Hire me! .. pretty please? [OPEN]

    There was a list in very tasteful Spencerian font etched into a thin sheet of copper that was then polished to a shine, pressed between glass, and framed in some long dead ancestor to the modern Plant foliage that listed the particular habits one of the Tat Choy family would always adhere to and avoid. The first among these was the ever important and consistently impressed remark to ‘NEVER HIRE MERCENARIES’ for amongst those who strode the stars on the pay of another there was never one so low as a mercenary.

    They were cruel, dirty, hand-eating lessers that could be replaced with a properly trained force of Saibamen who would be ten times as loyal and only half as likely to run away. Their companies were mercurial and greedy that parasitically latch onto any well-meaning payor and drain their coffers and then may well leave the job half-finished. The Tat Choy family were businessmen first and not mercenaries like their lesser brethren and had no need to dirty their hands when they could supply material for others to dirty their hands with!

    Tatsui knew this but then she had also disregarded much of what her household had taught since birth and after the recent war she had even ‘re-negotiated’ the patron of her house to be herself.

    Thus this was to be a learning experience.

    The Saiyan had landed in the mercenary outpost a few moments ago and had laid a dour look on the dirt roads covered in suspect fluids and debris and chose instead to float just a foot or so off the ground to avoid having to actually touch it. Then her gaze lingered upon the Tuffles, Saiyans, and assorted Aliens that called this place their home or something close to it. She sort of assumed they all slept on the dirt or in some holes they dug. The poor bastards.

“No. No. No. No. Ah-”

    She shot a look from one mercenary to another in the odd sort of ‘discount war alley’ that had been set up by those various groups looking to be hired or simply existing to remind others that they had turf. Then she found something that finally stood out in the crowd of over-muscled apes and aliens.

“That is adorable.”

    Her voice was coated in humor as she contained a shocked laugh at the sight of this mercenary hiring themselves out. Another ape but this one seemed to not need muscles or weapons to stand out and with a rather impressive Ki signature standing out like a bonfire in a room of candles it was hard to see why none had hired her yet. Though Tatsui also assumed when someone saw the poorly drawn face above a crudely written line of ‘NOVA CORPS FOR HIRE’ they couldn’t help but want to steer clear.

    Any good businessman would never hire someone so utterly flashy for mercenary work.

“You there. Girl-”

    Tatsui stopped herself, took a moment to remember she was not in some Tat Choy cruiser or facility where someone so powerful had no reason to smear her and began again.

“Hello you…fellow Saiyan. I am Tatsui and I am making your acquaintance. Are you finding much work with this method? You stand apart from the other mercenaries but…well to be quite honest I’m not sure what the Nova Corps is but I’m finding it hard to believe you’re part of an official organization with that sort of signage.”

Mayze nearly chuckled at Delia’s declaration of “teaching ‘em a lesson”. He didn’t bother mentioning the person who ripped her poster, instead giving a small shrug as he tilted his head to the side. That’s how he got his start all those years ago. A dominating performance in a fight seen by the right eyes easily led to future contacts.

“Meh, I hope the posters stay low effort. Makes getting jobs easier for me,” he offered up.

One thing that nibbled at the saiyan’s thoughts was this Nova Corps that had been mentioned. Curiosity piqued, he piped up, “Haven’t heard of the Nova Corps either, and I’ve been in the business awhile. This a new outfit?” he had been absent from this region of the galaxy for quite awhile. It seemed likely to him they were formed recently. He sure had missed a lot.

Mayze turned his attention toward the more eloquent saiyan, eyebrow raised when he noticed that she was hovering for whatever reason. He rolled his eyes at most of what she said, but a particular tidbit caught his attention. Dissolution of the caste system? The news bulletins hadn’t exaggerated at all. The new monarch had got to work quickly. He wondered how the nobles reacted to that decree.

Putting that thought aside, he crossed his arms and appraised Tatsui, “You seem plenty strong to deal with your own enemies. Not sure why you'd pawn that job off. Most of those fools working in business are pathetically weak,” he sneered. Granted, he didn’t actually know the truth behind that. It was merely his natural assumption. Why else would someone not fight and battle?

He turned towards Delia, “I’m in the same boat as you. Also in need of a new contract, but,” he raised a finger, “Those same notice boards I mentioned earlier sometimes have job offers posted. It’s usually nothing too major, but might be worth your while. And,” he gestured toward the rich one, “She could ‘observe’ or whatever,” he finished lamely with an eye roll.

He crossed his arms, and leaned back against the wall, curious what the saiyan women would say.

