Missing Elements (The Lament Book 3) (7 page)

Smiling, Pran winked at the
woman, who glared back.

"Except that I bet
I
can bring that down to standard and
forty
, if you'll let me handle this
for you? What do you say?"

"
Fine
. Only if you
bring me proof that this is really happening in the next week. Much past then
and it will be too late to get everything arranged. No more than forty over
standard though. I won't be taken advantage of."

That was pretty clear, but after
they hashed out what was said exactly, Pran was able to get over three offices
to where the Airship people worked.

She was fighting a smile the
whole way too.

There was, as she should have
known, a few big problems in regards to getting their deal done in a timely
fashion. The main one, a thing that Pran understood from Captain Jacques face
almost immediately, was that he
really
didn't care for the High
Councilor of the Dyers Guild. It seemed like a personal thing too, since he
actually growled at her about bringing it back up.

"Fuck that! I told that cunt
not to bother me with this again, and now she's sending
Bards
at me over
it? What's next? The ships cook?" There was a darkness on his face that
spoke of impending violence over the issue, but Pran held her ground. Ready to
move and... She didn't have a weapon on her, which suddenly seemed like an
oversight on her part. A Guardian always went armed. Clark had told her that.
More to the point, he'd suggested that
she
do the same at the time.
True, she'd been his Apprentice back then, but it was no excuse to ignore good
ideas, just because she wasn't one anymore.

It wasn't the first time in her
life that she'd come across that particular lesson, either. Back at the Grange
she'd made a point of always secreting something away on her person. A bit of
sharp wood, or if she could get it, metal. Back then she never knew when a
fight was going to happen, and being a girl, and only eight or nine, she needed
to even the odds. You couldn't fight a sixteen year old boy when you were that
little. Not with only your hands.

"What is it with you people
here?" She let her voice sound relaxed and wry, rather than tense or like
she was about to flee the scene before blood could flow. "First the
Guardian at the front door draws down on me, then the
High
Guardian does
it later, and now you're going to make me spank
you
too? Over a good
deal? You
better
have a reason that doesn't involve spilled coffee here,
Jacques. Otherwise I'm going to have to make fun of you.
Maybe
write a
dirty song about what you get up to with livestock." The words played out
just right, first getting him to pay attention to what she said, since having
kinetic pistols pointed at you was a big deal for most people, and then
reminding him that she was a Bard, not a Dyer. Not a
lackey
, either. The
flip tone to it was all her, naturally. It was part of her Bard persona, after
all. A cultivated trait picked to make her seem like more than she really was.
That worked with the man, it seemed, since he scowled angrily, but managed to
quirk his lips sourly, instead of pushing for a real fight.

"You were more polite, the
last time we met."

She shrugged, then looked around
the room, since at least a half dozen people were watching them.

"So were you. Now, let's
forget personal grudges so that
I
can do my job for the day? It's a good
deal, or half of one. The High Energy Councilor has some connections in Luis
and is willing to set up a full shipment back to here, along with her daughter,
to watch out for it. High Councilor Saran
might
need some people moved
around on the line between Gladstone and O'Brien too. That isn't confirmed yet,
but she might. I'll get with the High Judge and see if they have anyone needed
down there as well? That should get The Sorrow a tax break, making the trip
more valuable, right?" She'd been on a ship for two months so had picked
up a few tips and tricks that way. Hopefully her information was close enough
to correct to be useful to her now.

The Airships were all private
concerns, owned by the Captain and her crew, for the most part. When they took
Judges around on their routes, or Doctors, they got tax breaks on whatever they
shipped. It added up, even if it meant making more frequent stops, and
sometimes delays in travel. Trials and illnesses came first, after all. Most
small villages didn't have either of those things, since they normally weren't
needed. Big towns all had Doctors though, and all the major cities had at least
one Judge. Most people lived in small scattered places, however, meaning that
the government had to go to them, if they wanted to keep control.

It didn't always work, as far as
she could see.

