Open The Slups Completed The Grand Crime Market

[Ivo Suresight]

OOC: This thread is meant for interactions between criminal and civilian population that are not necessarily hostile. Everyone is welcome to partake and mingle with those who visit the Grand Crime Market and shady facilities around it!

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Ivo fixed his coat and continued down the street. Now that he got used to clean and maintained cobbles of Zann's backyard, coming here, to the place he called home for most of his life, made him acutely aware of how poor it really is.

But changing it was hopeless. It would take dozens of years to achieve that, as well as lots of money no one wished to spend on the poor. Such was a life and Ivo was very aware of it. The rich and powerful used whatever the poors had for their own sake. Those who were poor and wanted that, turned to crime.

As he thought of that he now remembered again his current task. To map and prepare a new plan to rebuild a certain market in the Slups. One that at the first glance wasn't unique. Just a commonplace market with goods and traders trying to earn their part.

But Ivo still remembered it from his kithood. This was just one half of the gilder. The other one was hidden in plain sight.

Good part of the merchants here traded both goods and services. Primarily of criminal kind. Certain codes and signs were needed but you could've gotten illegal contraband, enslaved some beast, order to murder or get information on someone.

This was one of few hubs of criminal activity in the slups, for those more familiar with this 'trade' it was known as The Grand Crime Market. It was a place were various criminals exchanged services while ensured peace, for not one of them would try to break the balance of this place.

No one would do that, but it was Ivo's job to do so. His task was simple, to prepare a plan of a new market, more organized. In theory it was a good thing, making slups anymore organized served their inhabitants greatly.

But Ivo knew it wasn't the true reason. The city needed a valid pretext to bring in guards en masse to the place. Evicting people for public works was great at that without causing too much of a pushback. And for such cheap price The Grand Crime Market would be gone for good.

And to be fair, he didn't mind it at all. He felt sorry for all those who would suffer from it, but crime was an issue. One that city was right to resolve.

If only he wouldn't be forced to do that, he would probably even be happy he can contribute to the cause.

He stopped now as his eyes registered that he was already there. right behind the corner he found himself on a long space that looked like widened street. This was it, the place he came to seal its fate.

Taking a quick look around he found it charming this place hasn't changed at all. many of the same faces, the exact same shady pubs, gambling and sporting houses, pawnshops of ill repute. It was surely one place of its kind even in the slups.

Ivo ventured in, glad he picked more toned and grimy coat for this day to not stand apart too much. Putting on a brooch that he still had from his crime days made him very recognizable by those dealing in crime and he quickly had to wave back to many 'merchants' he passed by, ones he knew well for being enforcers or scouts of various gangs.

He took out his sketchbook and a pencil and started drawing his surroudings. His keen sight and dexterious hand worked in tandem to quickly transfer what he saw onto the paper.

But lost in the process he failed to notice someone bumping into him. And then a gust of wind took the paper he was drawing on towards the nearby stalls. He of course, rushed after it.

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

"C'mon, Anna, why're we here? 'S supposed t' be my poker night."

"Fal, look around you. What do you see?"

"...'Atta trick question? It's the Market. Same as it's always been."

"Let me reword the question. Who do you see?"

Brown eyes set in a golden-furred face scanned the marketplace. "E'eryone," Falun commented with a shrug. "Scorpos, Great Maw, Cloakers, Maudies, Maelers, Red Paws-"

"Do you see any Furotazzis?"

"What, aside from us? Nah, of course not."

"Why is that, Fal?"

A scowl landed on the todd's face. "If this is you raggin' on me-"

"We aren't here because it's a saturated market."

"Nah, it's open e'ery other day a' the week too, it's jus' busiest then."

"...Let me rephrase in a way you'll comprehend. We don't have a presence here because every good or service you could ask for is already represented by at least three businesses. Any service, that is, except one. Can you tell me which that is?"

