Jack Pine
Well-Known Member
- RP Date
- 1/20/YE41
- RP Location
- Sirris VI - Base - Jack's Office
It hadn't exactly been a rough morning, but perhaps it wasn't because the night before was something he didn't exactly want to forget. Either way Gavving was now here, slipping into the Lobby and tugging the uncomfortable tie straight before he headed across to the reception desk and checked in, letting the receptionist know that he was there to see someone about a job offer.
That done he headed across to the indicated seating and paused for a moment to take the space in. (a description of which Jack can supply when he wants) Gavving finally took a seat and took a deep breath, nervous but keeping it in mind that he was there for a reason and viewing this whole thing as a project that required his full attention.
He looked mighty sharp though compared to the night before, dressed in a a cool blue-gray three pieced suit and his favorite plaid tie. His hair had been tamed back into a small topknot but it was still vastly out of place with it's riot of color and he found the whole suit thing to be hot and stuffy. His attention was so deeply lost in his little world of what could happen, and how miserable being in a suit was, that he'd completely miss Adrian's entrance into the same lobby he was sitting in now.
Adrian arrived quite earlier then usual to the headquarters where Jack's office was located, she had a little headache from the long night of yesterday, bust still quite manageable.
She arrived at the reception room, dressing in a black tight long shirt, casual dark blue jeans and black tennis shoes, her long red hairs tied to a tail, waving as she was walking in her feminine way. Her deep purple eyes covered by large aviator sunglasses, she also had some slight makeup which only a careful eye could have seen from the distance.
After she entered, her red eyebrows wided seeing at Gavving sit on a chair waiting, she walked towards him, with a dark brown leather bag on her shoulder, the man was not paying attention to anyone, maybe his head was in the clouds.
She arrived at few meters in front of him and waved at him, with her high pitch voice "Hey! Why are you waiting for Lord Pine too?", she said smiling at him with her petite lips.
There was no mistaking that particular high pitched voice and Gavving flinched a little as he was startled out of his thoughts and back into reality. He looked up and took in the figure that boldly stood before him, considering her look and deciding he was probably over dressed if she'd come here looking like that. "Apparently I'm here for a business proposition," He answered politely, though a bit distantly. What he did in his private time and what he did while he was working were entirely diifferent things and he was going to treat them as such. "I don't think I properly introduced myself yesterday." He added, getting to his feet and offering her his hand. "I'm Gavving Cathal, pleasure to meet you."
She slightly giggled because of Gavving's respectfull manner, then taken his hand and shook" Well you know already my first and last names, there is no need to repeat it", she continued to smile.
Adrian released the man's hand and put her one inside her tight jeans's side pocket
"That's interesting,me too have been called for such placement.." Then gasped " Don't tell me that I've to run for the place against you!" She started to laugh. Her energetic and friendly character wasn't changed by yesterday.
Gavving considered her for a long minute and then he gave a slight shrug. "Well should we be competing for the same spot; good luck to you." He answered kindly and politely and he actually seemed to mean it too. S6 had already done quite a bit for him so far, getting him into the university to finish off his degrees, and now the offer of a quite nice job with some good pay benefits. If he didn't get the job there were certainly other places that would take him, at least that's what his thought was on the matter. "What is your opinion on the matter?" He asked her out of the blue, meaning her opinion on the job, and not so much on them potentially going up against one another to get the job.
Adrian concluded her laugh with a clearing of throat, her small hand getting closer to her mouth while doing it. After looking up and down on him with her eyes covered by the sunglasses responded "Surely this job is interesting, I personally never had an experience on directly leading a company, but I've worked in the think tank of one for three years so that should be something nontheless". Her lips again traced a smile in her petite face "And since I don't know what your references are, I cannot say that you could be or not be more befitting than me for such", it was clearly an invitation to let him express his experiences on the matter.
Gavving just smiled. "I think where you have the in-person experience, I've got the required background theoretical knowlege required to run such a business." He answered. "There are cons and pros to both approaches." She brought the in-person know how, he brought all the schooling and training and of course his growing up and working on his own inventions gave him a good start to understanding what the business did, even if he wasn't quite sure how a business was supposed to be run.
"Interesting, as it's interesting your behaviour, I didn't notice your politeness yesterday" She chuckled, her body waveing as her tail. Then looked at the seats behind Gavving "Shall we sit?"
Gavving checked the urge to stick his tongue out at her and waved a hand at the free seat open beside him. "Please" He murmured and once she sat down so did he. "I do try to seperate my private life from my work life." He added, pointedly not looking at her as he said that, though he didn't have much room to talk given that they were now here talking together after what had occured the night before. "Either way, why don't you tell me a little about what you did previously?"
She took her time to think about a response, as Adrian sat and adjusted herself moving the hips and bottom left and right before finding the right spot she used that moment to do so.
"Well, I think I told you already what I studied right? In terms of previous workplace and location, those are unfortunatly for you informations i cannot share in public" She looked at him while saying the last words with a smirk. She had to keep secret her true identity even if she felt sorry that she couldn't say anything to him.
He thought about it for a moment and then nodded "Fair enough." He actually seemed to accept that she didn't want to tell him without a thought and then went on to tell her about himself. "I used to tinker with things and invent some useful things for myself and my siblings while we were growing up. My older sister and brother put me into college, and then I got transfered to Osman University and finished there with several degrees in engineering and mechanics." He gave her a tentative smile. "So I'll admit I don't have a lot of experience for running a company, but I can figure it out as I go." He was confident in that much at least. "Do you have siblings? Or family?"
"Yeah sure! I.. I have a family and I am the only daughter, no siblings", the geshrin answered with a nervous giggle, even that was a kind of bad spot, she had to hide the identity of her family if she didn't want to make them worry or even expose them to unnecessary risks, "I also hear from them from time to time" she added still with that nervous tone, maybe even sarcastic.