The rather hard looking man in
front of her, who had about three days worth of stubble, which he had to
cultivate carefully, since he always seemed to be in that state, as far a Pran
could tell, just glared at her for a while. Robest bowed a little, then, like
the true hero he was,
left
. True there was a bell in the background and
that probably meant he was needed, but she still could have used the help, if
it came to a physical confrontation. Jacques had all his people there.

Well, she knew not to really
count on anyone that way. Most people ran away when things got hard. It was how
they survived.

With a sound that seemed more
than a little annoyed with her, the man reached for a book to the side of his
desk. It had a nice leather cover on it, but a loose binding, so that the lines
of twine that held the pages in could be released to add or subtract pages.
Without looking at her again, he opened it, and carefully moved through the
pages until he came to the one he wanted. It was all hand written, but the
words looked tidy and it was in pencil, not ink. That meant it was something he
could make corrections to, at need.

After ignoring her for several
minutes, probably hoping that she'd leave so he could carry on his personal
vendetta against people that dealt in colors for fabrics, he tapped the page.

"The Sorrow could use a good
run. You've only given me half of one here though. That's
if
you can
really arrange all you just said. What else can you add to sweeten the
deal?" There was a sly look on his face, as if he had something in mind.
Probably thrusting into her behind, or some such. It... Well, she had to do it,
if that was the case, didn't she? There was nothing for it, but to make this
all work. Shutting down her feelings, she nodded, agreeing to whatever it was
he wanted.

"You have something in
mind?"

There was a pause, and a smile
then. A bit of a crafty look to his face, too. Then he glanced over to the
side, where a woman that seemed to be in her late twenties sat. Twyla, his
First Mate. She glanced over and nodded, smiling as she did it, whatever that
meant.

The man did the dealing however, since
that was his job.

"Well... My daughter here is
getting married in two days, to Paul Marwick, of The Lament. It might be nice
to have a Bard playing for the party after, if that could be done?"

Pran nearly made a face at him,
since it was just about a stupid thing to say. She understood that he wanted a
player at no cost, but Bard Benjamin would do it for free without even batting
an eye, she bet. Paul was a friend of his, and a shipmate, and had been for
nearly a year.

Of course his playing on lute and
guitar
was
twangy on the high notes. It didn't mean he was
awful
,
but that could be a factor.

"I'll do it, if you want? I
don't know if either of you have heard me play. I can audition for you, if you
want?" That was pretty normal, when you were just starting out. Twyla
clapped once though, which got a sharp look from the room.

Then she grinned.

"No need, Bard Pran. I heard
you about two months ago. Just don't play that Guardian song and it's a
bargain! Paul will be happy, you're one of his favorites. He mentioned that to
me once."

It made sense that they would
have met up as often as possible, if they were arranging to get married. They
were both kind of old for it, since most did that at about seventeen to twenty,
but they were also both on a rather career driven track. As Firsts on their
ships, either one was actually trained up to become a Captain. That would be
when the real money came in, she bet.

That got a grudging nod from
Jacques, who didn't seem to really want his little girl mad at him over her wedding.
Pran smiled at the idea, but reached out to shake on the bargain. That would
make it seem more real to the man, she hoped.

"Good, let me make sure all
of that is firmed up and see what else I can get going? I have four days... Can
we get a message to The Sorrow about all of this in time?" She knew they
could, but you weren't supposed to go around calling out about radios. For all
she knew those were only allowed to be used in emergencies anyway. This little
situation with some dyes probably wouldn't count.

The man grumped at her a little,
but smiled over at his daughter at the end of it, which made him seem a lot
nicer, somehow. Even if it wasn't directed at her.

"I'll handle that. Get what
you have ready for me tomorrow or the day after, though. I suppose I need to
get with Terry Prine over in Energy and see about getting her to pay cost for
once? That woman can squeeze a turnip until blood runs, I swear."

Pran shook her head.

