((The leadership of the CRA meets regularly to discuss the inner workings of the agency. The following never leaves the walls of the boardroom.))
***
As one might recall, the offices of the Commerce Regulation Agency were located near Hawker's Alley, the mercantile hub of Limsa Lominsa. The first room one would enter would be a large, sparsely furnished office often used by D'hein Tia. Its chief decoration was the large heap of disorganized paperwork upon his desk (and often on the floor by it), which remained in disarray as he refused to let anyone else organize it for him. But there were other rooms. One notable example was the boardroom, off to the side, through a thick door. It was chiefly marked by a great table with many chairs around it, and the hush of a room that had been mostly sound-proofed.
In this room, D'hein lingered, waiting the arrival of the other tier 1 members of the Agency. He wore that red robe of his, with its business collar and sleeves and its casual, baggy waist, his muscular tail sticking out between the wings and flicking around behind him as he smiled down at a cup of a white-ish brown liquid in ice.
Ilira entered into the office from the merchant filled street. It was misting outside, and the dark cloak that she wore was a little moist from it. She knocked back the hood, glancing around the office that D'hein had claimed as his by right that no one else wished to clean up his perpetual mess. A small scoff found its way from her. She had yet to get over her qualms of the sliding mountains of papers that were scattered about the room. Illira made her way over to the boardroom door, knocking solidly on it.
Flinching visually (though no one else was there to see), D'hein recovered a moment later, let his drink on the table, and stood from his chair. When he turned to go answer the door, his tale knocked the chair forward, and it knocked his cup, and his cup hit the floor and exploded.
Which is why D'hein took a few moments to cry out, "Oh, gods, why! Always!" Instead of answering the door.
Illira couldn’t hear anything, as the boardroom was soundproofed. She knocked again.
Seeking to save himself from humiliation, D'hein made the decision to clean up the mess before opening the door. Only there were no cleaning supplies in the room. Thinking quickly, as was one of his skills, D'hein kicked all of the glass into a corner and positioned a chair over it, then used his handkerchief to dab up what he could of the liquid. Then he hid his handkerchief and positioned a chair over the spill. All of this he did in a flurry before dashing over to the door and composing himself. Smoothly, a minute or so after the initial knock, he opened the door with a smile.
Illira looked down her nose at the Mi'qote in front of her. "D'hein." She nodded her head in greeting of him, "Took you a while. Did I wake you from your catnap?" The edges of her lips curled slightly upwards.
Looking confused for a moment by the question, D'hein eventually canted his head back, grew a broad smile and turned both ears on Illira, "Ah. Ah ha! I get it, a cat joke! Perhaps you did! Excuse me, though. Need something from my desk." And then he slipped sideways past Illira, pressing himself against the wall briefly to keep a polite distance.
Watching the smaller man attempt to squeeze past her without making contact, she made no effort to move, instead saying, "I have nothing contagious, man."
Briefly paused by her chiding, D'hein mulled something over for a moment before remarking, "I just don't mean to be rude," and then put a hand on her arm and brushed past her to get to his desk.
Ildur arrived at D'heins office at that moment. He was wearing a simple light-gray hooded robe, buttoned on the front. "Good evening." he said at seeing the other two, closing the door behind him a bit loudly.
Illira turned at the new voice, still in the boardroom doorway. "You are much too polite for your own good sometimes, D'hein." She then cast her grey gaze over Ildur. "Evening."
D'hein glanced towards Ildur and said, "Hello," in a very simple but friendly manner as he pulled open a drawer on his desk, causing a cascade of pages which he deflected to the floor. He pulled a bottle and glass from the desk, poured himself a new drink then closed the drawer and began to collect the fallen papers.
"Is everyone here?"
Golden eyes narrowed up at bronze signage, a dark-skinned hand resting on one cocked hip for a moment before opening the door. A pale blue tail whipped behind the miqo'te as she stepped inside, silent despite the armor wrapped efficiently about her body, in time to catch Ildur’s question. "Now we are," she spoke, voice gravelly.
D'hein snapped his gaze up to the new voice and his ears lay suddenly flat against his thick blond mane. His greeting, "Hello," was a little less friendly this time, as he threw the pages he recovered from the floor carelessly atop the pile on the desk.
"Hmm. Shall we lock up and retire to the boardroom then? So long as D'hein is done creating more of a mess that is." She leaned slightly into the boardroom doorway, effectively blocking it.
Sah'ot gave the front office a bored look before shrugging and moving forward silently between those in the room, pushing forcefully past Illira before disappearing into the boardroom without another word.
Ildur took a key out of one pocket and locked the door. "We shall, yes." he said.
Inhaling deeply, and then exhaling slowly, D'hein reopened his eyes and a smile popped onto his face seemingly out of nowhere, "Right, to the mingling, then!" He takes the drink he poured himself, and the bottle, and heads for the boardroom. "Don't just stand around, Illira. We're on the clock."
As Sa'toh slid herself around Illira, the Elezen turns and followed after a few moments. "I have been the one wasting time pittering about." She drew her damp cloak off, folding it over an empty chair.
Inside the boardroom, Sah'ot situated herself near the opposite wall, directly behind one of the chairs set around a fine table, but she did not sit. Instead she stood idly, weight evenly spaced across both feet, arms folded across her chest. Her blue and yellow-tipped ears rotated slowly, listening to the room and the occupants who filter inside.
"I've wasted no time," D'hein said, walking in behind Illira, "If that's what you mean to say. Absolutely none. I've been here waiting."
Ildur followed. "Save the useless bickering after the meeting, if you would be so kind."
"Waiting? Sounds like you could have used that time more productively. Perhaps by checking into the Baker account?" Folding herself into one of the posh chairs that surround the room, she continued, "Bickering? No. I am merely offering suggestion on how time might be used more wisely."
"Only the useless make suggestions," came Sah'ot's low voice in the room. The tone wasn't aggressive, though the words were.
D'hein harrumphed good-naturedly, but didn't reply. He found the chair he'd been sitting in earlier, the one situated over the where he'd spilled his drink, and sat in that. There was a slight smell of alcohol in the room as a result of the earlier event.