Adrian after the last statement looked downward, her face blushed from the embarassment to have lied to someone so badly, her hands lied on her lap started to play, maybe another nervous tick.
Gavving felt his heart do a little flip in his chest and after a moment he sighed and reached out. Instead of taking her hands he deposited this tiny cube into hers. There were knobs, buttons, a wheel, rough bumps, a satiny smooth, and a silent clicker, one to each side of the six sided cube. "Helps me calm down when I'm nervous." He told her. "I get wanting to protect yourself and your family." So there was still no pressure there from him for her to tell him anything really. "I had to do that once upon a time too, but perhaps for different reasons."
"My older brother Quinn travels the stars working where he can find it. He's a damn good medic. My older sister was in the military for the longest time until Osman agreed to cover my costs to study at the univeristy and then I guess she decided to up and travel the stars as well. Haven't heard from her in some time. I do hope she's doing well." He seemed to have an almost sad expression. Living away from his siblings was actually quite hard on him despite his introverted nature.
She stopped her nervous movements just to take with her hands the object, she stared at it intensely while Gavving was talking, rotateing it to see all the faces of that cube.
Adrian smiled, " I used to make gadgets too when I was younger, but my father said I was wasting my talent for such frivolities", she raised the object from her lap and started to play it.
She turned towards him with a sincere smile, her sunglasses partially lowered unveiled her eyes, while her blush was fadeing away she said with a reassuring tone "It works, thank you".
"I didn't make that one." Gavving informed her gently, "My sister picked it up for me when she heard I was having trouble sitting still in my classes." It did work to help him keep his mind focused and didn't bother his classmates so his teachers had let him keep it. It was well worn and loved but still worked just like when he'd gotten it. "You're welcome though." He lifted his head to glance around the mostly empty room and then lowered it to be a bit more on her level. "I do hope he doesn't keep us waiting too much longer." He might be tempted to take a powernap at this rate.
"Yeah I know you didn't, these pieces are made in series, not handcrafted. But still it reminded me of such..." She sighed looking at the roof of the room with her delicate chin illuminated by the lights, she was still playing with the object " I hope too he doesn't get long, I hate waiting".
After a moment she started to snigger with her cute voice then turned the head back down and shook it, she was thinking still at yesterday and how she rushed to him without even introducing herself.
There was the faint sound of raised voices from down the hall, a man and a young woman. "Oh come on Mr. Pine! But she was too thick to pass up hugging.", came a very familiar sounding voice.
"You stuck your face in her thighs and grabbed her by the butt. Miss Argentum, you need to refrain from groping my daughter in a public setting. I know you love her, but you must really ex-", came the sound of the man's voice before being suddenly interrupted. If anyone who had heard Jack's voice before, would recognize it was him talking.
"Oh come on! But how can I not?! I have to show her my love some how!", The woman argued back as she was carried out into the lobby, hoisted by the back of her jacket by Jack. The pair sitting in the lobby would recognise her as Seara by her appearance though she seemed oddly much more energetic.
"Then take her to dinner, just please for the love of the void, calm your spazdic ass down.", Jack retorted before dropping her on her rear with a thump, leaving the young woman to sit on the floor rubbing her now sore rear end. "Sorry to keep you both waiting, had a family matter to attend to. Greetings Mr. Clark, and Mr. Cathal, I am Jack Pine.", he said when he noticed the pair there. He wore black boots, black jeans, a white tank top, and black leather jacket. A hand nervously ran through his snow white hair as he crimson eyes regarded them apologetically.
Like he'd done before; Gavving ignored Seara as she was unceremoniously dumped on her ass right close to them. Instead he stood, and once Adrian was to her feet, he headed over to give Jack a nod. "Pleasure to meet you Mr. Pine." He glanced slightly sideways to check and see if Adrian was close at hand, but otherwise he didn't look around and neither did he pay attention to whatever it was that Seara was busy doing. The night before was becoming harder and harder to ignore or leave behind it seemed with all the run-ins he was having. It was a difficult urge to resist looking around for anyone else involved. "I do believe we all have business to discuss." He added, giving both Adrian and Jack a prompt to get them moving onto the purpose they'd come here for.
Adrian put the small squared object in her bag and then followed right after Gavving to salute their employer.
"Lord Pine" She made a slight bow "Glad to see you happy and in shape" Adrian made a large smile towards him. For her Jack was her saviour, after telling him all her story he gladly accepted to help and protect her from the assassin who was looking for her somewhere, in the western indipendent space.
She nodded towards Gavving as he just said the obvious "Absolutely, but please concede me few words to spare at the woman accompanying our lord..." She looked at the weird Seara still on the floor "How are you Seara? I didn't expected you to be so close to Lord Pine, that's a really delightful surprise!" She ended with one of her high pitched giggles.
Jack's brow furrowed as Adrian spoke to the young woman, "I'm sorry Mr. Clark, but this is Sonia Argentum, a young woman we rescued a while back during the exodus here. She has recently started dating my daughter Adi."
"Wait, Seara?! How do you know my sister's name? Is she here?", Sonia asked, now quick to jump to her feet at the mention of her twin sister.
Gavving couldn't exactly stop himself from getting a slight blush as his error in identifying the woman he was ignoring. He had to turn slightly to give Sonia a good once-over to better note her unique features for the future and then he gave her a curt nod. "Not here in the building, no, but she was seen last night at a bar and doing well." It was the most he was going to cough up given that he didn't exactly go around sharing intimate details with people, let alone people he didn't even really know. He glanced to Jack, hoping they could just keep moving before Adrian decided to embarass themselves further. There were far too many unanswered questions right that moment.
Adrian widened her eyebrows in stupefaction of the revelation, but Gavving started to talk so she had not the time to actually excuse herself, but it was truly needed? Indeed she couldn't know before her saying it that Sonia was a different person.
