Druid in the Marvel Universe Chapter 20: I Am a Fair Person

The black bear, a dude pushing 2 meters tall and built like a tank, rocked a black suit with a chunky gold chain that had to weigh like 6 pounds.

Hunched over, the black bear grinned at Alvin and said, "Hey there, Boss Alvin. I'm Black Bear. My boss is Bloody Jason from Big Apple City."

Alvin didn't even bother with the infamous drug dealer, shooing him away like an annoying bug. A drug dealer saying hi to me, a principal? Yeah, right. That'd make me look like a total loser.

Black Bear didn't flinch, his eyes flashing with a dangerous glint as he stepped aside to reveal the person behind him.

Alvin took a drag from his cigar, letting the smoke dance in his mouth before blowing it out. In his past life, he was a chain smoker and didn't quit even after having kids.

In this life, he kicked the nicotine habit but got hooked on the rich taste of cigars. He usually didn't light up in the restaurant, but since this was a negotiation, he figured a cigar would add to his vibe.

Blowing out a smoke ring, Alvin looked at the group of weirdly dressed gangsters in front of him and said, "So, who's James Lancer from 58th Street, um... which gang was it again?"

Alvin glanced at JJ, who quickly whispered, "ZL Gang."

"Oh, the boss of the ZL Gang, are you here?"

A young white dude, clearly a heavy drug user with green punk hair, nervously stepped forward and said, "Boss Alvin, hey, I'm James Lancer. Just call me James."

Alvin handed his cigar to JJ, hiding his disgust, and warmly shook James' hand, saying, "Hey, I'm Alvin Ye, the principal of the community school. Your guy got a little roughed up at school.

It was my daughter who did it. We patched him up, and it's not a big deal.

But as a dad, I feel kinda bad, so I thought I'd offer some compensation. How about $2,000? Sound good?"

James felt like he was gonna pee his pants. The drug lords in Hell's Kitchen all treated Alvin with mad respect. Alvin didn't even acknowledge Black Bear but was being super nice to him. He had a bad feeling about this.

Terrified, James stammered, "No-no-no, Boss Alvin, my guy messed up. You can punish him however you want. A little injury is nothing. Even if you cut off his arm, I wouldn't complain. Compensation is really unnecessary, really."

Jason, sitting by the door, couldn't believe his boss just threw him under the bus. Desperate, he forgot about Thor's threats and shouted, "Boss James!"

James pretended not to hear Jason. He wasn't high at the moment, so his mind was pretty clear. He looked at Alvin pleadingly, hoping for some mercy.

Alvin pulled out a wet wipe from his pocket, cleaned his right hand that had shaken James', tossed the wipe in the trash, and took back the cigar from JJ, taking a puff.

The cigar smoke swirled between Alvin and James. Ignoring James' panic, Alvin kindly said, "Don't get me wrong. I'm not here to cause trouble. My daughter hurt your guy, so I'm responsible for compensation. It's only fair. I'm a fair guy."

Alvin took the $2,000 from JJ, all in $100 bills, folded it, and stuffed it into James' chest pocket. With a touch of OCD, Alvin straightened James' messy collar and patted the pocket holding the cash. "See, all sorted. Right?"

James, completely stunned by Alvin, mechanically nodded and said, "Yes, sir, all sorted."

Alvin flashed a friendly smile, "See? I knew we could sort this out. You're a reasonable guy. I apologize for my daughter's mistake and made it right. Cool?"

"Yes, yes, it's over, all good," James stammered, still freaked out.

Alvin nodded, "Great. Now, let's chat about Mr. Jason here."

Pointing to Jason, who looked like a deflated balloon, Alvin said, "Mr. Jason here shoved a 65-year-old, highly respected teacher, Mrs. Wilson, at school.

It's not a huge deal. Mrs. Wilson even begged me to go easy on Jason. But Mr. Jason mouthed off to me and disrespected Mrs. Wilson.

Honestly, I don't think Mr. Jason's got the right skills or manners for your, um... ZL Gang. What do you think?"

James, scared out of his mind, quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, from now on, Jason's out of the ZL Gang. He's got nothing to do with us. Sir, you can handle him however you want.

I had no idea about what went down at the school. Please, spare me."

Alvin looked at the now lifeless Jason and then at the nearly collapsing James. Taking a drag from his cigar, he said, "Well then, goodbye!"

James, feeling like he just got a get-out-of-jail-free card, didn't even look at Black Bear, scrambling into his car and peeling out of there.

Alvin touched his face and asked JJ, "Am I that scary?"

JJ's eye twitched, "One of the guys who ran off was muttering something about 'meat grinder' and 'Cesare' as he left."

JJ thought for a moment and said, "Boss, in the future, if there's anything, you can ask me to handle it. No need to be so hardcore. Really, it doesn't suit your status!"

Alvin almost choked on his cigar. He thought he was channeling Marlon Brando's Godfather and nearly scared James to death.

Turns out it was a misunderstanding, and he might even get blamed for it. Of course, there'd be no one to seek revenge because they were all dead. But this whole intimidation thing was kinda embarrassing.

Coughing awkwardly, he waved at Black Bear.

Black Bear still looked super polite, walking up to Alvin and saying, "Boss Alvin, since the matter's settled, got any other instructions?"

Alvin smiled, "Don't call me boss. I'm talking to you as a school principal." Seeing the disbelief on Black Bear's face, he emphasized, "Seriously, Hell's Kitchen Community School, with certification!"

Black Bear found Alvin's words amusing. A guy who practically ruled three blocks insisted on calling himself a principal. Playing along, he said, "So, Principal, what are your instructions?"

Alvin was pleased with Black Bear's attitude and smiled, "As a principal, I gotta look out for the students. Our school has a rule against students getting involved in drug trafficking.

So today, I called you over to let you know to check your gang members. Make sure none of them are our students or underage kids."

Black Bear's eyes narrowed, and his expression turned stiff. He said in a deep voice, "I never knew the community school had such a rule."

"Well, it does now. Remember, I'm the principal," Alvin chuckled.

Black Bear sneered, "You're overstepping, Alvin Ye. Neither I nor my boss, Bloody Jason, will agree to your ridiculous proposal."

Glancing at JJ behind Alvin, Black Bear sneered, "Or do you want to start a war? The Viper Gang isn't like those Kingpin losers. A lot of people will die in Hell's Kitchen."