Private Zann's Alley/Backyard An Offer of Sorts

Dusk Rainblade

Duchess of Westisle
Staff member
Minister: Misanthropy
(Closed to @Kaii Nashirou for now at least!)

Dusk Rainblade sat in her office, high-backed chair cutting a shadow on the floor like a line of kohl through the glowing red crest of the Ministry of Misanthropy (a watchful eye its centerpiece) that shone onto the black marble floor of her office, shimmering and reflecting out toward the door. It cut quite the imposing sight if caught in the full golden-hour light streaming in from the harbor to the west, which was why Dusk liked to schedule her more delicate meetings for this time of day. The more she could make herself seem imposing to those who sat across from her, compensating for her rather below-average height, then the easier it was to get her way.

The invitation had been sent and delivered by the paw of one of her agents, not by Missertross gulls that were prone to misplace their letters or fly into windows that looked open from a distance but were actually closed. She'd written the invitation in her own paw, the penmanship of the body exquisite of course and her signature precise. She wanted to impress upon this particular beast the personal attention he'd garnered from the minister, in the hopes that perhaps he would imply some peril that would result from spurning her meeting. Not that she'd do anything if he refused, of course; he'd very well saved Mina Rose's life in the attack on the opera house, and it was clear the young vixen was smitten with him. Dusk certainly wouldn't do anything else to make her daughter cry if she could help it, and arranging for an unfortunate accident for the handsome young todd would surely have that result. So, all she could really do was bluff and hope that young Master Nashirou inferred a sense of peril in refusing the request that would not carry out in reality.

Be firm but fair with him, she reminded herself. You know what you want; you know what you have to offer. And whatever you do, don't repeat what Alexei put you through when he learned you were being courted by Talinn.
 
Kaii wasn't happy he had to spend quite a lot of guilders on express fixes to his best outfit. Events at the opera left it damaged as much as left him wounded. The latter had the advantage of regenerating. Clothing didn't. And it was definitely a situation that required it, which worried him way more now. Being called to meet a minister and a Duchess, in named invitation, directly signed by her? Kaii would only bother more if the Empress herself sent such invitation for him.

Alas as he walked the streets towards the specified office, Kaii was internally stressed. Not that anybeast could see it through his emotionless face. He however knew that it was most likely not going to be an easy chat. He per accident stumbled into the very secretive life of the Duke and the Duchess and due to his actions done for the sake of just treatment, caused for their daughter to be enamoured by him. Something that, while nice, was to Kaii a reason why was he called. Best case scenario? He expected to be just told to avoid her, which through gritted teeth he would accept for the lack of better option.

It was the worst that stressed him out. Even now, as he was getting close, he repeated to himself basic rules of court safety. Do not drink anything the Duchess wouldn't. Do not drink things given in prepared vessels. Observe her paws politely to look for attempts to add something to drinks or for usage of assassin's pot. All in all, she could end him just by stabbing him, not like he would have something to say in the matter.

At the very doors to the office, he once more ensured he had everything and that he was prepared for anything. Fully accepting that he could potentially die, he knocked on the door and entered after being allowed to do so. Even if his impression of the Duchess was not favourable for she was a cruel beast, he knew the etiquette well. As such, in his style, he prostrated himself into Zarei. "Your Grace. I come at your request." He spoke flatly while awaiting his fate.
 
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Dusk couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the formal Fyadorian bow that the young fox demonstrated for her. She'd grown used to such things in Westisle, where the traditions of the court held sway even as the Vulpinsulanization of the culture progressed. Not that she'd been present much for that; she'd barely been back in the past decade, with both her duties as Minister of Misanthropy and her resentment of her husband serving to keep her away from her role as Duchess of Westisle.

"Rise, Mr. Nashirou," she ordered, then added, "and please, be at ease. This meeting is in my capacity as a minister, not as a duchess. I think you'll find that I'm far more relaxed about such things than is my dear husband." She gestured to the seat in front of her desk, one carefully designed to be an optimum combination of comfortably padded and stiffly upright. She had an entire closet full of chairs that varied wildly from the torturous to the plush, depending on the tone she wanted to set for a particular meeting.

The vixen waited until Kaii sat before gesturing to a tray full of bottles, tea pots, and various cups. "Drink?" she offered. "We have tea, wine, water, even cough-ee." None were poisoned, though she was sure the thought crossed his mind; after all, she and her ministry both had a reputation. Well, I suppose if he wants to think of it as a test, we can treat it as a test.
 
