Eli Briggs
With eyes already wide open Eli reached over and silenced his alarm. Despite the fact that it was only four in the morning it was increasingly rare that his alarm brought him to wakefulness. Most mornings he awoke before his alarm but tried to will himself into finding slivers of sleep before it broke him from his reverie. Unfortunately, these efforts were typically in vain. If he ever actually found sleep in the first place he would find himself in a semi-awake state at best for most of the night, usually tossing and turning without reprieve. Worst of all were the nights where sleep eluded him altogether.
Unfortunately, last night was the latter type of night. He got up with a groan and stretched his back out. A cacophony of pops and creaks met his ears. As he made his way to the bathroom he was greeted by two deeply bloodshot eyes staring back at him.
“Ugh,” he thought with disgust.
Setting his alarming visage aside he tried to focus on his schedule. His mornings had become increasingly early in order to cram everything he needed to accomplish into one day. Unfortunately, working for Tarry and managing activities in the sixteenth were jobs that operated on very different schedules. On the flip side, some of that work did have overlap that he could exploit if he was savvy.
And despite his ghoulish appearance he did consider himself savvy.
He went down to the kitchen and put the coffee pot on. He was determined to shake the weariness in his bones and get back into reading and committing to memory some recent intel that he had been tasked with looking into. If he was efficient with his time he might even be able to catch a quick midday nap.
Sipping his coffee he slowly looked around his home. It was small. It had always been small. His kitchen had scarcely had space for the basic appliances and a tiny table with four chairs. He wondered how had they managed when there were two of them living in the house. But despite now living alone it felt increasingly smaller as if the mounting pressures from his life were collapsing the very walls in on himself.
“Why do you stay here? Why not find a bigger place for you and Olly?” Tarry had asked these questions more than once. Eli could picture a composite of all the times they'd spent in his house in the early days before Tarry had been elected for his first term. He could almost picture the politely inquisitive but definitively drunk expression on his face.
Eli would've given some response about how living frugally suited his style and being closer to the action was better for business. And Tarry would’ve snorted into his drink but not pressed the issue further. They were both flashy, in their own ways and circles, but Tarry was short sighted enough to chalk it up to sentimentalism where Eli was concerned.
Eli dashed the daydream from his and, willing wakefulness to his mind, flipped open the report booklets. Tarry relied on him to understand the lower boroughs and report back on what he was seeing. His sources had been coming back and saying that certain areas were rabble rousing and he had asked Eli to look into it.
Twelfth district. He had his own rabble rousing contact he could look into. He could kill two birds with one stone if he played his cards right. He drained his coffee and firmly shut the book.
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The man across from him, the proprietor of the establishment, took a deep gulp of whiskey and tapped on the table, signalling a passing waiter for a refill. His glass was immediately topped up.
They were seated in a semi-circle booth near the back of a jazz room in the twelfth district. The venue itself suggested a higher scale establishment than the district would normally provide but everything from the plush upholstery to the shine of the bar top to the noise muffling curtains hanging around the privacy booths was a cheap imitation of the real jazz clubs in the upper districts. There was a veneer that covered up the dingy bones of the place. This establishment and its proprietor, Jayson, tried to mimic the rich feel of such places but in Eli’s opinion that was a bitter irony. The more upscale establishments brought no authenticity. They only served to give wealthier clientele a chance at pretending to experience the real thing. Those clientele would never be caught dead in a dingy, underground jazz bar. But that was where the real magic happened. Performing in the clubs in the lower districts may not be glamourous but it's where the trade was learned and where the best jazz musicians were born.
In trying to pretend to be one of those upscale places this place ironically lost any charm it hoped to have. Jayson, as always, tried too hard and lost sight of what was important.
Today he looked nervous. Eli knew he had been vocalizing his displeasure lately and some of it was targeted at Eli. He had heard the rumblings but it wasn't worth his time to follow up, until today.
"So what can I help you with today?" he asked nervously. Jayson never directly confronted anyone, least of all Eli, so by showing up on his doorstep Eli was forcing his hand.
"I was in the neighbourhood and figured I'd stop in and check out the joint," he responded, smiling widely.
"Good, good. Well, you never need a reason to drop in of course. My doors are always open to you," he offered with a smile but avoided Eli's eyes.
