It takes a while, walking until after the ninth bell to make it all the way down south, past the southwest corner of the southern district, to Laslo's refinery right up against the west wall, like how Eryk's is on the east wall. It's practically right next to the southwest gate, just a bit off to the left when I look out through the gate.
Besides the way it's up against the city wall, with the huge gate-like doors in one part of the building and a dozen chimneys pouring dark smoke up into the drizzling rain, there is little else similar to the Ebock Refinery. The shape and color of everything are all just so fancy it's hardly even recognizable as a refinery. The entire outside is painted red, with bright greens, blues, and a variety of other colors detailing the surface. It doesn't even look like it's made of wood. The surface is like stone, but smooth in a way that reminds me of Beth's office or that strange rail unit building, rather than the blocky stone walls of the church.
When we approach the building, I spot the guards out front, and John sets me down to walk on my own. He shares a silent look with Eryk before we move forward again. John looks way more tense than usual. That's right, he told me most of his fights as a personal bodyguard are against other merchant's bodyguards, didn't he...?
The men look us over as we approach the broad side of the fancy building, but they don't give any of the same nervous feeling John does. Probably because there are six of them and one of him. I silently remind myself to be careful so that nothing violent or dangerous happens.
Without a word, one of the guards waves for us to follow. He leads us to the door in. It's far to the left side of the building, away from the chimneys where they must have their workshop. The door is clearly made of metal, but has been painted colorfully, like the rest of the building. He opens it with a key and we pass over the threshold into what looks like a waiting room, with dark walls and an elderly woman with brown hair seated behind a desk. It's a small room, and there are numerous candles mounted on the walls to make up for its lack of windows.
Even as the guard closes the door behind us, I spot a couple more standing on the right and left hand walls of the little room. How many guards do they need here?
The woman just ahead stands, her clothing so fancy she must be divant class, though they look nothing like a worker's uniform. She moves toward another door next to her desk and knocks, the deep wooden sound indicating that it isn't metal, but it is really thick. I don't hear anyone call back. Instead, there's the high pitch of someone ringing a bell. It's a little harder to hear through the thick door, but probably not an issue even with normal hearing.
With a shallow tilt of her head, the woman holds the door for us, and we file inside, Eryk first, then me, and John at the back. "Eryk's party is here, sir," the woman says as we pass.
"Good." Once I can see past Eryk's legs, Laslo is right there in the middle of the office we just entered. Not as well dressed as yesterday, but the deep colors and flowing fabric of his suit jacket is still a big step above what I'm used to seeing. "Good evening, Eryk," Laslo pairs his greeting with an extremely high class salute, even moreso than yesterday.
"Good evening, Laslo," Eryk responds with a subordinate gesture, but still divant class, so I follow along and do the same, adding my own greeting. When I look up from my bow, there's a grin on Laslo's face. I glance to Eryk, who's mostly hiding a grimace, and my heart immediately speeds up. Did I do something wrong?
Eryk answers the silent question I'm directing at him. "It's not exactly the most polite thing to wave a bag of money around, whatever the circumstances." That draws my attention to the big bag I'm still holding, off in my left hand since I needed my right to lift my skirt for my curtsy.
"But... what am I supposed to do with it?"
Eryk pats me on the head while answering. "Having a servant or subordinate hold it is usually best." He gives a little tilt of his head toward John, so I pass the bag back to him, standing just behind us. "My apologies," he follows with a respectful gesture to Laslo, "Aria is still young and has things left to learn."
"That's fine," Laslo brushes it off. It's actually a bit odd to see him do that, when I think about the way he acted before. He seemed really... shrewd - that's the new word I learned recently that I think fits best. Like he'll take advantage of anything he can, even more than Eryk.
I don't have as much lightning mana as I did at the party, but I did make some back at Eryk's house before dropping my stuff, just in case. What I do have is screaming about him being a bad person like before, even though I still have no idea why. It definitely has me a little more on edge than usual though.
With a wave of his hand, he has the woman shut the door behind us with a muffled click, and Laslo picks up a hand bell from a rather large, round table beside him. When he rings it, it's a different sound from the one before. I glance and spot five other bells, all with long wooden handles, and flared, cylindrical bell parts on the ends, in a variety of sizes and colors. Are they for different sounds? Do they have different meanings?
