Half Past Mid-Bell

[Oliver]

"They call me Peace"

4th Saun, 717
The Lady Libertine

It was a brothel.

Oliver had woken at the crack of dawn and made his way to the Glass Quarter to scout out the mysterious The Lady Libertine. The street was quiet when he had arrived, and there were no lights visible in the establishment. So Oliver waited. It wasn’t long for the area to awaken around him, and before long an elderly washerwoman appeared with a load of laundry from one of the nearby establishments down the street. It had only taken a little small talk to bring the woman around and, with frown and a wrinkled nose, she quickly informed the lad about the “immoral behaviors” going on behind the Lady’s closed doors. She had seen her employer’s husband go in there just two nights past . . . Oliver had left her then with a smile and a hurried excuse, having acquired the information he had been seeking.

He quickly realized that he was out of place here in the Glass Quarter, especially when it came to his outfit. Theo and Zana had proven themselves to be both well-dressed individuals, and they even maintained appearances outside the quarter they resided in. Oliver felt he at least needed to make the same effort. Maybe not the finest of clothes, but definitely something that didn’t make him look like a farm hand.

It had taken a little while, but the fighter had finally found a tailor’s shop willing to measure and alter the clothing for him while he waited. It had taken a while, but Oliver had a new outfit, for his meeting today. The clothing was plain, but clean: a beige, cotton tunic and leather pants. He still wore his old boots, though he had found a well in one of the local neighborhoods and had washed all off the mud. The only thing he didn’t think to do was buy a bag to stow his old clothing—he didn’t have time, when it was all said and done—to return to his rented home in the Earth Quarter to put them away. He arrived that way, a bundle of clothes clutched to his chest, pushing through the door of The Lady Libertine.

It was half after mid-bell.

“Is anyone here?” Oliver called out as he looked around the front room. It was finely adorned, with couches and chairs scattering the room, with a stocked bar on the backside of the space. He couldn’t see anyone from where he stood at the entrance, so the fighter waited, thinking all the while about the offer Theo had for him. He certainly hoped it involved something other than the primary service provided by the Lady. Truth be told, part of him didn’t even really know why he was here in the first place. But here he was, nevertheless

Purchases

Beige Cotton Tunic: 1 SN 9 CN (8 SN [Base] x 1.2 [Fabric: Cotton] x .2 [Dye: Beige] = .192 rounded down)
Leather Pants: 12 GN (3 GN [Base] x 4 [Fabric: Leather])

[Theo Nji'Ryn]

If Oliver had sought out more than a single assessment of the place he was going, he might have been told that the Lady Liberty was in fact a house of ill repute, but one already of very fine and good reputation. At least that's what Theo himself would have them all say. There were always going to be a few wet blankets, here and there, and the old washer woman was a prime example of that. But the people that mattered. Those were the opinions he was interested in.

When Oliver arrived, the place was fairly quiet. Late nights, into early mornings, meant that the earlier parts of the trial found many of the Lady's occupants still in their beds. That was the case this trial. There was business going on as usual, but not that kind of business, and the posted breaks of operation indicated as much. The downstairs wasn't deserted however. There was a well built and very capable man going in and out of the storeroom behind the bar. It was Clayton, checking his lists, taking inventory and restocking tins of tobacco and bottles of wine. There was a young woman wearing little to nothing, lounging on a velvet couch with a cup of tea, and she raised up and looked over the back when Oliver called out. Her face was heart shaped and beautiful, and her hair was a riot of curls half tamed atop of her head, and the other tumbling down her shoulders and back.

It was Brandi, who somehow had never managed to make it upstairs to her bed the night before. She perked right up however at the sight of a visitor and got off the couch to wander over. She wandered much better than most, with swaying hips and a smile that promised the world. At least a particular sort of world. "Well hello, love," she said to Oliver as she looked him over from head to toe. "Aren't you a strapping thing." Then of course she noticed the bundle of old clothes in his hands and adopted a pout, albeit a pretty one. Wealthy prospects didn't show up, clutching a change of clothes.

"You must be the one with the funny name," she concluded. "Theo's expecting you. I haven't seen Zana yet this morning." She pointed to a closed door not far from the bar and added, "He's in there." And just to be obliging, the girl accompanied him and did the knocking for Oliver. "Enter," came the call from the other side. Once the door was opened, Oliver would be confronted with a very fine office, the marble floors gleaming and a luxurious rug covering a portion of them. Gleaming paneled walls, a large oak desk with a familiar face behind it, and behind Theo, a set of glass paned doors that led out into a small courtyard.