The Hyur closed the door behind them and, with a different key, locked it. "What did I just say about bickering?" he said facing the door, more as a statement than a real question.
D'hein, in his great wisdom, answered anyway, "You said to save it for after the meeting as a gesture of kindness." And, with a nod, "I agree. We should all be kind!"
"Be quiet D'hein." She turned her attention towards Ildur, letting Sah'ot's snipe go for the moment. "If we aren't meeting to bicker, then why was this meeting called? I have better things to be doing than participating in a lock-in with you lot."
Shifting her weight to one leg, Sah'ot turned yellow eyes on D'hein for a moment before looking to Ildur. "Then we should get to business immediately. Updates?"
Ildur pulled his hood back and faced the others. He approached the table and moved one of the chairs, but didn't sit. "We have merged with one of the local businesses after their owners died. We have taken over half of their assets and gave the other half to the Maelstorm, as stipulated in the contracts with the firm and the Admiralty."
Sah'ot's eyes narrowed. "Which one? There's been some rumbling in the Shroud lately."
"Paqirelon and Ernafalk. They were relatively small and they used to murder their most important clients. Charming, isn't it."
"A... finance firm perhaps? I believe that I had heard some ruminations of this. Nasty business."
The dark-skinned miqo'te snorted at that. D'hein took a sip from his glass and made no commentary.
"That is correct. Their dealings came to the attention to one of their clients, who found out the pattern behind the killings: the firm's accountant always visited prior to their demise. He hired some assassins from the Shroud to kill her, in fact."
"It's made some people nervous up north, which is making others antsy." The thin scar running over one brow and across Sah’ot’s cheek wrinkled. "I've had to smooth a lot of feathers I'm not fond of smoothing."
“And do we know if the assassins are still at large? They should be taken out,†Illira pointed out.
"One the assassins dropped the job. The other two reported success and are still alive. However, taking out the assassins is not a priority. The client must be dealt with, however."
Dropping her arms to grip the back of the chair in front of her, Sah'ot let her tail sway slowly behind her as she spoke, "And do you have a plan for that? Things are tense already up there. If he - and I think I know who you're talking about - drops dead, there's going to be a lot of rats scurrying for cover."
"Please," D'hein shook his head, "We aren't all poachers. Some of us know more than killing and taking."
"He?†Illira questioned, “And of whom do we speak now? Perhaps the assassins aren't your priority. But they need to be brought down to face their crimes."
Ildur looked neutrally to Illira. "We will worry about justice after the problem is dealt with by the root, miss Carceri. Dealing with the assassins will not stop the client from hiring more." He then looked at Sah'ot, afterwards, and added:
Sah'ot only flashed her fangs at D'hein before speaking to Illira, "Don't toss the word 'crime' around so easily."
"The accountant he wanted dead so much is working for us, along with her investigations. If he wanted her dead, it means we can take legal actions against him. Otherwise, he would have not bothered."
Her mouth flattened and Sah'ot gave a curt nod.
Illira turned her steely gaze towards Sah’ot. "Is it not a crime to murder another simply because its asked of them in exchange for cold coin? If it is not, then we will have words on this subject." Illira then addressed Ildur, her back ramrod straight and not leaning back into her cushioned chair. "We should have someone look into his paper trail. Make a public example of him in trial."
"Too much fanfare and you chase off all the other rats," D'hein observed, "Like the poacher said. Keep it quiet. Keep them comfortable."
Illira shook her head, braids whipping. "No. That is what is wrong. Sweep it under the rug and the others believe that there is no standard to be upheld to. That everyone is a rat."
"I would prefer this matter to be resolved quietly, as far as we are concerned with it,†Ildur interjected. “The Twin Adder's and the Gridanian government will take care of the exemplary 'execution', so to speak, that you are so eager to see."
"They do love it," Sah'ot rumbled and eyed Illira briefly before adding, "Some interests surrounding this client have begun to... arm themselves in defense, if you get my meaning. Better to defuse the situation than panic them more."
Glancing away, Illlira let out a deep breath through her nostrils, "It would do them some good to panic, wipe some of that wind out of their sails.
She leveled yellow eyes on Ildur then. "An asset with the kind of reputation you just took in... risky move. If she carries that kind of weight, we need to make sure they forget all about it. Don't give them a reason to arm themselves more."
The old man glared back. "Indeed. We need to make sure they blame the now defunct firm instead of the particular person. Their fear will dwindle afterwards."
His demeanor rather subdued, his features contemplative, and his tail hanging limply behind him, D'hein spun his glass on the table in front of him. Condensation was beginning to leave a ring on it. Not that he would notice. "That's a lot of trouble to go through for a single low-tier human asset, isn't it?" he asked.
Illira ventured with a question, "And -is- she blameless in this?"
"No one's completely blameless," Sah'ot uttered flatly.
"She is." he stated, his tone as flat as the Miqo'te. "I did not hire her out of charity. The fact she managed to be oblivious of her employer's real goals for so long while being useful to them is something we can take advantage of. Besides..." He smiles somewhat, "It would be a shame for the Maelstorm to have gotten the best out of Paqirelon and Ernafalk's deaths."
"Hmm. I should like to meet this woman then,†Illira mused. “Judge her for myself. Though if her intention was pure, I have issue with bringing her on."
"Issue. You have issue with pure intention?" Sah'ot laughed then, though it wasn't a pleasant sound. "Then do you have issue with all of us?"
Illira smirked slightly at that, "And you thought that I didn't? At least here there is an attempt to work towards a noble goal."
"You don't need to pass judgment on the philosophies of all our human resources," D'hein muttered, as though the observation were unimportant. He looked up to Ildur then, and his expression turned hopefully, smiling, "Ildur, I don't suppose you've had word from the top floor, have you?"
Ildur ignored the two women completely, looking at D'hein and his glass of milk. "This matter is a bit too insignificant for their attention. However, I do believe this murderous client had some ties to the Agency, didn't it?" He frowned at the glass in front of D'hein. Or maybe at D'heins chest. "I believe you had the papers with the details. Hopefully they haven't been swallowed by that paper Primal you have on your desk."
"I did, and he does," D'hein answered, easily.
Sah'ot watched D'hein then with a bored expression. "Well, speak up, soft-ears."
