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

"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.

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."

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."

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.

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.

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."

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

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

"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."

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.

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.

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."

"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."

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

"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."

She snorted, then quickly turned away, trying to hide the fact that she did. "Please be careful, sir... the walls have eyes and ears."

"And I'm going to assume you mean literally," Scrooge mused. "Thank you, Miss Clara. I appreciate the warning."

"Good luck, Mister McDuck." With a curtsy, she left him to his meal.

When he opened up the dome on the tray, he felt his heart sink. Oh, he was sure it was decadent and the finest French cuisine money could buy, but it was more ornamentation than food.

"I wonder if I'm allowed to put in requests for breakfast," he muttered.

He ate it, but even taking his time he was finished within a few bites. His stomach grumbled unhappily. He was used to a proper hearty Scottish breakfast that would keep him going through most of the day, only needing a light snack around lunch before having a light dinner.

There was no time to have a proper bath drawn, so he cleaned his face and arms in the wash basin. He read back over the contract one last time before he carried it to the library a full fifteen minutes ahead of schedule.

It might take those fifteen minutes just to get there - the library was almost big enough to stuff another house. Pillows were arranged on the floor in one corner, and that is where the mistress of the house sat, another flowing dress on, this time the color of black and red.

She lifted her head as he entered, grateful he wasn't late. "I take it you have that bothersome contract."

"I do." He walked over to present it to her. "I take it you'll want time to look over it and argue over the details?"

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