-- aspirantExegesist [AE] began pestering loanedAllegiance [LA] at 15:46 --
AE: {Excuse me -- would I be correct in supposing you to be Aascam?}
LA: ¥ou wou£d b€. Aa$¢am ¢apita, at ¥our s€rvi¢€.
LA: Iƒ I ma¥ a$k, how do ¥ou know who I am?
AE: {Ah, I certainly hope so! I have heard that you are a purveyor of certain strength-enhancing goods, and thought I might request more details from you.}
LA: Ahh, I a$$um€ ¥ou'v€ h€ard oƒ m€ ƒrom Mi$t€r ¥u£umn.
LA: V€r¥ w€££, ar€ ¥ou £ooking ƒor an¥thing in parti¢u£ar?
AE: {Indeed, Pepeir! He trusts your judgment implicitly, and seems to place great value on your friendship.}
AE: {Mm, I am interested in developing more strength in my lower limbs. More speed.}
AE: {I am not especially STRONG, and so suspect I am better served by developing my dexterity as best I can.}
LA: I $€€, I $€€. W€££, giv€ m€ a mom€nt whi£€ I £ook through m¥ $to¢k book.
AE: {I must say, that is a fascinating typing quirk. I have never seen one quite so symbolically RICH.}
LA: Th€¥ ar€ th€ $igi£$ oƒ th€ bui$n€$$a$$in$, a proud and g£oriou$ group.
LA: On€ da¥ I'm going to join th€m, and g€t awa¥ ƒrom thi$ god-ƒor$ak€n produ¢t €x¢hang€ ƒor€v€r.
LA: An¥how, ba¢k to bui$n€$$.
LA: Ahh, h€r€ w€ ar€. Th€ £imb-o-ƒ£€x 4800. A b€autiƒu£ p€i¢€ oƒ work, and p€rƒ€¢t ƒor ¥ou.
LA: Though d€$ign€d ƒor a££ oƒ ¥our £imb$, it ¢an b€ €a$i£¥ ¢hang€d around to ƒit ¥our $p€¢iƒi¢ $t¥£€.
LA: Now b€¢au$€ ¥ou w€r€ brought h€r€ b¥ an aquantan¢€, I'm going to giv€ ¥ou a d€a£, OK?
AE: {Ah, the businessassins! I have read of their exploits. They are more vicious than even the Threshecutioners, on par with the Subjuggulators. A deal from one aspirant to another would be most welcome indeed!}
LA: W€££, ¥ou ¢€rtain£¥ know how to ƒ£att€r a gu¥.
AE: {My esteemed sir, I do not flatter when I speak the truth.}
AE: {And an Exegenetecist's aspirations are always to the truth, in its most clearly articulated form.}
LA: $ur€, an¥thing ¥ou $a¥. Now norma££¥, $u¢h a ma$t€rpi€¢€ wou£d go ƒor around 120 ¢a€gar$, but b€¢au$€ I £ik€ ¥ou $o mu¢h I'm going to oƒƒ€r it to ¥ou ƒor on£¥ 100.
LA: $ound £ik€ a d€a£?
AE: {Does that price include insurance? Guarantees?}
LA: W€££, norma££¥ p€op£€ don't a$k tho$€ $ort$ oƒ qu€$tion$, but I'm not going to £i€ to ¥ou.
LA: ¥€$, it do€$.
AE: {May I inquire further as to the terms of both the insurance and the guarantees? One can never read legally binding documents too carefully.}
LA: $ur€, £€t m€ ju$t g€t tho$€.
LA: On€ mom€nt.
AE: {Please, take your time!}
LA: A£right, h€r€ w€ ar€. A ha£ƒ-ba¢k garaunt€€ and a 1 and a ha£ƒ $w€€p warrant¥.
LA: $ound good?
AE: {Hmm.}
AE: {It does indeed sound very good! }
LA: €x¢€££€nt!
AE: {However, if I might be so bold... }
AE: {What manner of profit margins might one expect on such an item? Purely for curiosity's sake, you understand.}
LA: Proƒit margin?
LA: W€££, not to b€ impo£it€, but It'$ not our po£i¢¥ to r€v€a£ ¢ompan¥ numb€r$ to ¢u$tom€r$.
