Just Business

[Patrick]

Ymiden 62nd 717, Noon

Location: Tio's Tea House

This wasn't the sort of place that he would normally do business within but today, well let's just say that this was different thanks to the company that he'd requested. Further back in one of the stalls that were private Patrick had ordered for a hot pot of fresh tea, as well as water since alcohol seemed to be out of the question in this place. Besides he needed his mind sharp if he wanted to read into his guests that would be here soon.

Patrick had written to only one but he knew the relationship between the two of them, Theo and Zana were a team that had interesting dynamics if anything. They were close and had each other's backs more importantly, so it stood to reason that with the right kind of persuasion Patrick could convince them. Besides if given the right amount of interest, they'd find the proposal quite agreeable really. Especially if they understood the gravity of favors that was to come eventually.

Pat liked to look out for his own after all and when it came to partnerships, they weren't all exactly that different really. He intended to keep close tabs on those he relied on, to be sure, so that he'd be able to meet their needs in return for information. Yes. Just for information. Rumor and word were powerful weapons to harness, and Pat had learned this quickly when he worked at the Glass Rose in Ne'haer. There many people talked and believe it or not, their real faces would show beyond closed doors.

Patrick though intended to remain ambiguous, undetermined in regards to where he stood. Let people think what they would, he just cared about what he wanted above all. Right now that was information, in any form it may appear anyways. He watched the door closely as he expected for them to show up sometime soon, if Theo and Zana were as professional as they demonstrated back at the workplace, then they would surely show up sometime soon actually. It would be easy to determine Patrick as he always wore the simplistic outfit he liked, the white t-shirt cropped at the sleeves with the same beige colored pants.

He sat within his own booth with the tea kettle still steaming, and two empty tea cups left on the opposite side. Patiently he would bounce a leg subconsciously as he waited and watched, though he quickly grew eager to see if the two were going to even make it in to hear his offer.

[Zana]

The letter had arrived and, when Theo had handed it to her to read, Zana had done so. As she always did, and always had to, she carefully followed the words; she had a quick mind but she was not a quick reader.

"Well," she said with a wicked glance at Theo, "he's happening upon us at an interesting time. I'd say we're rich in business propositions, soon to be regulars and nel. And I need a holiday." She grinned at him and motioned to the parchment. "Or, as a minimum, someone to buy me a cup of tea." It had been a good idea, as it transpired, to start Zana back to work properly not at the Lap of Luxury but much closer to home. The neighbor who had spoken to Theo about how lucky Theo was turned out to have quite the insatiable appetite and a taste for blondes. Whereas, the young couple down the road had been having some difficulties in compatibility; he'd always dreamed of the attention of two women whereas she was happy with just one. Then there were their friends, and the much older man down the road who claimed he just wanted company and had turned out to be the most demanding, and energetic, of them all.

"So," she said, holding on to Theo's hand and leaning against him. "I think we're agreed that I'm definitely good to go back to work full time." At one point, a few trials in to their venture into gathering business from the neighbours, Theo had heard Billie, Brandi and Zana giggling together and when he asked he had been informed that he was fussing around Zana like a mother hen. Zana appreciated it, he knew, but she still played along with the odd, strange, "cluuuuuuuck, cluck, cluck" noise. For her, returning to work had been fine. However, to say that it had been without concern for Zana would be a lie and she had needed to spend time with Theo, talking through concerns and fears which had surfaced. She was still a little twitchy and they'd been slow in introducing new people, giving her time to get used to the local clients one at a time. She was very clear that his protective nature was very welcome, but equally it was good for Brandi and Billie to have a unifying thing to giggle about.

Because as much as returning to work and finding that they lived in an area with such an enthusiastic client base was tiring, Brandi and Billie between them were exhausting. In entirely different ways, but both of them just.. were. At one point, after a particularly difficult night with Billie which had needed both of them to be there to calm her down and then a morning where she could have happily strangled Brandi, Zana had snapped and yelled at them all. She suggested that she and Theo were the only two adults in the house and she frankly wasn't sure about him. She promised them that, as soon as she was able to, she was going to send them all to their rooms and they should just think about their behavior, then flounced off.

