Unfortunately for Fortunato’s peace of mind, it wasn’t long before possibly another unpleasant little man came crawling to him with his petty little concerns.
This one arrived shortly after he’d given the orders to his warlocks to deploy to the casino’s perimeter and start dismantling all the spells that prevented mystical illusions, glamours, and charms from being enacted within it.
“Sir, I’m not sure you understand what you’re doing,” the little man whined. “Those enchantments weren’t designed to be toggled. They can’t just be ’switched off’.”
“Naturally. That’s why I called for a team of warlocks and not an intern.”
“I don’t think you fully comprehend…”
“And I don’t think you’re capable of grasping the fullness of my comprehension,” Fortunato said. “So where does that leave us?”
“What you’ve done is to order the removal of some very important, very expensive spells.”
“And what is it, exactly, that you do not think I understand about that?” Fortunato asked.
“Sir, the protective spells represent approximately a third of capital investment in The Meadows,” the man said. “Without them, the casino cannot hope to operate without being vulnerable to manipulation by every hedge wizard and luck manipulator in the galaxy.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about every one in the galaxy,” Fortunato said. “The ones who are already in the neighborhood would probably clean you out long before they all got here.”
“Sir, that’s the, ah, crux of the problem,” the man said. “As it turns out, being ‘cleaned out’ is not in the casino’s best interest.”
“Is that a fact?”
“In point of fact, it is in fact, a… fact,” the functionary said.
“Well, that’s one opinion,” Fortunato said.
“Oh, no, sir,” the man said. “It’s a fact!”
“Is it?”
“Yes, in…”
“Shut up,” Fortunato said. “I don’t have time for this.”
“Well, I respectfully suggest you see about making time for it,” the man said. “We do have options. Paths available to us. Remedies.”
“You mean, you can get rid of me,” Fortunato said. “Force me out.”
“In point of… well, yes, we can,” he said. “The board can.”
“And you think these remedies would remedy the situation.”
“Well, yes, we’d be able to re-open The Meadows and…”
“No.”
“What?”
“No, you would not be able to reopen The Meadows,” Fortunato said.
“Sir, once again I think you’re failing to grasp the essential point,” the man said. “If you’re not here, you can no longer exercise control, and thus, even if it is your wish for The Meadows to remain closed…”
“You can’t reopen it without the protective spells in place,” Fortunato said. “And since all the top-notch warlocks and enchanters on this agglomeration work for me personally and not for the board, you would have to import the needed talent, which would take time. And time, as they say, is money.”
“Yes, but we’re already losing enough of that.”
“So why go losing more?” Fortunato asked. “The immediate effect of The Meadows being closed is a short-term net gain for its competitors. But long term? All the casinos get a lift from the prestige of The Meadows, just as it gains a benefit from having smaller, cheaper establishments handling its overflow. At the end of the day, the separate casinos aren’t in all-out competition with each other. They’re just different buckets, arranged to draw the most water most efficiently from the well.”
“Sir, you’re arguing against yourself,” the man said.
“Am I?”
“You’re pointing out why the closure of The Meadows is a bad thing for everybody,” he said.
“Long term,” he said. “Short term, it’s a zero-sum game. The money that’s already docked will simply spend itself elsewhere. It’s only when its closure becomes an ongoing factor, affecting people’s travel plans and annual budgets, that money starts to walk away in significant amounts. So, you can either let my men do what they’re doing and take me at my word that The Meadows will reopen soon… or you can attempt to force me out, and in the event that you are successful, you can see The Meadows closed until a sufficiency of sorcerous power has been subcontracted to secure the necessary spells.”
“You paint a pretty bit of alliteration, but I’m not sure ’subcontracted’ is the right verb.”
“No poetry,” Fortunato said, shaking his head. “Let me share with you some facts you have overlooked, some things you have failed to fully comprehend. The Meadows is one of the three big draws of the Fickle Finger. Mount Charles is another one. Do you know what the third one is?”
“Our first-class zoo?”
“Me,” Fortunato said. “Gamblers are, not surprisingly, a superstitious lot. You advertise and you hand out your vouchers and you make your players’ clubs and you do everything you can to keep people coming here to spend their money, but in the end you can’t do half as much as I do just by existing. I draw out the high rollers. I bring in the big bucks.” He waved his hand and then turned back to his bank of screens. “Now leave me alone. I have plotting to do.”
The man made some more noises, but Fortunato was long past the point of paying them any attention. When he failed to garner any response, the man left.
“Yes, I’m afraid he’s not going to be reasonable,” the man said into his commline. “Or even as not completely unreasonable as normal… I don’t think the board’s leverage is going to cut it, no. We’re going to have to call in a few outside favors. The gaming commission? No, I was thinking a little bit more impressive than that. Listen, are you secure on your end? Good… I want you to put out a line to the Lead Soprano.”
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