Janusz followed the secretary in silence, fixing his bandana as he walked. He wasn’t quite sure what Alexa wanted to speak to him about, only that she had called for him and he responded. Janusz made sure to study where he was walking, remembering the layout of this place, or at least the portion he was walking in.
Fitting In / One on One / Closed / MATURE
The secretary led him around a good portion in an almost circular pattern before reaching a set of dark wood doors. She knocked a few times before a little light on the side lit up and then the secretary opened up the door.
Alexa was sitting on top of her desk rather than behind it swinging her legs as she smiled seeing Janusz, "Come on in. We've got a lot to talk about."
Janusz looked at Alexa upon the doors opening. He entered the room shortly after without a word. He observed the room as he entered, finally stopping in front of her desk.
“What is it, then?” He asked, keeping his tone even.
Alexa waved her hand and the secretary closed the door behind Janusz. She stopped swinging her legs, "I noticed you were at Kovrov's fighting ring, so surely you saw the DN bot? You know what DN is right? And how much of a threat it can be if they're back right?"
Janusz nodded. “I was there, and I did…notice them. Not any people, just their fighting bot.” He leaned back slightly, folding his arms. “I’m quite aware of the threat they can pose as well.” He had also gained some additional information, the fact that they were under new leadership still stood. But he’d wait to reveal that if asked in relation.
"Okay, so we're on the same page then," Alexa leaned back on her desk. She kept studying him for a few moments, before continuing on, "I also know that you went to the police station. You work there right? Don't answer that it's rhetorical, but you have to have information on the new DN. Mind sharing it with your new boss?"
Boss..?
There’s brief, visible detestation in his eyes for a moment or two, hard to notice. But Janusz remembers the deal and all, and he keeps his words from coming out.
What words do come out are the ones Alexa asked for, though. The information.
“I know that they’re under new leadership. It’s the child of the previous leader. You know, the leader of the previous DN. Claims to be different, too. Different than before. They claim to manufacture bots. Different types of robots.” He states his findings. “They probably only resurfaced recently. Within the past few months. Their territory; turf, whatever you want to call it is a lot smaller. They still have a lot of warehouses and factories, though. Most of their stuff is outside of the city as well.” He adds.
Boss… Might not have been the best word to use, but it was the word almost everyone here called her. So why should he be an exception? Though maybe she should explain her reasoning as to why she used that specific title with her fellow Eldritch at some point. Not now though, now she had something else to focus on.
She gave a slight nod at the information he gave to her and let out a hum of contemplation. So it was the son of the old DN leader that had taken over, most of their claims were probably false, though maybe held some truth to them. Though the fact that most of their factories and warehouses were outside of the city was bothersome, "I highly doubt he's that much different, especially if he's the old leader's kid. Same thing goes for the bots. At least they have to start from the ground up, so we have time to make a plan."
“Plan?” Janusz questions. “I typically just go straight in,” he speaks with a tad bit of smugness in his tone. For a moment there, it’s not Janusz speaking, it’s Shiondun. No, Janusz was different from Shiondun, he has to remind himself.
After a few seconds, he speaks again. “But that’s true. They’ll have to start from the ground up. I can see if I can plant a few things against DN to get the law enforcement’s attention on them again.”
"Oh if I was in my usual form I wouldn't need a plan. But I have appearances to keep up and so a plan is necessary," Alexa replied feeling Tazha slip through a little bit. She often found the two interchangeable even if she was supposed to be Alexa. She let out a slight sigh as she leaned on her hand, "That would be quite nice if you could do that. I can pick up the case as well so we have players in all departments."
“Yes, I can do that. I’ll just have to figure what to exactly say.” Regrettably, Janusz was also used to following orders. Well. He took what he was given, and spun it around to suit his needs. Thinking of something from scratch would be a bit more difficult. This would probably take him some time. Perhaps he could go out and stakeout the warehouse. He’d read that the closest DN warehouses were by the shipyard.
“Alright. Do you have any basis of a plan?” He asks.
"I don't have one yet," Alexa responded letting out a sigh and leaned back on her desk. She was trying to think on the fly and it was great that she didn't have all the pieces she wanted. Most of them were there yes, but she enjoyed having all her pawns for her to play around with. Her hand began to tap on the desk as she thought, "But I'll come up with something soon. As for coming up with something to tell the police? You could always mention that they were at the fighting ring. Remember? That's technically illegal."
“Yeah,” he glances off to the side, “but police don’t usually bother with stuff as minor as that. Maybe a few minor investigations, but nothing worth noting. I’m looking for something big, something that might get some of my guys down there.” He gestures to himself.
