2640/An Unexpected Visitor

An Unexpected Visitor
Date of Scene:	17 July 2015
Location:	Galianda
Synopsis:	In the midst of research, Xiao Li Yu finds herself with an unexpected visitor. Not terribly concerned with unfamiliarity, deal is struck.
Cast of Characters:	615, 823

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Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     After having had a visit from one Wesley Wilson, Xiao Li Yu had proceeded to hole up in her laboratory, studying closely the samples she'd collected and the data she'd recorded. Currently, she was busy with a sample of blood, placed under the lens of a microscope which was then magnified on a computer monitor. Her hands were a blur as she typed on the accompanying keyboard, rapidly entering commands to adjust the angle and zoom of the sample.

     She was in the zone.

     So when a sudden BEEP sounded from another computer next to the one she was on, she jumped briefly with a sharp tone of surprised. "Eh? Wha? Oh." The building intercom. She sighed and pressed a button, answering the call. "Yes, hello? ...A visitor? I don't have any scheduled visitors today? No. Send them away, I'm in the middle of work. What do you mean-Oh?" Suddenly, she sounded a fair bit more interested to hear that this mysterious visitor was not from Galianda.

     "Very well. I'll be there shortly." She cut the call and took one last look at the blood sample she was studying. Then she stood and headed to the door, which automatically slid open, allowing her out. It was a bit of a walk through the halls and into the main lobby of the building. But she got there before too long.

     Folding her arms into her sleeves in what seemed to be a characteristic motion, the girl studied the lobby with her eyes. There were various people from the city, but she could immediately spot the gray man who obviously did not belong standing near the reception desk. Another needlessly tall individual. Smiling nonetheless, she approached.

     "Hello. You must be the man who called for me." She tilted her head a tad, looking up...and up at the mystery individual. "Have we met before? I don't believe we have."

Ineryon (615) has posed:
     Baron Ineryon could easily have been considered needlessly tall, his seated position notwithstanding, however, he felt personal pride in his self-assured belief that he housed a position of elevation, compared to many others, where his ability to systematically ascertain lucrative ventures, was held in regard; some personal prejudice included in this view of his lofty station! This said, he had a moderately indifferent expression transfixed on his face, if the upper area of his body with the majority of his sensory organs could indeed be judged to be a face, in a nexus as diverse as the Multiverse, where some folks might have a face resembling a foot, or an arm impersonating an ear, which afforded few people what sort of emotional state he was harboring, albeit, if he had so much compulsion to choose one action favoring another, then emotion was certainly involved, by himself, or the puppet-master pulling his strings!

     If Xiao was of a keen eye, she might've had observatory technique perfected /just/ enough to bypass this poker-face, to recognize that deep inside his eyes... whether by way of twitch of eyelid, flicker of the very edge of his lips, or contortion of cheek-muscles, that this fellow felt smug about -something-, or, confident, at the bare minimum. Adorned in a strange, stone-made armature, rather than conventional steel-plate, this man randomly would take a glimpse in one direction or another, even as the remainder of his body was catatonic... perchance trying to conceal his interest in getting to meet with Xiao, who, within her own circles, was certainly known to be a capable scientist, but an underground secret to the collective culture of the Multiverse, and even many subcultures, or countercultures therein! ....And should she be even more perceptive, maybe she would notice that upon her arrival, his ears swerved practically microscopically, with more precision than that of a cat's ears or a horse's ears, hinting that maybe radiation, in the form of 'light', was not his primary means of detection?

     Was he actively disguising his enthusiasm, or did these diminutive fluctuations of muscle or skin, belie his 'feelings' on this upcoming audience, due to an unconscious training that made his willingness to deny exposure of emotions to be second-nature? That would be yet to be spoken for, quite! How talented was this Xiao Li Yu character? When she approached, Ineryon stood so that she could greet him whilst he stood, as though feigning to relinquish genuine rapport, which was scarcely the contingent, and he nodded his head in affirmation, "I'm inclined to agree with you, for, I too, do not believe we've met..... in the traditional sense. Your reputation does precede you, though, Entity Yu... is it? What I mean to say is, that, if knowledge of some part of your person, be it your reputation, which is transferred from your person to the mind of another, through the medium of sound, to the ears of another, has negligible value, in terms of rivaling the worth credited towards the refraction of light particles, bounced off of your person to the eyes of another, then... I agree. Does this sound.... reasonable?"

