The Governor, Again
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Governor Ambrese Hastwell rotates the pair of shiny metal spheres in his large, thick hand. As they strike and slip past one another, they emit a clacking noise. Clack. Clack. There is a certain cadence to the tempo of the grinding; a tempo that seems to convey a profound irritation. Of course, the effect is enhanced by the look on the Governor’s square face as he stares at you, lounging in the chair in front of him as if it was your mansion that the both of you were in and not his. “I had hoped never to see you again, Muhchacraken. Or your… cow. How did you even get it in here in the first place?”
“That is rather unkind of you, Governor. Did I not help you solve your problem with Zayan?” Scratching Lucy behind her ears, you take great pains not to look at the first chair that you were offered. It had been reduced to a pile of kindling when Lucy had tried to jump onto your lap like a cat would, blissfully ignorant of the fact that she was many times heavier than a typical cat.
“And in solving that problem, a larger one was created.” Ambrese Hastwell winces at the memory of it, clearly regretting his decision to accept your help during that incident. “Is that what this is about? Blackmail?” he grunts. To his credit, his irritation at your presence is unshaken by the fact that he was complicit in the kidnapping of a foreign dignitary and the murder of her guards. Should that little nugget of information make its way into the shark pool that is the diplomatic scene of this world, it might generate an uncomfortable wave or two for the governor. Taking that into consideration, you actually find his mask of annoyance rather impressive: from your previous experiences, any other lesser official would be grovelling in cold sweat by now.
“I have no idea what you mean, Governor,” you say. “This is just a friendly visit.”
Clack. The balls stop. Apparently they were a stress reliever of some sort, but it does not seem to be working for the governor at all. “Friendly? After the mess you made in Yuiria, drowning Duke Hargreave’s niece, I am inclined to say that you do not arrive without any trouble following behind, Muhchacraken.”
“It was an accident,” you shrug.
Ambrese barks out an acerbic laugh. “Yes, well, tell that to Hargreave, will you? Great expense was spent to resurrect her, expense that he was forced to pay to protect his dignity. I am quite sure he is going to take that expense out of your hide whenever he finds you. Wouldn’t want to be in your shoes when that happens. It would also be great if it didn't happen in my town, so don't stay for too long.”
“Ah, so she made it?”
“Barely,” sighs the governor. “No thanks to you.”
“That’s great news indeed!” you say with a smile. “Perhaps I should visit her soon.”
He stares at you, dumbfounded. “Are you perhaps insane, Muhchacraken?”
“I assure you, I am perfectly sane. Now, about why I am here…”
“Yes, yes,” he sighs. “You told me. You want some magnatite. Rejected.”
“But-“
“There is nothing you can offer me except more trouble,” says Ambrese flatly, firmly. “In fact, it would be in both our best interests if you would steer clear of Ontoglia from now on. I will not bar you from entering my town, but as a wanted man you should be more discrete about your activities.” He leans forward, his frowning face becoming craggier by the second. “You might be a powerful mage, Trider Muhchacraken, but do not overestimate your grasp.”
“What, are you going to sell me out to the Duke?” you grin.
“I do not want to, but I am considering it should you continue to try my patience further. Now, if there is nothing else you want to say…”
***
A. “As I have said, this is a friendly visit. The magnatite aside, I do want to find out what I can do for you… or your daughter.” The last time you were here, bringing up his daughter’s wellbeing was sufficient to sway him: he must love her very much. You would rather put him further in your debt by attempting to cure his daughter’s blindness. Magnatite given willingly is the best sort of magnatite.
B. “The Duke might not be so happy if he finds out you were involved in Zayan’s disappearance. Of course, he is probably not going to be the only one…” Two can play at that game. You did not want to use this trump card so early, but you decide to blackmail him into giving you more magnatite by leveraging the secret deal he made with you, a deal which resulted in a net loss for both factions of the royal tiff.
C. “Before you decide so hastily, take a look at this. Do you recognize her?” You draw your cloak back subtly to reveal Orange, who is happily bubbling underneath. Orange is an avid lover of all sorts of metals and minerals. That includes magnatite. You bluff about having an army of orange slimes that you will set loose in the Ontoglia mines if the governor does not give you what you want.
D. "Nothing more, governor. Have a good day." You give up on negotiations. Though you would have much preferred to come to a civilized deal between two men of merchantry, the stubborn old man leaves you with no choice. Having learnt a thing or two from Syke Nimfeet about casing out a joint and relieving containers of their burdens, you can just take what you want from the warehouses of Ontoglia.
E. "Yes, I suppose that is all I have to say, governor. Good day." You walk out the door politely. The moment you turn the corner, out of sight of the nearest guard, you cloak yourself with an Invisibility spell and begin searching for his daughter's room. You don't need the governor's permission to take his daughter. Besides, abducting and curing a pretty maiden of her blindness might be a dashing plot from one of Rin's romantic novels, so you'll show her how to pull this off in the real world for her future reference before she goes and does something similar: forewarned is forearmed.
:kwanzania: