Greetings, how might I help you today? (Closed)

[Anonymous]

“Thank you, come again.”

     Today was a surprisingly busy day in the magical artefacts shop known as ‘Immortal Artefacts’. Many customers had been in, both for magical artefacts and information, for the shop’s owner traded in both.

     Said owner was what appeared to be a twelve year old girl, with bright red eyes and long silver coloured hair. She would float around the shop dressed in a flowing white dress, her long silver braids clicking as the many charms banged together. This supposed girl’s name was Nastusia but she was more than just a mere girl.

     There were a great many things about her that were unusual; first she was a mage and one who could manipulate all of the elements. Second she could speak 47 different languages, most of which had long died out. The reason she could speak so many dead languages was because she was immortal. She remembered ‘the time before’, ‘old earth’ and many of their famous historical events. So how old exactly was she? Well let’s just say she could remember the expansion of the Roman Empire. Yes that Roman Empire; the one with the soldiers dressed in red carrying big shields and wearing funny hats. And that was certainly wasn’t the historical limit of her memory.

     Nastusia Manasa was quite well known around the Cancer, not for her immortality but for her wisdom and any information she could buy then relay to others…for a price.

     Nastusia had lived a very long time and it was nice for once to actually own a business and have some stability rather then constantly running from whoever hated
magic users at the time. And it was a legal business…well parts of it anyway,

     She floated across to the counter and seated herself behind it just as the bell rang signalling another customer had entered.

     “Greetings how might I help you today?”

[Anonymous]

Katya slid the door open, glancing around the room at the store's stock, lined up neatly on metal shelves. There were magical artifacts of all shapes and sizes here, most of which she couldn't identify at all. Presumably, the Mordecai and their imprints had some form of interest in these items, but Katya rarely bothered with magic.

"Greetings, how might I help you today?"

Today, she was visiting to have a word with the shop's owner. In addition to her normal trade, Nastusia had become a fairly successful information dealer in the last few months, and Kat was beginning to get annoyed. Presumably, there was quite a bit of Belova business being lost to this new figure. To make things worse, there were rumors that Nastusia was immortal, or at least blessed with uncanny longevity. Kat didn't like that last part one bit. When you're the head of a criminal empire, most of the tools you have for making people do things involve the threat of death.

"There are many ways you could be helping me, Nastusia," she said idly, still not making eye contact.

Katya didn't usually make personal visits to the competition. When she did, she usually took some other people along. But tonight she was working alone; the store was empty except for the two information dealers. She could only hope Nastusia would handle this professionally. When she reached the counter, Kat leaned forward, looked up at Nastusia, and placed her hands on its hard marble surface, fingers splayed out.

"I'll have the two Aedolis ship prototype schematics, the Ryoujin tip, Thanatos' fourth-quarter discretionary budget, and a copy of TRIM-587933401's subject file. Please."

[Anonymous]

Nastusia knew exactly who the woman was the moment she entered the shop but didn’t allow it to show on her face. She was Katya Belova a crime lord and a powerful presence on the Cancer. Nastusia had been wondering how long it would take to be noticed. Still a little thing such as possible death wasn’t going to bother her, not like she could be killed anyway.

     “Hmm…” Nastusia said, “Just give me a moment.”

     She hopped down from the stool (which was quiet high) and rummaged around under the desk.

     “Let’s see…” she thought as she looked through all the ship schematics she had.

       There were several, some for prototypes; some for ships whose crew were wanted and even plans for both the Cancer and Libra with all the little nooks and crannies shown which bandits and general non-law abiding citizens could use.

     Her friend of many, many years Keir, who like her was also long-lived, did not approve of her business, being that she was helping criminals but crime would always exist and she might as well have some fund with it.

     “Hmm…Cancer, Libra…Amadriegar, Mitternacht…Teigrin…ah here we!”

     She tucked the two Aedolis prototype schematics under her arm and then began searching for the TRIM specimen file. That was much easier to find for she didn’t have many of them, mostly because they were sold very quickly.

     The other two things she asked for were a problem.

     Nastusia climbed back onto her stool and rolled the schematics open on the counter.

     “Here they are, unfortunately I no information as yet on the Ryoujin but the Thanatos discretionary budget is will be in tomorrow.”

