Mariko placed her index finger on her chin and pouted her lips a little as her eyes took in the stalls that were lined up across the streets.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt if we did. People on Kyushu have the prejudice that foreigners only seek to take instead of contribute to the market. I think it would only make you rise in their esteem if you show your goodwill. And actually, it has been a long time since I have been here. I want to take look myself. In this district they always sold beautiful silks and handfans."
She gestured with her hand to move towards the stalls.
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His Kusarian was limited but he could carry on a simple conversation with a merchant. If he got hung up on some wording, he would wait for his host to help him. Still, his wordings were of a friendly nature. The merchants had various items and trinkets. Jewelry, food, oils and a variety of other items were easily found. He purchased a necklace and left the merchant with a generous tip. It was Doc's way. He bowed with a light smile. If it was a lady, he tipped his hat to her. That was the old southern gentleman coming through. He would purchase a piece of local fruit to snack on while he shopped.
At one stall, the merchant invited him over. He was sampling a rice dish.
"Come, come," he said to him, waving him over, "You will like this."
He tried the dish and nodded his approval. It was then that things started to click.
The man explained to him that he grew his own rice and was part of a local co-op. Together, they put their product on the market, everything from bags of rice to prepared meals.
Doc explained to him that he purchased a lot of Kusari rice but never really knew who grew it and that it was popular amongst his people. That's when he asked the question.
"How would your co-op like to be my exclusive supplier?" he asked of him. "My ship is at pad number 3, docking area 7B." He then smiled, "3,400 units good Sir and I will return as often as possible."
"Hai, hai," the man replied smiling brightly as he handed him a card and the deal was sealed with a bow and a hand shake.....a gentleman's deal!
They would continue to look through the stalls, making purchases. "Not a bad way to get cozy with the locals."
He then said to her, "It is getting close to show time if I am not mistaken."
"You seem to an experienced business man. Do you always set up trade deals so easily?"
Mariko had caught up with him again, now carrying a furoshiki package, containing some mochi cakes, and a roll of purple silk.
"I used the opportunity to do some shopping myself. Purple is a good color to wear in autumn or early winter. I might paint a decorum on the back of the kimono. How about some kind of flower? It would give a nice contrast ne? And this..."
She held up the package wrapped in cloth.
"are mochi cakes. Small cakes made of sticky rice. The insides have differend flavors, usually of various exotic fruits. I bought a whole bunch of them so we have something to eat during the play. Don't ask me what the different flavours are, because I didn't ask. Guess we will find out."
She looked on her handheld computer, which she kept in her obi. Only one new message from her sister titled: お姉さん、あなたはわたしの扇子ありましたか？ Instead she looked at the time. Only 10 minutes before the play started
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"Hai, we shall," he replied with a bow of the head. As they walked, he answered her question.
"I have found that when you treat people with respect and give them something that they want, deals are easily made," he explained. "Kusari rice farmers are not wealthy which is why I often find them part of co-ops. I had it to spend so I made sure that their co-op would be well funded for awhile and we will get all the rice we need......and they will still have plenty more to sell others."
He then followed her to the theater. It was something he was looking forward to. At the ticket window, he paid for their tickets, letting her choose the seats she wanted. He was enjoying the atmosphere of the theater as it was his first trip into such a place. Sure, he had been to theaters before but not one of Kusari taste. Some things were similar, some were not. He smiled as he approved of where he was.
"Well, we can offer to supply you with cardamine. As a doctor, you will likely come across patients who are in need of it. The GC only deliver high grade cardamine, not that impure rubbish that you might encounter on the shadier side of the black market."
She looked at the entrance. "Just think about it. You would have at least a reliable source."
Inside the theater, Mariko sat down on one of the red silk pillows, which were laid out in rows infront of the stage. The theater itself was stylised in traditional style, with a raised wooden floor that served as the stage. Mariko unwrapped the furoshiki and sat the box with mochi cakes between them as they waited for the performance to begin.
