Naoh'to's pacing slowly winded down, as did the angry black-and-forth lashing matched by his tail. His steps left in at the edge of the small, dark purple-colored puddle of wine spilling out into the street and slowly filling out the cracks in the cobblestones. His mismatched eyes fell to the puddle to watch it absently as his mind turned, the agitation he was feeling making it particularly hard to try and find a clear course of action.Â
Part of him just wanted to find a nice little piece of steel to drive between the man's ribs, though the more dominantly logical and reasonable side of him knew that wasn't an option. It was too messy. No doubt, there were other people that knew of the problems between himself and Ferigen by now. Over the weeks that it had started to escalate, ever since Nao had made the decision to make a venture into the business of the trade and distribution of the Gridanian drug most often called the Lover's Embrace. What had started out as the typical showboating and business positioning that was common in their trade had gradually become less subtle and less business-like over time.
If Ferigen was now actively threatening Nao's associates and buyers.. Well, no doubt if the man turned up shived in some seedy Lominsan backalley, all hands would immediately be pointing back at him to disinvolve themselves from the ordeal. People in his line of work, especially the smaller fry, weren't particularly loyal when the authorities came to sniff around. If there wasn't a profit to be made in keeping their mouth shut, whether that was the profit of coin or keeping their lives, then names and details tended to flow like ale at the Wench under the right amount of pressure.
As he was mulling it over whilst staring down at the cracked wine bottle, a thought suddenly occured to the Keeper, striking him with enough certainty and clarity that he wasn't sure how he hadn't seen it much earlier. He needed to find the crack in Ferigen's operations. No doubt, given that the man had been running the business for years now, he far exceeded Naoh'to in terms of experience and knowledge. But that was another flaw - lack of healthy competition for so long. Surely, if the man hadn't had to worry about competing with other traders in years, there was a crack somewhere along the line.
Such was the kind of information that Naoh'to knew he wasn't going to be able to find on his own. He was a smoothtalker, but he wasn't one of the couple handfuls of secret peddlers sneaking and skulking their way through Limsa. Quite the opposite, really. He'd made himself well-known enough now that if he started to poke around too much himself, those very same spies would be all over selling his business to Ferigen for a pretty little gil or two. Thus, the plan would fall apart - the crack would be fixed, if one were ever found, and he would be back at square one.
A smirk suddenly came to his lips as he nudged the slowly leaking bottle with his foot, running through his thought process one last time before he would start off to find who he needed to find. Though, naturally, before he left, Nao was sure to spit in the spilt wine for good measure. A worthless gesture, but a satisfactory one nonetheless.
After leaving the alley, it didn't take long for him to find exactly who he had been looking for. On the docks, in front of a newly unloaded ship, a few shoddy, makeshift shopfronts had been set up with the would-be 'merchants' trying to unload as much of the unaccounted for merchandise as possible. Stolen and smuggled goods, mostly.. People trying to make more coin by doing their dirty work themselves, without the help of people like Naoh'to. Though he had no illwill for them.. After all, most ended up shut down or with confiscated goods if the Yellowjackets caught wind of it. And with the publicity of it all, buyers were hard to come by.
As he passed the man at the pier's edge, the lookout, Naoh'to gave him a knowing nod before continuing on his way unharried. The man he was truly looking for was much further down the walkway, and when he briefly caught his eye, the Lalafellin man leaned back against one of the many crates did his best to look as if he hadn't noticed him. Only when Nao came in much closer and took up the spot next to him, leaning back against the crate's edge, did he speak up.
"Didn't think you were wont to hang around this part of town." He didn't look up, head turned to survey the rest of the dock even as the daylight dwindled and some began to pack up their things. "You're making these honest merchants nervous, you know."
"Hah, would that such a thing existed.. The day I meet any honest merchant is the day that Dalamud falls a second time."
"They don't like it much when one of the big players comes down to the docks. Makes them think you're plotting something and they're in your way.. And with your business lately, can't say I much blame them." Finally, the much shorter man looked up at him. "Might not be that this is the safest place for you. People get antsy real easy."
"I don't plan on staying long enough to cause a scene, Yayabuko," Nao sighed. "I need you to find someone for me."
