Mr. Junior was sat in a wagon with Lady Itisthia holding the reins. He had lowered the draw bridge himself and they had been riding down the forests toward the east, not having left the land that he now owned. The briefcase was sat on top of his lap with his forearms resting on top, and Lady Itisthia was curious as to what was going on, but she knew he wouldn't talk much, she se tried to let it go.
The sun was shining above their heads and the heat was starting to show through Mr. Junior's blue suit that he had put on, making her think he was nervous. "This must be important business, Sir. Not your usual style, is it? I must say I'm surprised..." Her voice broke off as she thought that she had said too much already, and no reply came from Mr. Junior who was looking around the forests attentively, one of the places he felt most comfortable... that being when he wasn't in his study or private basement.
It was a simple journey. One long road that had a few arching bridges to ride over, and if Mr. Junior had known it would have been this simple, he wouldn't have told anyone of his disappearance.
They slowly came to a halt in front of a large mansion, but it was more of a castle with a large complex about it. The compartments were green and built flawlessly, but Mr. Junior was standing at the entrance where fountains stood along side statues of animals and historical figures, large trees stood with birds and owls perched in their nests, wagons and chariots were in a collection on the left side of the the garden, but what caught his attention the most was the colossal forest of nature designed specifically to engulf the house.
A swamp of bats were sitting among the tree canopy hovering above the roof, the largest one being a beautiful Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox, it's namesake golden-yellow fur on it's head and neck formed a V shape around the nape. It's face and throat were black, with the rest of it's body transforming into a rich maroon colour.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" He heard a voice say.
Mr. Junior had been staring about himself in fascination, a side he wasn't comfortable with people seeing. He looked over to the door and saw an old man dressed in an all black suit, a silver and black walking stick was holding his weight on his right side, whilst a black top hat was on his head. His face was fixed with a wicked grin revealing a set of false teeth, which had some silver in them, too. His grey beard was trimmed nicely whilst his dark eyes were small and pointed.
"Very much so," Mr. Junior replied, his voice surprisingly appreciative.
"I was hoping you would come round soon... you should come in so we can speak openly. Will the Lady be joining us?"
Mr. Junior had quickly forgotten about Lady Itisthia being in his company, he turned around and looked at her staring at the surroundings, also fascinated, but he didn't enjoy having people around him, never mind accompanying him in important, private matters.
"Lady Itisthia," he shouted over, "you can go back to the house... make sure you keep the draw bridge open for my return. And don't tell anyone anything."
She obliged, quickly and skilfully turning the wagon around and starting off.
"Well, let's not waste any time, there is much to talk about," Mr. P said, showing his guest to the door.
Upon entering, Mr. Junior was met by the sight of a stream of small birds flying across the room whilst tweeting away, four big cats sat around a black armchair licking their paws and panting, thick snakes were slivering around their Serpentariums, and the room itself even had a mass of plants.
Mr. P closed the door behind himself and walked over to the armchair to sit down.
"I've come to speak of the debt my father owed, I won't take up much of your time," Mr. Junior said tersely, wanting to get down to business. "I've brought some financial statements that I was hoping you could shed some light on." He opened the briefcase and handed over a brown envelop.
"I've heard much about you, Sir, but all talk is gossip until you work with the man himself," Mr. P said, looking at the information. "Your father was a good man... as questionable as he could be at times. The debt is a considerable sum by any standards, but we can come up with a way to settle it. What do you have in mind?"
Mr. Junior understood that he needed to step out of his comfort zone and learn how to take charge of his own life, as he was practically learning how to swim in the deep end. And take charge in his own way, of course.
"Kresten City is my first plan," he said, "It's ideal in location for trade on both land and sea. You can use the City for travellers who will pay good money to pass through, along with bringing back the local populace that used to enjoy the place. I'll make it a City that I can control without having to answer to anyone, and to do that, I have to start making a move. I'll go there this evening."
Mr. P listened without interrupting, he shuffled in his seat and pulled out a cigar from his breast pocket. He was reluctant to let his guest go in such a hurried manner as he wanted to better understand his new prospect, but the young man seemed as though he had plans forthcoming, so he decided he wouldn't hold him back. Besides, Mr. P had hear about his guest's reputation much over the years, but nothing could be known for certain.
"This is your first plan you say?" He asked, wondering what that meant.
Mr. Junior nodded his head in approval, giving nothing away.
"Very well, I have some things to do myself... what would you like to know about these statements?"
"I need to know what they were for and what your exact partnership with my father was."
The old man looked up with a pensive look on his face, it took him a few moments to respond as he wondered how much he was willing to tell, but he decided it would have to be a gradual process.
"I can't remember what these transactions were without a detailed review of my adventures over the last years, but what I can do is sit down with you another time and my lawyer's and bankers will give as much information as you need. Would that be satisfactory?"
Mr. Junior nodded his head in approval.
"Is there anything that you would like to cover quickly, now, whilst your here?"
"Apart from you and Mr. Gregory, is there anyone else I should know about?"
"There are many people who you will encounter," Mr. P said after some thought, "but they will come of their own accord, for various reasons. For now, I suggest you stick with your plan and take it a step at a time. After all, many people will want to test you along the way. Test your resolve, that is. And, please... understand that the world you see around you is... unforgiving to those who have what everybody else wants... we'll see each other again, then... I'll send you a letter when I think it best to do so."
Mr. P stood up and offered his hand. "Until then, Mr. Junior," he said with a courteous smile, and Mr. junior accepted it, but he couldn't bring himself to add any warmth.
***
Inside of his safe haven of nature, Mr. P sat back down after seeing out his guest, thinking about what he could do in his current predicament. He wasn't sure what to expect from Mr. Junior. He had heard of that he suffered with severe episodes and that he was a man who couldn't be dealt with. From what he had saw though, except from the lack of graciousness and his all too seriousness, he seemed decent enough. Though, time of course, would tell.
Mr. P Instantly flicked his mind to the prospect of a new arrangement. He wrote a letter on a typewriter to send off to his new partner... Mr. Gregory.
Greetings, Mr. Gregory.
I'm writing this letter after a visit from the prospect that we have already discussed... like we said, we will not know what to expect from him, but he says he is going to administer Kresten City... he doesn't know what he is getting himself into, so let's see where it goes.
We will watch from the shadows...
Before we do though, we should probably him into the fold.
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM!
Your sincere and gracious companion, Mr. P.