"Yeah the Foxhole! And I actually have her address!" She said with a giggle, both sisters looked like good women and she felt sincerely happy to help them. Adrian grabbed from inside her bag a pad. " Sonia Argentum right?" Her long and slim fingers danced like a lightening on the squared screen, she found like an hacker the e-mail of the woman and sent a message to it.
"I don't know if you are happy or not for her being here, but i hope yes, you both looks like nice people" She made one of her many warm smiles, then turned to both men "Excuse me I got carried away, shall we go?"
"Oh thank you. We were separated a few years ago, I knew she was looking for me. But I had no idea she would track me down so fast.", Sonia stated in thanks as she received the email. In truth her face spoke of just how unexpected this turn of events was, as in a way she had gotten used to being on her own. "Yeah a bar sounds right, She always was kinda a perv so being a hoe is exp-......wait.", Sonia said before pausing at a sudden revelation, "You have her address because you slept with her didn't you?"
With that rather blunt remark, Jack began to expedite the departure to his office. "Alright, enough of that Miss Argentum, go home to Adi...Now. please.", He said both firmly and with a bit of nervousness at the situation and how Sonia now squinted at Adrian. "Please, let us be on our way."
And the embarassment continued, Gavving sighing at the email and as soon as Jack noted they should be on their way, Gavving motioned for the other man to lead the way, put a hand on Adrian's back and propelled the shorter person before him, moving away from the baffled looking Sonia and effectively ending the conversation before Adrian could open her mouth and say something else that might get all of them in trouble. This was getting to be a stickier and stickier situation the more it progressed and it was one he was starting to regret even if he hadn't this morning when he'd woken up.
Once they were away from Sonia and behind a closed door Gavving finally put some distance between himself and Adrian and attempted some semblance at being business like. "So, your proposition Mr. Pine?" He inquired, also sort of prompting Jack and Adrian to move on from what had just happened and focus on what they'd come here to do.
Adrian laughed at Sonia's reaction but she hadn't the time to answer, as Gavving moved her quite easely away, her slim body couldn't have been more easy to manage. But as he released her after taking some distances from her previous interlocutor, she sneakily turned behind while the tall man started to talk to Jack. As she saw Sonia still there looking at them Adrian stick out her own tongue to make fun of her in a jokely way.
She then turned back to the men before Gavving could have realized, she moved to stay more next him, just a few feet away from. The geshrin remained silent waiting for the lord to answer, silently sniggering to what she did few seconds before.
"Well again, sorry about that, but anyways.....I want you both to go into business together. Form a company with you both being the founders and owners, as well as run it. The NDC needs a means to stimulate the formation of an economy, and I want you to be the ones to lead the way.", Jack apologized before answering rather bluntly and straight to the point. "Any questions?"
Gavving took a deep breath, drawing in time to gather his thoughts before he finally gave a slow considerate nod. "I sense you have some suggestions and opinions on how to go about doing that." Not a question. He wasn't sure what exactly made him a good candidate for kicking off a business to build an entire enconomy on or around but Gavving was certainly up for the challenge despite not saying so directly. He glanced at Adrian. "And I'm sure you've got some ideas in that brilliant mind of yours." No doubts there, the woman, man? person, thing, had certainly had some ways with dealing with things last night that led him to believe maybe Adrian had some clue as to what they were going to do with this proposition.
Adrian basked in that statement, with a slight blush on her cheeks she made a large smile. She glanced directly at Gavving with her petite face and her eyes covered by the sunglasses " If we want to create a company we have to focus on a target of clients who would purchase our products, and we will need partners which have interests in financing and backing up the company with the materials needed, space for the costruction of the industries and laboratories for the development and testings, and most importantly we need to know what we are going to produce." She described like a program everything she had summarized in her three years of experience.
Then turned to the lord " But the last point is not needed to be taken in account, you called me, Lord Pine, its weapons that we are talking about." She said in a professional tone, then continued her analysis.
"All things that the New Dusk Conclave have already or soon, what you want us to do is to create a weaponry merchandise and maybe a development department, which the NDC doesn't properly have. The first one of which is going to be used by us and also selled widely in the indipendent space right?" The geshrin ended her speech with her usual radiant expression, satisfied of her sharp mind, even with the few knowledge she had of NDC affairs she thought to have hit the spot.
"Well more then weaponry. S6 already developed a few public items back in the day, but we hope to see more of those out of this endeavour. Your company will develop more then mil-spec gear, but public products and starhsips as well. Again, you'll be the only company we have, so you'll already have a monopoly in every market here, and you'll be taking over all our current trade agreements as well as business deals.", Jack clairfied before taking a seat in his chair behind a desk of onyx with small amounts of gold detailing, the insignia of the NDC carved into it's from. The leather chair creaked faintly as he leaned back.
Gavving nodded as Adrian laid out what they knew about the whole thing and their theories on how they'd be running things. It was easy enough to see the gears clicking in his brain and after a long moment he gave another nod. "I've got some ideas." He agreed after a moment, "That could certainly do some good around here." And generate some funding, even if some of them were a little unconventional. So that said he glanced to Adrian for a moment and gave the other a small smile. "I'll need all of the current dealings and agreements forwarded to me, but otherwise I have no further questions besides when we're getting started." Gavving agreed, looking forward to this particularly unique challenge that would both allow him to expand his horizions and still get to tinker and play around.
The geshrin smiled back at Gavving as she took off her sunglasses revealing her beautiful eyes, then waited for him to finish before asking a last question.
"I've one! We need funds to start a company, how much do we have at our disposal? Even in the plausible hypothesis that we don't start with a headquarters of the company, if we want to grow economically we have to focus even more in the export as maybe Mr.Cathal has in mind..".
Adrian looked at him before glancing back at Jack "... We need these starting funds majorly for salaries and to acquire more cargo transports, fuel and personnel for the export, in this way we could have enough financing to build up our own industry without nicking the NDC economy." Her smart mind again extrapolated each little piece of knoweldge she had on the argument to contextualize them with the current situation.
