Master of the Underhanded Deed (Open)

[Bah Humbug]

Mayor Chern, the man who had once been Chernabog, only put the best in his interior cabinet. Hanna Queens, who also ran the ever popular flower shop Queens Roses, was in charge of keeping the park beautiful and the streets litter free. Billy Sykes, the owner of Sykes Automotive and Mechanics, was in charge of licensing cars in town. Millie Cent, one of the older women in town, ran event planning. Morty Mosker, one of the chiefs of staff at St. Walt’s, made sure the public knew of health scares. Lucas Nottingham, the police chief, stood by Mayor Chern. Then there was Stuart Dickens.

Stuart, while in the mayor’s top brass, was a tad more in it for himself than the others. Stuart was in charge of collecting rent from most of the businesses and even homes. Yes, sometimes he pocketed a few dollars on the side to line his own wallet but prices stayed consistent. He didn’t expect anyone to object to his earnings because he had Mayor Chern in his back pocket. Yes, wealth was his destiny.

Yet, he didn’t know why he spent time at the small café inside of Ralph’s Arcade, such as he was doing now. He had no interest in the arcade games as they buzzed, whirred, and spat tickets out to lucky winners. He was a large man and couldn’t fit in the cars of the rack track next door. No, he preferred the café where he could get a decent cup of warm tea, Papa Bear’s only had the iced sort, and not know anyone. Stuart sat, as he always did, alone watching the groups of friends. The people who thought he was a master at the heart of all underhanded deeds of Yensidia.

They didn’t know how wrong they were.

[Lizjay]

Even though he was inside the young artist known only as Dante sat with the hood of his precious hoodie pulled up. His cup of water sat untouched as he worked hard on the art pad before him, he seemed to be in almost in a trance as he tried to make the picture in his mind show up on the paper.

Everyone knew the young man had no memories or past and the only way he could get by was the beautiful paintings and drawings that he sold. Most of the people in town were kind to him, Seth Radcliff had taken him in to be his roommate, Garrett would often give him day old baked goods for free and Antonio was the young man's best friend. But he knew people like Mayor Chern hated him, see the young artist had a secret.

Dante was on of the few in town that remembered his past, he had found his object and while his past life wasn't much thanks to him being a ghost he still treasured his object. But with his memories came problems first of which was his gift to draw things that would happen in the future, he figured it was a side affect of remembering, but it was hard wondering if what he drew would come true.  The second problem came in his gift to paint scenes from the past lives of everyone in Yensidia, he knew he had to help people remember the past and so he took to painting beautiful pictures on the sides of buildings. He hoped that people would start to remember if they saw them, but all it seemed to do was make the Mayor angry and Dante was scared that sooner or later that he'd find out that Dante remembered his past.

Finally finishing the drawing in his hand he realized it was a drawing if his friend Seth's object, his red collar from his days as a puppy. Sighing as he quickly pulled his art pad to his chest, he looked tired as he sat there and he slowly put his head on the table to rest.

[Bah Humbug]

Stuart's eyes glanced around the small cafe, resting on a young man that he had seen around town before. The young man put a sour taste in his throat, as if he was trying to remember something that would make him physically sick each time his cold blue eyes landed on the frame of the other man. Everyone in town was kind to him. He had seen Garrett Balington, who was kind to everyone granteed, give him free baked goods. Yet he knew that the Mayor had been having trouble with the paintings that the young man had done around the town.

He stood and walked over to the table, sitting across from him, "You look very tired young man. Could I interest you in a cup of coffee?"

[Lizjay]

Dante slowly looked up before jumping slightly, he hadn't expecting to see one of the most feared men in town standing there. After all everyone one knew that he was one of the few people that was close to the Mayor, had the Mayor decided to have him checked out. Did he know he remembered, or was he truly being nice to him, "I... Coffee would be nice..." Dante finally answered softly.

[Bah Humbug]

Stuart placed an order with a nearby passing waitress for two coffees and some sugar and cream on the side so that they could add it at their discression. Coffee was one of the few sweeter pleasures that Stuart allowed himself in life. At a young age he had learned that not everything sweet actually was that way. His parents had started out on the under class of Yensidia, living off of the trash outside the Bazaar for years before he was able to make a name for himself. Mayor Chern had been the closest thing he had to a friend for years, not judging the way that Stuart almost hoarded every penny he found or every cent that he made.

"You know, Dante, Mayor Chern thinks that you are an enigma of sorts. From what I can see...you are no such thing. From what I can see, you are nothing more than a tired boy who uses his art to survive."

