TCotM: Rinaldo's Idylls

[Rystil Arden]

*As Rinaldo approaches the Crux, the world seems to disappear in a flash of light and a strange rippling feeling. As the feeling subsides, he finds himself...somewhere else. He is sitting at a desk by a window. Looking out, he can see Orussus around him. Apparently he is back in his home town, safe and sound.*

[Velmont]

Rinaldo stands up and walks to the windows. He takes a moment to look at the city and try to identify in which building he has appeared.

Where am I? When am I? thinks Rinaldo. And how can I can go back to the tower, and at the time I dissapear. Hogarth is still there, as Rayne and Laynie.

Rinaldo starts to looks for his dagger, knowing he will need it if he ever reappear near it.

[Rystil Arden]

*Rinaldo finds his dagger, still on his person. Looking around carefully at the nearby buildings, he believes himself to be in the district of the city that has many government buildings and wealthy manses, though he can't place the exact building yet. Perhaps if he walked outside it would help.*

[Velmont]

Why did I appeared here? wonders Rinaldo for a moment. He start to feels the strees going down, he starst to feel tired and hungry. All this was irrevlent in the tower, too much was at stack, but the sight of Orussus, the calm of this room was relaxing.

Rinaldo starts to walk toward the door but stop and turn his eyes toward the desk. He starts to take a look at what lies on it, what is in the drawer to learn teh nature of this room, of this desk, or his presence in it.

[Rystil Arden]

*The desk is covered in a large number of papers written on a wide variety of parchment, papers of differing qualities, and even one on papyrus. The drawer contains spare pens, supplies, and odds and ends that Rinaldo thinks would be useful for various sundry tasks. The room itself appears to be an office of sorts, though it is furnished in fine mahogany and decorated with tasteful paintings that appeal to Rinaldo's sense of style. Actually, perhaps more a study than an office.*

[Velmont]

Rinaldo takes some parchement with some written text and starts to read them to figure about what they are talking about.

[Rystil Arden]

*The parchment indicates several options for payment, training, and maintenance of the Orussus guard, generally varying in the number and training experience of guards as well as the quality of their equipment, and some include magic support. The second most expensive option has a circle with a note next to it from the captain of the guard suggesting that option.*

[Velmont]

The security of Orussus? What does that mean? Ok, if I've been thrown in the futur, my futur, and I've been succesful, I should have been looking at the status of a merchant house, not a city. What does that mean? thinks Rinaldo, putting down slowly the paper on the desk. He then walks to the door and open it, thinking a good walk will allow him to more accurately see what happen in his 'abscence'.

[Rystil Arden]

*Rinaldo heads out of the study and into a hallway, which eventually leads towards a staircase leading down. As he heads out, he is intercepted by a pretty bespectacled blonde girl with a sheaf of parchments.*

"Oh, Mr. DiSenzio, sir! The returns from the Ignussus convoy have just come in. The spice and salt trade has proven extremely lucrative, and apart from minor troubles with the Curved Blades of Arcton, everything seems to be going excellently. Would you like to see the detailed report now, sir?"

[Velmont]

"If things have been fine, it can wait, I have some important matter to look after. Put it on my desk, I should be back somewhere in the afternoon. Before I leave, can you fetch me my agenda, I need to take a look at something now I'm thinking of it. Give me the report, I'll take a quick look while you go fetch it." tells Rinaldo.

After she will have handed the report, he will do a quick overlook of the report, more interested in dates and people named in the report.

[Rystil Arden]

*The report shows substantial profits for the DiSenzio & Thorne merchant house. Rinaldo recognises the second name as belonging to Alvar Thorne, one of Orussus's most successful merchants who used a few canny techniques that Rinaldo had studied even back when Rinaldo was just starting out, what seems so long ago. It seems significant that DiSenzio is the first name, though. Apparently the delegation to Ignussus has met with substantial success with a date listed ten years after Rinaldo and his friends set off to assault the tower. The form is notarised at the bottom by someone named Eileen Myrelle.*

[Velmont]

Ten years... I've been thrown ten year in the futur. I'm at the head of a pretty successful merchant house, I must even have bought one of my rival to expend my horizon, I've come back to my first trade too... most probably I've kept my magical item business... maybe not, if it didn't paid enough. No, in a year, I was over 50% of profit on my investment. That's too lucrative to forget about it... well, maybe something else have happen.

