09-26-2023, 04:33 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-19-2023, 11:13 AM by dude_man. Edited 1 time in total.)
Previous parts: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V
Xander watched silently as Remi looked over the papers in front of him. “She’s certain?” Remi asked.
“Hundred percent,” Xander said. “I was surprised too.”
“And they also guaranteed starting left tackle?”
“Yes.”
“The money?”
“Nine in year one.”
“But?”
Xander paused. “Downward adjustment after that,” he said. Remi frowned slightly. “Analysis backs it, in fairness. Eighth year is when pl-”
“We start to decline. Yes. I’m aware.”
Of course he was. “So should I ask them to draft a formal contract offer?”
Remi didn’t reply. He just stared at the papers in front of him some more, frowning. Xander had known the man long enough to know not to press the issue, though. He just waited, quietly.
Nine teams had made offers. Including a late shot from San Jose – Remi had wanted to ask Elaine to run the numbers for them, but the signing deadline was tomorrow; they hadn’t got time to wait for that – which they’d had to rebuff, ultimately, due to uncertainty around their competitiveness in the next three seasons.
Remi had a grand plan, you see. The next three years were what he considered to be his Championship window. Lining that up with his next contract was important. There was a discussion about how he could still be a factor in his tenth, or eleventh year, and win a ring, but would he really be the star lineman, blocking the quarterback’s blindside at that point? Remi might be proud, but he’s not stupid. He wanted to peak now, win a ring (or two), and ride that reputation through to retirement, bouncing around various teams, taking up a spot where he was most likely to add to his tally.
Xander admired the cynical approach, in some ways. His sports-fan-romanticism wouldn’t allow him to truly like it, but there was a part of him that wholly appreciated it, and in some ways, envied those who could commit to it. Remi was like that. He always had been, ever since his school days – those propranolol rumours had been a source of great frustration for the school, and his coaches, but there was a reason Remi never really got upset about them or challenged them.
After what felt like an age, Remi finally spoke.
“Make the call,” he said.
The call, in this case, wasn’t to who Xander had thought. He’d asked Remi to pass the dossier so he could contact the team, and was met with bewilderment.
“I meant Caspian, Xander.” Remi had said.
When Xander hesitated and frowned in confusion, Remi expanded. “You heard the conversation the other day, didn’t you? About ... her?”
“I don’t know what your deal with Caspian entails, but-”
“The less you know, the better, to be honest.” Remi told him. Xander did not contradict.
Anyway, Caspian was here now. “I’m trusting you to uphold your end of the deal here, Caspian,” Remi said. “If you don’t..." He trailed off, leaving the unspoken threat hanging in the air.
Xander shuddered a little, remembering the incident in Cape Town again. Caspian, to his credit, set his jaw and swallowed, but made no obvious reaction otherwise.
“I’m aware of the consequences,” Caspian said, tightly.
“Then we’re all agreed.”
“We are.”
Xander noted that neither of them looked in his direction, or expected his input here, despite the use of the word “all”.
Now I suppose at this point I should tell you about Leilani. Aside from a few brief reunions during his time in Colorado, Remi hadn’t really had much contact with her in some time.
Pause.
I said “her”, didn’t I? Habit picked up from spending too much time around Soulman and ... those kinds of people. They do this a lot. You see, speaking in a sort of code, gives them plausible deniability. It’s common among street gangs, but they almost always seem to name their offerings after women.
Suppose that says a lot about their views on women, thinking about it.
You’ll hear them talk about Mary (Jane), or Michelle (Pfieffer). Sometimes Diana. Sometimes Josephine, or Josie. I had always thought it strange that they didn’t do this for Razor, the nootropic. Though, thinking about that too, it fits their thinly veiled misogyny, doesn’t it? The drug that makes you smarter isn’t named after a woman.
But I suppose that’s also what makes Leilani so special. Leilani, they were fond of saying, carried a straight razor in her bra. So witty of them, wouldn’t you say? Their term for the drug cocktail containing “Razor” is a street-savvy woman who carries a literal razor.