Four people, three rooms. At least two of the people were very damaged in their own ways and the other two? Well, the other two made their way to Tio's Tea House the next trial.

Zana had decided to wear a nice dress which came to just over her knee and her high black boots. Her hair was loose and her make up minimal. She looked angelic and demonic all at once and whilst many women might ask how they looked, Zana simply grinned and slipped her arm around his waist as they walked. "He's right you know," she said, as they approached the Tea House. "You are a lucky man. But then, this seems to be working well for us both." Zana glanced and smiled. "I mean it. You're good at this. I wasn't sure I would make it back to work at all. I don't know that I would have without you. Thank you."

However, there the place was and there was Patrick. Zana kept herself close to Theo physically, but her gaze traveled over Patrick's form with interest and undisguised appreciation. Her lips parted slightly and she bit the lower one as she appraised him. "Well, you look scrummy, good trial." Zana said with a smile as she slid into her chair. "Whatever are we drinking?"

[Theo Nji'Ryn]

The letter had in fact come at an interesting time. Going into business for themselves was a risk, and not just a financial one. The logistics involved in the management of business, proved to be complicated and littered with risks and pitfalls, all before the actual business had been set up.

Those risks weren't just financial ones either. If Zana wasn't taking customers at the Lap of Luxury, or Billie either, Theo still reported to work on the trials he was scheduled, and was full of well woven excuses that Peter was growing weary of. It didn't mean though that they weren't bringing in any nels. It was Zana who'd suggested a way in which they might begin to build a clientele list before the doors of a proper establishment had been opened. For that matter, before he'd even purchased the building itself.

And turned out, that suggestion had turned into a wildly successful venture. Except that she was exhausted, oft times it left him to act as care taker and sometimes referee, between her, him, and both Billie and Brandi. It was the last two, who much to Theo's surprise were getting on thick as thieves and as often as not, teamed up in a way that made Theo yearn for a much quicker transition into a larger house. He didn't complain much however. It meant that even if she wasn't ready to work and perhaps she never would be, Billie was improving. Not by leaps and bounds, there were still times he needed to cradle her close during one of her nightmares. But it was progress.

"I think you're right," he told Zana and grinned a little as they headed out for Tio's, "And as an added benefit, I seem to have become wildly popular with most of our neighbors." And why not? He was, according to their nearest and happiest neighbor, the luckiest man alive and was willing to facilitate the spreading of joy and rapture. He wasn't quite sure how some of the wives felt about it. But he hadn't received any scathing letters yet, baleful glares and there'd been no severed horse heads left on his doorstep.

As for the man they were going to meet? Patrick was an interesting individual, who Theo suspected was much more complicated than his apparent means of employment suggested. The letter suggested that it could be to the benefit of them all, should they meet, and so Theo had easily agreed. A successful business required contacts and relationships. The nature of the business he and Zana were attempting to set up, could require more of them, and some perhaps out of the norm. Therefore he was intrigued and easily convinced to come along.

"There he is," he said to Zana when they walked in, and with a hand placed at the small of her back he accompanied her to the table where Patrick was waiting. "I trust we haven't kept you waiting?" he said as he pulled a chair out for Zana to sit down, and then he joined her.

[Patrick]

Patrick's face seemed to brighten up a little when he noticed the two had finally arrived, a hearty smirk shot their way as the duo walked on over to greet him once they entered. "Nah, I practically got 'ere just a while ago. Ye both got here in time, and dressed sharply doin' so no less." He complimented more or less out of amusement, Patrick did after all liked seeing Zana strapped to Theo so well after all. They were both a team everywhere they were, so it didn't come as a surprise to see him as the acting escort.

