To Business!
The trio walked up the stairs in the building, the air conditioning barely cutting the humidity inside. Darkraven turned off on the third floor, heading for an unmarked door. Opening it, he led Harry and Lara inside.
Harry saw a large black man seated at a couch, as well as a Japanese man in a button-down shirt and slacks. The two were poring over some paperwork.
"Can I help you?" the black man asked curiously, gazing at the trio through his sunglasses.
"I'm Jeremiah Darkraven. This is Harry Potter and Lara Croft. My group wants to hire yours to get Mister Potter to Hong Kong."
"I see," the black man mused aloud as he stood. Harry internally goggled at the man's size. Six foot, four inches, the man was massive and muscular, and even more intimidating by the flak jacket that he wore. "Given that I don't know who you are, I'm not sure why the Lagoon Company would want to take this job."
"Ah, my apologies," Darkraven said. "My group usually goes through Benjamin Harcourt for courier work with you."
The Japanese man frowned, and then began flipping through the paperwork on the coffee table. "I think I have it, Dutch. The jobs that went through Benny," he said, handing the black man a few pages.
The black man, Dutch, flipped through the sheets, saying, "Gringotts, right?" Darkraven nodded. "Got it. Yeah, you guys always pay promptly, and the work usually isn't dangerous. So, assuming we can get Mister Potter here to Hong Kong, what's the catch? Why can't he just take a plane or something?"
"If I may?" Harry asked. "Dutch, right?" The black man nodded. "My legal guardian died last week in a shipwreck, so I can't travel internationally as a minor. I can't get to the British Embassy because of the separatist problem, and getting to India is a bad time for anyone white and British."
"He's not wrong, Dutch," the Japanese man said.
"I see," Dutch commented, rubbing his chin. "Unfortunately, it'll be a couple of weeks before we can do anything near Hong Kong."
"Why is that?" Lara asked.
"There are military naval exercises happening right now," Dutch replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "US, British, and Japanese Navies are all holding war games off of South Korea. It's a yearly posturing at North Korea, but it's not a good idea to be driving a torpedo boat anywhere near that mess."
Darkraven nodded at that. "Good point. But those exercises have never gone for more than three weeks, and it's been two so far."
"Add in wrap-up, and it'll be two more," Dutch commented. "Once the exercises are done, yeah, we can get Mister Potter to Hong Kong. It'll be a good warmup for getting back to up and running. Most smugglers here," Dutch explained to Harry, "take the war games as a time to get the paperwork caught up, boat maintenance done, that sort of thing. Nobody wants to get caught up shipping something fishy by an aircraft carrier on sub hunting practice.
"So, let Rock here crunch some numbers, and we'll get you a price," Dutch continued, gesturing at the Japanese man. "Why don't you all have a seat and we can discuss particulars."
They did so, and Harry looked around. The room wasn't identifiable to Harry as an office. No desks, only couches, chairs, and low tables. At the end of the room seemed to be a kitchenette.
"So, Mister Potter," Dutch began, "you mentioned that you're a minor. You look like you could just be a short adult."
"I turned fourteen on the thirtieth, sir," Harry replied.
"Huh. I guess looks can be deceiving," Dutch admitted as the door opened.
"We're full up, Dutch," a woman's voice called out. "Who the fuck are they?"
"Clients, Revy," Dutch calmly replied in the face of profanity. "Benny, did you get what we needed?"
"Sure did," a blond man replied as he rounded the couch. "It wasn't cheap, but the custom starter should fit just fine. Darkraven," he continued, holding out his hand to shake, "what brings you here? You usually just call."
"Work," Darkraven replied, shaking Benny's hand. "Mister Potter is a partner of ours, and he needs to get to Hong Kong. We're currently negotiating."
"Good fucking luck with that," the woman's voice floated from the kitchenette. "All the military bullshit has us locked down anywhere near there."
"That was explained to them already, Revy," Dutch said, a hint of warning in his voice.
Harry heard the woman sigh. "Fine, whatever, Dutch," she replied, dropping into a chair. Harry did blink at her appearance. A black crop-top covered her chest, with a pair of shoulder holsters. Extremely short jean shorts as well as untied combat boots completed her ensemble, and the tribal tattoo on her right arm went from the middle of her upper arm to the bottom of her hairline. "I'm Revy, that's Benny. You are?"
"I'm Harry Potter, this is Lara Croft," Harry replied, a little uncertain at the woman's tone.
