Welcome to Isles & Quint

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Delinius sat down on a bench and sighed. Certainly, teaching Dwinian students was proving to be uplifting to his spirits, but the pay was far from sufficient to maintain his desert property, let alone renovate or expand any of it if the time came. The costs of regularly travelling to and from there were no help either, for that matter.

"If only she were here..."

Steckenberg was treating him well, for now. The Dwinian House Of Studies had had its part in ensuring as much, and Ina was quite knowledgeable on the best eating venues and similar small facts. Despite their age, she still watched over him like an older sibling, listening to his worries about the lover he had left behind on Auzos.

Some ragged advertisement posters were plastered on the wall opposite. Most did not seem interesting in the slightest, but one caught his eye for being in much better shape. He got up to inspect it more closely.

"Isles and Quint... Quint? That does sound rather familiar. Let me see."

To no surprise, it was in fact the middle sibling, Baxter. Together with a 'Zachary Isles', he had begun a business in tamed creatures. While the other name did ring a bell to Delinius, he couldn't quite remember what that bell was. With a very refined bit of paper scorching, the ad came loose, allowing him to fold and store it. He would ask Ina if she knew anything about the other name; she had spent more time in this city than he, so far. They both stood out in their manners, their speech and even their attire choices regardless, but Ina was already well-adapted. The one thing that still took him by surprise was the lack of hostility when curious individuals learned of his true identity, though many seemed more cautious once they did. The mythology surrounding his name had not dwindled, but the exact nature of the stories had shifted a little in the four decades of his absence.

As he pondered on the many wondrous changes, Delinius heard a voice call out. "Excuse me, sir?" He looked up from his distracted state to find himself facing a shorter Gridmask in clean business attire. Judging by his energetic smile and upright posture, he was likely not far into his twenties. He was holding the folded advertisement in his hands. "I think this fell out of your bag."

"Ah, the advertisement! You have my gratitude." Delinius smiled, and safely tucked it back into his bag. He was about to resume his walk home when the young Gridmask reached out a hand as if to offer a handshake. After a moment of confusion, Delinius shook it.

"Baxter", the Gridmask introduced himself. "Baxter-"

"Ethos Quint, the middle sibling of three. I have heard some interesting rumours about you. Well! Isn't this an interesting coincidence."

Despite a slight shift in his gaze, Baxter smiled. Whether it was the full name or the mention of his siblings, he hadn't expected Delinius to know so much. "Very interesting, yeah. And you're Delinius, right? Delinius Rennart Langton." Something in that smile didn't quite sit right. The politeness and amiable attitude were there, all right, but it was part of a little act. Even so, together with the clean and formal clothing style, it could be just enough to win over a doubting customer. It had not been enough to convince investors of his miniaturised technology plans, that much Delinius had heard before. The whispered rumours were mostly lost on the commoner in the streets, but not to him. The reason for all that distrust towards Baxter was linked to the strange disappearance of Ingrid and Aegis Quint, which had been linked to the second child by some. The rumours were insufficient to truly defame the young man, but they had been enough to make investors wary and cautious.

"So you've noticed the ad, isn't that right?" He appeared genuinely interested. While this was a good attitude when looking for employees, there seemed to be more behind his question. It could be a personal curiosity about the real flesh and blood Delinius who starred in many legendary tales, if Baxter was someone who took note of such things. It could be Delinius' implication that he held some knowledge of Baxter's recent past. To maintain the conversation, Delinius drew the paper from his bag.

"Indeed, I have. Seeing as we are here, I don't suppose you mind sharing some more information about the positions you are hiring for?"

There it was, another peculiar smile, though this one seemed less fabricated. "Oh, by all means! My associate and I really are looking for anyone who can bring something valuable to the table. How about you stop by tomorrow? We can discuss the details in my office. Address is on the ad."

"Very well. Does two in the afternoon suit you? It's the earliest I can leave my students to their homework."

"You work as a teacher, huh?" Baxter sounded surprised. "That's an interesting choice for someone like you, from what I hear."

Delinius laughed. They were both poking at small things that they had heard about the other through rumours. "The city's community of Dwinean scholars approached me when they learned that I was here. I have been rejuvenating obscure magic arts ever since. Thanks to the weight to my name, there is no shortage of students who desire to take courses. I can give them a library assignment and be with you at half past one, if that suits you better."

"Two works fine for me. Alright, Mr. Langton, I'm looking forward to our meeting tomorrow." His closing remark was accompanied by a charming smile as well.

"Please, you may address me with my first name. My father was the formal one."

Baxter's smile didn't change. "Good to know. Okay, Delinius. See you tomorrow!"

