15th Ashan, 722
Each of the people she had to meet before her meeting with Ilaren and the Council were very different. That was, of course, the nature of dealing with any people, but Daphne Lightsong was a very particular sort of person. Young and beautiful, apparently easy going but a shark in all ways, Faith was very pleased that she herself was both a shrewd business woman and a very good judge of character. So, as she sat opposite Daphne, Faith was well aware of just how much this was a situation which needed to be navigated. But, as always, Faith's skill in politics lay in her simple refusal to do it .
She had handed over the documents a few moments ago and Daphne was reading them currently. The young woman kept going back and forth and checking things, looking at one fact, then going to another and so on. It was partly done to actually check facts, Faith thought, and partly done to make Faith wait. She didn't mind at all, she had a cool glass of water, and she simply sat patiently. When she wasn't taking a sip of her drink, Faith sat with her hands folded in her lap and watched Daphne.
Eventually, Daphne put down the papers. "I have some concerns, of course, but I'm very keen to help you," she said. Faith gauged that as being good news. She was unsurprised that Daphne hedged her bets from the outset - depending on how things went, Daphne could say that she'd raised concerns from the outset or - if things went well - that she'd been supportive from the beginning. It was a clever ploy, in fairness. "I believe," Faith said, "That economically, this could be very good for Rharne and for the merchants of Rharne."
Daphne looked down at the papers and she seemed to come to some sort of conclusion. "I agree," she said. "And that the renowned Faith Augustin is spearheading the project will make it very popular. After the Tournament and the Tree, that momentum will keep going. I see here," she said, pointing to a particular spot on the parchment, "that you've commissioned - or plan to - glass from Scalvoris? Do you plan on outsourcing many of the resource needs?"
Faith raised an eyebrow. "Outsourcing isn't really what that is, surely?" She wouldn't get pulled in to the idea that she owed anything to this woman or that she could only source her supplies from one place. After all, Faith ran a global organisation with apparent ease . "I will purchase from those who offer the best deal for the best quality, of course. But there is something to be considered here," she said. Spreading out a map on the table between them, she pointed to the area which had been circled. "A residential area. Considering the number of staff this place will have who will live there, and the number of guests at the family residence?" It was a large number. She was, effectively, building a satellite town, she knew. "I would be very happy to include spaces in these areas, empty land which would be absolutely ideal for a business if it wished to open." Looking down at it, she considered. "And I would say that we could come to an agreement on what proportion of those I reserve for Rharnian businesses?" She smiled slightly.
Daphne looked at her and, just for a moment, the two women shared a look of absolute understanding, each one of them knowing exactly who and what the other was.