Falun yawned a bit as he scratched idly at his cheek fur. He was at least doing an admirable job of pretending to think. "Taxidermy?"

"...I'll give you credit for even knowing that word. No, what you don't see here is banking."

Falun blinked, looking at his sister in surprise. Marianna was surveying the entire market with an analytical eye, as if she were mapping it out. "Why'd there be a bank here?" he remarked. "The Epicurean's just up the road."

"Do you know how most criminals get caught, Falun?"

Falun considered this before shrugging. "Probably by the pants. Easier to grab than the collar."

Marianna sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. "This is why I let you do the brute work, brother. Beasts get caught because the Ministry of Commerce does regular vault audits. You see, they have profiles of all the businesses in the city - how much money they are expected to make, what their sources of income are, who their business partners are, and so on. This is all information that businesses are required to report, otherwise they don't get a business license."

"Yeah, I know," Falun said defensively, crossing his arms. "That's why we 'ad Creepy Sal forge us up a license las' month. What's yer point?"

"My point is," Marianna rolled her eyes, "criminals get caught all the time when they suddenly are depositing large amounts of gilders that they can't explain. It's not illegal itself, but it gets the Commerce auditors sniffing around, and before you know it, the Ministry of Justice is showing up with a warrant."

Falun yawned widely, not bothering to conceal his boredom. "Get to it Anna, what's yer big idea?"

"Stocks."

"Stocks? Like, the things beasts used t' get put in an' pelted wiv' fruit?"

"Not stockades, you idiot. Stocks, as in bonds. Investment shares. We might not be able to open our own bank, but we can sell shares of Obsidian Corporation to the beasts working here."

"But Obsidian's worthless now," Falun pointed out. "Dad drove the price of it righ' into the Harbor b'fore he died."

"Don't call him our father," Marianna rebuked tersely, "and yes, he made unwise decisions there at the end, trying to divest the company of its more... legally dubious assets. However, the basic idea of it remains sound. Beasts purchase shares of Obsidian Corporation, and in so doing, they own a small share of the company - a percentage of all shares in existence. They can then come back and purchase more shares later, or return and sell their shares back to us for gilders."

Falun scowled at that. "How're we supposed t' make money if we go buyin' back worthless pieces a' paper?"

"Simple: as we sell more stock, the price of buying it goes up, and the price of selling it to us also goes up. Each time, we take a small fee for each purchase - say, a half gilder - as a processing cost. Most beasts are going to buy low with us, in the hope of selling back to us at a higher price and, in so doing, making money. In the meantime, we're taking in money for trading them our stocks for their coin, and vice versa. And here's the real beauty of it, Falun: the merchants here can then start accepting our stock as payment."

Falun blinked, not sure he'd heard her correctly. "They'll what?"

"Beasts can trade our stocks to each other for goods and services. Then those beasts can take the stocks to us and, for a small fee, have them traded into legitimate gilders. This way, they can perform transactions that are completely untraceable - and they can hold their gold with us, while keeping our stock on paw to trade into gilders whenever they need to."

The doubt on Falun's face turned doubtful. "Ain' beasts gonna figure out eventually that it's all just worthless paper? An', I mean, eventually somebeas' in Commerce is gonna notice 'at only criminals are usin' our stocks, an' 'ey'll start watchin' anyone what 'as them fer anythin' illegal. 'Gates, we migh' get in trouble ourselves fer it."

Marianna sighed, rolling her eyes. "I'm not even going to bother explaining my plan for the rollout of ObCoin then-"

"Ob-what?"

"ObCoin. It's a small minted token that represents one share of Obsidian, in a convenient small disk form for use as currency."

"So, what, counterfeit money?"

"No, it's not a real currency, it's just a representation of an object that has value, and that representation can be traded back and forth in exchange for goods and services of equal value."

"...so, coin. Commerce really ain' gonna like that."

