THE MOMENT
"Back so soon, Mr. Daniels?" Ruby smiled at her client as they sat. Boyd Daniels returned the smile with a touch of smugness as set the large satchel on his lap. "Fortunately, there's no limit to the deal, so if you though of something else I'll be happy to amend it for you. What kind of deal can Chroma Corp. make true for you today?"
"No, no, I have enough," Boyd nodded. It was true, he never considered himself the greedy type. Then again, she made it sound like it was still soon enough to add to the deal he already made yesterday. And, that wasn't something anyone would ignore. "Well, actually, let me make sure I got this. When you say 'amend', do you mean I can ask for more without giving you more?"
"You've already promised us your firstborn, it would be in poor taste to ask a parent for more. You're going to give us your everything, and Chroma Corp. is willing to match that offer, within reason of course," she smiled.
"So... I can ask for more?" Boyd needed it clearly stated.
"As much as you want, I'll let you know if it becomes unreasonable," Ruby nodded.
"Can you double it, no triple it? The amount from yesterday?" He didn't want to seem too eager; but, if it was being offered, why not? He felt a rush of joy when Ruby gave a subtle nod. That wasn't what he'd come in for, but, it would be that much sweeter when he tricked her. Within the next few minutes, Boyd was going to be able to tell everyone he was smarter than a dragon. And, not just any dragon, the CEO of Chroma Corp, a whole corporation run by dragons and specializing in Fae services.
He heard about the company by chance, accidentally overhearing a conversation he wasn't a part of. But, once the knowledge that fae lived among humans had been unlocked in his mind, he was able to notice them. And, it was surprisingly easy to find Chroma Corp.; they had flyers pasted everywhere, and he'd never given attention to them before. Ruby seemed initially surprised a human wanted to make a deal, and, he was willing to bet that she never expected to get outsmarted by a human.
"I can," Ruby nodded. "It would be essentially useless. You already have access to more money than you'll ever use in your lifetime. But, I'll be happy to triple it, if you just want to see the numbers go up," she giggled. She was good at bluffing, Boyd had to give her that. But, he was smarter than to think a dragon didn't care about money.
"I do," he nodded.
"Then, consider it done," Ruby nodded. She angled her torso to dance her fingers across the keyboard. After a flurry of taps, she ne turned and met his eyes again. "Anything else?" she asked. Boyd had his node out and ready by the time she asked and he checked the balance in his account. If he was more financially savvy, he might have realized it was already more money than existed on Earth; but, the details didn't matter. He had a long string of numbers attached to his name and he could buy anything he wanted.
"That's good, no, that's... well... one more time is still okay, right?" he asked. Boyd never considered himself the greedy type; but, he was the only one. Over the past year, anyone that asked got the same response. His wife left because the death of their son drove them apart.
"One more is fine," Ruby smiled. The numbers were meaningless to her; but, they meant everything to him. "Though, I'm afraid I'm going to have to draw a line there. We'd be here all day otherwise, and I have other appointments to meet. Thank you for coming in Mr. Daniels...," she stood up, but he held his hand out.
"Wait! I brought this for you," he said. He finally set the satchel on her desk, and opened it to show off the small coffin inside.
"Thank you, but I don't accept gifts from clients," Ruby smiled at him, then gestured to encourage him to stand.
"It's my payment," he said. It was impossible to hide the grin spread from ear to ear as he said it.
"I'm no doctor; but I'm quite sure a child needs a little more baking time," she giggled. "You needn't worry about bringing it in, we monitor all our clients carefully; we'll be around to collect at the appropriate time."
"You don't get it," Boyd chuckled. He watched her face intently hoping to catch the moment she realized she was outwitted. "This is my firstborn son, in this coffin," he knocked on it as if to prove it was solid. All it proved to Ruby was that he was willing to knock on the coffin of his dead son as a step toward wealth. She had been humoring him, and giving him the benefit of the doubt up until that point. Then, he proved she'd guessed right about his character.
"Yes, and?" She smiled as she looked down at him. He hadn't stood yet; but, the smile she gave him immediately got him to his feet. He wouldn't be looked down upon.
"I'm paying my end of the deal," he said and gently shoved the coffin toward her. He was careful not necessarily because a once close human was inside; but, because he knew the particleboard wasn't as sturdy as the plywood he could have gotten. He just didn't see the use of it, the thing was going to get buried anyway. Over the past year, anyone that asked got the same response. His wife left because the death of their son drove them apart.
"As much as I would enjoy dragging this out for entertainment, I do have other work to be doing," Ruby said. "So, let me make it fast for me, and simple for you. According to the contract, you signed over your firstborn, beginning from the date of signature; yesterday. Chroma Corp. has been around a long time, and we're no strangers to people trying to bend the rules in their favor. We don't deal with strangers off the street without a basic amount of research first; and, despite how short the public notice was, we were able to account for the fact that you had a son born already. Though, we couldn't decide if you were trying to keep it out of sight or just didn't want to shell out for an actual obituary. However, if you'd read the contract, as I advised you, you'd have seen that detail very clearly spelled out."
"Wait...," that was even better. "So... if I don't have any children again, I don't have to pay anything???" Boyd laughed. They were smarter than he thought; but, also dumber.
"You have one year to produce a child; if you fail to deliver Chroma Corp. is empowered to take back every penny you've spent, along with your soul for intent to fraud."
"Wait... my soul!? You said it was 'the usual firstborn' contract! When did my soul get involved?"
"Mr. Daniels, Chroma Corp. is... well, a fully modern corporation. We update all our policies and contracts every year. That's why I encouraged you to read through it; but, I see now; for some reason, you expected to outsmart a corporation run by dragons with centuries of experience making deals."