LA: ¥ou know what it'$ £ik€.
AE: {Ah, of course, of course.}
AE: {I only inquired because I fear you may have been hornswoggled by your wholesaler.}
LA: ¥ou think I ma¥ hav€ b€€n ¢h€at€d?
LA: No, impo$$ib£€. M¥ £u$u$ bu¥$ a££ th€ good$ and h€ ha$ a good €¥€ ƒor pri¢€$...
AE: {Quite!}
LA: I think...
LA: Hmm
LA: V€r¥ w€££, I'££ mak€ an €x€ption ju$t ƒor ¥ou.
AE: {Would you not like to know how I arrived at this somewhat upsetting conclusion?}
LA: I wou£d ind€€d.
AE: {I keep a great many books -- my Lusus has something of a genius where the, er, acquisition of them is concerned -- and among them, surprisingly enough, is this week's BUYER'S GUIDE TO LIMBO-FLEXES.}
LA: Go on...
AE: {And it would seem that such a device usually retails for an astonishingly low 10 Caegars, given the most recent Businessassassin caps on unlicensed trade.}
AE: {Knowing, therefore, that you are a trusted friend of Pepeir's, and would never seek to gouge a potential client with astronomically inflated prices for cheap merchandise, the only sensible conclusion is that you must have purchased the device at an inflated rate.}
AE: {Especially since to have done otherwise would mean you were in direct contravention of recent trade agreements.}
AE: {Which would be absurd.}
LA: ¥€$, ind€€d.
LA: W€££ £€t m€ a$$ur€ ¥ou that thi$ i$ a £€gitimat€, £aw-abiding €$tab£i$hm€nt, and I wou£d n€v€r, -€v€r-, b€tra¥ a ¢u$tom€r.
AE: {That is precisely what I thought!}
AE: {I am glad of this reassurance.}
LA: I'££ b€ $ur€ to t€££ m¥ £u$u$ to ¢€a$€ bu¥ing ƒrom that $upp£i€r imm€diat€£¥, and to r€port th€m a$ $oon a$ I hav€ th€ tim€.
AE: {That is an extremely sensible action to take, I am certain. I became concerned when Pepeir told me how much he had been charged for his most recent purchase.}
AE: {In fact, my first instinct was to report the incident!}
AE: {But he prevailed upon me to investigate further and trust that you were not a nasty, unscrupulous businesstroll.}
LA: ¥€$, I ¢ou£d a£wa¥$ d€p€nd on £itt£€ P€pi€r to d€ƒ€nd m€.
AE: {One must be so careful, nowadays.}
AE: {So very, very careful.}
LA: H€h€, ind€€d.
LA: I hav€ $om€ bad n€w$, how€v€r.
AE: {Oh?}
LA: A$ mu¢h a$ I appr€¢iat€ ¥ou bringing thi$ i$$u€ to £ight, unƒortuan€£¥ I ¢annot £ow€r th€ pri¢€ on th€ produ¢t. A tro££ ha$ to mak€ a proƒit $om€how.
LA: I am, how€v€r, wi££ing to €xt€nd th€ warrant¥, and giv€ ¥ou a ƒu££ mon€¥-ba¢k garaunt€€ in$t€ad.
LA: £€t$ $a¥, 3 $w€€p$?
AE: {Oh, I completely understand the need to make a profit. Unfortunately, given that I am capable of buying the same device for 90 caegars less than you are offering it simply by roaming around TreeBay, I think you will understand that I would be lacking in sound business sense to accede to your offer.}
LA: W€££, $ur€£¥ th€r€ i$ $om€thing €£$€ ¥ou want?
LA: An¥thing?
AE: {There is indeed, Mr. Capita. Unfortunately, I doubt your ability to provide me with it.}
LA: I think ¥ou und€r€$timat€ th€ $iz€ oƒ m¥ $to¢k.
AE: {But perhaps we may put business transactions aside for the nonce(1)?}
AE: {(1)A word which here means for the moment.}
LA: What i$ it ¥ou wi$h to di$¢u$$?
