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 Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2017 11:48 am
 The first bank of Ethe, situated in the face of the mountains that comprise the upper layer of the city, guarded by archers and aerial soldiers, is a landmark in Ethe's attempt to distance itself from the empire of Lionis and other nations as an independent, self- sustaining state. Its moneychangers are happy to deal in any currency for a nominal fee of .5% of the total transaction. All transfers dealing with funds from the empire's capital come with a 1.5% fee. This number has been prorated to offset travel costs for the bank while offering a cheaper option than an individual trip. The bank is open: Mon--Fri: 8am--5pm Sat: 10am--7pm Sun: closed Streets
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Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2017 6:15 pm
✺Forgotten SonEC: 100 In the months since the death of Ophelia Quartrez the count had been slaving at the reconstruction of Ethe's economy. One of the most important steps toward that end was the building of a new bank. In small addition to the general autonomy it would offer from Lionis Proper, it would save on travel costs--taxes, caravans, protection from bandits. The minting of new money was still not yet okay'd by the new regent, and for this reason Dixon saw as apropos if not disappointing to install a mint that would make and report currency to the official bank in the capital.
Such a thing, he wondered to himself, might be the most important act he' committed yet. Beside this there was the general diversification effort: Etelan could provide raw materials and agriculture as well as a tactical defense zone for invading forces, Titania solidly held the entertainment and service portion of the economy while providing a great number of thinkers and those who could be considered logicians by their peers in other nations, to the north there were the schools, and to the south lay cradled in the arms of Kaishin was the gubernatorial head of the state. And yet...
He needed more--knew Ethe needed more. With the way things were, it was so much gridlock to get any of the heads of state to agree to anything. Did they not see the tremendous strides he and his men made when their passion informed their decision-making? He had no time for this. His people were all those in Ethe, and as he clicked up to the podium atop the steps leading to entrance of the bank, he made a note...
"Good day!" The count, jolly as he could be with bandaged ribs, made his voice heard to those gathered there. It was reassuring in some respects to see him in his element. "Today I have the pleasure of bringing you the convenience of banking without flight to the Capital. In this new city, made by the sharp minds of this great nation, we hope to bring you the opportunities to work, invent, dream... And as always," said the count, thinking it best to wrap things up, "we move forward."
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And so the ribbon was cut. Those with a pass (peerage et al) were shown into the bank's planning room if they asked to speak with the count. The rest, excite, tired, were shown to the tellers and issued notes and helped with their accounts as needed for a small fee. Nearby there was construction underway on several buildings--a barracks, a guild headquarters, shops of any kind--so that the whole place, situated in the mountains, wrung with a beating, sonorous song. This, if Dixon had to name it, was the Progress March.
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Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2017 8:25 pm
Lady Chusi Chhatrapaticlothing: HanfuChusi stood in the back of the bank with a fan up to her nose in order to hide her face, she would watch as Dixon would take the stage and give a small speech. The mere sight of his face making her dark cheeks take on a healthy glow for a moment before she swatted her nose just hard enough to stop the blush from furthering itself. She would wait for a moment after his small speech before slowly making her way to the front, she was in no rush to show herself and make her presence known. Once having moved though the crowed she walked into the planning room once she cleared who she was with the people guarding it and she smiled slightly as she moved along the sides of the room for a moment, pretending to be interested in the whole banking thing. She wasn't that taken by the building and would have preferred something more Solidonian in style, but this was what the architect had chosen to do instead so she wouldn't voice her complaints. After a little while of pretending to ogle the walls and have some pointless conversations with those that were actually interested in all of this Chusi moved behind the count and would give his shoulder a few taps with the folded fan "If you're not to busy entertaining perhaps I could pull you away?" she said just loud enough to be heard over the rest of the people gathered.
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Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 10:13 am
✺Forgotten SonEC: 100
At this point the room was full of others who the duchess might not recognize. These were them who the count trusted in his own spheres--lawyers, economists, tacticians--most of whom were from his territory but some from Anitgone and Etherland as well. Regrettably, he hadn't had much luck in contacting those in Solidon and Kaishin.
