• Location • The Office of the Citizen's Committee

[Maltruism]

Vluharqih (guidance)

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Without looking up, Mr. Tagley welcomed 'Alexandra' back, offering her to take her 'prior seat'. He heard her queries and responded without hesitation, "If you can afford to wait...four...trials, you can accomplish both errands at the same time. Miss Givens always swings by the farmlands in the course of her circuits around our fair city."

By the time he'd finished, he was looking directly at her, chin cupped in a right hand still clutching a pencil, gauging her reaction. It did not take him long to come to his assessment and continue. "And yes, I know people. And the people I know at the farms will be looking for you to stay there, room and board provided, in exchange for your efforts in household chores, and helping them get the most out of your horse. They will want a farm trained animal, not just a rider."

He leaned back in his chair, slipping the pencil behind his ear. "But I can see this is not what you're looking for. Okay, I'm sure your horse has fundamental training. They would probably pay you...20 gold for that, maybe 25; adding another 20 or so for the wagon I'm sure you have as well. Understand, they're going to have to shell out another 40 or 50 of their own to get the animal properly trained for farm work. A deal like this needs to save them some money, or what's the point? They could just buy from the stables and have someone they can report if they are cheated."

In anticipation of an outburst, he raised his hands. "Don't be offended. You are new in town, and this could possibly be stolen gear. You haven't been here long enough to establish any kind of reputation...And I get the impression you are needing some money right away." His expression changed somewhat over the ensuing pause, becoming calculating and somewhat aggressive.

"Okay, I imagine you want to speak with Miss Givings about the job on the Bounty Board. And you don't want to wait four trials." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "Here's what I want you to do. Check in at the "Inn for Dinner". You'll have two trials of free stabling there. If the owner gives you room 14, it means I was able to arrange for you to receive a visitor in the morning who will escort you to Miss Givings. I want you to consider that I can probably get you 100 gold for your horse and wagon, by calling in a favor at the farm. But it means you will now owe me a favor instead. Take the night to think it over."

[Trisselyn]

13th of Ashan, 716

Is this freedom? Or is this another of Gavin's tricks? But, how much does it really matter? In the end, I'm still his puppet.

The thought was not one of melancholy, but rather an acceptance, a matter of fact that was as readily admitted as the colour of the sky or the season of the arc. For Trisselyn, her chains were not physical, the shackles that held her to Gavin more a resistance to an upheaval of the norm than the true desire to have the Lich in her presence. She was, upon his orders, meant to linger within the city of Etzos, to watch for anything that might strike her as unusual, as well as to hone her practice of Necromancy. Of course, the entire situation was unusual, given very little go off of aside from the express promise she had committed to. Did it matter, in the scheme of things, if Trisselyn obeyed her master? Yes, for he would find her if he ever found out. A resigned shrug moved the sorceress' shoulders as the thought sprung up, only to be expunged as a hand reached outward to caress the wooden surface of the door, pushing it open and making her way towards the waiting area.

The wait was no more than ten bits, the Necromancer's gaze hardly moving from the bracelet that she wore. Perhaps Gavin thought it was amusing, to assign her a conduit which took the shape of a slave's bracelet, but it was clearly not her place to question it. The conduit that Trisselyn held was precious to her beyond measure, the lasting reminder that the woman was, indeed, a Necromancer, for the inherent trouble of the discipline made its uses few and far between. However, it wasn't the actual use of Necromancy that fascinated Trisselyn so. When at last Trisselyn was able to enter the Housing office, she did so with grace.

Trisselyn did not seek to bear a smile upon her features, noting Kellen Mora's own neutral expression. Comfortable within the silence, when at last the Necromancer was addressed, her lips parted to speak.

"My name is Trisselyn Ismaeda, and yes, I am here to find a permanent home in Etzos. Are there any options to consider in the city, or am I to be assigned a home?"

