#initially i had him say “aalto” but that felt too much

[gemkun]

@aaltoh said : " hey. " ( turns into mist and leaves )

      ⸻       he   catches   the   little   greeting   before   the   information   broker   dissipates   ,   and   in   his   own   dramatic   execution   ,   a   flourish   of   cards   unveil   the   overseer   ,   before   the   man   who   had   initiated   conversation   from   the   get   —   go.   ❝   aw   ,   you   ran   after   saying   hi.   don’t   you   have   a   knack   for   being   a   conversationalist   ,   as   a   consultant   of   the   black   shores   ?   ❞   shifting   eyes   gleam   ,   latching   to   gold   that   shimmers.   ❝   maybe   if   you   shell   out   some   intel   ,   and   let's   be   clear   :   none   of   the   boring   kind   ,   i'll   let   you   off.   consider   it   an   exchange   for   meddling   with   the   fractsidus.   ❞

[guhamun]

❝I WON’T PRETEND TO understand the boss. To be honest, there’s a great deal I don’t understand. I just know he has his reasons for being like this. I’d say you should sit and talk to him one day, but he’s so guarded, doubtful you’d get anything out of him.❞ Calcharo didn’t talk about his past. He didn’t talk about anything in regards to himself to anyone that he was aware of. It was hard to know what was true information, and what wasn’t when your leader didn’t bother to correct anyone. If they thought that he was sent down from the heavens as some vengeful entity in the form of lightning, then he’d just let people believe that. ❝Regardless, it’s because that he’s the way he is, that Jiyan trusts him as much as he does. I’m pretty sure he probably had some push back when he initially reached out to Calcharo. If he was like how you’re describing, I think the general would have caught onto that pretty quick.❞ His kindness could make him come across as naïve; however, dragons were cunning and fierce, traits those chosen by Jué reflected well.

     Downing what was left of his water, he let out a quiet, relief sigh as he further slumped back against the metal behind himself, lips curling slightly with amusement at the other’s proclamation. ❝Well, a certain blue haired guy went and got him even more curious, so this is just a consequence of your actions. If it was anyone else, he probably wouldn’t give a damn. But it’s Jiyan. Boss probably wants to check them.❞ To one who didn’t know the mercenary leader, Jianyu knew that his looking into things could be seen as jealousy. But really, Calcharo was protective of those he cared about. He more than likely was concerned. He must have wanted to know if whatever name Aalto told him was familiar, and if it was a bad familiarity, let Jiyan know. Heh…it felt weird playing translator to someone he still didn’t know much about. However, he had been around Calcharo for years now. Some things were bound to be known.

     His personality being one.

     Habits too.

     Arms crossing over his chest, he gave a small nod, pleased that Cu was being honest with him. The first time he had met the other man, he had wanted to lop that head off their shoulders. He hadn't trusted them despite Calcharo giving both Cu and Deirdre the greenlight, if only because of Cu’s callous words in the beginning. Weird to think that the same person sitting next to him, was the same one he wanted to murder on spot. ❝Alright. Good enough answer.❞ Falling quiet for a few seconds, he frowned, eyes narrowing soon after. ❝Wait a minute – well no wonder the boss is confused. You brought up those flowers in a way that made it sound like someone had given them to Jiyan to woo him or whatever. Not for political reasons.❞ Letting out a long sigh, he lifted his hand to rub his temple. He wanted to tell Calcharo about this 'visitor', yet he knew he couldn't. Not at the moment. Doing so might inadvertently interfere with Cu's plans. ❝That aside, I’ll accept your offer.❞ Curiously so. ❝You officially have yourself a helper in your little venture…for now, at least.❞

Keeping things fair... that was exactly what he didn't understand about the Ghost Hound boss. It made no sense. In their world, the more control you had over others, the tighter the leash, the better it was. He could spend a good few hours trying to explain Jianyu how things worked in the New Federation, but he didn't want to bore them. So, instead, he simply said: "There are many types of dogs in this world. There are functional ones, attack and guard dogs that keep you and your home protected. There are lapdogs too, they serve as entertainment and comfort. Both kinds require plenty of time and resources to train and keep happy, tho. But there's a third kind: strays. The strays that follow you home after you give them a bit of food or minimal affection are my uncle's favorite. He always said that there's no more loyal hound than those. It's often too late by the time they realize they have been deceived and, even if you lose or kill them all, no one will complain and there will always be more from where they came from. So, with that context, why would you treat a dog like a human? Keeping things fair make no sense when you can just take it all for yourself and throw a bone to the dogs."

That's why Calcharo's way of doing things were quite baffling at the time. He wasn't paying much attention to the Lawless Zone then, but he remembered his uncle was both pleased and annoyed when he heard the Ghost Hounds were moving to Huanglong.

The fusion resonator swore under his breath after learning that they might not even have a week before Calcharo contacts Aalto for information. "Too impatient! You should only be contacting a broker for relevant stuff, not for useless gossip!" Well, then again, it was clear that Jiyan's love life was very important to the mercenary even if they denied it, but still, ugh. He has been hoping Jianyu would laugh his question off and tell him that Calcharo wouldn't contact the broker just to find out about someone's love life. He'll need to stick around Aalto and Encore the following days, so to hopefully be around when Calcharo makes the call and ruin his plan to get any information from the broker.

Jianyu's sharp observation made him pout. It was much cuter when they used to think he was just some reckless traveler trying to get on their nerves. He pondered what to say for a few seconds. A part of him wished to admit that, while he knew he wasn't a good person and would never be one, he wanted to do the same things a good person does. And good people help others out without expecting anything in return, right? He has... spent the majority of his life following orders without questioning them once, thinking he was doing the right thing because he was told he was doing the right thing. Now, he wants to do the right thing because it's what he chose to do, not because he was told so. "I'm surprised your boss doesn't treat me with much disdain despite knowing where I hail from. He could've made things tough for Dee and me here, but he hasn't. I really owe him one for that, so helping him out with Jiyan will be my way of thanking him. Besides, they look cute together."

As for Jianyu's payment... "I'm pretty sure my uncle will be sending one of his representatives to Jinzhou soon. I didn't connect the dots at first, but the flowers are quite on brand for him. The Magistrate and Director of Ministry of Development must have received them too. Once said representative arrives, I'll tell him to not bother you and to be as cordial as humanly possible. Seriously, you'll thank me after you listen to him talk."