"Good trial t' you as well Zana, I'll take lookin' scrummy as a sign o' good faith any day." He enthused as he gestured to the booth, more or less to insist them to have a seat now that they'd finally arrived. "Blueberry tea. Freshly brewed and left in the pot for ya, a mutual friend mentioned y' happened to like this particular flavor." Patrick murmured as he took a sip of his water, a friendly smile shared among the two while they settled into their seats. "Figured some tea would serve proper, since I had somethin' I wanted t' ask the two o' ya."

He leaned onto his arms against the table with a bit of a serious look, a quick glance cast to the room to determine the privacy of the conversation. "It's actually a bit of a favor in part of a proposition, one I'm sure can mutually benefit all three o' us. That is if y' feel up t' the task." Pat's voice had lowered down well enough so that they would be the only ones to hear, he was after all choosing his 'friends' carefully when it came to this particular task. "See I got's myself a huge undertakin' of a sort, a business I'm slowly puttin' together that needs to remain under the table. It's a nice sort o' business really, just requires the right type o' people I can trust and count on."

He leaned back a bit with another sip of water taken, his eyes darted between Zana and Theo curiously. It had been easy to keep it hidden this time, thanks to a particular client, but still Pat felt himself hunger for the two in obvious ways. Hopefully they weren't too keen to read into it like he feared, thus he did his best to remain distracted by the business they had to conclude.

[Zana]

Zana appreciated Theo, in a lot of different meanings of the word and in a lot of different ways. One of the things that she truly found to be worthy of note about him was that he didn't treat her like a whore. They seemed to share, in fact, an understanding of just what being a whore was and, to Zana, it was nothing to be ashamed of. Like any well trained craftswoman, Zana knew her own worth. She had skills, knowledge and expertise and people paid a premium for them.

Thankfully, she not only had a talent, but she loved her job.

Small details, like his hand on her back because he knew that she appreciated and needed physical contact and how he pulled the chair out for her. Those were the kind of things which she appreciated about Theo.

Patrick, however, was more of an unknown.

Good looking, well put together and positively intriguing, but unknown. He was hungry for her, Zana knew, but it was more than that, he was hungry for them. He prompted a reaction in Delroth's daughter which was rare. She was used to being wanted, she was used to wanting. But Patrick intrigued her. When he commented on their clothing, she smiled at him and allowed her gaze to wander over his torso. "I assure you, looking scrummy is a good thing. Good enough to nibble on."

Had she but the first idea who, or what she was talking to, Zana would not ever consider using such words. But she did not. She gave a grin of delight at the blueberry tea, though. "You remembered. And here I was, thinking that you had not spared me a second thought.I'm," she paused, not even for a trill, "touched."

Then he started to speak about business, though, and Zana listened but did not offer anything in terms of an answer. She and Theo were working together well and it was becoming, very quickly, a very lucrative partnership. However, it worked because they knew their roles. So, Zana lifted her tea and glanced at Theo.

With an entirely innocent expression, complete with wide eyes, she pointed out the obvious. "Theo is the one with the head for business." Her smile encompassed them both and she gave a slight sigh of pleasure. "I'm the provider of pleasure, him the purveyor." As she lowered the cup back down after sipping the contents she added. "Nice tea. Pleasant tasting. Tart."

Then, she let them talk.

[Theo Nji'Ryn]

"I consider myself to be the best dressed man in Rharne. And the luckiest," Theo shot back with a rare grin as he sat down beside Zana. He was referring to her of course. What man wouldn't be envied with a woman like her draped on his arm? "Oh, goodie," he added with a little too bright inflection in his voice, in response to what was contained in the pot, mimicking a phrase heard now and then among the girls at the lap. "Tea. With blueberries." Too bad there wasn't a shot of something stronger in there, he considered. But then all Tio's did was tea, or so he'd heard. Not even a bite of something sweet to go with it. But it was also a respectable place of good reputation. All the better to quietly conduct business, no matter it's nature.

