06-29-2014, 02:58 PM
"I'm Elias Donovan."
Tony took Elias' hand with a smile returned in warmth and amusement. Elias' boldness struck a chord with Tony and he took a liking to the young man immediately.
But more than that, he was a curiosity. Tony laughed. "A pleasure, Elias. Did you learn anything from our conversation?"
He did not need to tell him which conversation he referred to.
"Never mind that now,"
he dismissed his own question. They could get to that later. "You are an interesting man. I see you barely know a thing about the power you have, yet you have no desire to learn?"
Tony leaned in closer with a conspiratorial look. "I am inclined to help you. Something more important than the lure of the power? It must be quite close to your heart."
The words belied a more serious mood.
"The Chancellor knows a great many secrets. Far too many for my liking,"
his voice was almost a growled whisper. "However, you need money or fame to get anywhere in this place and I suspect both of us have neither."
In his usual dramatic fashion, at the end of his sentence when all hope seemed to have been lost, he held up a finger. "Of course, there is another way..."
He let the words dangle like a lure. "You and I have one advantage most do not, and we shall use it, if you are willing to follow my lead."
The flair in his words and gesture was but a smokescreen. If Elias were smart enough, he would see the dread intensity in his words and eyes.
Tony took Elias' hand with a smile returned in warmth and amusement. Elias' boldness struck a chord with Tony and he took a liking to the young man immediately.
But more than that, he was a curiosity. Tony laughed. "A pleasure, Elias. Did you learn anything from our conversation?"
He did not need to tell him which conversation he referred to.
"Never mind that now,"
he dismissed his own question. They could get to that later. "You are an interesting man. I see you barely know a thing about the power you have, yet you have no desire to learn?"
Tony leaned in closer with a conspiratorial look. "I am inclined to help you. Something more important than the lure of the power? It must be quite close to your heart."
The words belied a more serious mood.
"The Chancellor knows a great many secrets. Far too many for my liking,"
his voice was almost a growled whisper. "However, you need money or fame to get anywhere in this place and I suspect both of us have neither."
In his usual dramatic fashion, at the end of his sentence when all hope seemed to have been lost, he held up a finger. "Of course, there is another way..."
He let the words dangle like a lure. "You and I have one advantage most do not, and we shall use it, if you are willing to follow my lead."
The flair in his words and gesture was but a smokescreen. If Elias were smart enough, he would see the dread intensity in his words and eyes.