Marianna sighed irritably. "It's a curse, being ahead of my time. Look, just go around the market and count the number of vendors, alright? I want to get a good count of how many potential customers before I start printing stock or minting ObCoin."

Falun walked away, still shaking his head at his sister's schemes. Marianna shook her head, stepping forward to walk after him -

A piece of paper hit her in the side of the face. She blinked, putting a paw up to grab the paper that had landed across her cheek, and pulled it away, glancing at it. It appeared to be some half-finished sketch or diagram of some sort. Approaching her quickly was evidently the artist behind the piece, or at least someone with a vested interest in obtaining it. Marianna blinked, trying to clear her eyes and make sure she wasn't seeing things. She'd never seen another fox with a hue that approached her own for intensity of redness before. The Heartwood family were, according to their own lore, ancient transplants from some distant realm, but their signature dark-red fur had died out slowly, generation after generation, until seemingly Marianna and her birth mother, Julia Freedom, had been the last ones left. Perhaps some strain of the coloration had survived elsewhere in the population, to judge by the violently red coat of this beast.

"I believe that you may have lost this," Marianna indicated, gesturing with the piece of paper. "Either that, or you've just had a very successful first test of a new wind-borne message delivery system."

 

[Ivo Suresight]

Ivo stopped right in front of the vixen, instantly cautious as one reasonably should be at this place. "Yes that's mine. Thanks... Madam?" He wasn't sure how to properly speak to this beast. They looked waaaay to rich to be here, normally those who had interest in The Grand Crime Market were inconspicuous or sent someone who could be.

"If ya could 'give it back, that'd be kind." He asked with friendly face while crossing his arms. He ensured to put both his paws on the view, parting fingers but hiding thumbs. Ivo tested if this vixen was familiar with this place with this unassuming but clear message to those who knew the codes. This one was quite universal opener to the secret world of the codes. And the tone of further interaction will depend on the vixen's response.

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna raised an eyebrow at the use of the word 'madam'. She knew that she tended to dress oppulently; after all, a mafiosa, especially a book keeper, had to project a certain image of success. Still, she wasn't that old. Granted, this was a much younger todd, by the looks of him; even a ten year age difference could look like a lot to the young. Then again, she reflected, she'd been with todds that much older than her at his age, and no one had batted an eye then. Societal perceptions of age were different for femmes than for males, it seemed.

Her brow raised further as the beast made a common underworld sign, a simple test to see if she was a beast in the know. She handed back the slip of paper while discretely making a countersign with her other paw. "Best to hold onto what's precious to you," she advised. "Such things tend to disappear around here."

 

[Ivo Suresight]

Ivo relaxed internally at both his work being returned to him as well as seeing a familiar sign. Knowing he could speak to them as equal was putting him at ease. He took the piece of paper and slipped it into his sketchbook again, examining it for any damage. Yet the presence of the vixen was intriguing and appealed to his curiosity. "Heh, I know. But luck's on m'side it seems today. I haven't seen a lass like you 'round here since foreva'" He grinned and continued to sketch out the the surrounding while speaking to them.

"Yer new here? Or have ya came to riches in past few years o'so?" Ivo asked, his curiosity apparent with a gentle wag of his tail behind. Worst come worst he would be just told to go away in this place.

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna relaxed as the sign was accepted, and the beast returned to his sketching. It was slightly intriguing that he would choose to sketch the market, of all places; it was hardly the most aesthetically pleasing of spots, after all, nor did it seem he was unfamiliar with the location. She briefly wondered what he meant by 'lass like you'; was that meant to be a compliment?

Marianna adjusted her boa to rest more easily across her shoulders. "It has been a long time," she acknowledged, "since I came to the market myself. Normally I keep behind a desk. I do bookkeeping for the Obsidian Corporation." That Obsidian was a front for the Furotazzis was an open secret in the criminal underworld. Granted, since its financial implosion with the death of its chairman, there weren't many books to keep there anymore. For some reason she didn't feel inclined to tell him that, with the death of Vito, she was now co-leader of the organization. Most beasts tended to react poorly to hearing that, and it was nice to talk to a beast as an equal for a change.

