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Another long day had passed for a man named Julius Dorian, a City Councilman and wealthy entrepreneur who funded most of the development of the French Quarter, as he had spent most of his day helping the rest of the Council divert resources to fixing the damages done by the infamous 'D-Day'. For them, there was still much to do, even though the initial crisis had passed thanks to the intervention of the many colorful heroes of Lost Haven, including no other than the city's newest mascot, the hero known as Icon. Of course, Julius had his own opinions about superpowered unknowns flying around his city, breaking and smashing their way to what they considered 'justice' but at the moment he was being overruled on the subject as the Council decided not to look this gift horse in the mouth while their city was in dire need of enforcement and control.

As he unlocked his front door, he noticed something particularly odd about his home, mainly that all the lights were off and he did not hear the familiar footsteps of his housekeepers or his family. It was 9pm at this point, his family would have no business being in the city without him, and his housekeepers did not typically leave the home until midnight or later. 

Something was definitely askew about the whole affair, moving to his Study, he called out into the darkness of his home.

"H...hello?" He called. "Sheryl, are you home?"

No answer, the proverbial silence allowing his voice to travel through the surrounding darkness. He reached the first light switch in his home, revealing the hallway to be barren and empty, almost untouched from when he left for his meeting this morning. He began to feel the cold sweat dripping down his spine as he continued towards his study, once again calling out into the darkness.

"Miguel? Bethany? Sara? Is anyone home?" He called out again, his eyes drifting now to outside to see if his bodyguards were at least in view of the household. Again, no answer, the house still entrenched in darkness and silence. He reached into his coat pocket, his fingers sliding along the .22 Revolver he keeps strapped to his torso, rounding a corner to reach for another light, hoping his study would be unmolested as the rest of the house was.

As the lights came on, he realized his hope was woefully unfulfilled. Sitting in his favorite chair, at his desk, sat a man dressed in black, a hood over his head and a mask hiding his face, calmly waiting for Issac to return home.

"Y-you!" Was all he managed to get out before he felt four large hands grab his arms and force him to his knees.

"Yes, me." The Cowl said, slowly rising from his chair and leaning onto the desk. "And you and I have some things to discuss."

"Where is my family!?" Julius asked, struggling as his two captors wrestled him to another nearby chair, their hands reaching into his coat and grabbing his pistol, tossing it to the ground before the desk.

"They're fine, no need to panic, my dear Mr. Dorian." The Cowl responded. "I managed to get your wife and children to enjoy themselves with a night on the town, and I told your housekeeper that he had the night off. You should really pay Miguel more, by the way, he keeps this place fairly spotless." He sighed, moving from the desk toward the center of the room in a calm, graceful stride. "You bodyguard, however...he was much harder to convince...unfortunately he had an 'accident' with the nearby cliffside of your manor...my condolences in advance."

"You...what do you want?" Julius huffed, trying to keep his composure. "The word was that you would be in Asia...I had been informed that as long as I stayed out of your way and kept quiet you wouldn't come back here anymore."

"Yes, that was the case when I left..." The Cowl mumbled, now pacing in front of Julius, reaching down as he passed to pick up the revolver. "But in my short absence, times have changed, haven't they? Last I checked, demons weren't walking the Earth when I was building my empire...which leads me to the reason I'm here..." The Cowl placed a finger under Julius' chin, lightly coercing the Councilman to look up at him "These new occurrences have changed the way we have to do business, and how you're going to help me keep this city under my thumb."

"Fuck you, you hooded thug!" Julius responded, breaking his composure at the mention of the new elements of the Lost Haven. "I did my part for you, we had a deal, you can't extort me like this again!"

"I can't?" The Cowl scoffed, walking a few steps forward, very friendly in tone as he extrapolated "Last I checked, I could do what I pleased in this town, because I'm the one that keeps the seedier parts of this city in check. Thanks to me, this city is not constantly embroiled in gang wars like it once was."

"Bullshit! You just say that because you unified most of them under your banner!" Julius retorted. 

"Which I think is better, don't you? A city with only a few organized crime lords seems much more functional than the mass of gangs that once plagued lovely Lost Haven. Admit it, since you became much more lenient on us, The Shroud Syndicate has done you quite a service in terms of how crime is conducted." He gestured out the window, motioning to the city beyond Julius' manor. "I mean, your wife and children can go enjoy a night in the French Quarter without too much worry, am I right?"

"Even so, we...we don't need your kind of help anymore. Haven't you heard? The city is under new enforcement now, better enforcement, ones who wear capes and tights, people who could flatten your whole shadow regime in no time!"

"Oh?" The Cowl seemed genuinely curious about Councilman's speech, though hardly threatened. His shadow now circling the chair as Julius continued to berate him, his motions like a vulture waiting for the dying lion to quit roaring before it finally choked on its own blood. "This I need to hear, do go on."

"That's why you're back, isn't it? You slimy degenerate, you came back because you're afraid of losing power. These heroic types are going to rip everything you spent so much time building to the ground, they're going to bring a much-needed light to this dark city, and you're finally going to taste the receiving end of a beatdown. Your time is up, and you're just in denial. Face it, Cowl, the Shroud Syndicate is about to come tumbling down."

The Cowl paused in his circling, taking a direct b-line to Julius' chair. He leaned down, staring Julius directly in the face, the two steel blue pupils leering out from under the hood like two stars encompassed by the abyss, nearly glowing in the dim light of the room as he spoke in a direct, serious tone. "Your words are hollow, Mr. Dorian. Much like your marriage from what your wife said to my men. As much as you want to believe what you are saying, these 'heroes' as you call them have to do much more than punch out a few street thugs, and both you and I know this as fact. This new element is not the final nail in my coffin, it is simply a test of my structure. I will adapt and change to fit this new world, and I'm going to have your help to do it. You want me to step into the light? Sure, I could do that, but I'll drag you and half this city into the light with me, so what's it going to be? Are you going to help me, or am I going to tell this city how you [i]really[/i] get funding for your business?"

A brief silence filled the room, the Councilman lowering his head and thinking about Cowl's threats, a sigh left his hips before he stated in a defeated whisper. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to ask questions, ask the people of this city how comfortable they are with these masked vigilantes, what they really worry about when one of them comes crashing through their homes." He motioned to Julius. "Do not take a side yet, however. I just want the people of this city aware that having these new protectors should be debated, not willingly welcomed with no opposition."

"F...fine." Julius leaned back in the chair. "I'll start asking around..."

"Good, I'm glad this visit did not have to get too violent." The Cowl motioned to his men, ordering them to release the Councilmen and head for the door. "I'll have my people keep track of your progress, and we will let you know if your plans change." He chuckled as one of the men opened the front door for him, turning back to Julius before nodding. "Keep up the good work, and we may support you in your run for Mayor next year."

"Mayor?" Julius asked. "But I wasn't--oh..."