the company you keep // daniel

[seth ivers]

ALL WE CAN DO IS HOLD ON

JUST GIVE ME A REASON TO KEEP MY HEART BEATING

DANIEL FIDLER▐
563 WORDS▐
I hope this works! I'll be happy to change it~▐
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Excitedly the young man sprinted down the sidewalk, his c-gear clenched tightly in one hand and a small piece of paper crumpled in the other. He hit the street corner and stumbled to a halt to catch his breath, doubling over to take in as many heavy gasps as he could before his eyes lead him to look up to the bright sky with a ridiculous smile on his face. A new day, a new chance to prove himself; it was all the guy could ask for. With eyes shining hopefully and his attention darting back down to the crowds passing him by, Seth finally let his heartbeat settle and paused to check his c-gear display.

'10:55AM, perfect! Right on schedule.' He thought, smirking again as he tucked the phone away in his bag then addressed the crumpled paper in his hand. The writing in pen was sloppy and rushed, but got the point across clear enough. He'd gotten directions somewhere along the line, considering this was his first visit to Goldenrod City since his father had taken him once as a child several years ago. The streets looked so alike, the crowds all became a blur of excited traffic that made it almost impossible to not find yourself lost in. As the young man looked off across the street with himself planted firmly on the curb's edge, the poke-mart was directly down the road so it meant his destination was right around the corner.

Looking to the paper a second time and checking around to make sure he was right, the young man tucked the paper into his bag quickly before he took off into a jolting run across the street before he missed his chance. Though as he neared the other side he had to quickly bolt out of the way of oncoming cars, the trainer made his way down the street to the open doors of a blustering establishment with an already loaded patio. The many tables were filled with eager visitors to the city taking shade from the sun and chatting loudly amongst the city's background buzz, though Seth found himself bewildered at first by the sight of it all.

'This is where our meeting is? Oh man, it's.. so fancy..' The trainer believed to be meeting a new customer today, after being called directly and offered to meet in Goldenrod to discuss the details. Seemed simple enough, but Seth couldn't help but feel nervous immediately by the idea. As a waitress walked past and Seth went to flag her down, his attempts ended in failure as she turned to chat with a man asking for his refill of whatever variety of coffee he'd had in his cup before. Seth then dismissed his shyness for the moment, pushing himself to walk into the doors of the restaurant then turning to look about for the man who'd contacted him.

The interior was far nicer than the exterior let on, but Seth's bewilderment ended when he became confronted by an overly pushy waitress interrogating if whether or not he had a reservation. "N-No ma'am, at least I don't know. I'm here to meet with someone." He rushed aloud as he looked around the building to try and see if anyone in particular caught his attention. He'd have to hope he made it to the right place, at the very least.

[DANIEL FIDLER]

♔

Daniel had a hold on a large amount of Goldenrod. Businesses were in his hands, people breathed, ate, and slept in his palm. Individuals owed him money, business owed him for services. For his investments, for his protection, for his patronage. It was all these owed favors and money that allowed him -- and many times his guests -- to eat for free in one of Goldenrod's nicest restaurants. First impressions were everything in this world, and what better impression could be made than a free dinner in a popular restaurant. And what could put someone more in your debt than repeated meals? Free services? They were his favorite way of suckering in new colleagues. It was for this reason that he'd called up his new delivery boy -- or "courier" as his advertisements said -- and invited him for dinner. Daniel had spoken to him in kind words. Presented the boy's job simply enough. Just a delivery of food and clothes that needed to be dropped off in Olivine City. He'd made the reservations this morning while collecting his weekly payments. He' came to the dinner in a nice suit. Freshly cleaned and pressed. He really enjoyed this part of his job. Fooling people into furthering his goals. Scaring those who won't be fooled into submission. That's why at his waist sat six pokeballs. Six of his most loyal, most expensive, pokemon. If the boy proved troublesome he'd simply wave the expensive dinner bill and reservation form over his head. And then rough him up a bit for kicks. Still, that would only be if things went poorly. For now he approached the boy -- flustered and speaking to one of the wait staff -- extending a hand and offering a somewhat crooked smile. "Seth Ivers right?" Daniel spoke the question rather than asked it, knowing exactly who he was, before turning to face the woman he was speaking too, "He's with me. Don't worry, I'll lead him to the table." seth ivers

©

[seth ivers]

ALL WE CAN DO IS HOLD ON

JUST GIVE ME A REASON TO KEEP MY HEART BEATING

DANIEL FIDLER▐
381 WORDS▐
N/A▐
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A cool voice came up behind him almost on perfect cue, and it sparked Seth's fascination all over again. Turning around just as he heard his name, the young man's eyes couldn't help but widen with amazement as if he couldn't control the reaction. 'Woahhhh! He's so cool!' The thought came across his mind like a speeding train as soon as he set eyes on the man just behind him. He looked impressive in every manner, albeit a little intimidating but incredibly sophisticated all at once. This was his client? Well, if he hadn't felt nervous before, he certainly did now. Almost the entirety of his nervousness and anxiousness came crashing down on his shoulders when he frantically served up some kind of greeting.

"Y-yeah, that's me! It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Fidler!" Seth let off a kind nodding gesture, reaching out to return with a handshake with the hope he wasn't coming off as a complete idiot. Before today he'd only dealt with people asking for door-to-door deliveries or easy little errands that paid him well enough, but this request already seemed like something in a completely different league all it's own. That is, it wasn't as if he felt his previous deliveries had all been any less important, but some kind of flattery could be found when his client had called him out of the blue and invited him for a sit-down meal to discuss the details.

Humbled as he was, he couldn't help but feel like completing this job would have such a huge gravity on both himself and the Ivers' family business, so he almost felt like his every action would be judged sternly by the client through to the success of the delivery afterwards. Seth almost felt his heartbeat punch away at his ribcage, and now the pressure felt so much more impending. Even in the back of his mind he could see his uncle's face scolding him if he should fail or not meet the customer's standards, but what frightened him even more so was his grandmother's brand of punishment if he might screw up.

Let's just say it might have something to do with a jar of pickled bitter berries and a taste that made you regret the hell out of everything.