Yes, Leilani is a drug. Specifically two drugs, a cocktail.
Soulman explained that he’d been “introduced” to her by Omari, one of his Black Axe brothers who’d served time in a US prison. The story isn’t really important besides the part where the brother crossed paths with his cellmate later, while each was peddling their gangs’ respective products to rich kids in San Jose. Black Axe were trying to find an “in” for Razor – their designer nootropic – among Silicon Valley professionals, while the aforementioned cellmate, Kekoa, a native hawai’ian, was trying to move oxycodone.
They “found” Leilani when Kekoa’s brother, Mikala, combined the two by accident. He described the effect as being “clarity” and feeling “like royalty”. Omari took the idea to Soulman, and the combination took off. Mikala suggested the name, and it stuck – nobody can be sure why exactly; perhaps because it sounds “exotic” to some? Who knows why any of these women’s names stick when referring to drugs? I did find Diana to be a funny name for heroin(e) (get it? It’s a pun; they’re referring to wonder woman), but Josie for crack cocaine, to me, still seems completely random.
The problem – or blessing, depending on your perspective – for Black Axe is that moving Razor is difficult. So this makes Leilani difficult to... synthesize. It’s relatively easy to get oxycodone, which is handy, given the issue of opioid withdrawal. But the bit that makes Leilani sharpen you, the bit that makes her different? That’s much harder to come by. It means they can charge effectively whatever they want for a night with Leilani. But it also means that when someone like Remi comes along. A man with means, and a profound love for Leilani. They have to do whatever they can to keep him ensnared.
Xander watched as Caspian stood up, dialled a number on his phone, and left the room.
“You think this is unwise,” Remi said, ostensibly to Xander.
“Perhaps.” Non-committal answers like that were safer in these situations. You didn’t want to vex Remi.
“I estimate my career will last another few years, Xander,” he said. “If Leilani can help me extend that by even one more year, she is worth her weight in gold.”
“There have to be easier ways, Remi.”
“Hard to believe. You don’t understand how it feels.”
That much was true. Xander had steered clear of oxycodone specifically. He knew the effects of Razor – they’d helped him pass the bar, after all – but oxycodone terrified him. Dependencies were terrifying. Even this sort-of dependency he had on his friend scared him.
“My father wanted me to be King, you know.” Remi said.
Xander doubted that, but again, didn’t contradict.
“Rosalind will make a great Queen, of course. She was born for such things,” Remi continued. “But I know my father hoped I would follow in his footsteps.”
Xander stayed quiet, while Remi poured himself a glass of scotch. Downed it in one go.
“You know why I refused him?”
“You’ve never liked being told what to do, Remi.”
“That’s true,” he said. “But that wasn’t the reason. He asked me when I returned from South Africa, but by then I had already met her. Nothing that comes with the throne of Great Britain could compare to the majesty I feel when she is with me, Xander.”
Remi flopped onto a chair at that. The two of them sat in silence for a moment, Xander staring at the pattern on the rug, losing himself in the twists and turns. A labyrinth in his own mind. He neither knew nor cared in that moment what Remi was doing.
Eventually Caspian returned. “Well, old boy, I’m needed in Baltimore,” he said, all-too-cheerfully for Xander’s liking. As if he wasn’t talking about putting Dre and Soulman in the same room. Two men who between them were directly responsible for at least a few dozen deaths. He’d never tried to figure out the number if you counted indirect responsibility.
“Very well. When is your flight?”
“Tomorrow afternoon, so we can still celebrate,” Caspian grinned.
Remi pulled out his phone and called Tony. As he did so, Caspian poured himself a glass of scotch.
Xander stood up and walked to the window, taking in the view.
“Remi is going to love it here,” Caspian said, as he walked over. "And so will you. Make sure you visit often."
He handed Xander a glass of scotch, and clinked his against it.
“Mahalo,” he said.
Xander watched silently as Remi looked over the papers in front of him. “She’s certain?” Remi asked.
“Hundred percent,” Xander said. “I was surprised too.”