I spend a few moments wondering what they could be for while he sets the bell down, and asks us to sit. I follow Eryk slowly, while looking around and taking in the rest of the room. It's not as big as Eryk's office, but it's clearly only meant for meeting people. The walls have a large number of candles burning so it's nice and bright, with intricate metal decorations mounted between them. Some vaguely resemble animals or other things that feel familiar at a glance, while others aren't anything I can recognize.
And they're all made of that shiny, white metal alba...
Besides the table in the middle, with enough chairs around it for a dozen people to sit, there isn't really any other furniture here. There are three doors too. The one we entered through, and two on the far side of the room, directly across from each other on the right and left hand walls. Unlike the waiting room, there are no guards here...
We end up on the side of the table closest to our door, me on the right, Eryk on my left. Laslo takes a seat across from us, on the side with the set of bells easily within reach. The table isn't too tall, so I can actually see over it. About... chin high, I think as I stand beside my chair. With a gesture, Eryk gets John to lift me into my seat, before standing behind us again.
I can still see over the table, but I'd probably have some trouble if I had to try eating since the top is level with my shoulders like this. Either Eryk or Laslo could probably stand and reach across the table if they tried though.
Once we're all seated, there's a pause. Neither men are saying anything. I glance between them a few times. Are we waiting for something?
Just as I think that, one of the doors open. A man comes in, and I raise an eyebrow. He isn't dressed like a store employee, he has the outfit of a servant. Do high class shops like this really have dedicated servants? He comes over, carrying a shining silver platter with three glasses of a purple liquid. It looks just like what Irene served to the two men in the drawing room. Is that a particular drink common at business deals or something...?
The servant keeps his eyes down, aimed at the table to avoid meeting any of our gazes directly while placing a glass in front of each of us one by one, and then falls a few steps back behind Laslo. He stands at attention, with the platter folded neatly against his stomach. Laslo snaps his fingers. "You can go." The servant obeys wordlessly, disappearing just like he came.
When the men reach for their glasses together, I follow along. Then again, when they give a small lift, before bringing the drinks to their lips.
Since it's a high class drink, I'm extra careful with my own glass, only letting the liquid brush against my lips until I can determine if I can drink it or not. I absolutely can't risk having to spit it out here. From the weirdly calm but buzzy feeling, I know it isn't safe, and don't take any into my mouth. I just hold the glass like that for a bit, until the men drink theirs, and set my glass back on the table when they do.
"Now... Before we get into our business, I'd like to talk about these star metals of yours," Laslo starts in.
"What about them?" Eryk asks. What is Laslo's plan? Why is he asking about that again now? Is he trying to get information out of us, or threaten to go back on our deal?
I'm staring across the table, unable to read his expression, as he takes another long drink from his glass. I follow Eryk through mimicking one more time, waiting anxiously to see what Laslo is up to. Maybe I should have gotten more lightning mana for this? No, I'm already terrified enough as it is...
Almost a full tick passes, before he speaks. "It's no secret that your new metals will completely disrupt the market. The nobility will demand access to such valuable products, and your shop is not prepared to do business with them."
Laslo draws himself up, the old man giving off a much more imposing feel than before. "You can't deal with the nobility, but I can. Sell me the method to create star metals."
What?!
Eryk shakes his head and chuckles. "I can't do that. Even if I wanted to, you wouldn't get anywhere without Aria."
"Is that so?" Laslo folds his hands together and looks at me for the first time, just for a moment, before he takes another long drink, probably to give himself time to think. We follow politely again, but I'm still careful not to drink any of mine. This is not the time to mess up like that.
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As soon as Laslo taps his glass back down on the table, he goes right back to his proposal.
"So this girl is the key to your operation. What's to keep her from joining me instead?" Laslo challenges with an unpleasant look.
Eryk just shrugs and replies, "Loyalty."
"Really? Loyalty? You know that everyone has a price. How about it?" he suddenly directs his question my way. "How much would it take to have you join me?"
"..." I have no idea how to respond. I open my mouth a little, but the question doesn't even make sense. Why would I join Laslo? For money? "I, umm, don't really care about money..."
"You're just young and naive." What is that tone? Lecturing, like he's looking down on me now? "Money will get you anything you want in life, as long as you have enough of it. Money is influence, and power. You can never have enough. You should listen to my advice and take the money, you'll be better off for it. Better than any orphan has the right to be."