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     Xiao was perceptive enough to notice the minute movements of his ears, but it, and the rest of what may or may not have missed was sidelined as being fairly unimportant. She'd seen similar reactions on animals such as horses and cats. ...Not to call the man before her any of those things, but nontheless. Those thoughts were set aside however, and she paid more attention to the man himself as he spoke.

     "....." It's been a while since he heard someone speak in such a manner. She was used to dealing with people who were...less intelligent than she. This was actually quite interesting if she were to put it some kind of way. A nod was given. "My. I have a reputation already? How surprising." She continued to smile, with an amused ton to her voice now. "I suppose all that banter over the radio waves has been worth something." A chuckle followed, and then she went on. "Given that the origin of this knowledge has been pinpointed..." Her head tilted the other way, slightly.

     "How can I be of service to you this day, Mr....?" Right, she had no name for this man. And thus she trailed off in a questioning manner, leaving it open for him to fill the blank with.

Ineryon (615) has posed:
     What biologically, sociopathic maniac versed in scientific research(as well as development) would be so negligent as to overlook the dissections of other mammals, if they had an interest holed up inside of institution designed to manipulate the human condition? Evidently, not Xiao, for, she had done her homework, and notably to the dismay of any animal that crossed her path, if it had been conscious enough to get a sample of her investigative spirit, where incisive methods were employed, through the end of a scalpel, as well as a syringe!

     Ineryon Valos would not be the first to avail himself to her every whim, since he didn't trust her impeccably, nevertheless, since he required the assistance of a 'scientist', who obviously, /DID/ avoid honoring the hippocratic oath, he'd have to tread lightly, when dealing with the woman, lest he become entrapped in some 'pact' where he'd end up more hexed than Faust himself... which was precisely why he'd hoped he wouldn't come off as too eager, when opting to meet up with the she-demon. The fact of the matter was, rules of supply and demand involved not just actions, but also, how well one person could out-bluff another person, if they were able to pretend that they had a greater supply, coupled with a lower demand than the alternate party who wished to do business, in turn, having a higher demand whilst burdened by a lower supply... consisting of patience, enthusiasm, willingness to simply depart, or, witness as their will buckles, when they finally give in to the demands of the other. Xiao was quite experienced in scientific matters on a biological matter, however, how far did her economic finesse reach, when having to barter with others who were either just as greedy, or lacking in compassion? Unable to determine if Xiao was being honest when she mused on the topic of how she came to have amassed a reputation, Ineryon cocked a brow, for a second, then resumed his usual, fairly-vacant demeanor, before he pointed to his ears, "Either I've come to know of your deeds and talents through these, and simultaneously aided by the radio-waves, or.... Some might say that these are not the only mechanisms I use with which to do my hearing...."

     Having not actually finished his sentence, he paused, midway, and pointed to his eyes, before proceeding with his train of thought, "....and these to do my seeing". Shrugging, he hears a rising intonation in her voice, while she trailed off, suggesting to one even as literal as Ineryon sometimes showed propensity towards, that he was being quizzed, "....I've been called many names, and some less generous than others. My 'legal' name is Baron Ineryon Valos. I'm most predisposed to answering to that, or something similar, seeing that flattery makes me immediately suspect ulterior motives, and mockery beckons me to the notion that the other speaker's motives are already self-evidenced to be.... unprofitable, in the long-run, unless I can somehow earn their respect....?"

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     "Baron Ineryon Valos..."

     Xiao repeated the name out loud, as if trying it out. ...It was a mouthful. And she wasn't keep on saying such a long name every time. "Very well, Mr Valos." So she shortened it to just that. Just like everyone else she knew who wasn't a close friend. To the point and effiecient without being rude in most cultures. "Well, I am not so egotistical to require that you earn my respect before I deal with you." A smirk came onto her face at that.

     "All I require is that you know what you want, tthe rest I will judge after hearing it." There was a moment's pause, and she glanced about. "The lobby is hardly the place to talk however. I assume you have private matters to discuss." She turned away, finally parting her arms from her sleeves to gesture towards one of the many doors leading deeper into the building.