Illira chimed in, "Yes, please give us the details."
Ildur nodded in silence, sight raising up to meet D'hein's.
D'hein's ears shook, and he looked around in disorientation, "What, me? I won't know more than what's on the paper, which you should've read, Ildur. Ul'dah is my end. You want to know about Gridania, you ask the insomniac in the back." He gestured to Sah'ot.
"Yes, I have read it. But I was hoping you would be kind and share the information with her."
Sah'ot tilted her ears forward in a mocking gesture, flashing her fangs briefly before saying, "This is Limsa business crossing into the Shroud. I only know half the story."
Illira rapped her fingers against the arm of the chair, the sound of her fingernails against wood is a slight din.
"I don't even know why I'm doing this. It's not a big deal and it doesn't touch Ul'dah." He threw back some of his drink and then spoke with agitation, "Perelon and Ernafalk ran an investment and auditing company and found this guy in Gridania had misused funds and bent their numbers a little. Both companies were connected to the Agency in that we were supposed to be keeping an eye on 'em. Keeping them legit with the Grand Companies." He pointed at Sah'ot, "This auditor woman found something that fell through the cracks on your end, and our man in Gridania had a panic attack and hired some assassins on the knee-jerk. Now we're disposing of bodies and cleaning up the mess. Full picture yet?"
A brief sneer crossed her face that settled into stoic neutrality. "Completely." There was a pause. "Easily taken care of. If you have the records of whatever she got ahold of, I'll make sure it gets into the hands of the right authorities. No dirt on our gloves in this."
"Hands," corrected D'hein, shaking his head as though a terrible affront had been committed, "Dirt on your hands. Nobody cares about dirt on their gloves. That's why they wear gloves in the first place."
"Hmm. Yes. For once I agree with Sah'ot on this." Her lips are pressed together, a firm almost tense expression on her face. Â "Gloves. Hands. Its the same thing D'hein."
"And no one does work without wearing gloves. Unless they want to get caught," Sah'ot intoned flatly.
D'hein continued to protest, "No, gloves go on your hands. They're not the same thing. You don't wear hands." He directed a sterner tone to Sah'ot, "And not all work is something you're afraid to get caught doing! What is wrong with you?"
Ildur sighed, his expression neutral but tired. "Please." he said, opening his arms in what probably was an attempt at calming down the others. "It is very hard to hold a meeting if you lot are going to pick at each other words like angry mongrels fighting over a hammerbeak prey."
Sah'ot leaned away from the chair she had begun to rest her weight upon, bringing her arms back up across her chest wordlessly. She looked to Ildur.
"Now, now, no need for for name calling, Ildur. Though... D'hein and Sa'toh do bear a rather striking resemblance to mongrels..."
Ignoring Illira, D'hein, gestured broadly with his hands, saying to Ildur, "I just don't think it's this big huge thing. We've got more important stuff to talk about!"
"Indeed,†Ildur replied. “Would you like to start?"
Not needing much encouragement, D'hein said, "I didn't ask about the foreign contact in terms of this. I meant otherwise. I meant, are they coming to us? With instructions! There's been talk."
"There's always talk," Sah'ot rumbled from her spot behind the chair she had yet to sit down in.
"Unfortunately," Illira mumbled under her breath. She spoke a normal voice then, "Are you asking if... instruction is being passed down to us? Your speech is rather scattered right."
"Yes, that," he pointed to Illira. "People have been saying Garlemald is moving. In Ul'dah there's no good line between government in business, so things filter down."
"The front in the Shroud is holding from what I can tell. Air superiority is still claimed, supposedly, but there have been run ins." Sah'ot gave D'hein a look. "I hear in Thanalan."
"The Grand Companies are starting to use airships again, so yes, there've been run-ins."
Ildur's chair was still untouched, the hyur standing right in front of it but refusing to sit. "The Black Wolf is preparing an assault. No details were given to me, but we can expect a restart of hostilities in the near future."
In annoyance, D'hein proclaimed, "If they're planning something they should let us know! So we can prepare for it!"
Thinking on Ildur's words for a time, Illira rapped her fingers once again on her chair arm, "It does not matter in our day to day matters, though. And for the sake of posterity genuine surprise would not be a bad thing."
"We know they're preparing. Any loose ends you might need to tie up, blondie?" came Sah’ot’s almost snarky reply.
D'hein flipped a hand at Sah'ot to ward off her teasing, saying towards Illira, "Surprise the rest of Eorzea, sure. But surprise us? We can prepare whatever area they're heading for."
"And we cannot afford to blow our own cover. If such was needed, we would receive word." The elezen’s tone was even, reasoned.
Ildur leaned forward to the table, his hands becoming fists and placed on the table, resting his weight against them. "I have the feeling the Black Wolf is not fond of Eorzea. As such, he might be keeping the details of the assault for his Legion. The political struggle up in the Empire might have something to do with it, too."
For a second, one of D'hein's hands went to one ear and tugged sharply on it, "It's not about," Then he released it and stood, tail whipping about. "It's not about blowing our cover. We can act without blowing our cover. We can affect the businesses legitimately. We can be useful for that."
Sah'ot's frown deepened. "If they haven't told us anything more, then they don't want us doing anything different. Simple as that."
"Indeed. We must go about our business as usual." Illira said simply, her brow raising slightly. "Our business assists in the noble purpose of righting our society in preparation for a better one. What more do you wish to be doing, D'hien?"
"We should be active! Actively preparing! I feel like something's going to start without us and we won't be in place." He pointed at Ildur, "We should be ready! Like you were in Ala Mhigo!"
"We're always preparing," Sah'ot snapped. "Unless you've been sitting pretty on rugs in Ul'dah these past few years."
Illira let out an exasperated chuckle, shaking her head at D'hein's over-abundant eagerness.
Ildur raised a hand. "If you want to take a more direction action, there are a few things we can focus on. Organizations that are willing to trade with the beastmen should be dealt with. Legally, of course."
"Hmph," D'hein's arms fell to his side, though his tail still windmilled behind him. He directed one ear towards Ildur and one towards Illira. "Isn't that Limsa's problem. Any trades with beastmen of any kind if already illegal in Ul'dah."