"Mister Potter is having a little trouble traveling internationally, on account of being an unaccompanied minor," Dutch commented, lighting a cigarette. "Darkraven is here to negotiate over the price for when the route reopens."
"A minor?" Revy scoffed. "How old are you, kid?"
"Fourteen, ma'am," Harry replied politely.
"Holy shit," Revy laughed out. "British and polite? Dutch, are we supposed to be keeping him alive here? I mean, this kid needs to be in a museum, or something. Ain't nobody in this town this damn polite."
"Actually," Darkraven smoothly slid in, "Mister Potter will be largely on his own. Your company is only responsible for the trip. I'll be getting him a hotel room and such."
"And if he dies on the street?" Revy demanded. "'Cause a kid like him is going to get fucking eaten out there."
"If that happens," Darkraven replied," then the Lagoon Company keeps the deposit. Standard procedure."
"He's right," Benny broke in, pulling up his own chair. "I usually handle the negotiations with them. They always pay half in advance, half on delivery. They're the only customer we have that pays within hours of receipt. Everyone else takes a few days."
"Huh. Okay, sounds good," Revy admitted. "What about, you?" she asked, pointing at Lara. "What's your deal?"
"I'm just here to make sure Harry is taken care of," Lara explained, bristling slightly at Revy's harsh tone. "Once his arrangements are covered, I'll be leaving with the rest of our team."
"Seriously?" Revy asked, leaning forward. "You're just gonna leave a teenager here in Roanapur? Either you're colder than I first read you, or something else is going on."
"I have every confidence that Harry can handle himself," Lara replied stiffly.
"Okay, fine," Revy replied. "As long as we ain't a babysitting service, I'll deal with it. And a milk run on top of it? Fuck yeah, sounds great."
Rock handed Darkraven a sheet of paper. "Here is the expense breakdown, as well as our markup."
Darkraven looked the numbers over, and then nodded. "Potter, it's your call. What do you think?" he asked, handing the sheet to Harry.
Harry looked it over. Clearly labeled, concise numbers flowed down the page. "Is this a good price for a trip to Hong Kong?"
"Oh yeah. Most local places would charge about three-quarters that, but would be less trustworthy."
"Then yes, I think I can agree to this. Please have Gringotts take care of it."
Dutch and Harry signed the paperwork, and Rock left the room to make arrangements. "So a run to Hong Kong is a few days," Benny began, "and the military exercises likely won't be finished for a couple of weeks. What will you be doing between now and then?"
Harry shrugged. "Studying, checking out local food. I mean, two weeks isn't a long time."
"That's fair. I was thinking you and I could sit down and compare notes," Benny said with a smile.
"On?" Harry asked, confusion on his face.
"Schools," Benny said, the smile still on his face. "You see, I know who you are. And I know your school. I went to Ilvermorny in the States."
"Oh. Oh!" Harry exclaimed in startlement. "Huh. Yeah, sure. It might be interesting."
"What the fuck are you two talking about?" Revy demanded. "And why the fuck are you looking at me like that, kid? Something British about how 'a lady shouldn't be crude'" she demanded in a mocking voice.
"Actually," Harry admitted, "I'm trying to figure out how to get away with swearing as much as you do."
Revy blinked, then threw her head back in laughter. "Oh, I think we're gonna get along just fine, Harry."
"Anyways," Benny resumed as Rock came back in, "Harry and I are talking about our schools. Now that Rock's in here, I think we can discuss a few things. Dutch had to be let in to the secret when we started shipping for Gringotts. No, Revy," he said, mollifying Revy's angry expression, "we weren't keeping things from you on purpose. Well, we were, but you get mouthy when you've been drinking. And like it or not, you gossip with Eda when you two get half-a-bottle in."
"Yeah, I kinda do," Revy replied, a little quieter.
"Anyways, Harry and I are magicals. Wizards, actually. I went to Ilvermorny, he's at Hogwarts. Dutch is aware of it thanks to his time in the Navy."
"Coast Guard, actually," Dutch commented as he picked up a coffee mug. "And yeah, I saw some weird stuff in the jungle. It wasn't until Benny told me that I realized what it was that I'd seen."
Rock sighed, saying, "My brother is a wizard. Revy, do you remember that I said that my brother had a job with the government, while I was pretty much dismissed because I didn't get into college on my first try?" Revy nodded at that. "What I said was true, but from an angle. My parents and brother are magical, I am not. My brother does work for the government; he's a magical policeman. But I was shunted aside because I wasn't magical like the rest of my ancestors, so I wasn't accepted into the Mahoutokoro School of Magic."