"And you will have them Mr. Clark. First payment will be 3 billion Duskerian Script to renovate the offices over in the administrative sector of the city. Plans will be sent to you for a factory and a product warehouse lot, as well as for possibly an air field for small freight craft. Anything large will have to be sent to the port at the east end of the city. Once able, we can design a space station to house your company out of.", Jack answered curtly as he flicked a few files on the screen that was the surface of his desk towards Mr. Cathal. "Now, if that is satisfactory, you'll need a name for the company."
Gavving nodded, pulled out his little datapad, and made a note of the ammount they had to work with. He also wrote down a few notes to start seeing what all they could spare for leeway funds, and then he paused and his eyebrows wrinkled in thought as Jack brought up the subject of a name for the company. It was easy to see him moving things around in his mind, thinking hard, reorganizing and adjusting for something that would fit with what he'd already heard about the company. It needed to be precise, fitting, and- oooh, it hit him mid thought and he looked up to lock eyes with Jack. "Well how about Black Wing Enterprises?" He suggested "Seems to fit well considering the rest of everything I know about this place."
Adrian remained for a moment with a slightly open mouth, while staring at Gavving, before speaking "That is... brilliant!" Her deep purple eyes widened and glimmered.
Her mind was submerged by a flow of ideas, symbols and slogans and one of them stood firmly in that flow "Black Wings Enterprises: the wind beneath the wings to your future!". She exclaimed with her high pitch voice, "That would be a perfect slogan isn it?", continued with a joyful expression.
"It sounds catchy and it fits with the NDC style!" She said in a really enthusiastic tone, then glanced to Jack Pine "My Lord, don't you think that too?". In that moment Adrian seemed like a kid which just saw fireworks for the first time.
Jack gave a small smile, "Sounds like things are in good hands, and that you both are in agreement on a good start, as well as the appropriate face for the company." He gave a nod as he thought of any final notes to give while mulling over the slogan and name. "Both are excellent, and rather catchy as well as symbolic. Idealistic even, just like the spirit and drive of what founded this nation, long before it was one. I'll have a few of the department heads visit you to begin transfer of data and help arrange things. You may want to go ahead and arrange a meeting with each as you can. First should be Mrs. Cerulius."
A few more notes here and there, including calling the indicated first person on the list, and Gavving gave Jack an easy smile. "We'll get things running." He agreed, already having ideas as to where and how they could get everything they needed but requiring time and space to look into it. "Would there possibly be a location we can use as a temporary offiice from which to get everything required purchased and rolling? As well as run the needed meetings with the department heads?" Hopefully Jack would have a solution to that, otherwise he'd have to carefully allocate funds for a temporary, small, office somewhere.
Adrian's thoughts weren't focussed so much on the company office's location rather about the person Jack named before. "Also" She opened the mouth right when Gavving was finishing his sentence, then put a hand over he mouth "Woops, sorry I got carried away" she pratically whisperedlooking at both with a bit of embarassment.
But as it seemed like it was her time to say something as the two men were waiting for her "So uhm, who's Mrs.Cerulius? And why her for first?".
"Mrs. Cerulius is the new head of Advanced Research and Development. Rose recently retired from the position and is now working full time for the university.", Jack cleared his throat quickly before explaining, "She's a Elysian, and will be handling the transfer of our research data to you in use for your own as well in developing new products. Your research by the way, is unrestricted other then by galactic law of course, but with the condition that the NDC has a right to use anything you come up with."
Gavving gave a cut nod of his head, made a few more notes on that and then he gavev Jack a charming smile. "No problems there. We'll handle things efficently and let the NDC know of any research and advancements we make as we get to them." He could certainly speak business even if he really had no business being the CEO of one. At least he'd learn with time what he needed to be doing and how to go about it without looking like he was completely incompetent. "I'm sure you can send us a list of everyone we'll be needing to make meetings with." He nodded and gave Adrian an almost shy smile. "We'll get everything taken care of." And that was that pretty much. Aside from unanswered questions Gavving felt like he could more or less handle things once he had the full aray of scheduling and time tables and funds laid out.
She exchanged the glance at Gavving together with a dazzling smile before turning back speaking to Jack " Indeed my lord, you can count on us!" She reassured brightly. And it was true, she was already thinking about what type of laboratories may be needed, dimensions, instruments, sectors etchetera.
"Will do, so you can expect it soon. If there are no other questions, then that is all that I needed to discuss with you. I look forward to your first report on progress with getting things going.", Jack answered with a small nod of his head. He was already compiling a list on his Geist of people for the pair to meet. Things were looking promising already and Jack was hopeful for the economic blood of this nation, one he would never call his own, but shared by all those who had helped build it.
Gavving gave a curt nod at the end of that and he tilted his head. "You never did mention where we could keep temporary office until more appropaite accomodations are bought, built or found." He added, waiting for that tidbit from Jack before he did anything further. His gaze turned from Jack to Adrian and he arched an eyebrow, wondering if she had a better idea for where they might find such a place. He really did need to get out and learn this new world he'd settled on
"Oh sorry, there are offices in the administrative district, but......we also have space for offices in a new construction we'll be building soon.", he quickly answered, having forgot to answer. He honsetly had so much on his mind lately with the office he occupied now. With a flcik of a finger on a small AR pop-up that only he could see in the air before him, sent the location for the offices to Gavving's pad.
"We could use the free offices locations already built in the administrative district 'till we have our own. Better not to wait any futher." Adrian added as she gave a hinted look to Gavving, before speaking again to Jack " Thank you for your trust on our skills Lord Pine, as I said before we will not disappoint you." She said right before getting up, and wearing back her sunglasses.