"Who?"
"I don't know. If I knew who, do you think I would be coming to you?"
"Fine." The Lalafell looked away again, turning his attention back down the dock. "What do you need?"
"I need someone with a good set of eyes and ears. Someone with a bigger love of coin than they have a fear of Ruarc Ferigen."
Yayabuko didn't speak for a long moment, clearly debating the situation. Naoh'to had known the Dunesfolk man long enough, albeit only as Balon Rein's apprentice until more recently, to know that he was trying to find a way to best twist the situation to put more money into his own pockets. Typical for a man born and raised in Ul'dah. Before he even spoke, Nao was reaching down to his coinpurse and giving it a reassuring pat. The sound of coins clinking together seemed to loosen the other's lips a bit.
"Four times what I usually charge," he finally stated.
"Four times your price? How hard can it be to find someone to do a little poking around for a very handsome reward?" Naoh'to's upper lip pulled back in a scowl, ears pressed flat back and tail flicking in annoyance. There was little he disliked more than paying what he perceived to be too much for something.
"Word is that Ferigen is getting bolder. This person you're wanting me to find, might be that they find no value in winding up floating alongside the docks if things go belly-up. It'll take double to find someone brave enough. The rest? That's as much as I'll need to make it worth my time, trying to find this person of yours."
"Fine," He grunted, pulling his coinpurse from his belt and tossing it over to the other. By his count, after the losses at the gambling hall, it should've been just enough to cover half of it at least. "The rest you'll have when I have my eyes and ears, understand? And if I'm paying four times the price, I expect four times the speed. You've got until tomorrow at sundown - have them meet me at the usual place."
"Pleasure doing business with you." The man paused slightly before nodding his chin in the direction of a small group of men a bit further away. "Best be running along. That lot has been watching you the entire time, and that Highlander's hand hasn't left his knife. Like I said, folk get real antsy."
"Duly noted," he muttered, looking over at the group from the corner of his eyes. Just as he'd said, they were talking hushedly amongst themselves and eyeing him with no uncertain amount of suspicion. Giving Yayabuko a parting nod, Naoh'to stuffed his hands down in his pockets and turned to make his exit from the dock. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, leaving all his money in the hands of that little Lalafellin thief, but at least he knew that by tomorrow, he would have exactly what he needed.
Part of him just wanted to find a nice little piece of steel to drive between the man's ribs, though the more dominantly logical and reasonable side of him knew that wasn't an option. It was too messy. No doubt, there were other people that knew of the problems between himself and Ferigen by now. Over the weeks that it had started to escalate, ever since Nao had made the decision to make a venture into the business of the trade and distribution of the Gridanian drug most often called the Lover's Embrace. What had started out as the typical showboating and business positioning that was common in their trade had gradually become less subtle and less business-like over time.
If Ferigen was now actively threatening Nao's associates and buyers.. Well, no doubt if the man turned up shived in some seedy Lominsan backalley, all hands would immediately be pointing back at him to disinvolve themselves from the ordeal. People in his line of work, especially the smaller fry, weren't particularly loyal when the authorities came to sniff around. If there wasn't a profit to be made in keeping their mouth shut, whether that was the profit of coin or keeping their lives, then names and details tended to flow like ale at the Wench under the right amount of pressure.
As he was mulling it over whilst staring down at the cracked wine bottle, a thought suddenly occured to the Keeper, striking him with enough certainty and clarity that he wasn't sure how he hadn't seen it much earlier. He needed to find the crack in Ferigen's operations. No doubt, given that the man had been running the business for years now, he far exceeded Naoh'to in terms of experience and knowledge. But that was another flaw - lack of healthy competition for so long. Surely, if the man hadn't had to worry about competing with other traders in years, there was a crack somewhere along the line.
Such was the kind of information that Naoh'to knew he wasn't going to be able to find on his own. He was a smoothtalker, but he wasn't one of the couple handfuls of secret peddlers sneaking and skulking their way through Limsa. Quite the opposite, really. He'd made himself well-known enough now that if he started to poke around too much himself, those very same spies would be all over selling his business to Ferigen for a pretty little gil or two. Thus, the plan would fall apart - the crack would be fixed, if one were ever found, and he would be back at square one.
