Business and Tea

[Alize Rosenheim]

Alize took a sip of her tea – Darjeeling, first flush, otherwise known as the champagne of tea as she awaited the arrival of [member="Lady Kay"]. Anxious at the idea of being tardy to this meeting, Alize had arrived thirty minutes before the stipulated time and now sat alone at the tea shop sipping her tea.

Normally, Alize would've travelled with a bodyguard for protection but she had grown tired of depending on others for her own personal safety; she wanted to change, to be strong. Furthermore, Chasin City did not seem like it was a dangerous place compared to other cities she had visited on her travels so security wouldn't have been necessary for this trip in the first place.

A sense of regret filled her as she finished her third cup of tea. It was rather silly of her to arrive at the tea house so much earlier than the agreed upon time. Fifteen minutes before would have been sufficiently early but Alize was still green when it came to conducting business and still had much to learn.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay did not have the luxury of being allowed to wander without at least one bodyguard tailing her. Privacy was one of the things that she gave up when she decided to run in the Presidential race. That was a few months ago now, and she was starting to get used to the silent tag-a-longs.

She arrived five minutes early, with Einon stepping in first. He studied the tea house with well trained eyes, spotting [member="Alize Rosenheim"] sitting by herself. His armour was light and hidden under normal clothes, making it easier for him to blend in with everyone else. Once he was satisfied that all was well, Einon let Kay move past him.

And move past him she did, wearing a casual dress as she tended to do during some of her business meetings.

Spoiler

Some business meetings were held in this vary tea hut. Many people knew that Sapir tea was her addiction as not a day went by when she didn't have any.

Kay smiled as she approached Alize, bowing her head to her. "Afternoon. I hope that your trip to Commenor went well?" She pulled out a chair and sat down. Einon remained near the door while a server was already bringing her tea.

 

[Alize Rosenheim]

Alize stood up as a sign of respect when she saw a dark-haired woman who she assumed was [member="Lady Kay"] approach, and returned her smile and bow.

"Good afternoon, Lady Kay," she greeted the President excitedly and sat down again, careful not to crease the skirt of her black lace dress. "It went very well, thank you for asking. Though there is still much I have yet to see here, Chesin City seems such a lovely place, perfect for one of Quaint Gardens Beauty's new stores."

While Alize may have been a businesswoman by trade, she lacked subtlety, skipping the usual small talk and directly addressed the purpose of her visit and this meeting.

“As you know Lady Kay, I am the owner of Quaint Gardens Beauty, a cosmetics company that conducts its business online that has gained a following in recent times. As a result of this, I believe it is time that the company expands its business to brick and mortar stores around the galaxy so our products can reach the hands of more people and Chesin City seems like a good location to open Quaint Garden's second store. However, there is something else I wish to do besides opening a store in this fine city. On the store's opening day, I wish to hold a small beauty pageant in search of a candidate to become the face of my company."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay took her tea with a polite and quiet, 'thank you'. She sipped it while she listened to [member="Alize Rosenheim"] . Sometimes it was nice when people got straight to the point, especially when it was good news. And a business venture like this was always welcomed good news.

She smiled as she set her tea down, already picturing which buildings Alize could pick from for her business. The pageant idea caught her by surprise, however. It was a great idea that coincided with what she was already planning.

"Many of the Commenori buy their products from you, especially those in our University. There are many sections in Chasin City that you can choose from for your store. And as for your pageant idea, I think that will go very well. Might I make a suggestion? We are going to be hosting a big weekend celebration for the opening of the many Embassies, filled with all kinds of events. One of them will be a fashion show put on by students in the University that are currently studying fashion design. Would you like to combine the two or at least sponsor some of the make-up for them?"

 

[Alize Rosenheim]

Edit: Oops, accidently posted too early and didn't see.

 

[Alize Rosenheim]

Alize smiled at [member="Lady Kay"]'s words. It flattered her to hear that her products were well received.

"Since you mention that my company's products are popular among university student, perhaps an ideal location would be somewhere close to a university or somewhere frequented by university students? A shopping district near the heart of the city?" the Epicanthix-hybrid enquired before taking a sip of her warm tea.

"I would be more than happy to sponsor some makeup for the student fashion show, and will even hire some professional makeup artists for them if necessary." Alize took another sip of her tea. "Preferably I would like to hold the beauty pageant as a part of an event for my store's opening. Furthermore, I am unsure if I will be able to complete all the preparations necessary by the time of the celebration since my team of staff is still rather small. Although I wish to hold a pageant on several planets, I worry I may be overly ambitious. I am still quite new to this you see." Alize reluctantly admitted.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay picked up her tea and had a sip, listening to all that [member="Alize Rosenheim"] had to say, nodding at certain points that she agreed with.

"The kind of area that you are thinking of for your shop is exactly the kind of area that I was hoping you'd choose. The students would be thrilled to be able to see and touch the products before buying."

She leaned back in her chair. "Sponsoring the make-up for the fashion show would be a great contribution and free advertising for you. And of course you can hold your fashion show on another day, whenever you are ready. It was just a suggestion, an idea that had popped in my head at that moment. Not all of those ideas are the best ones." Kay winked. President or not, she was not the type to demand her way or the highway. On the contrary, she was always the accommodating sort. "This is my first year at being President. And I think that your ambition serves you well. So don't lose it."