Squeezing her eyes closed, Revy pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh, for fuck's sake," she muttered. "And Harry is one too, got it. What about you two?" she demanded, gesturing at Lara and Darkraven.
"I'm not," Darkraven admitted, "but I am from a magical family."
"I am," Lara stated, "but Harry thinks I'm a kind of 'late bloomer'."
"And what the fucking hell am I supposed to be doing with this information?" Revy demanded.
"Nothing," Harry said quietly. "I think that Benny didn't want to leave you out when we started talking. And probably to warn you about some stuff in case you overheard it."
"At any rate," Darkraven cut in, getting to his feet, "Harry and I still have some business to get to today. Still need to hit the bank and get the hotel room."
Revy sighed. "Look, he'll be here for a couple weeks, right? The apartment building I live in does weekly and monthly rentals. It'd be cheaper than renting a hotel room, and it'll look like he migrated in if he's living where the locals do."
"That's a good point," Rock said. "Cheaper, and closer to the office in case something comes up. I live there too."
"Sounds good," Harry admitted, slowly getting up. "Shall we, then?"
Information was exchanged, and the trio left, only to be blasted by the mid-afternoon heat. Three hours later, Harry was at the airport saying his goodbyes.
Sam did pull him aside, saying, "Look, we were never really close on this trip, but I really want to say Thank You for saving me. You and Lara did something that I don't think I can every repay."
Harry just smiled at her, giving her a light hug. "I have always done whatever it took to help my friends. Sure, we weren't particularly close during all of this, but we can write and get closer as friends."
"I'd like that, Harry," Sam softly said before kissing him on the cheek.
An hour later, Darkraven was dropping Harry off at his apartment building. Settling in, Harry did a quick inventory. Local identification, money, a place to live that wasn't entirely a slum, and he still had his bag.
Laying down, he fell asleep almost instantly, the events of the day having finally caught up with him.
*****
7 August, 1994
Sunday
Harry woke slowly, his brain grudgingly awakening with the dawn as it peeked through the edges of the window shades. He stripped, showered, managed to shave without cutting himself too badly (puberty was really coming in hard on Harry), and fixed himself some breakfast from the food still in stasis boxes in his bag.
Finally awake, he sat down and went over the previous day. "Well, crap. Stuck in Southeast Asia. At least I can relax a little," he muttered.
'I would hesitate to relax too much, young master,' Salim's voice lilted up.
"What do you mean?"
'I mean that while you might have been focused on other things, during the ride I was observing the local populace,' Salim commented dryly. 'There are a lot of openly armed people in this city. Revy is simply one of them.'
"So... should I strap on the pistol?"
'Since the bag has it's own sheath, I would recommend the blade,' Salim admitted. 'However, you will want to discuss this with Benny or Rock first about the local rules. They strike me as mostly noncombatants, so they will likely not have a skewed view of how things operate here.'
Sighing, Harry got dressed. Pulling out the map that Darkraven had given him, he reviewed the route before pulling on his bag. Fifteen minutes (and a low-powered cooling charm) later, he walked into the Lagoon Company's office.
"Morning, Harry," Dutch said from his seat. "You do know it's Sunday, right?"
Harry blinked at that. "I... I think that I forgot," Harry admitted.
"No harm done," Dutch said, sipping at a can of beer. "What can I do for you?"
Harry sat on the couch after setting his bag down at his feet. "I was wondering about local customs. On the car ride, I saw a lot of armed people on the streets. Is that normal?"
Dutch leaned back in his chair to consider the question. "I'd have to go with 'kind of'. Almost every armed person you see out there is a mercenary of some sort. And they're all paying the cops to look the other way when they operate. Mind, every one of them has a firearm license, so they're not owning illegally. The cops are also paid to look the other way at the open carry; that is illegal in Thailand."
"I... see," Harry slowly said, thinking about that. "So, should I be openly armed as well? You know, if I'm pretending to have moved here."
Dutch shrugged at the question. "Dunno, really. Revy and I are known to be armed, but we pay Chief Watsup to look away. We also have a reputation of friendly relations with the Chinese and Russians, so that helps keep idiots away. As for you, you're new in town, and not affiliated with anyone. And can you even use a gun?"
Harry sighed. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out Roth's magnum pistol, the same handgun he'd shot Mathias with. "I used this a little over a week ago. I may not be very good with it, but I can use it. I'm better with the submachine gun."
