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| A Civilized Discussion [FIN]; [P] Lumi | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sun Jun 10, 2012 3:32 pm (307 Views) | |
| Nkiruka | Sun Jun 10, 2012 3:32 pm Post #1 |
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The letter Nkiruka had sent to Lumi Kirsikka was drafted with painstakingly neat penmanship that belied its rough terminology and curtness. Arms merchant, I will be in Striberg a week from the time I'm writing this letter. I need to talk to you. Make time for it. It's about Nakesh. Nkiruka Exactly a week from the date it marked, Nkiruka was approaching the front steps to the headquarters of Kirsikka Enterprises. Since the topic was army-related but her curiosities were off the record, she forewent a military dress uniform in favor of casual plainclothes: a dark red double-breasted jacket over a blouse, skirt and stockings. It didn't come as a surprise to the soldier that the headquarters of an arms dealership was a massive foundry. She stepped inside and was assaulted by waves of hot air rising from the forges, the noise of clanking metal and shouting, and the smells of fire and sweat. A bit lost at first, Nkiruka looked around for any signs of a front desk or lobby or something similarly businesslike. None of that was immediately visible, but she did spot a staircase nearby that she quickly ascended. The second "floor" was more like a balcony overlooking the forges, since the floor wasn't completely closed off. Nkiruka followed the hallway down until she reached an open door leading into an offshoot room. She peered in, saw the familiar young lady inside, and stepped so her body was in full view of the entrance. The soldier rapped her knuckles against the open door a couple times to get the CEO's attention, then slipped her hand back into her jacket pocket, waiting for a response. Nkiruka was out of her element in more ways than one; she carried herself with a sort of wary, rigid stance that made her look like military even in plainclothes. She halfway wondered if the white-haired girl would even remember or recognize her after a brief meeting over a year ago. |
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| Quinn | Fri Jun 22, 2012 5:18 pm Post #2 |
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Lumi glanced at the letter on her desk. Nkiruka Menai hadn't bothered to even use her name! It was a silly little attempt to dehumanize her some, she supposed. At least it wasn't one of those ridiculous bits of hatemail that managed to combine three different racial slurs in hopes it would insult her. The day arrived, and Lumi had dressed in her best. It was warm enough that she had decided on a short dress instead of something more practical for working near forges. A light scarf was draped around her neck, and a little silver ribbon had bound her hair into a ponytail. A few knocks brought her attention to the doorway and away from her papers. "Nkiruka Menai! A pleasure to meet you again. I hear you've been rising up the army ranks, especially after your personal squad captured a city!" Lumi cooed, leaving her desk with unnatural grace. She only barely seemed to touch the ground as she strode to the officer and shook her hand. "I'm Lumi Kirsikka. I'm quite sad that you forgot my name." Lumi continued, and walked back into her office, pulling a large, comfy chair from the corner and planting it at an angle so that the officer could look down into the forges. Lumi returned to her office seat. "Ah, Nakesh. The situation was quite infuriating! They stole a pair of weapons for two Istani generals. I'm sure you know of Khopesh? Ah, but yes, the Komari stole a fairly expensive set of weapons and I reclaimed them. It took several days, so I simply sold off the decoy weapons I had loaded my caravan with. They were buying, so who am I to take away their right to protect themselves?" Kirsikka explained. She smiled warmly. |
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| Nkiruka | Fri Jun 22, 2012 10:48 pm Post #3 |
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Nkiruka was put off by how friendly Lumi was acting in the face of a complete lack of friendliness, but she assumed by now that it was one of her most common psychological tactics. Put everyone at ease, make them trust you, and they'll do whatever you want. The soldier even heard rumors of a small personality cult centered around Lumi. Everything about the atmosphere put her off, since she didn't consider the possibility that the leader of an aggressively expansionist arms dealership could be genuinely nice to people. She entered the room hesitantly and took a seat at the cushioned chair that Lumi turned to a more hospitable direction. It gave a full view of the forges below. Nkiruka glanced down at the droves of people working