Multi-Dimensional Merchant System

The man had already seen the Duke several times while scouting the compound and knew what to expect before he ever opened the door. Like all of his guards and workers, The Duke possessed the deeply tanned skin and black hair that was common for this area of South America. He was consistently well groomed, presenting an image of confidence and capability. Dressed in a simple pair of khaki pants and a white, short-sleeve button down shirt, he looked more like a friendly neighbor than a drug kingpin.

Though the way the guards deferred to him showed clearly who was in charge.

A small smile formed under the mask as the man stepped through the door. “Ah, The Duke! It's a pleasure to finally meet you!”

Without waiting for a response, the masked man claimed the seat directly across the impressive oak desk. Casually unbuttoning his suit jacket as he sat, he crossed one leg over the other and folded his hands together. He glanced pointedly over The Duke's shoulder and out the open french doors behind him. “I can see why this is your office. An incredible view, and the breeze through those doors! It's like paradise.”

He shook his head sadly after a moment. “Though it's not without flaws, I'm sad to say.”

The Duke listened calmly, a small smile on his lips. At the mention of flaws, a single eyebrow rose, though whether from curiosity or disdain was difficult to tell- He had an impressive poker face. When he spoke, his voice was both deep and cultured. “Oh? And what flaws would those be? If you don't mind enlightening me, that is.”

The man simply nodded. “Of course! After all, I'm sure we will be fast friends before this conversation ends.” He waved vaguely towards the balcony. “Roughly a thousand meters in that direction is a small rise. Because of the trees, it's nearly impossible to see from here... And, because of the gentle slope of the land, its difficult to notice even when you walk on it.”

Raising a single hand, he pointed directly at The Duke's heart. “But! The rise is sufficient that anyone on it would have easy line of sight on this office... And, with the way the foliage is carefully pruned, the only obstruction is your chair.”

He could see the sudden tension in Emilio and the guards as they all glanced in that direction simultaneously. Before any of them could respond, he decided to throw a little more fuel on the fire. “I should also note... Said pruning was done before my arrival; I simply made use of it.”

The barest fracture in The Duke's poker face, there and gone again in an instant as he wiped away the forming frown. “You are saying that there are others who have spied on us?”

The man shrugged indifferently. “Well Pablo... Do you mind if I call you Pablo?” The hint of surprise in The Duke's eyes was enough to make the man smile broadly- very few of the locals knew 'The Duke's' real name. After a brief hesitation, Pablo regained his bearing and nodded. “Thank you Pablo. First, I would like to clarify: I am not a spy, thus I cannot have spied on you at any point.”

“Second... Aside from the carefully trimmed vegetation, there is little proof that anyone has done such... Though I'm inclined to believe it. But I will say, it likely wasn't recent. I'm not an expert on Botany, or even a gardener, but it is clear that enough time has passed for the plants to regrow and nearly hide what little evidence there was.”

He glanced quickly at Emilio and nodded, his smile clear in his voice. “That's another reason I suggested in you implement more aggressive patrols. I wouldn't want my new friends to be the victims of some troublesome meddling.”

Pablo and Emilio held a silent exchange, the kind of look only long time friends could truly understand, before Emilio turned and left the room. Pablo quickly returned his gaze to the strange man sitting across from him.

The two simply stared at each other as a minute passed, then two. A hint of respect flashed in Pablo's eyes as the man never once shifted or showed any hint of nervousness. Slowly he nodded, his serious expression fading once more into the friendly smile he wore. “Thank you for informing me of this issues, Mr.-?”

With a soft chuckle, the man waved off the question. “A name hardly matters. Your name may be Pablo, but, in truth, you are The Duke. Name's are given to us, but it is who we are and what we do that really matters.”

Pablo snorted in amusement and shook his head. “The Philosophy of names, was it? I agree, it is an interesting thing to consider... But I have a feeling we should focus on the reason you are here first. Though that conversation would certainly be easier if I had a name to use for you. Should I call you 'The Devil' because of the mask you wear? Of course, I'm not sure I believe in the Devil...”

“I don't mind. 'A meeting between The Duke and The Devil'... It sounds delightfully ominous.” He chuckled softly. “And it's perfectly fine if you don't believe in me. I believe in myself more than enough... Pride is a Sin, after all.”