Thread PL: 50k
Suppressed PL: 25k
WC: 367
TWC: 930


    Tatsui let a smug little smirk play out on her lips as she looked at Mayze, eyes cast down like a proper noble looking on a lower class Saiyan who had never had to joust in boardrooms or deal with assassins sent to the home. Ruminating on it actually made Tatsui consider that the new Queen likely had a good point about changing the class structure with how turbulent things had been. It was neither here nor there at the moment.

“My strength is irrelevant but I thank you for the compliment. As strong as I might be, the competition could always hire someone like her.”

    Her thumb jabbed at Delia.

“Who would fold me into a tiny pretzel rather quickly. It’s sort of a game I suppose where an arms race develops to hire better and better mercenaries or empty the pockets of others. Really the circle of economic life is a beautiful thing.”

    In the next moment she was holding a small business card and squinting at the address on ‘Konats’. Wherever that back-water sounding place was she was sure it had to be some sort of hell to be where a mercenary company would headquarter though with how bubbly Delia was this corp was seeming a bit less violent than what was expected.

    Her gaze drifted to Mayze

“I don’t suppose you have a business card as well? It’s not something I expected, Delia, but I must say that this is good convincing of this ‘NOVA Corps’.”

    She had some humor in her voice as they jabbered over acquiring jobs and Tatsui let her eyes drift over to the notice boards, plenty of ragged papers attached to in lieu of something as technical as an actual digital screen.

“What I wanted? Well I supposed I never thought of it. I had come here on a whim because I had never been allowed before but if given the chance? Yes I do believe seeing a job in action would be very enlightening. Or you could laud us with stories of older jobs if you cannot find anything. Though have no worries as there are always people who would love to ‘punch rocks’.”

Mayze nodded along in agreement with Delia on her thoughts on Tuffles. The male saiyan didn’t hold a lot of respect for the pipsqueaks. There was only one he had a somewhat favorable opinion on, and that was Cheri. She was a respectable fighter and strong. As for Delia? Bubbly, but she sounded like a saiyan at her core.

He smirked at Delia’s thoughts on generals, “They don’t like to get their hands dirty that’s for sure. Usually they’re a snot nosed brat given the job through nepotism,” he side eyed Tatsui for a moment.

“Typesetting? I’ll keep it in mind,” really he should’ve thought about a business card long ago. Though, he had usually left the job-getting to Haupien when he first started out his mercenary adventures.

Tatsui offered a response to Mayze’s own vague mention of stories. He couldn’t help but give her an incredulous look, “Drama? Profitable? Hold on, you mean like turning it into some sort of tv show or movie? What’s next, a toy line for saiyan children to play with? Like earthling kids?” the thought of saiyan children playing with figurines did amuse him somewhat. He decided to humor Tatsui, “...well how much would you pay?”

Mayze turned his attention to Delia and the notice board as she ripped a paper off. He took a look at the job offer, humming in thought. A pretty basic bounty, easy enough, “Should probably lay off the booze,” he noted aloud after glancing at the pictured saiyan. Two ugly saiba-beasts and an out of shape saiyan? This wouldn’t even qualify as a warm up for him.

He smirked at Delia’s enthusiasm, “Sure, shouldn’t take too long. Guy’s gonna regret he ever gambled here real soon.”

Mayze brought a hand to his chin in momentary thought at Tatsui’s quip about ‘Jolly Cooperation’, “I feel like I’ve heard that phrase before. Some group that was obsessed with the sun in their system? Don’t remember what they called themselves…” he trailed off with a shrug. They were some interesting fellows from what he recalled.

The mercenary surveyed the crowd. He seriously doubted they’d find the gambler meandering the crowd, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask around. Unfortunately, the job offer didn’t mention any known associates of Arula, so they’d have to settle with asking random passer-byers.

Mayze spotted his first target across the street from the trio. A male saiyan, lean build with a few tattoos and piercings. He seemed like the gambling sort! Mayze quickly strode his way over to the likely gambler.

“Hey you,” that got the saiyan’s attention. The likely gambler stopped whatever unimportant thing he was doing, and looked over the trio with an annoyed expression.

“Whaddya want,”

“You know an Arula guy? Bigger, keeps two ugly-looking saiba-crabs with him? Big gambler usually seen ‘round the gambling hall?”

“No, and I’ve never gambled in my life. Now pi-” the saiyan shut his trap once it occurred to him he was outnumbered three to one. The not likely gambler grunted and turned back to whatever unimportant thing he was doing.

“Useless,” Mayze sneered before turning back to the other two. It was an unlikely prospect anyway.

“Guess guy isn’t that popular,” he sighed, “Could take ages asking the crowd about him. Might be best if we ask around the gambling hall. He might have been a regular. Thoughts?”
WC:585
TWC:1999
OOC: Mayze is kinda a hypocrite : )