[Maltruism]

TRISSELYN (Housing)

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Kelleen Mora exuded her usual air of mild annoyance over the appearance of another cause of more work, but her expression softened somewhat at the reasonably educated look of the woman who stood before her now. 'Perhaps I won't have to spell everything out for this one.' she thought hopefully as she gestured to an empty seat. 'She even stipulated "permanent" housing without needing a prompt.'

"Welcome to Etzos...Miss?...Ismaeda?" she paused a moment before explaining, "I wouldn't normally ask about your marital status, but I just want to be sure whether it is a single occupancy unit you seek. There or more of them in the three southern sections than in the northern ones. The prices are no different from zone to zone, but availability is occasionally an issue...So, no children then either?"

There was an unspoken "Good" in Miss Mora's demeanor as she smiled and pulled out a book of maps of the circular city. She pointed out the other features of the Outer Perimeter, giving a rundown of the pro and cons of each. "Now you may have heard that there are better units inside the city proper. This is true, but you have to have lived here for at least a full year..." she leaned in close, "...or have friends in The Tower, to get one of those. And they are more expensive as well, naturally."

She listed several in the zones her customer expressed interest in, mentioning also the stables, and prices, in case the woman had a mount. "The Black Guard are rather testy about having to clean up after those that own mounts but take no notice of what remains after they have gone their way. Of course, they usually have some prisoner working off a debt to tend to that unsavory detail."

Now she picked up a pencil and a cost form, "The costs for this season will be pro-rated to reflect your arrival on this date. Let's see..." she sat for a moment muttering and cross-referencing some figures before finally holding up a sum total. "Okay, out of Ashan's 123 trials, there remains 110. so we'd say approximately 10% has passed. That would reduce your charge by 4 gold nel, but we'll call it 5 for a total 35. You have no mount so there's no stabling fee."

Her jaw suddenly dropped as her eyes bugged and her face reddened noticeably. "Oh, Imp's Blood! You wanted permanent housing, didn't you! I'm so sorry, I get nothing but rentals trial in and trial out. Well that will, of course, be a much larger fee, but only the one time. The units are the same size, and come with the same furnishings. But at least they are always stone construction. That's going to run you 250 gold nel."

There was a pause as she waited to see if Miss Ismaeda was going to change her mind. But the woman seemed to have that price range in mind already. Miss Mora gained another measure of respect for the woman, figuring she had probably gotten the same information before even entering her office. Smart Girl! "So which zone would you like?"

[Trisselyn]

It was in moments like these that Trisselyn found the possibility of a giggle welling within her throat. The woman's adolescence had by no means encouraged her to laugh, but in the few moments, so far in between one another, the gesture came out rather generously. So, when Trisselyn let laugh escape her lips, it took a moment for her to compose herself. Fingers moved to comb through blonde tresses, beginning near her ear and combing through to the ends, Trisselyn letting the tresses fall back, naturally, into place as she looked to Kelleen Mora,

"Yes, I am unwed and without child, Ms. Mora. Fate has not given me the chance to birth a child, and it seems as though it never will."

With this admission, Trisselyn seemed utterly nonplussed, for the rigors of parenthood, not to mention that of pregnancy were trials that the Necromancer had no intention of facing. As Kelleen continued to rattle off prices and information about 'rented accommodations, Trisselyn let her lips purse in frustration. This was not the information she had come into the Office of the Citizen's Committee for, and she would have interrupted the woman if she had not decided to relinquish a few pieces of information that did hold the woman's interest. However little they did so. Moments later, it seemed that Mora had caught her own mistake, and the flush that materialized upon her expression was amusing in it of itself. Enough so, anyway, that it was worth the two bits that she had taken to rattle off.

"Is that so? How strange. One would think that after spending so long in travel, one would come to Etzos to stay! The city holds its charm and its citizen's committee obviously does an exemplary job."

