A visit to Sabatangan
Chapters
->Ch. 1: A Visit to Sabatangan
Ch. 2: The Crab-Catcher
Ch. 3: To be written
Ch. 3.5: Sarita's Journey
The Arrival
Green Sails
The city had been bustling with activity the past few weeks, and this morning was the same. Ever since the Elders had announced to the world the building of the tri exploratory fleet, workers and visitors from foreign lands had come pouring into the nation, seeking work and opportunities. Most of these visitors gathered in the city of Silvanus far to the north, or in the nearby city of Ceres, but a few came to Sabatangan as well. The presence of foreign visitors attracted domestic visitors, with many villagers and those living in nearby smaller settlements gathering in cities, seeking the nuts and gems flowing in from overseas.
But so far, save for the ever-present clockmen, the visitors coming to Sabatangan had been mostly smalltime merchants, or foreign envoys and workers on their way to Ceres, Demetor, or Silvanus. Some were hopelessly lost; Just the other day Tasliam had found a troupe of quite perplexed bonemen on the beach, their boat having been blown off course by a freak storm. He had directed them to speak to the clockmen, as they seemed to know how to handle visitors.
Tasliam had fish to catch and nuts to collect, no time to handhold lost foreigners.
But if the recent rumors were accurate, and since they had been spread by Dien their accuracy seemed dubious to Tasliam, a somewhat more important visitor would be coming to Sabatangan soon: A young and ambitious merchant-princess from some faraway land to the south. Many of his fellow fishermen had already began sharing their ambitions to share nuts with her, and Tasliam too had to admit of having had such thoughts. He was a red-blooded risuner in the prime of his youth after all, such thoughts were only to be expected.
But Tasliam did not share these thoughts with his fellow fishermen. Afterall, the rumors were told to him by Dien, and Dien’s stories, especially those relating to the size of his catch or his nut sharing conquests, were all lies.
Tasliam pushed his boat onto the water and begun to row out to the sea. As usual, he would row until he was a dozen or so tree-lengths away from shore, and then he’d open the singular crab-claw sail of his little boat, and sail to where he had left the fish traps and crab pots at, his secret fishing place, an underwater rock formation that was not easily noticed by an amateur fishermen, but which Tasliam had spotted immediately while sailing past the area earlier this year. The place was teeming with crabs, which seemed to be highly valued by foreigners, fetching good prices on the market. He smiled at the memory of Dien’s jealous face when he saw the fat sack of walnuts Tasliam had secured from the clockmen in exchange for a few dozen crabs.
He bet the only sack fuller than his walnut sack that night were Dien’s own.
The sun had just begun to rise when Tasliam arrived at the rocks, a place where the green fronds of the kelp grew to just below the surface in their insatiable hunger for more sunlight. As was his usual routine, he lowered the sail and begun rowing again, looking for the floating pieces of bark to which he had attached acorns painted in bright reds, yellows, and whites. Soon he found the first one and began lifting it onboard. Expertly Tasliam began sorting the catch, throwing the inedible, too small, or otherwise unfit for sale creatures overboard. The pot had been full of crustaceans and other aquatic creatures, but after a few minutes of sorting, only single crab fit for sale remained. A slight disappointment, but Tasliam remained optimistic: He still had nineteen traps to check, lots of chances for better catch. Tasliam replaced the bait, rowed about a tree-length, and lowered the pot back in the water.
...
...
It was almost midday, a few clouds drifted westwards. Some seagulls were circling above his boat, attracted to it by the smell of crabs and kelp. Tasliam was taking a short break from work, leaning to the mast of his ship and snacking on some well-earned nuts. He was about halfway done, and his catch so far had been disappointing. Nonetheless, the gentle rocking of his boat, the warmth of the sun watching over him, and the taste of these nuts made him feel content in this moment. He really wanted to take a midday nap, but alas, the wind had shifted to blow from the southeast and Tasliam wanted to utilize the chance to sail back home with it.
