A Whisper of Change To Come

Posted on Tue May 26th, 2020 @ 8:32pm by Jacob Lara & Alden Loxley

Mission: Fortune & Glory
Location: Poseidon
Timeline: 4 months ago

The peaceful atmosphere of the tea house, as it settled around him, brought a sense of calm reflection to Jacob's mind. He had heard, only days before, of the ship that had come to Poseidon, and his anxiety had ratcheted up, as he began to envision a new beginning for himself. It wasn't that he disliked his life, or that he felt it necessarily needed to change, it was more a yearning to learn more than books could teach him. He wanted to see the Verse first hand, not watch the vids, or listen to stories told by his clients. He'd reached out to the ship's owner, after doing a little research on his own, and requested a meeting. He hadn't had much hope that his request would be greeted in a friendly manner; after all, unless one was contracting with a Companion, most found them distasteful. Still, he had had to try.

He was still musing on these facts, his mind placidly wandering from thought to thought, when he heard the gentle shush of a rice paper screen being moved aside. Bringing his face back up he smiled warmly and looked on the man who entered the room. From his position, sat behind the small table in zazen posture, he had to look upwards to do so, and it gave him a full view of the man he was hoping to convince of his plans. He was attractive, very attractive, with light brown hair and blue eyes, though it was his physique, obvious even through his clothing, that was catching Jacob's eye the most. Pushing such thoughts away, and focusing on the business at hand he spoke.

"Welcome Captain," he said, his deep, rich voice filling the space. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. Please, sit."

Poseidon. The third moon orbiting the planet Ariel in the White Sun system, home to extravagant resorts, the Stimmengott Opera House and definitely Core territory. Made Alden a little nervous, but the job was legit and the pay excellent, and they needed to pay his brother back for the loan. Repairs and a replacement shuttle didn't come cheap. Needs must.

He'd agreed to meet the Companion who'd contacted him direct, because, honestly, he didn't know what to expect. Companions were usually those being contacted, not the ones making the outward introduction. Alden was curious.

Curiosity, as Drake often told him, was a double-edged sword. Or a many-headed dragon. Bad. It was sometimes bad. Alden didn't care.

Dressed in a light shirt and utility trousers, smart, but essentially casual, the Captain of the Fortune's Echo stepped into the room and regarded the comfortable-looking gentleman behind the table. This was all, Alden considered, way more civilized than he was used to, but he could do this. He smiled. A big open-mouthed happy grin and he crossed the room to take the offered seat.

"Thanks for the friendly summons," he said, tone amicable and stance nonchalantly confident. "Gotta admit I've never been invited to a meeting by a Companion before. Well," he corrected himself. "Maybe once, but that had extenuating circumstances."

"So," Alden raised his eyebrows and relaxed back in his chair. "How may I be of service?" He couldn't help but smile as he asked that.

From his seated position Jacob returned the man's smile. His jade green robes, a stylized version of a kimono particular to the Companions on Poseidon and Ariel, emphasized the color of his eyes, and the lighting making them sparkle merrily. "Not a question I'm used to being asked," he said with a hint of a chuckle. "But you are correct in assuming there is something I wish from you, Captain," He added, pouring lightly steaming water into the vessel he'd only just spooned several measures of a vibrant green powder into. Instantly the air was perfumed with a vibrant vegetal aroma, with a beautiful floral note, reminiscent of jasmine.

"I seek permission to join your ship on her voyages, as a long-term paying passenger," he finished, while he whisked the tea and poured it into two very small cups. Holding one out to the other man he watched his face, and his body language to see what he might learn from his reaction to the request.

The man, Alden considered, was somewhat gorgeous. Hell, while he might not be personally lean that way, he could see why people paid for his time. He wondered, as Jacob Lara asked for a paying ride on their boat, what Alison would make of this little arangement, and grinned broadly. He had a feeling she'd wholeheartedly approve, and with her history, it should make life interesting, in a good way.

So Alden took the tea, and spoke a quiet word of thanks as he lifted it in a gesture of polite gratitude. He wrinkled his nose as he drank, but didn't hesitate to imbibe, the taste of flowers filling his mouth in a rush.

"And here I was wondering if you wanted me," Alden teased lightly as he placed the empty cup down on the table. He'd considered the request, and hadn't instantly dismissed it by any means. His internal sense of fairness, however, demanded that, despite the offer of coin, he lay out the reality of what Jacob was asking. "But... in all seriousness, we're a cargo ship. I'm not sure you'd be seeing the best parts of the Verse if you hopped on board with us?"

