Noxton
"I still have family among the demons?"
Aye aye aye. Today is a day filled with revelations for my new ti frè. Confirmation that he is a demon, the fact that we are taking down a global political power, he was kidnapped from the womb, and now he learns that he in fact still has Tharym amongst the demons. I see many bottles of liquor in my near future. I pondered how many bottles we even had left back at the apartment. If he keeps going through a bottle a day, I will end up having to intervention tattle on him.
Maybe I should invite the Xi brothers over for a meet and greet? If I put him in a business situation, he will be less likely to guzzle all my good booze like it's water.
"Yes, you still have family. Your tests show you are related to the Lotus Circle. One of them will most likely come to verify your exact relation to them. I don't want to give you too much information in case they are not your birth circle." Bàba explained from the armchair he was lounging in next to Papa's standing position against the wall.
Koba nodded his head in dazed acceptance, then pulled out his phone and began typing. Feeling that there had been enough revelations today, I moved us onto my proposal. "How about we go into the living room to talk about my business proposal, Koba? Papa and Manman can only stay for a short amount of time, and I'm sure you would like to get their feedback before making a decision."
Koba put his phone away, seeming to relax now that there were no more revelations being given tonight.
They followed me into the living room, then seated themselves on the sofa directly facing where I stood before them to give my pitch. I was about to start when I registered the configuration of their seating arrangement. On the couch facing me from left to right were Papa, ti frè, and Bàba. Across their collective laps lounged Manman. They all were looking at me patiently, like what they were doing was not unusual.
"Is this what you all do when I'm away working my ass off? Having family cuddles?" I couldn't help asking, aggrieved. The ease with which they nodded their heads had my brain creating a mental note to help train ti frè in the martial styles Papa has been teaching him. Yes, since ti frè has joined the family, I must show him why I am the gran frè.
I smiled, excited to put him through his paces at the first opportunity. "So, as you, ti frè, may have picked up, I am a contractor with the Xi clan. I assist with negotiations, brokering information, and helping smooth things over legally. I want you to partner with me on my contracts. I have a small team already, but they were all given to me by the Xi clan."
I turned on the TV, then projected my business plan onto the screen. "Over the next few months, I want to switch out the members of the team with people completely loyal to us. With you as my partner, this is now possible. In fact, I could probably dismiss the whole team if you join me. You are already trained in negotiation. You are used to handling information, but I can give you a crash course on gaining it underworld style."
"For legal matters, you should know enough from your studies to handle low-level assignments. I'll train you on the situations we are most likely sent to handle. Once you graduate and get more experience in the field, you will become even more valuable to our little enterprise. One of my current goals is to expand the client base to not only be the Xi Clan Dynasty and their Crest Houses."
I changed the slide on the screen that showed what all of this was building towards. "I'm not trying to build anything big, but I do want us to create something that will get us the connections and influence in the right places for when we need them. I want to make this clear: we are Sentinels first."
"As Sentinels, we have access to information that can give us the influence we want and need. So we make sure we are never compromised on or off the clock. So if you join me, be prepared to eliminate anything that would violate this rule. This side gig is meant to extend our reach when the legal way won't get the job done. A huge perk for you if you join me is this will be the perfect way for you to establish your true identity before your time as Koba Dillard is over."
I was warming up to the topic with excitement because this would be exceptionally helpful for him and me. "Instead, you will be this mysterious person who is Noxton's new business partner and the protégé of his bàba, Finn."
"Oh, by the way, you don't know what Bàba's day job is, do you? He is actually a Sentinel too. He works in the Craé Sharii HQ branch here in the capital as a Prime Legal Archivist Sentinel. So he is authorized to recommend his protégé, aka you, to enter the ranks of the Sentinels directly when the time comes. This way, all your hard work and education to become a Sentinel will not be wasted when you assume your true identity. So what do you think, ti frè? Isn't your gran frè wonderful in coming up with a plan for your future?"
I don't know when he slipped out from under Manman or crossed over the coffee table, but I did know when he reached me because he was hugging me so tightly I felt and heard my back pop. I was about to push him off me until I felt my shirt getting wet. I'm not a complete asshole, so I hugged him back. I didn't know what worries my plan relieved him of, but I got to admit that I was happy to offer him a plan of action when so much was uncertain for him.