"Of course. We could renew efforts here towards that endeavor. It has not been... my top priority of late." She smirked slightly at that.
"Then what has been your priority?" Sah'ot queried none-to-kindly.
Ildur spoke to D'hein. "Indeed. You must make sure that stays that way. Something that is Ul'dah's problem, however, is Ceruleum. I'm sure the Syndicate will try to smuggle it to the beastmen, but also to the Garlond Ironworks."
"Of course. Victory and wealth are both a problem in the hands of Grand Companies, and it's the Ul'dah creedo." He speaks with an amount of bitterness, "There aren't a lot of other consumers for Ceruleum."
"My priority?†Illira’s response to Sah’ot’s prodding came after several seconds. “There has of late been issue in the lower docks the not so minor issue of an underground arms dealership. I have been working to restrict the movement of such around the city. The trade with the beast tribes is unpleasant, but does not feed> into the cities underbelly so directly." Illira face scrunched momentarily into a facetious smile, before dropping it all together. "And what you have you been up to Sah’ot, that leads you to question my priorites?"
The Keeper miqo'te kept her focus on Ildur and D'hein for a moment before directing narrowed eyes to the elezen, "Maintaining the destabilization of the fae's relationship with Gridania. It's difficult with the Padjal around." Her mouth twists briefly. "I keep getting word of new organizations, new blood cropping up - not just in the Shroud. There're a lot of pieces to keep our fingers on."
Walking over to where he left his drink, D'hein said, "That's just a Keeper's way of saying she can't keep up."
"Mmm. Juggling to much at once."
At this, Sah'ot's ears flicked back, and a sharp hiss left her mouth from the back of her throat. The noise was forceful and short, and she returned her features to a somber neutrality soon after. "I'll repeat - not just in the Shroud."
Ildur looked between the other three people gathered in the room. "Bickering again so soon?" He sighed loudly.
Amused by this, D'hein took a sip of his drink. "You don't see me just in Ul'dah, do you?"
"Where do you think I am right now?" Her eyes narrowed to slits and then she turned to Ildur, "You've seen what I'm talking about, surely. New companies, corporations, organizations, bands of /adventurers/ coming together, some under the Grand Companies. Some less controllable."
Ildur nodded. "Yes. Not all of them will last, however."
"And that is why we should be tightening up the cities from the ground up. The Empire cares little for the inner machinations, even if it really is everything in the end. We cannot stop their formation, they are a symptom the splintered society of Eorzea. Every man for himself. Its bad for everyone. But through our continued efforts in legislature and enforcement, unification is possible and we will be that much closer to the Empire." Illira leaned back into her chair finally, taking in a breath.
Sharp eyes turned on Illira as Sah'ot inclined her head towards the elezen in reluctant but genuine acknowledgment. D'hein fell back into his chair, muttering under his breath about something or other.
"We'll need to keep an eye or eight on them anyway," the Keeper said after a moment. "Nurture the ones we can work to our benefit. Anything too far out... will need to be pruned, if it doesn't collapse on its own."
"Keep an eye on raising organizations and regulate them as needed. Yes, that sounds like us" Ildur smiled.
"Yes. We are doing the work that we are meant to do. It is a matter of not losing faith in the present time," Illira looked pointedly towards D'hein.
There was a sudden clack as D'hein kicked the table, "We should contact them. I'll do it."
Sah'ot held up both hands. "Have fun, then, but if you step into the Shroud you come to me."
"If you so wish, D'hein."
"What?" D'hein's ears flopped around on his head while he looked around, trying to figure out who'd just spoken. "No. What? I'm... I mean the--our contacts. The channel's in Ala Mhigo. It'll be easy. I'll ask for instructions directly."
The Keeper's eyes widened almost imperceptibly for half a second. "They don't speak to us directly for a reason."
"I find your thoughts rather hard to follow," said Illira firmly, rapping her nails on the arm chair.
"As I said, if you want to contact them directly, do so. However, keep in mind they have never done so. All you will achieve is call unneeded attention upon you."
"Right, well, it's my place to do. If I think ti's needed. I'm your equal, so," D'hein stands suddenly, and points a finger right in Illira's face, "Maybe I don't follow your thoughts, hm? They're too slow. We'll see how it goes." He turned, and swatted both his drink and the bottle he brought in with his tail, dashing them in Sah'ot's general direction. He didn't appear to notice, though, taking his first steps toward the exit, "I'll do it right away. Then we'll see."
"Indeed," Ildur said, flatly.
"Please. Be our guest. Just do not pull us along with you on this."
Sah'ot took one step back away from the trajectory of both objects and narrowed her gaze on D'hein's back. "You think you can get to Ala Mhigo without being noticed by anyone allied with Eorzea? Good luck, but don't you dare bring us down with you."
D'hein went right for the door to exit the boardroom, muttering the whole way, "Yes, it's not far. I know just where to put the money to make it happen." When he reached the door, he tried to push it open, but Ildur locked it so he ended up just slamming his face against it. There was a pretty loud crack of his skull on the wood, and then he was cringing, tail shaking back and forth, ears plastered against his head.
Ildur walked towards him. "I'm sure mister D'hein understands the consequences if he is noticed. But I'm also sure he won't be as reckless as to...bash his head against Ala Mhigo's gates." He reached him with a smile and the key in his hand, which he used to unlock the door. Sah'ot simply watched in silence behind her chair, expression unmoved.
Illira let out a cackle at D'hein’s misfortune, "Yes. I am sure you'll get there in one piece."
Growling under his breath, D'hein would wait until the door was unlocked to throw it open and head out, without further comment.
Sah'ot spoke almost immediately after D'hein's exit, "I'll take the papers, then, and deal with the minor Gridania problem." And she, too, moved towards the door.
Nodding her head slightly, Illira pushed herself out from her chair, unfolding her long, lanky legs. "It appears this meeting has been adjourned then."
"It has. I should have brought a hammer to smash against the table, perhaps. But the door worked nicely." Ildur joked. Then, he moved out of the meeting room. Illira followed suit, donning her cloak again before heading out of the office.