Eli let them lapse into an uneasy silence.
"What's the matter Jayson?" he asked after a moment too long to be considered comfortable.
"Nothing at all! What makes you ask?" Jayson was practically sweating.
Eli frowned and let a concerned look come to his face. "Are you alright?"
"Look, Eli, it's... nothing. Forget it," he drained his second glass.
Eli flagged down the waiter. When he came back for another refill Eli reached for the bottle and poured the third glass himself.
"It doesn't seem like nothing. I've heard that you haven't been too pleased lately," he suggested kindly.
"Aw Eli, it's not like that. I'm fine. But I can't lie to you, a few of the others aren't too happy with how things are looking," he confessed.
"How so?" Eli pressed amiably.
"Well, it's not very flattering, I'll admit. And I would never intend to insult you..."
"I'm rather difficult to insult. I have thick skin. Please, if you have concerns I am all ears."
Jayson seemed to wrestle with the next words. “They say you’re growing soft," he mumbled.
Eli politely sipped on his beer. “Is that so? And do you believe these claims?”
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Perhaps it was the third drink that granted him courage because he opened up quickly. “Come on Eli, it's not like that. I'm a little concerned too. We’ve done business together for a long time. Heck, you put me up here. But I know how you tick. You’ve been acting differently lately, you can’t deny it.”
“I disagree. I’ve made a few changes to my activities of late but that doesn’t mean I’ve changed,” he shrugged.
Jayson lowered his voice to a whisper despite the music drowning out their conversation from those around them. “It's just... I’ve heard rumblings that you let some payments slide.”
“So? Everyone needs a break once in a while.”
“Eli…” he sighed, “Not from above. And not when you've switch sides so abruptly.”
“Pray tell,” Eli encouraged, a cold smile spread across his features.
Jayson froze. “Look, Eli, I don’t mean any disrespect,” he stammered.
“I’ll be the judge of that, but please continue with your assessment.”
He sputtered and stumbled over his next words. “You… ever since you came onto the scene you always took care of us. All of us, the little guys. And nobody can argue against that. So I mean this in the most loving way but when we see you chumming up to the people at the top so openly we get scared. Worse yet, and I fully respect the connections you've maintained, but they say you've turned into his lap dog."
Eli leaned back and looked thoughtfully at the ceiling as if considering this. Jayson seemed to be slowly reddening as if under pressure. Eli let him stew before responding.
“You know I would never act in a way that would jeopardize what I’ve accomplished,” he chose his words carefully.
Jayson practically sighed in relief while nodding fervently. “Of course, but the others, you know how it is.”
“They say I’m getting soft. Lenient,” he offered gently, "They see me cutting favours to the people at the top and they think it's favouritism. They see me leveraging my connections without a specific monetary gain and think it's a betrayal."
Jayson bit the inside of his cheek. “Well…” he began but Eli cut him off with a raised hand.
“No need to say it, I can see it on your face,” he said magnanimously.
Eli had him hooked. “No, please let me explain. It’s nobody’s fault, you see-”
“I would never blame anyone! Of course, I could always arrange to speak to everyone. Show them how serious about business I still am,” he shrugged nonchalantly.
Jayson’s eyes flashed with fear. “That’s quite all right!” he exclaimed, "Nobody is actually upset!"
Eli cocked his head innocently. “So what’s the problem? I’m struggling to understand the issue.”
“Well… you see… we’re all just concerned for you. With the non-payments and now being on the Mayor’s payroll… Is money tight? We’d all understand if it is. And you’re putting the kid through that fancy school now so we were worried some of your streams were drying up. That’s all, none of us meant any disrespect.”
Eli let him stammer through it. “Oh Jayson, is that all?” he laughed.
Jayson gave a small nervous laugh in response.
“I didn’t think I’d need to spell it out for anyone, but no, money is fine. I do have more expenses now but that’s under control. And if you’re afraid for my personal streams of income all I need to say is, don’t be. I make adjustments from time to time as the climate requires it. Turn off certain taps if you will. I may be taking a small, legitimate salary now but it keeps eyes off of what matters. As you said, my nephew is in a prestigious career stream. Having clean hands is important if people are looking for dirt.”
