Chapter 7 #2
But Ares still hadn’t figured out what type of relationship the CEO had with Ransom—Eden—and until he could be certain that harming Yarrow wouldn’t set him back with the Starling, Ares would refrain.
“My lawyers combed over the contract,” Yarrow argued.
“If there’d been anything about the relocation of one of my key employees, they would have flagged it and told me!
I never would have signed then. We would have negotiated new terms. This,” he flung a finger at the device, “is an updated version I did not approve of.”
“Your signature is on the last page,” he said. “Yet you’re accusing me of adding in a secret clause? It’s not my fault your team is incompetent.” Greedy, was more like. It hadn’t even taken five figures to pay the two stuffy lawyers to turn the other cheek.
Under Ares’ instruction, they had in fact omitted that detail, resulting in Yarrow signing a contract he didn’t fully understand. But that wasn’t Ares’ fault, it was his for being too lazy and too trusting.
Personally? Ares would never sign his name to any document, legal or otherwise, that he hadn’t looked over thoroughly himself.
Not again.
Never again.
At the ripe old age of seven, he’d learned that lesson the hard way. Now it was Yarrow’s turn. Hopefully, this whole experience would teach him to be more cautious, especially in regard to the things most important to him.
“I don’t know what you’re so upset about,” Ares continued. “Your daily life isn’t being affected, and it’s not the headquarters that’s moving. This building will continue to run as usual, the only difference is—”
“How does opening an entirely new studio make sense from a business perspective?” Yarrow demanded.
“It doesn’t, and you know that. No businessman in their right mind would waste that type of funding.
You won’t even take control of how the facility is run, you’re outsourcing, which leads me to believe that this has nothing to do with you wanting to bring operations closer to home, and everything to do with—”
There was a brisk knock on the door to the office, and before Yarrow could tell whoever it was to either enter or get lost, it opened, revealing Eden.
He didn’t linger outside, entering as though he’d done it a million times, shutting the door behind him with a click. Calmly, he glanced between the two of them, obviously noting the tension, and then addressed Yarrow.
“What’s going on? I just heard from Ismay that I’m supposedly being relocated. I never agreed to this.”
Ares sighed loudly and rolled his eyes, turning to rest against the cool glass.
He crossed his arms, annoyed—mostly that he’d been keeping watch for Eden’s arrival and had missed it thanks to Yarrow’s little outburst, but also that he was apparently trapped in a dimension where parrots ruled.
“This again? Do you two make it a habit of not reading important documents? Is that what they taught you at Aeon Academy?”
Eden glanced away, mouth thinning into a straight line.
His intel that the four main voice actors were so used to signing documents they’d stopped reading through them must have been accurate.
He was glad about that fact, since it meant everything was going to plan, but this conversation was tedious.
“I’ll be taking legal steps to void our contract, effective immediately, Mr. Major.
” Yarrow straightened to his full height, which might have been impressive, if not for the fact Ares was six foot five.
“I’ll be filing under Misrepresentation Law 6-OB.
The paperwork will be sent to you by end of day.
Now, please remove yourself from the premises, or I’ll be forced to call security to escort you out. ”
“That’s cute,” Ares said. “I can sort of see why Ryker likes it when Rue talks back to him. Unfortunately for you, you’re not the one I’m interested in, which means, cute or not, I won’t be going easy on you.”
Yarrow sputtered, but Eden was quick to come to his defense.
“That’s uncalled for,” he stated.
“Don’t be jealous, Paradise,” Ares cooed, causing Eden to scowl.
“You came here waving money around thinking you could uproot his entire life's work,” Eden explained. “Of course he’s reacting poorly to it. And for the record, I’m with him on this. I’m not moving, especially not halfway across the planet. If you want to sue me for that, have at it.”
“It’ll be kind of hard to pay another PI when you’re dirt poor,” Ares pointed out, shrugging when Eden noticeably stilled.
“Another?” Yarrow paused. “What happened to the one you’ve been working with?”
“He’s retired.” Ares grinned, but Eden didn’t seem to find it as amusing as he did.
“I want you to leave, Mr. Major,” Yarrow refocused. “We won’t be going anywhere.”
“You won’t be.” Ares hadn’t extended the invitation to the CEO.
“But Eden’s already expected bright and early Monday morning, or should I tell the Dean at Sacrum Cor University to give the job to someone else?
” He maintained eye contact with Eden as he spoke and knew he had him the second a flicker of hope flashed in the older man’s blue gaze.
“What job?”
“There was an opening for Usurn Classical Music. The professor originally meant to run the class got an unexpected job offer off planet with higher pay. It’s put the university in a bind.
When I discovered you have a degree in classical vocals, I suggested you for the position, and the Dean accepted. ”
“Aren’t you friends with the Dean?” Yarrow asked.
“And what if I am?” Ares gave him a stern look, expression softening once more when he rested it back on Eden.
“That’s the reason I made sure to include the creation of a sub-studio for you in Aeternus.
There are only two classes and they’re fairly small.
They only meet three times a week, so it won’t affect your work as Ransom. ”
It hadn’t taken much to find out that Eden’s dream before the success of Vanity had been to become a famous singer. He’d enrolled at Aeon Academy, this side of the planet's most prestigious art school, for that very reason.
The death of his family had clearly derailed those plans, but Eden had still graduated with his degree, and was more than qualified to fill the position at Sacrum Cor. Teaching might not have been his original goal, but it was a steppingstone in the right direction, surely.
Now all Ares had to do was get him to take that first leap.
“If you’re worried about the students respecting you due to your infamy, don’t be,” Ares added.
He’d heard from a nearby college that Eden had enquired there and been told in no uncertain terms his presence would be a distraction to the students.
