Father Figure Slave Maker [ Social | 8 ]

Good Evening Eight,

I recently have taken charge of multiple local crime rings, and some in Balbad. I wish to meet with you to speak about setting up inner workings between our two rings and business. In addition to this I wish to give you a gift as a sign of good will and blatant bribery to sway you to meet with me as well as show you my capabilities. If not you are more than welcome to send a letter to said address on a time or location that would be better suited for you. Thank you for your time and I do hope you consider my offer.

Sincerely,

---

Dalia steadied her breath, closing her eyes, then envisioning her face she had pre set up for Lara, then her hair, then how the neck was clear of scaring her. She investing extra Stamina into it by far like she has practiced as she used her Body Alter for 100 Stamina Her face becoming a bit more mature, her hair turning blonde and shorter but still in a ponytail and more curly and far less wild.

Her scar on her neck fading to nothing as it was the only scar of her that was showing her other ones hidden under the cloth of her outfit and her arms having long sleeves hiding her arm scars and her badly injured arm she couldn’t yet shift. She opened her eyes to show them shifting from her golden eyes to more of a sky blue set. This all lasted from this point on for 10 post rounds. She then cleared her throat forcing more stamina into her next ability, her Voice Alter for 100 Stamina this also lasting from this post on for 10 post rounds. Of course she could stop them early if needed and she now would only move half as fast but she needed to ensure that she stayed in this form.

She wanted to try and get 8 to respect her as a business partner, to trust her choices without assuming her plan was to kill people alone… which even in some cases it was… she didn’t want his decisions swayed from what he knew of her as Dalia. Since it seems he tended to sometimes listen to her plans but never go with them in the past. And rarely asked her for any of her own plans. After talking to Daichi who walked beside her porting a cloak with a hood and mask on and clothes in the fashion of that of bodyguards in Balbad. She had at least accepted it wasn't entirely 8’s fault for this.

He had only known her as a bandit turned into his own apprentice that loved violence and murder with a temper. He had never been inside her head to see every attack she made was planned for maximum efficiency and fun, only viewing her well planned attacks as just spontaneous brutality. He didn’t know her family and how they cunningly attacked massive tribe and small towns or villages with small numbers never truly losing any of their own until meeting 8, he only saw them as foolish bandits, not bandits that for the first time in all the time Dalia could remember having such bad luck to lose so many of their members.

They were foolish; she admitted that at least, they after all thought that no one else was strong enough to take them on. When there were so many other beings far stronger than all of them combined out there. But She knew 8 was foolish as well, he did after all think she would be easy to break after all. She walked over with Daichi to where she was keeping the 10 slaves she squeezed out of one of her associates fixing up her tie  and white silk gloves she had on her hands to cover the scarring on her hand and to make it look uniform. “Let’s go.”


She said flatly to the group leading them to the location she set up with 8 through a letter that was secure and halfway between their two locations to make it easier on 8 who was with the others and likely didn’t want to leave Kina in its entirety until his plans were finished there with Kogata. Daichi, being the weirdo he is, was totally chill with this and respected him for this… then again Daichi was a biased idiot from Kogata himself. “You look extra fancy this time.” Daichi whispered so only Dalia would hear making her brow twitched at his tease.

“Quiet” She whispered back, making Daichi grin more. Her voice sounded that of someone in their late teens and a sense of maturity rather than her usual child like on the verge of punching your face in a voice she had.

“It’s almost like you want to look pretty for this despite you normally wearing the same outfit for months on end without wash.~” He teased more with a whisper making a vein pop out on her forehead.

“Daichi I swear I will hit you so hard you’ll bleed from the inside out.” She whispered more harshly.

He took a breath in to speak again, locking eyes with her from under his mask before saying instead a genuine. “I’m just saying you look good…”

Dalia eyed him for a moment before looking off with a grumble. “What ever…” She said as Daichi was pleased to know he wasn’t hit for the last comment knowing full well… she would have if he teased again. They both looking back forward as they would soon arrive at the location. She held up her hand to signal Daichi and the group to stop moving as she would walk up to 8 and placed a band on her chest looking on with a calm and composed face with almost bored looking eyes as she bowed to him.

She then sidestepped motioning to the girls and men in rags and chains. “I hope these slaves would suffice as a good gift to you. Their previous owner was rather spineless so they may still have some fight in them at times but nothing that would pose you much issue I would imagine.” She said rather professionally and coldly looked at him. “It is a pleasure to meet you in person, and that you were willing to meet with me. I know you already know my name from the letter but as a reintroduction, I am Lara Duskborne. New leader of the local Kou based low tier crime rings and some of the ones in Balbad.” She said with a nod.

