For better or worse (Clover Sinclair)

”Yeah I know I promised, but a few things came up is all.” Michael sighed, pressing the phone against his right ear as a stream of what he assumed as attempts to persuade him to abandon his current business venture would be made. Normally it would have worked, but this was something that managed to grab onto and hold his attention. Sure, he had to be sure he didn’t make his presence too well known if only because of a certain likely nosy heroic types that would love to ruin him. ”But I promise tomorrow night you’ll have my full attention.” As much as he hated taking advantage of his sons trusting nature, they ate it up quite easily. Granted, there was more of them making him promise, four times but he did it willingly. ”Take care of your sister alright. Yeah, I love you too little guy.” He said with a smirk, pressing the red button as the phone itself would hang up.

The Los Angeles air was chilly, even more than usual. So Michael made sure to dress up a bit warmer to prevent feeling...well cold. That ended up being a pair of black slacks along with what looked to be a sort of woolen sweater over a well made white button up shirt. The fact that he looked well dressed helped considering that he was going to some manner of high quality party, thrown by some billionaire with a penchant for good deeds. Travis Masters if he remembered their name, but they were not why he was going there. His eye was on another, a visionary of sorts with impressive power to back up that vision of theirs. Maybe if they proved useful enough, maybe he could  help them and in turn they could help him.

This party took place at a rather nice looking mansion, music barely audible once he drove up in what looked to be a rather well kept black car. Modestly priced, but he imaged it was perhaps the cheapest vehicle around here despite the price tag that would make the middle class American have a hemorrhage. The one to greet him was a male his age, dirty blonde hair with these strange dull grey eyes but with an invite smile. Travis Masters if the magazines were right about anything, and they looked about as good. ”Oh hi, you’re here for the party...benefit thing right?” He asked, offering a hand to shake, Michael accepting and clapping it on the back softly with his free hand. Well he would have to get into the role he gave himself.

”Yes I am. Just wanted to meet with the host, maybe do a little mingling since that seems to be what everyone else is doing.” He said, releasing the grip and letting his hands sink into his pockets. ”So stay cool and maybe we’ll see each other around.” He noted, giving them a wink as he walked off, faintly noticing what looked to be a blush. I still got it. Michael thought to himself as he took notice of one of the wait staff walking about with little fancy glasses of champagne, deftly grabbing two before walking on. From there he would seek out his target, a woman by the name of Clover Sinclair, eventually finding her after a few minutes of looking.

Michael would find a seat close to them and speak up, being as charming as a social being like himself could be. ”Pretty dull party huh?” He said offering a smirk as he took a sip of one of the glasses in hand and settling one down in silent offering for her.

~~~Clover’s Mansion in Los Angeles~~~

A loud audible sigh echoed throughout Clover’s large room, as she stared at herself in a large mirror hanging from one of the walls. The young girl fiddled with her dress, no matter how she shifted or fidgeted, she couldn’t manage to make herself feel comfortable in this god awful dress that her caring and loving butler had picked out for her. “For heaven’s sake Winston, why do you insist on putting me in the most uncomfortable of outfits?” She protested as she continued to struggle with her dress.

A large burly old British man strolled into the room “Miss Sinclair need I remind you that your attendance at this party is paramount to maintaining your family’s image? You simply must go, no matter how uncomfortable you may feel.”

“This party is a waste of my time. I could be devoting this evening to studying magic, or searching for powerful artifacts. All things that would help me ensure my vision becomes a reality. Attending this party provides no such benefit to me.” Clover spun around to look at her caretaker with a pouty expression. Seeing as her attempts to make Winston change his mind were failing, Clover disappeared into her large closet. If she was going to be forced to attend a party that she wanted nothing to do with, then she was going to wear something less restraining. Moments later Clover reappeared in a sleek and elegant black mini dress that had a frilled bottom and a large bow tied around her waist that accented as a belt.

Winston shook his head with disapproval, as he had spent all morning getting the young lady’s ensemble together, but he knew that if he was forcing her to keep with her family’s agenda, then compromise would have to be made, so he excepted her choice of attire and ushered her out the door.