His short speech leaves me dumbfounded. Does he actually believe that? I mean, I know money can be useful, but there's tons of stuff you can't buy. Like friends and love, and other people who actually care about you. That's what I like the most, why would I trade my relationship with Eryk for some money?
"Umm, I think I'm fine. Sorry, but I'm not interested in joining your shop," I tell him clearly, trying to stay polite as I do.
Laslo clicks his tongue in annoyance. "Fine then. Come tell me when you change your mind."
...Really? Why would I...?
Still looking vaguely irritated, Laslo drinks down the whole rest of his glass. Eryk finishes his too, but mine is still full. I hope that isn't disrespectful... For now, I keep it in my hands, below the level of the table so it isn't so obvious, being the only glass on the table that's still full.
"So, could we move on to our business now?" I try suggesting. "I brought the money for the alba."
"Yes, yes." Laslo makes a small swat with his free hand, the other sliding his glass off to the side. He takes one of the hand bells and gives it a few rings. The sound makes me realize it's different from the ones earlier. Maybe each bell means he needs something specific?
It's a short wait before one of his employees comes in, entering through the opposite door the servant came from earlier. "Yes, sir?" he asks.
"Get Eryk's order," Laslo commands.
"Right away." The man exits without another word. I stop myself before I frown at him. Eryk's order, huh? Even though he demanded I pay using my own money...
"So, what makes you the key to Eryk's operation?" Laslo begins to question me again. "It's obvious that half of the equation comes from mixing metals together, what is it that you know that no one else does?" He... doesn't actually expect me to answer that, does he? When I don't speak up, he turns another question Eryk's way. "And what makes you confident that we won't discover the last piece of the puzzle ourselves?"
Eryk chuckles. "Because you can't make magnets." I jolt in my seat, nearly spilling my drink on myself when he says that.
"Magnets?"
"Eryk?" I call his name anxiously, speaking over Laslo. My intuition is kicking in, shouting at me.
Ignoring me, Laslo pushes on. "I've never heard of them before, what are they?"
"Of course you haven't," Eryk laughs, "Aria made them."
"Eryk!" What is he doing?! Does he have some kind of plan?
Laslo leans forward, forearms crossed in front of him on the table. "Is that so?" As he's turning his attention back to me, I grab Eryk's wrist under the table so I can use telepathy to tell what on Loqa he's up to. If he had some plan, he should have told me! And what kind of plan could include telling one of his biggest competitors a bunch of the stuff we were trying to keep secret? I'm stretching my mana into Eryk when Laslo questions me, "How do you make these magnets?"
I'm not going to tell him that! "U-umm..." I stammer, my attention split between the conversation and Eryk's mana. It's swishing around energetically thanks to that drink, though nowhere near as bad as it would be for me, probably. Gathering myself, I respond, "That's a secret, I can't just tell you..." I swallow nervously when Laslo frowns down at me. There's no way he expected me to just tell him the secret to making star metals, right?
Eryk's mana well comes into focus with the half of my attention on that, and I connect to it so I can find out what he's thinking right now. But- Huh?!
The first bits of information that come across don't make any sense. Eryk has no plan. He thinks he's on guard right now, and he's not even concerned with the direction of this conversation.
Something is wrong.
My whole body shivers, extra intuition screaming at me to take control of this situation. But how?
I clamp down, my hands going still and my blood pumping fast, like I'm preparing for combat. Even if he's not an enemy, and we aren't actually fighting, this is it's own sort of battle, isn't it? I let out a long, shallow breath, straightening my back and calming my emotions, just in time for Laslo to ask his next question.
"Can't tell me, huh? What about you, Eryk? It was a lie that you don't know, wasn't it? How does she make them?"
"She-" I narrow my eyes as I push, following my intuition and letting my instincts guide me through the motion. I push on Eryk's soul, shifting it and changing it so he'll be concerned and suspicious. Taken aback at Laslo's question. Just doing it makes me sick to my stomach, but I shout at myself that this is fine. This is how Eryk should feel right now. I'm not doing anything wrong, I'm just filling in for whatever is going wrong in his head right now.
Eryk frowns, nearly a scowl. "I already told you, I don't know how Aria does it. Knowing would defeat the point."
"Ask him where my order is," I tell Eryk telepathically. It's been too long, hasn't it? It shouldn't take this long...
"Where is Aria's order anyway? Don't tell me your staff forgot? Or are you trying to delay us for some reason?" Eryk challenges.