It was Jayson’s turn to look thoughtful and then relief washed over him as he registered Eli's meaning. “Ohhhhhh. I mean, yeah, that makes sense,” he laughed nervously.
“Good. Now I expect you’ll inform anyone with future concerns that all is well?”
“Of course, you can always count on me.”
Eli gave a thin lipped smile. “I have no doubt.”
Jayson laughed again. “I knew you’d never sell out Eli, you’ve got a good thing going on. I’m sure you’ll collect with interest. You put those bums up there, they owe you.”
Eli forced a laugh. “I’m sure. Now, you’re all going to be happy? No more concerns about my business?”
“None whatsoever.”
“Good. Then perhaps you can help me with something. I need to know what’s going on up here. I’m hearing reports of people getting feisty. The sixteenth is the sixteenth, people there don’t move around a whole lot, but is there anything I should be concerned about in these middle districts?”
Jayson shrugged. “It’s the same as it ever was. The government doesn’t take care of us and now with the tunnel collapses nobody wants to use them. People who work in the other districts, or worse need to travel through multiple tunnels just to get to their job sites, don’t want to go.”
Eli knew this from the reports. They were afraid, it wasn’t a surprise. He sipped his beer.
“So, what, they’re just finding work locally?”
“Well, no, no one can afford to do nothing. But they’re unhappy. They see the protests in the higher districts and it seems like the elites have the time and energy to protest when it affects them, but they’re not the ones who have to leave every day to be able to survive. The government doesn’t care about us. That’s why we were worried you were switching over.”
The disparity and perception. It always came down to it. He rubbed his jaw.
“Now they’re saying that there’s weird weather in parts. Especially those who work in agriculture. Nobody is telling us anything but now those good for nothing Guilds, no disrespect to the boy, are starting to nose around,” he went on.
“I got it. Yeah, I hear you,” Eli said sympathetically, making a mental note of the weather. Olly might know something about that; he’d have to follow up with him later after he spoke to Tarry.
“You always look out for us Eli. Thanks for listening,” Jayson said gratefully.
“No worries. I should get going but if you have any concerns don’t hesitate to reach out. Let’s not wait until things become a big deal, yeah?”
“Of course. And hey, listen, the drink’s on the house. Come by anytime,” Jayson bade him farewell as he pulled on his jacket, but Eli was already deep in thought.
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Much later that night he sat in his office while wondering who to call first. Interesting weather wasn’t what Tarry asked him to look into and yet it had the gears in his mind spinning since Jayson mentioned it to him. Olly would likely know something but if he started asking questions too early it might just lead to suspicions. He could frame it as a concern for Olly’s safety, which wasn’t an untruth, but if it wasn’t going to lead to a fruitful discussion perhaps the timing was wrong.
He made up his mind and reached for the phone to dial Tarry’s number to share what he had learned but as his fingers brushed the handset the phone began to ring. He let it go for two rings before picking it up.
“Hello?”
“Elias,” the voice on the other end said coldly.
His blood turned to ice.
“I wasn’t expecting your call so soon,” he willed his voice even.
Constantine chuckled. “That’s surprising given recent developments. I’m calling to see how you intend to keep up your end of the bargain, particularly since the contact you gave me has met an unfortunate end.”
He bit the inside of his cheek. “Did you end up meeting with her?” he ventured.
“Not in person, no. We had a rather insightful chat though. She seemed like a bright young woman and seemed willing to make a deal which makes it all the more shame that she died,” Constantine said casually as if attacks on Guild headquarters were everyday occurrences, “I had nothing to do with it, before you ask.”
“Do you know who might have? I’m afraid I can’t grant you a new audience until I know the risks,” he ran his free hand through his hair.
“You’re looking to me for all the answers? Typical. Figure out what the Shadow Fellowship wants and I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for. In the meantime, I can’t exactly help you until you give me what I want so hopefully that’s incentive enough,” she said coldly.
The other line clicked as she hung up and he was left alone with his thoughts and the phone pressed to his ear as a desperate lifeline. Slowly he replaced the handset into the cradle. He twisted his mouth in displeasure. He had been so close. After the news of Alzira’s death he threw himself into his other work to stop him from wallowing at the fact that he had come so close to getting what he had spent the last eighteen years wanting. That ended here and now. He had no time for side distractions and needed to see this through once and for all.