Legend of Ransera

Among the many things that Mino had to worry about where the cotillion was involved, he figured that hiring the help for the occasion was the least taxing thing he could do. He’d pushed a hand through his hair as he chuckled to himself at the thought. All it was, was a few meetings, was it not? A reading over of paperwork (that he wouldn’t actually read) and discussion of payment. Surely — that was not something too taxing.

He’d been wrong.

Last year, this hadn’t been his responsibility. Much in part because they’d been dealing with the instating of Lady Green and the demands that came with her taking from the other colors to fill her own. He’d been blessed with that sort of ignorance then. He’d, before that, simply not been allowed to worry about the functioning of the cotillion, but then again they’d made a rather big deal about him actually being part of the event.

Mino licked his lips, brought the cold mug of cream to his lips as the latest of the help filed out of his office. The window had been shut for the sake of comforting the last applicant, and he wanted it open. The man had reeked of musk and the polish used on his weapons. His beard had been cleaned thoroughly, and the wafting of soap above the layers of everything else had made him dizzy. He rubbed his temples, set his glasses down. He could only savor the moments before there was a knock on the door, drawing his attention to yet another body used for protection.

The Lekivians had a fair amount of people that could have done all of this. But — it ran the risk of someone knowing more than they should. The kids were also just that: kids. They wouldn’t be able to do much against a true threat. Another sip of his cream and he crossed the room to the door. He pulled it open, licked the cream from his lip and grinned at the person on the other side of the door. He didn’t bother to really look at the person as they strolled inside, turning his back to them.

Mino smoothed down the front of his shirt, held his tie back as he walked. Though tired, he kept his back straight. The last thing he wanted was the criticism of the Lady Blue about his posture. He set his mug down, shuffled some papers around. “Thank you for your...volunteering to take part in the protection of the event.” He put his glasses back on, then turned — and paused.

“Have we met before?”
The first thing Hyoga would be met with was the imposing figure of Daffodil. Her golden locks were slicked back, showing off bright eyes and a wide grin. “Oh, good, we’re not getting any scrawny ones this year.” Her hand rested on her hips as she surveyed Hyoga. The moratallen jerked her head back in the direction of the gates, turning to walk inside. “Let’s get you sorted inside.” She would lead him up a flight of stairs to what would be Mino’s office, knocking before she let a hand rest on his shoulder. “‘t ‘ill be fun working with you this year.”

“Well, yes, I am in charge of hiring. Not really running this whole thing, though. Too much hassle.”

Ordinarily, he wouldn’t be pleased in the slightest to have to be face to face with any hindrance of his work. He likely wouldn’t have hesitated to send the other away if it weren’t for the fact that they needed hands. His lips pulled up into one of the heartless grins he used to charm people who didn’t know any better. Tipped his head to the side as he observed the other a moment.

The Avialae had no qualms with getting close, in his space, and he held up a hand. “This isn’t a social call, is it?” He could keep this professional. He could make this as emotionless as possible — but what would be the fun in that? Mino had an opportunity, and he was only learning from the examples of the abuse of power he’d seen before.

He sat back on the desk, crossing his legs at the ankle as he rested his weight on the wood. Mino scratched at his neck, sniffed. Still smelled like the koi ponds in the garden. His gaze flickered to the door. Not many options for escape if he needed it.
“What’s to say I wasn’t retrieving something taken from me? You assumed quite a lot for someone who happened to just show up out of the blue.”

Mino shrugged, pushed off from the desk to close the gap between them. He craned his neck to see the other’s face, but there wasn’t a hint of annoyance on his face. On the contrary, he was amused. More than anything, he found it interesting that the winged mage would still be in his office knowing, something of what he did. Not enough, apparently, to make him walk away.

“You really ought to be careful about what you say at a job interview.” His grin widened, enough that there were his dimples on display. “Let’s get down to business, yeah? You wanna start by telling me your name?”

Mino blinked. Sometimes he wondered if it made the Avialae feel better to level their insults in a language unintelligible to those who hadn’t the means to learn it. He wondered, most importantly, if anyone felt some level of superiority when they insulted another in a language they assumed was unknown to the target. Did it make that relief turn sour on their tongue when that someone knew what they’d said and responded in kind?

But — not yet. “So, you make it habit of watching over unsuspecting homes.” He nodded, pushed his lips out in what wasn’t quite a pout. “One might mistake you for a thief, staking out potential targets.” He knew Sky did that often, though she might have been doing it with much less legal intentions as what Hyoga did. “Or.” He pointed a finger at the Avialae. “One would think you were following me.” His brows rose, eyes widening slightly as he gasped and covered his mouth.

“Well.” He wiggled his brows, gestured to the chair. “Hyoga, since this isn’t a social call, and I’m not impaled on that spear you’ve got tucked away in your pants — regretfully so, unless you would like to change that — I can explain what this thing is.”

Mino had attended the cotillion enough times to know that he hated it. And that the other would probably hate it himself. Now, Mino wouldn’t fool himself into thinking he cared much about the racial dynamics that existed outside of his home, but he did know that the world didn’t see Hyoga as useful, or really someone they would want around. And the implication of this affecting his ability to work only made this so much easier. He would probably take the job for little. Which worked out in the long run.

“I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the house holds a...gathering of wealthy young folk every year to make connections. Arrange marriages and businesses; stuff that doesn’t really matter to you. But with all that money gathered in one place, it leaves people vulnerable. Scared that something might happen to their darling pawns.” He rocked back on his feet, lifted his mug to take an infuriatingly long sip. “You want a drink? I’m an awful host, but I’ve been at this all day. Do you want the window closed? Left open? Not sitting?”

