Angelus
Corridor Outside Officer's Study Room
Eyes tightly shut, I oscillate between intervention as the host, and continuing to play spectator to an argument I have no stake in or interest. Stood beside me, a large, hairy man is I feel in much the same predicament despite being closer than I to both participants. Nonetheless, my ears are starting to hurt and it isn't a good luck to be passive in the situation, so much as I would rather not, I have a responsibility to enforce a modicum of decorum between the two women bitching each other out.
"Excuse-"
"Oho! And what is that supposed to mean, bitchtits? You wanna say that again without Jiantao Wen's dick in your mouth? Huh?" the feisty Kon, one Klare, retorts scathingly, overriding my interjection with more passion than volume.
"I said exactly what I intended to say," Dawn Waker replies with nary a change in tone from what I'm to understand is her neutral voice, "However, I object to you maligning Mr Wen. I do not have any such relationship with him nor do I have any intention of pursuing that method of promotion, and your insinuation only highlights your own insecurities."
For a mercy, the door to the study room abruptly opens before matters are able to escalate any further, a rather unamused looking Silver emerging with the figure of Jericho Fathom looming just behind him, though his mood is harder to discern than even Silver's characteristic stoic...expressionlessness.
Hrm. 'Expressionlessness'.
That is...indeed a word. The English language oft wants for eloquence...and emulating archaic prose in my private thoughts isn't really enough to make up for making poor use of my wide knowledge of vocabulary, so I'm just to stop there I think.
With an audible intake of shallow breath, Silver stares balefully at the two guests, "...Need I even remind you of where you are at this moment in time and the context thereof? Because I believe that engaging in a petty argument in front of the door while the man you wish to meet is already in the middle of an important meeting inside makes for a bad first impression."
Neither one of them shows much inclination towards apologising and a remarkable lack of shame for their rude & childish behaviour besides, though when Dawn Waker opens her mouth the first thing to pass her lips is an apology, "Please excuse my rudeness, I had no intention of disturbing you Mr Nosster."
I don't really need to read between the lines of what she just said and with the twitch of Klare's nose she evidently picks up on the things left unsaid and implied, "You-!"
"Continue, and I'll personally kick the both of you to the curb," Silver cuts in, voice devoid of patience, "That way, you can scrap like alley cats in a more suitable environment."
"Klare, just give it a rest," Medde squats down a bit to pat her shoulder, looking a lot like a parent and child with the difference in size, "Sorry, Mr Nosster."
Silver rubs his eyes, plainly tired, "I don't have the energy to play peacekeeper. If not for the contract and the help rendered during DDA's little uprising, I'd have already thrown you out, but mark my words: This is your one and only remaining chance. Miss Dawn Waker, we'll speak first since you arrived first and have an active contract," He turns to me next, "Angelus, go tell Windy that I won't be seeing anyone else besides these two today. After that you can either join in on the meeting, wait outside or log out, we can catch up offline if needs be."
"Alright," I shrug, not really used to being ordered around, "Need any coffee with that?"
Silver blinks, taken aback, "...No, thank you."
I must be getting better at reading him, because it feels like he's trying not to laugh, "So be it, boss."
His eyes narrow and I take it as a signal that pushing it any further won't be tolerated, so I turn to leave with a self-satisfied smirk that feels a little unearned. I suppose I can't help but feel a little miffed that he ran off and left the Meteo situation in our hands to deal with, so petty as it might be, this much is the least I can do to vent my irritation with him, fair or not.
When we sit down again at the table, Miss Dawn Waker stares with unconcealed curiosity at Mr Fathom, no doubt wondering why he's sitting in on what should by rights be a private meeting between representatives of Truthseekers and the Pavillion of Myriad Dao. Massaging my none too stressed forehead, I leave her to wonder while I shift my mindset to the present concerns which brought her here and recall the information I have on her and her organisation.
Though I confess to having at least some recollection of her and the Pavillion, it's quite spotty and from a long, long time ago. From the research I did on my own, and what my colleagues informed me of, they are a well-established Corporate Interest Group, and as much distaste as I have for such people, all accounts paint them as being fairly moderate in temperament. Not that they don't have any baggage, but it's mostly isolated to their rise to prominence within Eternal Wuxia, which is another red flag.
When it comes to their projected future, before I came along and made an unholy mess of the original timeline through my actions spiralling out of control, I barely know anything, save that they were one of the groups just beneath Rambling Rose, and utterly unremarkable otherwise until their management saw the writing on the wall for EW's longevity and AR's success. At which point they transferred their focus over to Astral Reckoning and moved all their forces out of the Southern Provinces of the Empire to who knows where.