So, no time to nap.
He spat out the inedible shell of another nut, and sat up, ready to continue working. Then he saw it far away in the horizon, a moving speck of color, vibrant jade green.
He narrowed his eyes and shielded his eyes from the sun in order to see better. A ship. A foreign ship. No, two ships. Three, maybe more. It was hard to tell, they were big ships with a lot of sails, and they were very far away. Tasliam sprung to his feet and begun opening the sail. The crabs could wait, he needed to get back home to tell everyone the news.
More visitors had come to his home city.
...
Overbearing Orchids with Tea
His steps were muffled by the carpet, and with every step the sweet fragrance of orchids grew stronger. Each time the servant led Thomas through a door or turned a corner he half-expected to exit the wooden corridor into a moonlit rooftop garden filled with exotic flowers, so alien did the sensation feel this deep below the decks of Chrysalis.
Which probably was the point, he realized; To remind the mistress of her home and to help her forget the stress of travel. Afterall, her mind was of better use focusing on other, more important matters.
The servant walked through another door, and Thomas followed.
He stepped into a small antechamber. Various paintings of figures both famed and mythical adorned the walls. Wooden doors that led to other rooms were located onto his right and left, and right in front of him, flanked by two large men carrying rifles, were ornate double doors, decorated with fine carvings of stinging nettles and butterflies.
The sweet smell of orchids hung thick in the air.
Now finally Thomas was starting to get anxious. Why had the young mistress summoned him? Had his workers acted out of line towards her or her servants? Had his work been found lacking in quality? Thomas had always thought highly of his men and their work, if the young mistress was dissatisfied with either, it would be a great hit to Thomas’ pride as an entrepreneur and an artisan.
It would also mean the potential loss of this lucrative job. There was a lot of money to gain working for the company, money that could open a lot of doors to Thomas back home.
The servant walked to the double doors and knocked on them thrice.
Thomas adjusted his clothes in a vain attempt to look even more presentable. Once he felt satisfied, he took in a deep breath of the flower scented air and stepped forward. Without a word, the guards opened the doors.
...
...
Sunrise cast rays of warm light through the pane windows, painting the room in shades of orange and red. The sudden influx of light blinded Thomas for a moment, as his eyes that had gotten used to the dimly lit corridors struggled to adjust. Thomas resisted the urge to shield his eyes from the light with his right hand. It took him only a few seconds to get used to the lighting of the office, but the time felt a lot longer.
The office room was larger than the one Thomas had just left. Flowers, paintings, and fine tapestry decorated every wall. At the back of the office, behind a large wooden table decorated with carvings of butterflies and skeletons, with the rising sun behind her sat Thomas’ employer, deep in conversation with the four servants standing beside her. On the table in front of her, surrounded by piles of paperwork and gadgets Thomas could not recognize, lay a black lacquer box.
The young mistress acknowledged Thomas’ existence with a glance of her beautiful jade eyes and a quick nod, before returning to the conversation. From what Thomas could gather, the servants were giving the young mistress a last minute review of the local customs, what she could expect from the locals, and what was expected of her. A slight blush spread across her face as they moved on to discuss some of the local religious customs, yet graceful as ever, her face remained calm and her every movement elegant and deliberate. With the light of the rising sun reflecting off her long hair dyed in the likeness of her native goddess’, and the juxtaposition of someone so delicate holding so much power and authority, Thomas could not help but sympathize with the dozens of suitors the young mistress had turned down back home. It was no wonder why, even after the fall of their goddess, people of her kind were so highly valued as romantic partners back in the republic.
Shaking his head, Thomas cast the unprofessional thoughts away. He ought to learn from the young mistress and focus on business. Indeed, he was here because she had wanted to see him, and she was most likely interested in discussing her contract with him. Hopefully not the termination of said contract.
The anxiety returned. The scent of the orchids started to feel suffocating.
...
...
