Chapter Five
Wizard slipped into the boardroom and took a seat at the back. Devin looked at her and gestured for her to leave. She held up her phone, tapped the screen, and then pointed at Antonio. Devin went grey.
The lights dimmed, and the videos began to play. Wizard made notes for improvement in the editing.
Antonio asked, “Devin, this work is spectacular.”
Devin blushed and nodded. “Thank you.”
“Who did it?”
Devin paused. “What?”
“Who made the video? Where did the music come from? Were all the releases signed?”
Devin stuttered, “Everything is signed.”
“Who is the singer?” Antonio kept his gaze focused while the room filled with soft murmurs.
Antonio looked at Wizard. “Giggles? Who is the singer?”
“Oh, that would be me, Mr. Brendel. Half of the new offerings are my voice, and the others are by another Aenocyon employee.” She smiled.
“And the work?”
“That is me there as well. My records will show me going through the con footage to blend it with the game creations and the motion-capture events.”
Devin hissed, “But you are in my department.”
“Yes, and hasn’t there been a tremendous uptick in player appeal since I started here?”
Antonio smiled. “There has been. Roane has commented on it when she was checking our numbers. Now, we know what has been driving it.”
Devin hissed. “I don’t have to listen to this.”
“You are right. You are suspended until the investigation into the production of items from your department is complete, and we had better have a contract for intellectual property for each and every new contractor used in these ads.”
She bit her lip as Devin flinched.
Jax was sitting there. “I am missing two out of six legitimate signatures. Sending the contract to yourself for automatic signature isn’t a great idea, Devin. Even I can track an ISP.”
Devin went chalky and shot to his feet. He didn’t say anything else; he scrambled to leave.
Wizard looked at Antonio. “You have someone at his desk?”
“Yup, and his laptop has been copied and scrubbed. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.”
“No problem. The department was getting empty. I think it is just me there now.”
Antonio and Jax looked at her. The others filed out.
“How would you like to become the head of commercial production and reporting only to the media oversight department?”
Wizard blinked. “What?”
“I have learned from my mistakes. You do the work; you get the title and the raise. You have created adapted advertising for three different genres appealing to a variety of audiences for the same game.”
Wizard paused. “Um, I have to disclose something.”
Jax smiled. “Don’t tell me you are moonlighting with Sityr.”
“Oh, good grief, no. Tyr would pitch a fit.”
Antonio’s eyes widened as she stood up and kept rising until she was looking at him eye to eye.
“So, there’s this.”
Jax said, “You are an omega?”
“Nope. Tall beta, and I am sticking to that. Just an elf.” She smiled.
Antonio grinned. “Just an elf. You know, if you are just a tall beta, Andrea collects them.”
“Oh, shit. Well, she never hits my department, so I think I am safe. So, will my appearance screw up my paycheque like yours seems to do to you?”
He paused. “Absolutely not. If you are not an official omega, you are just a tall beta, and I love your work. Keep it up.”
She grinned.
Jax asked, “Do you have any alphas?”
“No. I am a specific kind of... beta. They have to withstand lightning.”
Antonio blinked. “Can we see why?”
“Not yet, and definitely not near electrical equipment.”
Jax’s eyes went wide. “That sounds... interesting.”
“What is interesting is that my half-sister works at the Aquilar Ballet, and one of her alphas is a dancer. I think Liella would lose her little mind. And yes, Thor has already met them both.”
Jax’s eyes sparkled. “Dinner time is going to be fun today.”
“You are going to tell Liella about the ballerina and ballerino, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely, and then say that Thor is responsible for talking to them and getting them to do a display at the dance academy.”
“Dex will enjoy it.” Wizard smiled. “Eventually. The display won’t be any time soon. She’s recovering from surgery.”
Jax frowned. “Is she all right?”
“She will be. If Liella went on the tour of the ballet, Dex works in the shoe room.”
Jax’s eyes lit up. “She said she made a set of shoes go from blank to workable in seconds.”
“Minutes, but yes, she’s fast with a needle.”
Antonio smiled. “We have already altered the company website, and here are your new business cards.”
He slid a box down the table, and she took a look at it. “You know my name makes me cringe, right?”
“Yes, but you can get rid of the cards at the next few events we are hosting. What is it your friend call you?”
“Wizard.”
Antonio smiled. “Wizard, it will be. It will be nice to have a wizard on staff.”
She looked at the card with all the titles. She saw Dell outside the conference room, and the woman’s wide eyes. “Oh, damn.”
“Sorry. Incoming hug.”