Probably to the Central Provinces, since I would otherwise remember if they went to Ghoath, as I did. Or perhaps that's the wishful thinking of an old man talking, heh. The irony of barely remembering the early days, and inversely, the more vividly recalled details losing relevance at a rapid pace.
Recent experiences have taught me a degree of pessimism with what information I had which I took for granted, to the point where even presumed fixed points like Inexorable-series Cavhatirrius Chapters are looking less stable as reference points for my endeavours moving forwards, though at least in the short term 'Greentide', and 'One Last Mercy' should still be forthcoming as players have no way of interfering with them ahead of time without excessive measures undertaken by Inheritors.
To the end of the former, compromising on my values to work with less problematic CIGs like the Pavillion is both a necessity and a requirement to succeed. If I spend all my time scorning business interests just on principle, I'll be awash with enemies and bereft of funds as well as allies to serve as backing. I'd even happily welcome the cooperation of Rambling Rose's parent company too if Hadrian ever manages to pull his head from his ass and stop antagonising us.
Thoughts duly collected, I take a long breath inwards and address my guest, "It has been a very long, stressful day. So, as much as I'd like to go into luxurious detail, I hope you don't mind if we keep this discussion short and sweet for this first time seeing one another. I still have two meetings left after this to get through and I dearly wish to find my way to a bed. Though I don't think introductions are strictly necessary, I am Silver Nosster, the founder and leader of Truthseekers. My newly inducted associate here is Mr Jericho Fathom, the erstwhile leader of Wolf Hunt and now an officer within Truthseekers for the near future."
"Don't mind me..." Mr Fathom clears his throat, "I won't be talking much, or at all."
"Wolf Hunt has come under the umbrella of Truthseekers?" Miss Dawn Waker is clearly surprised, "Unexpected, I have to say."
"If you wish to pursue that line of conversation," I interrupt to keep us on topic, "I'd ask for you to withhold your curiosity for a more appropriate time. Now, I assume you have something you want from me given the way you rushed over here, so please be about it."
She straightens her back a little more, her expression adopting a mask which is no doubt quite familiar and comfortable to her, "Yes, I am Dawn Waker, and I am both a General Manager for - as well as the leader of - the Pavillion of Myriad Dao within Astral Reckoning, it's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance Mr Nosster..."
The businesswoman is belabouring the point in the way most merchants and politicians I've come across do, a habit I've never found to be endearing. I hold my tongue back from making a sarcastic remark to that effect with a bit of difficulty. All the same, I wish she'd just get to the point like Mr Fathom did, to save us all some time and patience.
The tapping of my fingers on the table alert me to the irritation bleeding through my subconscious into my body, so I clench my fist and pull back the arm beneath the edge to rest on my lap instead. Miss Dawn Waker continues to talk without commenting on my likely obvious agitation.
"Regarding the contract we originally signed with your stand-in, Miss Fields, I would like it if the person implicated in that contract's terms were transferred to you. Given her lacking authority, it was not possible to properly represent Truthseekers in the System Contract, from what Miss Fields said," Miss Dawn Waker finally stops with the PR spiel to begin talking about something of substance, "Which I find curious, but I let the more stringent contingencies slide temporarily on good faith until I could meet you directly."
"Assuming the terms of the contract remain the same as originally agreed, I have no issue that comes to mind," I agree without much thought, "Which I believe I already asked her to convey to you?"
"It is better to hear your consent in person, I think," she smiles a little more, "In the modern age we live in, face to face meetings are becoming fewer and farther between even compared to the norm, and even a facsimile such as this is better than I can hope for most days. So, I value every such opportunity more than words spoken with another's mouth."
Is this the sincerity of a businesswoman? How novel...
And out of place. I get the sense she believes her words, but I don't see the point of launching into a tangent like that other than as an attempt to engender respect and endearment. Under different circumstances, I admit I might have been swayed by the pleasant sentimentality, and it certainly came close to. But I want this meeting to be over and done with more than I want to make nice, so my surliness is out in full force as it stands.
"If that's all, you needn't have arrived with such haste," I point out, ignoring her poignant speech, "The contract is still binding, and I've no intention not to honour it, nor am I the sort of man to throw my second in command under a bus over something so trifling. So, please just get to the point before what remains of my politeness leaves me and I firmly ask you to return another day."
Her easy confidence falters a little at my lacking response, eyes briefly darting to the side as if wondering if she misread me, "Very well...I would like to propose further investment from the Pavillion into Truthseekers. It doesn't take much foresight or analysis to recognise that your group is of seemingly interminable means, but from what little we've been able to gather, it does not appear that you have any significant real-world backing. Or am I mistaken?"