He took another sip of his cream. “As I was saying. The families of these young people want their children protected. Which is where you come in. Not all of our capable members of the house are involved in the cotillion, and thus they won’t be able to help. And unfortunately, I have hosting duties.” He grinned, though it was fake and very much forced as he took another sip. “So, we’re hiring protection for the party as a whole.”

“We would like to hire you. And strapping mercenaries of the same sort.”

“Impress you? Plenty of time to do that yet, and I can certainly think of one or two ways to do that.” Flirtation was not far from negotiation. That much, he’d learned from Lady Red. The woman had a strange way of imparting lessons. He took another sip of his cream, let out a sound of disappointment as he noted that he’d drank it all. He licked his lips instead, tasting the last bit of cream there.

The other didn’t seem interested in his hospitality. Mino didn’t mind; less to worry about. He blinked, waited for the other to process what was being said. In the meantime, he focused more on the avialae’s wings. They were close to what looked like a bat’s wings. There was a certain urge to reach out and touch them, see if they felt like they looked. He’d not been paying much attention to them the first time they’d met, outside from noting that they were wings and that the other had used them to chase after a cat. Which — he still felt that was comical in its own right. No self-respecting person chased after a cat just because he heard some sort of commotion.

Hyoga posed his questions, and Mino’s brows rose. “No one ever expects trouble. Unless it’s the fun variety, of course.” This was followed by a chuckle, a glance toward the window. He wanted to hop out of it, stretch his legs. “This is just a precaution since rich kids like to feel safe.” He shrugged.

Mino couldn’t share that sentiment. The illusion of safety was something that he’d come to be far removed from. If anything, there was ‘not in imminent danger’ and ‘in immediate danger’ that distinguished his state of well-being. He blinked, considered the other’s questions a moment longer and how he should best answer them.

“You met the head of security, by the way. Our lovely Daffodil. The fact that you even got through the door was allowed by her.” Daffodil was intimidating enough on her own, and he suspected Hyoga might not be as pleased with Crocodile’s presence. But he would need to deal with it when he worked. And that was something he ought to be able to sort out on his own. “The same went for the others we hired; good men and woman. Some returning from last year’s detail. I would say they’re capable, but if you wanted to question Daffodil’s judgment, I suspect it would be better to ask her.”

The thing was, a crook could recognize another of their kind with ease. They might take on different forms, approach their criminality different — but they would still be a criminal. Whether they wore fine clothes or rags that were picked up off the streets. Mino himself would have guessed if any of the mercenaries that had strolled through the door would have attempted to take from the house. And even if they did try, the consequences of doing so would be dire. Most thought twice about it if they had dealings with the Lekivians in the past.

“See, the cotillion spans several days. A week, in fact. The venue changes depending on the event, but the one we need most protected is the ball that starts everything. It will be in the.” He stopped, brows furrowing. The museum, wasn’t it? His head was muddled, congested with everything else he had to do. He blinked, rubbed between his brows before continuing. “The museum. You might be familiar with it. It’s run by an Eloeth, I think.” He waved a hand, dismissing that line of thought. “I don’t have all the specifics of it; that’s not my responsibility. I just handle the money. Which leads me to next order of business before you prepare to talk about the wrong details with the wrong person.”

Mino moved closer to Hyoga, though not as close as he had been on the first night they met or earlier, even. Just close enough that he could look the other in the eye and grin. “I understand you’re quite capable yourself, and thus, you must have a sum of money in mind. So, tell me: how much do you think you should be paid?” It was more a question of worth. If he low-balled it, Mino would have no reason for him to sign a contract, or be part of the protection detail. He wouldn’t be worth it. If he swung too high — well, potentially arrogance. And no one liked anyone who was too full of himself.

The thing about negotiations is that you had to be careful with how you worded things. At least, that was something Mino had learned some time ago. You wanted to be exact in what you said to someone. He could recall Lady Yellow using his words against him in the past, and newly instated Lady Green pulling bits of information from him. Words spoken were just as necessary as words written on a page, particularly in regards to a contract of any kind.

The grin that spread over his lips was unlike any he had shown before. One of a predator having cornered its prey. Not quite goading, but every bit smug. The flash of teeth in the light. The dilation of his pupils were most evident as he stepped closer to the avialae.

“What if.” His voice was a purr, rumbling from his throat as he spoke. “What if I gave you 250, kept the favor, but — gave you more work. Steady work is better than a big one-off pay stub, my feathered friend.” Favors were interesting things. Mino would have thought he’d have held onto it for something else, even if he requested one of the noble now. Another thing he would probably come to realize after this meaning. His grin curved wider, head tipped to the side. He most certainly did look like a cat that got the cream.

“My sibling, Candy. They work at the Cabaret on occasion and sometimes we find ourselves unable to send one of the more able-bodied people with them. The streets are dangerous out there. I’m sure you know this? What with you keeping watch over the city streets with those delightful wings of yours.” Mino had not seen many wings like Hyoga’s. There had to be some sort of benefit to them. Something that made them work well enough to have survived to carry through his family’s bloodline.

“Since you two will be working in the same establishment, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind escorting them on the way.” He wouldn’t always be able to escort Candy, and there was something about the Cabaret that set him off. Thinking about it, at least. A hazy recollection accompanied by nausea. He licked his lips, spread his hands out. “You can discuss payment with them, but I, personally.” He squinted, scratched at the back of his neck. “Personally, I think 70 silver aven for each trip, back and forth, would be a good starting point until the Ladies come to see your benefit.”

Another thought crossed his mind, but he wouldn’t have wished that on anyone. No; working with Lady Red ought not be in the Avialae’s cards. “What do you say?”