Chapter 20 - Sales talk

Tanya had been unsure at first how to call the supposed elevator down without any sort of signal light or wiring in place, but surprisingly there was no need for that. The lift lowered itself quietly though the fog overhead and softly touched down on the grass.

Thankfully whoever had designed it had understood that raising the elevator too quickly would result in the passengers suffering the full effects of the curse. So to prevent that the platform was very slow during its ascend. (Which was also excessively boring.)

At long last their snail-like ride finally ended as they stepped out of the metal cage onto a wooden platform underneath the Inverted Forest.

The Inverted Forest was like so many other things in the Abyss a marvel of biology. Due to the strong updrafts from the third layer the trees in this area had evolved to appear upside down. Sunlight was also deflected upwards from the forcefield of the Abyss, so along with the upwards blown water vapour it allowed the plants to best make use of their requires resources. Between these hanging tress and thick branches had a vast network of bridges and walkways been erected that served as infrastructure for the delver group that lived here.

For some bizarre reason they called themselves the "Subterranean Bandits". A terrible name on so many levels really, but mainly because they directly called themselves criminals which couldn´t possibly inspire confidence in potential customers. If Tanya hadn´t know for a fact from Bondrewd´s notes that their leader Ozen was a capable delver and business woman then she would have immediately lost all respect for someone who was obviously neither good at being a criminal nor an entrepreneur. (Real bandits wouldn´t openly declare their intentions and base of operations after all.)

The guide who awaited them introduced himself as Simred and offered to lead them to a spare room where they could spend the night. Tanya kept quiet and let her superiors handle this kind of thing. Compared to them she had no authority here. Nonetheless did she ask for an audience with Ozen at her earliest possible convenience, because Bondrewd had specifically told her to lead the negotiations. She had no idea why he would choose her for the job instead of her more experienced co-workers, but she presumed it was a test of some sorts. Whatever it was he wanted her to prove, she would not fail him!

Astonishingly he gestured for her to follow him right away. She was uncertain if he really could arrange a meeting so soon or if this was a trap, but when Simred opened the door to Ozen´s office her hesitation promptly vanished.

Ozen was an imposing woman, even taller than Bondrewd. If she had to guess she was maybe around 220 to 230 cm tall which was nearly double Tanya's own height. The difference was even noticeable while she was sitting down which made Tanya all the more conscious of her own childlike height. It was so annoying to be just under one and a half meters tall damn it! Compared to that she had been a giant in her old life!

As she entered the office Tanya decided to pull her mask off. It was always important in business meetings to seem approachable and honest so hiding behind an impassive piece of metal wouldn´t do her any favours here. She clasped it to her belt and stood ramrod straight at attention awaiting a formal greeting and welcome to Ozen´s home that never came.

So they waited there in uncomfortable silence. Was this supposed to be some kind of powerplay or was she expecting Tanya to break the ice? Whatever the case she would not stand idle and waste time any longer.

"Greetings. I am Tanya Degurechaff. Red Whistle and aspiring Umbra Hand. It is a pleasure to make the acquaintance of another White Whistle as famous as you. Even down at the bottom of the fifth layer I have heard fantastic stories of your exploits."

She bowed respectfully as one should when addressing superiors above one´s station and smiled pleasantly. Her talents in flattery had obviously become rusty, because Ozen looked less than impressed.

"So he is grooming children now to be part of his cult." she sneered derisively.

Honestly, she should have expected the rivalry between competing businesses. It was still a bold move on Ozen´s part to be so open in displaying her dislike in front of her rival´s employee. Perhaps she should make it clear that she was no mere grunt from the lowest management level. If she wanted to succeed in this negotiation then she needed a respectful atmosphere.

"I can assure you my father has no intentions of forming a cult in any form. Everybody including myself works for Bondrewd out of their own free will."

"Father, ey? I wouldn´t have picked him to be the kind of guy who could get himself a woman. That mother of yours must have hit her head or something."

Was she insulting his masculinity? Really? Tanya was shocked that someone as distinguished as a White Whistle would stoop so low as to use the oldest affront known to man: "You are not as likely to propagate as I. Haha." Truly pathetic.

"I wouldn´t know. I never met her. When he gracefully adopted me from a nameless orphanage out in the frozen wastes of Sereny he became my only parent."

Ozen scowled.

"Out of pure charity I imagine. And what made you so special that he didn´t kill you?" she asked venomously.

Again, those nasty rumours about his supposed murderous tendencies. What was up with that? Who would spread such obviously false slander about Bondrewd? He was a man of science not of senseless violence. The earlier they set up a dedicated PR team for him the better.

"Those are entirely unfounded claims. With all due respect, but I believe you have been misinformed. I recently met one of my fellow orphans in the fourth layer where they lived in peace and freedom. Bondrewd has often times demonstrated his genuine love for children or else I would not be here. He has simply no reason to engage in homicide."

The woman opposite of her just stared with a hollow look in her eyes. A lesser woman would have been intimidated, but Tanya held strong.

"Whatever. Feel free to pass through my domain as fast as possible."

Tanya nearly scoffed. First she had to suffer the disrespect of Ozen concerning her esteemed father and now the woman wanted her to hurry up, because as a business rival she was not wanted on her turf. It was not like anyone really had a choice when they wanted to travel between the second and third layer. There were other ways connecting the two layers, but the one in the middle was the fasted one.

"As enjoyable as this conversation is," not Tanya mentally added. "but I have not come all the way up here just for pleasantries."

Bondrewd had given her this task and she intended to fulfil it no matter what. If she had to put up with such unprofessional people as Ozen then so be it. Failure was not an option. Especially in her first job.

She ignored Ozen´s snort and continued with her most winning smile: "You see, I have been sent with a request for a joined business venture between your organization and ours."

Hastily she continued before the superstitious White Whistle on the other side of table could object.

"You expressed your believe earlier that Bondrewd was some sort of criminal who dabbled in murder and other uncouth affairs, but those are simply rumours, nothing more. Like I said I lived by his side for many years and would - as a result - know him better than anybody else. His image is being tarnished, intentionally or not. The same could be happening to you. In the future or right now without you noticing."

Establishing a sense of urgency and importance was indispensable for reaching an agreement on the matter.

"So in order to combat the spread of untruths and properly educate the good people of Orth, and to a lesser extend the whole world, we have hatched a plan that will benefit the delver community as a whole. We want to establish an information centre at surface to educate any interested visitors on the true nature of the Abyss as well as the brave men and women who explore it."

While before her smile had been merely shining brightly it now became blinding.

"Boost your image and find new career opportunities! Think of how many more capable workers could be properly prepared to contribute to our work! Lecturing them on what we do and how we do it would help them to judge if they are fit for our line of business and stay more safe in the future. A reduced mortality rate paired with rising interest and the betterment of our image will be the result!"

She toned down her smile and the room returned to darkness.

"All you would need to contribute at first are a few written pages about your work and exploits. Maybe even a few pictures if you have any. With these we would be able to set up a exhibition at the surface. He costs are going to be handled by us of course. I got a few more details here in this document-"

"I decline." Ozen said coolly.

"Please reconsider, this can only benefit you-"

"No. My decision is final. Now get out of my sight."

Tanya had failed. She had let her father down and betrayed his expectations. She had proven unworthy of being his daughter. Years of hard work had just been wasted by that ignorant woman. Her eyes were growing moist, but she refused to show weakness in front of a business rival.

If she refused to cooperate then Tanya would force her. Her future was on the line.