Clothes (MK)

[Tyr]

July 17, 2877AD
15:43
Holy Britannian Empire
Pendragon outskirts

The area outside of the confines of the capital city of Britannia was a beautiful landscape of lush greenery of both forests and flowers. It was carefully kept that way, for many of the empire's nobles had their mansions and estates in the area, and only breathtaking and carefully maintained gardens and surroundings were appropriate for the noble class. The manor of the Ardennesse family was no different.

The manor itself was on the smaller side, its former and current owners both preferring it that way. But where the manor was small, the garden was all the greater for it. The path leading to the manor was surrounded on both sides by a veritable rainbow of breathtakingly beautiful and well taken care of flowers. Close to the manor there even were some species of flora that were thought to have gone extinct during the Yellowstone eruption and calamity that most of humanity had fled to the stars. Favorites of the new owner of the estate.

It had been a minor scandal when Marquiss Ardennesse and his wife the marchioness died within days of one another, people speculating anything from them dying to a mysterious new plague to being assassinated either by political rivals or by their sole daughter. The official cause of death of the married pair was ruled as sleeping away peacefully, but that did little to squash the wild speculation.


It had been less than a week since their funeral and since their daughter Theodora Ardennesse became the first ruling marchioness of the family fresh out of the university. And already she was involving the estate with private business, waiting for the important guest she had invited to arrive as she was. She was waiting in a small meeting room for private business, an old and worn expression of grief on her face as she sat on a chair, drumming the table with her finger absentmindedly. The chair clashed with the opulent surroundings, being a wooden chair with a naught but a single cushion on the seat. Yet the chair on the other side of the table was luxuriously cushioned, but evidently it was not to her tastes.

 

[MKR]

It had been a while since his last visit to Britannia, not like there was a lack of deals to be had there but frequently should the locals need something which required a visit they did such a deal with a more local source. He wasn't against it, quite the contrary. He very much liked to travel, more than his peers. But Alberich was in charge for a reason and as such he got to be their face.

But Alberich wasn't able to make it. So now he was here.
A man paused to behold the garden. Landscaping was not his area of expertise but he could appreciate the picture that had been sculpted here. Besides him a girl in a mask stepped up and stopped. Looking out over the garden. She looked at it differently then he, much more analytical which was impressive in its own right admittedly.

The unusual pair stepped up to the gate, a servant waiting for them there.
"Mr Gunther Köhler I take it?" She asked.

He straightened his collar in response.
"Correct."

"The Lady is waiting for you inside."

Calmly he followed her inside, his extra holding a tight grip on the briefcase she held as they continued deeper in. Britannians always liked to flaunt their status, even if this location did so less then others it still did just that, fine silk for the least of things like curtains and finer silk for things that mattered more. An elaborate pattern in the carpet which was kept completely dust free as if a ghost with a vacuum had hounded every visitor that ever came and would ever come.

Presentation was key, no matter which guest.

Which made stepping into the room rather strange, as the opulent chair was left barren and instead Gunther noted the woman who had invited him over sitting in a simple wooden chair. An unusual turn of events but then again, it didn't make things that much weirder.
It certainly gave the impression this Britannian didn't see herself as leagues above him but impressions were just that.

"Lady Ardennesse, it is a pleasure." he spoke out, extending a hand forward. Courtesy was the least he could do. "It is not often our services are requested with an in person negotiation so please, how may I be of assistance."

As Gunther talked the young lady with him placed the briefcase on the table and stepped aside, standing besides the door without having said as much as a word. Stoically staring into the depths of the room.

 

[Tyr]

"Thank you Elise, you can go now." Theodora thanked the servant that had led her guests to the room as she left. Her eyes flickered to the girl that had accompanied the man briefly, before going to him. It was only sensible to bring a guard to a meeting, she would not raise hell about it, even if it could be used to threaten her if things turned sour. "Likewise mister Köhler. If you would like something to drink at any point do not hesitate to ask, as my guest it is the least I can do." She rose to grasp the hand extended to her before sitting down again, gesturing for her guest to sit down on the more extravagant chair.