Gavving gave another nod, studied the details sent to his pad and then he tucked it away and tilted his head at Adrian. "Well then, lets go get our office set up hmm?" He gave ther other a bright but tentative smile and gave Jack's hand a shake. "Pleasure meeting you, and I look forward to swift business soon." And that was more or less that. With Adrian by his side he'd head for the exit, and for the administriative district so they could see about setting up and breaking in their new office.
That done he headed across to the indicated seating and paused for a moment to take the space in. (a description of which Jack can supply when he wants) Gavving finally took a seat and took a deep breath, nervous but keeping it in mind that he was there for a reason and viewing this whole thing as a project that required his full attention.
He looked mighty sharp though compared to the night before, dressed in a a cool blue-gray three pieced suit and his favorite plaid tie. His hair had been tamed back into a small topknot but it was still vastly out of place with it's riot of color and he found the whole suit thing to be hot and stuffy. His attention was so deeply lost in his little world of what could happen, and how miserable being in a suit was, that he'd completely miss Adrian's entrance into the same lobby he was sitting in now.
Adrian arrived quite earlier then usual to the headquarters where Jack's office was located, she had a little headache from the long night of yesterday, bust still quite manageable.
She arrived at the reception room, dressing in a black tight long shirt, casual dark blue jeans and black tennis shoes, her long red hairs tied to a tail, waving as she was walking in her feminine way. Her deep purple eyes covered by large aviator sunglasses, she also had some slight makeup which only a careful eye could have seen from the distance.
After she entered, her red eyebrows wided seeing at Gavving sit on a chair waiting, she walked towards him, with a dark brown leather bag on her shoulder, the man was not paying attention to anyone, maybe his head was in the clouds.
She arrived at few meters in front of him and waved at him, with her high pitch voice "Hey! Why are you waiting for Lord Pine too?", she said smiling at him with her petite lips.
There was no mistaking that particular high pitched voice and Gavving flinched a little as he was startled out of his thoughts and back into reality. He looked up and took in the figure that boldly stood before him, considering her look and deciding he was probably over dressed if she'd come here looking like that. "Apparently I'm here for a business proposition," He answered politely, though a bit distantly. What he did in his private time and what he did while he was working were entirely diifferent things and he was going to treat them as such. "I don't think I properly introduced myself yesterday." He added, getting to his feet and offering her his hand. "I'm Gavving Cathal, pleasure to meet you."
She slightly giggled because of Gavving's respectfull manner, then taken his hand and shook" Well you know already my first and last names, there is no need to repeat it", she continued to smile.
Adrian released the man's hand and put her one inside her tight jeans's side pocket
"That's interesting,me too have been called for such placement.." Then gasped " Don't tell me that I've to run for the place against you!" She started to laugh. Her energetic and friendly character wasn't changed by yesterday.
Gavving considered her for a long minute and then he gave a slight shrug. "Well should we be competing for the same spot; good luck to you." He answered kindly and politely and he actually seemed to mean it too. S6 had already done quite a bit for him so far, getting him into the university to finish off his degrees, and now the offer of a quite nice job with some good pay benefits. If he didn't get the job there were certainly other places that would take him, at least that's what his thought was on the matter. "What is your opinion on the matter?" He asked her out of the blue, meaning her opinion on the job, and not so much on them potentially going up against one another to get the job.
Adrian concluded her laugh with a clearing of throat, her small hand getting closer to her mouth while doing it. After looking up and down on him with her eyes covered by the sunglasses responded "Surely this job is interesting, I personally never had an experience on directly leading a company, but I've worked in the think tank of one for three years so that should be something nontheless". Her lips again traced a smile in her petite face "And since I don't know what your references are, I cannot say that you could be or not be more befitting than me for such", it was clearly an invitation to let him express his experiences on the matter.
Gavving just smiled. "I think where you have the in-person experience, I've got the required background theoretical knowlege required to run such a business." He answered. "There are cons and pros to both approaches." She brought the in-person know how, he brought all the schooling and training and of course his growing up and working on his own inventions gave him a good start to understanding what the business did, even if he wasn't quite sure how a business was supposed to be run.
"Interesting, as it's interesting your behaviour, I didn't notice your politeness yesterday" She chuckled, her body waveing as her tail. Then looked at the seats behind Gavving "Shall we sit?"
Gavving checked the urge to stick his tongue out at her and waved a hand at the free seat open beside him. "Please" He murmured and once she sat down so did he. "I do try to seperate my private life from my work life." He added, pointedly not looking at her as he said that, though he didn't have much room to talk given that they were now here talking together after what had occured the night before. "Either way, why don't you tell me a little about what you did previously?"
She took her time to think about a response, as Adrian sat and adjusted herself moving the hips and bottom left and right before finding the right spot she used that moment to do so.
"Well, I think I told you already what I studied right? In terms of previous workplace and location, those are unfortunatly for you informations i cannot share in public" She looked at him while saying the last words with a smirk. She had to keep secret her true identity even if she felt sorry that she couldn't say anything to him.
He thought about it for a moment and then nodded "Fair enough." He actually seemed to accept that she didn't want to tell him without a thought and then went on to tell her about himself. "I used to tinker with things and invent some useful things for myself and my siblings while we were growing up. My older sister and brother put me into college, and then I got transfered to Osman University and finished there with several degrees in engineering and mechanics." He gave her a tentative smile. "So I'll admit I don't have a lot of experience for running a company, but I can figure it out as I go." He was confident in that much at least. "Do you have siblings? Or family?"
"Yeah sure! I.. I have a family and I am the only daughter, no siblings", the geshrin answered with a nervous giggle, even that was a kind of bad spot, she had to hide the identity of her family if she didn't want to make them worry or even expose them to unnecessary risks, "I also hear from them from time to time" she added still with that nervous tone, maybe even sarcastic.
Adrian after the last statement looked downward, her face blushed from the embarassment to have lied to someone so badly, her hands lied on her lap started to play, maybe another nervous tick.
