Pitch Gone Wrong [Past]

That damn necktie.

Alric stared at his reflection in a mirroring metal pane. Maybe he should just take it off? He glanced over to his assistant, who was glued to his tablet screen. Of course, he did not wear a tie. Instead, he had a ribbon holding his collar together. Ever the flowery type.

"Samael, don't you have a spare necktie for me?"

Samael looked up with a defeated look. "No, Sir. I do not wear these." He then proceeded to stare at his screen again.

Trying to strike a conversation, Alric persisted. "So, what's with that bonkers succubus earlier? She got creepy at the end."

Without looking up, Samael replied, "I do not know, Sir. Perhaps she was trying to read minds and thus gain an edge at our pitch?"

"Hm." Alric seemingly was lost in thought long enough for Samael to return to his duties, thankfully. Ignoring the private messages by one of their Tengu employees, the assistant studied the stock market charts religiously.

The truth was that Alric was left to being irked on his own. No, her glare hadn't been creepy at all. It was hypnotizing. There was something about Fiera he could not quite put his finger on. How could such a lowly bat-winged creature occupy his mind so much? And why were they made to wait so long?

More moments in silence passed. Samael noticed how Alric grew increasingly antsy. But nervousness was contagious. And so, the other angel found himself losing his focus. Annoyed, he was about to say something when an old male voice greeted them from behind.

"Ah, I see, you are anxious to introduce yourselves," he said with a slight smile.

"Sir, it's a pleas-"

Before Samael could even finish his sentence, Alric interrupted.

"Not so much 'anxiety' and more of an 'excitement'. After all, it's a rare opportunity for us, uh, Mister.., uh..."

Samael watched in horror as his boss helplessly switched glances between the three old men who had approached the two. Behind them, a group of younger men and women diligently followed their seniors.

"Xu, my young lad. It's Xu," The oldest of them stepped forward and offered his hand in greeting. He wore a black tang suit with golden embroideries adorning his shoulders.

"Ah, I'm delighted to meet you personally, Mr. Xu," Alric continued, shaking his hand.

Amused, Mr. Xu merely nodded before beckoning one of his young fledglings to him. A young woman stepped up without losing a word and unlocked the door with a card key. Upon opening it, Mr. Xu invited the angels to enter first. "Please."

The two nodded in unison and headed in. Immediately, they were awestruck by the interior. It looked like it had been taken right out of an office in The Heaven: Dark suede chairs, a marble table in the middle, and gold decorations everywhere. Large glass walls provided a rapturous view of a court garden illuminated with paper lanterns. The old man could not help but notice the young angels' faces. He chuckled.

"This meeting room is called 'Above the Clouds' for a reason. I specifically requested to book it. Please, make yourselves comfortable." He motioned for his team to provide the two with tea.

No five minutes passed with idle chat when a fierce knock interrupted them.

"Come in," the old man loudly said.

As expected, it was Fiera. She whispered something to another person obscured by the door before entering the meeting room alone.

Immediately, the mood changed. Despite the sound of her high heels being muffled by the carpet floor, her stride was confident. She took a single glance while walking and directly steered towards Mr. Xu.

"Mr. Xu, I'm honored to have been invited to this pitch," she said in his native tongue. His entourage looked in astonishment.

"Oh, I did not know you speak such an old language," he replied with a pleased look.

"I have business with the other Surface Clans. Therefore, it makes sense."

Alric and Samael were stumped. Neither of them spoke Mr. Xu's language and thus found themselves excluded from their conversation. Fiera and the old man seemingly enjoyed talking and laughing for a good bit before the old man finally settled back to speaking a language everybody understood.

"That was such a lovely chat, Ms. Fiera," he summarized. "I must say, you barely have any accent, it felt like I was talking to my brothers and sisters."

"You flatter me," Fiera said with a charming smile.

"Right. Then let's begin! Ms. Fiera, please."

A screen rolled down at the front end of the meeting room. Using her tablet, the succubus projected her presentation onto it and began holding a speech on her services concisely.

"Thank you, Ms. Fiera," Mr. Xu said after she was done. "I do have some questions for you."

"Please, go on," she replied with an affirming nod.