( 30 / 230 Stamina )

The flapping of wings would end at a small pigeon post at a Kogatan mail station. The message was processed through quickly and sent with a courier on horseback that would ride straight to the Kogatan outpost on Mt. Raiji. The letter was delivered by daylight and Eight was a bit surprised. With everything happening in Kina, he had forgotten the country of Kou which he had been within, as well as the plains, Reim and Tartarus. There was a limit to how much his mind could calculate for. However, he did have a slave he didn't bring with him on location should he need an ace up his sleeve. This was just barely within the Kina-Kou border, he would unite with his own crew. Inviting Leona, Diana, Naruto, and Sasuke. Naruto and Sasuke impersonating a Fanalis and an Imuchakk respectively. They would travel via magic carpet with a flying carpet and Diana's gravity magic. Here they would pick up one of Eight's slaves, Eighty-Nine. A frail woman in rags with seafoam-colored hair, a magician.

The squad would arrive at the location in full-force. Leona would jump down from the magical carpet, with a semi-superhero landing. A Reim goddess, her body was exposed for once, since she wasn't in her typical arm. Lucious, loosely curled locks of hair reaching inches past her neck. She had a tight top that revealed her well-defined sculpture of a body. Naruto, looked like a slim Fanalis with the speed to match, standing behind Leona along side, Sasuke, who was impersonating an imuchakk, but his height was still on the shorter end. Diana, a pale magician with Eighty-Nine descended via their gravity magic behind Eight.

Leona, Naruto and Sasuke parted to make room for Eight, as he approached Lara. The slaver's Black Spider mark could be spotted at the back of his neck. This sort of deal seemed to be too good to be true. While he had a pair of magicians and several magic tools, he had no clairvoyance magic to aid him. All he had right now was Diana's senses. However Diana was already aware of Lara's identity, through her impressive senses of Sight and Smell, but did not reveal her thoughts to Eight.

"This is more than fine for a meeting, the Spiders will be happy." He wasn't quite sure if this was a test, a trap or a stroke of luck. "I make no promises but I can't deny that I'm eager to see your worth." Eight would strip off his coat, and the green-haired woman would carry it on her staff. Topless beneath the coat, revealing the ink of the black spiders.

Daichi eyed openly the others on 8’s side carefully trying to get a feel for the possible threats at hand while Dalia was glancing at two of the women holding in her need to twitch her brow at the fact that even as Lara those two babysitters were somehow here watching her. One looked at her differently from the others, did she know? If she did and wasn’t saying anything yet though maybe she was planning on keeping quiet about this for now…. If she did Dalia may actually have to take her for not ratting her out sometime for now though there were other pressing matters. She didn't bother eyeing the others too much yet though this wasn't a combative fight, and if it turned into one she’d shift back before any damage was done.  

If it was anyone else she'd try to keep up the act even in a fight, but she refused to fight 8, not because she was scared of him but it would utterly defeat the purpose as to why she was doing this to begin with. Besides she trusted Daichi to get her out of the way of an attack if one was snuck in long enough for her to shift back and tell 8 to call off his dogs. She bowed her head to him for a moment when he said it was more than fine for a meeting. “I am pleased to hear this.” She said simply motioning signalling Daichi to lead them over to 8’s servants to take over the herding task bowing respectively to them in a style more attuned to Balbad natives then Kogata like Dalia taught him for his character.

He then walked back to his original position and stood at the ready like a usual body guard. “I am pleased to hear this. I will say like I did in the letter, this is a bribe to try to sway you into agreeing to my offer. I need new heads to my organization which holds several positions. I know of your talents and believe you would be a wonderful choice as the head of my slave trade.” She held out her hand and Daichi pulled out a tube  handing it to her, she keeping her eyes on 8 and her voice professional and calm as she opened the tube pulling out a rolled up bundle of papers passing the tube back to Daichi letting him put it back in his cloak and returned to his position. “My organization is not that big yet, but I assure you it will not stay that way for long."

"I offer you a chance to invest in a one day power house amongst the world of criminal activities. I know you may have connections with others when it comes to slave trade but we do not ask you to move to us exclusively, but to take our originization on as another aspect of your own business but doing your business in our territories under our name. You may work the slaves as you please train them as you please and so on and so forth, we just request half of the money profits and the agreement that you while in our territory areas and not doing business for your other partners that you do any slave trade under our name, in addition to help oginize and leade the slave trade branch of our organization.” She walked forward holding the papers out to him. “We are willing to negotiate terms though since we are more than aware you have more to give in this situation then us.

These papers here detail everything more in detail as i have just explained them as well as our territory and current resources in this area of business. This way you can look more into anything we've talked about thus far before or even after you agree to join us to help you be more informed in this subject.” She said simply letting him take it if he’d like. “In addition as I have given this vow to another I have been trying to recruit, I personally will tell you this and vow something to you."

