Selindra woke up late, far later than what she had originally expected to have for the day. There wasn’t anything that she had any obligation to take of neccesarily, but the reality was that the more she slept in, whether it was in the nicest inn in the city like where she was now, or if it were in a simple hovel that she happened to find or may have infilitrated or killed the occupants. Whatever the manner in which she may have gotten into the particular area, what was very clear and apparent was the fact that there was a similar feeling with a lace like that compared with that of a place that was in greater regard than other locations, that it was all becoming similar. It was more beginning to resemble that of home than anything else, and because of that, it made her only seem to further and further dread the location of Hargeon as a whole. It was ruthless, boring, and just something in which she had no interest in being there any further. She felt that she had to get out of this place, but there was a far greater question in, just where it was that she was going to go to. The fact was that whether it was Fiore or a different country or if it were within Hargeon or a different city like Marigold, Magnolia, or Era, it didn’t change the fact that the sensation and worry of becoming too used to home existed there just like all of the others.

The first thing that she would have wanted to do was perhaps board a ship, maybe use that as a means of going elsewhere. Just where? She had not a single idea, but she knew at the very least that there would be somewhere that would not be here. Maybe something different. Maybe something in which she would more benefit from. However, by the time she had reached the docks, she realized that there was little to no chance of that happening. Throughout the docks, there appeared to be a number of ships that were all stacked about, as though there were impounded, unable to set sail for whatever place they might have sought to venture towards. While crews and people filled throughout the docks nearby, hoping that their fortunes would change, there stood a plentiful amount of guards and members of the Magic Council and Hargeon Guard, both of whom were deadest upon insuring that nothing of the sort would be able to take place. Scanning about, hoping to see just what it might have been that was going on or if there were any means by which she would capitailize on this matter, whether it was for fortune or just as a means of hoping to have gotten out of this city, she didn’t care which. The fact was though, with all things going on around her, it did not appear at least htat escape was very likely.

500/2400 [20% Adventurer Discount]

Barely a short distance away from where a huge amount of guards had congregated, there stood a man who Selindra had recognized, if only for the fact that the previous day she had encountered him before. He was the man who she had allowed escape following the drug bust that she had assisted the foolish and weak guard with. Thinking back to that matter, she wondered a bit if the man was still there, or if he had suddenly become releveant, at least enough such that he would be forced to spend the day with the other guards, in the hot sun, wearing all of their heavy armor, looking around and being nothing more than spited against by the people for doing exactly that. What essentially amounted to nothing at all. The prospect of seeing if the idiot was enjoying himself, while entertaining in itself, seemed far too much of a hassle, and worst even came the risk of someone perhaps recognizing who Selindra was from her past or something of that nature. It was a variable that was unable to be qunantified, and therefore not worth the risk. Instead, she headed over to see what the man was doing. After all, she had done him a favor. Whatever was on his mind, it was likely that she would be able to convert it into something for her own benefit, or at the very least, she hoped that it would. Much to her delight, as she moved towards the person’s location, his expression immediately indicated that he did in fact remember who Selindra was, and judging by the small smirk on his face, he was already figuring out an idea that probably he – and Selidnra by extension – would be interested into.

Selindra took a small seat upon a crate nearby the man, who was being very careful as to keep himself concealed as to not be exposed by the guards near one of the boats, one that very clearly the man was looking at and focusing towards. Some people were looking at some ships which more resembled that of merchant ships and ships designed to go from place to plce, which was one where in which Selindra was looking to have gotten on, but given the amount of guards that were there, it was not likely that that was going to happen, however she might have hoped it to have been. But the one that was nearby where the man was, there were only a few guards, and it was very clearly that the guars were not particularly invested or interested in what they were essentially defending, or in this case, sealing off from the rest of the world, and whatever was in this ship, she wondered what it might have been. What was very clear though was that there were some crates near the side of the ship, which may have been what the man was interested in. That he was hidden was indication that it was probably valuable.

1000/2400 [20% Adventurer Discount]

Listening to the man explain what was going on, it made far more sense, an honestly it was something that far more intrigued Seldinra than perhaps what she was originally expected to have been. According to the man, as she sort of expected given their very first encounter when she saved him from being arrested by the guard, he was invested in all sorts of affairs and things within Hargeon Town. Not all of which was legal, but all of which tended to be lucrative and most often made him and the parties associated a lot of money in the process. Within that particular ship, there was something which he had not tapped into yet, but was very interested into grabbing for himself. Tea. It was something that while not being as profitable in the past, it was rapidly growing in popularity and value since the time period of peace had hit Fiore. Now everyone was looking to invest in tea because it was being bought and sold like drugs amongst the poor. Everyone wanted it. And not everyone was able to get it. And this man, who was known for being able to get everything seemingly, was unable to get tea. Though it would be hard to believe, as she came to understand, it was because the people who were pushing tea were unwilling to sell to him, given much in part due to his reputation. Apparently, there was a very risky business, and to be associated with someone like him was a huge risk they weren’t willing to put upon their own reputation.

