This was definitely a very targeted task. Rainer felt pretty attacked. Affronted. It always seemed like a great idea to send the most impatient, least diplomatic member of a guild on a diplomatic mission. Alone no less. Was he so obvious that they could pick up that he was the rough-and-tumble, punch first ask later, tear up cheap clothes kind of guy? They just had to make it a point that he could do none of those things while wearing that monkey suit, in a country he'd never been in. Rainer had no silver tongue. If he did, he wouldn't be working for the West Fiore Trading Company to begin with. He would have been a salesman, raking in the dough to keep his family alive. In fact, it was the distinct lack of silver tongue that made his life harder than it needed to be and had cost him every job since leaving the granite mines.
It pissed him off that he couldn't throw up his middle fingers and tell this Adalinda Ortinbras where she could shove this ball and the contracts. Being trapped like this made it feel like he couldn't breathe, but as much as the spiky blond wanted to exercise his freedom, he didn't have the ability. Though he was crass and violent and thuggish, his heart longed for nothing more than his mom and sis to be healthy again. To stay alive. This felt like his last chance to make that happen. If he blew off this job and it cost him the only people dear to him, he'd never be able to get past it. It was a lot for the brash twenty year old to shoulder, but he'd been doing it this long. What was a few more days?
He spoke too soon. Upon arriving in Seven, he learned this would be far more challenging. If a fairy tale book could throw up on a country, this would be what it looked like. As soon as he crossed the border, a goat bid him welcome. He'd nearly blown the goat into stew meat chunks, but narrowly managed to keep control of himself. And that was only one step in! Several more revealed breathtaking views, but equally as alarming interactions with plants and animals that shouldn't be able to talk! His mind screamed a continuous expletive the entire time, while his face was frozen into a tense, awkward smile he hoped seemed polite. His guild was trying to torture him. This was bullcrap.
Somehow he managed to make it to the woodland city holding the ball without getting distracted by the forests. A pixie led him to an area where he could change out of his traveling clothes into his white suit, black shirt, and white tie. Rainer was having a hard time processing everything going on. He'd never seen so much nature, nor felt so much concentrated magic. The air was buzzing with it, so much that he felt a little dizzy and nauseated. There was no time to suffer, though, The road, if you could call it that, leading him here had taken longer than he thought and the ball was about to begin.
Once inside, his knee-jerk reaction was bitterness and anger. Everything was dripping in jewels, it seemed. The food was needlessly complex. Everything about it was just rich people stroking their egos, except they let nature in, since there were vines growing on everything. More notable was the lack of humans still. These elite, high-class business professionals were more fairy tale creatures! It was odd seeing elves and pixies in altered human suits and dresses. Was that a cat in a tux, lapping carbonated drink from a saucer? Rainer's red eyes narrowed as he tried to get his bearings in the topsy turvy world, but his plastered smile remained. His cheeks were starting to hurt.
He circled around the edge of the ballroom several times, idly snacking on things as servers passed by with them. A strange green drink also went by in tall, winding cups carved out of wood, and Rainer partook of that as well. Whatever it was made him feel suddenly at ease. He could tell it was some sort of alcohol by the buzz in his brain, and while he normally wasn't super fond of the stuff while he was focused, there was no denying that his agitation was less and it gave him confidence that he could maybe accomplish was he was here to do.
After the drink, Rainer started to mingle with the weird folk, becoming something of a novelty since he was one of very few humans in the room. Before he knew it, he'd already contacted the businessmen he was meant to make a contract with. With the help of liquid charm, he had little trouble speaking to the satyr, bear, and elf about the trading company and why they'd be the right choice to handle any trading and shipping business they had. In fact, he assured them that the West Fiore Trading Company was the only logical choice, and it seemed his ease and confidence won him the day. All three contracts were signed, and with that, his job was done. He wouldn't loiter, since it was made clear this was strictly business and he was not to slack off. With a smile and a bow, he left after staying just long enough so it didn't seem he came only for their signatures. The company probably wanted to get these contracts processed quickly, and though he was still buzzing from the strange drink, he still knew that any more time spent in this strange land was tempting fate. He was far too explosive to stay quiet for too long.
