- Joined
- Apr 4, 2012
- Messages
- 2,975
- Reaction score
- 40
Jean Lafitte Leblanc had a particular look to him. His outfit, a tad of the casual for most business types, was still impeccably well-pressed. Jean had a sense of how to combine colors. His hair was well groomed. His shoes were polished. The look of money, on a shoestring budget. Accountants were stiffed these days. Jean always got his revenge, but only during tax season when the cheapskates realized that they couldn't explain to the galaxy why they suddenly had money ties to illegal gambling rings.
But today, Jean found that he was justified in a light lunch with proper plates and forks. There was a little musing to himself. He thought of the way anyone assumed a restaurant had class the minute water was served in stemmed glasses with ice. He was also perplexed why some establishments insisted on serving messy soups and sandwiches to the suits. Jean ordered a salad. He preferred avoiding dry cleaners.
He was unassuming. He tailored himself strictly for that. As the holonet started to broadcast the latest sports highlights, Jean already knew who won. He arranged the losses himself. Not enough to favor any team. But to calculate who would draw the best crowds during the final tournaments. A numbers game combined with marketing.
But there was a war out too. Wasn't there? Jean loved seeing war on the news, it distracted politicians and civilians from the dastardly deeds of his clients. Jean continued to eat his salad. He paid the staff, tipped precisely 15 percent, and grabbed his briefcase. He had some numbers to review. Apparently certain industries were interested in investing on certain technologies that could be mass produced for the war's money machines. There was a need to quantify the resources, the technologies, and even the demographics of the bodies. It was a thankless job.
The briefcase held his current findings. Nothing too sensitive, but a fancy briefcase painted Jean as a target for idiots who assumed that all briefcases held stacks of money. The holonet continued to predict potential winners of the races. But Jean already knew that answer without the books. That little trick was all in his head, an aspect he could never quite explain. It was like an instinct that was never wrong. He knew who was going to win.
But it did not reveal everything on a whim. Life, regrettably, was full of surprising....
But today, Jean found that he was justified in a light lunch with proper plates and forks. There was a little musing to himself. He thought of the way anyone assumed a restaurant had class the minute water was served in stemmed glasses with ice. He was also perplexed why some establishments insisted on serving messy soups and sandwiches to the suits. Jean ordered a salad. He preferred avoiding dry cleaners.
He was unassuming. He tailored himself strictly for that. As the holonet started to broadcast the latest sports highlights, Jean already knew who won. He arranged the losses himself. Not enough to favor any team. But to calculate who would draw the best crowds during the final tournaments. A numbers game combined with marketing.
But there was a war out too. Wasn't there? Jean loved seeing war on the news, it distracted politicians and civilians from the dastardly deeds of his clients. Jean continued to eat his salad. He paid the staff, tipped precisely 15 percent, and grabbed his briefcase. He had some numbers to review. Apparently certain industries were interested in investing on certain technologies that could be mass produced for the war's money machines. There was a need to quantify the resources, the technologies, and even the demographics of the bodies. It was a thankless job.
The briefcase held his current findings. Nothing too sensitive, but a fancy briefcase painted Jean as a target for idiots who assumed that all briefcases held stacks of money. The holonet continued to predict potential winners of the races. But Jean already knew that answer without the books. That little trick was all in his head, an aspect he could never quite explain. It was like an instinct that was never wrong. He knew who was going to win.
But it did not reveal everything on a whim. Life, regrettably, was full of surprising....