by Taki Drake
The flurry of activities that accompanied the delivery of four new types of beer and a huge cart of produce totally supplanted the memory of the visitor from Madrik’s mind.
Getting all of that put away consumed another half hour, at which point Madrik was definitely ready for a short rest. Just getting off of his feet would be helpful. So he came back and sat down at his usual table once again, before realizing that the man that he had most recently left there was nowhere to be seen.
Madrik asked, “Brechal? Where did the guy that I was talking to go? His name was Najeer.”
Brechal shrugged his shoulders and looked at Alastair to see if the bouncer had noticed where the man had gone. When neither of the two men knew, Madrik chalked it up as just another mystery that needed to be solved. Someday.
Chapter 29 – Banker and Merchant
Everyone in the bar was getting ready for the midday rush when a shiver along the companion bond told Madrik that someone was coming to the right-hand door. Once again he found himself standing by the end of the bar waiting, staff in hand. Brechal and Alastair were also in what had become their standard positions, Brechal to Madrik’s right and Alastair to his left.
The door opened sedately, no explosions and no people rushing through. Instead, three men in conservative dress came through. With two of them clutching what looked like briefcases, and one holding a rectangular screen device about the size of a notebook, all Madrik could think was, We have just been invaded by either bankers or accountants.
As the men had cleared the doorway, the doorstep shut, quickly and on its own. Madrik didn’t think his companion had done that since he couldn’t feel any irritation at the presence of the three men. Madrik greeted the men and started to go through his normal talk when once more the door slammed open.
This time, the being that entered was a polar opposite from the conservatively dressed threesome. This man obviously didn’t have any problems mixing colors. From the wrapped hat on his head down to elaborately embroidered slippers, the gentleman screamed COLOR! If Madrik hadn’t been exerting control to cover up his surprise, he might have run screaming in terror from the eye-bleed-inducing combinations of yellow, lime green, and hot pink in front of him.
Smiling to himself, Madrik heard Alastair’s groan. Nothing could be more designed to elicit that type of reaction from the normally placid bouncer than the gesturing, colorfully-dressed, and voluble man that advanced on Madrik and threw both arms around him in an exuberant greeting.
“A thousand respectful greetings, Madrik of the BHB! Your reputation is spread all over the market, and I greet you in the name of the merchants of the Tattersall Market! I am your most humble servant, Dede of Cripes, and I have come to open a fruitful and successful relationship with you and your most wondrous environment.”
Totally throwing Madrik’s planned spiel in the trash, one of the conservatively dressed men interrupted the conversation with his own contribution, saying, “I say! We were here first. You need to wait your turn!”
Magnificently and dramatically ignoring the less exuberant interruption, Dede continued to speak, “You should not think that any emissary from Tattersall would be less than appropriate as an envoy. This humble one has the honor to be ranked as a Master Trader, purveyor of fine goods, dealmaker, and acknowledged trading partner. It is my honor to finally speak with you.”
Amusement flooded the companion bond as the BHB contributed his own impression of what was going on. The mental images that his irreverent companion pushed into Madrik’s mind almost made him snort with laughter. Just the very image of the flamboyant Dede as he pontificated while a much smaller man in a conservative suit yanked on his pants leg was enough to make the bar manager feel like he was spraining his control muscles.
Inviting the four men to sit down at the table, Madrik excused himself for just a moment and retreated to the bar. Asking a low-toned but urgent question, Madrik addressed both Brechal and Alastair when he asked, “Do either of you have any clue on what is going on? It sounds like they came deliberately to talk to me and I’m not sure why.”
Brechal said thoughtfully, “It might have something to do with the conversation that you had with Emesh. Remember? The one where you guys talked about currency and how it would be important at some point for us to convert what we received in payment to a more general type of good or fund? That’s the only thing that I can think of.”
Alastair’s nod of agreement made Madrik feel a bit better. If these two trusted advisors thought what he was thinking, then they were either all deluded together, or they were right. He decided to go back to the table and see what the men had to say. As he left, he asked Brechal, “It would be good to provide something to eat and drink. Can you see what you can rustle up?”
“Sure thing, boss. I will be right there with it.”
Alastair’s grin of commiseration was like a bracing pat on the back. Madrik carried that feeling with him as he walked back into the dangerous waters of bankers and merchants.
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The conversation at the table had been interesting, to say the least. Initially set to compete against each other, the bankers and the merchant soon found common ground in a cooperative stance that was beginning to sound like something that Madrik and the BHB would be interested in.
The overall structure of the deal would have the bankers acting in their general capacity as moneychangers and repositories for excess wealth, while the merchant would both provide some essential supplies to the BHB and broker the sourcing of other supplies and equipment.
Madrik knew that Dede would be getting a cut of any deal that was made with other merchants, but he expected that. As long as it didn’t jack up the prices too badly, he could live with it in exchange for the convenience.
The talking went on for quite a while, and Madrik had just realized that they had never gotten their food and drink. He looked up at the bar and saw that Brechal was nowhere to be seen. This unusual occurrence was enough to send the bar manager’s senses searching for traces of problems. He found none.