"Some matters are best discussed in person, far away from prying ears. Your arrival might be noted, but even if it is they won't know the details. No one will hear us here. I think you and yours will appreciate the discretion once you know what I am after."

Certain pretenses had to be kept up even here, things that were expected of someone in her position. Such was her life. She rested her chin on her hand, elbow propped on the table. With her other hand she gestured towards herself.

"I would like to make a bulk order... for additional copies of this body of mine." She peered inquisitively at Gunther after delivering her outlandish request, face otherwise expressionless. The reactions she got to knowing about things that she should have no way of knowing were so interestingly varied, and this piece of information certainly was one of those that the young noblewoman should have no way of knowing.

 

[MKR]

Gunther sat down as directed, spinning the briefcase slightly and beginning to open the clasps inside. Soft clicks accompanying the noble's elaborations. When both were clicked open he turned his full attention towards Theodora once more, just in time for her to state why she had wished to do so in person. The man almost entirely paused, for once and perhaps the only time the most vivid reaction would be from the girl behind him.

Her mask opening up partway to reveal a yellow light in the section over her forehead. Gunther himself seemed to note this silent reaction by holding out his arm in a gesture to indicate patience. The light dimming and mask closing once more.
"Yes I believe you have made the need for discretion quite clear." His stare turned hard, the pleasantries were seemingly coming to a close as the man focused on business. He put his hands together and looked at the woman.

"We'd like you to be aware that a service such as this does not come cheap, certainly not when done so in bulk." He took a piece of paper out of the briefcase, a pen out of his pocket and began writing. "Services like these go beyond monetary compensation." He remembered one time a decade or so ago when a warlord had found out about this. Thinking just money was enough to purchase something like this, how wrong he was. Now the question was if this woman thought that money by itself would be enough, and if not what was she prepared for.

"So I have to start by asking what 'in bulk' means, is this in the dozens, the hundreds or a hand full? And as follow up to the previous statement, we will have to discuss the matter of payment." His eyes spoke a thousand tales as this man was trying to think how the Britannian noble could be useful in a way others could not. To put matters simply a minor noble could always be egged on. So there was no shortage of those so what benefit did she have for them. But he would let her speak for her own on that.

 

[Tyr]

A sliver of a smile appeared as Theodora silently wagged her finger at the masked girl. "Of course. Unlike wealth copies of the same body are harder to come by. It is only natural to want something more than money, no matter how much we value that illusion of value."

"Ten will suffice, fourteen would be ideal."

She didn't continue immediately but instead hummed a sombre, sorrowful tune to herself for a short while, head swaying in rhythm.

"I can not offer political sway, as a minor noble I have little." She eventually continued. "Nor, I think, do you have need for it. But that does not mean that I don't have anything to offer. On the contrary. I certainly have the means to provide most anything you could want, from information to aiding you with your goals. I've already even given a demonstration of the former."

She shrugged ever so faintly.

"So what is it that you want out of this, Gunther Köhler?" Theodora asked calmly, inquisitive stare boring into his eyes.

 

[MKR]

"Then I will take it you are aware of the fact that in such a bulk we will need to maintain these bodies personally on the European mainland." Gunther said as he made noted on the paper he had in front of him. Fourteen was a lot, but the claim of being able to do almost anything was unusual trying to figure this woman out was a puzzle in and of itself. However it was not for him to answer that question, his part of this negotiation was done with the prior claim and for that reason.

Something manifested. It was like a mechanical eyeball, its surface decorated with purple lights as it remained perfectly still in the air, gazing out towards the woman. Neither Gunter nor his personal protector seemed surprised by this turn of events indicating that the arrival of this orb was expected by them at the very least.

"Pardon my lateness." A voice came from the device. "As well as my lack of being here in person, I was unable to make enough time for the journey so I hope this is a permissible state of presence." The eye inside moved slightly, focusing on Theodora almost quizzically as if trying to figure out the woman as well but the lack of any possibility for facial expression made such unclear and much more likely that this was simply how the sphere gazed.