~~~At the party~~~

Clover made her way into the lavish mansion, doing her best to avoid eye contact with almost everyone except the party’s host, one Travis Masters. After having a brief talk with him, she made her way to a corner where she found an isolated table.
“Perhaps you should socialize with the other guests, It’s what your parents would do.”
Clover looked up to give Winston a look of annoyance. It was bad enough that she was forced to come here, but speaking or interacting with people that had no impact on her future, nor shared her interest was something she would not do. Winston immediately looked to the ground after being met with Clover’s fierce glance, like a child being scolded by their mother. “I’ll just go and get us some refreshments then.” and with that, he disappeared in the sea of people.

No sooner did Winston leave her side, a party goer took it upon themself to take a seat next to Clover. Hearing the man speak, made Clover roll her eyes as she turned to face the individual. “I wouldn’t know. I’m not one for parties or conversation.” She tried to give the subtle hint that she was the least bit interested in speaking with anyone. She knew this was no way to treat a person but she was already frustrated with having to be at this party and now she was being bothered by someone she did not know, Clover looked down to the glass that the man had brought her, and politely pushed it aside. “These kind of parties annoy me, everyone here is to carefree and oblivious to the world around them. They could care less about their actions or the impact that they have.”

Michael didn’t appear visibly annoyed by the woman’s less than amused reaction to his statement but then again just one look at her gave the impression she was not exactly the most social. All he did was smirk, lifting his own glass and taking a polite sip of the slightly foul tasting liquid. ”Not one for parties or conversation huh? Guess this just isn’t your scene then.” He noted, a few letting the statement hang in the air for a few seconds his his oddly colored silver eyes followed people, moving about and chatting with one another. Someone had been attending to the woman before he arrived, likely some manner of employee of theirs. Despite their tone, he didn’t look daunted in the slightest.

Then they spoke of something interesting, about how people were far too carefree, despite that being what parties typically were about. Honestly, he couldn’t help but chuckle when they made that statement, setting his less than satisfactory drink down. How anyone could enjoy this liquid garbage was beyond him, but then again people at times just managed to surprise him. ”The only impact they care about is the one that benefits them, am I right?” he asked, settling an index finger into his own drink as what looked to be a small spark of grey energy settled into the dull colored liquid.

”Anything less, and they could care less. That is human nature after all, selfishness without any match.” He swirled the digit around in the liquid as it began to take on a different color, lighter and with a soft luminescence. ”But something tells me you aren’t like that, you’re….different.” His smirk took on an almost Cheshire quality as he lifted his drink and took a small sip, tasting sweeter now. ”I’m not wrong, am I?”

Clover couldn’t help but almost cut off the man sitting next to her when the comment of selfishness being human nature was made, but she politely waited for the man to finish speaking before letting out a rather rapid response, she didn’t care nor pay too much attention to anything he had said prior to that statement, but something about it, seemed to trigger her. “Greed is not human nature. Selflessness is. Everyone is born with the inherent longing to do something good. Many people just choose to ignore this calling and go against everything it means to be a decent person.”

She finished by shooting him a rather angry glare, as she was still uncertain as to why this individual took it upon himself to single her out. Everyone at this party knew who she was, hell pretty much the entire world did, but she did not know everyone else. To Clover this was the greatest issue with being as famous as she was, and was mostly the source of her rather self-righteous attitude. “The moment I start behaving like them, is the moment all hope for this planet is lost.” her words seemed to trail off a bit at the end as though the statement brought up a painful memory. There was truth in the young girls words, as she attempted to carry a burden unbeknownst to the world.

“I assume that you’re sitting beside me because you know who I am, but I believe we haven’t met before, so would you be so kind as to tell me who you are, and what it is that you want from me?”

Clover tended to assume that because of her fame, vast wealth, and fact that she held many of the world’s super powers in her back pocket, that anyone who approached her was most likely after something. Whether it was funding for some sort of program, or a favor for her to use her influence to get certain agendas passed, everyone had their own motives for speaking with the young entrepreneur, and she assumed this man was no different given the fact they had never met prior to this party.

Michael smirked when the woman appeared to  defend humans, something that he wasn’t quite expecting honestly. ”Greed is nothing more than excessive selfishness really, people want things and so they get them, sometimes by force. A truth that Michael was well acquainted with, especially considering that he was part of making that true once.”Despite how many ignore their selfish nature, there are still so many people that don’t in power, so they make the rules in the end.” Honestly, part of him just enjoyed the debate aspect of things, however likely she wanted to know who he was, and that much he could give.

