[center][b][color=fff200][sup][h1]C A S S I O[/h1][/sup][/color][/b][/center]

[COLOR=fff200][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]City of Arokan, Cleftland Kingdoms[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][sup][color=darkgray]3:15pm |  Fang Family Guild Hall[/color][/sup][/INDENT][/INDENT]

As soon as Chopper's words were finished, Cassio slid back his seat and stood up, placing both hands on the table and leaning inward slightly. His eyes darted among the "mercenaries" that had chosen to stay thus far. He then gave a short glance to Parks, giving a short nod before his deep voice billowed out. [color=fff200]"I suppose now would be a good time to clarify a few points, since pissing off the people we've invited in to aid in this issue isn't getting us anywhere. Bitching and moaning about payment, while reasonable, is also the same mental head-space that those 'corporate motherfuckers' live in. So before we finalize any decisions and start ordering people around like we're god-damn royalty, let's get a few things straight."[/color] Each word and point was aimed with precision at their targets, Cassio's eyes filled with a tempered rage as his words hung in the air.

Cassio's gaze shifted towards Mamafang, and any members of her guild that lingered in the room. [color=fff200]"I do feel sorry for anyone in your guild if this is how you treat them. Speaking down to them with every word, bossing people around like you're a fucking messiah. You are just as bad as these guests of ours that you want to berate. This alliance was built while keeping in mind that people have rights and should be treated with dignity. You need to tone down your bullshit and leave the anger and aggression for monsters or PKers, not the people that you're trying to work with."[/color]

His eyes then glinted towards Chopper in particular as one of the most vocal of the "unorthodox" bunch. [color=fff200]"First of all, you're not a mercenary. I hate to burst your role-playing bubble, but Mamafang has a point. This is a game, and we're all normal people. I'm a father of two working in advertising... or I guess [i]was[/i] before this shit kicked off. Knowing the player base of this game, many of the people out there are minors. Hell, this guild is practically comprised of snot-nosed kids scared out of their minds, and my guess with the way most of the people have acted in this room is that most of you are in your 20's or younger. Death may have no permanent consequence, but the pain that they feel is real. My concern over these PKers isn't that they're breaking the rules that the more authoritarian members of the Alliance put in place, but that they're physically hurting people to get what they want. While our dear hostess may have gone too far in speech, I do stand with her in part on one factor: we need people who have some damn empathy to help us solve these issues."[/color]

[color=fff200]"As for the matter of payment, I think it's been made clear that one of the main reasons I've been asked here is to help provide the gold to make our problems go away. There is no doubt that any of you 'independent contractors' will be compensated for your work. Unfortunately, I haven't worked with any of you before, so there is no chance I'm paying anyone up front when I can't be certain of the results. The up-front rewards I can provide are more in terms of ensuring anyone who aids us on these endeavors is compensated well. The Blades has a good working relationship with the other crafting guilds, so whatever is necessary within reason can be provided for, especially weapons. I believe I will be leaving Garkan behind here to ensure that the Blades run properly in my absence, and will do his best to fulfill your requests."[/color] At this, the enchanter gave a slight nod of his head in acknowledgement.

Finally, Cassio turned his gaze towards Parks. He paused a moment, a long-winded sigh escaping from his lips before speaking. [color=fff200]"You called this meeting, and you're doing a terrible job of taking any of this seriously. I've trusted you in the past, but I'm not going to throw money around in situations like this with apathetic, under-leveled brats. So, I'll ask you just this once: are these people worth what I've offered?"[/color]