Billy sat in the workshop that he’d set up in one of the many, many rooms of the townhouse. Using a tightly controlled beam of aether to solder an electrical contact into place.

The bell rang but Edna was out, which meant that Billy would have to answer it. Normally he’d have just ignored it, but since they’d started actually doing business as a company they’d had more than a few messengers come by.

With more than a few of those messengers carrying important correspondence. He sighed as he put down what he was doing. Reluctantly leaving his workshop and heading over to the front door to see who it was.

He opened the door and what he saw, was an elven man. Baby-faced, with dark, swept back, hair. Standing on the stair stoop, with his hands held up and an uncomfortable smile on his face.

A gun had been pressed to the back of the man’s head and as the holder of the gun was Edna, Billy couldn’t help finding himself simply just following her lead. His tail slithering out from within the dark outer-halls townhouse and rising up into the air.  The spade angled down, ready to the pierce through the stranger should he make the mistake of moving.

“Nh….Might I ask who you are?” said Billy. His tone flat and slightly disgruntled. His eyes narrowed because the day was a bright one and this was the first time he’d been outdoors in weeks.

“Ah...Er...Y-,Yes. Hello I am the Matte-Black Tangent…My friends call me Tangent. I’d ‘really’ like to be friends so you can do the same.” said the man.

His words were undercut by the audible click that came as Edna pulled the hammer of the pistol she was holding. Ready to blow the man away should  she see any unnaturally dense shadows extending in her direction.

To be fair, it wasn’t like the man was simply standing idle either. He was desperately trying to call on the darkness that lay within doorway and the halls beyond. However for whatever reason they didn’t seem to be obeying him today.

“Alright, Mister Tangent, now what we’d like to know is what you’re doing here.” said Edna. Her expression grim, though her tone was light and almost friendly.

“Oh?!...W-,well, first of all, You two work for the Bone Tree Company, yes?” said Tangent.

“That’s technically true.” said Billy.

“We’re the CEOs and founders.” said Edna.

“Great...Great! I work for an Organization called the Thousand Ghosts. We’ve recently heard of your work and were wondering if your company would consider collaborating with us for a bit.”

“Nh….”

Tangent was finally able to gather just enough shadow to himself from his surrounding for a quick position switched. Gaining it as the sun shifted and his own shadow was made deeper.  

Just as he was about to act the serpentine tail dropped down, coiling around the man, and resting its blade at his neck. People passed by on the streets and sidewalks but no one gave the three a second look. Similar scenes could be seen all over the city and it was generally just good advice to mind one’s own business.

Billy felt a yawn coming on, while he was fairly sure, they wouldn’t be killing this stranger today, he wasn’t too sure about the possibility of any collaboration. Such things were far too people oriented and therefore far too out of his field so he looked to Edna, to see what she wanted to do.

She simply grunted. The pistol disappearing from her hand as she stepped away from the man.

Tangent sighed in relief as both the gun and the tail were withdrawn.

“I think we’ll have to talk terms first, before anything is decided. Of course we’ll  be needing more details on what we’re suppose be collaborating on...” said Edna she stepped passed the man, so she could stand by the doorway. Next to Billy.  

Her arms crossed, and her body language closed, though she still wore her usual affected smile.

“Of course…” said Tangent. Looking far less tense now that his life wasn’t actively in danger. Venturing a smile of his own.

*****

So Billy goofed, it was bound to happen, the things he was familiar with, he was  very familiar with. The things he wasn’t familiar with, he was practically clueless about. Or rather the real problem was the half-year he spent with a foot and several toes, in the grave. Working to bring himself back onto the right side of the mortal coil.

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It actually wasn’t a bad idea to simply start the Bone Tree Company as a corporate body. It meant that they wouldn’t have to spend years working their way up the ranks like other groups did.

The only problem with that was that everything came at a cost. When tax season came around the pay from the Jelani Job and the money that Edna had made, amounted to a little under six thousand.

Great Kingdom’s taxed their cities, duchies and lesser kingdoms. The cities, duchies and lesser kingdoms taxed the populace and surprising enough they were almost fair about it. Taxing people according to status and income.

A key detail that Billy had neglected to pay attention to. What with him being preoccupied and dead and all.  

The taxes took half of all they’d made and the guild fees required for them to continue operating as a company took most of the other half.

This should have lead to a crunch where they ran around, trying to make end’s meet. However the Co-CEO of the Bone Tree Company, had a good head on her shoulders. Though admittedly it was her stomach than her head that had been speaking that day.

Edna suggested that they sell of some of the dragon bones that they were storing one of the backrooms after clearing off the flesh for their cooking. Hoping that they’d have enough to buy something other than dragon meat for them to eat.