"If I may ask," she inquired, watching him work, "why are you bothering to sketch the market? Surely there are more pleasing locales through the city that an artist might choose to memorialize."

 

[Ivo Suresight]

Finishing this corner of the market, Ivo now looked up at her with a charming grin. "Obsidian Corp ay? I 'member runnin' sum letters to ya in the past." He closed his sketchbook and up the pencil into his inner pocket with a flourish.

But then he got wary at the question. Speaking truth would be unwise in this place. Half-truths were always the way to go. "Yup, the Slups may have sum charm, but yer right. I could've sketch sumthin' more pleasant. But I like to know places. And Slups are changin' faster than beast can follow. One day you learn 'bout new pub only t'find it next day five streets 'way." He half-joked, speaking truth as making maps and memorizing details was his passion. But at the same time he had to make sure to not mention his occupation, task or exact reason for his presence here today. So he decided to change the topic, still maintaining slightly roguish tone and expression.

"Say lass, yer standing out a bit with ya flashy outfit n'all. Surely you won't min' me askin' whachu're here for?"

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna listened to the todd's explanation, trying to keep an open mind. Personally, she saw nothing worth preserving in the filth and grime; she knew that various generations of mayors, her birth father included, had made efforts to improve or reform the Slups, and yet they remained the same rancid, ramshackle dens of crime and misery as before. One day soon, she was sure, there would be another great fire that would scour the entire district clean, and then it would start all over again, just as squalid and miserable as before.

She considered carefully whether the word 'lass' was better than 'madam'. Madam seemed more appropriate to a far older femme, and certainly implied a married femme; lass seemed quite youthful by contrast, and while Marianna considered herself to be in the prime of her life, she knew her experience eclipsed that of any fresh-faced maiden. Really, she mused, there didn't seem to be an appropriate middle term for femmes like her. 'Lady', perhaps, but that had formal titled implications going back hundreds of years.

Marianna played with the end of her shawl as she idly remarked, "Oh, a few business opportunities here and there. An unfilled need in the market open to capitalization. Let me guess, you're planning to open a stand of your own? Start selling landscape paintings for low prices?"

 

[Ivo Suresight]

Ivo snickered at the proposal. "Yeh nah. I ain't really an artis' worth a shard. Used to sell 'em sketches for livin', but now I've otha' reasons to do it. Like t'fact I simply like it!" He stated and grinned with some excitement, turning to the side and starting to sketch what he saw now from this new angle. He felt proud with himself for doing good job with keeping his secret.

But he couldn't shake off the feeling of an opportunity. This vixen sounded both smart and rather competent. As such he decided to pull the words he heard about business a little bit further. Being careful payed well, yet being risky could enrich one greatly. Ivo thus decided to try his luck again.

"Ya wanna tell me 'bout your idea? Sounds like somethin' potentially worth keepin' ya nose out fur."

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna watched the todd sketching, considering his inquiry. It was nice to chat with someone intelligent, artistic, and at least reasonably articulate. He was at least from the criminal underworld; maybe he would appreciate the genius of her idea. "My plan is to open a limited stock exchange," she stated. "You see, the greatest limiter that criminals face on their success is how to safely keep their money. The Epicurean Bank reports back to the Ministry of Commerce and its auditors; keeping it in loose gold risks being robbed yourself, or having your assets seized in a Fogey raid. My thought is to provide an alternative source of safekeeping in the form of stocks in the Obsidian Corporation.

"The idea is simple: criminals can purchase shares, or percentages of shares, to safely hold the value of their gold in the stocks. Indeed, as the price of the stock rises, they may even make money on the transaction. They can even trade the stocks among each other to facilitate certain large transactions that, when paid for with something other than gilders, technically is no longer a crime - helping to legitimize certain businesses. The goal is eventually to provide an alternative to traditional currency that the whole underworld will use for the purchase and sale of goods and services. And who knows? After that, I may extend it to the legitimate business world as well."