"Captain, to be perfectly frank, I could see the "best parts of the Verse" with no help from you. I am interested in seeing the reality of the Verse. A cargo ship, doing long-haul runs, will give me that opportunity. I will be honest, some of it may be far less glamorous, but I have all the glamour I could want here on Poseidon, or just down on Ariel, and it's gotten to the point where I want something far more interesting," Jacob replied, sipping his own tea.

Truth was, he had the money he needed, and more. He could probably buy his own ship at this point, and just travel and explore wherever he wanted to go. In fact, once he'd had a bit of experience, that might even be the path he took. He couldn't, however, justify in his mind simply going out on his own with the more sheltered life he'd lived, and risking everything on a whim. Joining up with a crew on a vessel would be far safer in the long run.

"And another factor is that for all I can manage to find, your ship is a newer one. The crew isn't too tightly integrated, so it would be easier for an outsider to join you without causing unnecessary friction," he added, with a slight smile.

Alden listened to the rich man speak and kept his opinions mostly to himself, his face an amicable expression of genuine interest. With their current location, its proximity to Ariel, the look of this place, and the perfection he saw before him, Alden suspected Jacob had little idea what actually lay outside his little bubble of the Verse. Maybe that was unfair, but the wealthy and privileged tended to romanticise the rougher element of the Verse. He wouldn't be surprised if the man wanted to come running back to comfort, security and friends before too long.

Still, there was a great deal of money to be had while Jacob discovered that (or didn't) and Alden needed financing. The payments would nicely coincide with the loan he owed Drake, and having a Companion on board? It was definitely a Good Thing. Respectable, interesting and would get them into places others couldn't easily go. A golden goose, of sorts.

"Interesting I can't promise you," Alden said, honestly. "But we're definitely going to be hitting some of the sights, yes. Some of them likely a lot grimier than you're used to. Others off the beaten track and a mite dangerous. You'll have use of a shuttle, though, your own space." He looked down and came back up with a self-effacing smile.

"Fortune's not new," Alden admitted. "Kinda been around some, but she's in great shape and you're right, most of my crew are recent additions. I see you've been doing some... deep research?" He didn't sound entirely overjoyed about that aspect of this meeting.

Jacob gave the man his most disarming smile. "I assure you, Captain, I did as little digging as possible to get the information I needed. Your business is none of mine," he said, hoping to put the other man's fears at rest. "And as to the grimy, and dangerous you've mentioned, there are Companion Guild Houses on almost every habitable world in the Verse. We are all trained to take care of ourselves. You needn't worry about that. And besides, if I wanted pretty and perfect I could just stay here..." he added.

He wasn't falling for that look, especially from a trained Companion, but Alden let the matter slide at 'your business is none of mine' for now. There was a great deal of money about to be involved, far as he was concerned, Mr. Lara could be a little bit in his business for that price.

At the comment regarding pretty and perfect, Alden raised an eyebrow and offered a lopsided smile. "You are just plain adorable," he noted, with an inflection to his tone that suggested he was semi-serious, if in a lightly mocking way. "Trained to take care of yourself?" Alden asked. "So you can fight?" He stood up. "Indulge my curiosity, cos I've never seen a Companion fight..." He grinned as he considered he'd probably regret this.

Jacob gave the man a sardonic look, unsure if he was completely serious, as he stood, and smoothly dropped into a proper defensive stance. "Are you quite certain you wish to proceed?" he asked, suddenly completely serious. He'd been trained in many different forms of martial arts, both defensive and offensive, and was capable of handling men much bigger than the man before him if the need arose. Still, he didn't want to hurt the man just to satisfy his curiosity.

"Tzao Gao," (Oh crap) said Alden, but his grin hadn't entirely vanished either. He stretched out his shoulders and arms, his gaze kept level with Jacob's own, and he wondered just what exactly they learned in Companion school. He'd never asked any of the ones he'd met to fight before, but, as he stood there looking at the man before him, he noted how serious Jacob looked.

A flash of a cocky grin and Alden beckoned him forward.

"Bring it, pretty boy," he said, and relaxed into his own footing, fists raised up and eyes keenly watching for that first move.

Jacob's training had been ferocious, and sparring had been no-holds-barred owing to the fact that if they ever got put into a situation where the skills were needed they had to understand not only how to use them, but how they affected you when used. With that in mind, pulling a punch, or any other move was never allowed. It was full-force each and every time. Even against female trainees a male was expected to hold nothing back. He hated that the man had decided to put this to the test, but it was his own choice, after all.