His shoulders shook slightly as dark laughter bubbled up, which he abruptly cut off as one of the guards shivered uneasily. “My apologies. I didn't mean to make you gentlemen uncomfortable. I'm simply a... Glutton... for bad jokes.”

A soft snicker from The Duke broke the awkward silence brought about by the terrible pun. With the attention back on him, he looked slightly embarrassed about laughing at such humor. “Ah, very well. So tell me, Mr. Devil-”

“Please, just call me Devil. There's no need for such formality between friends, right?”

The Duke nodded. “Of course. And please, call me Duke. I much prefer it over my given name.” When Devil nodded in acceptance, The Duke continued. “As I was saying, what brings you to my not so humble home? I'm sure it's for more than just to advise us of security concerns.”

The Devil leaned forward slightly in his seat. “Yes, I suppose we should get business out of the way. You see, there is a problem that I would like your assistance with.”

The Duke nodded along for a moment, then shrugged. “Depending on the problem, perhaps I can. Ordinarily, I do not sell directly as we have people to handle distribution for us. This is more of a production operation.”

Devil shook his head slowly, all hint of mirth gone. “It isn't that sort of problem, I'm afraid. Rather, it is one of your work force... Well, a particular employee of yours, that is.”

Duke cocked his head to the side in confusion. “You have a problem with one of my people?”

With a sigh, Devil leaned back in his seat. “Perhaps I should explain it in detail...” After a moment to organize his thoughts, he spoke. “It was brought to my attention that one of your men has gotten... out of hand recently.”

“You see, for years he has been abusing his family. As is common in these situations, it started out as simple verbal abuse-mostly directed at his wife. Over time, it escalated to physical violence towards he... And then towards his children. Unfortunately, it has progressed to the point that his family now fears for their live.”

Devil spread his hands as if laying his cards on the table. “My assistance was requested, so here I am.”

Duke sat impassively for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders. “While, as a family man myself, I find such things to be distasteful... I fail to see why you are bringing this to me. Surely a man who can confidently walk in here, unarmed no less, is capable of handling such a situation on his own.”

A small smile flashed across Devil's face as he nodded. “That is true, I suppose. And, truthfully, I considered doing just that. But I felt that just killing one of your men would have forced you to respond in some way. It is rather disrespectful, even an insult, to your leadership. And a man in your position isn't likely to tolerate such an insult.”

“And, of course, it is possible his wife and children could have been negatively impacted by your response, or the actions of your men. And that is something I would prefer to avoid. They have done nothing to deserve the abuse they have received, and they certainly don't deserve to suffer because of my shortsightedness.”

He chuckled softly for a moment and shook his head. “Of course, I also know better than to think you would turn a blind eye to such behavior from one of your men. The only reason you haven't dealt with it already is because the man hid it so well.”

There was no denial on The Duke's face, only genuine curiosity. “Oh? What makes you say that?”

“Because you're smarter than that. Domestic violence is typically about power and control- usually a person that feels powerless in their life exercising their control over their family. Often it is learned through personal experience, but that isn't the point at the moment.”

“You have a man on the lower rungs of your organization that feels powerless, so he takes it out on his family. Year after year he fails to advance- likely due to his own incompetence and mistakes. But men like that tend to blame everyone but themselves.”

“And as he stagnates, his feeling of powerlessness grows and the violence against his family grows alongside it. Sooner or later, it will reach a tipping point. Then, one of two things will happen: either he will go too far and kill someone in his family, or he will lash out at the institution that he feels has stifled him.”

The Duke sighed softly and nodded. “You believe he may do something stupid that threatens my business.”

Devil nodded sadly, though not out of concern for the drug dealers. “Yes, that is possible. But even if he wasn't a potential threat to you, I know you would choose to do something about it.”

“You're a leader. Your men respect you for a reason... But even the locals who don't work for you respect you. The name 'Duke' is actually fitting for you... Because you understand the underlying principles of leadership. Of ruling.”

“You take care of your people, all of them. Because you know that loyalty is important, and nothing is better to build loyalty than making sure people are safe, well fed, and happy.”

“You also strike me as someone that actually cares about his people. It's quite noble, if you ask me.” He suppressed a chuckle at his secret joke- referring to someone who bears a noble titled for a nickname as being noble wasn't much of a joke, but he liked it.

Of course, this wasn't really a conversation to laugh at.