 

[Ivo Suresight]

Ivo listened eagerly... but some words and ideas were a bit too difficult to him to comprehend, even as he stopped drawing to fully turn his attention he still had hard time getting all the terms. However, the general idea was there. He considered it for a second before responding to her with curious tilt to his head, his healthy ear perked up while his chipped one barely moved upwards.

"Uhh, If I get'is right... You wanna make 'em gangs give ya money for them stocks. Then they'd jus be happy with yer promise that them stocks are worth what they've paid for? Sounds... like sumthin' you'll need a lot of trust from the others to get rollin'."

Ivo the opened his sketchbook again, this time however not to draw, pulling out his pencil he tried doing some of that math he was learning so hard recently to calculate the size of the market based on the size of the stall nearby him.

"But if ya wer to get it workin'... I can't deny it seems great. Many gangs would kill for immunity to taxbeasts."

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna nodded her acknowledgement of the todd's point. It would take serious work to win back the trust of everyone in the market. There was a time when the Furotazzi name had been feared and respected; loved and admired, not so much. It seemed that Vito had hewed too closely to that famous Varangian maxim, "If one can be both loved and feared, be both; but, if one cannot be both, it is best to carry a crowbar suitable for removing kneecaps".

"It will take some serious work," she admitted. "Stocks are, as much as anything, built upon trust - trust that those in whom one invests will be wise custodians of that investment. By goal is to rebuild that trust, beast by beast, across the city."

Her eyes drifted down to his brooch, and her eyebrow raised. "But surely, someone from an organization with such tumultuous turns of fortune as the Great Maw can appreciate that sentiment," she commented.

 

[Ivo Suresight]

Ivo shook his head gently. He wasn't a part of Great Maws ever since the accident. The fact they let him keep the brooch was only coming to the fact they didn't want him to give out their secrets. But it was yet another of those things Ivo did to keep an advantage over the others and he was happy to stay that one step ahead for his own sake.

"I bet'cha they would! A few yers'go at lest. Lost most of tha fortune from a city raid. Still goin' strong but mostly dealin' in shakedowns now." He spoke with confidence. Albeit his knowledge about his former gang wasn't most up to date. He occasionally spoke to them that is true but it was in part his own choice to warn them about potential raids he knew about. A small token of apology to few of his former comrades he had respect for. Other than that he didn't want to waste his time with those that were very ungrateful of his work... Even if it was exactly what he was doing now in this new life.

"I can get a meetin' fer ya with somebeast higher up. I ain't big enough to matta." He added trying to curry some favor.

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna nodded politely, considering the offer. She didn't know if having someone who described themselves as 'not big enough to matter' introduce her would do anything for her image... but then again, right now she had no public image to rely upon. Gone were the days when Vito could get the heads of every criminal organization around a single table to broker deals that changed history. Marianna couldn't even reliably get an audience with the head of a local gang of muggers. "I would appreciate that," she confirmed.

She glanced down toward his pad, only getting a sidelong glance at it. "That's very good," she remarked. "Do you only do landscapes, or do you also do portraiture?"

 

[Ivo Suresight]

Ivo was glad that he scored himself a small favour. He started moving faster to finish the sketch so that he could get some time to spare for the vixen. At her comment however he shook his head. "I can draw them landscapes an' sights. Can't do beasts really. I tried but am jus' not precise enuff to do fur proper. It 'lways endsup lookin' like grass." He chuckles before closing the sketchbook and gesturing Marianna to follow him.

Ivo wasn't lying, he never felt good with beast drawing, that is why he stuck to maps and landscapes. He considered if he should maybe try to learn portraiture while he navigated the market to one of the many hidden entrances to the buildings surrounding it. He walked down the stairs into a damp cellar before stopping by wooden wall and asking Marianna. "DO NOT react with fear."