“And they also guaranteed starting left tackle?”
“Yes.”
“The money?”
“Nine in year one.”
“But?”
Xander paused. “Downward adjustment after that,” he said. Remi frowned slightly. “Analysis backs it, in fairness. Eighth year is when pl-”
“We start to decline. Yes. I’m aware.”
Of course he was. “So should I ask them to draft a formal contract offer?”
Remi didn’t reply. He just stared at the papers in front of him some more, frowning. Xander had known the man long enough to know not to press the issue, though. He just waited, quietly.
Nine teams had made offers. Including a late shot from San Jose – Remi had wanted to ask Elaine to run the numbers for them, but the signing deadline was tomorrow; they hadn’t got time to wait for that – which they’d had to rebuff, ultimately, due to uncertainty around their competitiveness in the next three seasons.
Remi had a grand plan, you see. The next three years were what he considered to be his Championship window. Lining that up with his next contract was important. There was a discussion about how he could still be a factor in his tenth, or eleventh year, and win a ring, but would he really be the star lineman, blocking the quarterback’s blindside at that point? Remi might be proud, but he’s not stupid. He wanted to peak now, win a ring (or two), and ride that reputation through to retirement, bouncing around various teams, taking up a spot where he was most likely to add to his tally.
Xander admired the cynical approach, in some ways. His sports-fan-romanticism wouldn’t allow him to truly like it, but there was a part of him that wholly appreciated it, and in some ways, envied those who could commit to it. Remi was like that. He always had been, ever since his school days – those propranolol rumours had been a source of great frustration for the school, and his coaches, but there was a reason Remi never really got upset about them or challenged them.
After what felt like an age, Remi finally spoke.
“Make the call,” he said.
* * * * *
The call, in this case, wasn’t to who Xander had thought. He’d asked Remi to pass the dossier so he could contact the team, and was met with bewilderment.
“I meant Caspian, Xander.” Remi had said.
When Xander hesitated and frowned in confusion, Remi expanded. “You heard the conversation the other day, didn’t you? About ... her?”
“I don’t know what your deal with Caspian entails, but-”
“The less you know, the better, to be honest.” Remi told him. Xander did not contradict.
Anyway, Caspian was here now. “I’m trusting you to uphold your end of the deal here, Caspian,” Remi said. “If you don’t..." He trailed off, leaving the unspoken threat hanging in the air.
Xander shuddered a little, remembering the incident in Cape Town again. Caspian, to his credit, set his jaw and swallowed, but made no obvious reaction otherwise.
“I’m aware of the consequences,” Caspian said, tightly.
“Then we’re all agreed.”
“We are.”
Xander noted that neither of them looked in his direction, or expected his input here, despite the use of the word “all”.
* * * * *
Now I suppose at this point I should tell you about Leilani. Aside from a few brief reunions during his time in Colorado, Remi hadn’t really had much contact with her in some time.
Pause.
I said “her”, didn’t I? Habit picked up from spending too much time around Soulman and ... those kinds of people. They do this a lot. You see, speaking in a sort of code, gives them plausible deniability. It’s common among street gangs, but they almost always seem to name their offerings after women.
Suppose that says a lot about their views on women, thinking about it.
You’ll hear them talk about Mary (Jane), or Michelle (Pfieffer). Sometimes Diana. Sometimes Josephine, or Josie. I had always thought it strange that they didn’t do this for Razor, the nootropic. Though, thinking about that too, it fits their thinly veiled misogyny, doesn’t it? The drug that makes you smarter isn’t named after a woman.
But I suppose that’s also what makes Leilani so special. Leilani, they were fond of saying, carried a straight razor in her bra. So witty of them, wouldn’t you say? Their term for the drug cocktail containing “Razor” is a street-savvy woman who carries a literal razor.
Yes, Leilani is a drug. Specifically two drugs, a cocktail.