The expression of bemusement upon Trisselyn's features would not be missed, though she did mean her words, to whatever extent of truth that they held. Though Kelleen seemed to give Trisselyn ample time to change her mind, there was no bait to be taken there. Trisselyn had spent arcs traveling with her Lich master, and now that she was afforded the opportunity to stay in one place, she'd seize the opportunity with both hands. A house, or rather, a permanent home, was the epitome of what she desired most.

"You said 250 gold nels, correct?" Upon asking, Trisselyn's fingers drummed along the surface of the table, her expression screwed up just slightly as she mumbled quietly to herself, the obvious signs of an individual doing a quick sequence of arithmetic in her head. Once she was done, her features turned to that of a genuine smile, the woman nodding twice as the information seemed to correspond with what she had gathered beforehand.

"Hm, I believe it'd be best if I could live somewhere near the Citadel. I suffer from a dreadful fear of the destitute and the distasteful, as you may understand. I would prefer, if possible, to live far from the rank of the commonwealth and near where I would most likely engage in a medical profession. Something that, of course, once I'm done here, I will pursue with your esteemed colleagues."

With that, Trisselyn waited, the fingers of her left hand drumming lightly along the surface of Kelleen Mora's desk.

[Maltruism]

TRISSELYN (Housing)

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Miss Mora was at first preparing to reiterate that housing for a new entry would only be available in the outer perimeter. The bigger, better, more expensive housing was all inside. But the woman before her had conducted herself with such dignity and courtesy that she withheld interrupting her.

She was glad in the long run, as this Miss Ismaeda made mention of medical training, and a similar search for employment. Kelleen sat back, her fingers steepled and tapping pursed lips for a moment. Then she held a single pointer finger up to indicate a coming wait, and moved to a cabinet further back in the corner. It took her several bits to find the charts she was looking for, but it was worth it.

"Yes! I knew it. This should do the trick nicely. And I happen to know they are looking for new interns." She returned to the desk and spread open a floor plan titled 'Citizen's Tower'. She lifted the finger again, but for a different reason this time. She pointed up and continued, "It's only a few levels above us right here. I'll need to go next door and check, but I'm certain the Prime Sanitarium is looking for new trainees. Furthermore, they have units right in the facility to house their staff. They are not roomy, I warn you. Really they're no bigger than the units outside the city. But they are definitely going to keep you away from the riff-raff in the streets. Just give me a moment."

She stepped out and closed the door softly behind her. it took a few bits, but she came back with a look of triumph on her face. "Okay, the only issue is what you do with your belongings right now. You are welcome to move into the Sanitarium unit as you take your internship test. But, of course, no offense, but in the event of your...uh...well...failure, you would then have to move back out, and come and see me again to get something less...um...elevated."

She handed across a document stamped by a "P. Mead", who Miss Mora identified as the employment counselor in the neighboring office. "Just take this two levels up and ask at the big "Incoming" desk for 'Lead Surgeon' Aderell. He'll be the one to arrange your test." She stood and extended her hand, "Good Luck, Miss Ismaeda."

[Jachiel]

It took the best part of a break for Jachiel to work his way through the city and untangle a route to the Office he'd been told about at the gate. He gave it a long wary look, checked that his right hand was tucked securely into his coat pocket, and took a deep breath. He squared his shoulders under the weight of his bag and plunged in, only to be met by three more doors. He scanned them, his mouth tightening, then turned right towards employment. A well groomed older gentleman greeted him with a smile and an outstretched hand. There was a brief fumble as he stretched out his right hand and Jachiel stretched out his left. Jachiel fixed that with his wearily familiar method of twisting his hand backwards. He grasped briefly, then let go and turned the indicated armless chair around so that he could straddle it backwards without banging his bad arm, catching weapon or bag, or taking his gaze off the older man. He eased open his coat so that the gladius was visible, then laid his left arm across the top of the chair back.

"Name's Jay," he said in terse response to the questions. As he had at the gate, he gave the short form of his name rather than the full one. He had little doubt the forms would be compared, and they'd better match when they did. "You got farms, I saw. Any of them need a workhand? I can dig and weed, handle oxen, that kind of thing. I'm not afraid of hard work."