Gavving felt his heart do a little flip in his chest and after a moment he sighed and reached out. Instead of taking her hands he deposited this tiny cube into hers. There were knobs, buttons, a wheel, rough bumps, a satiny smooth, and a silent clicker, one to each side of the six sided cube. "Helps me calm down when I'm nervous." He told her. "I get wanting to protect yourself and your family." So there was still no pressure there from him for her to tell him anything really. "I had to do that once upon a time too, but perhaps for different reasons."
"My older brother Quinn travels the stars working where he can find it. He's a damn good medic. My older sister was in the military for the longest time until Osman agreed to cover my costs to study at the univeristy and then I guess she decided to up and travel the stars as well. Haven't heard from her in some time. I do hope she's doing well." He seemed to have an almost sad expression. Living away from his siblings was actually quite hard on him despite his introverted nature.
She stopped her nervous movements just to take with her hands the object, she stared at it intensely while Gavving was talking, rotateing it to see all the faces of that cube.
Adrian smiled, " I used to make gadgets too when I was younger, but my father said I was wasting my talent for such frivolities", she raised the object from her lap and started to play it.
She turned towards him with a sincere smile, her sunglasses partially lowered unveiled her eyes, while her blush was fadeing away she said with a reassuring tone "It works, thank you".
"I didn't make that one." Gavving informed her gently, "My sister picked it up for me when she heard I was having trouble sitting still in my classes." It did work to help him keep his mind focused and didn't bother his classmates so his teachers had let him keep it. It was well worn and loved but still worked just like when he'd gotten it. "You're welcome though." He lifted his head to glance around the mostly empty room and then lowered it to be a bit more on her level. "I do hope he doesn't keep us waiting too much longer." He might be tempted to take a powernap at this rate.
"Yeah I know you didn't, these pieces are made in series, not handcrafted. But still it reminded me of such..." She sighed looking at the roof of the room with her delicate chin illuminated by the lights, she was still playing with the object " I hope too he doesn't get long, I hate waiting".
After a moment she started to snigger with her cute voice then turned the head back down and shook it, she was thinking still at yesterday and how she rushed to him without even introducing herself.
There was the faint sound of raised voices from down the hall, a man and a young woman. "Oh come on Mr. Pine! But she was too thick to pass up hugging.", came a very familiar sounding voice.
"You stuck your face in her thighs and grabbed her by the butt. Miss Argentum, you need to refrain from groping my daughter in a public setting. I know you love her, but you must really ex-", came the sound of the man's voice before being suddenly interrupted. If anyone who had heard Jack's voice before, would recognize it was him talking.
"Oh come on! But how can I not?! I have to show her my love some how!", The woman argued back as she was carried out into the lobby, hoisted by the back of her jacket by Jack. The pair sitting in the lobby would recognise her as Seara by her appearance though she seemed oddly much more energetic.
"Then take her to dinner, just please for the love of the void, calm your spazdic ass down.", Jack retorted before dropping her on her rear with a thump, leaving the young woman to sit on the floor rubbing her now sore rear end. "Sorry to keep you both waiting, had a family matter to attend to. Greetings Mr. Clark, and Mr. Cathal, I am Jack Pine.", he said when he noticed the pair there. He wore black boots, black jeans, a white tank top, and black leather jacket. A hand nervously ran through his snow white hair as he crimson eyes regarded them apologetically.
Like he'd done before; Gavving ignored Seara as she was unceremoniously dumped on her ass right close to them. Instead he stood, and once Adrian was to her feet, he headed over to give Jack a nod. "Pleasure to meet you Mr. Pine." He glanced slightly sideways to check and see if Adrian was close at hand, but otherwise he didn't look around and neither did he pay attention to whatever it was that Seara was busy doing. The night before was becoming harder and harder to ignore or leave behind it seemed with all the run-ins he was having. It was a difficult urge to resist looking around for anyone else involved. "I do believe we all have business to discuss." He added, giving both Adrian and Jack a prompt to get them moving onto the purpose they'd come here for.
Adrian put the small squared object in her bag and then followed right after Gavving to salute their employer.
"Lord Pine" She made a slight bow "Glad to see you happy and in shape" Adrian made a large smile towards him. For her Jack was her saviour, after telling him all her story he gladly accepted to help and protect her from the assassin who was looking for her somewhere, in the western indipendent space.
She nodded towards Gavving as he just said the obvious "Absolutely, but please concede me few words to spare at the woman accompanying our lord..." She looked at the weird Seara still on the floor "How are you Seara? I didn't expected you to be so close to Lord Pine, that's a really delightful surprise!" She ended with one of her high pitched giggles.
Jack's brow furrowed as Adrian spoke to the young woman, "I'm sorry Mr. Clark, but this is Sonia Argentum, a young woman we rescued a while back during the exodus here. She has recently started dating my daughter Adi."
"Wait, Seara?! How do you know my sister's name? Is she here?", Sonia asked, now quick to jump to her feet at the mention of her twin sister.
Gavving couldn't exactly stop himself from getting a slight blush as his error in identifying the woman he was ignoring. He had to turn slightly to give Sonia a good once-over to better note her unique features for the future and then he gave her a curt nod. "Not here in the building, no, but she was seen last night at a bar and doing well." It was the most he was going to cough up given that he didn't exactly go around sharing intimate details with people, let alone people he didn't even really know. He glanced to Jack, hoping they could just keep moving before Adrian decided to embarass themselves further. There were far too many unanswered questions right that moment.
Adrian widened her eyebrows in stupefaction of the revelation, but Gavving started to talk so she had not the time to actually excuse herself, but it was truly needed? Indeed she couldn't know before her saying it that Sonia was a different person.
"Yeah the Foxhole! And I actually have her address!" She said with a giggle, both sisters looked like good women and she felt sincerely happy to help them. Adrian grabbed from inside her bag a pad. " Sonia Argentum right?" Her long and slim fingers danced like a lightening on the squared screen, she found like an hacker the e-mail of the woman and sent a message to it.