AE: {Oh, nothing so intense as a discussion. I am merely curious about you in a friendly way.}
LA: W€££ th€n, £€t m€ ju$t $hut oƒƒ th€ bui$n€$$man in m€.
LA: £a¥ it on m€, what do ¥ou want to know?
AE: {Well, besides businessassinating, what are your INTERESTS?}
LA: Int€r€$t$?
AE: {Er -- Interests(1)}
AE: {(1) A word which here means things in which you are interested, not interest derived from certain business transactions.}
LA: I know what ¥ou m€ant.
AE: {Although I understand that you will likely be interested in that also.}
AE: {Ah, I am glad. One can never be too clear.}
LA: I know what ¥ou m€ant it'$ a bit oƒ a p€r$ona£ qu€$tion, but OK, I'££ bit€.
LA: I $€££ thing$ and...
LA: I...
LA: W€££ $om€tim€$ I go down to th€ war€hou$€ and r€ad or p£a¥ gam€$.
LA: An¥thing r€a££¥, I'm oƒt€n n€ar-ƒata££¥ bor€d.
LA: Unti£ v€r¥ r€¢€nt£¥ I had a major $hortag€ oƒ ¢u$tom€r$.
LA: And with no ¢u$tom€r$ I had nothing to do but $it at m¥ po$t, nightdr€aming.
LA: M¥ £u$u$ do€$n't want m€ $£a¢king oƒƒ on th€ job.
AE: {Oh -- your Lusus sounds very demanding.}
LA: Ind€€d, h€ a£$o ha$ a na$t¥ p€n¢hant ƒor k£€ptomania.
LA: I hav€ to pa¥ him a mont£¥ ƒ€€ ju$t to k€€p m¥ $¥££ad€x ƒrom €j€¢ting a££ it'$ ¢ont€nt$.
LA: A ƒ€€ tak€n ƒrom th€ mon€¥ h€ pa¥$ m€.
LA: I hat€ him $o mu¢h.
LA: Umm, not in that wa¥, I m€an.
AE: {I understand. That sounds terrible, Aascam.}
LA: It i$.
LA: I gu€$$ I hav€n't r€a££¥ had th€ tim€ to aquir€ an¥ hobbi€$.
AE: {You mentioned you like reading, though?}
AE: {I have a great many books, if you're interested. I would be happy to share scans of them with you.}
LA: No n€€d to pit¥ m€. I g€t b¥ ƒin€.
LA: An¥wa¥$, I don't tak€ thing$ ƒor ƒr€€.
LA: I'm not ¢omp£€t€ $¢um £ik€ m¥ £u$u$.
AE: {Well, here is the thing.}
AE: {I am not in the habit of selling things to my friends. So, if you would like to be my friend, we can share texts! If you would prefer not to, I would be happy to enter into a modest business relationship.}
LA: I wou£d rath€r not g€t inƒ€¢t€d with ƒri€nd$hip, thank ¥ou v€¥ mu¢h. I think ¥ou'££ und€r$tand.
LA: Bui$n€$$ r€£ation$hip$ ar€ a££ I n€€d.
LA: Now, €nough oƒ thi$ qu€$tioning. Do ¥ou want to bu¥ $om€thing or not?
AE: {I do understand. No, thank you, not today.}
LA: I $€€.
LA: £ooking ba¢k I r€a£i$€ ¥ou hav€n't ¥€t giv€n m€ ¥our nam€.
LA: Iƒ I ma¥ inquir€.
AE: {Oh, please excuse my manners! My name is Lamia Ikrem.}
LA: W€££ th€n Mi$$ Ikr€m, I thank ¥ou again ƒor a£€rting m€ to th€ po$$ib£€ ¢orruption oƒ a ƒorm€r£¥ tru$t€d $uppi€r.
LA: I hop€ our tran$a¢tion$ in th€ ƒutur€ wi££ b€ mor€ $u¢¢€$$ƒu£.
AE: {It has been my honour, Mr. Capita. Thank you for an otherwise enjoyable exchange. I will be certain to keep your business in mind in the future.}
AE: {I will not take up any more of your extremely valuable time at present. Have an excellent evening.}
LA: Goodb¥€.
-- loanedAllegiance [LA] ceased pestering aspirantExegesist [AE] at 16:54 --
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