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THE BOUQUET MANOR - AFTERNOON
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Jennica walks hesitantly to the hall/waiting room after being let in by the gate guard. She's dressed more properly than her overalls for a change, mostly because Emmeline insisted she wear something more refined; she's in an admittedly cute blue dress that's somewhere between 'proper enough' and 'not completely stifling in this relative heat'. The braunvieh is basically a big ball of nerves, second-guessing anything and everything related to her water cleanser, her rights to any of it, or the meaning of life.
Emmeline follows quietly beside Jennica, knowing that at this point saying anything to try to reassure her friend will just have the opposite result. Instead, she tries to just be a calming presence nearby.
Narrator: The two had been left sitting in the same drawing room that Emmeline had been in before, with comfortable chairs, and a small plate of snacks if they were ever able to calm enough to have any. Rondelethia came in on time, this time without any additional notes, her hands only being occupied by the small fan she kept on her person, which was more of a personal affectation, than anything else. "Jennica. Emmeline. Thank you for coming" She sat down, and took a breath "First, before anything else, I want to apologize for this happening, and I will endeavour to ensure there's no repeat of any such thing again"
Jennica gives a weak smile: "I-it's okay. Or not okay, but um..." She looks at Emmeline and swallows before continuing: "I uh... w-what do we do now?"
Emmeline gives a friendly nod to Rondelethia before looking to Jennica. "You and Rondelethia talk. And I'll be here if you need me."
Rondelethia: "That is your decision, and I will respect it. If you don't wish for your invention to be used, we part here, and I understand fully. Teis can, I'm sure, develop something else, and for yourself, I would be confident that you could make something of what you have already. I believe that together, we can be better than the sum of our parts, but only if you are comfortable with it"
Jennica hesitates, wringing her palms together. She swallows: "I... I I I think I'm o-okay with it, just... w-well, that wasn't the right way, right? I d-don't really know." She sighs: "B-but I can see it's good if we work together?" She gives a small, hopeful smile to the rabbit.
Emmeline looks between the two of them. "I think it's good if we work together, yes. But perhaps Jennica could help with the development beyond just having her device used? I'm sure she has some insights that aren't necessarily obvious from the finished product Teis dissected?"
Rondelethia: "It was disrespectful of your creation. If there is to be any modifications, it should be with your approval, and input. The joint invention should be ..well, a mutual creation. You understand what you made better than anyone else, so any further alterations will benefit from you being part of the creative process at all times" She nods to Emmeline "My point exactly"
Jennica nods again, swallowing: "U-uh, y-yeah, I can do that." She nods at Emmeline: "I can do that."
Emmeline reachs out to squeeze Jennica's shoulder. "This way it's yours too." She looks to Rondelethia with a smile. "I think we can do business. Of course at this point it's becoming more than just licensing the original piece."
Rondelethia had expected this of course, and had done the maths, and it was ..not fun, and it wasn't something she could hide from her father anymore, since he kept track of the deals that were in the pipeline, and would know that this one went up in flames..but that was a future Rondelethia problem. Present Rondelethia still had to rescue something from the wreckage. "Rather than a license, this would be a partnership. You have the origional design, of course, and you would be taking part in the R&D, while Bouquet Magics would handle part of the R&D too, as well as sales, and marketing" Normally, she could probably press for 40/60, but this was delicate..so.."A clean 50/50 of profits. I will also hire an external auditor so that you can have peace of mind that the split if fair. Just keep in mind with this, it will be a little bit of extra time before a profit is made, as all the costs for developing and making the initial batch of profits would need to be cleared first"
Jennica listens, then turns to Emmeline: "T-that all sounds okay, y-yeah?" She's definitely out of her depth here.
Emmeline nods. "Yes, it sounds more than fair. I'll want to see it all written up still, of course, but the principle of the agreement is in place, I believe."
