The Future Is Bright (Esen)

The Heavenly Emporium was the perfect meeting place; it was neutral in all wars and politics, it had heavy security and had the added bonus of some of the best bars on the planet. Kara had arrived at her favourite spot - The Maidenhead - in her usual attire; A long flowing blue gown with platinum and sapphire jewels on her neck and nestled in her blonde hair. The platinum of her jewelry nicely complimented the silver colour of the prosthetic on her right arm; an engineering marvelOn her feet were her signature stilettos that made a distinct ‘click’ noise as she crossed the large barroom to a private booth in the back. Her faithful bodyguard Doku was with her, his katana at the ready and his silver eyes on the lookout for threats. The pair crossed the room and sat in the private booth as though they owned the place. While she didn’t technically own it, she was one of the founding and leading members of the Stag Emporium - the company that ran the Heavenly Emporium. So she was well respected in the floating city.

Within moments of sitting down a server arrived with a tray containing her favourite drink; a bottle of warmed sake and a small porcelain sake cup. Kara nodded appreciatively to the server and made a mental note to tip especially well today, the timeliness of the man had probably set a new record. Before the server left she would stop him and give him instructions that she was not to be disturbed by anyone other than Esen Uzumaki - the person she was meeting discreetly. The server nodded and left, knowing full well that he was also supposed to keep that information discrete. This was not the first time Kara had used this particular private booth for a discrete meeting

Doku stepped outside the booth and stood guard, he would also not allow anyone but Esen to enter. Kara had taken it upon herself to send a request to Esen after her experience with Project Neo Sanguinis which had unlocked a very curious bloodline within her. She had requested that he come prepared with his Clan’s techniques and that she would most definitely make it worth his while. Now she just had to wait to see if he showed up.

This was a most peculiar invitation that had arrived at his desk, though it certainly was able to cause Esen to raise a curious eyebrow and have his mind reeling with potential possibilities. While the invitation itself was surprising, considering it came from the most famous woman in the shinobi nations, it was not the most surprising detail in the invitation from Kara Darkh. The request of bringing along his clan’s techniques raised his curiosity infinitely. If this was going to be about what his mind was thinking, there was leveraged to be had. At least enough for Esen to not completely lose out on information freely. Kara was a woman with money, so her invitation along with this request had Esen already planning his course of action once he met her.

As he stepped into The Maidenhead, Esen provided his name to the hostess and was instantly guided to a private room, one where a muscle head stood outside as a guard. “I believe my presence was requested here.” A small smile graced his face, though his expression was mainly neutral. He waved the letter that he had received from the woman, before pocketing once more. It would be destroyed eventually, Esen just kept it incase he needed to show the proof of invitation. “I do believe we can skip over introductions. You already know my name and I just as well know yours.” He would only step into the room to sit down once prompted and in the seat that was indicated to him.

Kara hadn’t waited long for her guest to arrive, and when he did he was immediately escorted to the private room where Doku stood guard. Doku would just grunt and move aside long enough to verify with Kara that this was who she was waiting for, and once she nodded he would hold aside the heavy curtain that separated the booth from the rest of the space. Kara smiled charmingly at the orange haired man and gestured to the seat across from her for Esen to sit down. “Welcome, Esen-san. A pleasure to finally meet you in person. I must say I am thrilled that you’ve come at all. Would you care for refreshments first, or would you prefer to get straight to why I’ve requested your presence?”

As she spoke, Kara would pour herself a glass of warm sake, finally taking a sip after she asked her question. She knew little of Esen, only what she was able to glean from publicly traded information and extrapolation based on her intellect. He was the Clan Leader of the Uzumaki, the very bloodline she had unlocked during her recent experiments, and so it was he that barred the way to further acquisitions. He had replied readily so she suspected that he would be agreeable to her offer, or at least willing to make a reasonable counter offer. Whether he wanted to eat or drink first or get straight to business was fine with her. She had no illusions about being manipulative with this man, so she chose to be direct. “Anything you like of course, consider it me buttering you up. I don’t know that you seem like the type to appreciate the types of games I tend to play when I make personal requests.”

Taking his seat across from the owner of the Eclipse Federation, Esen knew he shouldn’t play with fire, and he had no intention of doing so. What he could get in return for what she wanted… that remained to be seen. While Esen was always up to play games and play the field, today he had a different tact in mind. Getting to the root of why this occurrence was happening. “While I’m usually up for some conversation and games, I’d like to get to the point today. This…” He would pull out the scroll containing the Uzumaki’s technique of the Adamantine Sealing Chains. His eyes would gaze at the scroll for a moment before shifting to Kara. “is not a decision I’ll be making lightly. What need you have of a copy of… this,” He would twirl the scroll between his fingertips, “I don’t exactly know… but I’m assuming either you or someone you know will be able to utilize this.” He would let the scroll rest on the table, just next to where his hand would rest. “Information like this doesn’t come freely. My clan might call for my head if they find out I just gave this away. So, what do you have to offer in exchange for this scroll.”