Kaii rose and moved to sit mechanically as asked to. Noting to consider the informal nature of the meeting then. It was actually preferable as he, while fond of titles, was also more keen on treating beasts per merit. He also noticed the raise of an eyebrow of the Duchess at his Zarei and decided to not use more Fyadoran aspects to not cause further problems. The Duchess clearly wasn't too fond of them, much unlike the Duke.

Asked to choose a drink he replied adequately with trained precision. "I shall have what you will then Minister. As your guest, I shall not impede on your choices." Kaii wasn't sure if it was the best option, but all of those were easy enough to spike if needed, even water. However, he could ensure at least that Duchess would have the same thing as he did, not much, but at least something.

And awaiting for the Duchess to settle down herself, Kaii knew it was at least not going to be imminent assassination. Now, was it going to be one delayed to get his answers? Or was it one depending on his answers? No knowing that was difficult so Kaii came to the conclusion. He had to strike first in this conversation.

With the calmest and most monotone voice he could, Kaii thus directed a question at Duchess Dusk.
"I assume I am called here regarding matters that occurred at the so called 'Opera Fiasco'. Specifically the vixen you've ordered me to protect and I vowed to do so. Mina Rose. If I am correct, please Minister, impaint upon me what am I expected to do." He for now omitted mentioning his observation that the two vixens were related. That was possibly what could get him killed.
 
Dusk did her best to compose her face as the fox directly remarked upon a topic that was indeed an indirect focus of this meeting. "It was not my primary reason for calling you here," she allowed, "though I would be lying if it wasn't a topic of interest. You see, that young vixen is my family." She hastened to clarify, "She is my late brother's sole surviving kit, at least that we are aware of; knowing him there could be a dozen more as yet unknown to us, but for now we are operating on the assumption that she is an only kit. I have been made aware of the girl's recent history, and, notwithstanding my admittedly clumsy attempt to spare her from being drawn into the family drama, I am quite invested in her happiness. If you have any intent of continuing to see her, I only wish to clear the air and request that you behave, or rather continue to behave, as befits a gentlebeast of your rank, stature, and breeding. I should warn you that she is, by any measure, a common girl; you will gain nothing material by pursuing her, so if you do so, please behave with good intent and with an understanding that her affection will be its own, and its only, reward." This latter segment was admittedly a lie; she hadn't had an opportunity yet to discuss the matter of Mina Rose with her husband, and she was sure that, even if she managed to dissuade Talinn from claiming the girl, he would find any excuse to shower blessings upon the vixen and any mate she eventually took. Still, it was best if Kaii believed that the match would be disadvantageous. If nothing else, Mina Rose deserved a chance to marry for love.

"My true reason for calling you here today," Dusk continued, reaching to the tea set and pouring a small glass of burgundy wine for herself, "was to assess your suitability and interest in a rather... different project of my ministry. Please, Mr. Nashirou, enlighten me: what is your opinion regarding the existence or non-existence of the paranatural? Meaning ghosts, ghouls, goblins, gods, little green mice from the stars, and so on." She took a long sip of her wine, watching his reaction to the question carefully.
 
Kaii listened to the explanation about the vixen that recently made his life much more interesting with unmoved expression. He couldn't exactly believe that Mina Rose was only related to Dusk as a niece. Not after her reaction to the harm to came to the young vixen or the reaction to his own words now. Kaii sometimes did wish he had more sufficient social intelligence to read vague expressions. Overall however, he had no other reason to not believe her other than the fact that he expected little lies at each step with minister of Misanthropy. Duchess's warning to the end told him one thing however, she was trying to slightly dissuade him from courting her or expected nothing but the best act on his part.

"I will wish to return to the topic of your... relative later Minister." Kaii spoke as he considered her request. It wasn't one he expected at all, but one he had no reason to answer with anything but adequate to him scrutiny. "I have no opinion on such cases, for they do not exist. All events that are called paranormal or supernatural, have to exist within some rules too. Per example, a friend of mine claims to see the past through the places he visits or items he interacts with. While in most cases such things are nothing but charlatans trickery, his case may prove otherwise as I research it."

Taking a moment, Kaii decided to not mention Darragh's name and simply continued. "What we call supernatural, simply is a phenomena we are yet to define. If something seems impossible to be defined, we may lack tools or knowledge that is required to do so. Taking gods for instance, to be sure they exist not, one would have to prove it is impossible for those to exist. A mighty burden that, without knowing almost everything about how the universe works, cannot be done."