The tapping on his shoulders gave him just the slightest start, having been listening intently to someone reviewing their plan for the district. Dixon, turning quickly, had a rather silly look of confusion for an instant before his face melted away to a soft smile.
"It's good to see you, Duchess." He gave one quick scan to the group behind and a small gesture, straightening out his jacket before gesturing to the door. "Of course."
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Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 10:38 am
Duchess Chusi Chhatrapaticlothing: HanfuChusi smiled as she saw Dixons face and it made her a little happy that she had caused it even if it was the surprise of the tap and not really her. "I'm glad to see you again Dixon" she said softly as she moved out of the way in order to give him enough room to move. From what she could gather the room was pretty big, but it was the people gathered in it that made it seem so small to her. Sure she didn't know the people gathered in the room, not all of them anyway, but she could tell that they were important. As she moved the train of her Hanfu would twist as she would walk a few steps. She had come to the bank knowing that The Count would be here but she had forgotten to account for all the people that would also be present. A soft blush would return to her cheeks and she quickly snapped open her fan and hid her face behind the beautiful ornate golden fan depicting small fireflies the tails of which were made up of a tiny orange polished crystal. She had come to the bank in order to ask some more personal questions but by the looks of everyone around them she doubted that it would be the best place. The way her face heated up at the idea of asking him such questions in public made her feel strange, she never felt this nervous before. Instead she asked something else "I was wondering if you'd walk me thought the process of a transfer" was the first thing on her tongue "I'm afraid that I cant understand the professional jabber some of the tellers use" her voice turned into a whisper near the end as she looked away.
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Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 2:09 pm
✺Forgotten SonEC: 100
What exactly had happened? The duchess had always had this kind of hardened shell of pride about her. To see her trying to act as though she was some grooming courtier (Dixon could see this was still the same woman he'd met and earned the ire of more than once by the way her sentences seemed to default to a dismissive tone to others). Rather, it struck him as adorable to have such a lioness padding around him like a bashful kitten.
"A transfer?" Sure, he'd play along. To think that a woman of her status wouldn't be familiar with the ins and outs of financing... Then again, perhaps it was this status that kept her out of--"Such ancillary things are beneath one of your station--"and, seeing the look in her eye, that fleeting, rose pleading she made known by some invisible confidante in the room--"... but I suppose it shouldn't be kept secret." He began to lead her out of the room, giving a few cursory words to his men, most of whom had not ceased speaking at length and speed of practice in the area about cycles of things that even escaped the count's understanding.
"I hope the place has been to your liking," offered the count, rounding a corner to head into the main hall. This was where the tellers were scratching away at the accounts and requests of many patrons from all walks. He cleared for them a space at the counter and began gathering some things, eventually handing her two slips of paper. "Request your note here and we will settle the transfer with the bank in Lionis."
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Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 2:30 pm
Duchess Chusi Chhatrapaticlothing: HanfuChusi walked with him out of the room and over to one of the tellers all the while keeping her fan up to her nose in an attempt to hide the darkening of her cheeks. She looked up at him as she started to take long soft breaths and by the time he was handing her the slips of paper she was able to fold her hand and let it hang at her wrist "My father didn't have the time to teach me and I was never expected to be the head of the family" she said to him as she looked at the notes, reading them slowly so she wouldn't misread them "Chai use to take care of everything" she said. Biting her inner cheek Chusi tried to remember what she had the last time she had checked and instead of placing the full amount of what she had in reserves she went with a safe number and wrote down three million "I'm not entirely certain how much I have" she whispered softly before putting the quill down "I also wanted to invite you back to Solidon" a sudden stop when she thought that she didn't know weather or not Dixon liked hunting "Do you like hunting?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 3:12 pm
✺Forgotten SonEC: 100
"Oh?" Dixon seemed somewhat amused at this response. "Chai was doing work meant for the help, was he?" He chortled, fondly remembering the duke who always felt more like his advisor than a dignitary. "... That sounds like him."
