Shadows 5.2
Oct. 11th, 2006 08:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
measured_wordsI think this will actually wind up being 5.3, in the end, but I haven't gotten around to typing up 5.1 properly. In anycase, thanks agai to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rumplefurskin for suggesting using Val as a PoV person, leting me borrow him, and then proofing to make sure that I didn't misuse his character. I think this worked out quite well :)
Valentine looked out at the ships belonging to the Augustus Trading Company and shook his head once more at the both of them. The original, Swift-as-a-Fox (or Swift more generally), sat moored, her crew busily preparing her for the next voyage. Beside her lay Gentle Wind, likewise engaged in loading new cargo and provisions. To human eyes all may have seemed well with the pair, but for an Elowyn Elf, a pair simply highlighted that which was missing: a third to complete the set. He’d tried reasoning with Sterling, but being only a Half-Elf, and Alrdyn stock at that, he couldn’t be expected to understand the importance of triumvirates. Speaking with Triskin hadn’t been any more successful – her people were as apparently unenlightened as the Aldryn.
He knew the company could afford a third ship: it was just a matter of persuasion. It would be good to reinforce their luck, as the Loyalists had aced a number of trials recently. As he understood it, it was only through some rather slick dealing by Sterling that their company continued to enjoy permission to trade in Shinkyo’s port at all. Valentine saw no solution for his concern, but as he stood on the dock turning it over in his mind, he saw a man approaching who might just be able to help. He waved and smiled broadly.
“Hadyn! Good to see you out, my friend!” It was, in fact, a sadly rare event. The wizard had become more and more reclusive over the past few months, with little return on efforts to draw him out. Even now, he seemed skittish beyond his natural nervousness.
“Valentine.” The cowl nodded up and down. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Ahh. Still, you may be able to help me – I know you are good a problem solving.”
“…Oh?” Hadyn sounded far too suspicious.
“Yes. I must come up with a way to convince Sterling that we need to purchase a third ship for the company.”
“Is he here?”
“Non. He is with Triskin.” For business or pleasure, Valentine didn’t know – only that they would be gone for several hours still.
“Ah.”
“Well, have you any ideas?”
Hadyn glanced around him quickly – another unnecessary nervous habit, especially when in the company of a stalwart friend and a Knight of the Espada Del Justica – a noble organization despite Hadyn’s ill-considered biases. Valentine had noticed that his friend tended to indulge in this habit more when thinking, however, and counted it a good sign for the moment.
“Well,” he began, “We can afford it.” It was true – their last run of had brought in a cargo of unbelievable value, though he hadn’t been personally involved and didn’t know the specifics. The payoff had allowed Prince Lynel to give a large bonus to all active Loyalists to put towards personal equipment. As founding members and shareholders, he and Hadyn had also profited greatly, which further meant, on Valentine’s part, that the Espadas profited as well Hadyn continued, “That won’t be enough on its own.”
Val nodded. “I have tried that. But what else?”
“The Company’s association with the Loyalists can’t possibly remain a secret. Even though your sailing times and patterns are generally kept confidential, Swift has such wonderfully distinct sails that she is easily recognized.”
“Ah bien. This is true, but Piove would be heartbroken if we were to change them, and the men would not allow it for that very reason. I believe she and Triskin have had words on the subject.”
“I’m shocked.”
Valentine’s mouth dropped petulantly. Hw often wondered about the root of his friend’s constant negativity. How could someone so young be so cynical all the time? He knew Hadyn had lived a hard life, from what little he knew of it, and surely his bad decisions must haunt his conscience. “Please go on Hadyn, I can tell you’ve thought of something.”
“There are two ways you could argue for another ship. The first is risk – you’re at greater risk now because out enemies have decided that we are a target worth expending resources on. It makes sense to mitigate this. A third ship would help split our investment so that we can potentially profit more. If we lost one of our fleet, we’d only be down a third, and not half our resources, even if that percentage represents a greater monetary total.” He paused, and Valentine nodded for him to continue. Redundancy was a core aspect of the Elowyn wisdom of threes. A careful and clever people did not leave much to chance.
“The second angle?” Valentine prodded.
“If we were to acquire a third ship in secret, it could operate more freely than the other two and potentially carry intelligence as well as more valuable cargo, and further mitigate the chances of being attacked by our enemies. Especially if it is kept off the books.”