“Thank you for your patience, Mr.Turner.”, the voice of the young mistress pulled him out of his worried thoughts. The review had ended, for now, and everyone was looking expectantly at Thomas. Thomas acknowledged the indirect apology with a small bow.
“Thomas Turner, Carpenter, Shipwright, and Entrepreneur at your service. “, Thomas deepened his bow by a few degrees. He remained in the position for the few seconds during which it was appropriate, and then stood back straight. Whilst the face of the young mistress remained neutral, her servants seemed pleased with his manners. This small act of approval soothed Thomas’ nerves and gave him hope that he was in fact not about the get fired.
“Please, take a seat”, the young mistress motioned at the oaken chair in front of the table. Thomas walked to the left side of the chair, and in a practices motion pulled the chair back, and sat down. He was careful not to let the legs of the chair drag along the floorboards as to not make an unpleasant sound or damage either. The chair was built low so that even a tall man like Thomas would be at an eye level with the young mistress while sitting down. It was uncomfortable, but not overly so.
He suspected the young mistress on her end sat on a chair that would appear almost comically tall were it not obstructed by the table and her impeccable black dress.
“Tea?”, the young mistress motioned at the tray and the fine porcelain cups one of her servants was holding. After a second of tactful deliberation, Thomas nodded, even though he did not want tea. Declining her gesture could have been seen as insulting, although Thomas was not sure whether the young mistress would have agreed. He chose to played it safe.
The servant poured Thomas and the young mistress cups of tea. The delicate fragrance of the drink drowned in the pervasive scent of the orchids. The warmth emanating from the cup in his hands made Thomas feel a bit more relaxed. He took a small sip; rosehip and some other berry he could not recognize in the moment. The taste was a welcome respite from the orchids. Feeling more comfortable than before, Thomas lowered the cup and left it on a cute little plate the servant had placed on the table in front of him.
“We have been discussing, Mr.Turner…”, the young mistress said in a calculating tone. Thomas looked up from the teacup to meet her eyes. Something in the way she looked at him made Thomas feel uneasy, it was as if those jade eyes pierced straight through his soul. He felt uniquely vulnerable, yet the gaze had transfixed him, and he could not look away. Somehow, the thought of doing so felt dangerous, as if he would have lost some battle of wills he did not realize he was a participant in.
“… among our acquisitions, the shipyard led by you has shown remarkable efficiency over the others. As you know, the deal with the nation of the squirrelfolk is of paramount importance to the continued survival of our company on this market, as well as an important steppingstone on our way to finally dominating our rivals. What I – WE- need for this venture is capable leadership, and skills.” the young mistress rambled away, her eyes still locked with Thomas’. He knew her words were mostly meaningless chitchat meant to make him more receptive to whatever proposition would come after they have exchanged enough pleasantries.
However, the fact that she was preparing him for a proposition dispelled the rest of the anxiety gnawing at his heart. Thomas was careful not to let his relaxation show too much, but he could not help the small spark of pride to lighting up in his chest. It was not every day you got a compliment from her, even if this one was not an entirely sincere one.
Thomas waited a second for the young mistress to continue before claiming his turn. If she was looking for a new addendum to their contract, Thomas felt like he was in a higher position of power than he was previously: She wanted something from him, and her own desire gave him power over her. In a calculated move, Thomas broke the eye contact by closing his eyes. He let the small spark of pride express itself as a smug smile on his face. Thomas would let the young mistress think she had him dancing on the palm of her hand.
“Thank you for your kind words. Me and my men have been working hard to prove our worth to the company, but there is still much that can be done to increase the efficiency of the yard and the quality of our products.” Thomas boasted.
It was a lie, he did not know how to make the yard any more efficient, his men were already working as hard as they could with the pay he was allocated to give them, and he was doubtful he could find a cheaper supplier of wood. He opened his eyes and looked again at the young mistress. Her posture had changed ever so slightly; she was leaning back, her shoulders seemed slightly less tense. Thomas interpreted this as her being more relaxed. The young mistress raised her teacup to her lips and took a small sip of the drink. She was definitely more relaxed.