"As you know from our briefing, we are looking to expand ourselves to The Heaven and thus require adequate security services there as well. How can you guarantee that, considering you are prohibited from entering the top realm?"

Without any hesitation, Fiera responded, "excellent question, Mr. Xu. I have anticipated it." She closed her presentation and tucked away her tablet. "You are correct, as a succubus, I am the only winged race prohibited from entering The Heaven."

Alric smirked. Indeed, succubi were exiled from the Heaven. History books never revealed the reason, but since then, this noble and ancient race was considered below Tengu trash. Right from the beginning, she had no chance in this pitch. Looking at the venue the old man had chosen, the angel surmised that he had already made up his mind beforehand.

"However," Fiera continued, her gaze wandering around the room before stopping at Alric. "We have found a reliable partner we regularly subcontract for such cases. Unlike our rival, Gabriel Safety Service, this partner employs only inhabitants of at least Griffin caste."

Audible murmurs. It seemed like nobody expected this response. Fiera continued to stare at Alric. He could feel the sneer behind her eyes.

"That makes your offer indeed quite lucrative, particularly if we're looking for more inconspicuous ways of protection."

"Mr. Xu, we are happy to oblige to your request and provide you personnel of Fae and even Exalted caste," Alric intervened, maintaining eye contact with Fiera. "Assigning Tengu is merely the cheapest option we have to offer."

This bitch. Thinking she could steal clients on his turf? Alric was not going to have it.

"Are you a beginner, boy?" She did not back down. "Pitching the cheapest option to a potential client instead of the best package you have to offer."

"Isn't it pretty amateur as well to conclude I only introduce the cheapest services we have, Miss?"

"Miss?" Her eyes narrowed. He could feel her rage growing. Her body tensed, yet her voice remained cool as ice. "Do not address me as Miss."

"Then do not address me as 'boy'," he immediately retorted.

While Mr. Xu seemed to be having the time of his life, Samael's already pale complexion grew whiter by the moment. How could Alric let himself get wound up so easily by her words?

"I think that's enough, Alric," Samael quietly began but was quickly shushed by his boss.

"That's quite rude, you know," Fiera interjected. The two angels merely glared at her. She chuckled, then moved to take a seat.

Mr. Xu clapped his hands. "I think that's enough, thank you. Mr. Samael, if I recall, you were to represent your company. If you please." He pointed at the spot where Fiera had been standing.

"Yes, thank you." Alric's assistant got up and proceeded to hold his presentation as planned.

However, toxicity filled the room, and both Alric and Fiera continued to exchange aggressive glances. Not even Mr. Xu's light-hearted jokes could lift the mood.

"Sir, if I may speak up, that was highly unprofessional earlier," Samael commented once the meeting was over. They were nibbling on finger food in the foyer, greeting other people now and then.

"I don't need to be told that. I know," Alric said, disinterested in the conversation.

"Then why did you-"

"Hush, here she comes." From the corner of his eye, he could see the succubus making a beeline for them. Behind her, a wolf begrudgingly followed her.

"I need to speak with you, Alric." Fiera's voice sounded urgent.

"Well, say whatever you want to say." Alric was not keen on speaking to her again this soon but did his best to avoid making a scene. He chewed on a piece of cheese on a toothpick.

"Alone."

All three men raised an eyebrow.

"Okay...?" Tossing the toothpick on an empty plate that Samael was holding, Alric followed the succubus a few steps away. "What's this about? I'm not going to continue our argument from earlier."

"It's your assistant." Fiera half-interrupted him. "I have seen you two together previously, but tonight it feels as if something has changed. I cannot put my finger on what is different, though. I would exercise caution around him."

Alric laughed. "Earlier, you were hostile, now you're playing concerned mother hen? What kind of bad comedy is this?"

"I mean it. My specialty is picking up vibes from others. How else do you think I am this successful?"

"You're speaking about Samael. He couldn't even hurt a fly if he wanted to."

"I would not underestimate timid people."

Refusing any further explanations, Alric raised his hands. "Enough. I don't want you ruining my mood before the evening show." He noticed that she actually had a worried look on her face. To appease her, he added, "But I appreciate your efforts. Good evening."

And with that, he turned her back on her and returned to his assistant's side, who was busy chatting with Fiera's subordinate.