***
As one might recall, the offices of the Commerce Regulation Agency were located near Hawker's Alley, the mercantile hub of Limsa Lominsa. The first room one would enter would be a large, sparsely furnished office often used by D'hein Tia. Its chief decoration was the large heap of disorganized paperwork upon his desk (and often on the floor by it), which remained in disarray as he refused to let anyone else organize it for him. But there were other rooms. One notable example was the boardroom, off to the side, through a thick door. It was chiefly marked by a great table with many chairs around it, and the hush of a room that had been mostly sound-proofed.
In this room, D'hein lingered, waiting the arrival of the other tier 1 members of the Agency. He wore that red robe of his, with its business collar and sleeves and its casual, baggy waist, his muscular tail sticking out between the wings and flicking around behind him as he smiled down at a cup of a white-ish brown liquid in ice.
Ilira entered into the office from the merchant filled street. It was misting outside, and the dark cloak that she wore was a little moist from it. She knocked back the hood, glancing around the office that D'hein had claimed as his by right that no one else wished to clean up his perpetual mess. A small scoff found its way from her. She had yet to get over her qualms of the sliding mountains of papers that were scattered about the room. Illira made her way over to the boardroom door, knocking solidly on it.
Flinching visually (though no one else was there to see), D'hein recovered a moment later, let his drink on the table, and stood from his chair. When he turned to go answer the door, his tale knocked the chair forward, and it knocked his cup, and his cup hit the floor and exploded.
Which is why D'hein took a few moments to cry out, "Oh, gods, why! Always!" Instead of answering the door.
Illira couldn’t hear anything, as the boardroom was soundproofed. She knocked again.
Seeking to save himself from humiliation, D'hein made the decision to clean up the mess before opening the door. Only there were no cleaning supplies in the room. Thinking quickly, as was one of his skills, D'hein kicked all of the glass into a corner and positioned a chair over it, then used his handkerchief to dab up what he could of the liquid. Then he hid his handkerchief and positioned a chair over the spill. All of this he did in a flurry before dashing over to the door and composing himself. Smoothly, a minute or so after the initial knock, he opened the door with a smile.
Illira looked down her nose at the Mi'qote in front of her. "D'hein." She nodded her head in greeting of him, "Took you a while. Did I wake you from your catnap?" The edges of her lips curled slightly upwards.
Looking confused for a moment by the question, D'hein eventually canted his head back, grew a broad smile and turned both ears on Illira, "Ah. Ah ha! I get it, a cat joke! Perhaps you did! Excuse me, though. Need something from my desk." And then he slipped sideways past Illira, pressing himself against the wall briefly to keep a polite distance.
Watching the smaller man attempt to squeeze past her without making contact, she made no effort to move, instead saying, "I have nothing contagious, man."
Briefly paused by her chiding, D'hein mulled something over for a moment before remarking, "I just don't mean to be rude," and then put a hand on her arm and brushed past her to get to his desk.
Ildur arrived at D'heins office at that moment. He was wearing a simple light-gray hooded robe, buttoned on the front. "Good evening." he said at seeing the other two, closing the door behind him a bit loudly.
Illira turned at the new voice, still in the boardroom doorway. "You are much too polite for your own good sometimes, D'hein." She then cast her grey gaze over Ildur. "Evening."
D'hein glanced towards Ildur and said, "Hello," in a very simple but friendly manner as he pulled open a drawer on his desk, causing a cascade of pages which he deflected to the floor. He pulled a bottle and glass from the desk, poured himself a new drink then closed the drawer and began to collect the fallen papers.
"Is everyone here?"
Golden eyes narrowed up at bronze signage, a dark-skinned hand resting on one cocked hip for a moment before opening the door. A pale blue tail whipped behind the miqo'te as she stepped inside, silent despite the armor wrapped efficiently about her body, in time to catch Ildur’s question. "Now we are," she spoke, voice gravelly.
D'hein snapped his gaze up to the new voice and his ears lay suddenly flat against his thick blond mane. His greeting, "Hello," was a little less friendly this time, as he threw the pages he recovered from the floor carelessly atop the pile on the desk.
"Hmm. Shall we lock up and retire to the boardroom then? So long as D'hein is done creating more of a mess that is." She leaned slightly into the boardroom doorway, effectively blocking it.
Sah'ot gave the front office a bored look before shrugging and moving forward silently between those in the room, pushing forcefully past Illira before disappearing into the boardroom without another word.
Ildur took a key out of one pocket and locked the door. "We shall, yes." he said.
Inhaling deeply, and then exhaling slowly, D'hein reopened his eyes and a smile popped onto his face seemingly out of nowhere, "Right, to the mingling, then!" He takes the drink he poured himself, and the bottle, and heads for the boardroom. "Don't just stand around, Illira. We're on the clock."
As Sa'toh slid herself around Illira, the Elezen turns and followed after a few moments. "I have been the one wasting time pittering about." She drew her damp cloak off, folding it over an empty chair.
Inside the boardroom, Sah'ot situated herself near the opposite wall, directly behind one of the chairs set around a fine table, but she did not sit. Instead she stood idly, weight evenly spaced across both feet, arms folded across her chest. Her blue and yellow-tipped ears rotated slowly, listening to the room and the occupants who filter inside.
"I've wasted no time," D'hein said, walking in behind Illira, "If that's what you mean to say. Absolutely none. I've been here waiting."
Ildur followed. "Save the useless bickering after the meeting, if you would be so kind."
"Waiting? Sounds like you could have used that time more productively. Perhaps by checking into the Baker account?" Folding herself into one of the posh chairs that surround the room, she continued, "Bickering? No. I am merely offering suggestion on how time might be used more wisely."
"Only the useless make suggestions," came Sah'ot's low voice in the room. The tone wasn't aggressive, though the words were.
D'hein harrumphed good-naturedly, but didn't reply. He found the chair he'd been sitting in earlier, the one situated over the where he'd spilled his drink, and sat in that. There was a slight smell of alcohol in the room as a result of the earlier event.
The Hyur closed the door behind them and, with a different key, locked it. "What did I just say about bickering?" he said facing the door, more as a statement than a real question.
D'hein, in his great wisdom, answered anyway, "You said to save it for after the meeting as a gesture of kindness." And, with a nod, "I agree. We should all be kind!"