The fact that she asked him wheat he wanted as if he wanted to take something from her, that only made him chuckle softly. Honestly, it took him a minute to actually give her an answer. ”Names Michael, last name unimportant. As for what I want from you….well not your money if that’s what you’re asking. I have my own resources, don’t need them from anyone else. I just wanted to talk about something else.” He intertwined his fingers, reclining within his seat as his eyes continued to lock with the females. ”Everyone is born with the inherent longing to do good, now that is something I can agree with. It’s sad that this world punishes those for that, isn’t it?”

Honestly,part of him was curious about her more than anything else. ”I just had heard there was someone with a similar worldview, wanted to see for myself is all. Can’t make the world a better place all on your lonesome.” He noted, disappointed vaguely that his drink was empty but that tended to happen when you drank without paying attention. ”Don’t you agree Ms Sinclair?”

No sooner did the man sitting next to her finish his last sentence, Clover’s stoic butler appeared before them, his well-built and burly frame cast an ominous shadow over the two. Winston’s arm reached out to Clover with a drink in hand. The young raven haired girl reached up and accepted the glass from her butler. Clover’s emerald eyes caught Winston’s, he was giving her a very disappointed glare. He had been eavesdropping on their conversation for just a little bit, but he did not like the young girl’s tone, as it was not in her nature to be so brash and cold. Clover got the message and her demeanor seemed to change.

“You know Winston, it’s very rude to eavesdrop.” She said as she stood up to face the man next to her.

Winston straightened himself out a bit and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose after giving a slight bow. “My apologies.” Winston bowed once more, to both Clover and her acquaintance before taking his leave.

After Winston disappeared into the crowed Clover turned to Michael with a smile on her face. “Pardon my earlier behavior. I’m normally not so rude. I’d just rather not be here and be reminded of how single-minded and selfish people can possibly be.” She was about to take a sip from the glass that Winston brought her, but noticed how Michael had looked down at his empty glass, no doubt longing for some more. Clover sat back down, this time opposite to the man, so that they could converse eye to eye and slid her drink across the table. “You can have mine.”

The young girl leaned back in her chair as she studied the man opposite her as she thought about what he had said. “And what would this similar world goal be? If you don’t mind me prying.” her emerald eyes stared deeply into Michaels, as if she was trying to look for the answer in his eyes rather than wait for the answer. To her it was rather odd that someone would approach her with such a question, so she immediately assumed this had to do more with the power she held worldwide, then the actual vision she had.

Michael understood not wanting to be around such annoying high society types, people he avoided if at all possible. Sure, they were rather useful in his old profession but then again no one liked to sell illegal substances to people without money. ”I understand completely.” He waved off, not appearing to be bothered by said rudeness at all. His attention was more on what he wanted, rather than the eavesdropping butler, or anything else beyond what he needed to give attention to. Silently, he accepted the drink offered to him and slowly sipped on it much like the one before as the question would be leveled to him.

She was curious of what he had in mind, something that was expected and he had an answer to that question just like the many she would have. ”The world is rotten, ruled by the powerful and people given into their greedy nature. As stands, the only way it’s going is downwards and...I don’t like that.” He explained, sipping on his drink while letting the words swish about in his head before continuing, eyes locked with Clovers. ”It’s obvious that the world needs a...worthy person or persons to lead it out of the downward spiral that it’s caught in. I’m not actually interested in being that person myself, leading is not my thing honestly.”

Something told him that she still wasn’t too convinced of his intentions of helping her, granted that was a fine quality. While he could respect a good person, someone that accepted anything told to them without skepticism was a fol in his book. ”I have people I want to make the world better for, and I see you as a person that could do that.” He explained, wondering if that would be sufficient for now. ”I was hoping I could show my support rather than offering empty lip service.”

Clover tried to hide her shock, but the way her eyes twinkled gave away just a slight bit of confusion and amazement. Was it possible that this man sitting before her could read her mind, or see the future as well? The girl shook the thoughts from her head. There was possibly a more logical explanation. Perhaps Michael simply assumed she was trying to rule the world because of her family history and the power that she currently held over the world already.

