#nigel fezziwig

[thedivinelights]

Little Snippet of the Extortionists AU: Stave Two (Modern AU Jacob/Ebenezer, no spirits involved!)

Having a whole lot of fun with this story not gonna lie! And I REALLY love how this part turned out so have a snippy snip!

(SNIPPET UNDER THE CUT)

Fezziwig gestured for them to take a seat, his hands trembling slightly as he poured himself a stiff drink from the decanter on his desk. Marley remained composed, his expression unreadable as he watched the older man, while Scrooge leaned back in his chair, a faint sneer playing at the corners of his lips. Pastelle stood at the side, far from the negotiations, yet not so far as to be unseen, her hands placed behind her back as she watched on with a calculative eye.

“Would any of you care for a drink?” Fezziwig asked, hoping to retain some of that cordiality that he had been so well-known for.

Scrooge declined with a curt shake of his head, while Marley kept his eyes upon Fezziwig for a few moments longer, as if he expected the old man to pull a trick or two to get himself out of the precarious situation he found himself in.

“I, uh, don’t believe we’ve met.” Fezziwig chuckled nervously as he glanced over at Pastelle, hoping to stall for just a few moments more. “Are you a new hire?”

“Who she is shouldn’t be any of your concern, Old Fezziwig.” Marley cut off that dialogue before Pastelle could even hope to respond. “What you should be concerned with is whether or not this partnership between Asplex and FezziTech should be considered null and void.”

Fezziwig’s form seemed to wither under Marley’s scrutinising glare, even if he had refused to falter. “Listen, I know we haven’t delivered on time as we should have, but there was a massive chemical spill in one of our main factories and caused a fire which completely decimated our inventory. We’re doing our best to recover, but—”

“Four quarters, Fezziwig.” Marley’s timbre seemed judicious enough, but the coldness alone sent a shiver up the older man’s spine. “Now, I’m sure a man of your stature understands basic mathematics, but in case you’ve forgotten how business works, let me remind you that that’s a full year’s worth of missed shipments. Your bullshit excuses haven’t changed the fact that we’re the ones paying for your incompetence.”

Incredulous, Fezziwig opened his mouth to fire back a retort, but Marley continued.

“We have been more than patient with you, Nigel Fezziwig.” Marley leaned against his gloved hand, crossing his legs as his green eyes radiated with a sly glint. “We’ve shared history together. Scrooge and I will always be grateful for how you’ve brought us to where we are now, but gratitude can only get so far in our line of work, and neither of us are going to stand by while you piggyback off of our success, reaping the benefits like a leech.”

Fezziwig paled. “Jacob, my boy, you can’t just… we’ve worked together for years! You can’t seriously be thinking of cutting us off like this!"

“Come on, old man, don’t you have other companies to turn to?” Scrooge asked rhetorically, barely hiding the malicious grin that had spread across his face. It looked wrong. It felt wrong.

“Eben— Scrooge. Please, you must see some sense!” Fezziwig pleaded, begged, grovelled.

Scrooge continued undeterred, his smile more prominent now. “Oh yes, that’s right! We’re your main source of revenue, aren’t we? Without us, you’re nothing more than an old relic struggling to keep up with the changing times.”

Tagged: @rom-e-o @ray-painter @crimson-phantom-designs @quill-pen

[ben-the-hyena]

Everything changed around Scrooge again, but this time to the point of totally changing place. He was now in a lively village hall, decorated for Christmas, full of dancing and laughing people. Scrooge remembered, it was a Christmas party organized at work by his former boss, good Mr Nigel Fezziwig. And Mr Fezziwig himself was there! As a boss, he was the contrary of what Scrooge was now: merry, very generous, who considered his employees like his children. During that party, young Scrooge absolutely didn't want to waste time in his work and had isolated himself but Fezziwig intended to make him come out of his shell and dragged him into the party. The young asocial man resigned... and met that night the only great love of his life, Belle. A real mutual love at first sight...