     "Shall we head to my lab?"

Ineryon (615) has posed:
     Peering around concisely, Ineryon kept some mental tabs on who was moving in which direction, and which minerals were flowing here or there, as far as whatever minerals might've been in motion, in the lobby; probably not many, beyond the graphite from pencils, or ink from pens, if any paper archives still existed at all, within the Murasame Corporation. As Xiao admitted she wasn't in need of profound veneration for the sheer purpose of accelerating a transaction, whose lifespan could have taken anywhere between five minutes to a millennium, he felt he was in 'decent' company; satisfaction was necessary for bargains, and ecstasy was only a bonus, if the dark-elf happened to run across someone who he actually liked on a personal level, the instances belonging to this luxury being few, along with being far between, regrettably!

     "So long as you have enough respect for me to outweigh any possible desires to smite me as being kept in check by enough self-control, I'd say you have enough respect for I, Entity Yu.....?" Not one to miss a beat, with much regularity, he still wondered if this was how Xiao preferred to be addressed; failing that, the nobleman would presumably inquire until the dusk of time, or upon his deathbed-- whichever came first.... When Xiao motioned to the doors, he followed her, supposedly, to a private lair owned or operated by the scientific she-wolf, who undoubtedly wanted to prey on every living thing surrounding her, alas, knowing that she had to discriminate which prey she could handle, at which points in time, at what points in time, with the inclusion of how many pack-members she would need.... and between those who she could not tackle, without serious risk of damage to herself, or her salary, if collateral damage should be inflicted, in such an altercation!

     Once inside her chambers, the drow stretched his neck muscles a touch, and began to elaborate on his 'proposition, of sorts, "I would like to say that... I am currently a legal assistant who assists an individual who is responsible for public relations, and who helps to play a major role in governing an operation which encounters.... political, as well as economic setbacks when sociological critics poke their nose into the beeswax of the company for whom I work. Delays in increased profits are typically derived from accusations of poor working conditions, lack of proper ventilation, insufficient sanitation.... and even, a void of medical attentions offered to folks who might succumb to malady, courtesy of hazards that are tied to their workplace.... And... since we're on the subject of medical liabilities, I trust you already know about conditions such as anthracosis, or similar problems that arise within coal-mining facilities? Spin-doctoring excluded, I'm looking for a cost-effective means of temporarily purging this sickness from folks who are already afflicted, but, not necessarily eager to apply extra funding to the prevention of said affliction...."

     Clearing his throat, he uneasily remarks, side-glancing almost sheepishly, "...cost-effective being the main point of potential contention.... also known as the.... deal-breaker, in slang, I think?"

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     Xiao had no particular qualms about the way she was addressed. She'd been called many names in her life thus far. Some less savory than others. But she hardly let it get her down. But she supposed she could give him an easier name to say. To keep things simple. "Entity Yu is a few too many syllables to be efficient. You can just call me Miss Yu if you'd like." She smiled. "It's two less syllables, and some air saved." That must have been some kind of joke because she chuckled a bit.

     The walk to her lab was an uneventful one. She remained on the first floor. Other facilities used by other employees were on the upper floors. Chalk it up to laziness that she didn't want to move as much as she had to, to get to where she needed to be most of the time. Wasting energy was always such a bother to her. Of course, being on the first floor meant her lab, and others down here, would be the first attacked, if anyone were so inclined and held a grudge against her, or the zaibatsu as a whole.

     But she didn't worry too much about that one. Come what may and all that~

     Her lab was....about what one would expect. It was large, with various tables and counters containing test materials, machines and devices, stacks of papers, blueprints, and the like. Shelves of books, binders, and other reading material, half of them likely written by her. Deeper in seemed to be a more spacious, open testing area. It looked like it saw use recently, given the charred burn marks along the wall and floor. It was sturdy enough though. As there didn't seem to be structural damage at all.

     The door to the lab slid closed and automatically locked. The scientist immediately walked over to her main working area and sat down in an office chair, turning to face Ineryon after. There were other chairs about, should he be inclined to rest his legs. It seemed obvious so she didn't verbally offer it.

     All of that aside, she listened.