"You're right on time," Theo uttered as he put down what he was working on. It appeared that in his opinion, it was a good sign. Of course he didn't miss the bundle of clothing in Oliver's arms. But on the other hand, it meant that he'd made the effort to come prepared. "It's good to see you again. Come in, and leave the door open behind you. Zana will be joining us. Sit," he added then with a gesture towards another chair in front of the desk. "Would you like a cup of tea, coffee? Something stronger?" he asked.

[Zana]

Having thanked Brandi for the tip-off, it was trill after Oliver arrived that Zana tapped the door and walked in. She was wearing a very short red dress which was made almost entirely from lace and fringe. There were a few areas of red satin which meant that the dress itself was an artful tease; it bared a lot of flesh and promised a lot more, but yet kept her modesty. Or it would have, if she'd had any. Her high-heeled red shoes tapped on the floor as she walked over to Theo, her eyes only on him as she moved.

If Oliver had been in any doubt as to Zana's occupation the night before, then he almost certainly would not be now. The combination of the place, the dress and just the way that Zana moved illustrated her as very aware of her own physical form. It would be very usual for the dress to be the focus, considering it's nature, but Zana wore it with the ease of wearing a rag or a ballgown. Her ice blue eyes were beyond confident and as she moved she knew who she was, what she was and how damn good at her job she was.

So, she walked and then, when she arrived next to him Zana leaned forward to kiss Theo deeply, completely unconcerned with the other person in the room as she did so. "Good morning, dear heart." Of course, Zana did not actually live here, but that wasn't something that she was going to share, not yet and not now. Instead, she turned to look at Oliver and smiled. "Well, you're on time and you clean up well. Both good things." With a sweet and innocent expression, Zana asked them both, "what would you two men like to drink? Let me." So long as she didn't have to cook, she'd be fine.

So, whatever they wanted, she moved over to the cabinet behind Theo's desk to get it. There, she prepared the drinks for them and one for herself. When she handed Oliver his drink, her perfectly manicured fingernail traced over his finger and her ice blue eyes watched him, appraising him. It appeared she didn't find him lacking.

Without really taking her gaze off of Oliver, Zana moved to sit next to Theo, draping her arm across his shoulder and trailing her finger over his chest. "So, this is nice," she said, her voice indicating just what she meant by that, "and so very full of possibilities." She leaned forward to kiss Theo's jawline and then sat back and asked, apparently genuinely excited.

"Whatever are we all going to do together?" Zana had innocence and seduction down to a very fine art and she looked at Theo as though it was the most normal, and natural, question in the world.

[Oliver]

"They call me Peace"

Oliver heard movement from across the room, behind the bar, and saw a dark haired man in suspenders and a bowler hat step through a door with a crate of glassware in his two hands. If the man had heard the fighter walked in, he did not acknowledge him now that they were in the same room. Oliver was off-put by this until he noticed a second figure, a woman with brown hair and more skin visible than not. Her gait was intoxicating, her voice sultry, as she made her way towards the lad. It was obvious she had taken him for a paying customer, an early riser here for a rise of a different sort. That notion was soon dispelled by the way, or the things, he carried. All he could offer was a sad grin and rose-tinted cheeks.

The one with the funny name? That wasn't exactly the impression he had wanted to leave with Theo and Zana the last trial, but that couldn't be helped now. Moreover, it would do him no good to show offense to the woman's words; she who was so blunt with her words in her first conversation with a man probably didn't take kindly to thin skins. "Aye, I'd imagine my name does sound kinda funny. Its a farmer's name. Earthy."

Oliver fell in behind the girl after she said Theo was expecting him; there was no need to delay when there was business to discuss. Plus, Oliver found the woman as enjoyable to watch walk away as she did walking towards. He just hoped the man behind the bar didn't observe his slack jawed stare as he followed Brandi. Not that he posed the threat to either of them. No, the distance Oliver kept between himself and the woman, and the wide-eyed expression glued to his face, he was not a man who looked like he had known many women. Because he hadn't. Not a single one.

Oliver gave the woman a nod of appreciation when she knocked for him outside Theo's office, and willed himself not to steal one last glance before stepping into the office. He knew that if this meeting went well, he'd have many more opportunities in the coming trials.