Just a moment later he pulled out in one movement his dagger and stabbed the wall, at first glance quite randomly. But a short moment later the wall started moving revealing a secret chamber and a sizable ferret who examined Ivo. "You. Why you are here." They've muttered.

Ivo pulled out his dagger from the wall, letting the piece of paper on the other side to fall down, it was precisely cut in the marked spot, a simple but clever system to limit access to most. He flashed a smile and looked into the eyes of the ferret. "Am jus' bringin' a client to da boss. One thats smart and maybe could help y'all. Lemmie in." Ivo demanded.

Ferret looked at Marianna for a moment before moving away from their path. Letting the two deeper into the hideout. Ivo knew this one was just made to do business with others, but it looked by all means like a proper place of crime. It didn't took long, albeit it required stepping through four more sets of doors, to reach a rather big room with ten beasts standing around the desk behind which a black fox of impressive posture sat.

"Hey Stiff, brought ya someone who wanna talk." Ivo chipped in before taking a step back and making Marianna stand in front of the brute. He didn't say a thing, only gestured to her to make her start talking.

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna felt her heart race at the sudden stab into the wall, but she managed to keep her facial expressions calm, even feigning disinterest. She'd stood in rooms where violence was enacted upon beasts who had owed copious amounts of gilders to the Furotazzis, standing by to keep a ledger of each blow that was delivered to make sure the Family got precisely their money's worth out of the beast. Still, as she followed the fox into the den of the Great Maws, she couldn't help but feel as it she were venturing into their namesake, the jaws about to close shut around her. She could feel a shiver go down her fur at the sheer number of beasts standing by, ready to enact whatever was demanded of them by the fox behind the desk.

Chin up, she reminded herself, recalling the lessons she'd learned from Vito's example. Not imperious, but firm. Make eye contact, but move it to each beast in turn, in descending order of apparent importance. Don't make it a competition with any of them. Don't offer your paw first, but if they reach out for it, then shake it firmly. She'd made a study of her predecessor's mannerisms, observing how he interacted with beasts both more and less powerful than him. Now, those lessons were finally being put to the test.

"I am honored by your welcome, sir," she addressed the fox behind the desk, trying to keep her tone respectful, but not reverential. "Please, permit me to introduce myself. I am Marianna Furotazzi, la Sorella of the Furotazzi Family, who have ever considered the Great Maw to be our trusted partners." Less trusted, perhaps, after their messy fall from power, but no one could be entirely atop their game at all times. "I am aware of your ambitions, and come in a spirit of cooperation to aid in enabling your goals. The Furotazzis can offer methods of safeguarding the value of your earnings from taxbeasts and auditors alike, and we are eager to partner with you in that endeavor. As proof of our goodwill," she very slowly raised a paw, indicating the purse slung over her shoulder, "I would like to offer you a gift: twenty-five shares of the Obsidian Corporation, currently valued at forty gilders apiece, for a net worth of one thousand gilders." Of course, that valuation would only hold if she could start getting a buy-in from various organizations. Giving away stock was a risky move, especially because if they rejected the offer and demanded the value of the stock instead, she'd be out even more gold that she couldn't afford to part with. She moved very slowly to retrieve the shares from her purse, watching to make sure that no one reacted adversely to the motion.

 

[Ivo Suresight]

The bulky black fox that Ivo called 'Stiff' didn't seem too interested in the matter at first. He gestured in some code at one of his subordinates, a lanky but very tall red vixen with both ears cut in half. She cleared her throat with a growl and spoke to Marianna. "Furotazzi... Boss welcomes you and wants you to know he is interested in your dealings..." She spoke evenly, but there was certain disdain in her eyes. Ivo knew she was a current second-in-command and probably the smartest gal of the bunch. But she joined long after his change of occupation, as such he wasn't really that aware of who she was.

