Sealing a Deal

[Frozen]

Mission Name: Novice Diplomat
Rank: D
Description:
Make low-level connections with potential and existing trade/political partners in other countries. Carry out any tasks given by them to gain their favor.
Restrictions: None. Repeatable.
Rewards: 25 EXP 500 Ryo

Elsa had returned to the city and had received a letter in the mail the next day inviting her to meet with the kid from yesterday’s boss. If all went well Elsa would have officially made a trade agreement with a foreign city! She only hoped that it wouldn’t get too complicated. She wasn’t well versed in exact pricings and could only hope that they offered her an amount of money close to what her scroll’s chart said was acceptable. With a yawn, Elsa slipped back indoors and thought about what she was going to wear on this big day!

She couldn’t wear her best dress; it was currently covered in tiny sand particles that would look absolutely trashy in the presence of a trade minister. She also didn’t want to wear her travel clothes either. She settled on a regal cloak and her tiara since she doubted anything could go wrong with being formal. She made sure to bring along her scroll so that she would have some negotiating points if they happened to come up.

The trip to town proved very difficult from a travel standpoint. She dared not actually walk to the office where they would be meeting since it would dirty her clothing. She also dared not take transportation since it would mess up her hair on these poorly maintained roads. The dread of what she must do came at her all at once when she realized that she was going to have to pick one or the other. She eventually figured she’d be better off just taking a taxi carriage since it’d give her some extra time to prepare her pitch. However she didn’t get much thinking done since the only carriage around already had some people in it that kept trying to bother her. Sometimes being a beautiful princess had its downsides!

Half an hour later and Elsa arrived at the trade ministry just on time. She walked briskly up the steps, drawing attention to herself since she clearly did not have a city look. Once she got to the large double doors, she was stopped by a guard who asked what her business here was. Elsa let the man scan her ID bracelet then said, “I’m here to see Sircharl to discuss a trade agreement with Erandelle.” The guard checked his records on his computer then nodded and waved her inside. “It’ll be the third door on the left, lass” he called after her.

Elsa navigated through the busy entrance area and soon found herself at the door. She knocked thrice, waited for approval, then entered the office only to have her jaw drop in surprise. This room was just so… lavish. She rarely saw anything even close to being this nice in her parent’s private quarters let alone in a trade minister’s office. Golden fountains spewing wine coupled with various jewels that decorated every ornament in the room dazzled the princess as she tried to get a hold of herself. Oh my gosh!

[Frozen]

It took a good minute or two for Elsa to stop looking around the room and finally make eye contact with Sircharl who was sitting at his desk with his fingertips touching one another. He was accompanied by Kairo who was the boy Elsa had talked to the other day.
“Welcome princess. Please take a seat.” Elsa blushed then quickly strode over to the desk and took the only chair across from Sircharl.
“Thank you for meeting with me,” she said, not really sure how to get things started. Sircharl ruffled through some pieces of paper on his desk before responding.

“Yes, it looks like you’re trying to sell us… ice. Quality ice if what you’ve told my apprentice here is correct. Hmm, yes. Unlike my young ward, I have heard of Arendelle in the past and I believe it is one of the best if not the best ice ever seen in the history of this city.” Elsa started to get excited, until the man continued, “but I’m sorry to say ice, no matter how elegant, is not enough to justify the costs. I have no doubts you can provide us with enough ice to make cheap shelter during the winter as well as ice that dissolves in a certain way. However it just doesn’t seem feasible. I can’t even imagine how much shipping entire houses made out of ice would cost! And we have to think about properly storing such ice if we don’t want to use it immediately. I’m going to give you one and only chance to convince me otherwise."

Elsa gulped. The minister definitely knew his stuff and had pointed out many flaws in any potential trade agreement. Getting ice to people near the kingdom had never been an issue because they never had to bring it far. Hell, ice users could always just make a short trip and make the structures on site if necessary. However to come all the way to the thunder country for one client? This didn’t make much sense at all. Shipping blocks of ice didn’t seem like a good idea either since it’d be a huge hassle to deliver it especially in the winter. Welp, it was time for Elsa to bring some of their new technologies to light.

“I assure you shipping will not be a costly portion of this deal. We have become experts at moving ice over the past few decades and can simply have ice and water users on board to help speed things up. In fact, let’s just say free shipping if you can guarantee fully loaded trips?”

Sircharl paused for a moment then said, “Deal. Let me think over the specifics, however. In the mean time I would like you to get my son. I should be done by then and it should let you get to know a little more about the city.”

Elsa was handed a map with a location marked on it then was almost forced out of the room as Sircharl and Kairo started talking heatedly about what they should offer Arendelle for the ice. They probably needed to figure out what to order as well from the catalog Elsa had provided.

