“What is he, in a meeting? No, I’m not gonna do anythin’. I just want to talk,” Barry says to the executive blocking him, impatient, every word struggling to stay surfaced from an undercurrent of rage.
When he’s finally allowed into the office, he makes eye contact with Giovanni and does not look away. He doesn’t take an aggressive stance, doesn’t do anything to give an impression how badly he wants to take this fury out physically. He doesn’t want to get carried out or killed before he can say his piece.
“You wanna explain yourself? You make a habit of this with your ‘trusted’ employees?” he says, and his tone dares Giovanni to pretend not to know what he’s talking about.
“Silver’s out of your sight for five minutes and you lose your goddamn mind, is that it?”
He inhales, restraining himself from letting out a put-upon sigh. Barry is many things, but naive he’s not. Giovanni knew there was always the possibility of Barry discovering the identity of the person he just helped to threaten, but the mob boss had hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with this so soon.
He’s ready to placate his agent-- Barry’s useful enough and knowledgeable enough about important facets of Giovanni’s life and operation that it’s worth it to at least pretend to hear him out-- but then Barry goes a little further than he has a right to.
Giovanni’s expression twitches and his eyes narrow. He leans forward in his seat, his cat making a soft noise of annoyance before it jumps off his lap altogether to go curl up on Archer’s empty chair. Giovanni takes no notice, his attention fixed on Barry.
“Careful,” he says quietly. His expression remains hard for another moment before he leans back again, relaxing his pose. “I like you, Barry. You know that. You know that’s the only reason you can speak to me like this at all. I like the work you do-- and you did very, very good work with them. Necessary work.” No one else would have been as effective and as easy to slot into place for a job like that, and as much as Giovanni cares for Barry, the man is still an employee-- a tool, like everyone else who’s not Silver or Eden. And Giovanni isn’t the type not to make use of the tools at his disposal.
“Your associate forced my hand. If you want an explanation, go ask them why they have taken such an unfortunate interest in my business dealings.”
“Exquisite as always,” Giovanni murmurs, voice low and pleased. “My friend will be most appreciative.”
His latest commission sits on the table between them, a matching set of bracelet and rings. Purple sapphires glitter against palladium bands, the metal shaped and engraved with the sort of elegant style that suggests power and wealth without resorting to flashy gaudiness.
Giovanni holds up one of the rings, observing the way the inlaid gems gleam in the low light of their private room. He nods once more, then carefully returns the entire set to its case. The jewelry looks almost as stunning where it rests against the plush velvet of the box as it will on Eden; if Giovanni were anyone else, he would need to be wary of having such beautiful and priceless items stolen before they can make their way to their intended recipient. Luckily, his reputation (and his security forces) are as strong a protection as any safe or lock-box.
“Leia.” Tucking the jewelry case away, Giovanni snaps his fingers at the grunt waiting nearby, and the man scurries off to alert the chef and servers that they’re ready for the food and wine to be brought in. The mob boss relaxes in his seat, indicating a shift in the tone of their meeting from one of business to something more casual-- more personal.
“You’ve done exemplary work for me time and time again. That kind of quality work is rare enough in this city that when I see it, I find myself wanting to ensure that it continues. That the one responsible for such quality work thrives, even in a city as cruel as ours.”
“Tell me-- are you satisfied with your current situation? Do you feel as though you are thriving as you are now?”
“Mm”. Came a hum of acknowledgement as Mobei Jun’s glare hardens and his eyes narrow at the man sitting directly across from him. He’d been slightly reclined in mock relaxation for some time, despite the stern expression on his face. Whoever said ‘keep making that face and it’ll freeze that wat’ clearly didn’t tell Mobei Jun, because it’s impossible for him to use any facial muscles that aren’t used for scowling. While an assortment of grand and decadent spread lay before them he’s made no move to indulge nor does he intend to, not yet anyway. Not until he achieves his objective.
“Shang Qinghua.” Mobei snaps his fingers and barks for his underling, eyeing Giovanni like a hawk on a mouse. The one called Shang Qinghua squeaks and shuffles over. He offers a shaky smile before withdrawing a black laptop from the briefcase he’d been carrying and opens it, turning the screen towards Giovanni to see. It was a live feed of Silver sitting alone in a small room with a few items; toys, a plush bed, brightly colored paintings on the wall but no windows to be seen. Mobei wants Giovanni to take a good long look because in a matter of seconds he snaps his fingers again and the laptop is snapped shut.
“As you can see the boy is safe and sound.” His voice rumbles deep, almost a growl. “Comfortable even. His every need has been provided for him, however.” Mobei’s icy glare deepens and the chair he’s seated on creaks underneath his weight as he sits upright. “That could all change, depending on how well you cooperate.”