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He said nothing in regards to the Cardamine for the moment. Being a stranger in the area, he feared being overheard. At least, for the moment. Normally he would reply in a different language but his Kusarian wasn't strong and he wondered who might speak Libertonian as so many did.
He took in the theater as he entered and nodded.
"A fine place," he said with approval. "Definitely different from many that I have been in elsewhere but..." He smiled and nodded, "I like it."
He then followed her lead, taking a seat on a red silk pillow. After some minor adjustments, he was comfortable. He then took a mochi cake and placed it in his mouth to one side.
"Normally, I make an occasion trip to Malta for what cardamine that we do need but you would be saving me a trip," he finally replied, Placing to mochi in his mouth altered his mouth shape to throw off lip readers.
"I will cover cost plus product," he added.
He then leaned over a bit to speak softly. "What I need is some liquid cardamine, say, five vials. Get those and I will pay five million per vial."
He smiled and sat back up. It seemed the show was about to begin.
"Liquid cardamine? An unusual request, but I think we can get our hands on some for you."
She picked up here phone and dialed a number. After looking like no one was looking, she shielded her mouth and starting into the phone. "Miyazaki-san, gohon oranji ekitai. watashi no heya e okurimasu" She put her phone away again.
She leaned over to him so they couldn't be overheard and spoke in Libertonian. "I have relayed the order. 5 packs of orange juice. As we haven't sold those before, it might take longer than usual to arrange something with the producers. I will hand it to you in person once I obtain the package."
She picked up one of the mochi cakes herself an took a bite of it, reveiling the green matcha filling. the slow rythmic pounding on the Taiko drum silenced the audience as Taisuke stepped onto the stage
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"Why you Kusari devil you!" he said to her with a bit of an impressed grin as he looked ahead, only leaning in toward her slightly. He liked a bit of a devilish side to a woman. Still, he focused on the show and the order.
He kept watching the show, taking a flask from under his robes and taking a sip. "It is not Saki but a good Scotch if you would like some." He tipped toward her in an offer.
"Sigma 19," he said to her. "If we can meet in the space of Sigma 19 to deliver the product, I will send a Med Force cruiser to pick it up. I could even send Med Force One if you like."
He tuned into the show, enjoying what he was watching.
"A Kusaran devil huh?" She held up both hands next to her face while extending her index fingers to symbolise horns. "Maybe you are right." She smiled before looking back to the show. On the stage, Akechi Mitsuhide was talking with his second in command about the preparations of the ambush on Oda Nobunaga.
"So Med Force... Would their services also be open to us? We could use a reliable sources for proper medicine and equipment."
She watched him pour some scotch. "Eh sure, why not? Is it good Scotch? Sigma-19 sounds good to me. It is an unusual request. May I ask what you intend to do with it? You don't strike me as a user."
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He quietly laughed when she "flashed her horns" so as to not disturb the show. He understood why the Chrysanthemum's mission even if he didn't approve of terrorism but she had a sense of humor, a rare quality in someone so driven in her mission. Inquiring about the Scotch, he poured her some and handed it to her.
"Bretonia is good for something," he replied, "besides Elixers in the Poole system but yes, it is quite good. It is smooth like Saki but does not have quite the kick." He then smiled, "But if one is not careful, they will find themselves intoxicated if they have too much. Sniff it first then sip it."
He paused while she tried it. "You are right, I am not a user but you are also correct in that I keep a small amount for those I treat who are addicted."
He paused a moment to watch a moment in the show before continuing. "I am not just a doctor but I am a scientist and a researcher. It is not just cardamine but many things. It is one thing to practice medicine but to knowing why things do what they do or why they affect people as they do. It just makes people like myself curious."
He then nodded, "If your people need medical attention, we are available. I can fly a Corvo cruiser into Kusari proper if I choose but with what we have for cargo, most of which is labeled contraband by houses, I keep them away from the authorities."
He then smiled, "But I do make house calls."
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