Rondelethia signals one of the servants, who brings down the paperwork. She had this written down ahead of time. She is organized, if nothing else "Of course" She nods "I don't want you to sign this today. There's a lot to go through. Look through it, read it, even speak to an expert if you wish. Once this starts, it's quite the commitment for both of us, so I want you to be doing this with full knowledge, and comfort"
Jennica nods slowly, swalloing slightly at the sight of paperwork, but Emmeline's got this. "O-oh, yeah. We will. Thank you. And um, sorry." She looks at Emmeline: "I will leave this side to you. As, uh, always." She gives a weak, sheepish smile.
Emmeline leafs through the paperwork quickly, to make sure that all the pages are present before tucking the papers into the tote bag she had brought with her. She smiles back to Jennica. "I'll explain it all to you and we make sure it's good together, though." She looks to Rondelethia. "Understood. We'll need a bit of time to prepare, of course, since Jennica's focus will be on this and not her usual crafting. We have a reasonable surplus of stock already, though."
Rondelethia: "A small advance can be given, as payment for Jennica's time" She takes a few notes "I'll add that in the finalized contract"
Jennica looks down, her voice quiet: "My time isn't that important..."
Emmeline nudges Jennica. "Yes it is." she replies equally quietly.
Rondelethia stays out of that debate, and simply watches, passively. If she was half the ruthless business rabbit that she put on, this would be an easy way to leverage a bigger cut..but..ethics.
Jennica sighs quietly, gives Emmeline a small smile before turning back to Rondelethia: "W-we will get back to you as soon as we can." There is maybe an inkling of the beginning of the consideration of the start of some resolution within the cow, but it's certainly well hidden.
Emmeline nods in agreement with Jennica and stands. She offers a hand out to the rabbit. "I will be a pleasure to do business with you and your family."
Rondelethia: "I believe so too" She takes the hand, and shakes it, putting as much conviction into it as she can..even if she has some serious private doubts about all this. "You can get back in contact once you've reviewed the contract, and have further thoughts"
Jennica gets up, her smile wavering only slightly and she really tries to not show how much she wants to get out and get back to her crafting and forget all this mess even though it's good for their business. "Y-yes. I mean, yeah."
Emmeline nods to Jennica. "All right, let's head home and I can start looking this over more."
Rondelethia sits back down, as a servant would lead them out, leaving Rondelethia to once again try and work out what she's going to have to do to rescue all of this from disaster.
Jennica nods at Rondelethia, then at Emmeline, then tries very much to not look like she's hurrying out.
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GLAUSHIRE - FOG BELL TARVERN - LATE AFTERNOON
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Piper is sitting at the middle of the bar in the small, rather out-of-the-way tavern. One of those 10 person capacity places out the side of an alley, and that alley is itself a branch of another alley. Piper herself accounts for two of those people, and is using just as many stools to hunch at the counter over a relatively small tankard of spiced ale. She's beginning to wonder if Gareth will even find the place. Maybe she should have given him directions.
Gareth manages to find the bar well enough, as he comes tromping in through the door not too long after Piper starts to wonder about him. He casts a short glance around, just getting a feel for the sort of crowd he'll be mingling with, before he goes over towards the bark and takes a seat next to the hulking, scaled mountain of muscles that is Piper. "Afternoon, Piper. Hope I didn't keep ye waitin' fer too long."
Piper turns her head partway toward Gareth, giving him a toothy grin and short nod. "A little bit. At least you are here. Is a little hidden." She turns back to her drink, shrugging. "3 silver ale and 1 gold bed. Can't complain." She looks back to Gareth.
Gareth nods at the pricing, and also takes a moment to order himself a drink. "Aye, sounds like some good pricin', considerin' we're in the middle o' Glaushire. Lots o' opportunities fer business to try and milk folks fer all the gold they've got."
Piper chuckles, nodding along. "Yes, too much greed. I doubt it is much worry for you, hm?" She nudges his shoulder with her elbow. "Should be okay for a bit, ay?"
Gareth laughs a bit at the nudge and nods, catching his ale as it slides to a stop in front of him. "Aye, the greed doesn't bother me much, and I'll be good fer a good while, but it'll be nice to head back out to sea, sooner or later."