Soulman explained that he’d been “introduced” to her by Omari, one of his Black Axe brothers who’d served time in a US prison. The story isn’t really important besides the part where the brother crossed paths with his cellmate later, while each was peddling their gangs’ respective products to rich kids in San Jose. Black Axe were trying to find an “in” for Razor – their designer nootropic – among Silicon Valley professionals, while the aforementioned cellmate, Kekoa, a native hawai’ian, was trying to move oxycodone.
They “found” Leilani when Kekoa’s brother, Mikala, combined the two by accident. He described the effect as being “clarity” and feeling “like royalty”. Omari took the idea to Soulman, and the combination took off. Mikala suggested the name, and it stuck – nobody can be sure why exactly; perhaps because it sounds “exotic” to some? Who knows why any of these women’s names stick when referring to drugs? I did find Diana to be a funny name for heroin(e) (get it? It’s a pun; they’re referring to wonder woman), but Josie for crack cocaine, to me, still seems completely random.
The problem – or blessing, depending on your perspective – for Black Axe is that moving Razor is difficult. So this makes Leilani difficult to... synthesize. It’s relatively easy to get oxycodone, which is handy, given the issue of opioid withdrawal. But the bit that makes Leilani sharpen you, the bit that makes her different? That’s much harder to come by. It means they can charge effectively whatever they want for a night with Leilani. But it also means that when someone like Remi comes along. A man with means, and a profound love for Leilani. They have to do whatever they can to keep him ensnared.
* * * * *
Xander watched as Caspian stood up, dialled a number on his phone, and left the room.
“You think this is unwise,” Remi said, ostensibly to Xander.
“Perhaps.” Non-committal answers like that were safer in these situations. You didn’t want to vex Remi.
“I estimate my career will last another few years, Xander,” he said. “If Leilani can help me extend that by even one more year, she is worth her weight in gold.”
“There have to be easier ways, Remi.”
“Hard to believe. You don’t understand how it feels.”
That much was true. Xander had steered clear of oxycodone specifically. He knew the effects of Razor – they’d helped him pass the bar, after all – but oxycodone terrified him. Dependencies were terrifying. Even this sort-of dependency he had on his friend scared him.
“My father wanted me to be King, you know.” Remi said.
Xander doubted that, but again, didn’t contradict.
“Rosalind will make a great Queen, of course. She was born for such things,” Remi continued. “But I know my father hoped I would follow in his footsteps.”
Xander stayed quiet, while Remi poured himself a glass of scotch. Downed it in one go.
“You know why I refused him?”
“You’ve never liked being told what to do, Remi.”
“That’s true,” he said. “But that wasn’t the reason. He asked me when I returned from South Africa, but by then I had already met her. Nothing that comes with the throne of Great Britain could compare to the majesty I feel when she is with me, Xander.”
Remi flopped onto a chair at that. The two of them sat in silence for a moment, Xander staring at the pattern on the rug, losing himself in the twists and turns. A labyrinth in his own mind. He neither knew nor cared in that moment what Remi was doing.
Eventually Caspian returned. “Well, old boy, I’m needed in Baltimore,” he said, all-too-cheerfully for Xander’s liking. As if he wasn’t talking about putting Dre and Soulman in the same room. Two men who between them were directly responsible for at least a few dozen deaths. He’d never tried to figure out the number if you counted indirect responsibility.
“Very well. When is your flight?”
“Tomorrow afternoon, so we can still celebrate,” Caspian grinned.
Remi pulled out his phone and called Tony. As he did so, Caspian poured himself a glass of scotch.
Xander stood up and walked to the window, taking in the view.
“Remi is going to love it here,” Caspian said, as he walked over. "And so will you. Make sure you visit often."
He handed Xander a glass of scotch, and clinked his against it.
“Mahalo,” he said.
I impersonate a programmer for a living
Father of the League Wiki • Friendly Neighbourhood Angry Black Guy™ • NOT British
Originator of the Sim League Cinematic Universe (SLCU)
Super capitalists are parasites. Fite me.
Alternatively, if you agree, you can support a grassroots movement dedicated to educating and organising the working class by buying a digital newspaper subscription. Your support would be greatly appreciated.