"Standard rate. It's already
agreed upon. She's covering my agent fees on that side, too. It seems that she
really wants her daughter to come for the holidays. I imagine it will be her
daughter and a few others, even if that wasn't mentioned. I told her that they
had to expect to share crew quarters though. Especially if we have extra
officials going. Does that work for you? I mean, saving those agenting fees
will really sweeten the pot, with them not coming out of your end. Plus, no
haggling needed on your part. I'll handle all of that for you myself, so you
don't even have to talk to anyone you don't want to about this." It was
the least she could do, after all. Especially if she was going to steal forty
percent of the resale value of the goods, after taxes. That was good incentive
to stack the airship with as many government people as she could manage though,
wasn't it?

There was a pleased laugh then
and a head shake.

"That works for me then,
Bard. Now, go get that set up for me, and next time make sure you
ask
me
first, before coming in and pushing me around. I'll wear my dancing shoes, so
it's a fair fight." Then, as if any of that made sense, they shook,
without engaging in combat even a little.

Pran got the idea, he was complimenting
her on making a good deal. It was nice to hear, but things weren't finished
yet. The grasp was firm, but only that, and didn't linger or turn flirty. That
was nice really, being that she knew his wife a lot better than she did him,
and it could be awkward if he really did want to have sex with her. Unless it
was fine with Captain Mira. They didn't live together after all, and were apart
for months on end. Maybe that was just how they lived? It made sense to her,
but there was no way to ask, unless someone told her.

Stopping in the cubby again, to
find Robest, she noticed the incriminating plate was gone, which got her to
wink.

"I... Need to find the High
Judge. Is that on this floor?" It made sense to her, since it had to be a
very important group of people. There was a bit of a shock when the chubby kid
shook his head. "Naw, they're at the back, up on two. No one really wants
them around much, since they know when you're doing something wrong, and will
tell everyone about it. About half back, on the outer left. The floor boy there
will get you to the right door. I should know which one it is, but I don't, so
I'd have to ask too. Tims. That's the boy up there." He didn't seem rude,
or bored, in particular, but he also didn't seem too impressed with her. Not as
a girl near his own age. He looked away a lot, but it was conversational, not
shy. Men did that when they talked. Women looked at your face, men looked away,
or at what you did with your hands. It had been in her stagecraft lessons.

"That should work. Make sure
to stay ready. If I need to call on you for something, I expect you to
hop-to." She didn't mention the cake, since it was kind of silly sounding.
Still, it got the boy to nod, glumly.

He didn't say anything, so she
left, heading for the stairs, off to the right. The floor was a bit slick
feeling under her feet, the stone smooth and probably cold. It looked like it
would be. Not that the wood on the upper levels was going to be warm. That
reminded her to go and make sure the fire was being tended in Clarice's office
when she got a chance. Otherwise it would go out and she'd have to waste a match
doing it over again.

They were probably going to be
there most of the night, she guessed, since the High Councilor didn't seem to
take appointments before noon, most days. Those were normal Bard hours,
however. They tended to live in a slightly different time than everyone else
being that entertainments happened when everyone else was finished with work
for the day.

The little cubby on the second
floor didn't have a boy in it, meaning he was probably busy at the moment.
Unlike the one on the floor below, this one had several notebooks on the little
desk, and a map on the wall to the right. It was of the whole world, and had
markers in several places on it. What they were for, she couldn't really tell,
at a glance. They were pieces of paper, tacked down with pins. There was
writing on them, but it looked like random letters and numbers to her. The
whole feel of the place was a lot more like a real working office than what the
boy below had presented. He'd just been sitting there, munching cake and being
a bit bored looking. Clearly the boy for this floor had plans in the works.

A real map too, which would be a
good thing for her to make a copy of, if she got a chance. Clearly, knowing
where things were could come up for a Bard. It hadn't been covered in classes
much, but here she was, on her first day, making shipping arrangements.

No one came, so after a while she
shrugged and headed to the far left of the large space, hoping she was at least
getting close. It would be a bit daunting to simply stick her head in different
offices and ask for directions, but part of her current job was about meeting
people. That was one way to do it, and as long as she smiled a lot, wouldn't
seem
too
out of place.