Piper lifts her tankard as Gareth's arrives, tilting it in a cheers-ish way. "Mh, yes that would be nice. My business is done here. Can leave whenever you are ready. Leaving through Policaster, ay?" She raises her full tankard, emptying it in one and setting it down for the barkeep. She then stacks three more coins on a small tower of them that the vessel had likely been hiding until she lifted it.
Gareth raises his own mug in a salute as he takes a hearty quaff and sets it back down. Unlike Piper, however, his mug is still about half full. "Aye, we'll be leavin' through Policaster. Goin' to be headin' out towards Orela before headin' back to Aephix, though. Got somethin' over in Snake lands that I need to take care o', first." He smiles, "Most likely, we'll be headin' out from here real soon, I think. Probably within a couple o' days."
Piper nods, smiling at the barkeep as he sets a fresh drink down in front of her. "Alright. Will head from the Southeast road? I can meet there. Not... At the East road." She clears her throat slightly, a rather guttural sound, and adjusts slightly on her seats.
Gareth tilts his head a bit, then nods. "Southeast? Aye, that's no trouble, lass. Me friend, Sammi, would probably enjoy seein' a little more o' the lands around Glaushire that way, seein' as we came in from Policaster by the east road."
Piper tilts her head slightly, giving Gareth a curious look. "Oh yes, you said Fury wasn't here. Sammy is another hunter? He is trustworthy?"
Gareth chuckles a bit. "Nah, Sammi's not a hunter. She's... just a, er... tourist, I guess? Good friend o' mine, though, so she's trustworthy, if maybe a bit free-spirited." He shrugs after a moment, "And aye, Fury's over in Aephix, still dealin' with some personal stuff, last I heard."
Piper grins, chuckling along with Gareth. "Oh? She? And that makes more sense. Was wondering why Sammi was not at the lab, then. Who else? You did say 'friends'."
Gareth hums, nodding. "Aye, friends. One o' them left early to head back to Aephix, since she was able to finish up her errands here in Sarn early."
Piper ahhs, nodding before she picks up her tankard. "Is a good thing, then. Ships get crowded easy." She downs the ale with a light sigh, setting her payment down with the empty mug again. "So what do you need to do in Orela? A bit of a detour, ay?"
Gareth takes a moment to have another sip of his ale before he nods. "Aye, just a detour to finish up a favor fer someone else I know in Respite. I'm hopin' to get one o' those specialized Snake spears with the hooked heads if I can."
Piper turns to look at Gareth, grinning after a moment. "Oh? James had one of them. Won it. Would not shut up about it for weeks."
Gareth smiles a bit at the mention of the spear. "Aye, I remember seein' that. Fearsome piece o' equipment, fer sure. In fact, the person I'm doin' the delivery fer also saw it, and she got reminded o' the one she used to use before she came to Aephix." He laughs a bit, "I can tell she wants one fer herself, so I figured I'd pull a favor, ye know?"
Piper nods slowly, glancing toward the barkeep as he sets another drink down in front of her, taking the empty. "Those snakes are a bit... attached to them. And fierce. Tough to get one to bet their spear, tough to win it." She looks over Gareth, tilting her head a bit. "You might have a hard time. What is your plan?"
Gareth laughs a bit and downs the rest of his ale before ordering another. "I don't intend on fightin' any o' the Snakes fer their personal spears. I'm plannin' on takin' a more careful, elegant approach... maybe slightly sneaky, too." He pats the side of his jacket, where he's got some of his payment stashed away, "If there's one constant about all o' the races in the world, money talks."
Piper hums, shrugging after considering him a few moments. "Oh, well that way is less fun. Wasn't money that made James stop bragging after all."
Gareth smirks a bit at Piper's statement. "Aye, less fun, but also a lot less likely fer me to end up feelin' the pointy end o' one o' those spears. I'm a decent enough fighter, but I like havin' all o' me innards inside if I can keep it that way." He shakes his head a little, "I've not really fought any Snakes with those spears, so I can't really say if I'd fare well against them without practice."