Kara was pleased that she had gambled correctly; Esen was in no mood for games. Not to say that he was angry, merely that he wanted to get to the point. She appreciated his decisiveness and gave him a quick nod. Her golden eyes followed the scroll that he pulled out, shifting eventually back to the man’s eyes as he set it down on the table. She knew what she was asking for was extreme, usually clans were quite secretive about their techniques and this particular technique was very powerful. Being that she was as intelligent as she was, she already knew of the technique, she just needed to get a copy of it so she could learn it. Esen had very valid concerns, but he also seemed open to a fair transaction, and that was her entire modus operandi.

“If it settles your mind at all, I won’t be handing it over to anyone or making a mockery of your Clan. My business with it is personal, but not malicious. As for what I can offer, I have many things available. Money if that is your style, the best armaments that money can buy, weapons the likes of which have never been seen in Kirigakure. The usual. There are also things more valuable than money or materials however, and I wonder what you think would be a fair trade for the technique.” She would open the floor up to Esen to propose something he thought was acceptable. For this technique money was no object to the wealthy business magnate, and she was sincere in her offer to make it worth his while.

“While, I won’t deny money does have its appeal, it’s not a form of currency that I would accept for something as valuable as the Uzumaki sealing chains. This technique, as far as I’m concerned, is far more valuable than anything money has to offer.” It was now or never, to simply play his card. After all, it was either she accepts this offer or he would walk away with the technique. It was a simple offer that could be monumental for Esen in the future; it was always a long game for him. “I do have a counter-offer. It’s simple, but given the worth of this scroll, I’m sure you’ll find it agreeable. All I ask is one favour in exchange for this scroll. One that I can call at any time. I can assure you that you won’t be requested for a fight, those I can handle on my own. There’s worth to be had with the right backer in a game of intrigue.”

Kara listened as Esen explained how much more valuable the technique was than simple money. She agreed, personally she always found money to be of lesser value than less tangible things. His counter offer was intriguing and she would place her metal hand gracefully over her organic one as she pondered his request. It was possibly the thing she had that held the most value - an open ended favour. But she did need the technique, so after a few moments she would hold his gaze with her own and speak a single word.

“Done.”

The specifics weren’t as important to her, he had already agreed that it would not be for combat and that was about the only thing she was less than thrilled to participate in. That or eat a roast beef sandwich. With a steady voice she would comment on his proposal. “One favour, to be called in at any time that will not involve me fighting. Fair enough Esen Uzumaki.” She would pull out a business card from her pocket and place her signature sun and stars seal on it, then pass the card to Esen. “I can arrive anywhere this is, please be discrete. When you call for me, I will come. It has been a pleasure doing business with you.” She would then wait for Esen to part with the offered scroll.

[Placed 1 FTG seal on a business card - gave to Esen]

Once the word ‘done’ had slipped through Kara’s lips, Esen knew he made a good decision going with something far more valuable than ryo, armour, or equipment. “No fighting.” Esen repeated, confirming that he would not call Kara to a fight. Though if a fight broke out once she arrived, who was he to argue with semantics? There were quite a few possibilities for Esen now, but at the end of the day, everything was part of the long game. This exchange with Kara likely would not see the time of day anytime soon. He would take the business card, glance at it, before pocketing it in the pocket that once held the scroll he brought with him. The scroll that he placed on the table earlier, was a copy of the Uzumaki’s Adamantine Sealing Chains, he still had the original where it had always been. “And, as requested, this is the Adamantine Sealing Chains that you are seeking out. A copy of the technique.” He would take the scroll and place it upon the middle of the table. Once Kara took the scroll and if she inspected it, he would wait for a sign of confirmation before taking his leave. “Well, don’t be expecting my call anytime soon, Kara Darhk.”

[exit thread]
*gave Kara a copy of the Adamantine Sealing Chains

Kara would relinquish the business card to Esen and then inspect the scroll on the table. After confirming that it was what he claimed, she would nod in acknowledgement of the deal. She caught the emphasis on the word ‘fighting’, and knew that this man was more clever than she had given him credit for. Still, in her opinion it was worth the risk for the real deal. With the scroll from Esen safely pocketed she would smile and allow the man to leave. “Thank you, Esen Uzumaki. I doubt you’ll have trouble finding me whenever you require my services.” She would then finish her drink and leave a sizeable donation to the world of serving staff before heading out with Doku at her side. Then the two of them would head back to Kumogakure, him to fawn over her and her to be fawned over.

[Exit Thread - Claiming Adamantine Sealing Chains, Placed 1 FTG tag]