Confused now, Madrik was about to get up and go in search of the huge man when Brechal came out of the kitchen area with a tray piled high with dishes. Surprised, Madrik sat down quickly as the big man started unloading the dishes and plates on the table with wide eyes and trembling hands.
All that Madrik could do was to stare in open-mouthed astonishment at what was being unloaded. Exquisite plates of food, each a masterpiece of presentation. No two alike, each one was a gem of harmony and gustatory seduction.
It was not just Madrik that was stunned into total and complete silence. The bankers and merchant were equally struck numb and dumb. The amazement on their faces was almost ludicrous in that Madrik had no idea from where this food had come. Thanking whatever gods oversaw the BHB, Madrik mentally noted that the merchant and bankers were so lost in their own amazement that they didn’t realize that the food was a surprise to both him and Brechal. Somehow he was going to have to act nonchalant about this whole thing, but he had no clue where the blasted food originated.
Checking his companion bond, Madrik could not get any information out of the BHB except for waves of satisfaction and pleasure. What the hell is going on? Who is making the food?
Alastair chose that moment to come up to the table with two dusty bottles of wine and a selection of glasses. Placing them on a small table that had sprung up from the floor to Madrik’s right, Alastair quickly uncorked the wine and poured a small amount into a glass. Offering it to Madrik first, the bar manager could see the smile lurking at the corners of Alastair’s mouth. The bouncer was really enjoying this. Ready to be upset, Madrik chose deliberately to just relax and smile. After all, this was just another weird day at the BHB.
“Would one of you gentlemen like to taste the wine? They’re two different vintages that are recommended for this meal, and I would be honored if you would offer your opinion.”
Two of the bankers’ eyes lit up, and they e
agerly nodded their heads. Looking over at the merchant, Madrik just smiled when Dede answered, “I bow to their expertise! This humble one is more a drinker of spirits than of wine. Although I appreciate it, the honor of tasting it is a better fit for those who love it.”
The bankers’ expressions as they tasted the wine caused Madrik to smile inside. One of the main rules that he had as a negotiator was to make sure that people were thrown off base by something unusual and then to give them something that they really appreciated. When it appealed to their senses, it was more difficult for their minds to control the negotiation. I do love it when a plan comes together, even if it wasn’t my plan.
By common consent, all talk of business ceased for a while, as the exquisite luncheon and outstanding wine worked their magic.
Chapter 30 – After Dinner Conversations
Replete with the meal, Madrik started off the after-meal discussion.
“If I might summarize, the two of you are going to work together in your own areas of specialty and provide me with financial services and market brokering. Additionally, Master Trader Dede will directly provide some of the goods that we may choose to need in the future. Is that correct?”
A chorus of agreement came from around the table. Madrik was generally happy with his initial starting place but wanted to make sure that they understood that this was not a forever commitment. Deciding to make that very explicit, he said, “I’m willing to try this for a while, and if your services and delivery on your promises are acceptable, we will make it a longer relationship. For now, I consider it a test.”
The bar manager watched in amusement as the bankers’ faces fell in disappointment. Apparently, they thought that they could just waltz and state what they would do and he would fall over himself in agreeing. That certainly was not going to happen. It wouldn’t have happened in his previous life, and it certainly was not going to happen now.
The senior banker, a man named Jerrol, said to Madrik, “We look forward to working with you on this. The first thing is to start an account. What would you like to use for your first deposit into that account?”
The bar manager responded, “I think it would be best to test the whole dynamic by using a typical deposit. If you gentlemen will excuse me just for a moment, I will get one for you.”
Madrik got up and walked toward the bar. He could feel four sets of eyes avidly watching him as he walked around the end of the bar and stopped next to Brechal. Asking in a low tone and concealing his mouth from eavesdroppers, Madrik asked, “Do you have something that we could use for this first deposit?”
Brechal said, “We have a little bit but not very much. How much do you want?”
Before they could carry on anymore conversation, the BHB took matters into its own hands, so to speak. Reversing the normal sweep of valuables from the undercounter into some internal storage vault, the BHB regurgitated a small pile of coins and gems that looked typical for the way that the bar got payment.
Brechal shrugged his shoulders and smiled at Madrik as the bar manager scooped the items up. Feeling like the two of them had been rebuked for overthinking things, Madrik made his way swiftly back to the table and the waiting men. The pile of valuables was small enough that Madrik’s hands concealed the exact size and composition of his burden. Sitting down at the table, he placed the two handfuls in the middle of the table and watched as all four of the others reacted in their own way.
Madrik could feel the weight of Brechal’s and Alastair’s gaze, watching all of the interactions at the table. He knew they saw the merchant’s eyes widen and then tighten into surmise as he quickly glanced toward and away from the bar area from which Madrik had retrieved the valuables.
The three bankers had varying reactions. Jerrol and one of his juniors had reacted with both surprise and pleasure. Reinforced in the value of their deal, they were pleased from a business point of view. The other banker, a very polished looking man of middle-age sent different vibrations that grated on Madrik’s soul. He could tell through the companion bond that the BHB didn’t like this guy at all either. Gazing at the pile of gold and gems with unconcealed greed, the banker licked his lip in a parody of passion and assumed a smile so fake that it turned Madrik’s stomach.