“Your ambition as well as your loyalty to the company is admirable, Mr.Turner, I’m glad we have men like you working with us.” the young mistress answered. Thomas liked being praised. He felt that the young mistress did mean her words, even if her saying them to him now was likely an attempt at preparing him to accept the unknown proposition at terms more favorable to her.
“As I was saying, we need to make sure our service to the nation of the squirrelfolk is of the best our company can provide, and after comparing the many shipyards under our company’s umbrella, we have....”
After comparing the many shipyards… There were only three in addition to his, and Thomas knew that those yards were of subpar quality: Despite what the young mistress wanted to believe, her company was not that impressive.
However, this potential expansion could allow her to rise much higher in the social rankings of the plutocrats, the deal was her door to new opportunities, Thomas realized, and he was the key. Before the young mistress had the chance to continue, Thomas interrupted.
“You want me to lead your new shipyard.”
For a fraction of a second the calm expression of the young mistress was broken by surprise and shock. She quickly regained control over her expression and broke her eye contact with Thomas to take another sip of her tea. Clearly she had not expected Thomas to take lead of the conversation
“Ah, I apologize, I let my eagerness get the better off me, please continue.” Thomas apologized, and gave her a shallow bow, but the damage was already done. The dynamic had shifted, he felt like right now around this table, he was closer to an equal with the young mistress. She must have felt it too, and this was most clear in her eyes: him taking the initiative had blunted the piercing jade gaze. The young mistress took a few seconds before she continued.
“Do not fret it Mr.Turner, enthusiasm like yours is refreshing to see from our workers.”
Workers. The word used was meant as an attack, a vain attempt to put Thomas back in his place and shift the dynamic back to where it had been just a few seconds ago. The dismantling of her dominance over the situation clearly bothered the young mistress.
“You are correct. I want you for the position of the company representative on our venture in this land, and more importantly, I want you and your men to oversee the construction on our new shipyard.”
Thomas leaned back on his chair. As he did so, the young mistress leaned forward. The blunted gaze had turned into what Thomas could only interpret as some form of cold fury. Her expression remained calm, but her voice had an authoritative tone Thomas had not heard before.
“It is quite the promotion Mr.Turner. I doubt you’ll find an opportunity like this any time soon.”
A threat, she was dangling the carrot right over his head, whilst threatening to take it away forever if he did not submit, but she was right: A promotion from a mere shipyard overseer to overseas company representative was a very enticing one.
But the young mistress was in no position to threaten the key to her door. Thomas leaned forwards, refusing to submit to her. His face was only a few inches away from the young mistress’, and neither dared to break eye contact.
“Correct me if I’m wrong but relocating me from my yard and piling me waist deep in additional responsibilities is not covered by our current contract.” Thomas did not need to say this, everyone in the room knew what his contract covered. No, Thomas wanted to remind the young mistress of their existing contract, and her contractual obligations to him. He wanted to remind her that she had already given him the keys to his door, that Thomas was negotiating from a position where he stood to lose nothing more than what additional reward she could promise him.
For Thomas, the possible outcomes were either a win or a status quo; Promotion or the continuation of the situation he was already content with. To the young mistress, the possible outcomes were either a win or a loss; Thomas taking over the shipyard and becoming the company representative, or one of the other far more incompetent men taking over the new shipyard and the duties as the company representative, and possibly ruin her chances of further growth overseas.
Giving up the deal was not an option. She would pursue it to the best of her ability.
“You are correct.” the young mistress whispered in a stern voice and nodded without breaking eye contact. Whether Thomas’ move had meant anything to her she did not show. Thomas hit her with a hail of questions.
“How are we going to source the workforce? You took only a fraction of my men with us.”
“Locals. We pay them in nuts that we source from the republic.”, she answered.
“I’ll assume this is cheaper than hiring from the republic?”
