[h3][center]~Foxy Business~[/center][/h3]
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Despite having little experience in the way of negotiations, Misaki could quickly tell that Mie’s mask of being an ineffable merchant had shattered the moment that the implications of her suggestion had come to light. Of course, this bit of information was soon followed by the merchant’s own (rather apparent) desire for vengeance. While what she knew about Mie already made that less than surprising, allowing her to run amok with mass-produced wrought iron or steel equipment seemed less than prudent.

At the same time, if she was interested, then making use of her greed was probably in her best interests. But that had requirements all its own.

“Well, that depends on if you have what is necessary to create it. It’s not as if I am unaware of the implications that an advancement like this would have, either,” she began, crossing her arms as she frowned. “But the former comes first in this situation. If you have the heat required to melt iron outright rather than simply make it a molten blob of metal, I can work with someone to set up what is necessary for production.”

Here, though, the foxgirl would pause and smile wryly at the woman opposite her.

“Of course, if you don’t, then there is no point to this conversation, and you will simply have to accept something else in exchange. Whether or not they are on the same level as this, though, remains to be seen.”

“Heh, for better or worse, such advancements would come eventually.” Mie would offer Misaki a grin. “Far be it from us to deny such a thing, and far be it from me not to use it to make my own life more comfortable. I doubt I have everything you’d need here at this little camp in this middle of nowhere village, but once we get back to my home, well, if I don’t have access to what you’ll need I can guarantee you I will be able to find it.” The merchant would lean over the table slightly, obviously still enthralled by the idea. “I understand if you aren’t comfortable telling me these plans though. We hardly know or trust each other, so we could approach things one step at a time? Or perhaps you’d like to have an independent party take a look at your plans first to ensure I don’t run off with them?”

“Honestly, I’m not so much worried about the enrichment someone would gain from proceeding with this,” Misaki responded, shaking her head, “but rather the inevitable results if this sort of idea fell into the wrong hands. An early monopoly to establish initial production would be the least of my worries, but what the holders might do with it leaves me more cautious.”

At this point, the foxgirl would lean back slightly in her seat, thinking to herself for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. With Mie’s interest still apparent enough to not fear any sort of withdrawal of terms, it only seemed right to attempt to continue leveraging it in her favor.

“But, well, I have already stated what the minimum I need to begin creating prototypes; whether or not I want to give you everything out of hand is another matter entirely. Of course, if you were to act as a patron or partner, then there might be something else to be said about the matter…”
“Hmm...” Mie would hum lightly, tapping a finger against the table as she’d consider Misaki’s words. She didn’t seem overly invested in the other fox’s concerns, but perhaps that was expected given what she had observed of Mie so far. “Well, if you have no concerns such as that, I would be happy to provide both funding as well as any other materials if needed. As I said, I may not have everything on hand at the moment, but once we return to Chagawa, I am certain I can find anything you need. Now, if I may ask,” She would fix the other fox girl with a look of suspicion. “What do you get from this? Not that I am going to press the issue, but clearly you’re offering this more than just me jokingly saying you need to buy something. You could develop this in secret and have the sole of it yourself. I’m sure you could easily find where and how without my help. Is it just money? Or is there something else?”

There was, of course, truth to Mie’s words; developing everything that she was currently proposing [i]was[/i] possible on her own, and finding someone else to take her up on the offer would not be difficult… Had they not been here, of course.

“Well, if we were to speak with regards to what I gain… It is a bit complicated, but in short, my ultimate goal is to bring everyone to a higher standard of living. Money would obviously be helpful, and I’d be lying if I said that I wouldn’t mind having some on hand, but, well…”

Misaki trailed off as she glanced towards the entrance of the tent, the snow-covered scenery of their surroundings passing through her mind’s eye for a moment before she turned back towards the merchant.

“...Yes, that’s about it. I could do something like this myself, yes, but I am not foolish enough to undertake attempts at massive technological advancement on my own, much less spread them around; even if I did, nothing could stop it from being used with reckless abandon by people with darker inclinations. I may be an idealist, but being an idealist doesn’t mean that I don’t understand what might come about as a result of that idealism, for better or for worse.”