[Frozen]

That had been far too easy, in Elsa’s opinion. Just a few simple words and she had killed most of her self-doubt in a single fell swoop. It made her want to laugh, really, considering how difficult the guy seemed to be at the start. She guessed they just wanted to sweeten the deal on their end a bit. She was glad it didn’t get much more intense since she didn’t think she had the backbone for any tense negotiations. At least not yet. It would have been pathetic if she allowed herself to be toyed with this way. Hell, Elsa had barely tried, simply experimenting to test her haggling skills and what she had learned was quite clear.

She was too kindhearted, and to make it worse she was a great big wimp that could barely move without threatening to fall flat on her face. At least when she had left her kingdom she’d had a hidden passion buried beneath the surface that threatened to burn her alive if it was not released. It made her intriguing to her, made her want to fight and become stronger. She had even gained proficiency in the wind element! Just by simply becoming more confident and following her passion. It was a strange thing that Elsa was getting stronger by letting her inhibitions go! (hue)

Eventually Elsa tracked Sircharl’s kid down. He was in a park just playing alone on a swing set. She didn’t really know the context of the situation, but nobody seemed to be talking or playing with him. It could have been that he had come here alone or perhaps he just didn’t have any friends. Elsa wouldn’t judge him either way; she had her fair share of just wanting to be alone in her childhood.
“Hello there,” she would say in a gentle tone as she took a seat next to the young boy.
“Hi. Has father sent for me?”
Elsa was amazed at how dead this kid sounded and how he just assumed Elsa was here to pick him up. She feared that one day he would get kidnapped if it was so easy to gain this kid’s trust. This must have been a very frequent thing for him to go through.

This kid didn’t seem to have any willpower whatsoever. Shame really. She’d always had a respect for the noble and prestigious people of any town. Elsa smiled when he turned to her, the boy visibly flinching just seconds before then, appearing to be a little shaken by her sudden appearance. “Well I am waiting on your father to discuss a trade deal with my kingdom. I take it you get picked up by strangers often?” The boy’s reaction to her words was slightly noticeable, ranging from pain, shame, and then his insecurity became completely obvious with one simple once over.

He must have failed at everything he attempted no matter how hard he tried; this she could tell from a single glance. This meant his father probably wasn’t too happy with her. The noble were a proud group and did not take failure lightly from what she had experienced.

[Frozen]

The boy stayed silent and got to his feet. Elsa continued, “I know what it’s like. I myself never lived up to my parent’s expectations. That’s why I’m here actually. I need to prove to myself that I don’t have to live by my parent’s standards. I am trying my best to forge my own path. I’m sure if you break out of this rut you’re in you can find happiness!” Even though Elsa truly believed in her own words, the kid didn’t seem that naïve. “what do you know,” he asked, “if you’re weak in your clan, you are useless to them.”

Continuing to look her over for a moment, he took in her appearance; she wasn’t too bad looking and, actually, she was quite attractive. She had major aesthetic qualities that was for sure. He would never dress like her. He liked to keep it practical. What the hell was he doing? Checking her out? Disgusting. His nose wrinkled up in disgust, though it was not at the beautiful princess, but at himself. Had he not already learned her lesson when it came to other women? Evidently not. He wanted to be calm and collected but Elsa had already brought up his situation that she had somehow guessed just by looking at him. God I’m pathetic, he would think as tears welled in his eyes.

And suddenly hw turned away from her, his eyes on the ground. Hm. He must really be insecure. If a few little words could hurt him that badly, she wondered what a few ‘battle’ wounds would do to him. If he was already trembling, he’d be sobbing by the time he was done with a fight. Besides, if he got a sound beating, maybe it would convince him to get tougher. He really needed something like this to get her blood going. Besides, he was still mad that she had brought up this topic. However Elsa refrained from pushing further and simply got to her feet.

“Let’s go. Your father is waiting and I don’t wish to upset you further. I’m sorry if I touched a nerve.” The kid needed to let off some steam and this girl was a pretty good target considering they were out here alone now that the other kids had left. Wait… was he really going to attack this beautiful woman just because she had said some things to him that he didn’t like? Well, as soon as he got done with his little mental battle that he was obviously having, he’d decide against it and follow Elsa back to the trade ministry.

Upon arriving, Elsa received Sircharl’s offer for Arendelle’s ice products with a detailed list of what they wanted to try and what they wanted in bulk. This really had been a lot simpler than she had imagined. The price that they offered even fell above what she had expected to get. Perhaps he was just cutting her a deal for doing an errand for him, or perhaps they still overestimated exactly how much it cost to produce what they ordered. In any case, Elsa bid the man and boys farewell and was on her way!

-exit-

[Axcel]

+36 exp

+25 mission exp and 500 ryo