While he wouldn't openly admit that he learned anything, he had to admit he couldn't have imagined him being successful at the beginning of this mission. He felt he'd been set up. Destined to fail. Like it was all a ploy to get him out of the company and make it look like it was his fault. Instead he learned he was capable, no matter how narrowly, of being polite and controlling his temper when things were on the line, and that he could convince people to do things as long as he stayed calm. And maybe as long as he had a quick drink.
[1065]
It pissed him off that he couldn't throw up his middle fingers and tell this Adalinda Ortinbras where she could shove this ball and the contracts. Being trapped like this made it feel like he couldn't breathe, but as much as the spiky blond wanted to exercise his freedom, he didn't have the ability. Though he was crass and violent and thuggish, his heart longed for nothing more than his mom and sis to be healthy again. To stay alive. This felt like his last chance to make that happen. If he blew off this job and it cost him the only people dear to him, he'd never be able to get past it. It was a lot for the brash twenty year old to shoulder, but he'd been doing it this long. What was a few more days?
He spoke too soon. Upon arriving in Seven, he learned this would be far more challenging. If a fairy tale book could throw up on a country, this would be what it looked like. As soon as he crossed the border, a goat bid him welcome. He'd nearly blown the goat into stew meat chunks, but narrowly managed to keep control of himself. And that was only one step in! Several more revealed breathtaking views, but equally as alarming interactions with plants and animals that shouldn't be able to talk! His mind screamed a continuous expletive the entire time, while his face was frozen into a tense, awkward smile he hoped seemed polite. His guild was trying to torture him. This was bullcrap.
Somehow he managed to make it to the woodland city holding the ball without getting distracted by the forests. A pixie led him to an area where he could change out of his traveling clothes into his white suit, black shirt, and white tie. Rainer was having a hard time processing everything going on. He'd never seen so much nature, nor felt so much concentrated magic. The air was buzzing with it, so much that he felt a little dizzy and nauseated. There was no time to suffer, though, The road, if you could call it that, leading him here had taken longer than he thought and the ball was about to begin.
Once inside, his knee-jerk reaction was bitterness and anger. Everything was dripping in jewels, it seemed. The food was needlessly complex. Everything about it was just rich people stroking their egos, except they let nature in, since there were vines growing on everything. More notable was the lack of humans still. These elite, high-class business professionals were more fairy tale creatures! It was odd seeing elves and pixies in altered human suits and dresses. Was that a cat in a tux, lapping carbonated drink from a saucer? Rainer's red eyes narrowed as he tried to get his bearings in the topsy turvy world, but his plastered smile remained. His cheeks were starting to hurt.
He circled around the edge of the ballroom several times, idly snacking on things as servers passed by with them. A strange green drink also went by in tall, winding cups carved out of wood, and Rainer partook of that as well. Whatever it was made him feel suddenly at ease. He could tell it was some sort of alcohol by the buzz in his brain, and while he normally wasn't super fond of the stuff while he was focused, there was no denying that his agitation was less and it gave him confidence that he could maybe accomplish was he was here to do.
After the drink, Rainer started to mingle with the weird folk, becoming something of a novelty since he was one of very few humans in the room. Before he knew it, he'd already contacted the businessmen he was meant to make a contract with. With the help of liquid charm, he had little trouble speaking to the satyr, bear, and elf about the trading company and why they'd be the right choice to handle any trading and shipping business they had. In fact, he assured them that the West Fiore Trading Company was the only logical choice, and it seemed his ease and confidence won him the day. All three contracts were signed, and with that, his job was done. He wouldn't loiter, since it was made clear this was strictly business and he was not to slack off. With a smile and a bow, he left after staying just long enough so it didn't seem he came only for their signatures. The company probably wanted to get these contracts processed quickly, and though he was still buzzing from the strange drink, he still knew that any more time spent in this strange land was tempting fate. He was far too explosive to stay quiet for too long.
While he wouldn't openly admit that he learned anything, he had to admit he couldn't have imagined him being successful at the beginning of this mission. He felt he'd been set up. Destined to fail. Like it was all a ploy to get him out of the company and make it look like it was his fault. Instead he learned he was capable, no matter how narrowly, of being polite and controlling his temper when things were on the line, and that he could convince people to do things as long as he stayed calm. And maybe as long as he had a quick drink.
[1065]