“I set everything up for you nice and pretty. If any concerns do arise, you can bring them straight to me, and I’ll help you sort them. ”
“Why?” Eden asked.
Ares frowned. “That’s an odd question after last night, don’t you think?”
“What happened last night?” Yarrow appeared stricken when Eden didn’t immediately reply, reading the silence for what it was. “Eden, if he’s forced you to do—”
“If you don’t want the job,” Ares pushed himself off the window, stuck his hands in his pockets, and made for the door, “I’ll call the whole thing off.
There’s no need to file a complaint, Yarrow.
My team will be in touch. Do expect the company to have to pay the penalty for breach of contract.
I believe that was several times the amount I spent. I’ll be keeping my shares as well.”
He was glad he’d had the foresight to suggest a contract separately.
After buying his shares, Ares had wanted to get Yarrow on his side by reassuring him he had no intentions of butting heads over how things were run.
The contract, wherein he legally agreed not to interfere, seemed to be written in Yarrow’s favor, adding that extra bit of insurance that the man would sign without much pushback.
Yarrow just hadn’t anticipated that the contract also had clauses within it that benefited Ares and his plans.
“Hold on!” Yarrow panicked.
Eden’s hand snapped out just as Ares reached for the door, latching onto his wrist. “Wait.”
Ares quirked a brow.
“Is this part of the game you were talking about?” Eden searched his expression, but Ares knew he had that locked down.
“No,” he said. “We made that agreement last night. This was already in the works long before then. It’s not my fault you and Yarrow don’t know how to read. I’d expected more from the creator of Vanity at least, considering the material he used as inspiration for his world.”
“What do you mean?” Eden frowned.
“The mythos?” Ares was a bit let down that he didn’t know, though he’d alluded to as much during their brief talk already.
“Seriously? It never came up in conversation? Yarrow drew inspiration from The Gods of Light. The game is set up so that the player acts as the god of the story. Each decision the player makes builds their affinity with one of four main love interests.”
“I know how the game is played, asshole,” Eden lost patience. “Get to the point.”
“I am. Each of the love interests stands for a different divine companion. Whoever Player holds the highest affinity with is the one who determines which version of Player the gamer gets. Player’s expressions and choices alter based on which god the player is portraying.
That’s why there are different story branches based on affinity levels.
It’s not just because the personalities of the LI’s are different, it’s because the Player’s personality will be slightly different as well.
Those companions are identified by the nicknames Player refers to them.
Ransom is Starling, for example. While we have descriptions for the gods, there’ve never been any set defining features for their companions, which is why Yarrow needed you and your friends to model for the parts. ”
“The companions have only ever been depicted in their animal forms,” Yarrow mumbled.
“You don’t have to defend yourself. I like your approach. All I’m saying is, with how often mythology is woven into your story throughout the game, I expected you to be a bigger reader, yet you couldn’t even be bothered to read the contract.”
Yarrow opened his mouth, but Eden beat him to it.
“I didn’t realize there was that connection.” His fingers tightened ever so slightly on Ares’ wrist. “Whose companion is the starling?”
The corner of his mouth tipped upward. “The God of Creation.”
Eden dropped his hand.
“What’s wrong?” Ares asked.
“You’re basically telling me I’m not just competing with Ransom,” Eden whispered, not wanting Yarrow to overhear, “but also this starling character from a story written a million years ago?”
“There’s no competition. You are them.”
“I’m me.”
They were going to have to find a way to move past this aversion Eden had to being compared to beings Ares already associated him with. It didn’t mean he didn’t see Eden, it just meant he made greater connections to him, that was all. There was no Ransom without Eden. No Starling without Eden.
At the end of the day, Eden was the central piece.
“Starling belongs with Creation,” Ares stated. “Belongs to him.” When Eden gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, Ares grunted. “If that’s the case, I’ll be on my way.”
Quickly, Eden stepped into his path, squeezing in the small space between Ares and the door.
It was tight enough that their chests brushed, and the voice actor shivered tellingly before seemingly getting hold of himself.
He cleared his throat and stated firmly, “I’ll do it.
I’ll take the job. I’ll go with you to Aeternus. ”
“Eden—” Yarrow rounded his desk, but Eden gave a sharp shake of his head.
“This is too good an opportunity for me to turn down,” he said. “I promise I won’t let it affect my work with Astral Realms, but I can’t walk away from this chance.”
“Listen to me, I get where you’re coming from, but…Look, I’ll be frank, I don’t trust you, Mr. Major. I don’t think your intentions are pure.”
“I never said they were,” Ares quipped, grinning when Yarrow cursed behind him and Eden’s eyes widened slightly.
“That’s an admission of guilt,” Yarrow stated. “Eden, you heard him. Don’t worry about breaking the contract, I can afford to pay the penalty. And if you want a job in teaching, I can get you one. I have connections.”
“I’m happy the two of you aren’t as close as I feared,” Ares interrupted, his words meant for Eden. “If you were, he would have known teaching was something you’d been considering for a while now, isn’t that right?”
“This is risky,” Yarrow argued. “Your future—”
“Some things are worth the risk.” Eden looked determined. “When should I be packed, Mr. Major?”
“I told you to call me Ares.” He leaned in, lips barely brushing against the curve of Eden’s left ear. “But you can call me God if you really want to.”
“Not until you’ve explained why I woke up alone, asshole.” Eden shoved him away.
Ares laughed. “Start getting ready tonight. I need a couple more days to get Round One of our new game in order. I’ll call you.”
It was obvious he wanted more answers, but when Ares motioned him to move with one finger, Eden stepped to the side, hands tightening to fists at his sides.
Without a second glance, Ares exited the office and left Eden and Yarrow to argue it out to their heart's content. He didn’t need to be there for that. Yarrow’s opinion no longer mattered.
Eden Baldur had agreed to leave with him.