I ponder whether to bluff her and to what extent. However, though it might be beneficial to fake a mysterious backer's existence, I don't believe I can do so very convincingly, even for as much of an unknown quantity as we likely are in the eyes of our peers. Other than Jupiter and Olrica, it doesn't appear that any of us - not including the newest recruits - are much inclined to talk to people outside of Truthseekers on a personal level, so information about us will be sparse, doubly so with the System Contracts enforcing their silence on certain matters to outsiders.
Settling on the decidedly politician-like answer of neither confirming nor denying, I move to press her on the nature of this investment, though I can somewhat guess that she desires a controlling interest in our activities and access to our secrets, "That's not any of your business, to be frank."
Miss Dawn Waker's smile returns in full force with a bit more sincerity to it, eyes lidded like the cat that got the cream, "Is that so? Well, you wouldn't object if I were to invest elsewhere then?"
"It's the Pavillion's money," I shrug, nonplussed, "I'm not the one you have to justify yourself to."
That takes the wind out of her sails, the smile disappearing, "True enough, however, it won't do to dismiss our goodwill outright will it? As I said, Truthseekers is currently one of the most prominent forerunners within the Astral Reckoning community. Those ahead of you might not have your progression into the Guild system, but their foundations - due in no small part to external backing and prestige - will ensure that your advantage in this area will not last forever. When they - the Pavillion included I might add - inevitably catch up, they will leave you in the dust if you can't compete in the areas of finance, administration and human resources."
Stating the obvious but, she's...not wrong. And it's something I've known from the start, as I already recognise that in-game wealth is not synonymous with real-world success, and the value of Merrowan currency will fluctuate between being more or less important than real-world money as time passes, until roughly the era that the laws which legitimise Merrow as a second habitable planet came into effect.
At this point in time, they're about even, I'd say. RWT sites place Merrowan currencies at a nice premium of $297 per Stone Silver when last I checked two days ago, which will only go down over the next few weeks before it's forcibly restabilised in the wake of Rise of the Adventurers the day after tomorrow when the renewed sapience of the locals combined with the rebalanced drop tables brings the realities of a living economy to light, and crushes player income.
Either way, Truthseekers needs a stable income if only to make good on the promises I made to my colleagues to get them on board with spending an inordinate amount of time and effort building ourselves up to where we are now. In the short term, that need can be fulfilled by selling our stockpile of early game equipment on real-world credit exchange over third party RWT services, but that's not entirely sustainable for as many people as I'm currently and expected to employ. Like my original money-making scheme, there's a fairly hard limit on how much profit can be squeezed out of it before the value is deprecated, as we won't be able to create enough volume or sell enough after a while.
Compromising, as I am, by heeding the overtures of CIGs is a necessity and a requirement for long-term success.
I accept that. However, 'tis a compromise, not a surrender. I expect what Miss Dawn Waker wants isn't just an 'investment', but to absorb Truthseekers, accounting for her surprise at the inclusion of Wolf Hunt. Thus, she can claim our efforts her own and utilise us to whatever end the Pavillion sees fit. We get our financial footing, they get the headstart they want on progression that has thus far eluded them.
Win-win. Right?
"I'm not in hurry to jump into bed with just anybody," I fold my arms and lean back, "As you say, we are 'possessed of certain means', so it is not as if we can't make up for our shortcomings on our own without outside intervention. At the very least, our in-game security is unshakeable for the next several months of play, and there are multiple avenues to pursue by which we can raise the requisite funds in Reality. The Pavillion might be our most sincere suitor, but...I'm not in a hurry to jump into bed with just anybody."
Short-term problems might be the most pressing, but pursuing short-term solutions is not the answer. I don't mind sharing a bit of power with people I can at least learn to trust, such as Henna and Windy, but I will not be nickel-and-dimed into whoring our shares out to every corporation and investment firm that comes knocking until all I'm left is a majority 10% share and a board of 30 greedy sons of bitches fighting over our future like the Iron Lord's vassals in that strategy meeting, pursuing their agenda over my own.
If that happens, I can forget about overcoming the Eclipse, as I will be a feckless fool who only contributes to the problems which caused our downfall. Rich in funds, but poor in closure. Biting my lip, I am once again reminded of the uncomfortable knowledge of the roots I share with Count Erment, feeling inwardly disgusted at the parallel. Bitterly, I wonder if my way will end with that regardless of my intent, as whether I stand tall atop a mountain or among the invested & selfish, I will need to contend and compromise with them to see my own will ascendant.
"Silver?" Mr Fathom clears his throat mildly, still managing to sound like a distant rockslide.
"Sorry," I shake it off, now isn't the time to indulge my personal angst, "You were about to say something, Miss Dawn Waker?"
"Um, yes," she avoids looking at my eyes for a moment for some reason, "For a 30% share in Truthseekers, the full support of the Pavillion and it's accumulated connections will be at your disposal, in addition to $602,000 dollars."