The office was opulent, at least by the fighter's standards. They certainly weren't in the Bronze Boar any longer. Theo was seated behind a desk that filled the room, the throne on which a business man perched. "A pleasure to see you again as well," Oliver replied as he stepped further into the room, leaving the door ajar as Theo had requested. He took the chair offered to him, his pile of clothes sitting in his lap, hands pressed down on the wad in the hopes to make it as unnoticeable as possible. Theo made no mention of them, himself; he asked only his drink preference. "Whiskey, if you have it. Never acquired the taste for coffee or tea the few times my family bartered for it when the peddlers visited our village."

The clack-clack of heels on marble marked the arrival of Zana. If Oliver had thought the last girl enticing, she paled in comparison to the flash of red lace and pale skin that danced past Oliver into the room. Like a Immortal gracing the hall of the temple devoted to her. He could only nod, his face a deeper crimson than before, at Zana's appraisal; the bravado from his victory had faded since last night, leaving only a young man in a strange new place where beauty reigned. He was at least able to repeat his drink request, whiskey, without stumbling over his words. When Zana returned with drink in hand, running a single finger across his own, he nearly shivered. A strange place indeed.

Oliver took a sip of the alcohol to bolster his nerves as Zana moved around the table to resume her place at Theo's shoulder. The lad couldn't shake the image of a pet bird perched on its owner shoulder, the way she sat looming over Theo. A ruby song-bird waiting for her chance to ruffle her feathers. Or perhaps his. He still didn't rightfully know what he had been asked here to do.

The lad seized upon an opening to speak after Zana's question, the whiskey having successfully stilled his mind for the moment. "I'm not entirely sure, to be honest," Oliver said, "but Mister Theo did say something about someone who could hold their own and look out for others. I'm hoping to prove myself to be just that someone. Though I'm a little uncertain as to what role I'm intended to play in an . . . establishment like this."

Oliver fell silent after that, taking another sip of the drink in hand. He hoped, unlike last night, he had come off with a little more respect for the situation at hand. First impressions can be undone, but seconds often less so.

[Theo Nji'Ryn]

Whiskey...if they had it? "Always," Theo quipped dryly as Oliver took the seat that was offered him, and just as Zana appeared in the doorway. He grinned a little when he saw her, and added, "and always the finest too." Of course the place was stocked with coffee and tea as well, and the finest of those to be found. Cigars, loose tobacco...On that note, Theo reached aside on his desk and plucked a cigarillo out of a polished wooden box, and pushed the thing across to Oliver, in case he wanted to indulge. "Right on time," he said to Zana as she joined them and offered to take care of the drinks. She knew what he liked by now and didn't need to ask.

A hand idly slid up her arm when she kissed him, and if Oliver assumed himself to have been forgotten in the process, it wasn't necessarily so. Multi-tasking. Theo was fairly good at that. An arm slid around Zana's waste when she finally settled, and the questions that dripped with innuendo weren't lost on him, but in fact the other man's reaction in turn would speak volumes about his suitability. Or lack thereof. So far he seemed to be holding his own. What role? Theo grinned a little in response. "For now, we've got the entertainment that's needed. We've a different sort of role in mind for you," he said. But the role was somewhat more complicated that Oliver might assume. This wasn't the Bronze Boar after all.

"What's needed," he explained. "is extra security. I consider myself capable. Clayton is. A number of us are, in fact. But those of us who are, also have other roles to fill over the course of a typical evening. The obvious of course is watching over our girls. But the responsibility doesn't end there. Our guests must also feel secure. Understand however that it's not enough to provide security here. Anyone employed here at the Lady Libertine must also be able to practice the utmost in discretion." Basically, the implication was that what happened inside the Lady Libertine, stayed there. No name dropping out on the streets or among friends, no gossip, no rumors...Their guests needed to be assured that their identities were sacred to the same extent that their habits and secrets were. Anything less than absolute discretion was a firing offense. "Do you think you can handle that?" Theo wondered.

[Zana]

When Theo added his comments about only the finest, Zana smiled at him. Then, he commented on her timekeeping and the daughter of Delroth looked at him with a predatory gaze. "Well, I know how you hate it when I'm tardy," she answered and she got the drinks for them. Every move was careful, planned and considered. The slight bend of her knee, the way she leaned forward, all of it. She watched how Oliver reacted to her gentle touch when she gave him his glass and she smiled at him before moving back to Theo.