"Be quiet D'hein." She turned her attention towards Ildur, letting Sah'ot's snipe go for the moment. "If we aren't meeting to bicker, then why was this meeting called? I have better things to be doing than participating in a lock-in with you lot."
Shifting her weight to one leg, Sah'ot turned yellow eyes on D'hein for a moment before looking to Ildur. "Then we should get to business immediately. Updates?"
Ildur pulled his hood back and faced the others. He approached the table and moved one of the chairs, but didn't sit. "We have merged with one of the local businesses after their owners died. We have taken over half of their assets and gave the other half to the Maelstorm, as stipulated in the contracts with the firm and the Admiralty."
Sah'ot's eyes narrowed. "Which one? There's been some rumbling in the Shroud lately."
"Paqirelon and Ernafalk. They were relatively small and they used to murder their most important clients. Charming, isn't it."
"A... finance firm perhaps? I believe that I had heard some ruminations of this. Nasty business."
The dark-skinned miqo'te snorted at that. D'hein took a sip from his glass and made no commentary.
"That is correct. Their dealings came to the attention to one of their clients, who found out the pattern behind the killings: the firm's accountant always visited prior to their demise. He hired some assassins from the Shroud to kill her, in fact."
"It's made some people nervous up north, which is making others antsy." The thin scar running over one brow and across Sah’ot’s cheek wrinkled. "I've had to smooth a lot of feathers I'm not fond of smoothing."
“And do we know if the assassins are still at large? They should be taken out,†Illira pointed out.
"One the assassins dropped the job. The other two reported success and are still alive. However, taking out the assassins is not a priority. The client must be dealt with, however."
Dropping her arms to grip the back of the chair in front of her, Sah'ot let her tail sway slowly behind her as she spoke, "And do you have a plan for that? Things are tense already up there. If he - and I think I know who you're talking about - drops dead, there's going to be a lot of rats scurrying for cover."
"Please," D'hein shook his head, "We aren't all poachers. Some of us know more than killing and taking."
"He?†Illira questioned, “And of whom do we speak now? Perhaps the assassins aren't your priority. But they need to be brought down to face their crimes."
Ildur looked neutrally to Illira. "We will worry about justice after the problem is dealt with by the root, miss Carceri. Dealing with the assassins will not stop the client from hiring more." He then looked at Sah'ot, afterwards, and added:
Sah'ot only flashed her fangs at D'hein before speaking to Illira, "Don't toss the word 'crime' around so easily."
"The accountant he wanted dead so much is working for us, along with her investigations. If he wanted her dead, it means we can take legal actions against him. Otherwise, he would have not bothered."
Her mouth flattened and Sah'ot gave a curt nod.
Illira turned her steely gaze towards Sah’ot. "Is it not a crime to murder another simply because its asked of them in exchange for cold coin? If it is not, then we will have words on this subject." Illira then addressed Ildur, her back ramrod straight and not leaning back into her cushioned chair. "We should have someone look into his paper trail. Make a public example of him in trial."
"Too much fanfare and you chase off all the other rats," D'hein observed, "Like the poacher said. Keep it quiet. Keep them comfortable."
Illira shook her head, braids whipping. "No. That is what is wrong. Sweep it under the rug and the others believe that there is no standard to be upheld to. That everyone is a rat."
"I would prefer this matter to be resolved quietly, as far as we are concerned with it,†Ildur interjected. “The Twin Adder's and the Gridanian government will take care of the exemplary 'execution', so to speak, that you are so eager to see."
"They do love it," Sah'ot rumbled and eyed Illira briefly before adding, "Some interests surrounding this client have begun to... arm themselves in defense, if you get my meaning. Better to defuse the situation than panic them more."
Glancing away, Illlira let out a deep breath through her nostrils, "It would do them some good to panic, wipe some of that wind out of their sails.
She leveled yellow eyes on Ildur then. "An asset with the kind of reputation you just took in... risky move. If she carries that kind of weight, we need to make sure they forget all about it. Don't give them a reason to arm themselves more."
The old man glared back. "Indeed. We need to make sure they blame the now defunct firm instead of the particular person. Their fear will dwindle afterwards."
His demeanor rather subdued, his features contemplative, and his tail hanging limply behind him, D'hein spun his glass on the table in front of him. Condensation was beginning to leave a ring on it. Not that he would notice. "That's a lot of trouble to go through for a single low-tier human asset, isn't it?" he asked.
Illira ventured with a question, "And -is- she blameless in this?"
"No one's completely blameless," Sah'ot uttered flatly.
"She is." he stated, his tone as flat as the Miqo'te. "I did not hire her out of charity. The fact she managed to be oblivious of her employer's real goals for so long while being useful to them is something we can take advantage of. Besides..." He smiles somewhat, "It would be a shame for the Maelstorm to have gotten the best out of Paqirelon and Ernafalk's deaths."
"Hmm. I should like to meet this woman then,†Illira mused. “Judge her for myself. Though if her intention was pure, I have issue with bringing her on."
"Issue. You have issue with pure intention?" Sah'ot laughed then, though it wasn't a pleasant sound. "Then do you have issue with all of us?"
Illira smirked slightly at that, "And you thought that I didn't? At least here there is an attempt to work towards a noble goal."
"You don't need to pass judgment on the philosophies of all our human resources," D'hein muttered, as though the observation were unimportant. He looked up to Ildur then, and his expression turned hopefully, smiling, "Ildur, I don't suppose you've had word from the top floor, have you?"
Ildur ignored the two women completely, looking at D'hein and his glass of milk. "This matter is a bit too insignificant for their attention. However, I do believe this murderous client had some ties to the Agency, didn't it?" He frowned at the glass in front of D'hein. Or maybe at D'heins chest. "I believe you had the papers with the details. Hopefully they haven't been swallowed by that paper Primal you have on your desk."
"I did, and he does," D'hein answered, easily.
Sah'ot watched D'hein then with a bored expression. "Well, speak up, soft-ears."
Illira chimed in, "Yes, please give us the details."
Ildur nodded in silence, sight raising up to meet D'hein's.
