Starring:
Summary: Grant and Simone discuss the finer details of stripping away one of those pesky things.
Date It Happened: February 9, 2008
The Price of a Soul
Wolfram and Hart
While Grant's office is not terribly large, it's no broom closet, and he's very good at maximizing space. Currently seated at his desk dressed in a tailored suit, he looks … bored. Considering that he's on the phone, this is probably bad — for whoever is on the other end of the line anyway. Grant reclines in his chair, occasionally muttering a "mm" or "hm" to the other party — all while examining the papers on his desk. Oh job. Sometimes, you are so dull.
Rap rap rap goes a hand against the backside of that door, and behind it, there is a semblance of a cough. Simone herself isn't in a patient mood (she never is), and being held up on the phone probably isn't going to make her a happy camper. Oh Grant. Sometimes you just get a little more than you bargained for.
Oh good: no wait time involved after all. As she sweeps into the room after hearing the call, Simone gives Grant a rather unnerving display of white teeth, letting her hand rest on the doorknob for an extra second before twisting it behind her. The nails on those hands are a dark scarlet, their length affecting the way she moves her fingers. Is she typically a 'nail' person? Well, no. But today they match the shade of her lipstick, and it doesn't look half unnatural. "… Mr. Grant. I presume."
"Grant Galton, yes." Grant's smile broadens and he indicates a chair across the desk from his own. "You may call me 'Grant', Miss Muldoon. Won't you have a seat?" He seems fairly unruffled by her teeth or her appearance, natural or not. Then again, he's seen worse. Much worse. And vampires are naturally beautiful creatures, so of course he wouldn't mind. "What can I do for you?"
Simone does so wordlessly, her footsteps guiding her into the mentioned seat with an air of assurance. The smile doesn't vanish, but it does morph into something a little more thoughtful as her eyes train themselves on Grant's face, taking in details of the half-demon's own appearance. "Call me Simone. I have something that needs to be done, Mr. Galton, and I was redirected here by the first source I went to. Certainly, Wolfham and Hart does have something of a - reputation." A pause to let this sink in, and then straight to the point: "What I am interested in is the business of -ahem- soul removal. Might this be possible?"
What a thing to visit a divorce attorney about. Though really, this sort of request is not at all unusual for Grant's typical clients. Someone is always wanting to do some heinous thing to their husband and his lover, or have his wife's breasts grow three sizes smaller out of spite, or other things of such nature. Grant seats himself when Simone does and tents his hands thoughtfully in front of his face, peering across the desk at her in a similar manner: sizing her up and reading whatever small clues he can about her life. "For a price, I'm sure it can be arranged. It will not be cheap." He smirks. "I have a feeling this is not a problem for you."
There isn't /too/ much written in Simone's figure - other than ever-present pride, though that's currently isn't her focus right now. To eyes of the less perceptive variety, she's certainly just a vengeful-eyed blonde woman in her early thirties. Nothing too unusual to see. You feel correctly, her posture says. "Name it," she says aloud, crossing one of her legs once she's fully settled in her seat. Julian had better be damn grateful for all the trouble she's going through on his account. "How long are you thinking this process will take? And, do you foresee any complications…?"
"The soul itself, for one thing, though I doubt you'll want to keep it yourself." Vampires rarely do. "The full monetary cost will depend on the individual whose soul is being extracted. How long it takes will depend on how soon we can get the information and things needed — a week at the least." Grant smiles again. "There can of course be complications in things like this. Protective spells, counteractions. Sometimes there are things nobody could have guessed at. However, we do everything within our power to ensure such things do not become an issue, and we are very good at what we do."
After nodding in response to Grant's first declaration, Simone responds with an eyebrow quirk, a light tapping together of her forefingers, and a chime of: "A half-demon. I'm not sure if that'll be different from your run-of-the-mill human. And I don't /think/ Julian is the type to lay protective spells every which way; though he might, since I've broached the subject before." The subject of soul-taking, not spelling. "—During that time, of a week, will Julian be at all alerted to the process before it's complete?" That would be an inconvenience in itself.
Grant shakes his head a little. "We are very discreet." He sits forward and rummages about the papers on the desk, taking a pen from the neatly organized holder on the corner. "A half-demon will be a little different and may cost extra." He begins to write something on a slip of blank paper. "It may take a little longer to get everything together, but no more than a few days' delay." Finished calculating, he slides the paper across the desk toward Simone. "This is just an estimate. Once the contract is drawn up, the number will be more specific, however this is the price range."
Simone's fingers snake out to take that paper, which she reads beneath her nose with narrowed eyes. Jesus. "Expensive," she comments. "I trust, however, that if you are /really/ as good as you say it'll be worth it." There might or might not be a heavy emphasis on the word 'really' that stops just short of sounding actually skeptical. Luckily, being around for as long as Simone has tends to lead one to take advantage of certain…phenomena. Interest, for example.
"I can offer you a 60% refund if it doesn't work out." It's only 60% because Simone is good-looking. It would be 40% otherwise. Hurrah for small favors (and killer legs). "The firm is very good about these sorts of things. May I ask why it is you're wanting to have his soul removed?" Grant didn't see a ring on her finger or any evidence of a ring, so he can only assume this is not for the purposes of divorce.
Wewt wewt. "You maay," Simone answers somewhat airily. The paper is left sitting right where it is in front of her, since she's through with it. "I'm afraid Mr. Tiggs behaves most abominably for a half-demon. He's practically religious." Oh the shame. "So it would seem that a proper first step in fixing this problem would be to remove the human half of it - his soul."
Grant seems … amused, though his smile neither wavers nor grows. There's just a certain spark in his eye that flashes at the explanation. "Well that is certainly a step in the right direction," he intones. Of course he's a half-demon himself, but he's at least a devious one.
"I hope it turns out to be," agrees Simone, giving Grant a single glance amidst staring idly and closely at her fingertips. "Knew I'd meet someone who saw things my way. When do you think it'll be possible to begin arranging this? The sooner, the better, since as I said I'm afraid I haven't been subtle."
"I can have the contract drawn up by the end of the day." Grant doesn't fool around. Things Get Done when he's given charge. "If you like, you can come back tomorrow to sign it and make whatever last-minute arrangements you might have, or if you leave an address, I can bring it by this evening on my way home from work."
"The latter would be nice." Saves the trouble of coming back. Using one hand to gently remove her hair from her shoulder, Simone uses the other to lean down and retrieve a pen-and-pad from a front pocket of her purse. The promised address is scrawled in neatly tiny, cursive script, torn off from its pad, and lifted over. "If for a freak reason it turns out to be inconvenient, I still have your number." Grant's office number.
Well that won't do. Grant is also jotting down something on a piece of paper. "Let me give you my personal number just in case." And he passes it over with that same charming smile. Then he rises to his feet, evidently to see Simone to the door. "It has been a pleasure, Simone. We'll have this sorted out soon enough."
With only the barest of smirks pressing her lips together, Simone receives the paper gracefully, folding it into the same purse pocket that her pad now goes back into as well. She rises immediately after this has been accomplished, accepting Grant's presence without a word as she makes her way to the doorway. "Pleasure was mine, Mr. Galton. I look forward to … seeing what you can do."
