Speaking to the Council

Kameko walked up to the administration building of Konohagakure, the chokuto she had crafted for Masuyo in her left hand and a scroll containing figures she had jotted down over the last few nights in her right. She was dressed in a more formal kimono that was a rich blue in color. Her hair was pinned up in a tight pun with two metal pins forming a X and holding it together. A little foundation and a dab of blush on her cheeks was the only cosmetics she had chosen to use, relying on her natural beauty and gorgeous eyes to carry the weight of maintaining an attractive appearance. The Amandi clan head had made an appointment with the council to discuss a potential business partnership with Konohagakure.

She entered the building somewhat cautiously, the last time she stepped in here having been to negotiate the relocation of her clan within the village's walls. She had moved the entirety of the Amandi clan to Konohagakure before the collapse of Iwagakure dispersed its many clans to the winds with some popping up in every land. From what she had heard, Sunagakure had done the same thing with the last vestiges of the Kazehana Empire finally beginning to recede into the annals of history. Today, Kameko hoped to begin her clan's history on the world stage. The Hozuki had successfully etched their mark on the history books with their rise to glory, wealth, and power. Kameko saw no reason another clan from another land couldn't make their mark the same way with wealth and influence. She had no intention to rule anything, only to profit from everything.

Kameko walked up to the lady at the front desk, nerves playing out across her face despite her best efforts to hide them. She was a smart girl, but she wasn't used to the role of clan head. It had happened to her suddenly and her father hadn't taught her much in the ways of politics past the basics. Being thrust into that arena and left to fend for yourself taught you many lessons quickly, but it also made you cautious. "Excuse me, um, I'm Kameko Amandi. I'm here for, uh, my two o' clock appointment w-with the council," she managed to say with a slight shake in her voice. The anticipation of the moment was absolutely killing her. If the lady up front said it was alright, Kameko would go wherever she had to go to meet with the council. Hopefully they were nice old men and not just a bunch of crotchety old bastards with sticks up their asses.

"Kameko Amandi?" The secretary said first with a raised eyebrow. It was the first time she heard that name. Generally those visiting administration were regulars, though this girl had nothing to boast her presence. No existing renown or anything. She searched the appointment list until she found her name. "Reo, escort Ms. Amandi to Yami's office." From the first room on the left at the start of the hall came a male standing 5'10 and dressed heavily for combat. He had a hip pouch, three holsters, gray flak jacket, steel shin and arm guards, and an ANBU mask. He noted Kameko was armed, though the girl did not appear much of a threat. He did not detect any presence of Genjutsu or even usage of a Transformation technique. He would wait silently for Kameko to follow before leading her to a lift on the far end of the hall. Calling the lift would take seconds before he would gesture Kameko inside before follow pressing the "three" button. As it would lift them up the building they would be brought to a circular hallway which led around to a set of doors which would be Yami's office.

The man was enjoying a cup of green tea in the brief moment of freedom he had. Surely a shortest breaks were to be savored. A couple knocks would notify he had guests. With a light sigh he would set the cup down, the elderly man speaking up. "Come in! Come in!" This would follow by the ANBU opening the door entering first before gesturing Kameko in. The Council Meeting Room was empty. A long table with four chairs on each side, Yami sitting at the head of the table, was the primary feature of the room. Before him was a small plate with a cup on top as well as a small packet of papers. "You must be the heiress of the Amandi clan. I can see they treat you very well. What is your purpose of this meeting?" The man said, acknowledging the blonde's appearance while also getting straight to the point. He didn't mind small talk, though now was not the time or place for that. They had to focus on business.


ANBU Stuff:
Skills/Elements: Bukijutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu

Stats:
Strength: B
Constitution: C
Stamina: C
Speed: B
Coordination: B
Intelligence: B
Perception: B

Kameko followed the ANBU to the room he was supposed to take her to. She also listened to the prompting by the man inside the room, stepping inside and giving a light bow upon entering. He gave her a look over and spoke, mentioning she was the heiress of the Amandi clan and that her clan treated her well. She said nothing to this though it did annoy her slightly. She would be more than happy to answer his question, appreciating the bluntness coming from the older man.

"Yes, I am the current clan head of the Amandi. My name is Kameko, and I've requested this meeting to discuss a potential... partnership with Konohagakure. It's come to my attention in my time here that the village is sorely lacking in any kind of superior craftsmanship in pretty much every field. I know without a doubt that my goods are superior to anything else anybody in the village could offer, and I've brought this along with me to prove it," she began. At this juncture she would hold up the chokuto with a grasp on the sheathe, walking to the man and setting it down on the desk in front of him for his examination. Even if he was pushing pencils more than doing actual shinobi work, if he had any experience with weapons he would be able to see that there was definitely a fine quality to the weapon sitting in front of him. Nothing legendary of course, but certainly above the norm especially for a girl Kameko's age.

She would allow some time to examine the weapon before continuing on, keeping her tone even and confident. "I'm capable of creating armor of equal quality to that blade, and my clan specializes in the art of chemistry so I am well versed in its mechanisms too. In the next couple years, I intend to study more about the field of engineering as well as some other areas of interest to help round out what I know. And though it is not of as much significance, I am a talented enchantress too. You will not find an enchantment anybody living can make that is as good as one of mine, I assure you." She paused here again for a moment as she approached the crux of what she was here to ask about.