Leaning into him, she wound a strand of Theo's hair around her finger as he and Oliver spoke, apparently not really paying any attention at all. Zana seemed to be much more concerned with the physical contact between her and Theo and, in all honesty, she was bordering on outrageous in her attention on the business owner. However, once he had spoken, she stopped the feather-light kisses on his ear and she turned to Oliver.

"It's important that you understand that what we sell here is not sex. Selling sex is easy and wouldn't need to be by the break." Her gaze trailed over Oliver and her appraisal was unashamed. "I'm sure a strapping young man like yourself understands that. Whilst I could, without doubt, be the best five minutes you've ever had, nature does have something of a tendency to take over, especially in the young." Her hand moved over Theo's chest, sliding up his neck to run her fingers through his hair, even though she was speaking to Oliver.

"On the plus side, at least the blood wouldn't be rushing to your cheeks. Although you do seem to be able to multi task," she glanced rather pointedly, smiled sweetly and then continued. "What we sell here is a libertine lifestyle. If a gentleman or lady pays for my services for a full break, then they get that. I can pleasure them in way you can't dream of." She glanced at Theo and briefly kissed him, though there was passion in that kiss as she pulled herself against him. "Or so I believe. Would you agree, dear heart?" Zana's ice blue eyes were twinkling as she asked that.

Turning back to Oliver, she continued. "That lifestyle doesn't come cheaply. They pay sixty nel for a single break with me, and thus far well over half my clients have extended that time by up to five breaks after the first one. That might mean a number of things, Oliver. A rich, decadent, entirely pleasure orientated lifestyle is what we sell. Just think what kind of things a man or woman might like to do in order to experience that lifestyle. If Theo employs you," she lifted her eyebrows and gave a cheeky smile. "Well, you'll see a lot of things which might be very distracting to a young man such as yourself." Gesturing to herself she smiled. "With me being most distracting, of course, especially in some of the.." just a brief pause, "positions I find myself in. It's never a dull job."

Leaning back into Theo's arms so that her back was against his chest, Zana lifted her hand to run her fingers in his hair as she rested her head against his. "It really is likely to get quite interesting on occasions. So, a lack of distraction when on the job and absolute discretion at all times. Both are vital." In truth, Zana knew that should he, or she need it, Theo's focus would be absolute and on what it needed to be, even were his hands wandering on her. Could Oliver pull off the same? Who knew. If he could?

"And eventually, you might even earn enough to pay to find out what all the fuss is about. You might want to negotiate a staff discount now." Zana purred and returned her attention to Oliver's potential employer.

[Oliver]

"They call me Peace"

Relief. That was the overwhelming emotion Oliver felt when Theo informed him of his expected role with the Lady. Truth be told, he should have expected the request; their first introduction to him was a fight, so it only made sense that they were looking for him to work security. Yet it was more than security: they also wanted to hire him for his adherence to the anonymity of the clients. It made sense to the lad. He doubted the husband the washerwoman had mentioned was not the only high-profile who was stepping outside of his marriage to attend this establishment, nor did Oliver believe only the uninfluential sought satisfaction. There was information to be had here, and Theo did not want him to sell it. That's easy enough.

"I guarantee I can handle both requests," Oliver said, genuinely confident in that assertion. "I've never been one to play politics. Have no desire to. So I promise that if any breach of identity leaks outside of these doors, they didn't come from my lips. And I'll make sure no ones enters looking for that kind of satisfaction, either."

If Oliver had been red-faced before, when only implicit suggestions had been on the table, he was scarlet after Zana began to talk. It wasn't the topic itself, persay; he had witnessed animals on the farm mate since he was a young child. It was just that he never saw the animals take such pride in a discussion of the act afterwards. Zana, though, was bold in her claims, including the discussion of his performance and "blood to the head," so to speak. She spoke of her profession in the same way that Oliver hoped to speak of his fights here in Rharne. Oliver had never known a courtesan before, but he certainly didn't expect this sort of behavior. Perhaps it came with the decadent atmosphere, Zana's golden personality.

Sixty nels! Oliver could only think to the bells of odd jobs he had to take on to make what Zana earned in one. He didn't deny she earned it, too; still, it was a nice wake-up call, a reminder that he wasn't in his old village anymore. This was a big new world he was stepping into. For a moment, even, Oliver hesitated in his distaste for the entertainment lifestyle. Just a moment, though.