Next, the conversation seemed to take yet another turn. Indeed, the count suspected he was getting to the real meat of the visit now with the invitation back to the duchess' grand abode. Of course, he had to balk just a bit at the amount which was spilt in his lap. "Such a fund, m'lady, could finance another bank with solid silver desks," laughed the count, tapping the first leaf of the note. "Here is the fee rate," he said with a trace of apology. "It is rated cheaper than travel costs to the Capital--though I'm not sure if money real is an issue for you," teased the raven-haired count with a slight smirk.
"I've... Never been, Chusi." Something in the way he said this was as though he'd taken in all the embarrassment from the duchess and was spilling over now with some kind of shame at living... "--A mostly urban life... That is what I have lived until now; I had to learn to work the field with the men, you know." And again, with the pride this brought him, he was back to the suave gent he'd been all along.
Before the conversation could progress further, some apparently frustrated patron decided it clever to barge into the window space devoted to them. How little control the count had! Had they not seen that the two of them were occupied? Dixon, being of the mind to wallop the ruffian, staggered a fist against the man's chest and leveled a guillotine-laser glare at his beady eyes.
"'Oo's this, taking up space? MOVE. 'Aven't got the time to bust thru ya!"
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Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 3:46 pm
Duchess Chusi Chhatrapaticlothing: Hanfu"He was always good with finances, math... he tried to teach me about the benefits of being frugal but it never wore off." she shrugged, when he brought up the money she bit her lip slightly and looked down a little embarrassed "I...well. Its the largest amount I feel safe transferring at a time" she said, looking up at him though her thick dark lashes "The Chhatrapati treasury would take a few months to fully transfer and Chai once said that unless stability was an assurance to not put all your eggs in one basket." she smiled at him but when she was just about to say something else it was thrown from her mind. Chusi would flick open her fan and bring it up to cover her liquid gold eyes swirling with irritation and as she narrowed them at the man. She remained silent and just stared for a long time until it got uncomfortable and then some "Some people need extra time to speak with tellers, if you are in such a rush you can find a teller more tailored to your specific needs" she said before looking back at Dixon and smiling "Solidon has some of its own customs that aren't observed outside of the province. We have a great hunt were people go about to each region and bring back the largest animals from each. The one that brings back the biggest from each region gets a reward."
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Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 4:01 pm
✺Forgotten SonEC: 100
The boorish man didn't seem to care one wit for Chusi's condescension or intention to keep talking with the count, whom he might have recognised. "Little tart, your dress is so fine," snarled the greasy git. "I'd hate to take you away from this puff--"a gesture to the count, who seemed to be losing some patience. People were beginning to stare--"but I'd rather settle my account and show you where the finest taverns are than to see you stay another moment assailed by this boy's boredom." At this the man reached for Chusi's hanfu with the aim of yanking her toward him, if only to force her out of the way. If Chusi didn't stop him he would set his aggression on the count next.
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Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 4:32 pm
Duchess Chusi Chhatrapaticlothing: HanfuShe did not like being touched. she did not like the filth that was likely coating this mans hands on her clothing. However she attempted to be civil. At least as civil as she could be once she was yanked forward. She would dig her heels into ground and twist her arm and jerk the expensive fabric out of his grasp. She would put her hand on the back of his neck and slam his face down on the tellers table before leaning forward and whispering softly into his ear so only the man could hear "Lets settle your account then" she said softly, her lips near his filthy hair "This hanfu that you so brazenly touched could buy you, your home, and your family twenty times over. Now if you could see its designs you would be able to tell that it was hand made in Solidon, every stitch was done with the thinnest needle so as to provide more intricacies and less holes for people like you to ******** with" if the man struggled she would simply bonk his head against the desk again "As well, and I will let you off the hook for this one, I am a Duchess, Every drop of blood in my veins is blue but that's not what makes its value far superior then yours. You see if I cut open the tip of my pinky and let a single drop drip onto the back of your head it would eat though your skin, into that thick skull of yours and straight out the front of your forehead after it renders your body unresponsive yet still breathing. So before I think its a good idea to make you blind, deaf, and mute. I suggest you find a ******** window that isn't busy with my transfer, of again just to reiterate, enough money to buy your entire lively hood." she would then take her hand off the back of his neck and move out of the way, she would reach down the front of her hanfu where she would take out a small blade and point to the direction away from the window she was using.
