Deals Made In Back Alleys (Part one)

Jp with mdman and Cindy

The back allies and seedier parts of Paris, smelled of dirt, rotten food, opium dens and alcohol mixed-up together to a smell Laurent would only describe as "the poor." The streets here were always somehow wet, even if it hadn't rained for days. Even on the brightest days, the allies were shadowy and forbidden. Yet, this was where the money changed hands and the kind of business Dr. Lemaire traded in could take place.

It was days of the Exposition or nearby areas to scout potential customers, then here to actually do the business at hand. He knew who to look for. The man that seemed weak, bossed by his wife, run over, in a manner of speaking, by his kids. The ones that were alone- seemingly searching for a companion. And the brutes, the ones who handled their wives and kids with just a little too rough. All these men had the issue of not thinking they were man enough. Ones who questioned their own sense of manhood, it was just how they demonstrated that to others was the question.

Normally that was how the doctor did his business, though it was tiring and time consuming. He was tired of waiting for the serum to work the way he wanted. Tired of it not lasting longer than a few hours, if it worked at all or did just kill the subject.

He also was starting to run out of funds. Laurent wanted to sell a large batch at once. To who was the question.

Underground and shady people he had contacts with led him to an Irish man who went by the name Quinn.

Arrangement had been made earlier when it was clear Quinn was in town. The doctor was now sitting in an abandoned building, in one of those back allies waiting for that man to arrive.

The first thing Quinn did in Paris was he took Cronk to a bathhouse. He ensured the ladies took personal care of Cronk, ensuring the ogre was clean and well please from their attention.

Afterwards, Cronk smelled of a floral arrangement. One girls went out and purchased clean clothes for the two men, while they were bathed, so Cronk had a fancy suit to wear. They had to purchase long stockings for him, as the pant legs only came to Cronk’s knee.

From there, Quinn procured a suite with two bedrooms. He spared no expense. Quinn was alerting others that he came to buy, spendI g money everywhere.

They arrived at the Eiffel Tower, standing at the bottom peering upward. “By God!” Quinn remarked with a smirk. “The thing is bigger than you!”

“Cronk feel small,” came the ogre’s reply.

“That’s not what the ladies at the bathhouse were saying,” Quinn joked.

Cronk peered at Quinn, then began to laugh. “Heh-heh-heh!”

“We’ll go up the tower later,” Quinn informed Cronk. “Right now, we have a meeting to get to. A certain Doctor Lamaire. Apparently, he has some type of super serum.”

Cronk followed Quinn through the city. He trusted the man who had taken him under his wing in the streets of Dublin. Although Dublin was not as huge as Paris, Cronk still felt comfortable in these alleyways. It had been Cronk and Quinn’s way of life.

The warehouse would have been dark, if it wasn't for the steam-powered lamps that sat on the walls. They still worked. There wasn't much else here. Just a wooden squarish table and a few wooden chairs. The doctor had placed two chairs at the table as he awaited the man's arrival.

Whispers filled his ears - can't trust. You need to do more. This fails you are a failure. - the voices were French and male - always male

A man arrived a short time later. Much to the doctor's surprise, an Orc came in with the man. Laurent stared at the Orc for a moment.

"You must be Quinn," Laurent said, turning his attention back to the human standing in front of him. "Please, take a seat."

As Quinn walked into the building, his eyes scanned the surroundings, ensuring this was his meeting with the doctor. Satisfied no one else was around, he whispered to Cronk, “Keep your eyes peeled,”

Cronk gave some deep thought to this request. It wasn’t like his eyes were like onions or the potatoes that grew in the fields of Ireland. He’d just keep watch, maybe that’s what Quinn meant. He would protect this man with his life. Quinn had been so kind to Cronk, the only one who had given the ogre a fair opportunity.

“Yes,” Quinn answered, pointing to the ogre. “This is Cronk, my associate. If anything gets out of hand, Cronk will lose himself. So, I would advise that we stay on the up-and-up here.” He paused to allow what he had stated to have its effect. “Now, Doctor Lamaire, what fine thing do ye have for us today?”

"I have an elixir of sorts - sold to the public for health and vitality - especially to men who have certain - issues of the male persuasion. However, I've noticed a rather interesting side effect. A side effect that will make this serum of great use to the leadership of groups that might want to take advantage of it." Dr. Lamaire waited to see if what he had said, held interest to Quinn.

Him....him. ..it's him... the voice in Laurent's head whispered.