[Anonymous]

Katya immediately noticed the thick folder Nastusia produced from under the desk. It was interesting that she sold plans for the Seruna stations... apparently, Aedolis had received some form of classified information concerning the Libra, maybe a possible weakness. She hadn't even known about the Libra move until it happened.

Katya have to find one of those for herself. The Belova family made a policy of only selling Aedolis and Edanith schematics, if only to protect their own safety. Quickly, she swept the blueprints and the TRIM report off the table and rolled them up again.

"Don't bother with the Thanatos budget. I have that anyway. I just wanted to see your hand. You don't take Aedolis credit, do you?"

Almost mockingly, Katya gestured at the grafted port on her right hand. She had been born in Aedolis, and that's where her business had taken off. Surgical removal was an option, but it was somewhat of a memory trip for her to keep it there. She didn't wait for an answer from the shopkeeper.

"No? That's a damn shame, Nastusia."

Katya reached into one pocket and retrieved a handful of coins, setting them neatly on the table. She didn't usually go for dramatic gestures, but this was a first impression and it was important to leave a mark.

"This would be all I have on me. You prefer cash, right?"

[Anonymous]

Nastusia smiled, “Actually I don’t mind, I take currency from Aedolis, Edanith, Seruna, Teinar, even Lanaerian Denari. Always handy to have different ones in case my sources want paying in something particular.”

     Nastusia found it strange that Katya would keep the port on her hand, though maybe she felt it was nostalgic. Perhaps she could use it to scare Katya a little, not many people were keen on immortals.

     “It’s been a long time since I was Aedolis,” Nastusia said cheerfully, “When would the last time I was there be…hmm…Oh yes it would be about 82 years now. Time sure does fly.”

     She had certainly attracted some attention; silver hair wasn’t a particularly natural colour for a ‘twelve year old’. Maybe Katya wouldn’t be impressed by her little reference, but still no harm in trying.

     Nastusia then remembered that Katya said she already had the Thanatos budget, so it was true that her family was linked to TRIM. Oh well, Nastusia’s source for the organisation was a former employee and a computer hacker who was unmatched. Of course if she were to tell Katya that it would cause trouble for him.

     Her list of contacts was surprisingly motley, bandits, government officials, former TRIM scientists, even a Gospel and a TRIM specimen who had an uncanny ability for getting out of her cell.

[Anonymous]

"I'd rather not pay in credit. I'm sure you'll understand."

Katya reached in her pocket once more and removed a brick of paper bills, worth a small fortune in Edanith currency. Carefully, she counted them out onto the table. One thousand, two thousand, three thousand...

So the stories were true, then. Nastusia was immortal, or at the very least impervious to wounds and natural decrepitude. Katya was disappointed; it closed quite a few doors for her family. The two information dealers would have to coexist, for better or for worse. That was fine.

"Didn't know you bought from Edanith, too. I hope you'll agree this is a fair price," said Katya, placing the last of the paper money on the counter.

Or far too much, considering how much she's been whoring them out. At least she doesn't have the Ryoujin tip.

Kat glanced up abruptly, looking squarely at the shopkeeper. After a moment or two, she tapped her fingers against the counter and spoke again, this time impatient.

"Let's cut to the chase, Nastusia. How often do you sell to Aedolis?"

[Anonymous]

Nastusia smiled again, Katya seemed to be getting edgy so her little reference about her age had worked. And now she seemed impatient, oh well Nastusia would still maintain her calm demeanour. When you reached a certain age you got good at controlling your emotions and dealing with angry people.

     “Aedolis? Well normally I trade with various businesses there fairly regularly about two or three times a month. But if you mean the government itself well, maybe once or twice a year…Assuming I’m telling the truth.”

     And no, no she wasn’t, it was actually more than that, but would Katya press her to find if she were lying? One of Nastusia’s contacts was a Gospel so of course it was more.

[Anonymous]

"I won't make any assumptions, Nastusia."

Katya had heard the Warrior Nation was sending some of its finest men to take over Seruna's largest space station, Libra. There were weaknesses in the station's defenses, for sure. But you'd need a map at the very least to find them, and at some point you'd need an insider. What kind of Seruna dealer would be so idiotic as to betray the Libra to Aedolis?

Well, they'd probably be living it up right now. Nastusia didn't look terribly wealthy, but then again, she didn't look very old either. Katya glanced down at her fingertips for a moment before looking up at the shopkeeper again. Her voice now carried colder undertones.

"Were you the one who sold Libra out?"

Kat was serious now. Nastusia almost certainly had someone in the ship registry office, so it stood to reason she would know about any weaknesses in the station. Auctioning them off would be a low blow, and also a very unintelligent decision for a Seruna resident. But there was always the possibility.

[Anonymous]

[OOC Sorry its short my muse locked herself in the attic again o.O]

Nastusia found for the first time in a while she was mildly angry. Did Katya really think her so foolish to sell out a Seruna station? Especially when Nastusia lived in a Seruna station.

     However Nastusia kept her irritation from showing on her face.

     “No of course not. Why do you think the Libra Plans are still here?” she said, “Besides I’m not interested in helping people who intend on over throwing other nations. I deal with pirates and businessmen not warmongers.”

     True one of her contacts was a Gospel but she never sold the information they gave her to people who would use it take over somewhere else. Though she had lived a long time and had seen many wars, they happened regardless with any intervention from her.

     “I don’t even deal with TRIM because I know what they do to their ‘specimens’.”

[Anonymous]

(OOC: No problem; happens to me all the time.)

"Pirates and businessmen..."

This could work out perfectly if Katya played her cards right. For the most part, the Belova family sold almost exclusively to representatives from Aedolis and Edanith. She was completely content seeing the two nations fight it out, all moral qualms aside. In any case, it was unlikely that Nastusia would be so stupid as to sell out a Seruna station. She seemed to possess enough wisdom and worldly experience not to do something like that.

"Fair enough. In that case, there's no trouble between us. I could make all sorts of gestures, wave a gun around or whatever, mention how fragile your artifacts look. But why? We both have different contacts and different clientèle, so... we're in different markets. I'm a warmonger, and you're a peddler to thieves."

She smiled slightly, raising her hands in a gesture of peace. Nastusia was harmless, and a possible ally at that. What good would it do to antagonize her? Katya shrugged, then spoke again.

"Listen, if you ever get stuck with information you can't sell, feel free to sell it to me. I'll do the same for you, and everyone will be happy and eat cake. Between us, I think we can move pretty much anything. Deal?"

[Anonymous]

Like she had said, she didn’t generally deal with warmongers something Katya admitted to being herself…However there was little point in refusing; it would just make trouble for herself. After all humans made war anyway without any extra intervention by her. She didn’t like Katya’s description of her as a peddler but she guessed that was what she was, a more elegant title really didn’t describe it.

     “Very well, however I have one condition,” Nastusia said, “You never tell me what the information is going to be used for.”

     It was one thing helping Katya cause anarchy between the nations; it was another knowing exactly how she was going to do it. She rather be ignorant of that fact. Not a usual trait for an information dealer but just because she bought and sold information did mean she was nosy.

[Anonymous]

"Agreed. You'll never know."

Katya smiled and took one step away from the counter. Nastusia seemed to think of herself as more ethically-bound than Katya, which was insulting but not necessarily a bad thing. Ethics are a weakness, if cooperation was strength. Oh, right. The TRIM specimen file. She'd been meaning to tell the shopkeeper the bad news. Slowly, she removed it from the sheaf of papers she was holding and tossed it onto the table.

"This isn't a real specimen, Nastusia. This is bullshit. They've probably been feeding you fake files for years."

She would have felt bad about tracking Nastusia's sources down, but TRIM could easily do that job for her. They'd set up an intricate system of dummy servers with fake account names, fake specimens, and fake security software. They usually went after repeat intruders in the physical world. If Katya's contacts were to be believed, the real servers had yet to be cracked.

"Good day, miss. I'd advise you to look more carefully at your material before you sell it."

[Anonymous]

Nastusia had discovered the information she was obtaining from Zenobia was false but was what Dier sent her false as well? Possibly but he was known for being thorough so perhaps not and if anyone knew TRIM’s way it was him.
     She watched Katya go and the turned to the computer behind the till. The bleeping noise saying she had a message was annoying her.
     “From Dier?” Nastusia though aloud, he didn’t usually contact her this time of the month.
     She clicked ‘open’ and read the message.
     …Oh shit.

[OOC Yay, thread completed. She'll probably on the run now Muahahaha!
What the message said]