Clover’s eyes drifted downward as she tried to put the pieces of this puzzle together, and to figure out just how to respond to such claims. “So you’re trying to make the world a better place for your loved ones? That’s quite a noble cause.” Clover’s eyes darted back up to Michael, in an attempt to drive home the seriousness of her next string of words. “You seem rather confident in my ability to make a difference. Especially at a time when I myself am in doubt of just how capable I am.”

“It is true that I am to better this fragile world of ours, but what if the futures we’re envisioning are vastly different from one another?”

Clover was all for getting all the help she could in her quest to one day stand atop the world as its supreme leader, but there was a very strong possibility that the future that Michael wanted to secure for the ones he cared about varied greatly to Clover’s. For the moment the two seemed interested in securing a better future for the world, the means by which this future was secured remained up in the air, so Clover would focus on the fact that they at least wanted to make things better to determine if this partnership would sink or float.

A woman that held some great potential within her that doubted even that. He would have judged such a statement, but then again Michael had been prone lately to even doubting what he could do for those he cared about, let alone changing the world. ”I’ll be frank with you Miss Sinclair. I have no interest in ruling anything as i’ve stated before, i’ve already been there and done that. You’ll find I can be quite simple in my goals when it comes to certain things.” He noted, letting his eyes lock with hers. He could feel she did not trust him, though she would have been a fool to trust a complete stranger.

”What I want is simple really, and if you can offer some success in that, well you’d be surprised what i’m willing to do.” Michael swirled the drink about within it glass a little more, before taking another sip from it. ”Honestly, i’’m rather curious how you plan to make your plan come to fruition. Making the world better always implies some kind of world domination.” if that was what she had planned, well something told him that this would become even more annoying than anything else.

”I can’t exactly know what i’m going to do for you if I don’t know the grand plan, right?”

Clover stared down at the table for several seconds contemplating the legitimacy of the words that came from the man’s mouth. He truly seemed to have his mind quite set on helping her achieve her goal, so long as she was able to make good on her promise to secure a peaceful future for their fragile planet. A sly smile found its way onto the young girls face at the bit about world domination. Her emerald eyes drifted up from the table, the sly smile turned into an overall expression of smugness. “You don’t know the story of the Sinclair’s very well do you?”

Clover leaned against the table and clasped her hands together. “How could one dominate that which they already dominate?” she arched a brow which was accompanied by a grin. Her last question was more a statement and reference to the immense influence she already held over many of the planets major powers. Not only had her family successfully blackmailed the allies of the first world war to uninquisitively relinquish a massive amount of funds, they had done so several times afterwards. This not only set up the family financially for the rest of their lives, but also placed these nations in the palms of their hands.

Clover could make her move tomorrow if she wanted to, but she abstained due to a lack of confidence in her own abilities to make good on her promises. Aside from her lack of confidence there were several key things that needed to be ironed out before she could truly make her move. Michael sought a clear indication that Clover had some sort of plan going forward. She couldn’t just out right say what she wanted but she could possibly give him an answer that he would deem worthy enough. “The biggest issue plaguing my plans at the moment is my own lack of skill, but that’s a matter for another time. The one first step to mending this world, is by mending the people.”

Clover looked down at her hands, both palms were turned up. “Mankind has ruled this planet for a very long time and has always adapted to an ever changing environment. The introduction of metas and gods, and aliens, it has shaken humanity to its core. All these beings must be united if this world is to become a better place.” She said as she clasped her hands together. Clover looked back to the man sitting across from her. “I’ve got some of the key pieces in place, just not real way of making them move the way I’d like them to.”

”I probably know more than you expect, but less than everything.” He noted with a shrug, keeping a mysterious air about him. Shady business afterall always required that someone keep certain things about them a secret, for personal reasons more than anything else. Michael could read the smug air within her grin, unable to repress his own smirk as he felt he knew where this was going. In a sense, perhaps she believed herself untouchable and he could not blame someone with so much power within their hands. Honestly he thought himself invincible once like she probably did now.