"I agree," Oliver replied after Zana asserted the vitality of discipline and discretion. "And as long as I'm on the job, I'll maintain both. I won't expect Mister Theo to be so free with the women here as he was with the ale last trial. Wouldn't want him to be, either."

Oliver leaned back, turning his attention back to Theo after Zana mentioned a staff discount. There had been a budding thought he had been nurturing since he had arrived that Oliver wanted to ask, and this cue was probably the best one he was going to get. "I'd have to decline on the discount, though there is something I would like to request." The lad took a deep breath, steeling himself. "A sponsorship."

He nodded, more to himself than to the pair before him. "I thought about what you said last night, Mister Theo, about there being better and more known fighters here in the city, and I completely agree. With that said, I truly believe that I'm going to be one of those men here real soon. I'm a progenitor of a fighting style this city has never really seen before, despite its affinity to its namesake, and I believe its going to be the thing to put me on the map in the fighting circuits before too long. And I believe that I'd be a sound investment for the Lady to sponsor in the coming cycles."

Oliver sipped his whiskey for a moment before continuing. "Discretion, of course, can still be the name of the game. There's no need for me to tell where I get my backing from. Unless I begin to win, of course; then by all means, tout me to any one of Treid's moons. And if I start losing . . ." A pause. "Well I'll do everything I can not to do that. But if so, I'm your bouncer and nothing more."

Oliver had made his pitch, though he had one more thing to add. "I'd even take a smaller salary to begin here in exchange for the sponsorship. Should I start winning, and my involvement here begins to lead to increased revenue, we can always renegotiate." He tapered off after that, waiting for Theo's response.

[Theo Nji'Ryn]

Theo considered himself to be an exceptional hand at self-discipline. He had to be with Zana so close, so much of the time. A knack for multi-tasking too. An adept at appearing completely besotted by one thing, while focused on several at once. She didn't make it easy and she knew what his triggers were. All the better to practice then and he was as focused on the matter at hand, as he was her on his lap.

She didn't pull any punches either when she added to what he'd already said to Oliver. "Don't dabble with any of the girls when you're on duty," he said, expanding on something that Zana had mentioned. "On off trials or breaks? Lady's choice." Meaning that if one of them showed an interest and no one was on duty, he wouldn't object unless it became an unwanted distraction or affected the business. Then? He'd put a stop to it right quick. So, Oliver agreed to the terms but then? Theo lifted a single brow and frowned thoughtfully when the man laid out his own hopes in return. Just offered a job, and he came back with terms of his own? Or at least a proposal that hadn't been part of the deal.

That took a particular sort of intestinal fortitude when Theo could have just as easily thrown him out on his ear. The man had balls to do it however, so he was inclined to at least hear him out. He also attempted to sell himself with no small amount of arrogance, whether it was warranted or not. Theo recognized it quickly, but didn't mind too much. He'd never run short of confidence himself. Still, it was in his own interest to point it out. And so taking the time to snip the end of the cigarillo in his hand and then light it, he smiled dryly before speaking. "That's an awful big selling job for a man who's won a single fight, at least so far as I've seen. Even more so, considering your opponent was off his heels from too much drink."

"There's no denying that a successful sponsorship could be profitable for the Lady in the long run. However," he added, "Successful, that's the key. It's an awful big gamble and while I do enjoy a throw of the dice now and then, I prefer the odds to start out in my favor. If we were to agree to a silent sponsorship of some sort to begin with," he considered with a glance at Zana, "with an option to renegotiate the terms, and perhaps more visibility, once you prove yourself worth the while, I see no need for a reduction in salary. Once the Lady is completely in the black, our staff will be receiving bonuses based on the profit during any given season. Your fighting fees might be deducted from whatever that amount may be."

Of course he'd yet to hear what Zana thought about it all, and that was important. It might not always seem like it, and in fact they often implied otherwise, but they were partners in fact. But if they were to agree, there was more. "You do understand however that just as there are expected standards of conduct here at the lady, those same would apply in that case as well" Meaning, he wouldn't begin to consider having the lady sponsor a fighter with a course or vulgar manner about them. Even with the trading of blows, there'd need to be certain standards observed.