"May I see?"
Harry handed over the pistol before pulling out the submachine gun, laying it on the table.
"Nice pistol," Dutch admitted. "Well kept, too. Not something I'd expect from a Brit."
"Roth, the man who originally owned that, taught me how to maintain some firearms."
"Looks like he did good work. And this," Dutch said, laying the pistol down to gently pick up the submachine gun. "Oh, I haven't seen one of these in a while. A Japanese Type 100, in 8mm Nambu. Well kept too. This is a collector's piece."
Harry shrugged at that. "Beats me. All I know is that people were shooting at us with those. I probably have thirty or forty of the things. Ah, magic bag," he explained to Dutch's raised eyebrow. "It's bigger on the inside."
"I get it," Dutch admitted. "Benny has a similar set-up for his computer rig. The rack is a lot larger inside, letting him get more computer stuff in a smaller space. But this... Used, in good condition... You take this to a collector, you can probably get an easy five grand out of it."
"Huh. I never considered that these would be worth something," Harry mused aloud. "Anyways, yeah, I had to get decent with this. Cannibal sun cultists," Harry admitted to Dutch. "This and my sword really did me well on Yamatai."
"Hm. That's fair," Dutch said, handing the gun back to Harry. "So whether or not you should go armed is on you. I gotta say that how you're dressed doesn't stand out, so there's that. Your backpack is old army issue; pretty common out here. And you've got a lot of muscle mass, which'll help make people pause before robbing you.
"On the other hand, gun possession is legal in Thailand. Need to be at least twenty, with no significant criminal record over the last five years. If you can get paperwork claiming that you're twenty, you can get licensed. As for the cops, they tend not to notice; there just aren't enough of them to try to enforce the 'No Open Carry' laws."
"May have to talk to someone about that."
"In any case," Dutch wrapped up, "unless you get a license to possess, I don't recommend carrying. You should be okay with a sword so long as it's in the sheath."
Harry nodded, pulling his falcata out of the back only to slide it into the sheath built into the bag. "Thanks, Dutch. I just didn't want to feel defenseless, not after Yamatai. That wasn't fun."
"So how did someone so young get so muscular?" Dutch asked with a smirk.
"A potion," Harry admitted. "It all started in June..."
*****
8 August, 1994
Monday
Harry relaxed on his apartment bed, flipping through a book on runic languages. As it happened, Tom's knowledge was coming more and more in handy, as the runes were beginning to make more sense. And he and Salim had been discussing his previous use of wandless, silent summoning and banishing charms on Yamatai.
There came a pounding from his door, with Revy shouting, "Harry, Dutch called! He said to get you to the office for some shit!"
Rolling off the bed, Harry put on his bag and his boots. Opening the door, he said, "No need to shout; I've been awake since six."
"Really? Don't British kids have summer vacation?" Revy asked, leading him down the hall.
"We do, but I never got out of the habit of getting up early," Harry admitted as she led him to a large car.
"C'mon, you've got a meeting, Harry," Benny cheerily said from the driver's seat.
Climbing into the car, Harry asked, "Any idea what it's about?"
"Nope. All I know is that Dutch called and told me to come get you for a meeting."
A few minutes later, all three entered the Lagoon office to see Dutch looking a little nervous as he leaned against the counter. "Harry," he began, "the guy you're meeting is in the restroom. Apparently he had to floss because 'the locals were a little stringy'. Any idea what that's about?"
Harry shook his head at that. "Not offhand."
The restroom door opened, and out walked Slipshard. He was dressed in his suit, with a wide, toothy smile on his face. "Ah, if I had known what a wonderful city I'd be going to, I'd have packed for holiday. Mister Potter! Wonderful, wonderful. Mister Dutch, do you mind if I borrow your office?"
"Actually, I conduct my business right here," Dutch admitted, gesturing to the couch. "And no, I don't care."
Slipshard hopped onto the couch and, pulling a valise out of his pocket before expanding it, he began pulling out paperwork as Harry sat across from him.
"Apart from the thoroughly enjoyable walk from the embassy... Heh," Slipshard chuckled out. "Idiots thought I was some 'midget banker'. They'll live. Or not.
"Anyways, when our Hong Kong branch notified me that you had turned up, I began gathering my reports for you. There are a few items that will need your direct influence, but most of it will keep until your return to Britain."
"Makes sense," Harry said, nodding. "After all, there's still quite a bit in progress, right? So yeah."