At this point, the foxgirl would sigh and shake her head, glancing towards the top of the tent for a moment before continuing.

“Of course, something like increased production of iron and steel would naturally lead to unrest, especially with how useful and valuable they are. But… Well, I’d like to think that stable profits and an empire of coin would be more useful to you than raw military might. Besides, I have other avenues of research that might be of use to everyone, and an unstable nation is far from suitable for such things to be developed in my opinion.”

It was likely that Mie would have other plans in mind for whatever amount of metal was produced, of course, but Misaki would much prefer not having to throw herself into the middle of a civil war if she could help it.

“Pfft, hahaha!” Mie would chuckle loudly, leaning back in her seat and glancing briefly towards the roof. “Sorry, you reminded me of an idiot who said someone similar once. While it's true I do think all the fighting and clans back in Chagawa are useless warmongers, I can’t deny that having a strong military is a good thing. Without a strong vault, amassing wealth is meaningless if you can’t protect it….besides, I can’t say selling to certain more...violent factions haven’t earned me a pretty penny and some favors here and there. That said...” She’d take a more serious tone as she’d glance at Lazhira. “What do you think?”

“E-eh? Me?” The native girl had been quiet for the most part, content to let the other two talk their plans over and let the negotiations proceed without her input. Nothing much she could really do to add here, after all given her limited actual life experience. “Uhm. Well… Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone could live more safely? Without having to worry about whether or not some neighboring tribe would come and steal things?”

“Hmhm, of course you’d say that.” Mie would sigh, one of her ears twitching in perhaps, mild disappointment of some sort. “Obviously if you tell me how this is done, I will make whatever gets me the most profit with it, no matter what it is. I won’t lie. But...if you intend to see this idealistic suggestion of yours to fruition, no matter what it would take,” She would say, perhaps a somewhat cryptic question as she’d lean across the table, extending a hand towards the other fox. “I might not mind being a partner in this little endeavor of yours.”

Seeing that hand extended, though, Misaki would pause, taking in Mie’s words as she closed her eyes. There was something ominous in the merchant’s phrasing, but in the current situation, making any definitive statements felt… Off. She had lived in a world where courts of law settled disputes, where verbal agreements were motions of trust. And so, to be left uncertain about whether or not to take this deal in the first place…

Well, that simply wasn’t all that pleasant to begin with. But even so, when the options left were to travel on her own or to fumble about in hopes of finding something useful as opposed to having a backer, the answer was obvious, loathe as she was to admit it.

“...There is a line that I will not cross, but I recognize the necessity of protecting yourself and your assets,” Misaki began, opening her eyes and looking straight at Mie, “just as much as I do the importance of handling matters behind closed doors. With that said, I suppose that you will be putting yourself in as much danger as I am if people catch wind of these methods, assuming that they work. So…”

With a sharp gaze, the white-haired girl would take Mie’s hand and shake it with as firm and as curt a grasp as she could.

“...Very well. Though, if I might ask: could you bring those I was with initially as aides? Of course, this would be up to them, and you have already negotiated with one to bring them along as far as I am aware, but I do believe that their presence would be useful in the long run.”

She could not speak with regards to Narkissa—not beyond being aware of her knowledge of history and ability to help reconstruct things from memory—but Novak at least seemed like he could hold his own, and Nobunaga…

Well, given the mention of warring clans, it would be incredibly foolish not to attempt to bring her along, regardless of how problematic the warlord could be in theory.

“Aides? I believe I already promised that Kippoushi fellow that I would allow them to travel with me back to Chagawa. As for the other...Novak, was his name? I already asked to meet him. I have a particular eye for talent and was going to offer him training in return for work and a place to stay...so I see no issue with this request.” Mie would say, shaking Misaki’s hand lightly and then sitting back down. “So, unless you want to go ahead and make a verbal agreement, we can wait until we return to Chagawa where I can write up an actual contract of sorts unless you have another suggestion or want to go ahead and get started.”