So stay away from me / the beast is ugly (scrooge x magica)

[lifesa_witch]

 The carriage ride was so long that by the time the horses stopped, night had already settled in. It was a full moon, allowing the stone pathway to be illuminated. The rider said nothing, simply taking Scrooge's bags and walking on ahead. With any luck, this wouldn't be a return trip - but luck had died long ago in this place.

In the distance, one could hear the caws of several ravens, far away in the dark forests. It was difficult to see the house in the darkness, but it was certainly large and grand. Definitely belonging to someone of high class and lots of money. After all, it was part of the reason Scrooge was here.

Another servant was at the door, waiting for them.

"Either look her in the eyes," he warned, "or have them stay on the floor. Never anywhere else. Just keep your introduction and qualifications short. it is..." He hesitated, glancing backwards. "Often too easy to stoke her anger. And lastly... never ask questions."

Some of these things had probably been told to Scrooge before - he'd been recommended the job, after all. Granted, the recommendation came with the mysterious woman buying up his shop like it was nothing. Still, it seemed at least the servants wanted this to go well.

Whatever "this" was... it was about to begin, if he was ready to enter.

Comments

[richestduck]

"It matters because you've pulled me away from my pleasant and profitable little bookshop," Scrooge said, his tone crisp and professional. "I did more than sell books there as you likely know, and several of my clients are quite put out by me suddenly having to pull up stakes."

Though the name on the sign said "Swanson's", everyone knew that the proprietor was Scrooge McDuck. As a cripple, Scrooge's prospects for work had been slim to none. However, rather than sitting around and bemoaning his existence, Scrooge had learned how to work around his disability, even now walking whenever possible to keep himself fit lest he put more strain on his bad leg. He'd gotten himself apprenticed to Swanson, quickly surpassing even the man's own children who'd had little interest in the bookshop. Swanson had advanced his reading skills; taught him to speak and read fluently in French, Spanish, and Italian; and trained him in how to properly appraise, repair, and restore old books. During that time, Scrooge had picked up another dozen languages and almost twice as many dead ones, expanding the shop into also offering translation services. His head for numbers had turned Swanson's from barely turning a profit to incredibly lucrative. And when Swanson had decided to move to the country for a quiet life in his declining years, his apprentice had "inherited" the shop with the landlord eagerly taking him on as a new tenant immediately rather than having to search for someone.

When he'd taken over the shop, he'd expanded his services to include tutoring after hours at very reasonable rates. That part of Glasgow hadn't been poor but it hadn't been particularly wealthy either, so the staunchly middle class locals had been quite pleased to have someone on hand who was willing to trade an hour of tutoring their children in reading, writing, and arithmetic (and, in a few cases, learning a foreign language) for some meals, laundry work, or even something as basic as information. The local street urchins even had the cheek to call him "Professor" and made sure that any toughs with interest on the shop set their sights elsewhere.

Sadly, he would almost certainly never make Clan McDuck wealthy, but at least he made enough that the McDucks had moved into a much more respectable neighborhood while still making the payments on the castle. The good will he'd garnered had sparked outrage when he'd been forced to close up shop, and if it ever got out that this was the woman who'd removed the "Professor", her people would find it very uncomfortable to do business in that area.

"Not only that, but I lived above the shop," he continued. "When you bought it out, you put me out of house and home. You can understand my hesitation to work for you without good reason, I hope? After all, you've sent me to the street before."

He was definitely on the back foot. He had savings, of course, but those only lasted for so long without new income. However, he wasn't without his pride. If this woman wanted his services, she was going to pay dearly for them.

[lifesa_witch]

If she did know all that, she certainly didn't seem to care. Her expression of dull annoyance didn't change at all - as if he was the one wasting her time. It was perhaps a strain not to roll her eyes.

"I'm going to pay you far more than any of those peasants ever did. But if you need proof of that..."

She walked past him, to the servant waiting behind the door - that she forced open with her shoulder. Not a hand or even her whole arm - a hint of what wasn't there. "Bring him his first payment."

"Yes, madam."

With the order given, she returned to her seat - sleeves and dress following behind her.

[richestduck]

Interesting. So something had certainly happened to her hands, likely her arms as well. What had she been doing?

"If it's gold, don't bother. The value of that is plummeting thanks to a massive ongoing influx of the stuff. Soon a prostitute will be able to bedeck herself in gold bracelets and necklaces and not be able to give a link of it away for a hunk of bread."

He didn't say who or what precisely was responsible. If she had any sense, she'd connect the dots.

"What I want is something much different."

[lifesa_witch]

She glanced away, mumbling something under her breath that couldn't be heard. Connecting the dots was easy - since she was the one who made the damn dots in the first place.

She cleared her throat.

"I'm in no mood for guessing games. Just name your price."

[richestduck]

"Three things in order of value to you. First, I want as my weekly salary..." He gave a number three times the amount he'd made previously. Given what she wanted him to do -- not just reading but acting as her accountant among other things -- it seemed a paltry sum. "Second, my family has an old castle in dire need of repair and restoration."

That would have a three-prong effect: In the modern era, artisans for stone, antiques, and so on were having a hard time finding work. It would give the local craftsmen some much-needed income until they could find something else to do. It would give his family somewhere permanent to live, their share of Scrooge's wages would go to heating and maintaining the place, but there would be no threat of eviction from a landlord at any moment so long as they paid the taxes. Finally, it would give the locals from his part of Glasgow a good laugh given it was Castle McDuck, and they would know whose tune she was dancing to.

The third request was one she was likely to fight.

"Finally, once your regular income is set up and managed to allow you and your servants to live more than comfortably, you never use the Midas Touch again save for an absolute emergency when a vast quantity of money is the only solution to a problem. And something you desperately want is not an emergency."