[Lizjay]

At the mention of Mayor Chern the young artist hugged his art pad closer to his chest, the mayor scared him with his watchful eyes and he hoped this wasn't just someway for the mayor to find out about his finding his special object. He carefully locked his tired eyes with the other man's eyes, "You... You don't think like the mayor?" He asked softly as the Stuart finished what he had been saying, "But the others working with the mayor all think like him... That I'm some sort of trouble maker..."

[Bah Humbug]

"Well, saying I don't like him isn't necessarily the truth. I'm one of his friends, that's to be said," Stuart smiled kindly, "But I can say that I don't agree with him on the matter of your art. I am a man who believes that art is high culture, should be loved above all. Your art is...well...it's unlike anything I've ever seen an d while I may not agree on the medium with which you do it, I do enjoy the pictures and things that you do."

[Lizjay]

Dante nodded shyly, relaxing a little. He let his grip loosen on his art pad, he normally never let his guard down like this, But the other man was being kind and he hoped he was truly being nice. "I'm glad to hear when someone enjoys my art." He said shyly as he glanced at the other man.

[Bah Humbug]

Stuart grinned and nodded, showing the man that he didn't have to be so uptight. The statement almost made him laugh. If anyone in town was uptight, other than the mysterious Scott Keeton, it was Stuart Dickens. He was cold, aloof, and more often than not he didn't like to be bothered. However, he had deemed Dante worth his time. "So tell me, why don't you do this for a living instead of vandalizing the town?"

[Lizjay]

Dante shyly closed his art pad as he pondered the question. "I don't know where or how to start to make a living off my art... Plus sometimes I think certain people need to see what I draw or paint..." He said softly.

[Bah Humbug]

"You can post flyers, put an add in the paper," Stuart mused. He had always been shrewd with his money and had a knack for making it, "They would most certainly be noticed around town. Its certainly better than painting on the buildings. As for showing people, you could take it to them. That way you know for certain that they are seen."

[Lizjay]

"I don't have the money to do things like that... I have to help with the rent and supplies..." Dante replied softly, "I'm not good with stuff like that and with the Mayor not liking me..."

[Bah Humbug]

Stuart thought about it. What could this young man do? "Well...hm...have you thought about getting a job at the university with art? It's got quite the art program and they are always in need of helpers."

[Lizjay]

"I thought about it... But most places won't hire me cause I don't have a past..." Dante said softly, he had been too nervous to try the school.

[Bah Humbug]

"You don't have a past? That is nonsense," chuckled Stuart, "Everyone has a past. Be it good, be it bad, we all have some where we came from and a past because of that. You simply must not remember your past, either by choice or by a severe case of amnesia."

[Lizjay]

"No one has ever claimed to be my family and I can't remember anything past a certain point in my past...." Dante said softly, not saying the reason was because in his old life he had been a ghost.

[Bah Humbug]

This brought a thought to Stuart's head. Could it be that this young man was from out of town? He had dreams of England, which is where he knew his father had originally been from but he had never made it out of this town. If this young man knew a way out of this dingy old town, he could use him to his advantage, "Well then I would say that you have amnesia, just not a severe case. Tell me, do you remember places outside of this one? Like London?"

[Lizjay]

"I... Can't really remember... I remember waking up in the park..." Dante said softly, lying to hide he remembered being a ghost. "The picture's I paint of London are said to be spot on though... Like I could of been there..."

[Bah Humbug]

"That is where my family is originally from. My father was a banker," chuckled Stuart as he relaxed in his chair. With a smile across his lips, he pondered the situation that the young man was in. Dante had no past, which slightly troubled him. What sort of man had no past?

"Have you considered going to the doctors?"

[Lizjay]

Dante looked down at his art pad, "No I've never really thought about that... I don't really have the money to go... I'm not even sure if they can really help me at all."

[Bah Humbug]

Again the talk of money was brought up and Stuart Dickens felt slightly selfish. He fished in his pocket for his checkbook before finding it and making a check out to Dante for the sum of $500 dollars. It was a part of his psyche, he often felt bad that he had so much while others truly had so little. "Here...it should help with somethings..."

[Lizjay]

"I couldn't sir..." Dante protested softly, he had never liked the idea of taking money without doing anything to earn it. It had been one thing he's picked up from watching humans for a long time.

[Bah Humbug]

"Then I will have you do odd jobs for me," Stuart nodded at the younger man. "That way it isn't like you are just taking the money from me. It will just be as if you were working for me."

[Lizjay]

Dante thought about this for a couple of seconds before slowly starting to nod, "Alright Mr. Dickens, that would work. What type of work would it be sir?" Dante asked politely.

[Bah Humbug]

Stuart thought about it for a second. What kind of work did he need done? Surely there was something, "Well..." he started, "you said you can paint. Could you do portraits?"

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