Then again, he wasn't entirely sure what sort of business Patrick had in mind. His letter hadn't offered much clarity in that regard. But the tone was enough to spark his interest anyway. On the other hand, the way Patrick studied him, not just Zana but them both, admittedly put Theo a little off his mark. He was accustomed to envy being directed his way, related to the women he managed. He was accustomed to the girls themselves being the focus of impassioned glances and stares. But him? Not so much. In response, he felt both flattered, curious, and on the other hand, unnerved by the intense scrutiny. Like a sweetmeat displayed on a banquet platter. Not that he did much to let on.

Him? The purveyor of pleasure? Theo smiled a little and to partly conceal a flash of amusement, though his part biqaj eyes would give him away, took a swallow of his tea. That was him, a pleasure broker. "Zana's being humble. When it comes to conducting business, she's got a good head on her shoulders." So what was it exactly that Patrick was suggesting? A nice sort of business, but one that needed to remain under the table. In this case, considering the mention of secrecy and the nature of this little get together, Theo assumed that nice wasn't a term used to describe a nice little florist's shop on the corner. Probably, lucrative, was the most likely interpretation.

Theo leaned back in his chair, wearing a curious expression and sipped his tea. He resolved never to develop a taste for that. There were a limited number of things that tended to be conducted under the table, and were lucrative at once. "It's good to have friends. In yours?" he said, then glancing at Zana, Theo added, "and in ours. I'm not sure you're aware, as of just recently, Zana and I are no longer employed at our usual haunt," he said quietly. "As soon as all the details are worked out, very soon, we'll be opening an establishment of our own. Not far from here in fact." One, Theo resolved, that would make the Lap of Luxury look like a poor reflection in the process. "It'sd always a good idea in business to have friends you can trust, and who have similar interests? What exactly do you have in mind?" he asked quietly.

[Patrick]

Patrick found little harm in laughing at the remark Zana made when she learned of the tea, clearly it had came as a minor surprise that he'd actually paid attention. In truth the smaller details such as that were important in any sort of partnership, especially when it came to the lucrative sort of business he was about to extend for them.

Come to find out however the both of them seemed on the verge of their own brave venture, moving to own their own business was a indeed a bold move on anyone's behalf. "I see." He commented with a smirk as he more or less watched Theo curiously, intrigued to see just how enthusiastic the man proved to be about this new business of his. Clearly he had the right head for the sort of thing, as well as Zana since she too seemed included in on it. Therefore it stood to reason that this was actually, if not ironically, the perfect time to bring up the side project that Patrick had been working on.

"Congrats t' both o' you then, definitely an impressive step t' make." He silently applaud the two a couple of times, a hearty chuckle spared afterwards as he leaned forward once more. "See that's exactly why I thought t' ask ya both about this opportunity I have, somethin' that I've been workin' on slowly as the season has passed on by." Patrick tented his fingers together as he spoke further on the subject. "I've been busy makin' friends and contacts with people here in Rharne, hopin' that they'll help me further expand on this before too long."

He looked to Zana then when he continued. "What I need is people t' work as informatives, helpin' keep ears t' the ground and sky fer me. Before ya go askin' though, it isn't just an easy favor I'm askin'. I'm actually offerin' a partnership here, one that can benefit all three o' us so long as we play our cards right; and get the big score on the juicy leads." Patrick couldn't help but seem enthused about this, eager in fact, when he went to the whole detail of patnership. "See in our partnership, we'd basically help each other out. Simply feed me info on anything good revolvin' around town, whether its rumor or speculation, there has t' be some capacity o' truth in it somewhere. Do that and I'll be sure y' both get rewarded just as well, fer any good tips or rumors that prove useful to me. If ya need help with coin then I can do that, or eventually if there's somethin' the both of ya need t' find out, then I can pool my resources together and see what I can dig up."

He looked between the two with a grin as he awaited to hear their receptive pitch, he did of course keep much vague in terms of what this network was for. Quite honestly he hadn't personally figured that out for himself yet either, right now however he just wanted to get his hands dirty. Be able to hear the latest word from down in Dust Town, all the way up to the latest gossip among priests within the cathedral. With that sort of power and influence... well he certainly wouldn't be easy to fool now.