Shifting a bit, Kaii allowed himself to get the same wine as the Duchess did. "Most magic and supernatural things I saw are lies, seeing through them is easy once one knows a bit more about the world and looks for explanations. Most prophets and oracles are lunatics, the validity of their words coming from their vagueness, social engineering or sheer luck." He paused and pulled out one notepad from the pocket inside his jacket. Opening it to present to the Duchess a list of all potential methods Kaii had in plan to resolve Darragh's case. "The anomalies that go beyond that, that is the domain of the unknown. This is where research is needed to broaden our horizons... or to at least find out we were masterfully fooled again."
 
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Dusk listened closely to Kaii's well-reasoned rationale. She knew plenty of beasts who would have dismissed the paranatural out of paw; her husband's outfit tended to be full of them. Her efforts to recruit from among them had run into a wall of skepticism that was ultimately unproductive. A different kind of beast was needed.

"It is not widely publicized," Dusk allowed, "but the Ministry of Misanthropy does have an office dedicated to studying phenomena of an... unconventional nature. Occult Division, we call it. It has had some interesting developments for certain, but I've come to realize that it suffers from an institutional culture that is perhaps too credulous of the paranatural. Outright denial is perhaps too much of a counterbalance to it; rather, what we need is a healthy dose of rational skepticism and scientific rigor.

"I called you here, Mr. Nashirou, to offer you a position in our organization," she continued. "This would be part-time, tailored around the schedule of your deployment with the Hide; I have no desire to rob the Ministry of War of such a talented young engineer. You would be working as a field analyst, responding to incidents of a seemingly inexplicable nature and finding an explanation. My hope is that your rigorous and methodical approach will counterbalance some of the... exuberance of your colleagues, namely the current head of the division's research team, Dr. Paphnutia Gowdie, commonly referred to as Nutty. I'm sure you'll like her/them just fine," she added, "even if they can be a bit frustratingly obtuse."
 
Kaii listened attentively to the offer. It was very tempting for two reasons to the young Nashirou. Firstly, it gave him more income to work with. Secondly, that would give him an access to a lot of more secretive knowledge and sate his itch of the unknown. The prospect was great but... he was at the same time wary. He could then drop some engineering work he did, using this income instead while working on his own goals in the spare time but... he liked most of his little engineering odd-jobs. They were usually simple and insightful.

Thus two additional questions have formed in his head. Ones that Kaii did ask with no hesitation. "Why me? I am aware of the fact you, as Minister of Misanthropy, have possibly access to any beast in the Imperium and their profiles. I am honoured that I was chosen, but I know that is was not sheer chance that led to it. Also, I wish to ask you Minister, will you expect my exclusive loyalty to you and Misanthropy upon taking that function?"
 
Dusk primly crossed her paws in front of her on the desk as she considered the questions. "First," she stated, "I chose you based on the reports of your comportment during the Urk Expedition. You demonstrated great rationality, resolve, and fortitude during a rapidly changing series of circumstances, and your innovations saved lives. In Occult Division, that set of skills will be integral as you fave down the unknown.

"As for your loyalty, I do not expect it exclusively; in fact, I believe that demanding such is counterproductive. We are all servants of the Empress, and while there are circumstances that can lead to conflicts of interest, those can arise as easily from personal entanglements as professional ones. The latter, at least, are far easier for us to anticipate and work around. What I do expect is your discretion regarding your work for us. This is really for everyone's benefit,"
she advised. "First, what Occult Division deals with on a regular basis often strains the credulity of even our own agents. Should you go discussing your work publicly, or even privately, the most likely outcome will be disbelief or doubts about your sanity. Second, it is better for the public welfare if awareness of such things is kept to a minimum; confirmation of such phenomena could lead to a proliferation of both true and false reports of such things, as well as mass hysteria, apocalyptic cults, and so on. We have enough to deal with in these matters without making our jobs harder. Finally, belief is a powerful thing; there are entities which feed upon belief in their existence, and even the necessary awareness of them by the agents of Occult Division are a calculated risk. We do not want to make our job harder by empowering what we are tasked to contain. Is that all reasonable?"
 
Kaii noded. No matter his personal opinion, Minister and Duchess Dusk sounded very reasonable by all means. "By all means. I assume further details that surround the topics like payment and operational availability will be a matter of a contract. However, at the time of signing it, I will take up a vow of silence as per my family's custom. Coming from Westisle, I suspect you know how much of weight vows have for those who seriously take the code."