"But! We aren't foolish. A gift of such value is certainly a way to curry some favour. A question needs to be asked... why?" She put a heavy accent onto the last word, pausing for a moment before continuing, gazing deeply into Marianna's eyes. "We are aware of some recent downfalls of your family. You aren't yet at the bottom... but giving away rights to whatever wealth you still have? Doesn't seem to be a sound strategy unless you have something bigger in plans. And we would like to know those to... mitigate the risk." The vixen finished with a predatory grin. The rest of the beasts in the room stayed silent and at ready while the boss stared at Marianna and occasionally glanced at Ivo.

And Ivo wasn't exactly aware of why was it. Sure, he was a free beast that was welcomed here only due to his past, but he was considered trustworthy. Not speaking up, Ivo just tried his best to remain at ease and take roguish smile and stance. He wasn't very intimidating, but he had the charm to keep others at bay.

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna decided that she didn't like the other vixen. The Furotazzi had been in that same position, acting as an advisor to Vito, and she knew a beast did not get to such a position without cunning and a degree of ruthless ambition. If this vixen was advising the Great Maw leader, then Marianna had to consider her an equal. "Currying favor or demonstrating what the Furotazzis have to offer; both are possible interpretations," she noted. She slowly pulled the thin stack of papers from her purse, each neatly printed on thick card stock and marked with the date and price at issuance, as well as a serial number and Marianna's signature validating the issuance. This she set on the desk, then clasped her paws in front of her stomach, trying to express a deferential posture.

"The ability to conceal and safely access the proceeds of our enterprises has been a struggle for organizations in our field ever since the establishment of the Ministry of Commerce," she noted. "With the creation of the Ministry of Justice by the late Anithias Freedom," she tried to keep the disdain out of her voice as her birth father's name left her lips, "that task has grown even more difficult. As I'm sure you know, raids by Fogeys, acting on the word of government auditors, present a severe risk of loss of capital, both financial and vermin alike.

"The Obsidian Corporation proposes an alternative to the Epicurean Bank," she stated, gesturing to the stocks on the table. "Rather than store funds in a bank vault that is subject to search and seizure by the Ministries, funds can be placed into Obsidian stock for safekeeping. As a legally traded commercial product, one not classified as an object of inherent value as it is, after all, paper and ink, rather than precious metal, the risk of loss of value is mitigated. Even in the event of seizure, your funds remain protected with the Obsidian Corporation; we will keep your investment in our ciphered ledgers, and all you need is the serial numbers and proof of identity to recover your funds. Moreover, there is no processing fee on purchases of stock, and only a processing fee of a nominal 1% on sales back to the company in exchange for legal tender. Our intention is to open a public stock exchange in this very market, wherein the value of our stock will be publicly displayed so that, as the purchase and sale price rises, you can even appropriately time the sale to maximize profit. I can assure you, no money launderer in the city can offer you the potential of actual gain over your investment."

She took a breath, calming herself, before addressing the question that would surely be coming. "As for what your gold will be doing while invested: it will be funding the profit-maximizing ventures of the Obsidian Corporation, intended to expand our market offerings and to generate revenue that will flow back into our stock offerings, thereby increasing the value of your investment over time. We are building a corporation that can be a trusted partner to all of the independent businessbeasts of Bully Harbor, to offer services that provide increased security and confidence in our shared market. Your investment is not merely in your own prosperity, but the prosperity of the entire market in which we operate."

It was an ambitious plan, she had to admit. Vito's ill-fated attempt to disentangle Obsidian Corporation from the illicit side of the market had destroyed its revenue stream before it could become viable as a legitimate business. Now, Marianna was prepared to rebuild the business that had once been ubiquitous across the criminal underworld, and to reach for heights for which Vito had not even dared to try. If she failed... Well, she could not allow herself to fail.