But more important, what did happen to the Crux? Asking Valeria would only worry her about my story, all those events are ten years behind her, and I would probably not told her half of wht happen in it because of that strange feeling I had... I'll have to asks Rayne about it after all that to make sureI just didn't cursed Valeria by accident.

Rinaldo roll the parchemin and wait for the girl, maybe a secretary working for him, to come back here with his agenda. He hope to find in it some clue about why he had all those security plan for teh city. Was he an advisor to the council... or maybe member to the council. That coudl explain why he had an office here.

[Rystil Arden]

*The girl returns with a sheet of parchment with a list in ink, some of which has checkmarks indicating completion.*

"Here's your agenda, Mr. DiSenzio, sir. How was the report? Good news, right?"

[Velmont]

"Yes, good new from the delegation to Ignussus. I'll need to analyze a bit more the result of it, so put it on my desk and I'll take a deeper look later."

Rinaldo read the last five things checked and the ones to be done.

[Rystil Arden]

"Of course, sir. Let me take it for you," she reaches over to take the report and hands him the agenda, "Is something wrong, sir? You seem a bit distracted of late."

*The last five things checked were 'Meet with representatives from Monemvassia branch', 'Negotiate commissions on Argythian Temple findings', 'Fill out returns for magical merchandise', 'Survey possible locations for newest expansion', and 'Review latest council proposals'.*

*The next thing listed is 'Double-check reservations at Lazarro's and purchase bouquet'.*

[Velmont]

It seems I'm part of the council. not a bad thing to favor things for my trading house. Lazarro? A bouquet?

"Distracted?" asks Rinaldo without leaving his agenda from his eyes. "Oh, maybe... there is so many things happening, so much work to do. I might just need a day to relax." Rinaldo continue to read the next things to do, wondering why he need to buy a bouquet.

[Rystil Arden]

*That is the last thing on today's agenda. Apparently he's finished early with work today.*

"You're right, sir. I tried to tell you to lighten your schedule even more for today--I definitely could have filled out the returns on the magical merchandise for you, you know. But I know you have a soft spot for the magic item sales still. Well then, I know where you're off to next, so I checked your reservation for you, and it's fine. I figured you would probably want to buy the flowers yourself, right? Anyway, I'll take care of things here. Have a lovely anniversary, okay Mr. DiSenzio?"

[Velmont]

Rinaldo looks at the date noted in his agenda, the date of today, and find what anniversary she is speaking about.

"Thank you. If you didn't exists, I should asks Gundar to create you." tells Rinaldo. He closes his agenda and hands it to the woman.

[Rystil Arden]

*The agenda's date seems familiar to Rinaldo. With the mention of 'anniversary' by the young woman, he remembers that it is his and Valeria's wedding anniversary.*

*Meanwhile the young woman--his secretary?--blushes.*

"Thank you for the praise, Mr. DiSenzio. You work yourself so hard and always take things into your own hands when with your success you could probably just let others do the work for you. You might not realise it, but your example is what inspires us to work hard too. Even so, you should take breaks more often. I've heard that too much stress can be bad for your health."

[Velmont]

"If you think that gives me stress? If you would have travel with me during my adventuring years, you would see that doing some negotiation is all but stressful. I like what I do and it is why I gives so much efforts. And I'm also convince what I do is good. But time is taking his toll and I won't grow younger twice and my limits was not the same. But what you say is wise. I know what gift Valeria will like. Tomorrow, I'll pass the day with her and won't come to work. If you can see at things I have to do tomorrow, or push it to the day after if you cannot do it yourself or delegate it. And because you'll have more work to do tomorrow, I'll make sure you will receive an extra for that extra charge of work."