hard before returning her gaze to the white-haired, light-skinned young woman. She slung something off her shoulder and unwrapped the cloth around it, revealing a polished longsword made with some of the finest craftsmanship she had ever seen. The emblem of Kirsikka Enterprises was etched beneath the crossguard. Nkiruka got up and handed the blade to Lumi. "I don't care if you were hauling them around as decoys like you claim, though I can't believe you would. This blade and countless others were turned against my men." She settled back into her chair, grumpily clasping her fingers on her lap. "As a big seller to the Army of Istan, you better have some more goddamn decency than I saw in Nakesh. You can be all smiles to me right now, but I see you as you are: some rich northern dog who eagerly throws away common morality just to turn a few extra crowns." The soldier shifted her weight as though uncomfortable in the cushioned chair. "General Khopesh told me you were the one who gave him the tip on Nakesh. That made it pretty clear to me. You go into that hole of a town, arm it to the teeth under the pretense of some search for stolen goods. Then you make the army run in and take over the whole place. Now you've got a surplus, which you buy back at a premium that you can turn around and sell to some other warmongers. Don't you have even a shred of conscience, Lumi Kirsikka?" |
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| Quinn | Sat Jun 23, 2012 4:02 am Post #4 |
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"I have not lied to you once. I was in Nakesh because my weapons were stolen. I would not have been there for more than a day or offloaded more than a tenth of my stock otherwise. Seeing that I was likely going to be stuck there, I decided to at least make a profit. I had no intention of destabilizing the city. You can call me immoral all you would like, girl, but if I had not sold the weapons, who would have? They would have armed themselves, and even if I hadn't reclaimed my stolen goods, the sultanate would have eventually turned their armies against them. If you want to lay blame for the one who put your men at reach of my weapons, look at your own line of command, girl. The Army of Istan is little more than the Sultan's expansionist beliefs made manifest." Lumi stated. She smiled warmly, taking the weapon in her hands. It had barely seen combat from what she could tell. "And what is immoral about me rebuying the weapons I sell? I make more money, and the weapons are removed from circulation in the area. Suddenly the citizenry is unarmed and the guards don't have to worry about granny hiding a khopesh in her skirts. The only immoral thing I did was likely reclaiming my weapons, as even I believe that a life is not worth my own profit. But if I had not delivered the weapons on time, would I continue getting lucrative deals with the sultanate? Hundreds could have gone unemployed in an instant. A tenth of them would have starved, if not more within my Taras foundries. I protect my own, Nkiruka Menai." Lumi stated, planting heavy emphasis on Nkiruka's last name. She sighed and stretched. "Would you like to get lunch, Nkiruka? I have no problems with treating you. Do not mistake my words for hostility, I am not the monster people dress me up as. They see someone who sells weapons and immediately assumes they are some terrible, terrible monster and simply want to see more death. That isn't at all my goal." Lumi explained. She stood and called down the hall. "Sagitari, I'm heading out to treat miss Menai to lunch. No one else is coming for today, so simply keep an eye on my office." Lumi ordered. She took Nkiruka around the shoulders and gently guided her out of the forges and onto the street. The citizens of Striberg waved and smiled at the arms dealer. "Do you have any request, Nkiruka Menai? I have no real need of money. It's worthless, really. What is gold even good for? It only looks pretty. Compare it to steel! Steel is a worthwhile currency. It can be used for just about anything! It's utility is what gives it value. Gold?" Lumi raised an expensive looking wristwatch. "Worthless. No utility. The value is assigned because a bunch of buffoons think appearance is worth more than utility!" Lumi ranted. It was unlike her, but she was honestly enjoying her time with Nkiruka Menai. Menai was the sort of person she would hire in a heartbeat. Lumi paused. "If you ever lose your position in the army, contact me. I don't like seeing talent go to waste." |
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| Nkiruka | Sat Jun 23, 2012 1:53 pm Post #5 |