They each waved goodbye as Baxter walked off with confident steps. What a peculiar fellow. The advertisement went back into the bag one final time, and Delinius made his way back to the apartment he shared with his sibling.

"Hello!" Delinius shouted into the room. A moment later, he could hear a pair of feet descend the stairs, and his sister appeared as their owner.

"Hey bro. Where have you been? You're late."

As he dropped his bag on a chair and began taking off his coat and cloak, Ina darted off into the kitchen, likely in order to fetch some prepared meal that had long since gone cold.

"Mostly taking a stroll around the streets of Steckenberg, if you will. Today's catch was a highly interesting advertisement. Does the name 'Baxter Ethos Quint' ring a bell?"

He could hear her laugh. "Baxxy? Of course I know him. What's he up to now?"

"A business in tamed creatures to take home as pets. Before I delve into that further, have you heard of one 'Zachary Isles'? You have roamed these streets for longer than I have."

Ina emerged from the kitchen with two steaming hot plates. The dish could not be hers, what with her subpar cooking, so he suspected that one of her library colleagues had whipped something up for her to take home. She did not look like she knew anything in particular. After they were both seated with their meals, she spoke up.

"The last name doesn't tell me anything at all. I did catch some noise about some kind of reptile guy among the rougher crowds with the name 'Zach', but there's no telling if they are the same guy. What's the relevance?"

"Apparently this Mr. Isles is Baxter's business associate and co-founder of this new company. That certainly would be a strange pairing, but it's not wholly implausible."

As he continued to munch, Ina seemed deeply invested into following a train of thought. She clapped in her hands. "Well, if you consider the sounds around Bax, maybe it's not so weird. Could be why they'd partner with one another. But then..."

Exactly what he had been thinking as well. If Baxter really had been involved in some dubious scheme as rumour had it, and if this Zachary was from an underworld crowd, this could prove to be quite a problematic startup.

"Now, they are hiring anyone competent; there was an advertisement that I've brought home."

Ina nodded thoughtfully, knowing exactly why her brother was interested in taking a second job. "Don't you need to give them a ring? The ringer still has some credit left."

"No need, actually! I'd lost the paper, only to have it brought to me by a young fellow in the tidiest business attire: none other than the young Baxter Ethos Quint." His sister laughed, and he joined in too. "Irony aside, he seemed quite interested in hiring me. Whether that is because he is curious about my person, slightly alarmed by my knowledge of the rumours or some third ulterior motive remains to be seen. I've made an appointment for tomorrow at two."

"Do you want me to pick up the groceries?"

"Only if you so desire," he calmly replied, "I doubt this interview will last more than one notch."

He wasn't absolutely certain that it would be short, but one tick of the solar cycle was a safe guess, especially in the bright season.

Here it was, the headquarters of the Isles & Quint company. It was only a handful of floors at the moment, though that was already quite something for a new business such as this. He was right on time with a few minutes to spare.

"Alright, then. On this adventure I embark, knowing not what it will bring me."

Delinius breathed in, then stepped through the doors into a lobby, where he encountered a friendly desk-sitting assistant. This assistant greeted, trained as he was to be friendly despite the boredom of the position.

" Welcome to Isles & Quint. How can I help you?"

"I am looking for one Mr. Quint. We have a meeting scheduled at this time."

The assistant looked on a timetable, probably the one with all of Baxter's appointments and activities. "Mr... Langton, is that right?"

"That is my name, yes."

A polite smile hiding slight confusion. "Alright, I'll call him." He picked up one of those newfangled communication devices, and presumably gave it some sort of input. Delinius could not quite see what was going on, and the whole thing was unfamiliar to him as of yet. "Yes? Yes, sir. He says he is Mr. Langton. Oh, okay." The lad put the farspeaker down. 'Farspeaker' was not its name, but Delinius did not hold much regard for the conventions of others. To him, it was a farspeaker, allowing one to speak to a person who was far away. His sister called it a ringer, since most models rang like a bell when hailed by another one.

"He'll be with you in a moment. Have a seat."

Delinius made himself comfortable on a bench. Everything was quite clean and had a certain feel of exclusivity, as was to be expected with someone of the Quints. It was no long wait before Baxter appeared from a doorway, with the same amiable smile on his face as he had worn at their first encounter. "Delinius! Glad you could make it." As Baxter neared, Delinius stood up to shake hands.

"This really is a pleasant building to work in, if its looks meet its comforts. I hope you are doing well today?" The handshake was firm, as was common in this world of business encounters. Baxter's meticulously chosen gray attire looked stiff next to Delinius' colourful mantle and coat, but it seemed to be the only thing he ever wore, quite like Delinius himself refused to adapt to the changing whims of so-called fashion.