Thir-
"Rejected," my voice moves faster than my thoughts, "That is by far too much, even if the money were representative of our value."
Miss Dawn Waker doesn't appear to be too surprised, "Yes, I expected you to say as much. But, perhaps you don't appreciate how much of a concession this is? The Pavillion has been in operation for 14 years as a very well-respected talent management company, and we don't 'get into bed with just anyone' either, to borrow your turn of phrase. We have no shortage of candidates for patronage, as there are more people who play and enjoy games to a semi-professional level than there are coins in circulation. Even so, I don't wish to trample over you as that isn't my style of management, so while in these cases our rates would usually bottom out at around 70%, I've decided to go against convention and cut it in less than half. Not to mention, that you will still pocket a very healthy sum from us with no further strings attached just for agreeing to sign on as a bonus."
She threads her fingers together, elbows resting on the table to form an arch, "I'm betting on you making back that investment ten-fold."
Her behaviour strikes me as odd. While the money she's offering might be more than commensurate to our current assets, it ignores the context of Astral Reckonings steadily declining prestige since launch. That a CIG is sticking around is strange enough - I at least have some idea as to why Rambling Rose persist - but this level of expenditure...where is she expected to make the money back from? From who?
It smacks of desperation and a disregard for consequence, viewed from a purely logical lens. I half suspect the possibility of her or someone behind her being an Inheritor, but I have no evidence or way to prove it. That other woman outside, the Kon, seems to know Miss Dawn Waker quite well. I should see if I can get some more information from her when we meet shortly.
"I should take this opportunity to make one thing quite clear," I say softly, "Truthseekers is it's own master. I may lead it, but I do not 'control' it, per se. The people who made this possible are more than just me alone, and to be quite honest, have done most of the actual work in safeguarding it, independent of my presence, as you yourself have borne witness to in the past two weeks. We can accept a show of good faith, and another hand joined to ours, but there will be no others directing where to go down our Path. So, if you truly value our potential so highly, at the expense of what is sensible, I welcome the compliment - as well as any assistance rendered - gladly, and invite you to prove it through action and faith over time. Or, to put it more bluntly: I don't trust you, or the Pavillion, and have no intention of giving up a sliver of control...let alone an entire third of my Guild's power to any outsider without that trust in place. Even were you to prove yourselves a friend as my Officers have, thirty percent would still be excessive, though."
Disappointed, all the same, Miss Dawn Waker nods as if expecting that response, "I see. It's a shame, really, it would have made it a lot easier on both of us if you'd agreed."
Her wording carries a hint of threat, but her tone conveys genuine disappointment and no malice I can pick up on, curiously. She bites at her bottom lip, consternation bleeding through her mask of professionalism for a moment, "Is there no room to negotiate?"
"That would rather depend on the terms you offer," I tell her, feeling like a parrot, "As I said, I am not opposed to a mutually beneficial arrangement on principle, but what you seek from us is the point of contention. If you desire an exchange of goods and services, a fitting price can be worked out in most cases, I suppose, as we are already committed to doing by allowing you to make use of the Training Hall at your leisure for your part in it's repair. But I will not hear any talks of buying Truthseekers' loyalty and destiny. As I'm sure you can appreciate, some things cannot be valued with coin alone."
Miss Dawn Waker pushes her fingers through her bangs, placing them back behind her pointed ears, "I can't leave today empty-handed...I take it from the way you're talking that you have something in mind, however?"
"A few things," I confirm gently, "First among them, actual saleable goods. I've not been idle during my absence, for one thing, and have acquired several supply lines for goods from beyond Meteo's walls. Depending on our needs, I might be persuaded to sell the surplus. Furthermore, though it is yet to be properly public knowledge, the Blacksmithing Workshop, Stone Arsenal, is a sponsored business of Truthseekers and the owner has been quietly stockpiling a great many pieces since the Siege at my behest, though I expect production was interrupted by the most recent unpleasantness. A deal for the sale of the surplus arms and armour can also be negotiated before it's opened to the public."
The Silva woman blinks, momentarily at a loss for words, "The bones and roots of Truthseekers run deeper still, huh? Haha...this is exactly why I made the offer in the first place, Mr Nosster. Alright. Consider me - and The Pavillion of Myriad Dao - interested. Could I trouble you for a more comprehensive report of the available items before we take talks further?"
"You might have to wait for a bit," I warn her, "But yes, it can be done."
"Excellent," she beams, relieved to have at least grasped something worthwhile; Miss Dawn Waker stands from her chair and walks around the table on the opposite side to Mr Fathom, arm half-proffered. Taking the cue, I stand with a suppressed grunt born from my stiff body and take it, "To 'first dates' and new friendships."
I feel the tension crack, laughter bubbling forth from me and joined by both her and Mr Fathom, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet."