"I don't know if you are happy or not for her being here, but i hope yes, you both looks like nice people" She made one of her many warm smiles, then turned to both men "Excuse me I got carried away, shall we go?"
"Oh thank you. We were separated a few years ago, I knew she was looking for me. But I had no idea she would track me down so fast.", Sonia stated in thanks as she received the email. In truth her face spoke of just how unexpected this turn of events was, as in a way she had gotten used to being on her own. "Yeah a bar sounds right, She always was kinda a perv so being a hoe is exp-......wait.", Sonia said before pausing at a sudden revelation, "You have her address because you slept with her didn't you?"
With that rather blunt remark, Jack began to expedite the departure to his office. "Alright, enough of that Miss Argentum, go home to Adi...Now. please.", He said both firmly and with a bit of nervousness at the situation and how Sonia now squinted at Adrian. "Please, let us be on our way."
And the embarassment continued, Gavving sighing at the email and as soon as Jack noted they should be on their way, Gavving motioned for the other man to lead the way, put a hand on Adrian's back and propelled the shorter person before him, moving away from the baffled looking Sonia and effectively ending the conversation before Adrian could open her mouth and say something else that might get all of them in trouble. This was getting to be a stickier and stickier situation the more it progressed and it was one he was starting to regret even if he hadn't this morning when he'd woken up.
Once they were away from Sonia and behind a closed door Gavving finally put some distance between himself and Adrian and attempted some semblance at being business like. "So, your proposition Mr. Pine?" He inquired, also sort of prompting Jack and Adrian to move on from what had just happened and focus on what they'd come here to do.
Adrian laughed at Sonia's reaction but she hadn't the time to answer, as Gavving moved her quite easely away, her slim body couldn't have been more easy to manage. But as he released her after taking some distances from her previous interlocutor, she sneakily turned behind while the tall man started to talk to Jack. As she saw Sonia still there looking at them Adrian stick out her own tongue to make fun of her in a jokely way.
She then turned back to the men before Gavving could have realized, she moved to stay more next him, just a few feet away from. The geshrin remained silent waiting for the lord to answer, silently sniggering to what she did few seconds before.
"Well again, sorry about that, but anyways.....I want you both to go into business together. Form a company with you both being the founders and owners, as well as run it. The NDC needs a means to stimulate the formation of an economy, and I want you to be the ones to lead the way.", Jack apologized before answering rather bluntly and straight to the point. "Any questions?"
Gavving took a deep breath, drawing in time to gather his thoughts before he finally gave a slow considerate nod. "I sense you have some suggestions and opinions on how to go about doing that." Not a question. He wasn't sure what exactly made him a good candidate for kicking off a business to build an entire enconomy on or around but Gavving was certainly up for the challenge despite not saying so directly. He glanced at Adrian. "And I'm sure you've got some ideas in that brilliant mind of yours." No doubts there, the woman, man? person, thing, had certainly had some ways with dealing with things last night that led him to believe maybe Adrian had some clue as to what they were going to do with this proposition.
Adrian basked in that statement, with a slight blush on her cheeks she made a large smile. She glanced directly at Gavving with her petite face and her eyes covered by the sunglasses " If we want to create a company we have to focus on a target of clients who would purchase our products, and we will need partners which have interests in financing and backing up the company with the materials needed, space for the costruction of the industries and laboratories for the development and testings, and most importantly we need to know what we are going to produce." She described like a program everything she had summarized in her three years of experience.
Then turned to the lord " But the last point is not needed to be taken in account, you called me, Lord Pine, its weapons that we are talking about." She said in a professional tone, then continued her analysis.
"All things that the New Dusk Conclave have already or soon, what you want us to do is to create a weaponry merchandise and maybe a development department, which the NDC doesn't properly have. The first one of which is going to be used by us and also selled widely in the indipendent space right?" The geshrin ended her speech with her usual radiant expression, satisfied of her sharp mind, even with the few knowledge she had of NDC affairs she thought to have hit the spot.
"Well more then weaponry. S6 already developed a few public items back in the day, but we hope to see more of those out of this endeavour. Your company will develop more then mil-spec gear, but public products and starhsips as well. Again, you'll be the only company we have, so you'll already have a monopoly in every market here, and you'll be taking over all our current trade agreements as well as business deals.", Jack clairfied before taking a seat in his chair behind a desk of onyx with small amounts of gold detailing, the insignia of the NDC carved into it's from. The leather chair creaked faintly as he leaned back.
Gavving nodded as Adrian laid out what they knew about the whole thing and their theories on how they'd be running things. It was easy enough to see the gears clicking in his brain and after a long moment he gave another nod. "I've got some ideas." He agreed after a moment, "That could certainly do some good around here." And generate some funding, even if some of them were a little unconventional. So that said he glanced to Adrian for a moment and gave the other a small smile. "I'll need all of the current dealings and agreements forwarded to me, but otherwise I have no further questions besides when we're getting started." Gavving agreed, looking forward to this particularly unique challenge that would both allow him to expand his horizions and still get to tinker and play around.
The geshrin smiled back at Gavving as she took off her sunglasses revealing her beautiful eyes, then waited for him to finish before asking a last question.
"I've one! We need funds to start a company, how much do we have at our disposal? Even in the plausible hypothesis that we don't start with a headquarters of the company, if we want to grow economically we have to focus even more in the export as maybe Mr.Cathal has in mind..".
Adrian looked at him before glancing back at Jack "... We need these starting funds majorly for salaries and to acquire more cargo transports, fuel and personnel for the export, in this way we could have enough financing to build up our own industry without nicking the NDC economy." Her smart mind again extrapolated each little piece of knoweldge she had on the argument to contextualize them with the current situation.