Kaii's expression softened then as he decided to change the topic again. "Speaking of. I would like to ask you Minister, should I keep the one I gave to you and your husband in the Opera? My words that spoke of dying sooner than Mina Rose, while at the time made sense, do seem problematic considering that well, she seems interested in my being while I am an active member of the Hide Crew. I however cannot undo such declaration, not without your or your husband's permission."

"The question I assume would be, if, as you said, you are invested in her happiness, would you have at least some of it by my vow or not."
Kaii finally finished, looking at the Duchess, hoping she would get the point he was trying to make.
 
Dusk's pawfingers started tapping on her desk in anticipatory satisfaction as Kaii confirmed his interest, then stilled as he circled back to the matter of Mina Rose. Her gaze examined his expression keenly, assessing his earnestness. "I considered your vow to be binding only until we escaped the Opera House," she stated. "As far as I am concerned, it is already concluded. But, if you need to hear it, then yes, I release you from that vow."

Her expression turned shrewd, sizing him up in light of his request. "I think," she decided at last, "that if you make any vows as to Mina Rose's happiness, those vows are best made to her, not to me. I only ask, as a concerned relative, that when you make those vows, do not make them lightly. If you court her and decide that you are not to be, I will hold no ill will or grievance against you; rather, I will respect the maturity of your decision. I believe that the girl is resilient enough to stand a little heartbreak here or there, at least if she takes after the Rainblade side of her family. I also know that you will hold yourself to vows once made, even if made rashly or to the detriment of your own happiness." Her gaze was fixed keenly upon him as she commented, "I think that you both deserve a relationship bound by mutual affection rather than honorable obligation, don't you?"
 
Kaii sighed as he unfortunately was not understood correctly. At least he heard enough of what he needed to hear. "Please, make no mistake. I specifically asked about the vow I made to you. I do know well and am aware that no vows concerning personal happiness should be done without the concerned party. I know you may have opinions on the whole idea, but I cannot give up my family's ways." Kaii stopped and considered her expressional shift himself. "This vow here would, as I have stated, be more of a problem really. I am glad to see it nulled by your allowance Minister. Still I appreciate your concern, even if one stemming from my inability to explain. That is presumably the last time hear of this topic from me, unless you will want to bring it back again." Kaii added to add the sense of completeness, still being mildly unsure if he got Minister's intentions right.

"However, back to the topic that you seem to look forward to more." The marble fox spoke after getting to look to the side again for a moment. "I do not see a reason to not agree to joining you in your endeavour. I will try to lend my expertise and knowledge, albeit it lies mostly in comprehension of the mundane world. But I am assured that what discoveries shall be made there, would be used either to broaden the understanding of the world or to refine possibilities of controlling it."
 
Dusk was content to let the matter of vows drop between them. The focus on honor and vows in Fyadorian culture was one aspect that had eluded Dusk throughout her time as Empress Regent of Eastisle, and later as Duchess of Westisle. She knew that it mattered deeply to Talinn, though, which was why she had no choice but to go along with the oath he'd sworn that had taken him into the arms of another vixen. Had she refused her consent, she'd have made an oathbreaker of him; for all that she resented him for the oaths that he'd sworn to others, she valued his oath of marital fidelity to her too much to void it that way. She could only hope that Kaii would be more circumspect about swearing his oaths than Talinn had been.

"Excellent," she declared, standing and offering him her paw. "To be honest, I would prefer that you approach this as a rationalist first; find the reasonable, logical explanation where there is one, and only rule it out where the truly inexplicable reigns. Between us, I'm getting very tired of receiving reports about metallic rocks that keep sticking to each other," she confessed. "I adore Nutty, truly I do, but they keep looking for the abnormal in the normal. Hopefully you can bring them back to earth a bit."
 
Kaii did stand up and give an ever so slight bow before taking Duchess paw into his to seal the deal. "I understand your displeasure in this matter. Those who are lacking education are quick to seek explanations in superstitions. Those who know much however... often end up trapped in making things more complex than they should. A trap I myself have fallen into many times, but fortunately, mostly in engineering and social fields. You may be assured that my approach to phenomena you wish for me to explore."

Taking a moment to adjust to the new reality, Kaii knew there would be a massive problem already with it, one however he felt no need to voice now. His thinking thus shifted to Mina Rose again, he himself could not exactly understand why but... well, he was a beast after all. For all his rational capabilities, now that he tried his best to free himself from the emotionless state he spent most of his life in, he could no longer deny their existence.