[Maltruism]

JACHIEL (Employment)

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[img]/gallery/image ... age_id=229[/img]

Mr. Mead made an effort not to pause in response to shaking the reversed hand. His smile twitched just a bit at the exposed weapon, thinking there was a slightly deliberate quality to its display. His smile broadened. "Oh, a gladius! You're a man with good hands-on sense for weapons." His eyes remained locked with Jachiel's as he reached back and swept out a match for the one perched beneath Jachiel's coat. He placed it on the desk in front of him, but not in a fashion indicating that he wanted the other man to touch it.

"I have one as well. I am a bit out of practice though." He gave the lie to this statement by smacking the hilt to set the blade spinning. He then deftly slapped up on the handle as it spun over his edge of his desk, flipping it in the air, and snatching it by the handle to swing back into the sheath behind him. He smiled serenely and embarked upon his questionnaire.

When "Jay" indicated his desire to focus on farm work, Mr. Mead relaxed somewhat; finding this to fit with his impression that those that spent their lives rising at dawn and working the tails off all day tended to be rather gruff. "Yes, we certainly have farm work available; field, orchard or ranch, whichever you'd like. They'll probably expect a trainee run of 5 or 10 trials at the minimum of 1 nel a trial, but if you check out, I'm sure you'd make standard."

The councilor rose to retrieve a chart of current crop rotations among the city-run farms. "Now, this only applies to the city-run farms. You'll only get 'laborer' pay, but it's safe; the army has a host on maneuvers in the area pretty much all the time. But, if you want to run one of the open farms, there are a few available." He turned back and forth, cross-referencing some details, his look turning very serious.

"You know, of course, that we are in contention with the forces of Sirothelle. Some of these farms suffer from these hostilities; raiders coming in and setting fires, loss of crops, fencing repairs and such. But there's one that's a little further south, not so much in the corridor of battle. It's not a large farm, only half an acre, with a small cottage about the same size as the housing units we have in town; but at least it's made of stone. It's got the usual sundry items, rakes and hoes...ox-drawn wagon and such...let's see...currently in rotation for corn, peas, turnips and onions.

"Now I understand you have a fair stock of farming gear already. That's good. With that in mind I should say...It's gonna run you...oh...a little short of 300 nel, which is actually a very good price. We have loan programs if you are short, but you'll have to go next door and arrange that with my colleague, Mr. Tagley."

[Nauta F'mos Geey]

36 Ashan 716

With the information given by the guardsman from The Great Parhn Gate, F'mos found himself at the office without much trouble. Sure he met some difficulty when trying to get directions from a few people as he thought he might be lost but the arena was a good enough landmark as any even if it wasn't already in the center of the city. Whoever put the office by it really knew the sorts of people who might want to use it. A newcomer like himself, he thought.

And then the annoying task of navigating through all the bureaucracy began. Remembering what the guardsman had told him, the relevant bits anyway, the Aukari navigated his way through the door marked "Housing" and found it...unpleasant. He could tell the woman just wasn't any interested with his needs. By the Immortals, she wouldn't even spare a glance at her visitor! The nerve.

Even as he finally closed the door and took his seat F'mos could only think of the many ways he would have dealt with this obvious sign of disrespect but he was no longer a man who had any rank or authority to make anyone's life miserable. Anyone who was stupid enough to have rubbed him the wrong way back in Sirothelle the way this woman does now.

A pity... It would have been a great contribution by F'mos to the place he would call home for the foreseeable future if he was able to improve on its public servants...motivation towards their work.

A smile masking his true thoughts F'mos began to answer "well Miss Mora, I'm F'mos, hello," and in a forcedly excited manner explained "I'm not sure how long I'll be here so your helpful guardsman at the gates advised me to look into getting a proper house, even if its temporary, while I look into getting work."