That fake smile prompted a speech from the banker, delivered in a hurried cadence and rushed speech. “That certainly would be adequate for a small initial deposit. I’m sure that you will be able to do better as your business picks up. Considering the size of the deposit, we won’t have to charge you more than a 21% foreign exchange rate,” the man said.
Madrik could sense the falsehoods as they were tripping out of the man’s mouth, one after another. It was like there was a lie detector floating in a black cloud over the greedy man, sending little lightning bolts down to point out every lie that he said. Madrik did not trust or like this one at all.
The BHB made his opinion known more directly. Springing from the chairs and floor a cage slapped around the dishonest banker. Ignoring the man’s yelp of protest, Madrik turned to the other two bankers who had recoiled in dismay. In a tone just short of a growl, Madrik said, “If this is the sort of dishonest interaction that your bank is going to conduct, I will certainly not deal with you.”
The two other bankers rushed into speeches of denial and reassurance. Jerrol overrode his junior by the use of sheer volume, emphatically stating, “That is not how we do business. Our exchange rate is never more than 2 ½%, and I have no idea why Marmol would say that!”
The other banker, a much younger man by the name of Gerge chimed in, saying, “This is a very respectable initial deposit. We would certainly be happy to open the account with it and, in fact, if you have ongoing deposits we would be happy to send a courier to pick them up. We provide a whole slew of personalized services to make banking much easier.”
While the groveling was interesting and amusing, Madrik still was outraged by the fact that the other two bankers hadn’t immediately corrected the one that was lying. Instead, they waited to see if the bar manager would go for the deal even though it was dishonest.
Strangely quiet up until now, Dede disrupted the whole conversation with an alternate proposal. Looking unusually serious, the Master Trader said, “You know, of course, that you don’t really need a bank. It’s obvious that you have defenses here that would keep your deposits and currency safe, and I would find it unusual for you to need a loan. What can a banker bring you that simple trading would not? You could save even the 2 ½% and work as all merchants do with the bartering of valuables for desired supplies and services.
Both bankers immediately rushed into speech with Jerrol’s comments predominating based on his volume and seniority. He all but shouted, “Banks provide other services. We focus on the financial exchange which will allow our customers to have a better position. The movement of currencies is extremely important when it comes to anything that crosses boundaries of dimensions and universes. No mere trader can focus on that type of thing. And loans are only a minor part of our business.”
Madrik slapped his hand down on the table in a demand for silence, which he instantly received. In the quiet, small sounds from the kitchen were clearly audible, and Madrik could hear the breathing of the men waiting for his words. Taking a deep breath, Madrik said, “This is all about trust. If you each provide good value to us and you act from an honorable and trusted position, we will continue to work with you. If, however, that trust is broken, do not think to ever again benefit from a transaction with me. There are too many options open to us, and I will not waste time and energy on dealing with people that I cannot trust.”
Madrik could see the impact of his warning as it was absorbed by each of the men at the table. The reaction ranged from the complete dismay and frustrated fury of the gagged banker to the agreement and satisfaction that radiated from the Master Trader. The acknowledgment and understanding of what he said and their acceptance of it was the only feedback that he got from the two remaining bankers.
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I wonder if that’s nature or nurture for the bankers? Are they this calculating before they go into the field or are they trained to feel this way once they get into it?
Sensing that there was some long-range benefit from a relationship with the BHB and him that he did not currently understand, Madrik didn’t want to do any additional discussion at this point.
To close the meeting, the bar manager abruptly stood up and asked Jerrol, “Do you need an escort to get you and our deposit back to your bank?”
“Oh my goodness, yes! I hadn’t planned on such a large deposit, and I simply would not be comfortable wandering around with it unprotected.”
Looking at the slowly filling barroom, Madrik saw Jarrow’s group already seating themselves at a table ready for lunch. He clued Alastair into what he wanted with a combination of pointed gaze and hand gesture. The bouncer walked over, leaning closer to the black-clad mercenary and engaged him in a low-toned conversation.
When Alastair came over to Madrik at the table, he was accompanied by Jarrow and two others. The bouncer said, “These gentlemen have agreed to provide you an escort back to your bank. We wouldn’t want our deposit to go astray between here and there.”
Jerrol looked a little surprised but pleased as he said, “That would be much appreciated. However, why three of them?”
Madrik answered, “To manage your dishonest colleague.”
“Oh! I had forgotten about him.”
“I am sorry, but you have to take him. He is not part of our trash, and I refuse to deal with him anymore. Ever.”
“Understood.”
Chapter 31 – So Far So Soon
The bankers had left with their bound colleague and the three mercenaries by the right-hand door. Without any fanfare or disruption, their exit was dramaless except for Madrik’s intense amusement at how torn they were about leaving.
On the one hand, they wanted to get back to their bank with what turned out to be a quite large deposit. The accolades from securing those funds would be extremely useful for them. Fighting against that desire was the fact that the Master Trader showed no signs of being ready to leave.