"So! Let's sit down at my office and have a good talk, yeah?" Delinius followed him through hallways and up a flight of stairs. The building looked new, if already well-used. Here and there, workers looked up from paperwork, only to nervously resume their duties once they caught sight of him, the scary man of legend. Baxter's office matched his attention to personal care and apparent wealth. After he had claimed his place behind the desk, he invited Delinius to sit down.

"So, Delinius. What sort of skills would you bring to our company?" Baxter seemed oddly eager.

"Skills and competences I have many, though I suppose many of them do not pertain to a company such as this. I possess excellent capacity for gathering and processing information, and a broad array of subjects falls within my knowledge. One that I suspect could be of use to you is that of legalities and common consensus, as this taming and selling of monsters as pets is a rather novel concept. Should local authorities raise questions or objections, I would be able to reach an agreement and deflect attacks from the nosy or principled on this company. After all..."

The subtle change to Baxter's expression came as if Ukron was at Delinius' beck and call. "Legal issues? We... haven't had much input on it yet, now that you mention it." That air of confidence that Baxter usually put up for display was heavily tarnished by such a subtle strike. "I will admit, you probably know more about that than I do. But aside from paperwork, what else do you do? I've heard a lot more about those things."

Delinius laughed. "I could not properly enumerate those things within the span of a day. Admittedly, my prowess in bookworks and information is far less intriguing than the many stories surrounding myself, or the weapons I wield against opposition, monster or otherwise." He stood up, then let his trusted old battleaxe materialise from the confines of his journal. Baxter was visibly surprised. "This, without a doubt, is the most iconic weapon I possess. It was nicknamed 'Phoenix' for some reason or other; this was a gift from one of my uncles to me, and it continues to serve me well when I encounter... problematic figures. Of course, there are the stains, and the bands of cloth and tape show its age, but I am quite fond of it."

He set it down against the wall, then brought up another. This was a much shorter weapon that he had unearthed from a battered bag. It hadn't made much sense, and at the time the thing seemed otherworldly to him, with its unreflective but durable handle and its seemingly perfect shapes that lacked the sign of handmade craft. Nowadays, he was far less confused, as it had proven to be a 'modern' item. The obvious contradiction between the time of finding and time of material discovery was not lost on Delinius, but he had chosen to not worry about it too much. Now he showcased it to Baxter, who seemed a little more interested in this axe.

"The 'Thunderous Smasher', so a small tag on the handle told me. Despite its modern looks, I found this hatchet a longer time ago. I've since learned that the handle is made of a certain 'carbon fiber'; I suppose you would be familiar with this material, being a man of this age and inclined towards technology."

Baxter raised a finger. "What does it do?"

"As the name somewhat implies," Delinius replied, "it may strike with electricity into all it hits. Needless to say, such a weapon would be devastating to electrical systems, something which I have kept in mind ever since I learned of said development. Being from such a long time before all these newfangled things can be quite interesting, you know."

On the other side of the desk, Baxter was simply nodding. "Ah, I see... but do you use it often?"

"No," Delinius replied flatly. "Even though I have some learning and practice in harnessing the electric currents and arcs, it is by no means the art I am most proficient in. That would go to the creation and manipulation of the flames and the light, or perhaps knowledge arts."

He gave a small demonstration by conjuring a false copy of himself, which he then played alongside himself, with the two giving each other a firm handshake. The illusion dissipated in a puff of smoke. In addition, Delinius too disappeared in such a fashion, which clearly shocked Baxter. "No worries, I am still here. Those that observe particularly well may be able to see through this trick, but generally speaking I can get to places where I am not wanted or allowed, without failure. A powerful boon, if demanding." He dropped the act, and seated himself once more. "Was there anything else?"

"I've been wondering. You're an exceptional guy with so many skills outside paperwork. What brings you here?"

Ah, yes, the reasons. "I have quite a few things to maintain, and quite frankly the Dwinian scholars cannot spare much payment for me, despite their best intentions. My desert home alone is a terrible sink into which my earnings must go to address its upkeep. Quite simply, I need the additional pay." Finance and money were something Baxter understood well, and Delinius could see it in the way he leaned forward.

"Good to know." There was a brief pause. "Alright. Delinius, welcome to Isles & Quint. I'm looking forward to working with you." Both stood up, and shook hands.

"I assure you, Baxter, it is my pleasure." He gave the young fellow an amiable smile. They mutually understood the predicament the other was in, and each knew something about the other that was less than stellar. It would certainly be an interesting exchange, but Baxter was quite alright. There was no need to dig up such murky things against him, just as there was no need to remind the people of Delinius' presence in Steckenberg. One does not wake the sleeping dragon unless they want to be pelted with spitballs from the entire flock.