...Between Old Friends

Re: ...Between Old Friends

Postby Suede » Wed Feb 13, 2013 10:06 pm

"A good magician never reveals his secrets, Glenn. Berdini could tell
you that much. Perhaps I simply don't know what makes me special, or
maybe I'm self-taught?" He ran a finger over one eyebrow and watched
the governor from between his fingers. "Why would I want to give you
that sort of knowledge anyways?" Not only the personal sort, but
Suede didn't greatly approve of the idea of people being able to mimic
what few unique talents he had. "Things are going to get busy for
you, so be very careful what you try with me and mine, or I'll make
them even worse." Just as he so recently had.

"I really have no reason to go to war with you, we don't need to start
another just now. I've even avoided making anything for Rhaena
despite her looking for me recently for clothes. For your peace of
mind, of course. You're a busy man." And really, he'd hate to
destroy the jobs Glenn had worked so hard to bring into being.

"It's a prettier hell now, if nothing else. Maybe that's part of the
reason I haven't caused too many problems lately. Order makes what I
do easier sometimes, so I've kept things low key while I've been
handling other business..." He paused a breath. "You're welcome, by
the way." As for Catch, he listened and debated how much he really
cared about the whole situation, finally settling on a helpless shrug.
"Why not give him some of that chocolate?"
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Re: ...Between Old Friends

Postby Glenn » Thu Feb 14, 2013 2:19 am

"So much hostility, Suede." Burnie's hands raised, peaceably. This was a friendly gathering. There was no reason to go to such extremes. "You would want to talk about your past because we're friends. There's plenty of ways to do it, you know. A game of questions. You could ask one, then I'd ask one, on the idea that we both would either be honest or at least interesting in our lies. A man needs a hobby. Making maps. Tailoring suits. Running Myrken. Poisoning people. All of our hobbies are occupations."

A little sigh, perhaps just a tad overdramatic. "There are so few people who even begin to understand, Suede. You're one of them. The last thing I want is animosity between us. You, better than most, understand that occasionally I have to take steps in certain directions for the well-being of Myrken. It's not personal." The truth of the matter was that some of what Roschen did actually made the obtaining of order easier. The breaking of certain chains were advantageous to putting things back together how one wanted. Moreover, so long as one was reasonable and open-minded, illicit channels could be used for the most wonderful purposes, to support and bolster society as whole.

"There's no reason why your other business can't be for mutual good, you know." But he'd not go too far in that direction. Roschen's motivations were too suspect. Was it boredom? Maybe, but it was the sort of a child that wanted to pull the wings off bugs, mixed with something more positive, something Jirai lacked. It was a dangerous combination though. "As for the chocolate, it was Catch who came to me with concerns in the first place. However else would I have known about it? No, I think Chemistry isn't the answer there. Not everyone's problems can be solved that way, Suede."
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Re: ...Between Old Friends

Postby Suede » Thu Feb 14, 2013 11:22 am

"You like to cross lines with me, Glenn. I have boundaries." Still,
he didn't bristle further and let the mapmaker continue to speak
uninterrupted. When he finished he just rolled his eyes at the idea.
"The assumption you're make, is that I care about your past, that I
care about the past of any of my friends. Do you forget how
self-involved I am? I barely have time to notice that there are
others in the world."

"Business is business, I get that. I've had to handle issues
decisively in my time, other people have lived in a life of luxury
where they don't need to see the reality of the world. Better such as
we handle the dirty business so they can live in ignorance." A benign
smile, because truly that's what Suede was in it for. Assisting the
world one poisoned cup at a time.

"Well, my other business of late has certainly been good for some
people. Not so much for others, but that's how it always happens.
For one person to gain, another must lose." Ah, his motives, a good
question, maybe it really was just boredom. Or maybe he just wanted
the income, and found it was more profitable to do it his way. "But
if you're interested in business, I might be willing to make a deal."
As for Catch and Chemistry? He just shrugged. Suede didn't really
agree, you just had to find the right goal and the right product to
cause it.
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Re: ...Between Old Friends

Postby Glenn » Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:19 pm

Glenn shook his head, smiling all the still. He made assumptions about Suede Roschen, plenty of them. Why? Because he had no choice. There was so much information lacking, the man was so much the cipher. There was no choice. Alternatively, did the tailor realize how much the Governor did respect his boundaries? He could have pierced the veil of the past, could have sent men to trace back Suede's history. Would he succeed? Perhaps, perhaps not, but he did not try. He crossed lines, but only ones of propriety, never ones of true meaning. Of course, who knew what meaning a man so heavily askew as Roschen might hold dear.

