The Gilded Pearl

It would seem the Israns did know how to treat foreign dignitaries right, thought the Daimyo to himself. He passed along orders for food to be sent to those on board his ship, and perked at the mention of lobster.

"Ahhh yes, we have seen these aboard your ships, they are similar to crabs I believe. Have yet to eat one, so I believe I will have the..." He glances at the menu to ensure he uses the right words. "...surf n' turf. What an ingenious name. Minister, can you trade these lobsters live?"

"Excellent! Let's add them to the agreement then, assuming they taste good."

He paused to grab a roll from the basket and take a bite before asking another question.

"Do you have a family, Minister Fletcher?"

He noted the glance, and assumed that the Minister for Industry was having some sort of relations with his secretary.

"Not in the slightest. I am an only child, and my father died fighting off pirates a half dozen years ago or so. I never knew my mother."

He had no sorrow in his voice over these facts, nor had there been any when the events had occurred with his father.

"Do not be sorry, he had an honorable death, sword in hand and facing the enemies of my people. I avenged him moments later. The Navy of Isra does not keep all waters safe it would seem."

Though, had they even attempted to hunt pirates near Quying, they themselves would be treated little better. The pirates provided excellent experience for the new recruits to cut their teeth on.

"The food is...well I don'the know how to describe it, until I left it was just "food". Being an island nation, it is primarily seafood, prepared with such thoroughness that it can be eaten raw without any concern for one's health."

The Daimyo looked somewhat surprised at the woman asking a question, but if things were done differently in Isra he would accept this cultural difference. It wasn't that she was a woman necessarily, but rather her societal role was not equal to his or the Minister's.

"I could not tell you exactly how they do it, save that it is perhaps cooked in a way that does not involve heat? My education did not focus on the culinary arts, or involve them at all come to think of it, save that which is essential to life on board a ship."

"If the City is willing to compensate the artists and other exhibitors, I see no reason why we could not do this. Perhaps a similar endeavor in my city, paid for by Isra, to showcase the many different cultures found here?"

This Robert would make for a good Minister one day, the Daimyo mused. Such a fair would be an excellent idea.

They had a Minister dedicated to Festivities? What kind of place was this City? He had heard rumors of such things, but such a title was perhaps unique in nature. Had they solved so many problems that they had time to dedicate government time to such functions? Truly impressive if that was the case.

"Excellent, perhaps I shall arrange a meeting between us when I get to the Main City."

Phineas sauntered into the restaurant, the smells of a whole host of mouth-watering foods being the first thing he noticed. It was a shame the reason for his visit here was for something other than just the food, he’d have to come back again when he could focus fully on that aspect. Popping open his pocket watch to confirm the time, Phineas waved over a nearby waiter.

“I have a reservation for one of your private dining rooms at five o’clock, table for two. Reserved by a Henry Jenkins.” Fixing the waiter a look that implied he wouldn’t be kept waiting, it didn’t take the man long to lead him to one of the rooms near the back of the restaurant.

It seemed his instructions had been followed, for there were only two chairs set at the table, one of them being large enough for Phineas to comfortably lounge in. The fact his counterpart hadn’t yet arrived didn’t surprise him too much, there were few people as concerned with punctuality as him. Glancing over the menu, Phineas ordered a glass of wine before waving the waiter away. For now, all there was to do was wait.

Lurch looked up from the menu he’d been perusing as Selene entered, a look of mild surprise passing over his face. He certainly hadn’t been expecting his counterpart at this meeting to be a woman, especially one with such a striking appearance. The mask was an interesting touch. Whether it was more for the purpose of hiding her identity or simply theatrics was yet to be seen.

“A pleasure to meet you, Miss… Perhaps before we get down to the business at hand, we should do some introductions. I’m Henry Jenkins, a fellow businessman in the rather, let’s say.. competitive field we’re both apart of.” His tone light, there was a twinkle of amusement in Lurch’s eyes as he introduced himself.