"The only issue I have with creating much of this is, well, a lack of any kind of funding to be honest. My clan uprooted everything they had to come to Konohagakure, and business has been slow to take off since we've been here. I've requested this meeting to ask for an investment on the part of Konohagakure. I need basic tools and an area with which to market my goods within the village. I haven't had much luck selling weapons and armor out of a candy shop, and I desire making my clan prosperous like it was hundreds of years ago. In exchange for the funds to start my enterprise, I will offer Konohagakure exclusive access to any and all of my creations for five years without any additional charge. I will also pledge to devote my first engineering project to one that will prove beneficial to Konohgakure's ability to collect resources and provide jobs for some of the less fortunate in our society. When the people thrive, so too will the village economy." Finding she was somewhat out of breath, Kameko would stop her pitch here. She hadn't ever negotiated something like this before and was trying to sound confident about it all. She was highly intelligent, of that she was sure, but intelligence didn't make up for inexperience.



Notes:
Chokuto is made out of Ebony, is B grade craftsmanship and has a material rank of A++

Yami nodded as if he was intrigued by what Kameko was saying. She was not wrong. Konoha's smiths were great in their own regards, but none of them really classified as a remarkable smith. Having a private smith in Konoha's arsenal could allow Konoha's top personnel to be equipped with the best gear money could buy. To say the least, he was enlightened by what she had to offer. As Kameko would attempt to approach the desk a stiff arm would extend over Kameko preventing any further movement. He would take the Chokuto from her and examine it first himself. Pulling it from its scabbard and inspecting the interior, searching for secret compartments, and anything which could pose a threat to the Head Councilman. With a fine inspection the blade and scabbard was safe, and even after the inspection the ANBU male could be seen admiring the blade himself twisting his wrist feeling the balance and scanning the blade. He would sheath it and present it to the councilman.

"There's no doubt what you achieved here is state of the art." He said after Kameko had finished making her offer, sheathing the blade and setting it back across his desk. The ANBU would approach it and retrieve the sword only to hand it back to the Amandi. "As far as your offer goes, I feel we can both do better. I admire your skills and everything you are capable of. And I fully intend to incorporate them into the village. First thing's first, I want to have you incorporated in our Administration as Konoha's Armorer. This, of course, will force me to rank you up to Chuunin. So if you intend to keep up with your Shinobi duties, you will carry that title with you. As Konoha's Armorer you will produce specific requests free of charge. All material required will be paid for, you will simply just make the trinkets and structures required. For this service you will be paid a monthly salary of seventy-five thousand ryo, with opportunity for raises given extended service. Furthermore, accepting my offer will set you up with a grant of three-hundred fifty thousand ryo to open your store, a small headquarters, and some basic appliances or gear you may need to start a healthy business. Becoming an Administrative member will allow me to keep in contact with you much more easily as well as bearing some political power for yourself and your clan."

Reaching for his tea cup he will take a conservative sip of the beverage using it to moisten his mouth and throat after talking for an extended period of time. With a brief sigh he'd set the cup back down on his place before clasping his hands and returning a gaze back to Kameko with a slight grin. "How does that sound for a deal?"

Kameko handed the blade over to the ANBU when he reached for it to inspect it himself. It seemed he admired its craftsmanship too, as did the man behind the desk. He listened fully to Kameko's offer and then made a counter offer that, at face value, sounded fairly good in and of itself. The only detail the bothered her was the scope of the "specific requests" he spoke of. Kameko said nothing in response at first, mulling the offer over for a moment before speaking up again.

"That sounds... acceptable, once we've settled on what 'specific requests' entails. I would agree to a reasonable yearly limit on weapons and armor of this quality, however they do take time to make and I will still have a business to run. I would also like it noted that anything I create that provides the village with larger amounts of income, I will be able to negotiate a percentile of the profits. I don't think that's too unreasonable a request," she said in response. She hadn't been expecting a promotion and an offer of salary above what many jonin made. And she was reasonable, too. Kameko was just not one to allow herself to be taken advantage of, a trait she inherited from her father. At least this man didn't make absolutely ludicrous offers and call it a "good deal" like a certain dead man did.

"These specific requests would cover fitting Konoha's elite Shinobi with high quality gear, as well as poisons, potions, and other essential items. Jounin will have light access to this perk. Namely, I intend to give our ANBU the best treatment, as their lives are the most at risk. I will give reasonable deadlines, as I don't want these requests to rob you of your own business and drive away your customers." Letting his words have time to be considered by the blonde he went for another sip of his green tea, setting the cup down once again only to continue where he left off. "As for these structures or buildings you intend on making, I feel it is certainly fair to give you a percentage of the income generated. However, seeing as you will be using Konoha's funding, property, and resources to create these structures, I hope you understand that Konoha will be receiving a larger portion of the generated revenue than you will. If you wish to make private buildings for the benefit of yourself or your clan, however, I am open to that idea. Just be aware that Konoha will be collecting a property tax on the land." He said as a final statement giving Kameko some more time to consider his offer and give her final say.

Kameko nodded at the first part of his response before replying herself, being okay with that arrangement. "Yeah, that sounds fine to me. The elite deserve the best, after all." She was glad that he had accepted her second condition without a fight, clarifying himself that Konoha would be receiving a larger share of the profit. She waved her hand at that while nodding to show that she had been expecting that. "Oh, I figured that. I wasn't expecting it to be an even split, we can just figure out what exactly it is when the time comes. I believe that all of that should work, so let's go ahead and do that." After speaking, she would wait and either sign the paperwork outlining the deal or would write it up herself if given the materials to do so before signing it and setting the contract on the man's desk. With that, she would pick up the chokuto and give a bow. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, I do appreciate it very much. Have a good day," she said as a goodbye. Afterwards she would follow the ANBU out before heading home to start getting her own affairs sorted out. This was going to take awhile.




[exit]