The Witch's Gambit (the gilded obsidian)

Now that Catherine had set up the foundations of the Coven within the Academy, she was moving onto Phase 2 for her grab for power: A magical business.

The proposal for a magical business was a project she had in the works for years now. Like most of the things she strove for, the business was a mix of logic and passion. Logic because she would be serving the demands of her community and thus ensuring her business would have a long life. Love because, underneath her icy exterior, Cathy so rarely pursued anything she didn't love, and magic was one of those things that she held dear to her heart.

The problem with a business was starter money. Cathy herself had little to no money in the bank from her own savings. She wasn't a thrifty woman. In fact, she was quite the opposite; when she found something she wanted, her immediate reaction was often to have it at the expense of her savings. Rarely did she regret her purchases.

But that didn't help with her case now. Her first option was to consult the bank for a loan. As logical as a course of action that was, her stomach churned at the very concept of being indebted.

She sought out a more palatable alternative, and through her research, she found names of wealthy families in Manta Carlos: Ashworths, Paltiel, Crowthers, to name a few. A particular person caught her eye.

Alva Crowther.

Now, Catherine wasn't in the least bit interested in the gossip surrounding the family. What she was interested in was there reputation of throwing money around, and the family's strong respect for old magic. Catherine had no connections to wealthy families herself, so she decided on a bold, risk-taking gambit that would make her old Business professor proud. She decided to go on the Crowther website and e-mail Alva out of the blue about her business proposal and attach a note about a time and date meeting place.

Catherine arrived at the location almost half an hour earlier, reserving a booth at the corner. She checked her make-up (dark, smoky and perfect), clothes (a simple black dress with a dip at the back, pantyhose, high heeled shoes) and jewelry (bright silver and amethysts glowing in the sea of black clothes and white skin). She checked her portfolio, laptop presentation, and rough building schematics. She checked her make-up again.

It was almost time.

Catherine straightened her posture and waited for Alva to arrive.


@"Tom Marvolo Riddle"

"I..." For a brief moment, both Catherine's aura and posture stuttered at the sudden compliments, feeling a blush form around her cheeks. She wasn't a stranger from flirtation attempts, but she wasn't used to having them come from beautiful women, and in business meetings at that. She was expecting a hundred different stiff greetings but not this.

Well. It was nice to see that the rumors about Alva's apparent gayness were true.

Catherine recovered from her initial surprise fairly quickly. She stood up and shook Alva's hand, grip firm and steady. "Thank you, Ms. Crowther. It's lovely to meet you as well." She smiled. She paused, considering the implications of her words. She wasn't sure if she meant friends or... In any case, she chuckled a bit awkwardly, embarrassed, and covered it up with a cough. "Perhaps working together for the business could only bring us closer together." Smooth save. She gestured to the seat across hers. "Please, do sit down."

Catherine sat down as well. Her posture was perfect. Now that she had time to think and feel the environment around her, she felt the soft, refined buzz of Alva's magic embedded with charm. It was less overwhelming than hers, but that was a good thing. It was concentrated, unlike Cathy's which tended to spill into the environment.

She placed a hand on the proposal folder. "I did my case studies regarding corporations handling magical item distribution on the island, and I've noticed they're all concentrated in shady areas in the Underground, converted into innocuous materials to become more palatable to the average consumer, or strictly regulated by the school, which is unfortunate, considering it prevents magic users from practicing their craft and alienates those that want to learn. I've mapped out all possible connections, calculated monthly estimates and conducted surveys to ensure this business will succeed, which are all detailed in these reports." Her finger tapped the spacebar on her laptop to activate it from sleep mode, opening her Powerpoint Presentation. She paused, remembering her manners. "Perhaps we should both order first."