[Zana]

Best dressed man and the luckiest? Zana let out a gentle snort of amusement and glanced at Theo from beneath her lashes. "I believe that it's not what you wear, more how you wear it that separates out those who follow fashion and those who set it." Her expression was amused as she added, "and as for luck, well, yes you are."

She gave a deep chuckle though at Theo's exclamation over the tea. Grinning at Patrick she shook her head, "I apologise. Personally I love blueberry tea. It's like chess," she added, wrapping her leg around Theo's under the table, sure that he would remember the conversation about chess. "Under rated."

As the conversation turned to business, Zana sipped her tea and did what she considered to be the most important skill for any prostitute. She listened and she observed. Patrick put forward the details that Theo asked for and Zana raised an eyebrow. When he had finished, Zana sipped her tea and carefully replaced her cup.

She tapped her fingers against the table a few times and then looked up. Her ice-blue eyes looked at Patrick with a calm and detached gaze. "That sounds awfully like, we have a business which lends itself to the collecting of information, so we dedicate time, resources, our skills into gathering it. The risk is ours." Tapping her fingers against the cup, she listened to the delicate ringing tone.

"Then, we pass on this information to you who, if it's any use, will use it for a larger profit and pass some of this on to us?" Zana frowned and then rested her chin on her hand. "It seems like we do all the work, and you get the information and the profit."

Leaning forward, ever so slightly, she watched Patrick's reaction. Careful, so very careful with her words.

"It would be easy to assume that Theo and I have a similar relationship. I use my skills, my training and talent and they pay him. If that was the case, however, I wouldn't be fool enough to be with him." Wetting her lips slightly, Zana continued to observe. "I could list the many and varied ways that Theo and I enjoy a mutually beneficial partnership in which both our skill sets accentuate and enhance each others. But, forgive me if I'm missing something. In this scenario, Patrick... what do you actually do?" Zana wondered and added, with a slight smile and a look in her eyes which told that Theo was absolutely right when he said she had a good head on her shoulders and also illustrated that she would not be falling for any charm when it came to business, "that we can't just do ourselves, that is? What, fundamentally, do you bring that we don't already have and why is it useful to us?"

Pushing over the cup to him she gave a sweet, gentle and utterly emotionless smile. "You'll want to add some honey to that, dear heart. Sweeten the deal."

[Theo Nji'Ryn]

"And to you, it appears," Theo said lift of his cup, a toasting gesture when Patrick congratulated both himself and Zana on their new venture. Naturally though he was curious to hear more of what the other man had in mind. It appeared as if, as opposed to the marketing of flesh and entertainment, Patrick was more interested in the getting and passing along of information. That too could be a lucrative venture. However, words were important and as much or more could be learned from the choice of words, than the things themselves. Informatives. Eyes and ears to report to him. Rewarded. Partnership? Theo merely frowned thoughtfully, just hearing Patrick out.

The offer of coin raised a brow, though he said nothing at first. Theo was content to let Zana have her say. They were partners, after all. And once she'd had her say? Theo couldn't help but grin just a little. "As I told you. A head on her shoulders that one would be foolish to underestimate." However, she'd made good points. Some of which he'd already considered. His grin dissolved then and he leaned forward and spoke quietly, resting his forearms on the table. "When people see us together and recognize us, they often assume that it's me with all the authority. It may appear that way, often by design. But Zana doesn't work for me. She has her role and I have mine, but we are partners. Equals, if you will."

In response to the offer of help with funding, Theo smiled but shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, genuinely. I'll be beholden to the lender until such a time as the debt is repaid." Which would be very quickly, he thought. They were well on their way to repaying the loan before it was even applied for. "But you and I come from the same place," he added, referring to the Dust Quarter. "I'm sure you'll understand when I tell you I prefer not to make myself beholden to others when it can be avoided." That sort of thing after all implied an imbalance of power, and an indebtedness that wasn't as simply defined as monies owed.