“I want you to leave.” He speaks with a growl, “ Specifically I want you and your ilk to withdraw all business from cotes ward effective immediately. The Mobei clan suffers no rivalry. Do I make myself clear?”
Giovanni doesn’t even spare a glance toward Mobei’s man. His eyes flick to the screen, expression blank until he gets a chance to take in what it is he’s looking at.
His nostrils flare and his eyes widen, his expression so tense with rage that his cheeks begin to tinge red.
How dare Mobei... how dare he!
Mobei cannot begin to comprehend the world of pain that awaits him after this farce of a negotiation is concluded. Silver appeared unharmed on the livefeed, but the indignity of it-- not to mention how shaken the boy’s trust in his father must be! Silver has always looked up to Giovanni as the most powerful man on the island. For him to have been taken like this, snatched away by some amateur right out from under his father’s nose... Giovanni will have to make Mobei suffer. Not only to prevent any other greedy little rats from getting similar “bright ideas” about how to outmaneuver him, but also to ensure that his relationship with his son does not falter over one small misstep.
Giovanni had already experienced this sort of fury when he was first informed of the unique bargaining chip in Mobei’s possession, but seeing Silver in such a humiliating, infantilizing place-- his every need provided for, hah!-- has renewed the mob boss’s anger full-force.
He clenches his teeth so hard it hurts and fists his hands so tightly they begin to shake, but after a long moment of silence, he manages to control his anger without saying or doing anything that might irritate his son’s captor-- or worse, amuse the man sitting across from him.
“I am cooperating,” he says finally.
“I see. And can I count on you to leave Golden to me, then? You can’t expect me to continue to retreat and retreat until I have no territory left!”
Of course he’ll withdraw from Cotes. He’ll do anything this bastard asks of him. And then, when Silver is back home and safe and locked away so securely no one else will ever find him, Giovanni will launch a full-scale assault on Mobei and his people until there is no trace of them left.
But he can’t agree to the man’s demands too readily-- he can’t rush this and risk raising Mobei’s suspicion. It kills him to drag this out, but he knows how he must play this game if he wants to succeed.
“Oh, a few months now,” James sighs, and Mime Jr. chimes in agreement.
Now there’s a shock. They got ahold of the Boss’s Pokémon? It must have been quite the struggle! “My goodness, did they take yours too? Don’t worry! I only had Carnivine on my person when I arrived, but Mime Jr. found its way back to me eventually!” With a little help, at least.
“Nothing to build character like rebuilding an empire, eh?”
Could James track down those Pokémon again? He’s sure they’re around somewhere. “Of course, if you’re sure…”
James fidgets. “Well, with such a lack of Team Rocket work to do, I’ve had to pick up filler occupations… I’ve seen a few trainers, though most people don’t have Pokémon at all.
“Oh, and I’ve heard a surprising number of them talk! they sell translation collars on the Galaxy market, I believe. Though I’ve had more than my life’s share of a Pokémon telling me what to do, myself,” he jokes.
A few months!
Giovanni blinks in surprise, then looks at James almost disapprovingly.
“Are you certain of that?”
While it’s not an impossibility-- Giovanni has heard rumors of Pokemon with incredible influence and control over time itself-- he finds it more likely that James is somehow... confused. Otherwise, time must move differently here than at home. Maybe Giovanni will be able to use that to his advantage if and when he sets his sights back on Kanto.
“They did,” he begrudgingly admits. There’s no sense pretending otherwise-- the last person Giovanni needs to be posturing to is James. “And they severely weakened the one Pokemon that they bothered to leave in my possession.”
He pulls out Persian’s pokeball, casually calling forth the much smaller cat Pokemon that’s currently inside.
Meowth looks up at James for a moment with wide, calculating eyes.
“Mrreow...!” it says, sticking its nose up at him and licking a paw with which to shine the coin on its forehead. Giovanni looks as unimpressed as the Pokemon does, but this is still his partner, even if it has lost some of its usefulness-- he picks the Meowth up and cradles it in his arms, stroking fondly over its fur. Its eyes narrow in contentment, then in something somewhat crueler as it finds itself closer to eye-level with the little Mime Jr. on James’s shoulder.
“And what about your Weezing?” Neither of the Pokemon the Rocket has mentioned are ones he’s supposed to have. Giovanni eyes him, considering.
“Tell me what you remember from before your arrival here.”
Giovanni laughs in a sharp exhale. Maybe it’s the months-long vacation, but James seems more relaxed than usual.
“Have you approached these trainers yet?” He almost hopes the answer is no after hearing what his grunt has to say next. While these “translation collars” are intriguing--
“Allowing a Pokemon to command you?” What is James talking about now? “Don’t be ridiculous, James. Do you need to be reminded that every Pokemon exists only for your use? For the use of all Team Rocket?”