 

[Alize Rosenheim]

"Excellent!" Alize exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement before she could catch herself and regain her composure. Embarrassed by her passionate display of emotion, Alize flushed bright red and fumbled for her teacup, raising it in front of her face in an attempt to conceal her crimson cheeks. Slowly, she took a sip of her tea, savouring its musky sweet flavour.

"Your idea was a brilliant idea as the weekend would be an event where more people would be in attendance than an opening of a cosmetics store, it's just that I am short staffed with a rather busy schedule so I am unsure as to whether my team would be able to make the appropriate arrangements in time for the day," Alize replied with a serious expression, not quite understanding [member="Lady Kay"]’s wink. Although she was well-travelled individual burdened with the many responsibilities of running a company, she was still lacking in the way of experience.

“Before I begin, is there anything in particular I should be made aware of? I’m afraid I am not quite familiar with this planet and its business laws and practices so I want to ensure that I am doing everything properly. Furthermore, do you have any advice when it comes to employing workers from Chesin City? I want to support the local economy in any way I can.”

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay had to laugh a little when [member="Alize Rosenheim"] reacted with such excitement. That showed her inexperience, but it wasn't a bad thing. A personality like that was needed to balance out some of the stuffy coats that came along with the business community. Plus it would go very well with her clientele.

"I completely understand that your store wouldn't be ready in time. And that's good. You'll give people something else to look forward to after the Celebrations. That might prove even better for business for you, and will ease your staff into their jobs a little better than being slammed by a whole bunch of visitors."

Kay sipped her tea as she heard Alize's questions on the business side of things. Commenor wasn't strict, but they did have their own laws to be abided by. "Underground market items are restricted here, of course. As with everything that comes into and out of our ports, each shipment will be checked. It's not that we don't trust people, it's just that we have to treat everyone the same. And there are many here that could benefit from the employment you offer. I'd advertise in the schools and University first. Our minimum wage is a livable one. The number of poor Commenori here is shrinking with each passing day as more opportunities for them arise."

"Any other questions?"

 

[Alize Rosenheim]

Pleased by what [member="Lady Kay"] had told her, most of her professionalism had been stripped away, and replaced with the passion she had felt for both her business and cosmetics. "I understand your situation completely and that is excellent to hear! I doubt my company's shipments would be much of an issue. On the topic of shipping, do you have any companies favoured by Commenor that you can recommend? Furthermore, what is the minimum wage in Chesin City? I prefer to pay my employees above minimum wage with extra benefits. After all, the happier the employee, the more they'll care about the company's success, and the harder they'll work." Alize asked in quick succession, excited.

Although the Epicanthix-hybrid attempted to portray the image of a kind and generous person, all her acts of generosity were done out of guilt, as a part of her redemption for the incident that had left many families incomplete. While she understood there was nothing she could do to change the past, she hoped her virtuous act would help alleviate some of the guilt that the incident had left her with, and help her forgive herself.

"Ouch!" Alize yelped as she spilt hot tea on herself, her excitement had made her complacent and a bit clumsy. Embarrassed, she flushed a bright scarlet and called a waiter over to assist her.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smiled. [member="Alize Rosenheim"] seemed to have the same thoughts as her own when it came to employment. A happy employee is a productive employee. If only everyone ran their businesses that way. The Galaxy might be better for it. "My friend [member="Tydus Wryeens"] has a great shipping company. The name of it has slipped my tongue however. But I can have him reach you for quotes. Minimum wage here is 17 credits per hour. That may seem like a lot to some, but a lot of the work available here is highly skilled and education is key. So they must be able to earn enough to live comfortably and pay for their courses."

And then Alize spilled her tea. "Oh! I hope you're all right. Spilling tea happens to the best of us, myself included." Of course some of her tea cups had been dropped on occasion too.

 

[Alize Rosenheim]

Thankful for [member="Lady Kay"]'s words, an attempt to mitigate some of Alize's embarrassment resulting from her clumsiness.

"That would be excellent, I would be grateful if you did." Epicanthix-hybrid replied, her face still a bright red, flushing from her accident involving the tea. Carefully this time - not wanting to embarrass herself further, Alize reached into her purse to pull out her business card holder, a dainty thing made of platinum, and engraved with her name. "Here is my contact information, I would be grateful if you could pass it to your friend so that he can contact me at his own convenience," she smiled sheepishly, handing the president two of he business cards. One for the woman to keep, and one for her to pass to her friend.

"Thank you for meeting with me, I believe I have all the information I need. I look forward to the opening of Quaint Gardens' Commenor store, and hope that you can join us in the festivities on the opening day," Alize attempted a more confident smile this time, and waved a waiter over. "How much do we owe?" she asked, pulling out her purse.

Once the bill had been settled, the young woman stood up and extended her hand to Lady Kay. "Thank you again for meeting with me, I am grateful for your invaluable assistance."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smiled to [member="Alize Rosenheim"] as she invited her to the opening. "Thank you. I wouldn't want to miss it. And besides, it'll be good for business for you." If the President had any fans, surely they would want to shop where she shopped. But then again, Kay didn't tend to think of such things. It was odd to be in the spotlight so much, but at least her term isn't forever.

She took the business cards and then got to her feet when the bill had been paid. Her free hand gripped Alize's and gave it a soft shake. "It was a pleasure to meet with you too. I hope that you do well here and enjoy what Commenor has to offer." Kay then allowed the young lady to step out first before she would follow and head over to her own transport.