With a minute nod Jacob struck out, his balled fist slamming into the other man's solar plexus with all of the force of his body weight behind it as his other fist swung around in a hook that slammed, solidly against the side of his jaw. Using the force behind the hook he spun, bringing his foot up slightly, and around, letting it hook around the man's nearest ankle and jerking his feet out from underneath him.

Well, that went... badly, Alden thought, as all the air rushed out of his chest, his head swung back and his arse hit the ground hard. He fought to regain a single breath in order to curse audibly and had to settle for a wheeze of an inhale as he tenderly ran fingertips over his aching jawline.

"Owwww!" He finally said, a grumpy tension colouring his tone as he remained seated and defeated on the floor. "Yeah, okay," Alden noted a moment later. "You seem to have sufficient training. Good test run. Next time though, I'm not gonna go so easy on ya, okay?"

With a gentle chuckle Jacob extended his hand to help Alden up. "I will keep that in mind," he replied with a knowing grin.

Stubborn pride won out and Alden ignored the helping hand and pushed himself unceremoniously to his feet. He did offer up a begrudging smile though and spoke with his head canted to the side.

"So," he asked, without any shame whatsoever. "Would you also be working on this little adventure trip of yours?"

"I don't really know a Companion that isn't always working, Captain. It's really the purpose of our existence, and we take great joy, and fulfillment in our work," Jacob replied. Many people didn't truly understand the amount of work and dedication that went into being a companion, so he was asked questions in the same vein as the one Alden had just asked surprisingly often.

"But I can assure you I will ensure that my work never interferes with your own schedule," he added, suddenly aware that the man could potentially be considering that as a reason his joining the crew would be unwise.

Alden nodded. "Great joy and financial fulfilment," he said, with slight derison, but no malice in his tone. They got paid, didn't they, for all that purposeful pleasure giving. "Understood," he added then with a bit more purpose. "Well, you'd be paying for privacy and the sole use of one of my shuttles, so that's your domain and we'll all respect that boundary. Port or starboard?" He asked, apparently accepting this man and Jacob's request for a business contract.

"Our schedule always comes first," Alden agreed. "I got mouths to feed and a ship to keep flying." He brushed a hand down his shirt and looked back across at Jacob. "But I'll accomodate your business arrangements if you keep me in the loop, and I'll give you notice of where we're going and for how long at a time. Deal?"

"Port, if you don't mind," Jacob replied. It was an arbitrary decision, but for some reason, it felt right. He'd never been on a true long-haul ship, so most of this was completely new to him, and a little strange. "As for the rest of it, I will make certain you are kept in the loop, as you say, and I will thank you in advance for the consideration you are showing me. It should make both our lives much easier to keep lines of communication and consideration flowing."

"Port it is," agreed Alden easily enough. Mr Lara hadn't been put off yet, and a steady source of income was never a bad thing, right? He did wonder what would happen if this guy suddenly decided he hated everything out there in the black. "I expect payment a month in advance," he added, just to cover his arse. "And discretion," Alden continued. "On both sides. I'll send you over the contract, keep us all legal like. Anything else I should know about?" He asked, hoping Jacob didn't pry too much in return.

"No, Captain, that should cover everything," Jacob replied, extending his hand for a shake. "I am quite glad we could come to an agreement."

Alden shook the younger man's hand as firmly as he would anyone he planned on doing serious business with. He noted Jacob's soft, supple skin, the subtle fragrance of the man and he nodded firmly. "We have an accord," he agreed. "Now you get to meet Alison, my second. She'll get you settled in." Alden stepped back and smiled. "That is, if you're ready to leave when we do?"

"I have everything ready to leave whenever you wish, Captain. I shall head to the ship to meet with your you second," Jacob replied with a smile.

"Got a couple things to do before I head back," Alden said with a nod. "Go right ahead and tell Alison I sent you," he added. He was curious to see what they'd make of each other in all honesty, but his friend and First Mate had known he was coming to meet Jacob, so it wouldn't be a nasty surprise when he showed up. "I'll see you there." He turned to leave, then paused and turned back. "Get her to make you some tea," Alden said, his expression somewhat enigmatic.

After watching Alden leave, Jacob quickly tidied up the room and then paid for the time they had used and the supplies, and headed out. He'd already prepared all of the things he planned to take with him before the meeting, hoping that it would work out the way he'd planned. It was nothing but clothes, and a few books, all inside one medium-sized trunk, and no more than a call away from being delivered. It was only a fifteen-minute walk to the area the ship was parked at, and he made that call as he walked.