D'hein's ears shook, and he looked around in disorientation, "What, me? I won't know more than what's on the paper, which you should've read, Ildur. Ul'dah is my end. You want to know about Gridania, you ask the insomniac in the back." He gestured to Sah'ot.
"Yes, I have read it. But I was hoping you would be kind and share the information with her."
Sah'ot tilted her ears forward in a mocking gesture, flashing her fangs briefly before saying, "This is Limsa business crossing into the Shroud. I only know half the story."
Illira rapped her fingers against the arm of the chair, the sound of her fingernails against wood is a slight din.
"I don't even know why I'm doing this. It's not a big deal and it doesn't touch Ul'dah." He threw back some of his drink and then spoke with agitation, "Perelon and Ernafalk ran an investment and auditing company and found this guy in Gridania had misused funds and bent their numbers a little. Both companies were connected to the Agency in that we were supposed to be keeping an eye on 'em. Keeping them legit with the Grand Companies." He pointed at Sah'ot, "This auditor woman found something that fell through the cracks on your end, and our man in Gridania had a panic attack and hired some assassins on the knee-jerk. Now we're disposing of bodies and cleaning up the mess. Full picture yet?"
A brief sneer crossed her face that settled into stoic neutrality. "Completely." There was a pause. "Easily taken care of. If you have the records of whatever she got ahold of, I'll make sure it gets into the hands of the right authorities. No dirt on our gloves in this."
"Hands," corrected D'hein, shaking his head as though a terrible affront had been committed, "Dirt on your hands. Nobody cares about dirt on their gloves. That's why they wear gloves in the first place."
"Hmm. Yes. For once I agree with Sah'ot on this." Her lips are pressed together, a firm almost tense expression on her face. Â "Gloves. Hands. Its the same thing D'hein."
"And no one does work without wearing gloves. Unless they want to get caught," Sah'ot intoned flatly.
D'hein continued to protest, "No, gloves go on your hands. They're not the same thing. You don't wear hands." He directed a sterner tone to Sah'ot, "And not all work is something you're afraid to get caught doing! What is wrong with you?"
Ildur sighed, his expression neutral but tired. "Please." he said, opening his arms in what probably was an attempt at calming down the others. "It is very hard to hold a meeting if you lot are going to pick at each other words like angry mongrels fighting over a hammerbeak prey."
Sah'ot leaned away from the chair she had begun to rest her weight upon, bringing her arms back up across her chest wordlessly. She looked to Ildur.
"Now, now, no need for for name calling, Ildur. Though... D'hein and Sa'toh do bear a rather striking resemblance to mongrels..."
Ignoring Illira, D'hein, gestured broadly with his hands, saying to Ildur, "I just don't think it's this big huge thing. We've got more important stuff to talk about!"
"Indeed,†Ildur replied. “Would you like to start?"
Not needing much encouragement, D'hein said, "I didn't ask about the foreign contact in terms of this. I meant otherwise. I meant, are they coming to us? With instructions! There's been talk."
"There's always talk," Sah'ot rumbled from her spot behind the chair she had yet to sit down in.
"Unfortunately," Illira mumbled under her breath. She spoke a normal voice then, "Are you asking if... instruction is being passed down to us? Your speech is rather scattered right."
"Yes, that," he pointed to Illira. "People have been saying Garlemald is moving. In Ul'dah there's no good line between government in business, so things filter down."
"The front in the Shroud is holding from what I can tell. Air superiority is still claimed, supposedly, but there have been run ins." Sah'ot gave D'hein a look. "I hear in Thanalan."
"The Grand Companies are starting to use airships again, so yes, there've been run-ins."
Ildur's chair was still untouched, the hyur standing right in front of it but refusing to sit. "The Black Wolf is preparing an assault. No details were given to me, but we can expect a restart of hostilities in the near future."
In annoyance, D'hein proclaimed, "If they're planning something they should let us know! So we can prepare for it!"
Thinking on Ildur's words for a time, Illira rapped her fingers once again on her chair arm, "It does not matter in our day to day matters, though. And for the sake of posterity genuine surprise would not be a bad thing."
"We know they're preparing. Any loose ends you might need to tie up, blondie?" came Sah’ot’s almost snarky reply.
D'hein flipped a hand at Sah'ot to ward off her teasing, saying towards Illira, "Surprise the rest of Eorzea, sure. But surprise us? We can prepare whatever area they're heading for."
"And we cannot afford to blow our own cover. If such was needed, we would receive word." The elezen’s tone was even, reasoned.
Ildur leaned forward to the table, his hands becoming fists and placed on the table, resting his weight against them. "I have the feeling the Black Wolf is not fond of Eorzea. As such, he might be keeping the details of the assault for his Legion. The political struggle up in the Empire might have something to do with it, too."
For a second, one of D'hein's hands went to one ear and tugged sharply on it, "It's not about," Then he released it and stood, tail whipping about. "It's not about blowing our cover. We can act without blowing our cover. We can affect the businesses legitimately. We can be useful for that."
Sah'ot's frown deepened. "If they haven't told us anything more, then they don't want us doing anything different. Simple as that."
"Indeed. We must go about our business as usual." Illira said simply, her brow raising slightly. "Our business assists in the noble purpose of righting our society in preparation for a better one. What more do you wish to be doing, D'hien?"
"We should be active! Actively preparing! I feel like something's going to start without us and we won't be in place." He pointed at Ildur, "We should be ready! Like you were in Ala Mhigo!"
"We're always preparing," Sah'ot snapped. "Unless you've been sitting pretty on rugs in Ul'dah these past few years."
Illira let out an exasperated chuckle, shaking her head at D'hein's over-abundant eagerness.
Ildur raised a hand. "If you want to take a more direction action, there are a few things we can focus on. Organizations that are willing to trade with the beastmen should be dealt with. Legally, of course."
"Hmph," D'hein's arms fell to his side, though his tail still windmilled behind him. He directed one ear towards Ildur and one towards Illira. "Isn't that Limsa's problem. Any trades with beastmen of any kind if already illegal in Ul'dah."
"Of course. We could renew efforts here towards that endeavor. It has not been... my top priority of late." She smirked slightly at that.
"Then what has been your priority?" Sah'ot queried none-to-kindly.