     "Hmmm....so if I understand this right, you want to treat a sickness afflicting your...peers? But aren't looking to allocate extra assets to the funding of this endeavor?" She steepled her fingers together, legs crossed one over the other as she thought. "...Well, you realize it would be more cost effective to prevent it, rather than cure it, no?"

     She bought a hand over to her mouth, as if wearing a mask for a moment before lowering it. "In the example of anthracosis, wearing a mask would reduce the likelihood of ever having to deal with it." A shrug followed after that. "But you seem like a smart man, you surely didn't come here for me to tell you that. So there must be a very good reason for you to want the former, rather than the latter." She gave her guest a look, brow arched curiously. "Am I wrong?"

Ineryon (615) has posed:
     What was efficient for Xiao was obviously not the same standard held by some of the tree-ents that lived off-world, who took a very long time to converse, in their own native tongue, but then, maybe the tree-ents who hailed from worlds similar to those of dwarves, dragons, elves, and dark-lords had prolonged dates of expiration exceeding even those maintained by the elvish folk! The Multiverse was filled with so many mysteries, and, if Ineryon Valos was one such enigma, then, why he spoke in his preferred manner was yet another mystery still waiting to be unraveled, if one had the time, or desire to do the work, as well as the expectation that all their toil would yield fruit by the close. Ineryon wasn't about to quibble over whether he was to call her 'Miss Yu', or even what he 'liked', since that would have opened a pandora's-box capable of defeating the entire purpose of the whole matter at hand. Shrugging, the nobleman mentioned, "I'm not at liberty to discuss the likelihood that a preventative means of handling anthracosis, or related illnesses, happen to carry a more frugal financial penalization, partially because we already have plenty of sick folks on our hands who need medical attention to /remove/ the problem, and secondly, in lieu of the fact that I am only the mediator who is trying to negotiate the costs of the elixir.... not the holistic financial burden that would eradicate the problem, down the road, after imposing a heavier, short-term burden to the company. That is for the....." He clears his throat, folding his arms across his chest, "...the person in charge to decide upon, I think. /IF/ that person should ever authorize a person of my substantially-modest placement, within the company, to open talks on the benefits of embracing a delayed-gratification for the overall health, and rate of return, of the company... and its...."

     Ineryon paused, trying to think of a non-belittling title, since so many other demeaning terms were more forthright in coming to the forefront of his brain, "....employees, who I would /NOT/ call my peers, except that we are 'mutually-employed' by the same institution, regardless of our distinct functions, or qualifications...." He shrugs, and sighs, "...THEN... and only then, will I feel compelled to contact you on that basis, /Miss/ Yu!... But, I will go so far as to /assume/ that I have the power vested in me to say, on behalf of the company, that it is grateful for your interest in the welfare of its peasa--" he coughs, "...p/L/enti-ful, loyal followers, who undergo personal sacrifices, at times, for the sake of the majority!" Deciding he's explained himself thoroughly, he remarks to Xiao, "Transparency is our company's policy as long as it is /also/ cost-efficient."

Ineryon (615) has posed:
     The dark-elf continues to prattle, "This means that, if we don't have to commission paper-pushers, or typists who send emails, in order to update every single person on exactly which substance, or which resource, came in what quantities, from which people, even were we to try to slash fees by outsourcing, we suspect that our company can be 'trusted' to be making purchases from other institutions who are interested in providing good prices, to prove to worried folks that they are getting a great value for their dollar... or other form of currency! And... if we cannot /ALWAYS/ hire folks to pass along data that publicizes if an 'elixir' comes from... say... The Johns Hopkins Research Department, or Sinai.... or even ShinRa, or even Murasame, who is to fault our great leader for failing to consider that some corporations /might/ be notorious for -occasionally- violating human's rights, according to gossip being spread by tin-foil-hat wearers, who we might deal with?"