***

And the housing? That costed money. Money which F'mos obviously did not have given his rather sudden departure from his home. Which was why he immediately stopped by the room right opposite him when he left the housing office. Another wait. This really wasn't something he enjoyed. His time was precious or at least the borrowed time afforded to him. How long has it been already? He just had to hope it was enough.

Because that was a gesture from this distinguished looking gentleman, just something F'mos had to had to acknowledge. It wouldn't do to have the next cycle or so be F'mos doing a job which was beneath him. He gave a smile and quick shake hoping that it will pass without any incident and took his seat. It felt a lot more uncomfortable now than it had been when he was in the other office.

"Ah yes, thank you Mr Mead. The name's F'mos. Been cooking since I was a kid actually and I'm hoping for a job that would put me in a kitchen. I'm not going to say that I'm not going to steal all your city's specialties but I'll at least serve as good a dish I can until I move on." That was probably the best performance F'mos was going to give today. He was even able to give a fist pump with that delivery.

F'mos watched as the man started to go through his notes while the Aukari spoke and then continued "of course if there isn't anything now, I could try doing whatever else work you might have? I'm going to need some cash at least to pay for the house, hopefully..." his tone dying off. No, F'mos wasn't resigned to the possibility that this enterprise of his would fail but perhaps in making good ol' Mead think that would get him something good.

[Maltruism]

Nauta F'Mos Geey (Housing)

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Kelleen Mora did not look up, being unconcerned whether this caused indignation or not. Her standard welcome of "I'll be with you in a moment" would just have to do. Finishing with the smoothing of the previous customer's contract irregularities was always the reason for these delays, and it irked her no end that it was this same sort of person that inevitably complained about the delays their own legal shortcuts caused. 'If these lazy bastards would dot their "i"s and cross their "t"s properly, we'd ALL be finished sooner.'

For just a tick, she feared she'd spoken aloud, but looking up and seeing the smile on her new charge's face, she could only assume she'd managed to keep it in. 'Maybe this one won't be so bad.' she thought, with a reciprocal smile of her own.

Of course, on to the first order of business, "So...'F'Mos', you say...Is that first or last name?" It was, of course, acceptable for some races to give only a single name, but this gentleman did not look to be that far removed from simply human. The red hair was a bit unsettling, being a classic sign of a hostile aukari. But his subsequent remarks about the guards at the gate dismissed this concern.

Once the name issue was settled, Miss Mora sat back, not really needing her charts or maps. "Well, a proper house, for one that has not been a citizen of Etzos for a year, is going to be in one of our units outside the city walls. 400 square feet, with a bed, a table, two chairs, a chest and a fireplace included. Rental cost is 40gold nel per season for a wooden structure and 60 for stone. A permanent residence is considerably more."

It may have only been her imagination, but the man before her seemed to sag just a bit at the mention of costs. It was her guess that he probably lacked the funds for even the wooden rental unit. "Um...Depending on what sort of vocation you are qualified for, there a number of inns that would give you a room for several nights for a fraction of this while you look for work. Or for that matter, you CAN live outside the walls in nothing more than a tent, provided you don't set it up in someone else' allotted spot."

Again, it may have only been her imagination, but he now seemed to perk back up. "Yes, you can buy a small tent...well, a very small tent for a mere 6 gold. Of course they have bigger ones as well. They cost more of course, but I'm pretty sure they sell them used for half that, though it will probably leak or have fatigue on the fittings or something. But you could set it up anywhere you wanted out there. Of course, if someone should come along and pay for that exact spot to place a permanent unit, you'd have to move."

Nauta F'Mos Geey (Employment)

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[img]/gallery/image ... age_id=229[/img]

Mr. Mead welcomed the new applicant to his office, shaking his hand and offering him a seat. "Well, sir, we are a melting pot of human cultures, so I doubt there is any legal claim on any of the specialties that may be served in the diners, taverns or inns here in town." he said with a chuckle.

