09-21-2023, 03:59 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-19-2023, 11:11 AM by dude_man. Edited 1 time in total.)
Previous parts: Part I, Part II
“So that’s how it is, huh?” Antoine Delacour always struck Xander as being the epitome of calm. He never seemed flustered, anxious, or upset. Not even mildly perturbed. Explains why he was so good at this sport, Xander supposed.
Remi, for his part, also possessed a similar calmness. But there was something unsettling about it. It was cold. Detached. It didn’t feel like Delacour’s calm. That was something else, like the wise master in an old kung fu movie. Remi’s was more like… Patrick Bateman. In fact, Xander wasn't entirely sure it was calm.
“That is indeed how it is, old friend.” Remi replied.
“I can’t say I didn’t see this coming,” Antoine started. “But it still disappoints me.”
“I felt I owed it to you to speak face-to-face for this news. Man to man.” Remi straightened himself up even more than usual as he said that last part. Raising his chin a little, and expanding his chest.
“I appreciate it.” Delacour was non-committal in his body language. He extended a hand. “Good luck with AA, Remi. I’m sure you’ll get a great deal with them.”
Remi shook the hand firmly. “Thank you, Mister Delacour.”
Xander noted that Remi usually called Antoine by his first name, and was invariably corrected with a gentle ‘please, call me Antoine’ whenever he didn’t. It was definitely significant that he didn’t correct Remi this time.
On the way out of the building, Xander muttered to Remi, “he’s not happy, you know.”
“Of course he isn’t. I was his premier client, about to hit free agency and likely get a hefty contract.”
“I don’t think it’s the money that he’s upset about, Remi.”
“What else is there? For all his talk, we were never truly friends, were we? I was his employer.”
Xander didn’t reply. He was struck by a realisation that he, too, was Remi’s employee.
They rode in silence back to the hotel.
Sometimes Xander marvelled at the advances in technology that had taken place over the years. While at the hotel, passing time before their meeting with Delacour at Wu Tang Sports Management headquarters, Remi had summoned Xander to one of the hotel’s many meeting rooms.
He was on a call with the Colorado Yeti management, in the Metaverse. Pretty cool idea, actually. They knew he was staying in a hotel with this capability, and wanted to speak to him “in person”. This was the best they could do without interrupting his “busy offseason schedule”. Xander always had liked the Yeti management, they’d been good to his friend. Employer. Whatever.
Their offer was straightforward. Remi asked how much money they could realistically offer him, since he anticipated a bidding war – not an unreasonable thought, given that Remi was at least one level, if not two, above the best offensive line bots available, and those would set a team back around seven and a half million a year. Remi seemed pretty certain he could expect offers in that region at minimum.
Xander walked quietly alongside the group of them – Remi, and the Yeti’s two general managers – listening carefully to everything. They knew what Remi wanted to hear. What he needed to hear, if everyone were being honest. And they said all of it.
The bottom line was that Colorado, Denver specifically, was home now. They didn’t say it, but they certainly made enough subtle hints that it was increasingly clear by the end of the call that they really didn’t want him to leave. To their credit, they also told him they understood if he did.
Even Remi was surprised at that.
They put a lot of money on the table. In the ballpark Remi had expected, anyway. Reminded him of his standing in the Yeti locker room, how he would retain that – and then some – if he stayed, and noted that they may not be Ultimus ready right now, but it wouldn’t be long.
Despite not being a sentimental person (for the most part; Siphiwe is perhaps the only real exception) Remi seemed genuinely moved. At least to Xander’s eyes. He felt like the big man had already resolved to leave Colorado, and this conversation had just made it a little harder to stick to that. He (wisely) chose not to say as much when the call ended.
“It’s a good offer,” Xander said.
“It is.”
“What if it’s the best offer you get?”
“Then I stay.”
Xander waited. Something felt wrong. “And Leilani?”
“I will find a way.” Remi said. “I always do, don’t I?”
“You know, it might have been better to break the news to Antoine after this visit,” Xander said, as they pulled up to The Aviary. He figured that having a Baltimore Hawks legend on your side of the table when negotiating a potential contract might count for something.
“Unlikely.” Remi said. “They’re the champions. Everyone wants to be a Hawk now. Everyone with sense, anyway. They hold all the cards, and they know it.”
“You don’t think that his relationship with the club would have been useful?”