NPCs appear thorough threads in small side-roles, sometimes with names, sometimes with their own little jobs. Like the npc-run bakery your muse frequents every morning, the minion/s your muse has gathered to support them… or sometimes they’re just constant victims to our villain’s needs.
Either way, this is a place for you to submit your NPC/s.
It can serve for your own reference but also for your partners to look them up if things get a little messy. With so many muses, it’s already hard enough to keep everything in check, right?
“I trust you’re enjoying yourself,” Giovanni says tonelessly, his hands clasped together in his lap. His voice breaks the quiet, echoing ever so faintly in the large, nearly-empty expanse of the room. The dining area is lavish and built to accommodate a large gathering of people, but is currently occupied only by Giovanni, Mobei, and their guards.
The large table at which Giovanni and Mobei sit is full, however, covered in the sort of food that’s almost too expensive to waste by actually eating it. Giovanni has barely touched his own meal beyond an initial demonstration that nothing here is poisoned-- not that offering such proof is particularly necessary. Mobei must know that such an indirect method of murder is not Giovanni’s style, and that even if it were, the mob boss wouldn’t dare try anything of the sort tonight.
Not with Silver’s location still unknown and his safety uncertain.
“I would usually save the business talk for after dinner, Mr. Mobei, but I think it appropriate to begin now. You have bested me; I must say, I am impressed. No one else has ever before dared to cross this particular line, much less manage to succeed. You have my attention now, and I suggest you make good use of it.”
giovanni is still a pretty dangerous guy, even more so than in his usual canon!
a very successful mob boss, giovanni hasn’t experienced the defeat he did back home, so his influence in the city is as strong as ever.
this also means that he never left his 10-year-old son, silver:
silver is the only thing more important to giovanni than his work. while his status as the son of a prominent criminal makes him something of a target, giovanni’s reputation is an effective protection for the boy. no one has wanted to risk the consequences they know they’ll face should anything happen to silver.
without pokemon to use, this version of giovanni employs weapons and less family-friendly forms of violence & intimidation.
while giovanni’s mob does still operate a gambling corner, his main front is silph co., a legitimate business at which he used to work and which he has since taken over.
silph is a tech company that also manufactures the weaponry with which giovanni arms his employees.
{ relationships & history under the cut ! }
Relationships —
EDEN { @berserkgened } :
giovanni’s favorite business partner.
eden is a single parent running a company of their own. silver is close with eden’s children, paxton and micah, despite being older than the two toddlers. giovanni offered support and advice when an overwhelmed eden first found themself in control of their family’s company, and the two have grown closer since then, with giovanni serving as something of a mentor for the younger CEO.
giovanni considers eden and their children to be family. that means they’re under the same protection as giovanni’s own son, and that the mob boss has a particular interest in ensuring the success of eden’s company.
BARRY { @redlichbluelich } :
barry works for giovanni from time to time. listed as a “consultant” for silph co., barry is neither an executive nor a grunt for the mob, but does handle a variety of important tasks including eliminating and disposing of targets and cleaning up after hits.
barry primarily works legitimately as a doctor for the hospital, and giovanni also makes use of his medical knowledge by employing him as a personal physician on occasion. since barry also serves as silver’s doctor, he’s considered a highly valued and trusted employee.
barry’s involvement with the mob is not particularly well-known, which is yet another advantage of keeping him on staff; it never hurts to associate oneself with those of good repute.
RIN { @mvrderbot } :
rin used to work security for giovanni. responsible for guarding giovanni and silver when silver was younger, rin no longer has ties with the mob, and now works at the university instead. giovanni approved the change, and keeps his organization out of rin’s new life.
EVE { @origingened } :
eden’s sibling, although giovanni is not aware of that fact. eve is less approving of giovanni’s criminal activity than eden is, and while giovanni does not know much about them yet, it’s likely that his relationship with them won’t be quite as amicable as his relationship with eden.
History —
giovanni was once a legitimate employee of silph co. holding a prominent position that included overseeing the company’s weapon development department, he later stole the experimental devices and other tech and used them to fund and arm a growing force of thugs.
he recruited two of the president’s secretaries, archer and ariana, who provided invaluable information used in his initial takeover of the company.
archer and ariana took to crime with a passion, and are currently the executives of giovanni’s mob. ariana is also silver’s mother, and continues to have a presence in his life.
the former president of silph co. signed the company over to giovanni under duress, then mysteriously disappeared. while giovanni legally owns the company and there is no proof of his criminal takeover, the rumors of his involvement with the mob verge on common knowledge.
gummygunk
blakekathryn
jacobvanloon
snowghoul
titsay
janainaart
origamiaround
baratheonpilled
vaporwave
prguitarman
andulkaphoto
ellievsbear