"I am Black Alberich, and given the knowledge you have shown I shall not insult your investigative skills by introducing myself further." Matters left at that the completely still sphere continued as Gunther continued to fill in the paper in front of him.
"As for what it is we want in return for this service, almost anything is a large, vague, category while the service we provide in return is clearly defined. Mayhap a demonstration of the latter is also in order. It needn't be something you provide us with of course. Still, an equilibrium between payment and service should be provided so depending on what you can provide in exchange we can determine how many bodies that would be exchanged for."

 

[Tyr]

Theodora gazed straight at the eye the sphere had, if she was surprised by its appearance not even the faintest hint showed on her face. "There is nothing to pardon Black Alberich." She dipped her head at the sphere in acknowledgement. "I am the one with demands that most would call unreasonable, what is being a little tardy to a meeting you couldn't find the time to attend compared to that?"

Theodora mulled the demand over. It was reasonable, expected even. The issue was how to answer it. Not that that was much of an issue to Theodora she noted to herself with a hint of amusement. Her chosen method would reveal a part of her secret, true, but that would always have happened sooner or later.

And she had always favored direct methods over subtle manipulation and subterfuge when possible.

"A demonstration then. While I cannot fully demonstrate my claim in a place like this I'm sure an experienced man such as yourself Black Alberich can nonetheless appreciate it, and notice the obvious difference." Theodora closed her eyes with a soft chuckle.

And when she opened them again the air in the room shifted ever so slightly.

"To begin with, a demonstration that I can act as insurance against any of the Kin of Fire, their leader included." Eyes still firmly set on the sphere, a single finger of Theodora dropped on to the table, and without uttering a single word a vase that was resting atop a drawer was flung towards the meeting table, halting in the air between Theodora and the sphere as if it had collided with a wall.

One by one the rest of the fingers of her hand dropped to the table like the fingers of a pianist playing a single note at a time. First the vase was set ablaze, which was smothered as it was encased in a thick layer of ice that was cut to ribbons by blades of wind, only for all the pieces of both the broken vase and the chunks of ice to crumble to dust with the dust vanishing as well.

"Any grander demonstration I'm afraid you will need to invite me to suitable grounds for. I will not torment Elise or the rest of my servants, and I shan't suffer my garden being disrupted or damaged."

 

[MKR]

The sphere observed the situation as it unfolded, the masked girl as well suddenly had her interest peaked as the words Kin of Fire were uttered only for Gunter to put his arm between her and the table. Calming the girl once more as she watched the vase fly through the air and then catch on fire only for the elements to rend it asunder and turn to dust even finer than the desert.

"How interesting." The sphere replied at last, the man behind it wondering just how this woman had come onto that information groups that would know of that were few and far between and most would use other channels to approach them while the rest would have no need for what was requested. The eye turned towards her, seemingly taking measure.
"How very interesting. I suppose you'll prefer your copies to be hollow."

Gunter made note of that on his papers.
"I believe with such a wide array the best term of negotiation would be to let your payment be as flexible, where parts of your debt would be paid for with various requests by us in turn their price to be negotiated upon request. Of course as we won't ask further questions now it is expected of you to not inquire either at our requests. At which point you may now stipulate how many you will decisively want as that will determine how much you owe."

There were nigh infinite applications for something like this- for someone like this. Of course it made him very ill inclined to trust the woman in front of them but that was part of it. "If that is acceptable then I believe we are done for today. The appropriate amount of reserves will be prepared once my colleagues have returned with a sample. Mirage Crimson, if you would."

The girl stepped forwards, taking out a small petri dish from the briefcase. A completely monotone voice spoke up from the girl, almost metallic in its echo.
"Have you prepared a sample or will you relieve it here?"

 

[Tyr]

Theodora gazed evenly into the sphere's eye. "It is refreshing to deal with someone quick on the uptake, your gracious offer is appreciated." Finally, she nodded with a small amused smile. "Thirteen shall suffice. It is more than enough and I have a... personal attachment to the number, and it allows you to make use of me for longer. Your terms likewise are acceptable, I've no desire to pry into the details of your business either way."