“A secret ship?”
“Yes.”
“Je ne sais pas. I’m not so sure about that.” Sterling and Triskin already kept enough from him that he was not certain he could officially endorse the Company as an Espada, and it seemed like a secret ship would only encourage this kind of clandestine activity. Besides which, there was not much merit in owning three ships if they didn’t sail together. It would be like a warrior owning three weapons and only carrying two – it just wouldn’t do.
Hadyn shrugged. “Do you know when the others will return?”
“I am afraid not, mon ami. It could be some time.” He smiled. “Perhaps you would care to wait aboard? I’m sure Piove would be glad to see you out. The skies are bright and she is in fine spirits this morning.”
“No.” Did he look a little paler? It was hard to judge under the hood, but he’d shrunken in on himself somewhat and was now glancing nervously towards the sky. “I can’t. I don’t have time.”
“She might think you’re avoiding her.”
“I thought she was still mad at you.”
“Ahh…” Well, she had been. He hadn’t actually seen her yet today, but the weather was a good indicator of her mood, and he smiled optimistically. “You know Piove.”
“Yes. Well. Tell her I said hello.” He spoke very carefully, as though he were wary of her. As far as Valentine knew, Hadyn hadn’t done anything to cross her recently, but their relationship certainly had some rough patches in the past.
“Nothing has happened between you two, has it?”
“No! Nothing. I just don’t have time.”
“Bien alors. She will be very disappointed.”
“I should go.”
“Should I tell Sterling you came looking for him?”
Frustration flashed across his young friend’s shadowed face. “Sure. Not that it matters.”
“It is not healthy for you to be so negative. Here, perhaps I can help you instead?”
He could see Hadyn’s hesitation, no doubt pitting his natural pessimism against the desire to complete his errand.
“Fine. Do you know the names of any of the Company’s contacts in Shiroeki?”
“Ahh!” Valentine smiled broadly. “I do in fact. There, you see?” Once he had accepted the responsibility for managing Espada funds invested into the venture, he’d taken a much more personal interest in their regular trading. Hadyn looked surprised, but his only real interest in the company seemed to be in what sorts of materials it would allow him to acquire. Combined with his recent reclusiveness, it wasn’t surprising that the reclusive wizard hadn’t realized the extent of Valentine’s own involvement. “What kind of contact are you seeking?”
“Someone local that I can stay in contact with. Relay messages about when you might be in port, and so forth.”
“Then I suspect that the Yeohs at Suo Hu may be your best bet. That is the name of the tavern they run – they’re friends, and direct much trade our way. We always stop there and try to give some warning of our comings and goings when prudent. You know, they have a quite delicious ale that they import as well, though they as yet refused to divulge their source!”
“Suo Hu. The Yeohs. Alright.”
“’Tis nothing, mon ami.” That was another thing about Hadyn – he was rarely very grateful, but it was best to take it in stride and try to set a better example. Perhaps it was just the way of his people – others had a difficult time living up to Elowyn standards in any case. “But may I ask what this is about? Are you staying in the South?”
“…Yes.”
“In Shiroeki?”
“…Yes.”
“On Loyalist business?” To the best of his knowledge, Hadyn had been staying in to help Volaris with wizard affairs for the last little while – he could be dangerous to himself and others when hurt or threatened. Valentine hadn’t heard that anyone had come up with any good solutions to deal with the demon trying to take Hadyn over, either. From what he understood, Hadyn hadn’t been an entirely unwilling subject, and even if he seemed somewhat repentant now, Valentine wasn’t sue it was wise to let him go off so far unsupervised. Drawing his old acquaintance out of his reclusive phase was one thing, but leaving him unattended in a foreign city was quite another.
“Yes.” Hadyn sounded peevish now. “It’s just for research. Volaris thinks it is important.”
“Ahh bien. He is a very smart man.” Possibly the smartest human he had ever met. Valentine certainly trusted him to know what was prudent, and if he was willing to let Hadyn go then surely it would be fine.
“I have to go.”
“Very well, my friend. I wish you luck in your travels, and I’ll tell the others you were here.”
Hadyn’s cowl bobbed, possibly in thanks, and turned to leave. “Good luck getting your ship.”