Ildur spoke to D'hein. "Indeed. You must make sure that stays that way. Something that is Ul'dah's problem, however, is Ceruleum. I'm sure the Syndicate will try to smuggle it to the beastmen, but also to the Garlond Ironworks."
"Of course. Victory and wealth are both a problem in the hands of Grand Companies, and it's the Ul'dah creedo." He speaks with an amount of bitterness, "There aren't a lot of other consumers for Ceruleum."
"My priority?†Illira’s response to Sah’ot’s prodding came after several seconds. “There has of late been issue in the lower docks the not so minor issue of an underground arms dealership. I have been working to restrict the movement of such around the city. The trade with the beast tribes is unpleasant, but does not feed> into the cities underbelly so directly." Illira face scrunched momentarily into a facetious smile, before dropping it all together. "And what you have you been up to Sah’ot, that leads you to question my priorites?"
The Keeper miqo'te kept her focus on Ildur and D'hein for a moment before directing narrowed eyes to the elezen, "Maintaining the destabilization of the fae's relationship with Gridania. It's difficult with the Padjal around." Her mouth twists briefly. "I keep getting word of new organizations, new blood cropping up - not just in the Shroud. There're a lot of pieces to keep our fingers on."
Walking over to where he left his drink, D'hein said, "That's just a Keeper's way of saying she can't keep up."
"Mmm. Juggling to much at once."
At this, Sah'ot's ears flicked back, and a sharp hiss left her mouth from the back of her throat. The noise was forceful and short, and she returned her features to a somber neutrality soon after. "I'll repeat - not just in the Shroud."
Ildur looked between the other three people gathered in the room. "Bickering again so soon?" He sighed loudly.
Amused by this, D'hein took a sip of his drink. "You don't see me just in Ul'dah, do you?"
"Where do you think I am right now?" Her eyes narrowed to slits and then she turned to Ildur, "You've seen what I'm talking about, surely. New companies, corporations, organizations, bands of /adventurers/ coming together, some under the Grand Companies. Some less controllable."
Ildur nodded. "Yes. Not all of them will last, however."
"And that is why we should be tightening up the cities from the ground up. The Empire cares little for the inner machinations, even if it really is everything in the end. We cannot stop their formation, they are a symptom the splintered society of Eorzea. Every man for himself. Its bad for everyone. But through our continued efforts in legislature and enforcement, unification is possible and we will be that much closer to the Empire." Illira leaned back into her chair finally, taking in a breath.
Sharp eyes turned on Illira as Sah'ot inclined her head towards the elezen in reluctant but genuine acknowledgment. D'hein fell back into his chair, muttering under his breath about something or other.
"We'll need to keep an eye or eight on them anyway," the Keeper said after a moment. "Nurture the ones we can work to our benefit. Anything too far out... will need to be pruned, if it doesn't collapse on its own."
"Keep an eye on raising organizations and regulate them as needed. Yes, that sounds like us" Ildur smiled.
"Yes. We are doing the work that we are meant to do. It is a matter of not losing faith in the present time," Illira looked pointedly towards D'hein.
There was a sudden clack as D'hein kicked the table, "We should contact them. I'll do it."
Sah'ot held up both hands. "Have fun, then, but if you step into the Shroud you come to me."
"If you so wish, D'hein."
"What?" D'hein's ears flopped around on his head while he looked around, trying to figure out who'd just spoken. "No. What? I'm... I mean the--our contacts. The channel's in Ala Mhigo. It'll be easy. I'll ask for instructions directly."
The Keeper's eyes widened almost imperceptibly for half a second. "They don't speak to us directly for a reason."
"I find your thoughts rather hard to follow," said Illira firmly, rapping her nails on the arm chair.
"As I said, if you want to contact them directly, do so. However, keep in mind they have never done so. All you will achieve is call unneeded attention upon you."
"Right, well, it's my place to do. If I think ti's needed. I'm your equal, so," D'hein stands suddenly, and points a finger right in Illira's face, "Maybe I don't follow your thoughts, hm? They're too slow. We'll see how it goes." He turned, and swatted both his drink and the bottle he brought in with his tail, dashing them in Sah'ot's general direction. He didn't appear to notice, though, taking his first steps toward the exit, "I'll do it right away. Then we'll see."
"Indeed," Ildur said, flatly.
"Please. Be our guest. Just do not pull us along with you on this."
Sah'ot took one step back away from the trajectory of both objects and narrowed her gaze on D'hein's back. "You think you can get to Ala Mhigo without being noticed by anyone allied with Eorzea? Good luck, but don't you dare bring us down with you."
D'hein went right for the door to exit the boardroom, muttering the whole way, "Yes, it's not far. I know just where to put the money to make it happen." When he reached the door, he tried to push it open, but Ildur locked it so he ended up just slamming his face against it. There was a pretty loud crack of his skull on the wood, and then he was cringing, tail shaking back and forth, ears plastered against his head.
Ildur walked towards him. "I'm sure mister D'hein understands the consequences if he is noticed. But I'm also sure he won't be as reckless as to...bash his head against Ala Mhigo's gates." He reached him with a smile and the key in his hand, which he used to unlock the door. Sah'ot simply watched in silence behind her chair, expression unmoved.
Illira let out a cackle at D'hein’s misfortune, "Yes. I am sure you'll get there in one piece."
Growling under his breath, D'hein would wait until the door was unlocked to throw it open and head out, without further comment.
Sah'ot spoke almost immediately after D'hein's exit, "I'll take the papers, then, and deal with the minor Gridania problem." And she, too, moved towards the door.
Nodding her head slightly, Illira pushed herself out from her chair, unfolding her long, lanky legs. "It appears this meeting has been adjourned then."
"It has. I should have brought a hammer to smash against the table, perhaps. But the door worked nicely." Ildur joked. Then, he moved out of the meeting room. Illira followed suit, donning her cloak again before heading out of the office.
![[Image: AntiThalSig.png]](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/179079766/AntiThalSig.png)
"Song dogs barking at the break of dawn, lightning pushes the edges of a thunderstorm; and these streets, quiet as a sleeping army, send their battered dreams to heaven."
Hipparion Tribe (Sagolii)Â - Â Antimony Jhanhi's Wiki
