RP:Splitting The Baby

Part of the The Dust Up In Cenril Arc

Summary: Hudson and Emelyan meet to try to resolve the misunderstanding between Emelyan and Eleanor. Tempers flare, and the two decide to go their separate ways.

Whaler's

Hudson has called this meeting with Emelyan amid rising tensions within their group and with third parties, such as Larket organized crime. He has to call the meeting. (1) They're running low on stores of Firefly Steve and without him distribution will eventually hit a wall, and (2) there's the aforementioned continued cloud over the entire arrangement. In the tradition of all shady partnerships ever, the meeting location is set for a greasy diner, in Cenril. Hudson's there first, drinking a coffee in the very last booth in sweats and a baseball cap.

Emelyan shows, wearing raggedy attire, covered in dirt and blood, and wearing metal gauntlets. He'd made power fists for his new 'hobby' of street brawling, and they worked like wonders. He took them off, and placed them on a string on his belt to talk with Hudson, Sam climbing up into his lap as he folded his hands on the table. "This is difficult for me, Hudson. I don't trust Eleanor, and it's past time I made you aware of something about the Firefly formula that I've kept hidden from you, before this empire we've created fractionates." Blunt, to the point, and honest as always. Well, almost always.

Hudson eyes the gauntlets, and is only 20% appeased as they're removed. Whatever happened to a friendly, unarmed meeting? He shifts uncomfortably on his side of the booth, though tries to take some comfort in the candid nature of their discussions. "Yeah, the feeling is mutual with her," he says, about Eleanor. He's about to elaborate but Emelyan is talking about some consequences for their product, and Hudson screws his face up in confusion. "What are you talking about? I figure this is about the Rynvale distro thing, I don't know why we're unable to come to an arrangement on it?"

Emelyan leaned back, considering. "It's all Eleanor. She blocked me from any involvement in distribution, including picking my own resources for transportation to and distribution within Rynvale. She should not have the power to do so. I believe she is going to try and cut me out entirely, and if she does, then there is something you must know. You cannot make the Firefly formula without me. It had a purpose besides a nice high. It was made to unlock psychic potential within a limited amount of the sapient populace. I have found other psychics because of it, part of expanding on a separate, private interest of mine, a furthering of alchemy and the psychic arts. If you try and make this product without my pyrokinesis, my expertise, no matter how good your formula is, there will be disastrous results. You will make monsters out of the customers. The product will ultimately fail, and enormous damage will be done." He took out a flask, and took a long swig from it. "I talked to Alvina, Hudson. She's alone, afraid." It seemed Emelyan took that personally. "Someone within our organization threatened her. I will not stand for that. I'm going to conduct a very, very thorough inquiry, and if I don't find answers, I swear to the gods I will shut this whole operation down and kill it for good. I've done enough damage for my selfish interests. People I care about will not be threatened by people I am supposed to control." He had taken that very, very personally.

Hudson releases an extended sigh, hiding his frustration in his coffee as Emelyan begins to explain his concerns about the business' current trajectory. How quickly his expression turns into bug-eyed agitation, though, as Emelyan begins to explain about the product turning its users into literal monsters. "What," he begins to say, but Emelyan says Alvina's name, and Hudson can hardly hear what other words come out of the child-like man's mouth, only the angry rushing of blood to his head. "Stay the," expletive deleted!, "away from her," he almost barks at the other guy. Maybe pressed on a bruise there, whoops. The meaning of what Emelyan's saying catches up with Hudson after he's knee-jerk reacted, and he eyes the man opposite him like the cagiest of tigers. "Some mobsters in Larket who are not a 'part of our operation' threatened her. They've been trying to extort money from me since we're setting up the new lab there," says Hudson, locking eyes with Emelyan. "Part of our operation. I swear to the gods, Emelyan, if I find out that you had anything to do with those guys..."

Emelyan narrowed his gaze, as Hudson reacted irrationally. "Alvina made my leg, Hudson. She still does maintenance work on it, now and again." He put his head in his hands, well and truly glad that the mobsters at least hadn't been from his own organization. Perhaps there was some hope. "If it was an enemy that sent them, that can be dealt with far the more easily." He crossed his legs. Hudson had just all but accused him of sending those men, which meant the man was coming undone. "Hudson, we should start considering an exit strategy. You're not in the best of shape. You're paranoid, which is normally my domain. Alvina needs you. Weren't you doing this for your family to begin with? It's tearing you apart, by the look of you. I have other ventures to see to, honest and legitimate business operations you can be a part of. I'm going into medicine, and large scale production of self defensive alchemic items. It probably won't be as lucrative as Firefly, not at first, but it's honest work. No more gangs, and mobsters. No more reason to stay away from Alvina."