“A.K.A., something pretty illegal and maybe even corrupt. I’ll probably think of something at some point.” He doesn’t clarify what ‘his guys’ are, only that they’re probably in his branch of the enforcement.
Alexa nodded along and figured he was pretty high up in the police if it required some major crime for him to get involved. She hummed for a moment as she thought, “Could we possibly get them for patent infringement? They’re claiming they’re a new company right? But what if they were using illegal patents? Just throwing that thought out there.”
After a few moments of thought, Janusz nodded. “Yeah, I can see if I can get them for a few of those. In the meantime, I think I’ll try to think of something alongside it.” He folds his arms.
“So, what now?”
"Typically this is where the underling scurries out, but I'm thinking we could talk," Alexa told him hopping off from atop of her desk. She leaned against it and looked up at him, "Eldritch to eldritch ya know?"
“Well,” Janusz started, “sure. But what exactly is there to talk about?” He questioned.
"I don't know, get to know the other Eldritch that inhabits the city?" Alexa told him as she brushed her hair quickly, "You work for the police, I basically run the underground."
“Well, it was only recently that I started working with them,” Janusz stated. “But yes, I do work with the law enforcement. And you run the underground.”
“What exactly would you like to know?”
"Oh so the police thing is new?" Alexa studied him a little before continuing on, "What did you do before working with the police? How've you spent these past 239?"
“A lot of things,” he admitted. “But the most common would probably be soldier. This planet and its people seem to have no shortage of conflict.”
"A soldier boy eh?" Alexa sort of figured giving he was working for the police instead of running the dang thing. She gave a little nod, "You probably ended up fighting in some of the wars I may or may not have helped started."
“Mm,” Janusz glances around the room. “Most of the wars that I fought in were purely human stupidity. I’m sure at least a few were caused by myself, and maybe by you as well.” He sighs, looking up.
“So what about you? What have you been doing for the past few centuries?”
"Running a business, create a monetary empire, cause the destruction of said empire, try to rule over the government, find out I'm shit at doing that," Alexa started listing off a little, "Then cause the fall of said government. You know typically things. Oh and the entire time run a majority of illegal activities taking place. Yeah, that's been like the one constant."
“Huh.” Janusz looked to the side. “I’ve made a few businesses myself. Not many, and they’ve been mostly black market. And it’s been a good ninety years or so since I’ve actually decided to make one.”
"How have we never run into each other before today?" Alexa asked him tilting her head as well, "It seems like we would have run into each other at some point before today. Given the only business, you run is in the black market, and I run the black market."
“Listen, you said that you’ve been in this city for a long time. I haven’t. I may have came here in a few times in the past, otherwise I’ve been off and doing whatever. Fighting. Different continents, different parts of the world.” Even if the planet was a lot smaller than where Janusz: no, Shiondun; used to live, it was still quite large and even more so living in a Husk.
“Besides, I only rarely did black market stuff. Most of what I did back then was purely for..” He paused. Fun?
Janusz didn’t pick up what he was going to say after that.
“To me, it makes sense we never ran into each other.”
"Ah, so while I've stayed in this place for a good part of the past centuries, you've been roaming," Alexa nodded a little. She, as Tazha, had decided rather than to move to not be noticed, she, Alexa, would stay and cultivate one city. Hence why Alexa knew so much about the city, she helped build it up from the ground up. Under different names and faces of course, "It wasn't because one or the other was incompetent."
“Yes, exactly.” Janusz nodded, letting his arms drop to his sides for now. In a way Janusz had been noticed, but rather, the Archacki family had been, although technically the original bloodline was pretty much extinct. Only a few times had Janusz gone under a different surname or none at all, most of the times he took on Archacki as his surname. He could bet at least 90% of the Archacki family was actually himself within the past century just because of how many identities he’d taken up. It was weird to hear about Bazyli Archacki in a history lesson under the identity of Janusz, given that he was once Bazyli; famed for being a liberator during one of the many wars he’d participated in.
One would feel guilt for making up pretty much everything that happened in the Archacki‘s recent history, but Janusz wasn’t the same. Eldritch don’t feel guilt like humans do.
“Most Eldritch out there do things with a purpose, and if it’s a mistake, then they typically make it into a purpose. Rarely are any of us incompetent,” although they do exist.
Alexa nodded and ran a hand through her hair. She had stuck out of the spotlight and only popped up when the name 'Law' didn't seem so strange. It was often translations of the word, but it started in English and it currently was English. Her mind wandered to the past and some of her more infamous forms, but quickly zapped back to the present, "But those that are, are probably stupider than the entire human population combined. Why do you work for humans anyway?"