From what Xander knew, Delacour had been an integral part of the Hawks locker room in the early years of the ISFL, particularly after the death of Gordon Gekko. When he announced his intent to retire at the end of the 2025 season, the team responded by inaugurating their “Wing of Honor” with his name in their final home game of the season. Sounded like the kind of guy who might be able to sway his old team into a favourable deal.
“No. There’s a reason he isn’t on the staff with the Hawks.”
Xander paused. That was a good point. There was no time to ask about the details, unfortunately, they were already through the doors.
The meeting was brief. The Hawks knew their position was strong, and laid that out on the table very early. Xander noted that this was certainly the big selling point in this pitch. The allure of a ring, possibly multiple rings, was strong. Part of the reason Remi was willing to move was that he didn’t feel it likely he’d get one in Colorado before his body started to break down on him. Whether or not that was true was up for debate, of course.
What was certain was that the people opposite him on this table were certainly leading a team capable of winning the Ultimus Bowl next year. That alone was alluring. Add into it the fact that Dre kept a base nearby – and certainly seemed to know where to find Leilani – and that the Hawks were offering Remi the starting left tackle spot... Xander thought it was a good offer.
Remi, however, was unconvinced. They had pandered to his ego, to his pride. He wanted to be the main guy on the offensive line, for the champions, sure. But the numbers weren’t quite what he had hoped for.
On the way back to the car, Remi explicitly mentioned this, in fact. “It’s a solid offer,” Xander said. And it was.
“We have a better offer from another contender. They could do more, I’m sure of it.”
Xander knew this was not the case. He’d seen the cap figures for the entire league. They were stretching their budget to the limit to get Remi. Or as close to it as they could without shooting themselves in the foot.
“I’m not sure,” Xander said. “I’ve seen their cap numbers, it’s pretty tight. I guess a championship-winning team is going to cost you.”
“Perhaps. Then maybe this is just the cost of business.” Remi said.
Right. So it wasn’t a dealbreaker, but it certainly bothered him.
“Even so,” Remi said, lowering himself into the car. “Is there any reason to take this offer over the one from th-” Remi was cut off abruptly as he saw who sat in the seat in front of him. Gangly without being tall, with a mop of messy, light brown hair. Bright green eyes above a prominent nose which was slightly askew. Xander knew him too.
“Caspian, what are you doing here?” Remi said.
“So that’s how it is, huh?” Antoine Delacour always struck Xander as being the epitome of calm. He never seemed flustered, anxious, or upset. Not even mildly perturbed. Explains why he was so good at this sport, Xander supposed.
Remi, for his part, also possessed a similar calmness. But there was something unsettling about it. It was cold. Detached. It didn’t feel like Delacour’s calm. That was something else, like the wise master in an old kung fu movie. Remi’s was more like… Patrick Bateman. In fact, Xander wasn't entirely sure it was calm.
“That is indeed how it is, old friend.” Remi replied.
“I can’t say I didn’t see this coming,” Antoine started. “But it still disappoints me.”
“I felt I owed it to you to speak face-to-face for this news. Man to man.” Remi straightened himself up even more than usual as he said that last part. Raising his chin a little, and expanding his chest.
“I appreciate it.” Delacour was non-committal in his body language. He extended a hand. “Good luck with AA, Remi. I’m sure you’ll get a great deal with them.”
Remi shook the hand firmly. “Thank you, Mister Delacour.”
Xander noted that Remi usually called Antoine by his first name, and was invariably corrected with a gentle ‘please, call me Antoine’ whenever he didn’t. It was definitely significant that he didn’t correct Remi this time.
On the way out of the building, Xander muttered to Remi, “he’s not happy, you know.”
“Of course he isn’t. I was his premier client, about to hit free agency and likely get a hefty contract.”
“I don’t think it’s the money that he’s upset about, Remi.”
“What else is there? For all his talk, we were never truly friends, were we? I was his employer.”
Xander didn’t reply. He was struck by a realisation that he, too, was Remi’s employee.
They rode in silence back to the hotel.
* * * * *
Sometimes Xander marvelled at the advances in technology that had taken place over the years. While at the hotel, passing time before their meeting with Delacour at Wu Tang Sports Management headquarters, Remi had summoned Xander to one of the hotel’s many meeting rooms.
He was on a call with the Colorado Yeti management, in the Metaverse. Pretty cool idea, actually. They knew he was staying in a hotel with this capability, and wanted to speak to him “in person”. This was the best they could do without interrupting his “busy offseason schedule”. Xander always had liked the Yeti management, they’d been good to his friend. Employer. Whatever.