Hudson's agitation recedes as Emelyan distances himself from the misunderstanding. Their conversation goes dormant as a serving girl comes by to refill his coffee, picking right back up as soon as she's gone, "Yeah, well, we have plans to deal with them." Emelyan's cut in with a pitch about Hudson jettisoning the business altogether, now. However appealing the suggestion might be to untangle the web that's brought them to this point, Hudson looks at him as if he's sprouted a second head. "We can't just walk away, Emelyan, all these people ... they know who we are? I mean even if we wanted to, how could we sleep at night?"

Emelyan didn't seem too perturbed by the idea of old allies becoming new enemies. "If they have bones to pick, they can come for me. It's simple, Hudson. I'll make it known that the formula can't be made without me, and anyone that wants revenge or to attempt a hostile takeover can come after me. And they can die, or wind up in jail. You have a -family- to think about, and I'm going to be using the connections I've made to gain power in legitimate businesses, anti-pirating, and more. The Cupitor Immortalis is almost laid out. I can handle that heat, Hudson. I'm even going to release anti-addiction compounds to the local clinics for those severely affected." He'd already handed some out, but now he was going to build relationships with the clinics, who would start being major customers of his.

Hudson shakes his head as Emelyan pushes again with this idea. "I don't know, Emelyan, you can't literally handle every single person who knows that we've been mixed up in this," he sighs as he voices his disbelief. "Believe you me, I feel like we bit off more than we can chew but we can contain the issue, I think cutting and running is just... well I don't know what that looks like, nor do you. You need to make it right with Eleanor. She just wants to distribute product, same as you. This thing about Rynvale, what even went down?"

Emelyan rubs his hair, thinking. "Barnabas is a good captain. He will be critical to my future ventures, whatever they are. And Hudson, I'm not as solitary anymore as I once was. The Firefly was to help me build a secret organization, of psychic geniuses, alchemists. I can handle the fallout, and I doubt there's any 'making it right' with that woman." He shook his head. "She simply didn't include Barnabas in distribution because she insisted on loading cargo herself. He wanted to handle everything on his ship, and she made it an ultimatum. It's foolishness, the woman is obviously trying to take over the operation. Well, I'm delivering my ultimatum. Either we take back control of this thing, or we end this, Hudson. I've told you now, if you try to make an imperfect product without me, it'll have severe consequences, and you don't want that on your conscience. The product won't last long on the streets in an imperfect form, anyway. I won't be bullied or intimidated. If anyone wants to come after me, they'll find out just how far my influence spreads." He may not have handled distribution directly, but Emelyan was an obsessive perfectionist, courting contacts, gaining favors, gathering loyal allies. He'd been busy even when he'd been apparently gone, and his paranoia and insomnia pushed him to ever stronger measures. He'd start walking with an escort, soon. And not one that remained easily seen.

Hudson rakes a hand over his face, feeling increasingly strange about this conversation. It doesn't sit right with him that someone who's been as savage as Emelyan has in dealing with their enemies in the past would want to go white hat all of a sudden. However genuine the offer may be. "Eleanor has been there for us since the beginning, we do have control of this thing, I don't know who Barnabas is, but I do know that Eleanor works with people whom we've trusted for a long time. Everything is working, and it has been working," he says, in a tone of frustration. He locks eyes with Emelyan. "I don't believe you that you want to get out of the game, or that you want that for me. You're balls deep in this stuff. We all are. There is no guarantee that if I said yes to any of this... stuff... you're trying to sell me on, I wouldn't end up sleeping with the fishes, because you and I both know I've got valuable intellectual property and that's what this is obviously about. All these threats, man, I don't even know if I believe you had nothing to do with what happened to my family," the conversation has taken a dark turn now, evidently, "I can't trust you. No deal. If you want out of the game, fine, but you're right, this isn't working."

Emelyan couldn't believe Hudson. "What happened to you Hudson? Alvina is right. You've changed. I've explained myself to you, and you know what you need to. If you produce without me, this business will do worse than simply fail. You can deal with the consequences, then. I'll continue supplying to Eleanor for now, but I'm going to give Rynvale operations to Barnabas. I'm supplying him directly, and if you or Eleanor have a problem with it, you can go to hell together. I'll watch you both burn if you try to screw me again. This isn't a partnership, anymore. This is a dictatorship. If you or Eleanor compromise Barnabas operations in Rynvale, I'll cut you both off. You'll turn the city into a warzone if you release a product made without me, know that in your bones, Hudson. And it'll be a just end to you both, traitors. I would never harm Alvina, not like you have. And children... you'd think me capable of targeting children? I'm a savage, but I'm no monster. I lost a good friend this day. No, I lost you before now, I just didn't know it. Goodbye, Hudson. Do yourself a favor, and get out. You've already given up your family. There is no excuse for that, never will be." Emelyan rose, and began walking away, and only paused to look back once. He was filled with rage. Hudson had fallen, turned into something despicable. It was a damn shame to see.

Hudson's expression grows dark as Emelyan fires back at him. His jaw tightens as Emelyan mentions his family once more. There are no easy words to resolve the situation, what's transpired is a business rift that's put them all at risk. He says nothing as Emelyan storms out, his face may well be set of stone.