Billy was an excellent chef and dragon meat was distinctly fantastic in flavoring, but after three straight weeks enough was enough. Billy sheepishly revealed he’d been using the bones to build things. Mainly toys and trinkets and the like.  Slightly incensed, she immediately suggested he sell some of those instead, the rest  as they say, was history.

*****

Fast forward to the present and one found Billy embracing the mad, doctor look a little too well. His hair and dress both mussed and unruly. A spattering a of mysterious red-brown soaking through his white t-shirt.

He and Edna saw the man off. He wondered if it was a good thing, that so many people had their address. Thinking that it might have been a good idea to set up a P.O. box with the EITC. He hadn’t been thinking that far ahead when everything started and they’d just moved,  but he was starting to get uncomfortable with all the callers that came to the door. Or maybe that was just the slightly lazy, slightly antisocial portions of his character talking.

Once the stranger was out of sight, he closed the door and looked behind him to see, Edna shrugging off her coat and placing it on the rack in the corner.

“How was ‘your’ thing?” he asked.

“Mhm...Okay, I guess. This time’s job was just a few wild dogs out in some small village.” said Edna.

“How about you?” she asked.

“Nh...Same old. Same old.”

They both went to their usual routines. Edna did jobs for the KOG every week. Billy made devices every day. They’d slowly gotten into a predictable pattern. Now that Edna was home she’d head into the bath for a nice long soak.

Billy was already cooking something because apparently being part-dragon also came hand in hand with being a foodie. Later they’d probably sit down and zone out in front of the scrying cube, which was another one of Billy’s safe inventions.

A combination television and scrying screen that he probably wouldn’t be putting out on the market anytime soon. It was originally intended to just be a boredom killer, a thing he built just to see if he could build it.

Then he’d just kept it around because it was a success and he didn’t see a reason not to. After all, it let them magically observe sports events and plays and musical festivals.

It also held the troublesome ability to peep on sensitive state secrets with the same ease that it peeped on Magical Academy lectures and practitioner sect training. Which was why they’d decided to keep their little secret.

In any case, the routine held true and later that evening they both found themselves on the couch. Edna sat with a book in her lap, unconsciously curled up closer to Billy than she’d be if she were actually aware of it.

Billy sat, eyelids low, while a Gray Continent, stage performance of Pyramus and Thisbe played on the cube.

They were both startled with the play resolved itself by turning into an orgy. With a crimson faced Edna turning off the cube as the audience joined in on the action.

“That happens far too often in that continent.”

“Nh...true. The Bright continent, Argus is all about fighting and death. The Gray continent,  Aruna is all about fighting and sex. The Dark Continent, Nyx  is all about sex and death.” said Billy.

Noting that they’d seen from weeks of springtime viewership. Quietly wondering how he’d have to edit the cube’s enchantments to give it’s channel's child safe options.

“Hey, Ed….Do you really think we should collaborate with those guys?” said Billy. After a moment’s thought.

She looked up at Billy, frowning a bit like she didn’t quite catch what he was saying, still fairly distracted by what she’d just seen.

Eventually she was able to shake it off and respond with a,

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?” said Billy.

“Well business has been going well and we’re in the black again. Isn’t this kind of the next step?” said Edna.

Vaguely remembering her father talking of such things explaining it to her and her older siblings. Something-something networking. Something-something Branding. Something-Something Public Presence.

With all of it being important for building the foundations of a young business.

“I guess?” said Billy.

Vaguely remembering overhearing his father give the same lectures to his aides while he himself was too young to be involved in the family’s businesses.

“I don’t know. I figure it wouldn’t hurt to hear them out.” said Edna. Turning the cube back on, watching the noisy, fleshy, spectacle on the screen with a look of mild confusion and fascination.

Wondering what the elephant masks were for and how the female buglers expected to blow their horns if the placed them in ‘that’ particular area.

“If you say so. You didn’t really seem to like that guy though.” said Billy.

Edna just grunted and shrugged in response. Her actions were based half in instinct and half in caution. She still remembered when the man had tried to kill her and had needed to know why he was at her doorstep before she let him go.

Afterwards it was just business. It was always supposed be just business. The grand majority of practitioners who roamed the roads were contractors, mercenaries and freelancers. Which meant they’re only lasting allegiances were to the almighty dollar.

Yesterday’s enemies could easily become tomorrow’s friends and vis-the-versa. It was far from a complete rule, far from universally followed. Anyone who believed it to be so, was a fool who’d never been on the losing end or had their ego bruised.

All the same general Practitioner etiquette required that one be professional and take nothing personal. Considering that she hadn’t died, and they hadn’t gone overboard, Edna was pretty sure that she could manage it. Though her guard would still be up till she was sure she could trust them.

She turned the cube off again, drawing the line when something that looked a little too much like a hill troll was brought onto the stage.

“I guess we’ll just have to see.” said Edna. Yawning and returning her attentions to her book.