trans_9 | When in rome [Semi-open]

The mission briefing was short and sweet. Planet Epicurea, breathable air, drinkable water, food that wouldn't melt your stomach, matriarchical society unusually fond of procedure and posturing. The plan was to find an object of interest (description helpfully provided by the ship), negotiate for it, then return to the rendezvous coordinates before Stacy decided to leave without them. So simple, only three crew members would be assigned to carry out the mission.

Anwei Ayles, whose negotiation skills and extensive experience dealing with alien races (especially slightly snooty ones) would no doubt prove eminently useful for the delicate nature of the bargaining that would take place,

Howard Bassem, whose intrinsic understanding of diplomacy and unorthodox means of obtaining information would smooth over any rough edges (and maybe help grease the wheels a little behind the scenes), and last of all --

[ooc -- Anyone's free to barge in during the first subthread ("Mission Briefing") if they like, the rest of the post is only Anwei, Howard, and Zouichi :) ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Everyone here is at least two feet taller than him, and some of them are wearing stilts. Howard's used to his size leaving him having to strain to be part of the conversation. He's not used to having most of the conversation go on so far above his head that he doesn't even realize people are talking until they're halfway through a sentence. Stacy seriously didn't have any shady characters who were a few inches taller to send on this wild goose chase?

Still, despite all of his many grievances with this whole thing, it'll be best to get the job done well and fast. He's been keeping an eye on the clothing, and at this point thinks he has a good idea of what to pick up. For blending in, Stacy didn't provide them much in the way of an allowance, so Howard nearly breaks the piggybank on Anwei's regal dignitary outfit. By the time he's gotten outfits for Zouichi and himself, he only has a handful of credits left. Not enough to buy stilts. Certainly not enough to bribe information out of the right people.

But, Howard realizes, being small has its advantages when you want to do things without being seen.

For a planet with so much glitter, there's surprisingly little color in the Epicurean marketplace. Mostly it's shades of grey and occasional sparkling white and midnight black for the bodyguards of important people. Said important people tend to be in pastels, the lone spots of color in the monochromatic mass. Howard figures important people don't tend to do their own dirty work, so he waits until he sees some bodyguards in maid-like uniforms breaking away from their Very Important Person and slip into an alley away from the crowds.

He has trouble keeping up with their strides, but on the plus side, he doesn't even have to bother ducking behind things and staying out of sight. Not that that would be easy, as very few stands are in the marketplace. Mostly it seems to be clubs and restaurants, sprawled out geometrically. Even the vendors are more like shops, with no wares in the streets. He's breathing hard by the time he turns a corner and finds them meeting some other Epicureans halfway down a staircase into the ground.

Turns out his suspicion was correct. He's hit the shadier part of town. After listening in a bit and finding the people talking about just what he needs, he slinks up next to someone who looks like they know what they're talking about, acting as if he's totally supposed to be there. "You sure that's the price? Last I heard it got knocked down a tenner - how much are you guys actually locked in for?"

The man turned and glared down at him, eyes widening; the edge of his outstanding skirt was about at the level of Howard's chest. He looked totally baffled by this apparition appearing below his elbow.

"Knocked down? Impossible," he snorted. "Where'd you hear that?"

"From Countess Hilvetca's chamberman," he says, piecing together a story as quickly as he can from the information and names he just gathered eavesdropping, keeping fear under a cocky, know-it-all exterior. "What, you think that we showed up on the world without sources?"

He takes a deep breath. "If you ask me, that just doubles the insult to you all. Not only are you going to get less than your asking price, but she's blocking you from the market. I can tell you, there are plenty of people willing to pay more if you're willing to seek to them out. My superior, for one."

The alien's eyes narrowed, and he cut them at the nearby group and away, lowering his voice.

"Hilvetca? That gutter-born, jumped-up..." The man's cheeks flushed a rather unnerving shade of purple under their pink glitter foundation. Then he looked thoughtfully down at Howard.

"Are you suggesting that you could get me directly in contact with your superior?"

It is, Howard realizes, very difficult to keep your cool when the person towering over you is turning purple with anger. Even if it's not directed at you. Howard keeps his voice as calm as possible and tries not to blink too much.

"Not suggesting so much as saying. I'd need to know which official avenues you'd prefer and my superior can extend an invitation.

(( OOC: running errands, slow tags for a few hours. ))

The purple was actually a part of the alien's normal expression; for him, Howard's upturned face was rather creepy in its consistent coloration.

He considered for a long moment. Direct access was worth a lot; being the person who had arranged for direct access was worth more. He might be a man, a second assistant lace-puller, fit only to tie on women's shoes when the primary lacer was ill; but he was still a person! He still had ambitions! And someday, he thought, he would be a shoe-polisher.

"Yes," he said with a soft smile, "yes, it would be best to do it through official channels." He nodded sharply, sending a little shower of glitter from his hair. "All visitors are invited to attend the Dawn Festival of the Smile of the Daughter; if your superior were to ask for sponsorship of her visit, the Glimmering Prosperity clan would be ready to endorse her. And her - future business deals."

Howard can't help but blink and squint as an uncomfortable amount of glitter gets in his eyes. Not especially dignified, but hopefully the fact that he keeps talking through it keeps the balance of power equalized. "Excellent. I'll put in a good word for you with my superior. If you're ever interested in transferring, you know, we have a much more open mind than these clans. Never hurts to help a brother out."

When in rome [Semi-open]

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