Valentine waved in farewell, blithely assuming the comment was sincere.
rumplefurskin for suggesting using Val as a PoV person, leting me borrow him, and then proofing to make sure that I didn't misuse his character. I think this worked out quite well :)Valentine looked out at the ships belonging to the Augustus Trading Company and shook his head once more at the both of them. The original, Swift-as-a-Fox (or Swift more generally), sat moored, her crew busily preparing her for the next voyage. Beside her lay Gentle Wind, likewise engaged in loading new cargo and provisions. To human eyes all may have seemed well with the pair, but for an Elowyn Elf, a pair simply highlighted that which was missing: a third to complete the set. He’d tried reasoning with Sterling, but being only a Half-Elf, and Alrdyn stock at that, he couldn’t be expected to understand the importance of triumvirates. Speaking with Triskin hadn’t been any more successful – her people were as apparently unenlightened as the Aldryn.
He knew the company could afford a third ship: it was just a matter of persuasion. It would be good to reinforce their luck, as the Loyalists had aced a number of trials recently. As he understood it, it was only through some rather slick dealing by Sterling that their company continued to enjoy permission to trade in Shinkyo’s port at all. Valentine saw no solution for his concern, but as he stood on the dock turning it over in his mind, he saw a man approaching who might just be able to help. He waved and smiled broadly.
“Hadyn! Good to see you out, my friend!” It was, in fact, a sadly rare event. The wizard had become more and more reclusive over the past few months, with little return on efforts to draw him out. Even now, he seemed skittish beyond his natural nervousness.
“Valentine.” The cowl nodded up and down. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Ahh. Still, you may be able to help me – I know you are good a problem solving.”
“…Oh?” Hadyn sounded far too suspicious.
“Yes. I must come up with a way to convince Sterling that we need to purchase a third ship for the company.”
“Is he here?”
“Non. He is with Triskin.” For business or pleasure, Valentine didn’t know – only that they would be gone for several hours still.
“Ah.”
“Well, have you any ideas?”
Hadyn glanced around him quickly – another unnecessary nervous habit, especially when in the company of a stalwart friend and a Knight of the Espada Del Justica – a noble organization despite Hadyn’s ill-considered biases. Valentine had noticed that his friend tended to indulge in this habit more when thinking, however, and counted it a good sign for the moment.
“Well,” he began, “We can afford it.” It was true – their last run of had brought in a cargo of unbelievable value, though he hadn’t been personally involved and didn’t know the specifics. The payoff had allowed Prince Lynel to give a large bonus to all active Loyalists to put towards personal equipment. As founding members and shareholders, he and Hadyn had also profited greatly, which further meant, on Valentine’s part, that the Espadas profited as well Hadyn continued, “That won’t be enough on its own.”
Val nodded. “I have tried that. But what else?”
“The Company’s association with the Loyalists can’t possibly remain a secret. Even though your sailing times and patterns are generally kept confidential, Swift has such wonderfully distinct sails that she is easily recognized.”
“Ah bien. This is true, but Piove would be heartbroken if we were to change them, and the men would not allow it for that very reason. I believe she and Triskin have had words on the subject.”
“I’m shocked.”
Valentine’s mouth dropped petulantly. Hw often wondered about the root of his friend’s constant negativity. How could someone so young be so cynical all the time? He knew Hadyn had lived a hard life, from what little he knew of it, and surely his bad decisions must haunt his conscience. “Please go on Hadyn, I can tell you’ve thought of something.”
“There are two ways you could argue for another ship. The first is risk – you’re at greater risk now because out enemies have decided that we are a target worth expending resources on. It makes sense to mitigate this. A third ship would help split our investment so that we can potentially profit more. If we lost one of our fleet, we’d only be down a third, and not half our resources, even if that percentage represents a greater monetary total.” He paused, and Valentine nodded for him to continue. Redundancy was a core aspect of the Elowyn wisdom of threes. A careful and clever people did not leave much to chance.
“The second angle?” Valentine prodded.
“If we were to acquire a third ship in secret, it could operate more freely than the other two and potentially carry intelligence as well as more valuable cargo, and further mitigate the chances of being attacked by our enemies. Especially if it is kept off the books.”
“A secret ship?”
“Yes.”