Knowing this will be a matter to speak about with his friends and Mina herself, he saw one last thing that he needed to ask.
"Minister, I have a small request of you if I may be so bold. Mina is your daughter, I am sure of it. I only wish to know, If that is something I am meant to keep secret from her, unless she knows that already. "
 
It had all been going so well.

Dusk stiffened at the directness of Kaii's statement and following question. A myriad of thoughts crossed her mind, ranging from honesty to denial to silencing him outright. Does it even matter though? Talinn, the one I was trying to keep this secret from, already knows. Besides, this lad is smart; he surely made contingencies for his disappearance.

"Yes," she confirmed at last. "Mina Rose is my daughter, and yes, I would prefer that you refrain from telling her, at least for now while her father and I work out how to handle this between us." She didn't know why she felt compelled to keep speaking; perhaps she just needed to practice justifying it to another living beast. "I never got to have kits," she stated, dropping Kaii's paw and sitting down once more. "I had heirs. Little princes and princesses. If your breeding is half as noble as you present, I'm sure you can understand what that does to a kit, the crushing weight of expectations - and that's to say nothing of the assassination attempts. Having to explain to a kit of four years why strangers are trying to kill them is an experience that hollows you out. Doing it four times?" She shook her head and poured her glass full of wine, taking a deep gulp of it for fortitude before continuing.

"By the time I realized my fifth pregnancy, I couldn't face the thought of putting another kit through that again. I couldn't leave my four kits to raise her myself, but if I went back, my husband would turn her into another broken, neurotic princess, just like her sister and brother. So, I left. I found a backwater tavern in the Keys and holed up there, convalesced in private, and fretted the months away about whether or not I was making a mistake. I was still debating it even as I went I to labor. It wasn't until I held that sweet, tiny little girl in my arms that I knew I had to leave her there. It was her only chance at having a life of her own, not as a slave to a crown she would never wear."

She finished her glass off, then looked to Kaii, her eyes unfocused. "Maybe I won't be able to keep her father away," she admitted. "Maybe he'll sweep her up, tell her the truth, and force her into a ball gown and a political marriage. All I want is to have one kit, one, who is happy. Is that so much for me to ask?"
 
Kaii sat down too and sighed heavily. He knew this all to well. The great game as his family called it. One they all hated but took part in it out of necessity. "It isn't. Allow me to drop the formalities and speak as a beast to a beast. I know the pain you mention. I was that heir, taught from my earliest days the intricacies of the courts, even as my family never really fought for more power through intrigue. We always were artisans first, nobles second, but that nobility, while a source of pride since it came from hard work and recognition, was our downfall really."

Kaii looked at the pained Duchess, seeing his own mother in her. Isa was a spy before she married Kaii's father. She did educate Kaii on all things he knows truly about the courtly intrigues that he found himself also not very fond of. Was she struggling the same way Dusk was? Kaii made an assumption that it was the case, which made him visibly saddened, despite his stoic muzzle. The words of having to hide and leave own children resonating with his own story of being sent of with his sister to The Cape. Effective exile to safe one's life was too familiar to Kaii.

Finally he spoke with apologetic note to his words.
"I do understand you. I heard the very same pain in my mother's words, even if she only had two of us to teach. And while it only had happened when I was eight, I too was forced into humble life by my family. In my case, that saved my life during Revolutions. Mina will not know. I will leave that matter for you to resolve as I should've."

Kaii took a moment to also finish the wine he poured earlier. "I should really ask then, are you fine even with the one daughter you wish for to be happy, still winding up to end among the nobility, even as minor as I am now? I did come here with idea that you won't permit me talking to Mina due to some plans that go beyond me so I am ready for that fate to happen. After all, while I may have rather impressive pedigree, I am still a beast in debts and one with not much to offer besides my earnest affection. And even despite knowing that she is your child, I want to assure you that my interest in her is more... primal than this. Never did I intent to marry for position for I have not much to give back for it."
 
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Dusk nodded at Kaii's understanding of the circumstances. While she wasn't going to interfere in her daughter's love life (at least, as long as it steered far away from Alwyn), she was coming to appreciate this earnest young todd, and rather hoped that Mina Rose would as well. The girl could certainly do far, far worse. Dusk certainly had at that age.

