[D3LA] Where money flows (Expecting)

[Shosuro Kaoru]

Kaoru shrugged:

"The official ones. The ones on which paid taxes are based. The ones any merchant will be infringing the law of the Empire if they were to fill them wrong on purpose.

You know. Paperwork."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

Wait, are we SURE she's a Scorpion?

"An' the unofficial ones which read a bit different will tell a different story. A'course, if th'same guy's writin' both..."

[Shosuro Kaoru]

"Well, if the guy really knows everything that happens in the port, the local hierarchy is pretty clear and any issue the city might have with inappropriate goods just a careful negotiation away from being solved. He's after all a samurai, with status and responsibilities, and letting problems rot is unlikely to comfort his position.

The fact the Crane, who certainly knows of his prominence, and him haven't been able to find an agreement yet however suggests the situation is not that simple. New players on the market? Overconfidence? Crooked official?

Many questions meeting a polite discussion with the Tortoise might be enough to answer."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Well. My discussions in general ain't so polite, but if y'think y'have the knack..."

Kasumi trailed off.

Of course the Scorpion had the knack.

[Shosuro Kaoru]

Kaoru shrugged:

"If you're used to making mercantile deals, you've already got the 'knack' for court discussions yourself. It's just a negotiation with a heavy dose of mind games, like when the buyer is trying to make the seller tell their price first, and the seller trying to make the buyer tells how much money they have first."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Catch is, gettin' folks t'listen t'what I'm sellin' is a bit trickier when they got notions of how people should talk."

[Shosuro Kaoru]

"People tend to only be finicky about vocabulary when there's nothing at stakes, and they're mostly there for the sake of argument itself. Think of it as the equivalent of a customer haggling for half an hour for a meager reduction that is just not worth the time spent by itself.

For actual business, when one side has something the other actually desires, conventions quickly crumble. More is decided during quiet and informal discussions around a cup of tea – or beer, or any preferred drink – than before the dais.

Of course, here, the issue is that we have no idea what the other side wants."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Here, we got th'issue that one side's got what it wants, an' wants t'keep it..."

[Shosuro Kaoru]

"Except for maybe a few wise hermits, people always want more than they already have. Yourself, you're a pretty well-off samurai, soon to command your own ship. Would you say all your desires are satiated nonetheless?"

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Nope. But th'trick is havin' somethin' t'sell."

[Shosuro Kaoru]

"And don't you?

You've got power, influence, friends and allies with various sets of qualities, not to even speak about your own abilities as a physical human being. From all that can be produced close to anything if the stakes are great enough.

One thousand years ago, seven humans – eight and a crow if you want to be picky – killed a god. Human potential is infinite when they work together."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"It's that last bit proves tricky."

[Shosuro Kaoru]

"Your clan managed to persuade the Crane to let them run an event in the Topaz so blatantly biased in your favor even the beautiful birds must have felt ashamed.

You'll be alright I assure you."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"I gotta wonder how they pulled that off. Might be th'Crane are even worse off than I think..."

[Shosuro Kaoru]

"The ports of the Crane were devastated and rebuilding a fleet takes time.

Likely, the Crane has been – is? – quite dependent on Mantis ships to keep their naval trade routes active through the last years. You didn't get to give then a hand yourself?"

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Not as such."

In point of fact, Kasumi had a pretty good idea of the leverage in play, but finding it both distasteful and situationally inconvenient, she kept it under wraps.

[Shosuro Kaoru]

It was maybe obvious the Mantis was not saying everything she knew. Or maybe not. Not that it changed anything, as pushing a subject rarely made people spill the beans anyway.

"Unless the debt of the Mantis toward the Crane is that abysmal, things are unlikely to be so easy for you in the next trials. If anything, the many other judges might be even harsher when evaluating your performance in their own trial.

But you just have to channel the spirit of your champion and be as good as twenty samurai by yourself to compensate for that, right?"

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"I guess we'll need t'see. Might be everyone gets a chance t'show off. Any mounted archery's likely t'favor th'Unicorn, after all. An' we can't forget th'closin's iaijutsu."

A pause.

"Can't imagine who that might favor."

[Shosuro Kaoru]

"Whether it's in the worst gambling dens of Ryoko Owari or in the most beautiful holdings of the Crane...

The house always wins.

The iai just the cherry on top really. Simply by having us comes to their city to compete under their rules, they have won the game that matters. No need to also win the tournament itself.

But the Crane can be greedy at time too."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Can't we all?"