"You're not self-involved. You're willingly oblivious. Detached. Not too different from Councilor Treadwell, if you ask me." Now he was crossing yet another, but it was part of a game and Suede must know it. "Life became too much, or perhaps it simply stopped being interesting, so you turn your back on it and poke at everything from an angle. You don't live as the rest of us do, Suede. It's a shame. We'll never be great friends or great enemies because of it. You could be a thorn, but only like a flood might, or a wolf to the sheepherder."

Business. It was almost enough to make Burnie spit. "And that's the root of it all. You poke and prod. Fight and love like cats and dogs with Jirai. Raise your child or don't. Dip your toe in the river, draw back, decide to piss in it. I can do business with anyone, Suede. I can and I do. Of the men I could truly be friends with, there are so few, and you're back there, content to piss in my river from a distance."
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Re: ...Between Old Friends

Postby Suede » Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:28 pm

"It's not worth my time to pay attention to the little details, unless
a little nudge here can make the picture all the prettier." He had to
agree with Glenn's assertion there, it was far more fun to spend life
looking at it from another way than the mindless drudgery and stress
that Glenn sat through every day. "But I take some mild offense at
being compared to that fat oaf. I should compare you to that kid
Elliot Brown just to make myself feel better, you know.

He smiled at the comment about being a thorn and ran a finger along
the rim of one ear. "Sometimes the flood sweeps it all away, just ask
the princess over in Derry." He grinned at Glenn's words dropped his
hand back to his lap. "Spiders and wasps, really. But you simply
take the poking in prodding the wrong way. I really only piss in your
river because you piss in mine and your back is too far away for me
aim that far, despite my manly virtues.
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Re: ...Between Old Friends

Postby Glenn » Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:34 pm

"Brown?" Recognition, yes. Burnie knew him. He'd toiled in the Knights' fields years ago when working for Malaroth, when enjoying their meager largess. More recently he'd been a pestering point for Rhaena. Ultimately, though. "He's a footnote. Treadwell's a big, fat pillar of the community at least. He's the only one to remain on the Council for years upon years. Him. The only constant in the wilds of chaos. Even your Jirai has changed in rather considerable ways over the last five years." Some of that was Burnie's own fault but that was hardly worth mentioning.

It was especially hardly worth mentioning given Roschens last words. "Damn it, man. Let's stop pissing in each other's river then and find some bastard we both hate and piss in his. It doesn't mean we can't make a contest out of it, see who can shoot the farthest. Oldest sport in the world."

He really had to double back too, which was a shame, since they were getting somewhere. "Are you just playing up the whispers or did you really have a hand in that?" He hardly expected an honest answer, but really, he had to ask.
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Re: ...Between Old Friends

Postby Suede » Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:37 pm

"Treadwell stays the same because no one cares about him enough to do
anything. He's a useful tool for a few situations, so people let him
stay there." He would not bring up how much Treadwell had changed,
with the cult of gluttonous fools, the weird obsession with giving
kids toys, the stranger suits, and more. It just kept escalating.
Suede shuddered to even touch his mind to the thoughts.

"Glenn." He holds up both hands before him and sits a little
straighter. "You started pissing first while I was minding my own.
If you give me a reason to, I'll be happy to piss on someone else
until I get bored." Which could take a day or a year, depending on
his rather fickle mood. "If we played sports, we'd both cheat. So
that would be fair enough."

He smiled a bit wider at Glenn's question, dropped his hands down into
his lap, and glanced away into the room. "Why Mr. Burnie, if you're
suggesting I found someone else's back to piss on without telling you,
you might be right. Then I got bored and decided to end it all."
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Re: ...Between Old Friends

Postby Glenn » Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:39 pm

It was escalation, perhaps, but a constant sort, and really, Suede was right. He was useful, the world's only honest tax collector, and it wasn't as if his fool fat friends didn't pay their weight, in the metaphorical sense, at least. There was no reason to mess with a stable thing in Myrken, even if it was only partially a good thing.

"So you want a challenge? Is that what you're saying." Burnie took a breathe. Tossing Suede into any situation was a tricky thing. "Have another talk with the person living in your house. A real talk. Play a question game with him. Leave notes." One finger ticked off. "There's a mill that's been dusted off, made working again. An older man returned to Myrken. For the life of me, I can't figure out who he was when he left. There have been stories about things moving there that ought not move. And then, there's balancing the scales. If what you say is true you both prolonged it and ended it. Kostroma. He has a stick up his ass. Set the thing aflame."

Busy work? Perhaps, but interesting things for Roschen to poke at. "Piss on them and when you get bored come back to me and we'll see about cheating against each other once more."
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Re: ...Between Old Friends

Postby Suede » Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:42 pm

"I'll tell you what, Glenn. I am a man of many talents. A jack of
all trades, and yet still a master of each." No modesty to spare with
this man, but that's hardly a surprise. His expression remains
unchanged as his attention returns back from whichever dark corner
he'd been admiring. "I like my businesses, both upfront and quieter,
but I still need hobbies. Every man needs a hobby, especially one he
can turn into a profit."