Piper chuckles, nodding. "They are good." She turns a bit, snapping open the large satchel hanging at her other side. She draws out something leathery with a familiar shape strapped securely to it, dropping it on the counter between them. "But I am better." She reaches back into the satchel, drawing the mirror sibling to it and setting it down as well. Two wrist-covering gauntlets with a grip attached securely to two snake spearheads. The left is slightly smaller, with a bit of it's left hook spanned off at the tip.
Gareth blinks as the spearheads thump onto the countertop, his eyebrows rising as he looks between the gauntlets and Piper. "Two spearheads, and fashioned like punchin' daggers? I'm guessin' this is what ye meant by James not bein' shut up from braggin' by money, then? Ye showed off and got yerself two?"
Piper grins, blushing under her scales a bit. "Runt got a big head. His own fault. I only wanted one, honestly. Was standing on her throat, would get off her for the spear. Her boyfriend got upset. Two spears."
Gareth snorts in amusement. "And so ye wound up winnin' a two-on-one, aye? That must've made James quiet down real fast." He laughs a bit after a moment and shakes his head, "Almost makes me wonder if I should just pay ye to challenge a Snake fer a spear when we get to Orela."
Piper hums, shrugging. "Wouldn't normally say yes. If you can't get it cheaper, maybe." She grins, obviously interested in the challenge and not having much luck hiding it.
Gareth matches Piper's grin. "Well, we'll see what happens. I'm hopin' one o' the Snakes workin' the supply depots o' their army is feelin' a little light in the wallet when we get to Orela. It'll be nice to have an easy job fer once."
Piper shrugs, lifting her tankard once again. "That would be very lucky. It is a bit odd, though. To want a spear that badly. James wanted the challenge. I wanted to shut him up. To us they are sort of trophies. Most others don't care so much. It's just a spear after all."
Gareth gives his head a bit of a non-committal tilt for a moment, sort of a half-shrug almost. "Eh... personally, I'm not too fussed about gettin' a spear fer meself, but if I do get me hands on one, I'll be deliverin' it to one o' the guard captains in Respite. She's one o' those, uh... lesser coatls, I think they're called?" He gestures vaguely, "Those winged Snakes, but she's like half bird." He waves a hand dismissively, "Anyway, I figure she'd be the sort to give me some good practice in the ring once she's got her hands on a spear again."
Piper grimaces at the mention of coatls, glaring toward Gareth for a moment. Most of everything after that seemed to go over her head for the moment. "A. What. You're working for a coatl?"
Gareth glances over at Piper, nonplussed by her reaction. "Mmh? Aye, a lesser coatl. She's kind o' like a... half-swan, half-snake sort o' deal. Good challenge in the ring, even with just wooden swords." He shrugs, "And not really workin' for her, more just anglin' fer future favors."
Piper calms down a bit as he explains, turning back toward her ale for a few moments. "Mh. A halfbreed then. Not a real coatl. Should not start a fight." She lets out a raspy sigh before downing her drink, though she doesn't lay out the coin for another. "Sorry."
Gareth raises an eyebrow, but shrugs as he takes a moment to clap Piper on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, lass. Last I'd heard while out wanderin' with me huntin' partner, there aren't any more o' those royals. The Lizards made sure o' that."
Piper grins, nodding. "They did. Good thing, too, from what I learned. Ah well." She pats her hand on his, shrugging. "You just be careful with that one."
Gareth flashes a toothy grin. "Oh, trust me, I've got her number if she tries anythin', and she knows it." He pauses, then shrugs, "Though, I guess she's also got me own number, too. Eh... it'll work out."
Piper laughs, shaking her head. "That it will. Tell you what. I'll give her a knock if you need it when we're in Respite."
Gareth laughs again. "I'll be sure to let ye know if I need some backup, lass. Though, if our sparrin' in the past is anythin' to go by, I should be able to hold me own fer a good long while, at least."
Piper nods, pondering for a few moments. "I want to see that. You fighting."
Gareth chuckles. "Then once we get back to Respite, come drop by the town guards' trainin' grounds. I'm usually over there if I'm not busy settin' up a house down by the bay, or wanderin' in and around town itself."
Piper smiles, nodding slowly again. "I'll have to do that. I've heard of you and Fury. Well, more of Fury. Look forward to it." She picks up her weapons, setting them carefully into her satchel again with a light sigh.
Gareth grins a bit as he catches his second mug of ale. "Unsurprisin' ye've heard o' Fury more than me. She's been in the work fer a bit longer than I have, so I'm guessin' she's got a bit o' a reputation."
Piper: "True. A bit of an imposing figure. James always wanted to meet her. She saved him trouble, so he said. Might have been his life, I'd guess, else he wouldn't care." She considers another ale, but instead just pushes her stacked payment toward the barkeep.
Gareth gives Piper a bit of a soft, sympathetic smile. "Ye know... I'd talked with Fury a bit about James after I'd met him. Ye know, before he'd... well, aye. She'd really wanted to meet him, too, though... considerin' what she'd said, she'd wanted to meet him to test herself out a bit against a tough opponent."
Piper huffs at the near-mention of his fate, though really she's not so much sad as upset about the poor investigation. She does seem to cheer up a bit at the last, though. "Oh? Well in his memory, I'll take his place for her."
Gareth smiles a little more openly as he eyes Piper up and down for a moment. "Ye'd have an eager fighter in Fury, fer sure. Hell, I'd pay to watch the two of ye match each other in the ring fer a bit."
Piper shrugs, though her expression shows her excitement. "I hope to be a bit of a match for her, at least."
Gareth tilts his head curiously, looking at Piper's scales for a moment. "Out o' curiosity, how do you do against axes?"
Piper looks down at her hands, turning them over. "Mh... Depends how sharp it is. How good the swing. Usually pick my fights on who has what, when I have the choice." She grins a bit, "Axe handles can be bent and broken, though."
Gareth chuckles again. "Then I'd say... probably fifty-fifty even odds on ye or Fury winnin' the match. Just... don't break the axe if ye can help it. I really don't think she'd appreciate that while sparrin'."
Piper shrugs, tilting her head. "If she wants to use a weapon, it's her fault, no? I wouldn't use my punchers for a sparring match."
Gareth blinks, not having considered that. "...Huh, fair enough, I suppose. Makes sense, now that I think about it." He rubs his chin a bit, "...Come to think, I've never really seen her sparrin' with her axe or any sparrin' weapons at all. Usually just wrestlin' and the like."
Piper grins a toothy grin, chuckling under her breath. "Oh that would be fun."
Gareth takes another good drink from his mug and laughs as he sets it back down. "No kiddin', even without weapons, seein' ye two spar would be quite a sight."
Piper hums before standing up, the stools under her seeming to creak in relief before she steps back around them. "Don't get me all excited. Haven't even left yet. Looking forward to this more and more." She eases up, her grin fading to a regular smile. Still toothy, though. "Glad you kept your word, ay. Better than me having to find you. Got a few affairs to tie up. Just let me know when to meet."
Gareth gives Piper a bit of a salute as she stands up again. "Ye give good directions, lass. I was able to find here well enough." He smiles, "I'll be sure to come and get ye in a couple o' days, once we're ready to head out, if ye can get yer things in order by then. Once we're all set, we'll be headin' out to Policaster to grab a ship to Orela."
Piper grins, returning his salute with a stiff Orelan military one, nodding at his words. "Good day, mister hunter." She chuckles thrice, turning and heading for a side door that she can barely fit through, presumably heading for her room. She walks steadily, considering the round 40 coins she'd left on the bar.
Gareth dips his head as he nonchalantly waves the bartender down to order himself a bit of a meal while he's here. "Good day to ye as well, lass."