“Considerably so.”, the young mistress smiled a little, she seemed particularly pleased over this fact.
“Do the locals have experience in building ships?”
“Not really. You and your men will teach them.”
Great, more responsibility, Thomas thought. Not only would he have to set up an entirely new logistics system for the new perishable type of currency, but he would also have to train the local workforce. He knew he could do this; he had done it before, but it would take some time and effort. He hoped whether the locals were eager to learn new skills.
He did not to ask about lumber, that much he knew of these lands. Sourcing wood would be ridiculously cheap compared to the republic.
“Translators? Do I have to learn a new language?”, Thomas asked.
“Already hired, and yes, I expect you to learn whatever skills you may need on the job, including but not limited to the local language and customs.”
The young mistress paused for a moment. The burning in her eyes abated and her usual elegant calmness returned. Her body language also changed, becoming more open and less aggressive.
“I need you to give them a good image of me and my company, Mr.Turner. In this process you and your men may have to take part in some… interesting cultural rituals. Naturally, you and your men will receive an adequate compensation in the form of additional pay whenever this happens.”, the young mistress said. Her tone wasn’t authoritative anymore, it was more diplomatic. Perhaps even sympathetic. She was talking as if she was sending him and his men to the cannibals.
The young mistress was blushing. The smell of the orchids was making him feel sick.
The young mistress broke eye contact, sat back down on her chair, and took another sip of tea, savoring it in silence for a few seconds. Thomas also leaned back on his chair. Suddenly he felt very tired, as the tension left his body. The young mistress relaxing in front of him had also calmed him down, he did not know whether that was another trick of hers, or if she had conceded the little battle for dominance they had just had.
Who won or who lost did not matter, they both knew from the beginning that he was going to accept the proposition. Like the young mistress had said earlier, it was quite the promotion, and turning it down would be idiotic. The only question was the details, and Thomas’ pay. Before he could ask, the young mistress took initiative.
“Naturally, with increased responsibility comes an adequate raise in pay.”
“I want double for me and my men.” Thomas demanded. Double and I’ll consider it, he had wanted to say, but now that the tension had abated, saying that would have felt like a metaphorical slap across his employers face. The young mistress narrowed her eyes and stared him down over the rim of her teacup.
“One and half to you and your men until you have learnt the language. After that, double.”, the young mistress countered. She closed her eyes and took another sip of tea, emptying her cup. She gently placed it on the small plate in front of her before continuing. “Two and a half for the entirety of the month of November, but no additional cultural ritual compensation during that time.”
The increased pay during November perplexed Thomas, but he was not going to turn that offer down. More money was more money after all, and her condition for learning the language seemed fair. If he and his men wouldn’t be able to communicate with the locals, they wouldn’t be able to run the shipyard at expected efficiency, and it felt dishonest to Thomas to ask the young mistress to pay double for a shipyard that worked at such a low capacity. Yeah, Thomas was going to accept this offer.
Without a word, one of the servants took away the empty teacup. The servant motioned at the teapot, asking whether the young mistress wanted more. The offer was declined with another wordless gesture.
“Sounds fair. Sure.” Thomas answered. The young mistress motioned to the servant to her left, who walked around the table to the right side of Thomas and handed him a quill and a stack of papers that was to be his new employment contract. The young mistress’ signature was already written in her distinct handwriting at the bottom of the last page.
“The absolving of our previous contract is already included in that one.” the young mistress said. “But the details of your pay are not. I’ll have my scribes prepare that as a separate agreement after we have docked. For now, you’ll have my verbal promise.” the young mistress continued. Thomas lifted his eyes from reading the papers to look at her.
“A proper promise?”, he looked at the young mistress expectantly.
The young mistress raised her hand, palm open. She placed the other on her chest, over her heart.