"If you want me to do your work, you'll have to pay me for it." He
shrugged helplessly, as if there was nothing he could do for it. And
perhaps it was true. There could have been gain for him in seeing the
results over in Derry. There was less gain in being a thorn in the
ass of the thorns in Glenn's ass. "Tempt me, Governor. I've always
wanted to try my hand at the mercenary business, instead of just
honest trading and tailoring."
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Re: ...Between Old Friends

Postby Glenn » Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:43 pm

Glenn played both sides against the middle, or for the middle, as it was. He'd use the most noble people in the province and he'd use the absolute worst. Maybe not the worst. Suede wasn't that. Bad ones though. They worked with what they had and they did whatever worked, and Suede Roschen worked.

"Alright." Just like that. "I like us as friends Suede. Not many people understand. You don't but you come closer than most. But I like to look after my friends too, so long as they look after Myrken. So then, what do you want? You understand my restraints, I'm sure, but also what I can offer you
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Re: ...Between Old Friends

Postby Suede » Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:45 pm

Suede was willing to play the tool for the proper price, and he was
rather flexible in how he was applied to a situation. So he felt no
guff at being used by Glenn to accomplish whatever nonsense the man
wanted. There was nothing stopping him from just unraveling something
else.

"I understand, there's no worry there. I just don't care. I have a
monetary fee, of course. You'll be offered a return on some of it if
I can manage a profit out of what you want done." Assuming, of
course, that he mentioned to Glenn at all that he'd made any money.
"And I've decided to enroll my dear boy into the school your lady is
managing. He can handle the other children and their baseless racism,
but he's a bit small yet. I'd like you to ensure that adults cause
him no worries, so I don't have to handle it myself." Which as more a
give on Suede's side of the deal, not handling situations.

"Other than that? Well my business ventures have done well in town,
but I've been considering a few expansions. For example, there are
quite a few people from Derry running here with all they can carry.
If some ruffians begin accosting the better off and relieving them of
some burdens, I do hope the Myrken authorities continue to focus more
on protecting their own people, and the common folk who have less to
surrender."
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Re: ...Between Old Friends

Postby Glenn » Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:47 pm

Money for Suede's services seemed terribly unimaginative, but it was also to keep him from doing anything widescale. The honest truth of it was that Suede's poisoning of the lake was probably the single worst event of Burnie's reign. He would take some lengths to prevent that, even if they were unimaginative ones.

"Rhaena thinks quite highly of the boy. She's had nothing but good things to say. That's exactly the sort of student I'll go out of my way to look after. Myrken's future." Good students, even if they happened to be half drow.

As for the rest, Burnie shrugged idly. "I'll always look after the interests of my people first and foremost. Our beloved nobility here," that anemic group that gives the Governor trouble now and again, "has little love for their Derry brethren. They're not sure where things will land as of yet and they do not want to overcommit in the wrong direction. We'll look after their bodies and stomachs, but material goods for the very top? War is terrible, isn't it, Suede?"
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Re: ...Between Old Friends

Postby Suede » Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:49 pm

Suede wasn't in the mood to be imaginative in what he was telling
Glenn. They might be the closest of friends after tonight, but what
precisely he might be doing with the money, or with what he took from
the refugees would be his own business. There were a few items of
particular interest he was hoping to get his hands on. Burnie had it
right in deciding just to humor the tailor.

"So she has told me. I'm glad to know his behavior has been
upstanding for her. A firm hand is all it takes, I suppose." Suede's
or Rhaena's less than original one? Neither appeared the sort to be
firm with a child.

"War, Mr. Governor, is -horrendous.- Fortunate for us not to be
exposed to it directly." And here he decides to stand, taking a quick
swallow of the last of his wine before adjusting his shirt. "But
there are those who have been that need aid in their bereavement,
questions to be asked, ambassadors to annoy, and games to play. For
both of us. So I believe I shall take my leave." He gives the
Governor a mocking salute with two fingers. "It's been a pleasure."
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Re: ...Between Old Friends

Postby Glenn » Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:51 pm

This was the sort of risk that could come back to haunt him. Funding Roschen in any way was dangerous. The alternative, however, was to let him go free and do whatever he'd do. In that case, it'd very likely end the same way. It might just take a little while longer to get there. At least this way, Myrken would get something out of it, Glenn would get something out of it and Suede would have less reason to strike out. In this environment, he could toss the Tailor at potential enemies forever. There would never be a reason for either of them to get bored with this arrangement.

"Thank you for coming, Suede." The governor could at least make it sound sincere; maybe it even was, "and for the kind words." for there were a few in there, somewhere. A last toast to the man in response to that salute. There would be no 'mind how you go's, not for Roschen. Burnie's mood was not one of ill humor, but it wasn't one of high humor either.
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