Testing the Waters

Writers: Anika, Yvonne
Date Posted: 9th January 2015

Characters: Taril, Eirock
Description: Eirock tests the waters with Taril.
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 10, day 17 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Bryvin

Eirock

Approaching the docks, Eirock breathed in the scent of the sea with a smile on his face. He never tired of it. Talon crooned contentedly from his perch on the Steward's shoulder. Making his way to his destination, Eirock had to admit to himself that he was curious. His uncle had insisted that Taril was a man he should take pains to meet sooner rather than later if he wanted to enjoy similar success to that he had at Sawtooth. Upon entering, he took in his surroundings, and looked for the man Trygve had assured him he could not miss.

There weren't many options. The office was one of a series that shared the same building as the harbor master, this one slightly larger than most. Taril looked up from his desk as Dodger called a welcome to the new flit from his perch on a shelf. The stranger's clothes were too fine to be a seaman's, and when he turned the light from the open door caught his knots. "Steward Eirock. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Talon answered Dodger's welcome with a trill of his own as Eirock stepped forward and set a bottle of twenty-turn old whiskey upon the desk, not surprised that Taril had placed him. "My visit is multipurpose. First and foremost, my Uncle Trygve asked me to deliver that. Said he owed you from a wager and that you were a man with whom debts should be settled post haste." Eirock paused to lock eyes with the merchant. His uncle had warned him that Taril's physical form could be deceptive and to never underestimate the man. He'd also mentioned to never become indebted to him, though he'd highly recommended joint ventures. "Secondly, I very much wanted to meet you. I understand your business acumen is second to none in the Hold."

"Trygve always had good taste." Taril put down the bottle and turned his attention to the Steward. The bottle was worth more than what Trygve owed him, which sent a message all on its own. "And you flatter me, Eirock. I've heard much the same about you."

"We each have very different roles, but I believe each of us are uniquely positioned and possess the skills to bring profit to the Hold," Eirock wanted to let Taril know that despite what reputation he might have, he had no intention of providing any direct competition. Sawtooth had been only a minor Hold, unlike Sunstone which held a plethora of opportunities that Eirock had already begun to investigate. "And of course if the Hold is profitable then we all reap the benefits."

"Certainly." A bit of a lie-- Sunstone would profit from his being there, but Taril was only there in the first place because it was smart for his own family's little cothold. At least Eirock wasn't making noises about interfering with his business. "A prosperous Seahold is good for everyone, which is I'm sure why Bryvin awarded you those knots. Why did you seek them out? Was Sawtooth Hold becoming too limiting?" Taril asked innocently.

Eirock grinned. "You must admit, that opportunities here abound and Steward at a minor Hold is nothing in comparison to working under the Lord Holder directly." He had no intention of sharing his history with Bryvin or the reasons behind his deep seated loyalty to the Lord Holder. "For instance, I would say that a shipment of fine fabrics that just happens to be sitting in a warehouse at Sawtooth would sell far better here. There's little market for such there and it's quite sad for the merchant who is ready to sell it for the price of sackcloth just to get them out of his warehouse."

He felt a little like he was being courted, but marks were marks. "You have to know your markets. Luxury goods catch the eye but they can be difficult to sell. However I do know several someones who might be interested... thank you for the tip."

"I'm not in a position to take advantage of that particular situation just now, so someone might as well profit." If truth were told, he'd already made his marks on that shipment which had been provided by his uncle. At this point the origins of said fabric was so buried under a very legitimate trail of records that there was no concern bringing it here to the Sunstone market. "I'm sure you'll have information quite useful to me one day, your being so familiar with the trade here at Sunstone."

And there were the strings, which oddly made Taril feel more comfortable. Nothing came without a price. "Likely. All sorts of news comes in on the tides."

"And I'm sure you hear most of it," Eirock said knowingly. "I understand your family runs an admirable shipping fleet."

The merchant leaned back in his chair and stretched his one good leg out beneath the desk. "Five good ships in total. We usually do runs between here and Coral Bay territory, but do venture out to River Bluff Weyr and across to the North a few times in a turn depending on what's available."

Eirock couldn't help but imagine the possibilities of running such an enterprise, but quickly tamped down the bit of envy that tried to raise its head. His own station and responsibilities were hardly negligible. As he'd said to Taril, they had very different positions and right now Eirock's primary focus was the Hold's success. "That _is_ impressive. You've a plethora of trade opportunities as well as the obvious shipping contracts." Though he had a dozen questions he wanted to ask, just to slake his own curiosity, he knew they would not be well received at this point, where he'd just met the man. "Must keep you very busy indeed, and I certainly don't want to take up too much of your work day, but I would very much like to buy you a drink and hear more about your operation some time."

"I won't say no. And in a few months, if all goes well and construction goes as planned, I can buy you one at my tavern," Taril replied.

"Diversifying your business endeavors, eh?" Eirock's green eyes shone with interest. He hadn't been simply flattering Taril when he'd spoken of the other man's reputation and business acumen. Both strategic and tactical aspects of business and management intrigued Eirock and he was anxious to discuss the intricacies with someone who could appreciate them as he did. Of course that was secondary to his primary goal of ensuring Sunstone became even more profitable in the next turns than it had in the previous ones. "I will look forward to hearing more about that, though I hope we can have that drink before your tavern is completed."

"I'm sure that can be arranged. You know where to find me." Taril smiled and gestured to his tiny office. "Often here, down at the docks, or at my warehouse."

"Good. I'll look forward to it."

Last updated on the January 10th 2015

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Testing the Waters