"There are things in life that get you nervous, sometimes it's a job interview and other times it's like you're playing a game of footie with your mates and suddenly you're one on one with the goalie...the pressure is on and it's all on this one-shot, your shot and if you don't make this go in...if you don't make this fly in the top corner, you're nothing but a fluke."

"And this is my moment, the time where I would be meeting Maven Black-Briar, the head of Black-Briar Mead, Construction, Arts, Music, and Movies. They were everywhere, there was not anywhere you could go without hearing their name. Trust me, working with them would have been hitting it big and then there was, the street kid, the one who was always so close to making the millions and he wished to discuss business with the likes of Maven."

"I was ambitious, I had plans and I was ready to see them through. I know now I am going to be the one that does right by the crew and everyone under me, this life, what I have in store for it is going to be something that shocks the entire world. My name is Gallus and this was the beginning of the Thieves Guild, our rise in modern-day society and how Maven Black-Briar helped us there."

There were few things that Maven Black-Briar liked in this life and one of them was surprises, she was hosting a big event for the city's politicians ready to discuss opening a new warehouse here that would move her booze to Seattle. She was ready to expand and Los Angeles was the place to do so, hearing plenty of things but she knew this area was under no true threat by its gangs. They were not organized and killed one another for pettiness. 

That was what she had ruled out, there was one thing she did not and that was thieves, they were in abundance all over the world and many of them did not like showing themselves in the big world that she operated in. Only she knew some of them were brazen enough to try their hand with her, some of them operating out of Las Vegas had tried to gain contracts with her and others, well, they had been dispatched. 

Only she was now sitting opposite one of the few Los Angeles thieves that wished for that audience with her, his name? Gallus. She was surprisingly taken with the man, he had a certain way with words and seemingly had a reason for being here. One that she was most eager to hear, Maul, her faithful bodyguard was ready to throw him out if neccesary. 

"Gallus, I've never heard of you but I can see that you have plans for the future. Something that intrigues me, you have a goal and I have a feeling that I am the one thing that can help you achieve that. So tell me, what have you brought me that leads me to believe that you just maybe a bit mad in coming here."

Now don't get her wrong, Maven liked business and she loved making some good old fashioned cash. Only when someone came to her and interrupted her event like Gallus, they were either crazy or needed some serious help. She decided that he was something in the middle, he had something and maybe it was worthwhile hearing out. 

"I have your shipment of mead parked outside, I took it from the people who removed it from you. I did this because I wish to do business with the right sort of people. I know you and who you are, I know what you can do for me and my people. I wish to enter an agreement."

There was only one shipment that she was missing, her mead. Now she wasn't too out of place with it gone, considering she had hundreds of trucks running all over the states and they were steadily making her some cash. It was big money with her but the fact the man before he had found it and was returning it meant something, he had the honour and maybe she could do some business with the young man.

"What do you wish for? A medal?"

At the sarcastic retort, he shrugged, seemingly mulling it over on what he wanted for compensation due to him returning her product. Maybe there was something with the man that she wished to see but she didn't like it and it was causing her problems.

"I wish for a deal, something that you could easily deliver on and this is why I am here. You have your shipment at your feet, now I'd require something in return, after all, a Black-Briar pays their debts."

A smirk now appeared on her lips and maybe she had written him off, he was obviously someone with a flair for using another's words against them and right now, he was doing that without a problem. That was the scary part, the person with a gun was someone that need not be feared, their words were told by brute words. 

Someone like Gallus, sitting before her as if he was equal footing to her, he was someone that would need to be watched. She had not played this game for a long time but she found that Gallus was almost reigniting that fire within her. Such a scary thought, a mere thief was operating on the assumption that she owed him. 

"A Black-Briar does their debts, however, you will find that I am not here to bargain with a mere thief who thought that he could play with the big sharks. I warn you Gallus, do not play this. I find you charming enough that I won't have Maul remove you from my sight, I suggest you get going, lest you be removed from the world so soon."

A chuckle escaped the brazen bastard of a thief, it almost had Maven losing her cool. Almost. She was intrigued, he was an amusing man and now he wished to see what she could and maybe that was not the best thing for the man. He would need to understand that this world was not his type and he would be chewed up and spat out in mere moments.

"Well I find myself in the right company Maven, I represent a group of like-minded individuals of the old ways in regards to our way of life. We do not wish for petty squabbles to turn to wars between our groups. I am bringing you in a new start, an organization that men and women be apart of. This is what I would have you invest in, the beginning of a Thieves Guild."