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It was almost sickening how easily Lumi kept her cool, politely wiggling through any blunt accusation Nkiruka made. The soldier really wasn't cut out for this kind of thing, and it showed in her face; she looked frustrated with herself, maybe even on the verge of being flustered if her own pride didn't get in the way. She really had no evidence to back up anything. "Of course the Istani sultanate is an expansionist regime, no matter how doveish the current leader is. But without it, I can't do anything nearly as freely or effectively as when I'm in its ranks. It provides weapons, funding, housing, men to command..." she trailed off, realizing her own argument was just strengthening Lumi's. She huffed. The arms dealer then went into a rebuttal of her other major accusation, that selling those weapons in Nakesh and later taking them back was immoral. However, it was the line snapped at the end that struck the soldier like a blow to the gut. I protect my own, Nkiruka Menai. Extra emphasis on the last name. A look of horrified shock crossed over her features until she realized what she was doing, forcing them to harden back into something more austere. "You try really hard to make selling weapons sound like a good thing," Nkiruka grumbled, for now ignoring the major concerns floating around in her head. "Your employees must think you're a saint." After that, the Istani officer found herself urged out of the office, having not actually accepted or denied the request for lunch, but she followed alongside the company owner without complaint. She needed to talk to this woman more, figure out her game, and find out more about what important thing she seemed to know about -- something more important than the reason Nkiruka even came here for in the first place. Despite the clean, fast way that Lumi dispelled all her attempts to demonize her, the soldier still didn't trust her for a second. She was too nice, too clever, and had far too much power. It was simply impossible that she was a good person with all those traits combined. They crossed through the streets toward a nice restaurant where lots of rich Academy kids often went for lunch. Nkiruka had passed it several times during her few stays in the city but never had the gold to afford it. Might as well drain a little bit of Kirsikka's funds on something objectively good. She glanced sidelong at Lumi. "That's the second time you've tried to hire me. I wouldn't do well in your company. I think too much." She tapped the side of her head for emphasis while otherwise keeping her face unreadable. They were seated at one of the booths. Nkiruka unbuttoned her jacket and shrugged out of it, then took a seat across from the arms dealer. Abandoning manners she leaned forward over the table, crossing her elbows and forearms on it. Her black grafting tattoos were somewhat visible beneath the long sleeves of her white blouse. "If you're not in it for the money, then why do you do... anything that you do? Why do you even have a business in a lucrative industry like this, and one of the most powerful ones no less? I don't understand it." Edited by Nkiruka, Sat Jun 23, 2012 2:05 pm.
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| Quinn | Sat Jun 23, 2012 3:06 pm Post #6 |
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"I never said selling weapons was a good thing. It is neither good nor bad. If I sold books, you could still take a dictionary and bludgeon a man to death." Lumi replied. She gently went through the menu of the restaurant. The mercenary had an eye for expensive food. The arms merchant settled on a salad and then replied to Nkiruka. "I prize thinkers, Nkiruka. You see a conspiracy when there is none." Lumi explained. She glanced out the window at the streets of Striberg. Her eyes trailed to the tattoos on Nkiruka's arms, the ones she had spotted at the tournament. The woman was certainly chomai. "Money is valued by others. It can breach the walls and ceilings that tradition and birthright set in my way." Lumi stated. Their food arrive swiftly likely because the restaurant used magical ovens. A sweet, young foreign girl delivered the food with a wide smile. "The other reason is that I want to be the greatest. Arms dealers before me were so inefficient. They were complacent. None foresaw war, I did. This attack on Striberg was but the beginning. My merchants who I sent across the seas reported back that the rest of the world is in crisis. They had little magic, but squandered it and misused it. Their eyes have turned on us. A weak land without true war or true hardship." Lumi growled. Her eyes met Nkiruka's directly. "Taras was crushed by an unorganized rabble of demons! A few proper Istani divisions stemmed the tide. Everyone says it was the heroes of that battle, but they ignore that there were trained soldiers holding the lines. And where the professional soldiers were, the demons suffered tremendous casualties." Lumi said. "We need professional fighters, Nkiruka." |
