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It was clear from his reply to Lyra that Brenner had a few preconceived notions of the state of Kalzasi and its people. Perhaps he had never visited the city or had not spent much time there, but the simple act of removing magic by layers would cause great upheaval. Many in the city would not know how to adapt, and many systems and policies would fall to ruin as they were held in place by the magic that permitted everything. Health care would fail as medical treatments lost potency, crime rates would rise as the effective methods of impression would be eliminated, and worst yet was the cascading effects this would have on the containment of the Warrens. Grande barriers and skilled warriors that both relied heavily on magic and aetheric control were what kept in check the streams of horrors from spilling into the city proper. If those defenses were weakened, then the streets would almost certainly run red with the blood of civilians.
Lyra mentioned none of these, choosing instead to listen quietly as the man finished his thoughts before replying.
"I see you are an uncompromising man, Brenner Dornkirk, but not an unkind one." Their food arrived shortly after, and Lyra waited until they both had their plates before sampling her own dish. Despite herself, Lyra's eyes lit up by the flavors that rolled across her tongue. It was a simple dish, or so she had thought. Lettice drizzled in a dark oil-like sauce, adorned with small round berries that tasted more tart than sweet. There was a fine grating of cheese, and it came with bread baked to a crunchy exterior but still soft enough to easily tear apart with her fingers.
"The food here is quite extravagant," Lyra said while covering her mouth, "I had not realized Zaichaer offered so many delicacies." Her eyebrow raised as she said through a half-smile, "I will admit I have come to realize your people have much more to teach us than I had suspected."
Her smile faded and she refocused on her plate, taking another bite and chewing slowly as if to give herself more time to think.
"I will accept your words as they appear for now. I believe that something can be done, but the complexity of it will be great and will require time." With a sudden swiftness she stabbed one of the red berries with the prongs of her fork, holding it up at eye level a moment before biting into it and savoring the red juices that flowed out once its taut skin was pierced, "Let us make a deal then, between us. An arrangement. If you can be the spearhead for our plans in Zaichaer, securing a location, funding, and all necessary approvals, I will develop a method of correcting the imbalance in Kalzasi."
Wiping the corners of her mouth with her napkin Lyra searched for Brenner's eyes with her own, "Is that agreeable?"
