No, she had to pose as a savior, so even those that didn't dwell in the underworld would hear about her work and look for her powers.

"That's an interesting idea, indeed. But I may need further help to make it work." She adressed Gelos, subtly asking for a favor.

"Me and my employer would be glad to aid you in your newfound path...for a price." Gelos squinted his eyes as he leaned back in his chair, posing a deal between the two, one that would surely benefit them both, maybe even one more than the other depending on the terms.