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| Nkiruka | Sat Jun 23, 2012 3:37 pm Post #7 |
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Nkiruka stabbed her fork into a hunk of grilled salmon, turning over Lumi's words in her head. She took a bite and had to force her face to stay calm, or otherwise the excellent flavor would have given her an expression that would have been inappropriate in the middle of such a serious conversation. The soldier ate small bites while she listened as Lumi's words meandered towards the topic of Taras. There, too, she implied enough about the ordeal to call to mind the Shattered Regiment's Long March and thus another topic that was very closely associated with Nkiruka. Was she trying to tell her how much she knew about her? It was all very disorienting. "Professional fighters are everywhere," Nkiruka said after gulping down another wonderfully seasoned piece of fish. "Go to any major city and you can't turn a corner without tripping on another mercenary company. Armies themselves get recruits all the time, it's a more secure career than most." She took another bite, glancing out the window at the distant polar ocean. "I have a question for you. It isn't related to Nakesh, but I... got the impression you knew something about it." The soldier put her hands on the table and sat up straight. "You'll sell weapons to pretty much anyone, right? And you can anticipate war. Has anyone approached you recently about backing a new fighting force that's been gathering in the mountains over the past year or so? They might have sounded bitter about the sultanate, or were vague about taking on some kind of oppressive dictator or reclaiming their ancestral lands. Heard anything like that?" There was a hint of danger in her voice, although she didn't intend to give away her personal stake in the request through her tone. Edited by Nkiruka, Sat Jun 23, 2012 3:38 pm.
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| Quinn | Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:50 am Post #8 |
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Lumi glanced at Nkiruka as she made her comment. "You don't seem to understand me. When I say professional soldiers, I mean soldiers who can fight in rank and act as one. Only the Army of Istan has a large number of such soldiers. Cascadia has sailors, Taras has sailors, Striberg has mages, the most useless lot there is in a pitched battle. Balefire can go die for all I care, it assumes the power of its citizens can protect it. Now do you understand? There is a dearth of unflinching, unwavering fighters." Lumi stated. Nkiruka continued as the air spirit gently placed her fork beside her half-eaten salad. She leaned forward slightly as miss Menai inquired as to her dealings. Her initial guess had been correct. Thankfully, they were within a closed booth that allowed little sound to travel in or out. Lumi did not even need to ask to take this table, the restaurant knew. "I worked with Chaitaki Menai a few years ago, but not anymore. I used her little rebellion as a quick step-ladder for profits and then moved to more accepted work after. I obviously wouldn't deal with her now that I have Istani Army contracts. Even back then I didn't deliver her weapons with KE seals." Lumi explained. She smiled warmly and allowed her eyes to fall on Nkiruka's tattoos. "I knew you were chomai since the moment I met you. I made a point to not forget the style of tattoos unique to the witch-warriors of the chomai. Your last name matched up as well. Before you go and attempt to silence me, I have no reason to out your secret. I like you, Nkiruka Menai. I've offered you a job even though I know who you are." Lumi ease. She leaned back and stared out the window. "Besides, your mother is terrifying. She's not one I'd face alone. When we first met, she offered a little demonstration of her power by testing the edge on the weapons I'd delivered. I lost my cool exterior immediately, and couldn't drive for a good profit even though I was delivering weapons to the enemy of the state!" Lumi said. She daintily lifted Nkiruka's hand and clasped it. "But I'll help kill her if you ask. I want you working for me, Nkiruka Menai. I want a leading soldier, a leading trainer in fact, willing to help me carry out my final goal: A land where no one is forgotten, and everyone is treated justly and fairly." |
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| Nkiruka | Mon Jun 25, 2012 10:20 pm Post #9 |