 

[Ivo Suresight]

The vixen listened with interest, unlike any other beast in the room beside the beast in charge. Ivo listened but with struggled with full comprehension. He was of an opinion that the only thing with value is money made of metals. Fancy paper and ink could speak of riches but not replace them in his mind. But that is also why he dealt with other things.

“I see.” Said the vixen after a moment of contemplation. “You plan something that requires a lot of customers it seems. Especially of a rich kind…” She giggled in a way that was creepy and uncomfortable. “Say, how many investors do you have now?How many stocks have been sold out of them all? Those are very, very important details to consider in financial work.”

Ivo could feel his fur standing up on his back. The vixen expression brought memories and images of maniacal violence, except in this moment it was still coiled like a spring behind her eyes, ready to be unleashed.


”And also, what investments do you plan dear colleague? You must know considering your words that Ministry of Commerce will very intently investigate anyone who comes to wealth in short time… and if you were to say it comes from stocks? They will try to find the buyers.” She grinned while pulling her remaining ear parts back, her tail wagging like crazy. She seemed very happy with herself right now and her boss looked st Marianna awaiting her answer.

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna winced as the other vixen brought up exactly the point she'd been hoping would be missed. "Our ledgers are enciphered," she explained. "Protecting the identities of our investors is our highest priority. Moreover, we are exploring the possibility of using an individualized cipher key to encode the identities of our buyers. Simply put, you as the buyer would choose a word, and that word would be used as the key to a cipher in our own ledgers to encode your identity. That way, if our ledgers are seized, not even I could decode them without provision of the keyword you have chosen. This provides added security for you as well; should your paper stocks be stolen, for instance, the keyword would serve as a last security check to ensure that the person attempting to redeem the stocks is in fact authorized by the buyer."

It had been a spur of the moment decision, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. To build investor confidence, safeguards had to be put into place to ensure that, if Obsidian Corporation was compromised, its clients would still be protected.

"As far as what your investment will be doing with our corporation, it will be used to help build what I would call 'the infrastructure of the underworld'," she explained, ramping up her sales pitch. "There are certain high risk activities that currently incur major costs to every organization - namely, the smuggling and transport of illicit items and those of a dubious provenance. By blending illicit and legal items together in Obsidian Corporation shipments, spreading them out over large orders of various legal goods, we can move your product into and out of the Imperium at a reduced cost compared to current smuggling operations. As Obsidian Corporation is already an established importer and exporter with numerous licensed shipping partners, you won't have to rely on ad hoc smugglers to bring in or ship out your goods, nor negotiate percentages and cuts; we will handle all the negotiations on our end, providing you with clear, low pricing. Our goal is not to be a competitor to anyone in this market, but to serve as a platform for criminal enterprise writ large, to reduce your costs and enable greater efficiency in the marketplace.

"As for how many stocks are in circulation, a simply majority are held in an irrevocable trust in the name of myself and my brother, Falun, my partner in the Furotazzis." Really, that had been the smartest decision that Vito had made. "We retain control over the corporation between the two of us, but we are unable to sell our own stock without joint approval by both of us and by the independent trustee. This safeguard ensures that we remain fully committed to the longterm health of the corporation, rather than short-term profit." Of course, the dividends on those stocks had been a pittance; even ten thousand shares between them barely yielded enough to keep the Lilting Lily open. If this enterprise was going to be enough for her to actually make a living from, then it would need to expand significantly. "At current," she allowed, "what stock has been sold is owned in small number by a few independent shareholders. You, as our first major investor, therefore have the opportunity to get in before any rush on the stock and subsequent rise in value. Once share values rise significantly, the next opportunity to buy in at the current price would be following a split in the stocks, at which point you would be able to purchase a far smaller share of the company at the same price."

It left a bitter taste in her mouth to admit to the current state of affairs; she had to admit that, in their position, she would hardly see Obsidian Corporation as a proven investment either. Still, the potential for growth was there. She just needed a lucky break, even if it had to come from the likes of the Great Maw.