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Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 4:49 pm
✺Forgotten SonEC: 100
Seldom one to disappoint, the crowd that had began to form at the sound of the collision had plenty to take in as the duchess gave the man his place. Struggle as he might, the warrior's strength was simply too much for him. He made some odd squeal or another, muttering something to the effect of suing for all she was promising to be worth.
At this, when Chusi had finished with the porcine menace, Dixon stepped forth and gently but firmly laid a hand on his shoulder. "Let's see if we can't get you settled," he said, showing his strength in the apparent lack of effort it took to move the large man along the marble floor. "My tellers will be with you as soon as we've finished... I invite you to wait here like the civilised gent you are capable of being in my line--we're almost done, don't you know..."
He relented, having pushed the man several paces back to where none stood, but seemed to keep a radio stare locked on his bulging frame. "... Good day, sir."
Back at the counter, Dixon was ready to settle their matter and move on from this bustling madness. "I'm sorry about that," he said, reaching out to squeeze her hand as he glided into the counter. "Some of them are in a terrible hurry..." The look in his eye was that of the most sincere apology, and she just hoped that-- "Not all of us are like this." He pointed to her slip. "Are you ready?" With his guidance, it would take but a moment to fill out the note and settle the transfer.
When that was over, the count had things on his mind--curiosities. "Now, what's this about a competition?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 5:17 pm
Duchess Chusi Chhatrapaticlothing: HanfuChusi would cross her arms and look away as Dixon began handling the issue at hand and she looked away practically fuming until Dixon returned and helped her finish up the rest of the transfer "Thanks" she whispered as they moved over to the side and gave him a bashful smile "that was a great help" she said. Once the topic returned to what she had come to say Chusi seemed to brighten up a little bit "Ah, a hunt. Its a spring tradition in Ethe. First prize is a yet to be determined amount of coin." she said to him "We have a lot of singing and dancing and food during this time and I was wondering if you'd like to participate" she said and looked away "Lodging will be provided obviously if you're not one to sleep on the ground"
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Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 5:27 pm
✺Forgotten SonEC: 100
"Hmmm..." Dixon seemed to mull over the whole proposition, beginning to step away from the counter and moving a door to behind the counter. He motioned for the duchess to follow. No matter what, they could be safe from accosting aristocrats in this space. The workers around him offered smiles that relayed their readiness to work, even if the reaction to their boss was a bit conditioned.
"I don't fancy sleeping on the ground, you're right," said the count with something of a bemused smile. He extended a hand and a door was opened for him. They could enter the vault, where some accountant seemed to be working away at his numbers. To enter, he thought, would do wonders for his PR--especially with the Solidonese, who Dixon seemed to be most strange to. "I should like the chance to get away from work for a while--even if it means a little dirt on my boots," weighed the count with a small chuckle.
He gave Chusi his full attention. "I have been meaning to visit more... Might the duchess be participating?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 6:17 pm
Duchess Chusi Chhatrapaticlothing: HanfuChusi would follow him into the back and then again into the vault where she listened to Dixon and smiled softly "Well, I have a few places we could stay at. Depending on the scenery of course. We have some lodging available in the desert regions and the mountains but the one that's more center of it all would be Nasr or Silenus she suggested. When he asked if she would be participating Chusi couldn't help but grin "Every year since I was seven. I only won once though so I wouldn't hold my breath"
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