But the chuckle faded as he leafed through a large stack of forms, and a book of references. "I'm afraid I am not finding any great demand for cooks right now, other than in the army." He looked up to if there might be a hopeful spark in the applicant's face in response. There was not. "Hmmm...okay. Not looking to join the army then. Fine, fine...Now of course, I have no way to test your skill here, so you can always go check out these businesses to see if you think you might be able to unseat one of the cooks there."

He took several bits to cross reference a large map with a stack of papers, transferring some information onto a second map. He then stood and handed F'Mos this crudely drawn copy of the city map, one of many he had on hand for this purpose, upon which he'd circled locations of various eateries, with or without additional services. Before retaking his seat he had one last comment.

"Now of course, there are also food vendors in the outer perimeter. Most are just like market booths, selling bread and fruits. But many of them have cooking nooks in their booths, or tents or what-have-you. You could always go to any of these as well, though they would be unlikely to pay you much." He paused as if recalling something.

"There is one, though...let's see..." he rifled quickly back through the stack a second time. "Yes...yes, here it is...'The Kettle Black'. I believe the couple that runs it is named 'Black'. It's really just a soup kitchen, but I've heard they have a surprisingly extensive array of gear to prepare all kinds of food. For the most part, it all just goes into the pot. But people rave about how good it is. AND if you donate, either by aiding in the hunt for meat or providing veggies or spices, you eat free. Usually for several days, depending on how much you contributed."

He went on. "And I know for a fact that there's a leather worker that comes by on a daily basis to buy the skins from the game animals that have gone into the pot. Got an apprentice a job there! Does the skinning himself too, right on the spot. Yes, the Blacks have established themselves quite a little niche in that northeast housing quarter. A very loyal little community that watches out for their own. If you've got nothing else to fall back on, I'm sure you could at least maintain your nel until something else comes up. Just check back here from time to time, and I'll let you know."

[Nauta F'mos Geey]

Considering the question for a moments, the man decided that "just F'mos will do" and after a pause to consider it a little more he added "its all that I know" hoping that it may satisfy any reservations the woman had towards him. Any more questions towards his name than that and 'F'mos' would have to get creative and he wouldn't like having to be creative. He was going to need a lot more time than this to consider the fine details of any story he may be expected to give the annoyingly curious.

It was that the price made him feel down, more like it would be a lot safer for someone like the Aukari to be in the stone house. Safer for himself and his stuff that is. Like he would care for any of the other people in Etzos. Again the man considered his options. 60 a season for the foreseeable future and...what's that? What exactly was she trying to tell him?

F'mos adjusted his seat to get closer. He didn't want to miss this, probably. Despite his earlier impressions of Mora she seemed quite helpful now, although she is probably being like that because of her work. If she was really trying to somehow subtly suggest...hmmm...really? "That sounds convenient" and it was not the fact that out of the blue there was a cheap option for him. It was more that he wouldn't know when he would have to get out of Etzos and from his trip here he knew that having some form of shelter he could take him would be quite useful.

"Yes, that seems good enough until I get everything sorted out. Thanks you've been quite helpful. I'll return once I'm ready and if you could tell me where to get one of these tents, I'll be on my way."

***

A melting pot of human cultures? That was a laugh from what he knew about the city and the lengths he had to go through his for his deception. If F'mos let it slip that he was one of those Aukari, a culture itself, he would find a less hospitable treatment. However he would keep that detail to himself.

And the detail that he used to be in the military. Sort of. Which is why "no, not the army. I'm..." which excuse would be appropriate now? "...not invested in Etzos enough for that." On the other hand unseating one of the other established cooks in the city would be a fun idea but not an idea F'mos considered to be smart. He didn't need the attention.

The suggestions seemed to get less promising until "a soup kitchen?" But if Mead was right about the entire deal then... "yes...that could work..." Deep in thought the wannabe chef missed the bits of the conversation which were irrelevant to him and nodded as the man before him droned on just like he would when 'concerned citizens' would give complaints to him. "So where are these Blacks located?" F'mos asked, his mind set.