[b][u]The Empire of Toubres - Early June, 1905[/u][/b]

Raimundo Preta was a heavy-set man. As a younger man, he had been handsome, and he had been more than happy to sate his huge appetite as women practically fell at his feet, but over the years his appetites had become less of the flesh, and he had become overweight. He still had his thick, dark hair, and bright eyes, but he has gained often-red cheeks, and dark circles under his eyes. As his buisness continued to grow, the care-free attitude of his youth had faded to be replaced by an iron will that allowed him to crush his rival without any sense of remorse. And now he stood at the head of Expedição Marinha Preta, a company that he had forged with his own hands, fed with his own blood and sweat, and a company that had just been handed the contract to construct a new shipyard by the Empress of Toubres herself. 

He allowed himself a smile, carefully polished porcelain dentures shining in the early morning light. Work had already begun. The money that had been provided by the Empress had already flowed throguh the company, into the hands of the scores of labourers and architects that had descended upon the narrow stretch of the Toubres coast. For now, the designs were only just beginning to come together, but it was only a matter of a few hours before the ground was to be broken, hewn away to create the drydock they had been ordered to build. There was a polite cough behind Raimundo, and he turned slowly, glaring at the diminuitive man that had interupted his contemplation. 

Without saying a word, the messenger held out a hand, offering the letter held within it to the large figure of Raimundo. With a frown, he snatched it from the imposter who dissapeared as quickly as he arrived, turning and striding away as Raimundo glanced down at the letter. He frowned again as he saw that it was marked with the Imperial Seal of the Empress. Pulling it open quickly, his eyes scanned the carefully scrawled words and a wide smile crept across his face. With almost child-like excitement, he whirled about and hurried towards the huddle of architects, his voice booming through the crisp morning air. 

[u][b]OOC: +1 to all Actions[/b][/u]