     He yawns, "It's not as though everyone in the Multiverse needs to know that our company made a purchase from this vendor, or that one, as long as 'the numbers' say that we've cured some folks, right? We don't need anyone to get worried. Naturally, if discretion must come at a price...." Ineryon finally grins at Xiao, with a /real/ grin, "...then I suppose that -someone- will have to shoulder all those heavy bags full of coins, at personal peril, if they should experience back-pain, in the process of doing so.... even if our company cannot prioritize transparency as much as it would /ideally/ like to, in keeping its partners' identities undisclosed! However... if the wood from the crates containing wood from this lumber-mill, and that one, and those lumber-mills used saw-blades from this factory, or that... how far can we justify expenditures to tally who is involved in this /honorable/ organization?" Unfolding his arms, he taps his fingers against his chin, "...Consequently, if Murasame were to make a deal with my organization, and something should happen, and the insurance companies happen to come in droves with their lawyers in tow, it would also protect -YOU- from liability.... So... in essence, our company wants to purchase a panacea, /WITH/ a guarantee of discretion of the aforementioned activities, in exchange for monies to pay for the panacea, and promises of immunity from humans rights groups and their.... hot-headed advocates calling themselves 'heroes', who are sometimes known to attack companies thought to be milking the proletariats for all they're worth..."

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     Xiao shrugged. "All of that said, you want medicine to help cure your workers...temporarily. And without worries of liability and other such human rights issues, yes?" She smiled, nonplussed at all of this. "Well, that is simple and easy to accomodate." She looked aside, feigning boredom. "I know how troublesome it would be to have to deal with certain groups of activists beating on your proverbial door after their catch wind of something they find 'unethical'."

     A small sigh followed and she muttered something about 'monster's right's activists' under her breath, but continued to smile as she returned her attention to Ineryon. "Well, I can agree to work on a solution to this problem. It shouldn't be a hard issue to deal with." It was roundabout, but she wasn't the client now, was she? "And for your peace of mind; no one will be any wiser about it."

     Her smile deepened then. "Now, we can hash out the particulars of this job at a later date. After all, I can't work on a solution without material to work from, yes?" She turned to her computer, bringing up a screen where she began to resume her previous work with the blood sample. "Since you know how to use the radio, it shouldn't be any issue to contact me personally. Anything else you need from me, we can work it out down the line. Billing will be handled by the financial department."

     After a pause, she added. "Will there be anything else?"

Ineryon (615) has posed:
     Being an individual whose auditory nerves are rather acute, Ineryon overheard the mumbling about monsters' rights activists, or something resembling those words, if he didn't catch every last syllable of whatever Xaio emitted. Nonetheless, he was pleased by her answer, and peeked over his shoulder at the door, before returning his line of sight to Xiao, "I think this sums up our business, for today, Miss Yu. I appreciate your time and your patience. There are some who might be inclined to think I'm something of an earful 'to have to coexist' with, but, in my own defense, I always employ a civil, indoor-level voice, so, -possible- verbosity being dismissed, I hope you recognize that if we ever have to have more dealings, that should a discussion involve physical aggression, be the two of us on the same side of a fight, or not... that I, for one, will not add significantly to the overall volume within our specific environ....?"

     He doesn't confess that loud sound irritates him, to the extent that it even decreases his powers, yet, it should be a hint that on a psychological level, loud noises cause him unease, mayhap to encourage her to also remember to keep her voice down, even in vexing circumstances, should they ever materialize, should Xiao want to endear herself to the nobleman~. The dark elf grunts, "...Well then, I shall get back to our noble company, that seeks to employ folks with equal opportunity, and bid you providence in this upcoming enterprise!"

     A more appropriate term applicable, as far as describing Ineryon's /bosses/ might have been that they were 'equal opportunity exploitationists', seeing that they would take from anyone, anywhere, at any time, by any means plausible, so far as there was minimal danger of backlash, in the process of doing so; with Xiao being something of an individual who dissects things, Ineryon gambled on the side of caution, in suspecting that had she not /initially/ understood his words, she might've figured them out in the near-future, and that future being so within proximity that the dark-elf would've foreseen having no time to cheat her, or hightail any funds to some 'Swiss Bank Account', thus, he, in no way, tried to game the Murasame Corporation-- an privilege reserved only for scammers, crooks, and con-artists that Ineryon had personally evaluated to be as crafty as he!

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     Xiao glanced back at Ineryon, offering him a wave. "Yes. Good luck in your endeavors, Mr Valos. We will speak soon, I presume." He could see himself out. There were cameras everywhere if he decided to be suspicious.

     That business handled, she turned all of her attention back to her research, slowly falling right back into the zone again. "Strange day." She muttered to herself in the end. But now, was the fun part of figuring out how Mr Wilson's blood worked!