[lifesa_witch]

The first was reasonable. Honestly, increasing the salary was predictable, and she'd have done the same in his place. So she nodded.

The second was annoying, but doable. That would cost more than the salary, even if this took years, and could wind up being in debt to him. Still, for the cure, she'd go through with it. If the blow to her pride was that severe, she could always move. So she nodded.

But the third - he had an accurate guess.

"How dare you give me orders!" She snapped, eyes aflame with rage. "You have no idea what I went through to make that amulet! If you want a single brick of that damned castle replaced, you had better pray I can touch it again, you worthless-"

She'd gotten so angry she intended to storm over to him and give him a good thrashing - but her legs weren't made for that now. So her sudden rising up and stepping forward made her trip over her own dress, and with an awful "WAK!" she landed right on her face, hitting the floor with her rump in the air.

"... Fine."

[richestduck]

"I want your word as a witch," he said, leaning over her. "I want it binding."

He heard a distant gasp from a maid at his audacity. What he wanted was for her own magic to bind her to that agreement.

"Think of that last bit as enlightened self-interest," he told her. "Because as it stands right now, your gold will become worthless within five years, and that's an optimistic estimate. The gold you were going to give me will make excellent seed money for something much more permanent and lucrative."

Scrooge was incredibly well-informed. He'd given himself better than a university degree during all those many hours reading between customers along with dealing with local finances. He had a strong head for business but not much money for investment.

[lifesa_witch]

She growled like a chained dog - but worse of all, every word coming out of his mouth proved that he was the best man for the job. He was smart, resourceful, and clever. Who else would think that far ahead and deny the amount she was already willing to give him?

There was no choice. It had to be him.

Revenge would be next on her to-do list once she was cured.

"Just promising it won't be magically binding." She grunted, trying to get back up. She clearly couldn't rely on her arms, needing to put all the weight on her legs, whatever they were. "Have the entire damned thing written down... and once I give a drop of my blood... that is how you make a witch's contract."

[richestduck]

He nodded his understanding.

"Very well. If you will excuse me, I need to finish packing my things and finding somewhere else to live. Then I'll write up the contract for you to sign."

[lifesa_witch]

Oh no, he wasn't getting off that easily.

"Somewhere else to live?" She scoffed. "If you want the job, you're staying here. I'm not having you waste time coming back and forth... I want every valuable second from you I can use."

By the time she was back upright, her face was sweating - it'd clearly taken a lot of effort.

[richestduck]

Well, well, well. Room and board, too? How interesting.

"Very well. Then I just need to pack my things to bring them here."

Did he want to live with this woman? No. Absolutely not. But this was an opportunity he wasn't going to squander. He could stomach sleeping in the same house as her and eating the same food.

[lifesa_witch]

She couldn't even wipe the sweat off her face with her sleeves.

"You start tomorrow." Although given how late it was, was tomorrow today or really tomorrow? "Right after breakfast. You'll read the selected tomes, no questions asked, no interruptions save for meals and whatever else your body needs."

[richestduck]

"Very well," he said amiably. "I'll be back within the next two hours."

He didn't have much to pack, after all.

[lifesa_witch]

"Then get going." She turned away from him, knowing she'd just stay angry if she had to look at him any longer. "I'm retiring to bed."

[richestduck]

He walked out with a smirk on his face but as soon as he reached the shop, he blew out a long, shuddering breath. Now that he was out of her sight, he would allow himself to be shaken for a few minutes.

It took less than an hour to pack up everything he owned and leave. It all fit into his large carpet bag and smaller valise. He took a cab to stop by his family's home and update them on everything before heading back to Magica's mansion where he worked another hour on the contract in his new suite. Finally, at three in the morning, he went to bed.

[lifesa_witch]

Hours later, there was knocking at his door.

"Breakfast is ready, sir." It was one of the maids, ready to push in a tray on a cart so he didn't have to leave his room.

[richestduck]

He jerked awake, momentarily disoriented. Then he sat up and slid out of bed, hastily grabbing his house robe to sling on before he opened the door.

"Forgive me. I just woke up," he told the maid, stepping to one side. "Thank you but you didn't have to bring it to my room."

[lifesa_witch]

"It was by order of the mistress." She explained as she pushed it inside. "You have an hour to eat and clean up. Then she expects you to meet her in the library and begin your work."

[richestduck]

"Please tell me there's coffee," he begged. He'd had a long night, after all.

[lifesa_witch]

The maid nodded, pouring him a cup. "Yes, sir. The next meal will be at noon. You'll be eating out of the library." In other words, he was never to eat in Magica's presence - or, in another way, he'd never see her eat.

[richestduck]

He gratefully picked up the cup and took a sip, allowing the caffeine to jerk him fully to alertness.

"Thank you. And I suppose she wasn't kidding when she said she wanted as much of my time as possible." He paused. "Is it possible to arrange tea for when I have to read to her? Something with honey in it please."

His vocal cords were guaranteed to get a workout, and if he lost his voice, Magica would likely be beside herself with rage. The tea and honey would help soothe his throat.

[lifesa_witch]

The maid hesitated, needing to think it over. It wasn't really her choice, after all. "I'll pass it along. I can't guarantee anything, though." She sighed, a little annoyed. Servants had gotten screeched at for much less.

[richestduck]

"If it's too much trouble, simple water will do," he assured her. He gave her a warm smile. "Thank you so much, Miss...?"

[lifesa_witch]

She seemed surprised to be asked, blinking before replying. "Clara, sir." But he didn't really need to bother knowing their names - many servants were fired or quit at the drop of a hat.

[richestduck]

"Miss Clara. I'm Scrooge." He bowed slightly to her. "I look forward to working with you and the rest of the staff while dealing with the dragon."