Now it's Laslo's turn to scowl. He picks up one of the bells and rings it. The same one he used to call a staff member last time, I think. As soon as he does, the door opens not even a tick later. Suspiciously fast. They were delaying intentionally!
"Have you gotten Eryk's order yet?" Laslo complains without even looking.
"Yes, sir I just got it. I'm sorry for the delay, it was misplaced in the back room." Was it, or is that just an excuse? I don't think I can trust anything they say at this point... For now, I stay quiet while the man walks over and sets a small wooden box on the table. It seems unnecessarily fancy, with a lid, and red and blue paint in little flower-like shapes. Laslo opens it and retrieves a piece of alba, clearly a quarter of a regular size ingot. He sets it on the table in front of him, and I can tell from the shape that they cut one end off of an ingot. There's a nice smooth cut on one side.
What's the right way of doing this...? Laslo hasn't looked at his employee while addressing him, so I say, "John, the money please?" without taking my eyes off the older man across the table. Taking his cue, he steps up on my right and reaches halfway across to set down the large bag of coins easily within Laslo's reach.
Laslo takes the bag, opens it, and slowly counts out the coins, but he keeps throwing looks across the table the entire time. He hardly looked at me earlier, but now his eyes fall on me just as often as Eryk. He hardly even referred to me before. Why? Was he just looking down on me, or what...? I keep a firm grip on Eryk's wrist and his soul, and wait for Laslo to finish.
"Twenty irons, one hundred coppers. Your payment is sufficient. Here's your order." He slides the chunk of alba across the table and Eryk takes it. He passes it to me, silently saying I should check it, just in case. So I take the piece of alba, and immediately feel the connection through the whole thing. They didn't play any tricks, like mixing it with another metal or anything. Yes, this is what I need... I'm careful not to let myself get distracted, and give Eryk a simple nod to let him know this is right.
"Thank you, it was good doing business with you," Eryk says politely, and Laslo responds in kind. Laslo throws one more look at me before Eryk speaks up again. "Since that's all we came for today, we'll be going now."
"Fine, fine, you can go." Laslo looks kind of annoyed, or disappointed, I think, as he dismisses us. Not wanting to stay even a moment longer, I set my glass back on the table, but the motion draws Laslo to glare at me.
"You didn't drink any of the drink I offered you?" There's way more fire in his eyes than seems reasonable to me. Is it really that disrespectful?
"Umm, sorry?" I squeak, mentally flailing, begging Eryk to help me out here, however he can.
"We mean no disrespect by it," Eryk straight comes in, "Aria has some serious food allergies. It would seem this is one of the things she can't drink."
"Is that so?" Between Laslo's tone and the dark look in his eyes, a powerful shudder shoots up my back. I try to hold it down, but the lightning-boosted terror is starting to overwhelm me, so I push more on Eryk, my fingers clenched around his wrist. Any more than this and I'll lose it or have to convert the mana.
He comes straight to my defense. "Well, if you really have an issue with Aria's decorum, then as her superior, I'll gladly entertain your complaints another day." With a mental signal, he has me pull away, and we immediately stand, clearly faster than is polite. "Good day." We send respectful gestures across the table. Still glaring, Laslo returns a dismissive gesture of his own, and we immediately turn to go.
I grab Eryk's hand again, once more pushing on his soul to to fill in for the nerves he isn't feeling right now. Together, we head back out the door, John catching on that it's time to retreat, and holding it for us before Laslo's attending servant can even move. Another breach of proper etiquette.
The three of us proceed through the waiting room, guards eyeing us from both sides, and then we're in the street. We keep going, our pace not falling one bit until we're a long way from the upper class refinery. At that point, the two adults want to slow down and talk, but I tug on Eryk's hand and say we should keep going. "Not here," I say shortly.
We keep walking, at a somewhat slower pace now. I ask Chisa to head our way. I'm probably being paranoid, but Laslo really freaked me out. I have to make sure we aren't being followed. That we won't be ambushed, or who knows what else.
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It takes a while for Chisa to fly this far south, so we just keep walking until she arrives. She stays pretty high up, scouting out the whole area all around us until I'm certain no one is after us. Only then, do I let out a long breath, and try to relax. I keep Chisa overhead just in case she missed something, while pulling Eryk onto a side street, away from the crowd on the main road.
"Alright, we should be fine now," I tell them. "No one is following us." I look up at the two men. "I don't know what happened back there, we have to talk."