[Zana]

The way that she and Theo worked was specific, unique to them. It also worked and the two of them played their roles. She knew exactly what she was doing and why. Her role here was vital, Zana knew. Theo had to be sure that Oliver could keep focus and the amount of girls and flesh on show would be something he had to be able to deal with. It was why she'd worn this dress, after all. Then, her point about being able to keep his wits about him even in the face of the very specific sort of activity which he was likely to see on a night by night basis. If not the whole act itself, then it's run up was very common and sometimes? Well, what the client wanted, the client got. So it was important that Oliver understood what he was going to see. Theo's hands on her, her reaction to them and, in turn, his to her were all part of that game.

There were layers, there was no doubt.

Theo was clear in the laying out of his rules, no dabbling with the girls on the job. "It's different with their handlers," Zana explained. "The relationship between a girl and her handler is specific. It's the handler's job to assess, to critique, to help improve her performance. Theo, Clayton and Patrick are the handlers at the moment, so they might well... dabble," It took skill to make that word sound filthy, but she did it. "If you spot that, it's fine. But nothing else."

When Oliver spoke, though, he gave his pitch about sponsorship and Zana lifted her head and looked at him rather incredulously. Theo spoke first and she resumed her previous attention on him, but when he'd finished she spoke again. "You stood in a fighting pit, a drunk man wandered in and you laid him unconscious fairly quickly. If that was a whore in a brothel, not a fighter in a pit, and that was the best reference she could give, you'd be throwing her some silver as you walk out of the alley." She smiled at Theo, then, and added. "But he is rather muscular. Also, Rharne likes fighters. It might, eventually, be something that you would consider staging. As much as it pains me, physically pains me to say it," she looked at Oliver and waited just a moment, "I think you might be as well discussing an exclusive arrangement."

She shrugged slightly and then added, "or, on the other hand, you might want to consider being his handler. Manager. Whatever you call it in the glorious world of beating people up for a living. You have connections, after all." As always, though, there was a sting in the tail and she added, "after he's proven that he can do more than beat up a drunk and then shout for beer, of course."

[Oliver]

"They call me Peace"

Oliver wasn't sure what he had been expecting from Theo after he had put forth his request. The businessman had proven harder to read these past encounters than Zana. He was a man who kept his cards close to his chest, something Zana would not do for fear of obscuring her enticing figure. In the end, Theo responded in a roundabout, cautious way. At least it wasn't an outright no; there was room to work with.

He knew he had oversold himself to the pair, though it was not out of arrogance, but out of the expected confidence necessary for someone in his position. A bashful fighter was setting himself to get bashed, and at his own expense too. No, boldness was the key to an arrangement like this, a precursor to the showmanship expected of him inside the ring. Theo admitted, thankfully, the potential for success behind the partnership, which was more than he had done the trial prior.

"I'm certainly comfortable to a silent sponsorship to begin with, until I prove myself worth the extra publicity." Oliver wouldn't be the first fighter, he imagined, who had fought with the backing of unknown partners. "And I'm only looking for payment for tournament entry fees in this partnership. Other fighters have their gear and housing paid for by their sponsors, but I'm more than capable of paying my own expenses with the money I have saved up as well as the money I earn here at the Lady."

Oliver nodded in response to Theo's stated expectations. "There won't be two faces to the Libertine coin, I promise that." Oliver felt he was making lots of guarantees and promises this trial, but all in the effort of persuasion.

He listened to Zana's blunt assessment of his potential in silence. The fact that she voiced one at all spoke to the influence she had here at the Lady. Theo deferred to her in ways that he deferred to no one else. They played vastly different roles that sat on the same level of worth. He knew, then and there, that there was not one boss but two to sway. And although he would've preferred a comparison to something other than an alley whore, he seemed to possess better qualities than not.

Zana's suggestion of a manager was an interesting notion, and not one unfounded in this business. "I've heard of some thicker-headed fighters hire people to their mouth-pieces. I think manager is the preferred term." Oliver would certainly prefer that over handler. "I certainly wouldn't say no to the arrangement. I don't consider myself the smoothest of talkers, either, and I don't know very many people in this city as of yet. I wouldn't mind the supervision until I learned the ropes for myself."

Oliver leaned forward, "So then, are we in general agreement, then? The specifics can be hashed out in due time, of course; Saun, from I understand, is a quiet cycle when it comes to fights. I'm certainly satisfied with the expectations of me in regards to the job you have for me."