Their offer was straightforward. Remi asked how much money they could realistically offer him, since he anticipated a bidding war – not an unreasonable thought, given that Remi was at least one level, if not two, above the best offensive line bots available, and those would set a team back around seven and a half million a year. Remi seemed pretty certain he could expect offers in that region at minimum.
Xander walked quietly alongside the group of them – Remi, and the Yeti’s two general managers – listening carefully to everything. They knew what Remi wanted to hear. What he needed to hear, if everyone were being honest. And they said all of it.
The bottom line was that Colorado, Denver specifically, was home now. They didn’t say it, but they certainly made enough subtle hints that it was increasingly clear by the end of the call that they really didn’t want him to leave. To their credit, they also told him they understood if he did.
Even Remi was surprised at that.
They put a lot of money on the table. In the ballpark Remi had expected, anyway. Reminded him of his standing in the Yeti locker room, how he would retain that – and then some – if he stayed, and noted that they may not be Ultimus ready right now, but it wouldn’t be long.
Despite not being a sentimental person (for the most part; Siphiwe is perhaps the only real exception) Remi seemed genuinely moved. At least to Xander’s eyes. He felt like the big man had already resolved to leave Colorado, and this conversation had just made it a little harder to stick to that. He (wisely) chose not to say as much when the call ended.
“It’s a good offer,” Xander said.
“It is.”
“What if it’s the best offer you get?”
“Then I stay.”
Xander waited. Something felt wrong. “And Leilani?”
“I will find a way.” Remi said. “I always do, don’t I?”
* * * * *
“You know, it might have been better to break the news to Antoine after this visit,” Xander said, as they pulled up to The Aviary. He figured that having a Baltimore Hawks legend on your side of the table when negotiating a potential contract might count for something.
“Unlikely.” Remi said. “They’re the champions. Everyone wants to be a Hawk now. Everyone with sense, anyway. They hold all the cards, and they know it.”
“You don’t think that his relationship with the club would have been useful?”
From what Xander knew, Delacour had been an integral part of the Hawks locker room in the early years of the ISFL, particularly after the death of Gordon Gekko. When he announced his intent to retire at the end of the 2025 season, the team responded by inaugurating their “Wing of Honor” with his name in their final home game of the season. Sounded like the kind of guy who might be able to sway his old team into a favourable deal.
“No. There’s a reason he isn’t on the staff with the Hawks.”
Xander paused. That was a good point. There was no time to ask about the details, unfortunately, they were already through the doors.
The meeting was brief. The Hawks knew their position was strong, and laid that out on the table very early. Xander noted that this was certainly the big selling point in this pitch. The allure of a ring, possibly multiple rings, was strong. Part of the reason Remi was willing to move was that he didn’t feel it likely he’d get one in Colorado before his body started to break down on him. Whether or not that was true was up for debate, of course.
What was certain was that the people opposite him on this table were certainly leading a team capable of winning the Ultimus Bowl next year. That alone was alluring. Add into it the fact that Dre kept a base nearby – and certainly seemed to know where to find Leilani – and that the Hawks were offering Remi the starting left tackle spot... Xander thought it was a good offer.
Remi, however, was unconvinced. They had pandered to his ego, to his pride. He wanted to be the main guy on the offensive line, for the champions, sure. But the numbers weren’t quite what he had hoped for.
On the way back to the car, Remi explicitly mentioned this, in fact. “It’s a solid offer,” Xander said. And it was.
“We have a better offer from another contender. They could do more, I’m sure of it.”
Xander knew this was not the case. He’d seen the cap figures for the entire league. They were stretching their budget to the limit to get Remi. Or as close to it as they could without shooting themselves in the foot.
“I’m not sure,” Xander said. “I’ve seen their cap numbers, it’s pretty tight. I guess a championship-winning team is going to cost you.”
“Perhaps. Then maybe this is just the cost of business.” Remi said.
Right. So it wasn’t a dealbreaker, but it certainly bothered him.
“Even so,” Remi said, lowering himself into the car. “Is there any reason to take this offer over the one from th-” Remi was cut off abruptly as he saw who sat in the seat in front of him. Gangly without being tall, with a mop of messy, light brown hair. Bright green eyes above a prominent nose which was slightly askew. Xander knew him too.
“Caspian, what are you doing here?” Remi said.
I impersonate a programmer for a living
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Originator of the Sim League Cinematic Universe (SLCU)
Super capitalists are parasites. Fite me.
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