“Je ne sais pas. I’m not so sure about that.” Sterling and Triskin already kept enough from him that he was not certain he could officially endorse the Company as an Espada, and it seemed like a secret ship would only encourage this kind of clandestine activity. Besides which, there was not much merit in owning three ships if they didn’t sail together. It would be like a warrior owning three weapons and only carrying two – it just wouldn’t do.
Hadyn shrugged. “Do you know when the others will return?”
“I am afraid not, mon ami. It could be some time.” He smiled. “Perhaps you would care to wait aboard? I’m sure Piove would be glad to see you out. The skies are bright and she is in fine spirits this morning.”
“No.” Did he look a little paler? It was hard to judge under the hood, but he’d shrunken in on himself somewhat and was now glancing nervously towards the sky. “I can’t. I don’t have time.”
“She might think you’re avoiding her.”
“I thought she was still mad at you.”
“Ahh…” Well, she had been. He hadn’t actually seen her yet today, but the weather was a good indicator of her mood, and he smiled optimistically. “You know Piove.”
“Yes. Well. Tell her I said hello.” He spoke very carefully, as though he were wary of her. As far as Valentine knew, Hadyn hadn’t done anything to cross her recently, but their relationship certainly had some rough patches in the past.
“Nothing has happened between you two, has it?”
“No! Nothing. I just don’t have time.”
“Bien alors. She will be very disappointed.”
“I should go.”
“Should I tell Sterling you came looking for him?”
Frustration flashed across his young friend’s shadowed face. “Sure. Not that it matters.”
“It is not healthy for you to be so negative. Here, perhaps I can help you instead?”
He could see Hadyn’s hesitation, no doubt pitting his natural pessimism against the desire to complete his errand.
“Fine. Do you know the names of any of the Company’s contacts in Shiroeki?”
“Ahh!” Valentine smiled broadly. “I do in fact. There, you see?” Once he had accepted the responsibility for managing Espada funds invested into the venture, he’d taken a much more personal interest in their regular trading. Hadyn looked surprised, but his only real interest in the company seemed to be in what sorts of materials it would allow him to acquire. Combined with his recent reclusiveness, it wasn’t surprising that the reclusive wizard hadn’t realized the extent of Valentine’s own involvement. “What kind of contact are you seeking?”
“Someone local that I can stay in contact with. Relay messages about when you might be in port, and so forth.”
“Then I suspect that the Yeohs at Suo Hu may be your best bet. That is the name of the tavern they run – they’re friends, and direct much trade our way. We always stop there and try to give some warning of our comings and goings when prudent. You know, they have a quite delicious ale that they import as well, though they as yet refused to divulge their source!”
“Suo Hu. The Yeohs. Alright.”
“’Tis nothing, mon ami.” That was another thing about Hadyn – he was rarely very grateful, but it was best to take it in stride and try to set a better example. Perhaps it was just the way of his people – others had a difficult time living up to Elowyn standards in any case. “But may I ask what this is about? Are you staying in the South?”
“…Yes.”
“In Shiroeki?”
“…Yes.”
“On Loyalist business?” To the best of his knowledge, Hadyn had been staying in to help Volaris with wizard affairs for the last little while – he could be dangerous to himself and others when hurt or threatened. Valentine hadn’t heard that anyone had come up with any good solutions to deal with the demon trying to take Hadyn over, either. From what he understood, Hadyn hadn’t been an entirely unwilling subject, and even if he seemed somewhat repentant now, Valentine wasn’t sue it was wise to let him go off so far unsupervised. Drawing his old acquaintance out of his reclusive phase was one thing, but leaving him unattended in a foreign city was quite another.
“Yes.” Hadyn sounded peevish now. “It’s just for research. Volaris thinks it is important.”
“Ahh bien. He is a very smart man.” Possibly the smartest human he had ever met. Valentine certainly trusted him to know what was prudent, and if he was willing to let Hadyn go then surely it would be fine.
“I have to go.”
“Very well, my friend. I wish you luck in your travels, and I’ll tell the others you were here.”
Hadyn’s cowl bobbed, possibly in thanks, and turned to leave. “Good luck getting your ship.”
Valentine waved in farewell, blithely assuming the comment was sincere.
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no subject
Date: 2006-10-18 02:38 am (UTC)Oh, and the column! the_exclamation That one is actually not dormant.
t!
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Date: 2006-10-18 02:49 am (UTC)