“I promise Thomas Turner that when he is to take the role of shipyard overseer and overseas company representative in Sabatangan, he and his current employees who accompany him in his new job will be paid one and a half times their current salary until they have learned to speak the local language at a level that allows them to properly conduct business with the squirrelfolk. After this, their salary will be raised to double their now-current salary, and to two and a half times their now-current salary for the month of November every year. In front of these witnesses, I swear this in the name of House Edelweiss, and on my honor as a merchant. By all the laws of gods and men, this promise is binding. My word is as a contract.”
Thomas was satisfied. He carefully read through the rest of the papers, and then wrote his signature on the bottom of the last page. As he placed the quill on the table next to the contract, the young mistress slumped back on her chair, visibly relieved.
“Thank you, Mr.Turner. You are the only one I could trust to meet the expectations on this job.”, the young mistress said.
“I will exceed them.”, Thomas said, extending his hand over the table to the young mistress. She extended hers in response. Thomas took her hand, which felt surprisingly cold in his hands despite the warmth of the teacup it had held just a minute ago, and the two shook hands. The agreement was sealed, Thomas felt satisfied.
“Oh, but what about my current, I mean my previous shipyard? It cannot properly function without an overseer.”, Thomas asked. For some reason he had forgotten this vital detail beforehand. A smug grin appeared on the young mistress’ face.
“Already taken care of. Glad to have you aboard, Mr.Turner.”
He begun to fear that he would smell of orchids for months to come.
...
Twilight Theater
The sun had already set below the canopy, with only her last few rays lingering, coloring the sky in a beautiful spectacle of orange and pink. There was barely any wind, and the air which had warmed up during the day under the sun’s caress remained a comfortable temperature. The cries of the few seagulls that remained awake were drowned in the hustle and bustle of the crowd that had gathered around the docks. Tasliam and a couple of his fishing buddies had climbed a tree that grew in the midst of the crowd, where they had a perfect view over the line of clockmen and risuner guards standing between the ships and the crowd.
There had been four ships in total. Three ships that had big guns, and one larger ship that had no guns, but which was very pretty. The big and pretty ship was the first to dock, while the big gun ships waited like well-trained hounds. Shortly after the pretty ship had docked, a tall human male wearing a ridiculous hat and a weapon like that of the clockmen had come from the ship and talked with the port authorities. A few minutes later, the guards arrived and cleared space around the pretty ship.
Now, a crowd seemed to be gathering on the deck of the pretty ship. Many more of the men with ridiculous hats and boomsticks, and some human females too, all dressed in what Tasliam knew was some sort of a traditional servant uniform overseas.
They watched the weird-hat-men march around the deck for a few minutes in seemingly useless formations, while the females slowly carried boxes and crates on to the deck. Then another man emerged form the belly of the ship, a man with black hair and a short well-trimmed beard, walked onto the bridge. He was dressed in a suit that was reminiscent of the suits Tasliam had seen some of the more formal clockmen wear. The man seemed elated at the prospect of getting outside the ship, Tasliam could see him taking long deep breaths while smiling happily. He wondered if the man was prone to seasickness.
“Is that the visitor? He seems important.”
“No, you bark-for-brains, Dien said the visitor was a princess. He is probably her personal servant or something.”
“He looks like a man who can appreciate some nice nuts. Do you think he would be interested in some nut-sharing?”
“Who knows, the clockmen were and he is dressed like one, so maybe he is too.”
Tasliam’s ears perked at his fishing buddies’ conversation. The prospect of Dien for once having been right seemed scary to him. He could already imagine the stupid smug “I told you so” grin on the bastard’s face.
A murmur spread over the crowd as more people appeared from within the pretty ship. One by one, four other people, two human females, a human male, and a boneman female, all dressed in fine clothing like the prospective-nut-buddy man. Calmly they walked to the weird-hat-men and said something to them. The weird-hat-men, without saying a word, begun to march ashore, forming a line on both sides of the ramp that lead to the ship.