A smirk suddenly came to his lips as he nudged the slowly leaking bottle with his foot, running through his thought process one last time before he would start off to find who he needed to find. Though, naturally, before he left, Nao was sure to spit in the spilt wine for good measure. A worthless gesture, but a satisfactory one nonetheless.
After leaving the alley, it didn't take long for him to find exactly who he had been looking for. On the docks, in front of a newly unloaded ship, a few shoddy, makeshift shopfronts had been set up with the would-be 'merchants' trying to unload as much of the unaccounted for merchandise as possible. Stolen and smuggled goods, mostly.. People trying to make more coin by doing their dirty work themselves, without the help of people like Naoh'to. Though he had no illwill for them.. After all, most ended up shut down or with confiscated goods if the Yellowjackets caught wind of it. And with the publicity of it all, buyers were hard to come by.
As he passed the man at the pier's edge, the lookout, Naoh'to gave him a knowing nod before continuing on his way unharried. The man he was truly looking for was much further down the walkway, and when he briefly caught his eye, the Lalafellin man leaned back against one of the many crates did his best to look as if he hadn't noticed him. Only when Nao came in much closer and took up the spot next to him, leaning back against the crate's edge, did he speak up.
"Didn't think you were wont to hang around this part of town." He didn't look up, head turned to survey the rest of the dock even as the daylight dwindled and some began to pack up their things. "You're making these honest merchants nervous, you know."
"Hah, would that such a thing existed.. The day I meet any honest merchant is the day that Dalamud falls a second time."
"They don't like it much when one of the big players comes down to the docks. Makes them think you're plotting something and they're in your way.. And with your business lately, can't say I much blame them." Finally, the much shorter man looked up at him. "Might not be that this is the safest place for you. People get antsy real easy."
"I don't plan on staying long enough to cause a scene, Yayabuko," Nao sighed. "I need you to find someone for me."
"Who?"
"I don't know. If I knew who, do you think I would be coming to you?"
"Fine." The Lalafell looked away again, turning his attention back down the dock. "What do you need?"
"I need someone with a good set of eyes and ears. Someone with a bigger love of coin than they have a fear of Ruarc Ferigen."
Yayabuko didn't speak for a long moment, clearly debating the situation. Naoh'to had known the Dunesfolk man long enough, albeit only as Balon Rein's apprentice until more recently, to know that he was trying to find a way to best twist the situation to put more money into his own pockets. Typical for a man born and raised in Ul'dah. Before he even spoke, Nao was reaching down to his coinpurse and giving it a reassuring pat. The sound of coins clinking together seemed to loosen the other's lips a bit.
"Four times what I usually charge," he finally stated.
"Four times your price? How hard can it be to find someone to do a little poking around for a very handsome reward?" Naoh'to's upper lip pulled back in a scowl, ears pressed flat back and tail flicking in annoyance. There was little he disliked more than paying what he perceived to be too much for something.
"Word is that Ferigen is getting bolder. This person you're wanting me to find, might be that they find no value in winding up floating alongside the docks if things go belly-up. It'll take double to find someone brave enough. The rest? That's as much as I'll need to make it worth my time, trying to find this person of yours."
"Fine," He grunted, pulling his coinpurse from his belt and tossing it over to the other. By his count, after the losses at the gambling hall, it should've been just enough to cover half of it at least. "The rest you'll have when I have my eyes and ears, understand? And if I'm paying four times the price, I expect four times the speed. You've got until tomorrow at sundown - have them meet me at the usual place."
"Pleasure doing business with you." The man paused slightly before nodding his chin in the direction of a small group of men a bit further away. "Best be running along. That lot has been watching you the entire time, and that Highlander's hand hasn't left his knife. Like I said, folk get real antsy."
"Duly noted," he muttered, looking over at the group from the corner of his eyes. Just as he'd said, they were talking hushedly amongst themselves and eyeing him with no uncertain amount of suspicion. Giving Yayabuko a parting nod, Naoh'to stuffed his hands down in his pockets and turned to make his exit from the dock. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, leaving all his money in the hands of that little Lalafellin thief, but at least he knew that by tomorrow, he would have exactly what he needed.
