A Twist in the Tassles [Fashion/NoM]

As she walked through field of grass, Zubaidah watched the Sun shine upon the Louve's hills. She had come here a few times before, when she was much younger and under Anna's care, and more when Silius had come for charity work. Indeed, it was here that Anna had designed her Cinder Parasol, and asked her friends in the Louve to craft it. She had missed them, but she had been unable to visit with all the troubles on the Ash Company's plate. Until now, of course...

‘If it isn’t Anna’s favourite!’ A well-built man tending to the sheep in the fields greeted Zubaidah with a wave and smile. ‘A good morning to you as well, Emil.’

‘So what are you in this neck of the woods for?’

‘Let me guess wine, scarves or even a chat with an old friend?’

‘I can’t say a chat would be remiss, but I’m here for something else first.’

‘Well, someone else.’ She looked around the fields, as if expecting someone else among the grass and herds. ‘Have you seen Anais?’

‘I believe that she was loading a wagon for Anna earlier.’

‘What business you got with her, Zubaidah?’

‘Oh, let me guess, all that wool being loaded there isn’t for Anna at all.’ A chuckle from him brought a blush to Zubaidah's cheeks, when Emil looked towards her with a disbelieving grin. ‘It’s for another one of your business ventures, isn’t it?’

‘You say that as if they failed!’

‘You got me there.’ He raised his hand, counting his fingers with slow and deliberate precision. ‘Only three of them did.’

‘I swear that I’ll succeed in this one, Emil.’

‘Yeah? Tell me then. What makes this one different?’

‘I am moving into the fashion industry!’

‘Excuse me, what?’ Emil covered his mouth with a hand, stifling his laughter. ‘So now you’re gonna add fashion to the list of industries you’ve tanked, yeah?’ Zubaidah was not impressed, taken aback at his blunt response.

‘Good one, Emil.’

‘I think I have a good handle on this one.’

‘Really?’

‘I just need the trade to ensure I have good enough materials as well.’ A look of suspicion, or regret perhaps, came upon his face when Emil heard her speak the word 'materials'. ‘Well, you’re gonna have to be careful there, Zubaidah.’

‘Pray tell?’

‘Rumour has it that those damn Sassanids are hungry for our trade and materials as well.’ They exchanged a dark look between themselves, Zubaidah tensing as Emil mentioned Sasan. ‘I hope that they are just rumours.’

‘I can’t say much for sure, but Anais and Denime would know more.’

‘I’ll discuss it with them then.’

‘But first, business?’ He pointed towards his a table outside his thatched-roof house, a bottle of wine laid outside as if in preparation - or perhaps a constant feature. ‘You know me too well, Emil.’

It was well into the afternoon when Emil and Zubaidah parted from the bottle, red staining the grass and their lips. Keen to maintain the air of sobriety, Zubaidah stuffed herself with mushrooms and bread, hoping that they might absorb what alcohol was not ready to be spilt again. As he laughed at her crudeness, unusual for such a decent lady, Emil pointed out Anais, who had just wheeled a cart past his house.

‘Is that you, Zubaidah?’ Anais' cheeks lit up at seeing Zubaidah, who glared at Emil for not warning here. ‘It has been some time, hasn’t it?’

‘Well, ‘some time’ is one way of putting it.’

‘A down-played one?’

‘My god, how you’ve changed!’ Anais brought her into a tight embrace, holding her shoulders as she looked at Zubaidah's grown-up figure. ‘It hasn’t been that long.’

‘I know, I know, I’m only joking.’

‘But still, I do remember when you were waist-high.’ A blush upon her cheeks, whether emarassemnt for trace alcohol, Zubaidah rioted in defence. ‘I was never that short, Anais!’

‘If you say so!’

‘But nevermind that, you’ve got some business with me, don’t you?’

‘I do indeed.’

‘Well, I have some bad news.

‘When is there ever any good news?’

‘It seems like never nowadays.’

‘But let me guess,’ Sighing, Zubaidah spoke with venom and pointed words, ‘Does it involve Sasan?’

‘Emil told you?’

‘He knows my quarrels with Xerxes.’

‘Well, this is a more delicate situation.’

‘Say, a lot more delicate.’ An immaculately-dressed man, his voice and clothes screaming taste, sidled towards Anais and Zubaidah. ‘Denime!’

‘Zubaidah, darling, how have you been?’

‘As great as that new scarf, dear.’

‘Mmm, at least someone appreciates it.’ He glared at Emil, who took the look as an excuse, or invitation rather, to leave. ‘But pleasantries aside, Anais speaks the truth.’

‘This is a rather delicate situation.’

‘How is that?’

‘What could Sasan trade the Louve which you don’t have?’ She smacked her palm against her forehead, sighing with exasperation that she had not grasped the reason before. ‘Oh, metals. Of course! How infuriating…’

‘Hmm, infuriating?’

‘Well, metals and metal-working are what you lack more than anything, are they not?’

‘Mmm, exactly. Sasan has offered us metals in exchange for closer connections. I should say, Xerxes’ boy himself has made the offer.’ Seeing the venomous hatred enter Zubaidah's eyes when he mentioned Xerxes, and his son especially, Denime had to reassure her, ‘Don’t you worry, darling, it was an Artaxerxes, not Leon.’

‘It’s almost a done deal, I’m afraid. I asked Elodie even, and she agreed. I can’t see why we wouldn’tt agree, if I’m honest.’ Anais interrupted them both, her voice showing concern, whether for herself or Zubaidah. ‘I understand that you and Emil have your reservations, but - ’

‘Reservations? You call them ‘reservations’? Xerxes wages war against the Louve, Reim, the West even, and call my hostilities ‘reseverations’?’

‘Listen, darling - ’

‘No, you listen here.’

‘It has been a scarce few years since the Sassanid crusades.’

‘You cannot relent to their demands after Sasan invaded your lands.’

‘Had they waited a decade, I would have a new mind. But as they are now, I cannot forgive Sasan and neither should you.’

‘Mmm, well said.’

‘But it does not solve our issue, darling.’

‘No, but…’ She started pacing the patio, her fingers tapping her head in desperation until, ‘But what if other tribes formed a trade-network?’

‘We have one with Reim already, don't we?’

‘True, but Reim considers your freedoms an excuse to place you last on the priority list, don’t they?’

‘Astute as ever, Zubaidah.’

‘Thank you, Denime.’

‘But would Reim allow it?’

‘There is nothing within your trade-agreement that disallows trade-networks outside of the Reiman bloc, is there?’

‘No, no, there isn’t…’ Anais' cheeks glowed bright, until a thought dulled her happiness, ‘But how would we form this network?’

‘We have no solid relationships with other Reiman tribes!’

‘You might not, but - ’ As she began speaking, Emil's voice rang out behind them all. ‘This was your plan all along, Sasan be damned, wasn’t it?’

‘Ah, Emil!’

‘You figured it out, didn’t you?’

‘Yeah, I did.’

‘Whatever could you mean, dearie?’

‘She’s gonna use the connections in her new industry to connect us with other tribes, aren’t you?’

‘Yes, create a trade-network under the illusion of a private venture.’ Anais gasped, her cheeks glowing with the brightness of the sun, a smile coming upon her otherwise-concerned expression, ‘That way, if Reim does find our trade a breach of the main bloc contract, we can use your business as a cover…’

‘Well then, how does that sound?’

‘It sounds like a lot of work...’

‘Then we better get started!’