Library of Rain

Negotiations

The room looked just like Rain would expect an inn room to look: a small bed with a dresser next to it; in the corner was a pine table with an old man sitting on one of two chairs. The man had absolutely no features that made him stand out. Smiling at Rain, he invited her to take the other seat at the table. 

After Rain sat, the man turned to the boy and said, “Thank you, Arlos, go and keep watch outside for me.”

“Yes, sir,” the boy said before leaving the room.

From the color of the man's words, Arlos was not the boy's actual name.

“Thank you for coming, Thirty-six. You can call me Manas.”

This was actually all true. Why would he give his real name while using a fake name for the boy?

The man paused as if waiting for her to say something, but Rain had nothing to say to him. She had decided before arriving not to tell these people her new name. There was no reason to give an enemy more information.

“Well, yes. I invited you here because I heard about your brilliant escape from the Rothford Auction House. Disappearing from a locked room full of children without leaving a trace. Not to mention the rumors that something of great value disappeared from the Temple of Agro the same day our people observed you praying there until they closed their doors to the public.”

Rain tried to keep her expression neutral. She had made a big mistake waiting for the priests to empty the collection box. That placed her firmly at the scene of the crime. If she had thought a bit harder, she should have realized that. 

Manas chuckled at something. “My dear girl, you need to work on your poker face. Your expression becomes too fixed when you try to avoid showing your emotion.”

Unfortunately, the colors of his words were true.

Rain tried not to sulk at that but apparently failed. The man’s chuckling just got louder. Rain decided just to wait for the man to calm down. And eventually, he did. 

“I’m sorry, young one, I have a fondness for children—that's actually why I need your help.”

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Rain was interested to see that he was telling the truth. This, more than anything, made her inclined to trust him.

“You see, I belong to a group known as the Watching Stars. We deal in information; if there is something someone wants to know, they come to us, and we find it. 

One of our organization's enemies, Lord Miggos, is holding a young girl captive in his estate. Given your track record, I believe you would be capable of helping her to escape.”

Rain considered what Manas had said so far. He hadn’t lied yet, but If he specialized in gathering information, he likely wouldn’t give her more information than she needed. Seeing how much she could get from the man could be fun.

“If your people are so skilled, why do you need me.” 

Manas smiled wanly at her. “The Watching Stars aren’t the ones asking you to do this. This is a personal request. The girl is important to me, and if I try to free her myself or ask the Stars to help me, Miggos might threaten her to stop us. I need someone who Miggos can't trace back to me.”

Now, that was an interesting blend of vibrant truths and inky lies. The Watching Stars were the ones asking her to do this, but Manas was also genuinely fond of this girl. Manas also lied about not wanting someone who could be traced back to him.

What Rain could read between the lines of Manas’s explanation was that this, Lord Miggos, was holding someone of import to the Watching Stars. The Watching Stars wanted to use Manas and Rain as a failsafe. If Miggos captured and interrogated Rain, the Stars would expect her to reveal everything she knew, implicating this Manas fellow. Then, when Miggos came looking for revenge, the Stars could offer up Manas to save the rest of the organization.

Who was this girl that the Stars and Manas would be willing to risk so much for a chance to rescue?

“What is the girl’s name and description?” Rain asked.

“Her name is Ariana. She’s a young girl with curly red hair who is slightly shorter than you.”

“How can I convince Ariana to come with me? Most people really… dislike me,” Rain finished with reluctance. 

“Tell her Uncle Manas sent you to bring her to his secret courtyard.”

Rain processed that last bit of information. If Manas was Ariana’s Uncle, then it stood to reason that Ariana was the daughter of someone in the Stars’ leadership. 

All speculation aside, Rain wanted to take the job. If another kid was held captive, Rain wanted to help free them. Maybe they could become friends after. Having a friend with strong ties to an information-gathering group could be useful. 

Realizing where her thoughts were going, Rain shut them down. Why did she immediately start thinking of how to use Ariana if she befriended her? This kind of thinking was why she didn’t deserve to have friends.

“What are you offering in payment?” Rain asked, trying to take her thoughts out of their downward spiral. 

“I’ll convince our leaders to cancel their contract with Rothford if you do me this favor.”

This was true, but.

Rain shook her head, “Not enough. You’re asking me to put myself in guaranteed danger in exchange for not putting me in possible danger. If you want my help, I want payment.”

“And the temple?” Manas asked with an amused smile.

“What about them?” 

Manas laughed, “Good answer. So what do you want as payment?”

“Information”

This piqued Manas’s attention. “That can be arranged depending on the kind of information you’re seeking.”

“I want three things. I want to know about all small or medium-sized trading companies in Tineak that have fallen on hard times. I want to know about the city's major organizations, legal and illegal. I also want to know how to contact the Watching Stars to buy information in the future.” 

Rain had been thinking about how she could use her newfound wealth to make more money for a few days. The idea she liked the most was buying out a trading company. Not only would this be a way to make money, but it would also provide a way to extend her reach across the isles of the archipelago. 

She wanted to know about organizations in the city like the Watching Stars so she could start planning how to move the major players. Taking control of Tineak would be a big step towards controlling the archipelago.

Manas hummed at her counteroffer. “Information on trading companies I can get for you. I'm afraid that information on all the organizations in the city is too much. I, of course, will be willing to give you information on how to find us should you succeed.

Or, if you wish, we could take you in and train you. You would be expected to do jobs for us, but we would teach you and help you find any information you may be searching for.”

Rain was disappointed to see that he wasn’t lying. She would need to lessen the scope of the information she requested from him.

“If you can’t give me information on all the organizations in the city, then get me information on the major gangs in the city.

As for joining your organization, may I ask you to hold that offer?”

In truth, Rain had no intention of taking them up on their offer. While it would be useful to know how to sneak around and find all the information herself, Rain had other things she would have to do. Hiring the Stars to find the information she needed would be more efficient. Maybe when her reach was long enough, she could buy the Stars’ complete loyalty so she wouldn’t have to worry about them selling information on her. It would be something for her to think about.

Manas smiled at her. “I can get you that information. Do we have a deal?”

Truth.

“Yes, we do,” Rain said, putting two fingers to her lips and nodding.

Manas mirrored her movement, sealing the deal.

“Now,“ Rain said in a bright voice, “to free your niece, I’m going to need a soft chair, a live uffter, a map of the city around where Miggos is holding her, and a blindfold.”