#yes i made delwyn armie hammer bc i love armie hammer

[xxomalley]

( self para. mal. 001 )

who: delwyn jones (legal representative), mr townsend (owner of the warehouse). what: to use a cliche, delwyn makes an offer mr townsend can’t refuse. im yellin. when: two months ago, following james frank silver telling malavita carabosse of the news about a friend of his who got injured at work, their wages being kept from them -- all because they are isle kids. the precursor to mal’s vengeance.

+ some quick info/recap of event timeline at the end 

Delwyn Jones sat in a cushy waiting room at Townsend & Lodge and waited for his meeting with Mr Townsend himself. Mr Lodge, he had been told, had passed on several years earlier; this was not good news, as he had also heard Mr Lodge had been the more reasonable and professional of the pair, while Mr Townsend was a sleaze of a man who still sported oily, slicked back hair and a gold chain on his chest. But Delwyn was sure that, if he pushed the right buttons, the man could be convinced of the proposal Hank had told him to pass on: give the Isle kids their wages, or else.

He was not alone in his waiting. Two men sat in chairs on either side of him – protection, they were meant to be. Whenever Delwyn was given a job by Hank, men always travelled with him but they were never the same pair. At a job, Delwyn would usually go it alone, for professional courtesy, but he guessed the direness of the situation called for some visual hostility.  

He had been given a vague idea of what was happening: Isle kids were being forced into labour, their wages kept from them while employees from Auradon were treated with more consideration. There were five of them here, but he had not been given their names. When he entered the warehouse, however, passing the assembly line on the way to the office, it was easy enough to pick them up. A boy with a cyborg arm. A girl with strange markings around her head.  Delwyn counted only four until he remembered one of them had been injured. Yes, their arm had been crushed with faulty machinery and subsequently fired.

Delwyn had also counted a foreman, an accountant in his own office, peeping through Venetian blinds, and two men in the break room who he guessed weren’t just on their break. They looked exactly like Mr Townsend did in photos: dark hair, big chins. Family, he suspected.

Fifteen minutes after he was admitted into the office, Mr Townsend finally agreed to see him. The two men in charge of watching over Delwyn remained in the waiting room.

Delwyn came directly to the point. That he was here on behalf of Mr Bennett, the boy whose arm had been crushed in the course of his employment. That the boy was to be compensated. That all the other workers from the Isle were to be given their wages in full with interest. That the figure Delwyn represented expected full cooperation from Mr Townsend, in return for a hefty sum of money and the opportunity of favours.

“Favours?” Mr Townsend snorted. “And who’s this figure you’re representing, eh? Couldn’t come here himself?”

“I’m afraid that’s not how they work,” said Delwyn. “They prefer to keep their name anonymous, and trust me to manage situations for them.”

“So now I’m in a situation?”

“I assure you, Mr Townsend, my employer understands the stress and expectation you must be under. In fact, they admire your family-run business. We understand you pack and supply products all over Auradon, and my employer is interested in starting up a business relationship should we come to an agreement.”

Mr Townsend paused, narrowing beady eyes at Delwyn. “The agreement that…I give all those kids their money?”

“Yes. Along with the interest accumulated over the weeks. Plus, compensation for the injured boy. And for you to rescind his contract termination.”

“I gotta hire him again? That’s all I have to do? To get that money you got for me? How much money was that again?”

Delwyn repeated the sum.

Mr Townsend let out a low whistle.

“Well…that’s some offer.” He leaned back in his chair and there was a loud creaking sound. Delwyn stopped himself from cringing. Mr Townsend rubbed his chin, looking up at the ceiling. He looked down, smiling at Delwyn like an adult humouring the fantasies of a child. “All this for some Isle kids, eh? Some VKs? Brats from across the way?”

Delwyn dug his nails into the worn leather of the armrest, but he kept his expression composed, nodding once. “It’s just business. My employer acts on a favour-by-favour basis.”

“Ah, right, that favours things. And exactly what kind of favours can your employer do for me?”

Delwyn cleared his throat. “We understand you’ve been having trouble meeting demand, and also with your attempts at expanding your services outside of Auradon. Specifically, the one trade law with Arendelle that seems to have put a damper on your –”

“Yeah, fine, I get it. So what are you going to do?”

“My employer has connections in Arendelle that could make the process of achieving your certification faster. Easier.”

Mr Townsend asked more about kind of favours Delwyn’s employer could do, and Delwyn answered to the best of his ability (which is to say, as vaguely as possible). But after almost an hour of talk, the older man seemed convinced. After a paper was signed and hands were shaken, Delwyn left Townsend & Lodge, his two bodyguards at his heels, with a pleasant outlook. The deal was made. Hank would be pleased. He had even winked at the boy with the cyborg arm as he left: Delwyn’s promise that things would get better.

And they would get better. As long as Mr Townsend kept his end of the bargain. 

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recap:

james frank and four other VKs work at townsend & lodge. this was organised by bernadette bernard. their employment started off fairly and then only got worse bc mr townsend realised he could exploit these kids.

james frank, feeling that he can’t tell bernie or anyone else, tells mal because he hears she started something here. she agrees to help, no return-favours needed (delwyn says to mr townsend that his ‘employer’ is only doing it for a favour but that’s a lie).

mal sends delwyn jones, a friend of hank’s and a lawyer, to deal with mr townsend. 

delwyn organises an agreement between him and mr townsend. townsend signs papers, promises to do a lot of things, but ultimately will not do anything asked of him. he just wanted to money. 

some time will pass and mal will find out that things have not gotten any better.

there are five people at townsend & lodge who will be mal’s victims: mr townsend, the foreman, the accountant, and two other men.

note:

the blacktower’s underground business has been in operation for almost half a year. but the club was just opened a few weeks ago.