At Kaii's inquiry, she gave a small shrug. "I've been married..." She tried to count on her paws, but after about a minute had to give up when she lost track and faced starting over. "...Somewhere in the high dozen number of times. The only time I married for love was to a noble who I didn't want to rob. And, despite everything," she added, "I stayed married to him, even after ten years separated. If Mina Rose chooses to marry, and if she chooses to marry a noble, who am I to stop her? As long as she knows your circumstances and is choosing that life in full awareness and acceptance, then blessings upon you both." The corner of her mouth twitched before she added, "Just perhaps avoid mentioning it to the Duke for a while. He can be a bit, well, overbearing in these matters sometimes. I'm not sure his heart can withstand the thought of his kits experiencing married life and all that comes with it."
 
Kaii rubbed his chinfur for a moment as he thought about what was said. Deciding however that prying into the private life was... less than good of an idea in those circumstances. Kaii merely allowed a compassionate and thankful, if small smile. "I understand and well, even if you may not be too fond of that, you have my word that neither Mina, nor Duke Tallinn, will be told the truths. I am not a beast capable of lying much, at most telling half-truths and even that I am poor at, but I can seal my lips for sure."

"On the other paw, well, you can be certain that Mina will know everything about my reality. I am afraid that it may break the image she has of me, but as I said, I am no liar. If your blessings will come to fruition, you can be assured she was made aware of everything and chose to stay by me. I... rationally should not wish for that. For her sake. But I have some hope it will be the case." Kaii admitted, deciding that he may let a bit of honest words after what Duchess said and did show.


"I... believe that was all I had to say." He twitched his whiskers. "If anything, you can rest at least knowing that your secrets are safe with me. At most, maybe in some future you would rest assured that your daughter is safe with me. Time will tell."
 
Dusk couldn't quite keep the smile off her face at the young Mr. Nashirou's pledges and assurances. Very well, I see what Mina Rose likes in him so much. She genuinely hoped her daughter would like all the rest as well. From what she'd seen and heart, Mina Rose had grown up sheltered, innocent, maybe a bit simple, but ultimately good-hearted. No idea where she got any of that from; it certainly wasn't from me or Talinn. And, well, if anything of her birth parents had survived the vixen's upbringing, then all she could say to Kaii would be 'good luck'.

"I will keep hope for both your sakes," Dusk promised. She paused, glancing around her desk, and then located the work agreement she'd had drawn up in advance now tucked away under a paperweight on the left paw side of the desk. "Before you leave, please take this with you," she requested, offering it to him. "It's our standard contract: voluntary disclosure of any other work arrangements that may present conflict of interest, an hourly pay scale with variance for time of day or night and bonuses for long shifts, and exemption from any set schedules, so you work the shifts that please you and/or align with your schedule. As for your base pay, how about...?"

She offered a number into the air. It was generous, she knew; it was twice the daily pay on the Hide, and was being offered per hour. Even if money was not the incentive that Kaii needed, she was sure that it would help ensure he was less distracted by his debts.
 
Taking the contract, Kaii read through it very quickly. It seemed in no way tricky, though he would carefully read it many times and check for any tiny text clauses or other tricks. It was a good thing to do no matter the amount of trust one had in the employer. Kaii currently had... variable trust in the Minister. He still didn't like her lying and had reservations about her cold treatment of own daughter, even if it was for the sake of safety. At the same time, she had rational reasons for both and Kaii himself, if put in her position, wouldn't know how else to proceed. Also, she was seemingly fond of him, how much was it a play however, he wouldn't ever be able to tell.

The sum offered got his ears perking up and raised an eyebrow. It would be a very substantial boost to reach the minimal sum needed to avoid the repossession while not reaching into the funds he gathers to renovate the old stable that was the only building somewhat surviving the Revolutions from his family vast workshop complex and starting to manufacture the weapons using all the new tools and equipment. The age of machining and engines was coming.

The marble fox, after a lot of consideration, decided not to question why the sum was this high. It would be rude to be dismissive so he simply offered a simple bow, even if one still in Fyadoran style. "Thank you Minister, I find the pay generous and the contract so far gave me no reason to object. I appreciate your blessings and shall keep them in mind. Likewise, I do hope your dream of having a happy child will be fulfilled. Unless there is anything you wish of me yet, I shall take my leave... Though, I just wish to ask for one small, personal thing if you would be so kind to humour me and spare me a moment more." Kaii decided to attempt a question he knew that the answer for was a closed matter for him. "Is it a viable request to ask if a beast ever worked as one of Misanthropy agents? They are deceased, so there are no secrets they could share."
 
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