Pleasantries

day 9: The Meeting of Minds

For what it’s worth, the meeting went quite well. The day started early, I emerged from my suite in the Nobles Quarters, which had been graciously arranged by my superior at the Seal. The market was quiet, shops being laid out, stands erected, signs and posts being displayed. The early merchants gathering goods to take back out on the road or the skies. The clanking of armor and metal below me, and of course the ever ticking balance of the Scales.

I was to meet with my confidant in the Scholar Branch, in one of the meeting rooms. I headed there early, just in time to grab a coffee and a pastry. The small scone, dusted with pink and blue powder had a peculiar scent, but I was assured by the baker that it helped perk you up in the morning, that along with a coffee was called the Twinnner by the shop. And pep me up it did, my bag felt lighter, my step increased, the lights just a bit brighter, though this was most likely a placebo, I couldn’t help but wonder what was in the pastry.

I went into the meeting room on the far right corner of the Branch. To my surprise, an older woman sat across from me, the room bisected with a large Ironbark table, must have weighed several tons. She had a slim silhouette, draped in sleek feather like furs and veiled with a bright teal hood. She lowered the hood and I realized why she had such a remarkably slim visage. Around her neck were twenty or so solid gold rings, that had been placed over time, one by one, extending her neck to at least double mine. This was known as Branda, a sacramental practice done by the people of the Ikari Glacier. It was quite beautiful to behold I’ll be honest. She waved a hand to sit, I did. The meeting was arranged by our two guilds, me a researcher from the Seal of Fates, her an envoy for the Gales, the exploratory guild of Ikari.

She was a straight to the point, somewhat distant speaker. She had an air of subtle grandeur about her, the type that lets one speak freely but mind their manners. She explained to me that the journey to the train would take me through a local logging town, Metuus, one of the only full fledged grounded cities on Kaara. I had read about it, the folk are supposed to be rough, though kind. Metuus is the single largest provider of Ironbark trees in the world, the tough almost metal like trees that are native to the area. I was to get on the ten o’clock train to the northern leyline, there I would board a merchant airship owned by the Scorp Corps, perhaps the knew Pats. I shall make a note to ask. She warned me of a treacherous segment of the Spine that has seen some, let’s say, trouble in recent times. Seeing as there was no way around it, she advised me to go to the mercenary guilds here at Aeris and secure myself a bit of protection in the form of a Duster, or two.

I left the meeting a bit uneasy. Of course I had the funds to secure safe passage, but the uncertainty of the path ahead made took me out of sorts. How do I vet a Duster? Can they be trusted? Do they sympathize with the Seal? Are they controllable, respectful? What kind of danger were we to meet? The thoughts raced through my mind as I finished up my meal later that evening, a skewer of meat to go and a cup of honey mead. I walked the grand market to ease my mind, maybe the hustle and bustle will distract me from the thoughts. It did for a bit, though the knot in my stomach remains. I again will wake up tomorrow early, peruse the selection of Dusters, and hopefully find someone suitable and competent.