A murmur swept over the crowd as the next person appeared from the belly of the pretty ship. A female, about 3/5ths the height of the prospective-nut-buddy man. She was by far the best dressed out of all of them: her black and white dress that extended down to her ankles was decorated with small black roses and butterflies, her long and well-groomed hair was green like the sails of her ship and seemed to shine with magical beauty in the firelight of the ship’s lamps. It was decorated with many a small hair ornament that Tasliam was too far away to properly see. On her chest, just below her exposed collarbones hung a pretty green gem the size of an acorn. All those on the deck of the pretty ship stood at attention and bowed when she walked past them.
Fuck, Tasliam realized, Dien was right. The tall-tale telling bastard was right for once.
The merchant-princess seemed happy to be outside of the ship, but she did not seem as sick as the prospective-nut-buddy man. The woman was a better sailor, Tasliam figured.
“That’s her.”
“Yeah, that’s her.”
“I WILL share nuts with her.”
“Not if I’m first.”
“We can share.”
“In your dreams, Boaz.”
Tasliam paid no attention to the arguments of his fishing buddies, he was too focused on the scene unfolding in front of him. He had not noticed them before, but the Elder of Sabatangan as well as some ambassador had arrived at the docks. They were waiting about two tree-lengths away from the pretty ship with their own guards standing beside them.
The four servants led the merchant-princess down the ramp, with the prospective-nut-buddy man following a few paces behind her. Only now did Tasliam notice that the man was carrying a black box, large enough to fit a few crabs inside of it. Slowly the merchant-princess and her attendants walked toward the waiting Elder and Ambassador, with her weird-hat-men marching behind them. They stopped a few paces on front of the Elder and Ambassador, where the latter greeted them and judging from his gestures, introduced the Elder and himself to the visitors. The merchant-princess and her attendants all bowed in unison, after which the boneman female stepped forward and judging from her gestures, introduced the visitors to the Elder and the Ambassador. After she was done, the prospective-nut-buddy man stepped forwards, and offered the black box to the merchant-princess, who in turn stepped forward to meet the Elder, and with an elegant bow offered them the box. The Elder gracefully accepted the gift. After a short exchange of what Tasliam assumed were meaningless pleasantries, the Elder and the Ambassador, as well as their guards turned around to walk towards the city, with the merchant-princess and her attendants, minus the weird-hat-men, following them.
...
...
“That was a bit theatrical don’t you think?”, Thomas whispered to the young mistress in Kat Nol, as they followed the squirrelfolk officials towards where he assumed they would stay during their visit. “Way too theatrical.”
He was glad to be free of the god-forsaken orchid stench of the Chrysalis, although now everything he wore was stained with the smell. He seriously needed a set of new clothes, and maybe a good bath.
“First impressions are important, Mr.Turner.”, the young mistress whispered back. “Besides, we did attract quite the crowd. Would have been a shame to leave them without a proper show.”
As usual, she was right. Heck, some of the squirrelfolk had even climbed up trees to watch her little spectacle. Thomas sighed. Despite the sun having set already, it was still a bit too hot to wear a suit.
“But having your entire bodyguard unit wear the full uniform and march in formation for ten minutes while you wait for the right moment in the hallway? A bit much if you ask me.”, Thomas continued whispering.
“Which is why I don’t ask you.”, the young mistress answered, with a hint of annoyance in her voice. “I need to appear important, and nothing makes a woman appear more important than a two dozen well-drilled riflemen.”
Thomas sighed again and decided to drop the subject. He’d leave the diplomacy to the young mistress, she seemed to have a good idea about that. He had other work to do, and if the negotiations went well, a lot more other work to do.
It would be a busy stay here at Sabatangan.
The Black Lacquer Box
You have been given a fine black lacquer box by the visitors. Wonder what is inside?
TRADE DEAL
A fictional /nasfaqg/ merchant of middling status and her loyal employees have arrived in Sabatangan to establish a new shipyard in the city and do their part in the expansion of the /risu/ exploratory fleet. They will be staying in the city for some time, even after the negotiations have ended.
...