She opened a drawer on her side of the table, rummaging the insides until her hand found purchase on what she was looking for, which she then placed on the table. It was a small ornamental wooden box, with detailed depictions of flowers carved into it. She gestured towards the box. "Inside that box you will find the relevant samples, as well as detailed information on this body's makeup, structure and scans of both the brain and the skeleton. Everything one could ask for in order to create it anew."

With a simple gesture of her hand, the box was lifted into the air as it gently floated to be in front of Mirage Crimson, bopping up and down until taken from the air. "You can keep the box, think of it as a gift. It is surprisingly expensive despite its size, as handcrafted material oft is, doubly so when made by a renowned master."

She gave her guests a regal nod. "May our partnership be fruitful and mutually beneficial."

 

[MKR]

The spherical observer noted the movement of the box, as Mirage took the object out of the air gently and moved back to the other side of the room it noted the contents that were listed. Still, nothing was left to be said on that regard except for formalities.
"Agreed, we will get started as soon as these items have arrived to the appropriate location. For now, I will bid you farewell."

The eye vanished once more, Gunther began taking things and packing them inside his suitcase once more.
"One last formality." He noted, three papers being pushed forward with a pen resting atop the small stack. "If you would sign all three, you may keep one of your choosing." The flower decorated box was then placed inside the suitcase by the assistant as the man who had arrived here in person waited for the papers to be signed.

Even for dealings such as these an action such as that was preferred, yes it left a paper trail but the digital trail was much more dangerous and had been for hundreds of years to begin with and not once had a signed contract of theirs been stolen from their homes. Beyond that, a way to ensure the arrangements are agreed upon can be of a lot of use when dealing with the elements which would approach them as such.

"Once that is done we will take our leave and get to work on your request."

 

[Tyr]

"Of course." Theodora accepted the papers readily enough, but did not immediately sign them. Rather, she scanned their contents and read what the papers said with ease borne from experience that nobility brought with it. Only after she had gone through all three papers did she sign them with her plain handwriting, pushing forward each paper to Gunther's side of the desk as she finished with them, naturally leaving her with one of the three.

"Though this was not a courtesy visit it would still reflect poorly on me as a host should you leave so soon after arriving, empty handed - Elise!" Theodora clapped her hands together once, the sound cutting through the air at the same time as she raised her voice for the first time to call for the servant that had brought Gunther and his guard in, the door behind Gunther opening and closing as Elise came in immediately.

"Yes my lady?"

"Our guests shall be leaving, please escort them on their way out, and be aware that they are allowed to freely choose three flowers of their choosing from the garden, one for each of them as well as one with my regards for their friend who unfortunately could not come here today."

"As you say Lady Ardennesse. Please, follow me once you are ready to depart." With a nod the servant once again left the room to patiently wait for Gunther.

"I recommend taking your time to make your choice. The garden is my pride and joy, you will not find another its like in the world." A soft smile bloomed on Theodora's face as she mentioned the garden outside. For it truly was a priceless treasure, both to her and in material value.

 

[MKR]

Gunther took the remaining two papers, putting them back in the briefcase as he quickly checked if they were properly signed. With that verified the briefcase was handed to Mirage Crimson below. The girl took the item and stepped aside. Both calmly waited for the lady to stop speaking with her servant. For his part Gunther seemed to be in thought about the display just before.

His counterpart however, stood idly by.
"Thank you for your kind offer." He replied in turn, over his years he had seen many a garden. Most proclamations of unparalleled existence were often disappointing at best but the one he had seen outside seemed to verge closer on that claim at least. Still he would not state that aloud nor let it taint his visage and words "Have a pleasant day Lady Ardennesse."

They followed after the servant, as expected the girl was quick on the draw. Pointing out the first flower available as hers to take. Gunter however, took this moment to take an in depth look at the garden itself, it still was not his expertise but there was something about it he just couldn't place. That was when it clicked, he had first of all not ever seen a good number of these flowers in anything other than records of time passed.
His eyes opened slightly wider at that notion, indeed this garden was one of a kind.

"That one for myself please." he motioned to a purple flower, Viola cryana if he was not mistaken. He took a few more paces around, then he paused as he saw one plant he could not place not even in the pages of the tomes he had read. "And that one for our peer." He spoke, gesturing towards a nearby white flower.