"And you will have them Mr. Clark. First payment will be 3 billion Duskerian Script to renovate the offices over in the administrative sector of the city. Plans will be sent to you for a factory and a product warehouse lot, as well as for possibly an air field for small freight craft. Anything large will have to be sent to the port at the east end of the city. Once able, we can design a space station to house your company out of.", Jack answered curtly as he flicked a few files on the screen that was the surface of his desk towards Mr. Cathal. "Now, if that is satisfactory, you'll need a name for the company."
Gavving nodded, pulled out his little datapad, and made a note of the ammount they had to work with. He also wrote down a few notes to start seeing what all they could spare for leeway funds, and then he paused and his eyebrows wrinkled in thought as Jack brought up the subject of a name for the company. It was easy to see him moving things around in his mind, thinking hard, reorganizing and adjusting for something that would fit with what he'd already heard about the company. It needed to be precise, fitting, and- oooh, it hit him mid thought and he looked up to lock eyes with Jack. "Well how about Black Wing Enterprises?" He suggested "Seems to fit well considering the rest of everything I know about this place."
Adrian remained for a moment with a slightly open mouth, while staring at Gavving, before speaking "That is... brilliant!" Her deep purple eyes widened and glimmered.
Her mind was submerged by a flow of ideas, symbols and slogans and one of them stood firmly in that flow "Black Wings Enterprises: the wind beneath the wings to your future!". She exclaimed with her high pitch voice, "That would be a perfect slogan isn it?", continued with a joyful expression.
"It sounds catchy and it fits with the NDC style!" She said in a really enthusiastic tone, then glanced to Jack Pine "My Lord, don't you think that too?". In that moment Adrian seemed like a kid which just saw fireworks for the first time.
Jack gave a small smile, "Sounds like things are in good hands, and that you both are in agreement on a good start, as well as the appropriate face for the company." He gave a nod as he thought of any final notes to give while mulling over the slogan and name. "Both are excellent, and rather catchy as well as symbolic. Idealistic even, just like the spirit and drive of what founded this nation, long before it was one. I'll have a few of the department heads visit you to begin transfer of data and help arrange things. You may want to go ahead and arrange a meeting with each as you can. First should be Mrs. Cerulius."
A few more notes here and there, including calling the indicated first person on the list, and Gavving gave Jack an easy smile. "We'll get things running." He agreed, already having ideas as to where and how they could get everything they needed but requiring time and space to look into it. "Would there possibly be a location we can use as a temporary offiice from which to get everything required purchased and rolling? As well as run the needed meetings with the department heads?" Hopefully Jack would have a solution to that, otherwise he'd have to carefully allocate funds for a temporary, small, office somewhere.
Adrian's thoughts weren't focussed so much on the company office's location rather about the person Jack named before. "Also" She opened the mouth right when Gavving was finishing his sentence, then put a hand over he mouth "Woops, sorry I got carried away" she pratically whisperedlooking at both with a bit of embarassment.
But as it seemed like it was her time to say something as the two men were waiting for her "So uhm, who's Mrs.Cerulius? And why her for first?".
"Mrs. Cerulius is the new head of Advanced Research and Development. Rose recently retired from the position and is now working full time for the university.", Jack cleared his throat quickly before explaining, "She's a Elysian, and will be handling the transfer of our research data to you in use for your own as well in developing new products. Your research by the way, is unrestricted other then by galactic law of course, but with the condition that the NDC has a right to use anything you come up with."
Gavving gave a cut nod of his head, made a few more notes on that and then he gavev Jack a charming smile. "No problems there. We'll handle things efficently and let the NDC know of any research and advancements we make as we get to them." He could certainly speak business even if he really had no business being the CEO of one. At least he'd learn with time what he needed to be doing and how to go about it without looking like he was completely incompetent. "I'm sure you can send us a list of everyone we'll be needing to make meetings with." He nodded and gave Adrian an almost shy smile. "We'll get everything taken care of." And that was that pretty much. Aside from unanswered questions Gavving felt like he could more or less handle things once he had the full aray of scheduling and time tables and funds laid out.
She exchanged the glance at Gavving together with a dazzling smile before turning back speaking to Jack " Indeed my lord, you can count on us!" She reassured brightly. And it was true, she was already thinking about what type of laboratories may be needed, dimensions, instruments, sectors etchetera.
"Will do, so you can expect it soon. If there are no other questions, then that is all that I needed to discuss with you. I look forward to your first report on progress with getting things going.", Jack answered with a small nod of his head. He was already compiling a list on his Geist of people for the pair to meet. Things were looking promising already and Jack was hopeful for the economic blood of this nation, one he would never call his own, but shared by all those who had helped build it.
Gavving gave a curt nod at the end of that and he tilted his head. "You never did mention where we could keep temporary office until more appropaite accomodations are bought, built or found." He added, waiting for that tidbit from Jack before he did anything further. His gaze turned from Jack to Adrian and he arched an eyebrow, wondering if she had a better idea for where they might find such a place. He really did need to get out and learn this new world he'd settled on
"Oh sorry, there are offices in the administrative district, but......we also have space for offices in a new construction we'll be building soon.", he quickly answered, having forgot to answer. He honsetly had so much on his mind lately with the office he occupied now. With a flcik of a finger on a small AR pop-up that only he could see in the air before him, sent the location for the offices to Gavving's pad.
"We could use the free offices locations already built in the administrative district 'till we have our own. Better not to wait any futher." Adrian added as she gave a hinted look to Gavving, before speaking again to Jack " Thank you for your trust on our skills Lord Pine, as I said before we will not disappoint you." She said right before getting up, and wearing back her sunglasses.
Gavving gave another nod, studied the details sent to his pad and then he tucked it away and tilted his head at Adrian. "Well then, lets go get our office set up hmm?" He gave ther other a bright but tentative smile and gave Jack's hand a shake. "Pleasure meeting you, and I look forward to swift business soon." And that was more or less that. With Adrian by his side he'd head for the exit, and for the administriative district so they could see about setting up and breaking in their new office.
