Phillip had been reading up on magical concepts and techniques, trying to get a better idea of what kind of abilities he might have to deal with in his new profession. Both of his parents had been able to wield magic, this much he knew. He inherited these books from them, and every now and again he ran into small notes scrawled into the margins of the pages, or even a post-it note if they needed more space. They had the same note-taking style, but the handwriting was different. He never did figure out who's writing was who's. They hadn't been around long enough to start teaching hi.
Anyway, dowsing was the main topic for today… Arleen described it perfectly, but she left out that there were different techniques for different kinds of magic, and for how long ago a spell had been casted. It required a lot of materials to do, and if someone was stationary, even more materials to hide your presence. On top of that, she didn't realize just how much of a special case Phillip was...
"I'll have to ask Mrs. Farrier about all this," Phillip said absentmindedly. He jumped when she appeared beside him, leaning over to see the pages. "Why would you need to ask, contractor? You see the steps on the pages, do you not?"
"Yeah, I do, but I can't exactly DO jack- with any of this." Phillip gently closed the book. "I can't use magic beyond my contracts. It's why I only skimmed these things."
"So you need my assistance in casting them, hm? Unfortunately, that's not in my job description. Besides, you already advertise your home address. This is just another way of marketing your business."
Before Phillip could respond, there was a ring at the doorbell. Arleen sped away, but she appeared to leave a chair pulled out for his next client. "How thoughtful…"
Phillip opened the door to greet his new client, George. George was a young guy in his mid twenties, dressed in a basic polo shirt and jeans. He had hearing aids in too. That's definitely something to keep track of.
"So, Mr. Pearson! Welcome in. Let's get started." He led the client to his seat. "Want anything to drink? I've got tea, maybe some soda…?"
"No thank you, sir. A water would be nice though."
"Sure! Wait right here. We can talk a little more about your contract when I get back, and trust me, there'll be a lot of talking."
Phillip couldn't tell much from about him from just this… he wasn't as easy to read as Arleen was (although the mirror in his office certainly helped). He'd have to learn more based on what he asked, figure out his situation… and try to get ahead based on that. He came back down with a 6 pack of Dr. Pepper and big pitcher of ice water.
"So what's the nature of your business here? How can I be of service? I'm sure you saw all of my qualifications online?"
"Yessir, I have. But… well, you don't have what I need listed on there. I'm here about the other thing." George seemed unsure of what to say. "Is there any kind of special procedure for it?"
"No, not at all! It's all super simple. I guess you're not familiar with my magic if you're asking." Phillip smiled. He didn't need to do much work here.
"No, sir I'm not. Could you explain…?"
"Of course! Tell me what you want and we make a contract. I do something for you, you do something for me, and as long as we both hold up our ends of the bargain, nothing bad happens."
"Oh! That really is simple!" George relaxed, but Phillip got a little less excited. Magic is never really that simple, and anyone involved with it should realize. A new spellcaster could be useful in the long term though…
"It sure is. Tell me what you're looking for, George."
"I'm not sure how to ask… I guess I want to… breathe underwater?" George shuffled in his seat a little.
"Sounds cool. Mind telling me why?" Phillip was genuinely interested. He felt bad for expecting the request to be something about his hearing.
"I… want to get married." He was definitely embarrassed.
"Married? That's a big jump, my man."
"No, it isn't! I love her, she's the—"
"I meant for breathing underwater. What's the story?"
"Well… I'm a fisherman. Every man in my whole family's been, for generations, even on my mother's side. My grandparents died at sea ages ago, when I was a kid. Real bad storm... their ship was lost at sea… up until maybe a month ago. They always told me that they wanted me to use my grandma's engagement ring when I got married… and I want to be able to dive down there and grab it myself." George got a dreamy look in his eyes.
"Why not just grab some scuba gear? There's definitely easier ways to go about all this, y'know?"
"They won't approve me! I put in all the paperwork, I have all my certifications, but they're telling me the wreckage is some sort of artificial reef! It's so goddamn frustrating…"
"Welp, you came to the right guy. I could represent you in court, but it sounds like you want that ring now, and I can make that happen! Let's get down to business."
***
Phillip knew that he would have to do a lot of work to make this contract work. He had to oversimplify the process with George as to not play his hand. With Arleen, he could be as clear as he wanted to, at least with their first contract. She was old enough to know the risks and avoid making a bad deal, which was why he had to rely on her being a softie. For George? He still wasn't sure if the man knew anything about the supernatural beyond whatever dousing technique he used. He'd have to get as much from the client as he could without asking for too much and making the deal seem unfair. A completely different problem is George's actual request… breathing underwater. Phillip clearly can't do that— he's human. This is where his second contract with Arleen comes into play.
"Access to all of [her] abilities."
While Phillip could never apply them to himself, having access to Arleen's abilities meant that he can use them in his contracts. Supernatural speed, strength, and senses, getting energy through consuming blood, eternal life. If he wanted to, he could also use her curses. True Vampirism is too ancient and powerful to overcome, even with contract magic, which is why he couldn't cure her completely, but Phillip could theoretically give someone vampirism through a contract and take it away later, thanks to Arleen.
Phillip wrote on his notepad as carefully as he could, finishing up some notes. He was still lost on how he was going to give him the water breathing, so he needed to stall for time.
"So, George, before we do anything else, let's talk about your end of the deal." Phillip put the pen down to stretch his fingers. George had lost focus, looking around the room. "George?" The client shook himself to attention and adjusted his hearing aids.
"Sorry, sorry, I uhh… turn the volume down when I want to relax. Did you say my end?" Phillip nodded. "Oh, well… I could pay you?"
"I'm sure you could, but magic is a big deal, and money is fleeting. I need something a tad bit more permanent…" Phillip adopted a more serious look for his face.
George noticed, and looked more attentive. "So what is it that you want? You want my firstborn child or something?" Phillip laughed and waved the statement off. "No, of course not! You said you ran a boat, right? A business?"
"Yessir, I do. I'm set up to inherit a whole company, too…"
"That's perfect! I'd like your benefits from that."
"What?" George looked confused.
"We'll share custody of the simple stuff! Free boat rides, your licenses, maybe some fish every once in a while. I don't even want any stocks!" Phillip would draft it up in a way that he'd still get them, of course, but he genuinely didn't want them. Besides, if this business somehow had supernatural qualities to it, he could benefit further still. This was a good deal for him.
"Okay, that's fine by me. My dad's got a lot of life left in him so I'm not close to inheriting anyways, but I can definitely give you free boat rides! I was actually going to ask if you wanted to retrieve the ring with me?" George looked happy. He wanted to share his joy. Phillip have a small smile and nodded. "I'm just so happy… as soon as I get that ring, I can spend the rest of my life with her." Right then, Phillip figured out how to help him breathe.
Arleen stood listening just outside the meeting, leaning against the wall. She didn't need to be so close to hear, but it felt more natural than hearing it from upstairs in the study. From the other side of the conversation, what the contractor was doing seemed so clear. She had to figure out how to stop this hopeless romantic from throwing away his life because of this contract. It's no wonder the man got fooled so thoroughly, either. He'd been listening to music in his earpieces since he walked through the door. She never understood why folks couldn't be alone with their thoughts.