She believed that she already dominated the world, yet something told him this arrangement wasn’t exactly run through the more prominent figures in the world. Such as those that had stormed into a country and efficiently took it over. Still, he would let her continue with her explanation of what she planned to do, despite how brief it felt, letting his chin rest on an open palm. This was after all not his own mater-plan, but something that he merely hoped to add himself to in the ear future. Maybe there was something that prevented her from actually taking true action, something more than simple string tugging.

In the end she stated that it was her own lack of skill that held her back. Honestly the very idea managed to amuse him, though this hid itself aside from his own smirk widening. ”So you want to...stroll in, unify all these great powers and with them cement your place in the pecking order. In theory it sounds nice, but there are a few pests that might snag you in the long run.” He noted, raising a single finger, his index finger. ”the most annoying of all would be the various metahumans, a few I doubt would really just go along with a unifying plan that involves any one person at the helm. A large portion have a complex that makes them think they’re the only ones that can fix the world. With so many self made messiahs, that’s a lot of competition to contentd with.” He would let her ruminate over that point for only a second.

”I’m sure you can see it with the country Belarus, where their new Prime Minister just waltzs in and takes the damn thing over effectively. Sounds a little off if you ask me.  and I have a feeling they won’t quite be the type to roll over and accept some overlord, regardless of their intentions.” He took another sip from his glass, letting the taste of champagne swish about in his mouth. ”I mean look at what happened to that nice little hero group in New York, the talons or whatever you call them. I'm sure the media has its version, but I know the types like Lucius Alba, and there's more than the lies people throw about.  It's just that some pieces on the board, well I believe they would be better dead than alive to go against you. Especially a group of violent killers playing humanitarian. All you can expect from them is….a swift knife in the back in the end.” If anything, Michael knew treacherous types, and some he did not have any interest in dealing with.

”That however is my two cents, feel free to do things however you see fit.”

Clover couldn’t stop herself from shaking her head in disagreement with Michael. Some of the things he said were true, but unless he was witness to every future like Clover had been, then he wouldn’t fully understand the importance of self-made messiahs such as Lucius Alba. “People like Mr. Alba are a necessity in this world of ours. It’s far harder to unify a people when there is no common goal for them to come together over. This is where these so called messiahs and extremists come in. They give the people a common enemy. Sooner or later, the very people Lucius aims to protect will see through the shroud he had placed over their eyes.”

To Clover’s credit, she was young, but she was far from naïve. She knew just what it would take for her to get to the top, she knew there would be long and bloody battles, she knew she wasn’t quite ready to take on the responsibilities just yet. “It’s like I said. Though my current plan may be lacking, I have the pieces in place. Getting them to move is the much more difficult part. Sooner or later those pieces will begin to dance, and when they do, you can be sure that I’ll be the one pulling the strings.” Her words carried an air of confidence and arrogance, as one would expect. Her words probably meant very little to the man sitting across from her, but it didn’t matter if he had faith in her plans or not. Clover had seen the future, she had seen herself holding the planet in the very palm of her hand, and she would not stop fighting or scheming till her vision was made into a reality.

Clover turned away from her guest for a few seconds, her emerald eyes scanning over the blissful faces of the party goers. None of them were aware of their fate, none of them knew if this would be their last time enjoying this lavish life of theirs. Clover let out a sigh as she pondered over her own future. Her usual happy demeanor was usually down casted whenever talk or thoughts of her visions arose. The amount of stress and expectations placed upon the young girl were often if not always overwhelming, but she tried her best to not let it get to her.

She spun back around in her chair, her eyes locking with Michael’s. “Sometimes I wish I had never been shown the future. This burden was just thrusted upon me. I couldn’t just ignore it. What kind of monster would I be if I knew I could change the world for the better, but did nothing about it.”

Despite himself, Michael couldn’t help but be impressed by how this woman spoke. There was absolutely no hesitation within her statement, as if this person was nothing more than a piece already dancing about on a string. Lucius Alba wasn’t an obstacle to her, just nothing more than a necessary cog within the machine of her own designs. The sheer  megalomaniacal nature within the statement was enough to make him chuckle, pressing a hand over his mouth as if that would somehow suppress the sound, granted it managed to do so minorly. ”in the end even the great Lucius Alba is nothing more than a pawn in your game?” there was no sarcasm within his voice, and honestly the question itself was rhetorical. ”You really know how to impress. I really look forward to how you plan to make good on that.” He said, placing his glass down, people moving about within his peripherals.