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Nkiruka's face darkened at Lumi's quick assumption and mentioning of Chaitaki, and it didn't get much better once the arms dealer clarified their dealings happened back when the revitalized Rainfall Rebellion was just putting itself back together. The soldier stayed dead quiet, receiving an additional explanation that the arms merchant knew her past, her tattoos, what she was capable of. She allowed Lumi to touch her free hand, but kept staring into her, brain still churning with ideas as to why this could be happening. Slowly it was beginning to dawn on Nkiruka that maybe Lumi really wasn't trying to do anything with any of this information. Maybe there really wasn't any big plan or conspiracy. This kind of thinking would probably do her in, she thought, but at the very least she could try to bargain for another ally to back her efforts against her mother's insurgency. "I don't like how quickly you switch ideas. For one moment you're offering to help me, the next you're offering, once again, to buy me. Makes it sound like you'd only back me if I signed on with your crew." She leaned back, her hand sliding out of Lumi's. "I'm happy with where I am right now. The Army gives me the most options for doing the things I need to do -- the right things. I'm not the type to change allegiances just because the paycheck's better, or because you think you're part of some grand cause to bring world equality or whatever." She paused, looking down at her hands. Something she thought about often came up in the back of her mind. "There's a cost to being a 'professional fighter,' though. I have no other skills. Hell, I already barely fit your definition. I used to get yelled at for breaking rank. I'm not a team player." Why was she telling her this? Stop talking, she thought. "I always thought I'd live fast, probably not make it to thirty before I die in a blaze of glory, but now I'm starting to worry: what happens if I don't die? I get restless when I haven't fought. And I'm not patriotic or anything..." Nkiruka straightened her back, looking Lumi in the eyes again. "I'm going to insist you don't want me. I'm a disaster waiting to happen. Instead, I'd like your help while I can still help you. If you help me with Rainfall -- without me working for you -- I can get you a very lucrative personal contract with Brigadier General Nadiyah 'ela Korzul and a few other top people in the army." |
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| Quinn | Sat Jun 30, 2012 12:56 am Post #10 |
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"I don't need rank and file troopers, Nkiruka. The nations do. I need experts. You are the best at what you teach. I want talent! I can't just call a mercenary company and ask for each of their best soldiers, I have to recruit them myself. Please take my offer seriously. The opportunities for justice are more...free, and you won't be castigating free men and women. Only those who deserve it." Lumi persuaded. She smiled and leaned back, brushing a lock of ivory hair from her eyes. Nkiruka's request was not an unexpected one. The door to the booth opened, revealing a small waitress armed with a complimentary dessert. A pair of delicate glasses full of a variety of types of mousse tastefully arranged was placed at their table, and then the waitress disappeared. "I can help put down the Rainfall Rebellion. I don't need payment in favors. It isn't as worthwhile as convincing the army I sell excellent weapons by providing quality arms." Lumi stated. She delicately picked at her favorite bits of the dessert, the fruits and darker chocolates. "If I get my reputation through quick and easy backroom deals, I'll lose it just as quickly and just as easily. Trust is better than currency." |
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| Nkiruka | Sun Jul 1, 2012 4:04 pm Post #11 |
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Nkiruka dug her spoon into the glass of dessert without thinking, not breaking her eye contact with Lumi. The Istani officer was somehow reminded of the rumors and nicknames circulating around Kirsikka she'd heard before. Lumi's Lost Dogs, they called them. A team of miscellaneous, competent people that Lumi supposedly picked up when they were down on their luck. Is that what the girl was trying to do to her, now? Was she really someone that could be considered a "lost dog"? Now Nkiruka worried about what would happen if she really did get kicked out of the army. A bad employment record... damn, she hoped she wouldn't be desperate enough to turn up on this grinning girl's doorstep. "If trust is how you work, then we'll go with trust. I know I'll need you at some point in the operation. When the time comes, and if you don't disappoint or try something underhanded with me, maybe then I'll trust you. Until then, I just-- you're just... I can't even describe it. Too good to be an arms dealer." She turned her eyes down at the mousse to polish it off, then grabbed her coat and got up. Nkiruka offered Lumi a handshake. "I look forward to your continued attempts to prove my gut feeling wrong." |
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2:45 PM Jul 11