Wizard grinned, and when Dell came in and approached her with arms outstretched, she flickered, and Dell was hugging Antonio instead. Wizard laughed brightly as she walked past Jax and out of the room. She heard the consternation and continued her giggles down the hall.
She was back at her desk when Jax came in. “Right, the sign-offs.”
“And for the second performer?”
“She’ll be in by three.”
“That’s the cleaning shift.”
Wizard looked at him. “You don’t say.”
Jax blinked. “They are all male.”
“If you are sure.”
“Is she like you?”
“Oh, absolutely not.”
“Is she like Penny?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Is she a normal beta?”
Wizard giggled and kept signing. “Absolutely not.”
“Can you buzz me when she comes in?”
“Sure.” She grinned and handed over the paperwork.
She finished working on the song for the EMTs, and when Antonio had given the go-ahead, she began to mix game footage together and waited for Ax to come in.
A knock on her door let her know Ax was in, and Wizard turned and grinned. “I have a new project for us to play with if you have the time.”
Ax Overland smiled. “I do have time. Girly me or boy me?”
“Girly me. This is a project for my half-sister’s brother-in-law.
He identified her internal bleeding with his training and got her to the hospital before she had more of an issue than the initial injuries.
So, she wanted to say thank you, and I have created a thank you card. ” Wizard grinned. “Of sorts.”
Ax came in and leaned down, reading the lyrics and reading the music over Wizard’s shoulder. “Oh, this could be fun. You start the music; I am going to hit the costume department.”
“You are going to snap your fingers.”
“That, too.”
“Oh, Jax needs you to sign off on your vocals.”
“Right.”
“He’s on his way.”
“This will be interesting.” Ax grinned.
“He was taking some investors around earlier, so yeah, it will be.”
“You don’t think he’s done?”
“Nope. I think he’s going to bring them to see the circus.”
Ax grinned. “In that case...” She raised her hand and snapped. She was standing in a flowing dress and boots, and her hair was back in a thick gold ponytail. Everything was in shades of black and blue.
“Wow. You clean up nice.” Wizard laughed.
Ax snorted and started to hum the song. They sat together and discussed the style, changing the music to a faster beat. Ax hummed it and drummed her fingers on the table for the span of the song, and they grinned.
They were in the recording suite when Wizard saw two men walk into the department. She finished the keyboard track and nodded to Ax. “Showtime.”
She walked out and smiled at Jax. “Hey, Jax. Ax is here.”
Jax sighed. “I was hoping you would be your other self.”
“Oh. Say please.”
The man with him grinned.
“Please.”
Wizard stood to her full height. “There you go. Ax!”
Ax came around the corner, looking at a tablet, then looked up. “Holy J pop!”
The man next to Jax grinned.
Wizard looked at the man who was from Japan by Ax’s exhalation. He was wearing a snug suit and had a ridiculously tapered waist under a tight vest.
Jax looked between the two. “Oh, right. Tekumi, this is...”
Ax stared and then shook her head. “I am so sorry. Ax Overton. Please pardon my gawking.”
Tekumi smiled. “Do not worry about it. I am equally startled to see one of the shining ones here.”
Wizard looked at Ax, and she was pale. Ax said, “She is the only one of that kind here. You had stuff for me to sign, Jax?”
“Right. Yeah.” He held up a folder full of papers.
Wizard saw Tekumi looking around the area. He smiled. “Miss, would you show me this part of your facility? I am in town visiting relatives and have been lured into doing vocals for some of the games.”
Wizard nodded. “There is a larger studio elsewhere in the building, but this is ours to play with.” She walked with him and showed him the sound booth.
* * * *
Ax rubbed her arms, then took the paperwork and signed it.
Jax asked softly, “You have a second shape?”
“Yes, but it isn’t an elf, so not one of the shining ones. I am not sure what to do with it, frankly.”
She read the contract and signed off on the two that had been released before getting her signature. “You are going after Devin for the theft?”
“Yes. A forensic accountant is on it. You will be paid at the end of the week.”
“Thank you. I try not to warble for free.”
She finished reading the one for the most recent offering and signed it.
Jax looked at Tekumi and Giggles. “Why did you shut down?”
“Because his kind are looking for those who glow. I don’t glow.”
“What kind of being are you?”
She shrugged. “Don’t know. I know that my energy is wrong to go to the new palace. It is just set for elves, and I am not an elf.”
Jax frowned. “May I see?”
“Why? You aren’t for me?”
“No, but I see a lot of people, and I might recognize something.”
“I doubt it, but okay.” She shrugged and shifted, looking into his shocked expression. “So, what do you think? Monster class?”
A lightly accented voice said, “You are a lesser djinn.”