Maven did not even bother to laugh, most would have. Thieves and common cutthroats working together, Gallus was most likely living in a fantasy world, this was not the time where thieves could be organized. They were not like the mob, they were simply low-level pickpockets, the bottom of the barrel and would not be the ones called upon in a war. 

"I find that notion to be silly, thieves are one-minded people, they simply look for the next payday. Isn't that what you're doing Gallus? I wouldn't be surprised if you were hired by the group that stole from me in the first place, looking to play double agent and set yourself with a nice fat paycheck."

A snort left Gallus, him being one-minded was something that many people would use but not for the check. No, he was looking to make plenty of cash for the end of an era, the beginning of a new one and this was it, the foundation, the thieves guild that awaited him and right now, Maven was the one person who could grant him that. 

"No, I could have fenced the mead for twice of what you or the thief who stole from you would have offered. I know people and I know them enough that I could get you anything you wished for, I am asking you to be a pillar of support to the thieves guild in Las Vegas and Los Angeles."

And then she saw it, Maven could see the calculation in his eyes, he truly did need her to a degree and now she was being asked to be his support. The person who would make sure nothing fell down on the guild's head. Already she never noticed that she had started referring to them in a more civilized manner. 

"What is my take of all your heists? You can't expect me to not wet my beak a little, I need something in return. What can you offer me that I am giving a great boon of support in return?"

Gallus knew that it would come down to money and a reassurance, something that he was prepared to give and in this manner. The beginning was approaching and he was ready to give whatever was necessary to make sure that everyone was ready for what he was bringing to the table, this was it. 

"You get a share of 5%, this is set to increase with each job and how fast the guild expands into the other cities. We can't be promising anything big but we have plans already, you being our only supporter and one of note will have access to something else and that is me. I will be the Guildmaster, the one you meet when things need to be adjusted and this the reason for it."

Gallus was not going to be feeding the woman any lies, he was being honest about his proposal to her and how it all worked. This is how things happened and how they needed to be, anyone else in the other cities may have a rightful dislike to working with thieves. Many of them being men and women without any other options and some just looking to make ends meet, it depends on which city in the end. 

He could see that the head of the Black-Briar family was curious as to what else she would be receiving beside one on one time that seemed more of a formality than anything. Speaking with the direct leader of this organized group would need to be had, she needed to know how her investment with these people was getting on in the end. 

"There is another thing, we know the name of the person that robbed you and we are willing to disrupt his own source of income from the source. I picked up a few things and I know his name, the man he is and where he hangs his hat at the end of the day. One thing that I am against and this guild will be against, unnecessary death, I will not be linked or apart of any 'wackings' that your organization takes part in, do I make myself clear?"

Maven was officially taken with the young man before her, she knew that he had something in him but now information on the man that wished to challenge her rule. That was invaluable and he used it like a finely crafted blade, only when really necessary, he worked her down to this point and she had to admit, she respected that. He was already a fascinating man, he would be a bold man but one that she would be pleased to be in business with. 

"I understand your pacifism, that is something that surprises me. Most thieves in Vegas kill their marks should they be found out, you, however, are following a personal code. Has anyone ever told you that you are an enigma, Gallus?"

Gallus raised a brow, wondering if she was trying to prod him for information about his personal life, something that no one knew and something that he certainly did not wish to share with another. This was one of those times, maybe he could be open to sharing something with someone but certainly not Maven of all people. 

"I've been told many things about what I am, an enigma though? That is not one of them though, this is one of the times where I could be a true enigma but no. I have a vision Maven and you are one of the people who will sit on the board of directors of this vision, you will wield one of the most secretive and deadliest thieving groups in all the seven cities."

A board of directors? He wished for a commission that established a rule over the thieves and had them act together to make money, establish alliances and make them one of the richest groups on this green earth. She respected that more so once she could see the man for what he truly was, a visionary, someone who wished to achieve their goal no matter the cost.

"To the future then Gallus and may we thrive, correct?"

Maven stuck out her hand, deciding to shake it then and there, the man was someone she watched for now. She had a feeling that the master thief, Gallus would be making her plenty of money. 

"Indeed, may we thrive Maven and our enemies will not know what hits them."

Gallus could not help himself, this was it, the moment that he had been praying for and pleading for. This was that moment, the foundation of the guild and many more things would follow. First, though, the destruction of the Imperalius Corporation, for they would be the first to learn of the strength in the thieves guild.