Humans, with their short lifespans and painfully droll ambitions. So long as they had money,  and false power they were content to sit around and act as if their little lives had any real importance beyond what the fools that scampered for their money gave them. In truth even the host had little value, beyond that which he assigned them. Still a monster as always. His thoughts took on a slight bitter tinge as he let his attention fully turn towards Clover as she said something that fully took a hold him.

They had been shown the future, likely one that represented the very future that she sought to bring along. Something about it had a mythical quality, as if a prophecy had been brought down from on high to a mere mortal. It was natural that one would snap up such an opportunity, or maybe they would just believe they had been lost to madness. ”A terrible monster, but...I know a few things about monsters myself.” Michael stated with a sigh, his smirk fading away for a mere moment, leaving him rather morose.

”If you really want to do something like rule this world, for better or worse, then you need to be strong. It’s a burden, but maybe I can help lighten the load a bit. Afterall, that is what partnerships are for, right?”

Clover did a small curtsy in her seat to Michael’s compliment. “My whole life is built upon the impressions I make. I’d hope I’m at least a little skilled in the art.” She straightened herself out and brushed her dress of a bit before placing her hands on the table. She stared at the man sitting across from her in silence. She was thinking over her options in the current moment. She didn’t exactly know what Michael was capable of, but having a partner in this venture of hers could definitely prove useful.

Part of Clover relished in the idea of how having some extra muscle, power, or whatever it was that this mysterious man was brought to the table, would help Clover jumpstart her conquest of bringing the planet under her control. All the niceties aside, Clover was still unaware of whether or not she could trust this man fully. He had to have some ulterior motives, but he didn’t seem privy to give up his true intentions just yet. Clover was betting the future on a risk here.

“The power I seek isn’t just the power to muscle my way to the top, it’s not just the power to hold onto that spot at the top either. The power I seek, no, the power I need, is the power to be able to face whatever may threaten the safety and peace of this planet, and quash it before any damage can be done.” Her hand slowly inched forward, eventually hovering in the air before Michael. “Until I can obtain that power, a little extra help would be much appreciated.”

Her hand was an offering, a showing of her acceptance of Michael’s help with her future endeavors. She was taking a big risk here and she knew it, but what world leader didn’t take risks? The end always justified the means and in this case if it meant making a deal with a shady figure, then this certainly wouldn’t be the first time she found herself making friends with demons. There was no look of concern or indecisiveness, Clover was one hundred percent invested in this partnership now, she had to be. If the young girl could display her confidence here, perhaps it would better show just the type of person Michael was getting involved with.

“Before we shake on this. I want to be perfectly clear about something. You need to be a bit more forthcoming with me in the future. Do we have a deal?” She gave the man a large innocent looking smile.

The woman had accepted his help without any real hesitation, something that he could respect. It was either foolishness, or perhaps she truly believed that she could go through with her plans for the future. Shortsighted might was not what she sought, but something that the woman noble in a sense, something any person could look favorably upon. With a soft smirk, he accepted the hand extended towards him and gave it a firm shake. They had formed their own alliance, yet he did not expect trust right away, especially when she knew almost nothing about him. Still, seeing that a willingness to take risks was involved managed to make things all the more interesting.

”I’ll be sure to be a bit more forthcoming, don’t need to worry about that. Just….wanted to be sure my pitch wasn’t thrown back in my face before then.” Something told him he needed to offer her something, though giving too much information might have been something that would cause more harm than good. ”I’ll start with my name, since I haven’t even given that out yet. Michael Atterrius, at your service.” he said, withdrawing his hand and letting it rest on the table, wondering if she would draw the connections. Sure, she may not draw that Zell Atterrius was his father, but she would glean that they had some relationship.

”I’m sure we’ll get to know each other better through our little alliance. Since i’m the one that came here to you however, I was hoping there was something I could do for you...to further cement our alliance. Maybe there’s a thorn in your side that needs plucking, or a pesky insect that needs...a good squashing.” He mentioned, arching an eyebrow as if waiting for some kind of answer.