"I take respect very highly, if you treat me with respect and see me as your equal I will do the same for you, if you are willing to fight for me I will always fight for you. I believe a proper business I built on trust and the willingness to work together in such ways. So to make it more simply put. If you agree to work with me as an  equal I would be more than willing to bleed to help you if it came to you. But know if you ever betrayed me no mercy would be given, and at that point may the better person or in our case, the worst person win… But I believe we will not reach that point.”  She said simply, coldy, but honestly. “So thoughts…? Opinions…? Creative Concerns?”

( 9 Posts Remaining )

Eight would listen to her patiently, as Diana stood closer behind her employer. Eight was concerned with competition to his own slave trading. Normally, it would be best to crush a fledgling start up at the start, but because she had offered him a plentiful gift, perhaps he could just let her do her own work and pillage from her once she had done all the legwork.

"I'm already investing into a country and seeing what I can do with that, I won't have time to invest in you just yet." Her comment of 50% and working under her name was a slap in the face. With the Black Spiders, he could enhance his own reputation. Working for a no name group could damage his reputation especially if they didn't perform in the near future, as Eight began to gather Rukh in his body, Diana put an arm on his shoulder as respectfully as she could. Eight would take the hint. "My guard seems to have faith in you."

Eight was finally handed some paperwork. They weren't perfect, but the plans and resources had merit and potential. These were the building blocks for creating a real force. Imuchakk Sasuke and Fanalis Naruto would observe the area a bit more.

"You have no chance yet, but perhaps when you grow a bit more. I need proof of your skill more than just empty promises. Nor do I need vows, I don't believe in betrayal as people will always be true to themselves. Also, show me more than just your work in the slave network and we can have another conversation."

She nodded silently as he spoke, externally calm and collected… understanding, respectful. “I’m flattered she feels such ways for me given how little she knows of me.” She said simply. She though inside was...well a bit upset was an understatement. Diana had more faith in her then he, if felt as though he saw her nothing but prey to feed off later when she was fattened up. She knew he didn’t know it was her under this mask she wore but it still hurt. The mention of empty promises, it almost felt as though he was spitting on her beliefs. Spitting on what she could do thus far and have accomplished… he didn’t know it was her, he didn't know what she had done to get this far….

She kept telling herself that as she nodded and placed a hand to her chest bowling to him standing up right pulling a card from her pocket offering it to him with the name ‘Bleeding Fangs’ on it. “Perfectly understandable. I hope to hear from you once I have grown even further.” She smiled softly to him, letting him take the card if he wished. If he didn't she would just pocket it and turn walking back to Daichi. “Thank you for meeting with me. I shall see you when we have something more to offer.” She said simply as she would start to leave Daichi looking to 8 and his people a bit longer before nodding to them and walking beside Dalia placing a hand on her shoulder.

Lagi had said something along the same lines when she first offered to him… but why did this hurt… so much more? She felt like a wounded puppy pathetic and in need of someone to tend to her. It was honestly horrible. She held a hand up to tell Daichi to remove his hand to stay in character. As much as she wished she could scream and break whatever she could as much as she could she needed to remain Lara. Then again Lara likely would have tried to kill 8 for describing her beliefs the way he did… So she supposed she gave herself one out for not doing so given Dalia would never try to hurt 8. Once again though… Lara likely would have never contacted 8 to begin with.

Lara had no past with 8… nothing to prove… nothing to hope to gain but a business partner she didn’t fully trust. And now she was arguing with herself inside over what she truly wanted. She had started this all to make 8 proud. But the more she was lara the more she was questioning her own reasoning… starting to really see how enjoyable it was to have people respect her and what she could do, not just physically either. Most would likely try to avoid something that split themselves in such a way… but Dalia? She wouldn’t run so easily, she knew the end of this path would be what was truly best. How so? Well that she still even needed to figure out.

Eight had the upper hand in these negotiations but was unable to leverage it to his success. As he gathered his troops wonder what had happened, they would fly away either on flying carpets or via gravity magic. It was at this point while Diana flew under her own magic besides Eights flying carpet that she would reveal Lara's identity as Dalia.

Eight laughed at the joke...? There was no way such a proper and ambitious woman could be Dalia, they didn't even look alike. Dalia looked almost neglected while this young woman whose face wasn't even similar, was prim and proper. Eight continued to doubt Diana til he recalled all the times where Diana, without magic, could realize things far faster than he.

It would explain why he was contacted and he hadn't seen Dalia in a bit. Even her manner of speaking was different... as Eight grew to slowly believe the possibility of Dalia and Lara being one and the same, he wondered the repurcussions of his action. Would it damage their relationship? Possibly, but even worse, perhaps caring for someone so closely was damaging the relationship with himself?

~Exit~