"Zana's right," he added as he leaned back in his chair again and considered it all. "Forgive me, but what you've put forward makes me wonder if you are interested hiring, or contracting informants who will provide the service you require in exchange a salary based on the value of the information received, rather than a genuine partnership," Theo suggested. After all, men and women whispered their deepest and darkest secrets in whore houses all the time. Knights, ordinary men, even clerics of one faith or another. The question here was whether or not they cared to pass that information alone, and what it was worth to someone else.

Then there was the question of risk. And whether or not the reward was worth taking it. "The Lady Libertine is to be a place of very good reputation," Theo considered. If not also a house of ill repute. "Our clients will be among the most wealthy, powerful and respected individuals in the city. In return for the patronage, they will expect a level of discretion above and beyond the norm. It must, in their eyes, be beyond approach. They'll come to socialize, and mostly they'll come for the women," he admitted with a smile. "But as it's proprietor, I will be the face of the Lady. They must see a man whose conduct is above reproach, and whose hands are also clean."

Did that mean that those powerful men, and perhaps women, were fools and couldn't guess that there might be more beneath the surface? Theo knew better than that. They all did. But the women were enough to bring them anyway, and passion and drunkenness were powerful motivators when it came to spilling one's secrets. "Our establishment will have a very public face, and with that comes a reputation to uphold."

Whether or not that public face was in some ways a facade created to conceal other things, made no difference. If it turned out badly, it would be the entity with the name, a face and a reputation that would fall first, if not alone, and probably hardest of all. Zana was right. Patrick's proposal was interesting, but needed some polish and a good deal of sweetening up.

[Patrick]

Patrick's eyebrows only slightly furrowed in response to the comparison Zana had made with her tea, the implication found in chess being 'under rated' a bit lost on him at the moment. While he could certainly read into it with his own interpretation, he found it best to avoid assumption altogether since he had something more important to discuss. Arguably Zana seemed to show quite the controversy with his proposition, giving him a bit more of a challenge in regards to the presentation at hand.

Thus Theo had been right, and therefore Patrick could only agree. Zana did have a good head with business, one could say her mind was sharp as a tack even. And when it seemed Theo had his own two sense to add into the discussion, Patrick himself could only somewhat frown with the increase in difficulty. This clearly wasn't the best way to pitch his profitable plan, not when it came to a power couple already with a sense for business anyways. "Aye that makes sense." He agreed to the two as he continued to listen further, with the implication that Theo's business; though any sort of public business had their own reputation to uphold.

Yes this had indeed become quite the conundrum, but if Patrick chose his words carefully then... maybe. Just maybe he could coax them, he would have to make sure the opportunity seemed better than how he initially approached. "I can guarantee ya that that there's more than just profit fer ya, quite honestly there's a variety of 'profit' in this work." He implied with a soft grin as he looked between the two. "My intention is t' establish a network of contacts, people that I can count on fer information. Ya don't have t' go around doin' anythin dangerous, just keep me in the loop if ya hear anythin'."

"As far as profits go; the information itself is all I'm after, and I'll pay ya well by any means necessary. Coin, influence, or even information you might be after. Best part is; ye both will have me as a personal contact, which means any time ya need somethin' ya can just ask. I might not have enough influence at the moment t' do much, but give me until the end of Ymiden and I might have somethin' I can work with." Patrick suggested with a smirk as he then looked to Zana.

"I dunno how else t' really 'sweeten the deal' fer ya love, but if ya think about it well enough; ya might find that ya like havin' me in yer pocket. I've got ways o' workin' things out, and personally I like t' make sure my partners involved are happy. And," He then looked to Theo next, "in regards t' clientele discretion mate, there's a respectable boundary involved in that we can establish. I'm more curious as to where ya both might stand with that boundary, and how much ya both might be inclined t' lend a pal a hand." Patrick added with a soft chuckle afterwards, already a little nervous about what they might say.