It was a tough spot to be in, as Selindra suspected. To know that most of the businesses in this city would in some capacity or another go through him, but knowing that the currently most lucrative market right now was seemingly out of his grasps with him unable to do anything to really stop it, she wouldn’t have much liked to know that, and certainly he feels very similar to that. The plan he proposed was one that made sense, and if done right, would be able to resolve all of the issues that he was facing and put him in a very prosperous position, but it would be reliant on a few factors for it to go off the way that he hoed it would. And Selindra would be right at the center of it, and more to her own concerns and selfish reasonings, would be more than open to the idea of ensuring that she was fairly compensated for such a move. As he explained it, if the tea importers felt so much pressure as to not enable them to have any shot at earning a profit due to political conflicts, then it would be foolhardy to suspect that they could actually function in Hargeon as though there were nothing wrong. With no business, they could not afford to be selective, and with this man making the only offer, they’d be forced.

1500/2400 [20% Adventurer Discount]

The plan was not particularly complicated or fancy, but rather it was one that more relied on Seldinra’s ability to manipulate others, a trait that she had honed in for the better part of her life. That wasn’t what worried her, but rather it was that it relied on a handful of other variables that she had very little control over. The best to say of this idea would be that it was ambitious, but not exactly one in which would work, except if the circumstances worked directly into their favor. Once the guards seemed to have walked away for a short time, she finally saw a chance to make her move, all the while hoping that things would fall into play as she and the man hoped they would. With the guards taking a short break, it left a brief moment to the woman to make towards the goods. She had to know how to best go about looking around making it appear as though she was ready and working hard in place of the guards. The first thing that the people who were on this ship, if they were to believe and follow along with the story that she was going to sell to them. After a very short time period, the guards had not yet returned, and instead there appeared to have been several people who emerged from the nearby docked ship, visibly annoyed certainly by the guards who had been there earlier, but now they had an outlet to vent their rage in Selindra, but little did they know that she was the one who they really had to worry about rather than the guards. They began to yell and complain, demanding to know who she was and what she was doing, but she remained calm, asking them to show her the goods in which they were transporting. They asked why, and she spun an incredible lie about her being a representative of the guards who was there to see if the goods were stolen and smuggled goods or not. It was not as thought they could simply ask the guards as they were now gone, so they had to take her word on the matter, and as they said that they were trying to sell tea, she demanded to see the goods, not just to know how valuable it appeared to have been, but also further along her little ploy.

Much as she had hoped for, the captains on the ship appeared to have been visibly frustrated, to the point where they were not going to stop her from going about with her ruse further. They carefully opened up one of the crates that were nearby, the faces on them showing that they were not particularly happy or comfortable with going about this process, though they were hardly in a position to reset, especially with no clear indication of when the guards who had been there earlier were going to return. For all any of htem knew, they left in place of the woman hwo know was claiming to be responsible for them dealing with all of these affairs that they were not interested in dealing with at all. As the man opened up the crate, Selindra could indeed confirm that it was tea. And a whole lot of it. There were bags upon bags of it. Hundreds, if not even thousands of them that might have been tightly stacked upon each other, no doubt as a measure to ensure that if something were to happen, it would be prevent the bags on the interior from being ruined. Granted, the outer layer and maybe a layer or two beneath them might have gotten damaged, but it would for the most part preserve about ninty percent of the total amount of bags within the crate entirely.

Despite knowing this, there was still more that Selindra could do, as she wasted no time in accusing the captains of pirating drugs into the city of Hargeon, an obvious lie but one in which enough stink could have been made about it such as to cause them to wholly and fully hate Hargeon Town and the guards within it. They protested as much as they were able to, but Selindra would not hear any of it. It wasn’t just that she knew nothing of the actual laws and therefore could not further along her act if they wanted to go into greater detail, but also that she didn’t care. She just wanted them to feel as though they would be unable to do any business within the city. If they had that belief stuck int heir head, it would be far easier for the man to make ad eal with them, an as she turned her head, she saw him give her a thumbs up, an indication that there was going to be more than enough done to make sure a deal would be worked out that was favorable to not only him, but also her. Selindra simply dismissed the people and disappeared entirely out of sight, so as to make sure they didn’t see her talk with the man again, but then shortly thereafter they met up again, with the man certain that a deal would be worked out and as expected, he provided her with what she imagined to have been her pay. Satisifed, she then departed.

2400/2400 [20% Adventurer Discount]