Business Permit

Phoebe

This had not been how Phoebe had been anticipating coming to see Remi. Firstly because now he was Governor. Secondly because she was asking about taking over the local brothel.

This was going to be an interesting conversation.

It wasn't terribly difficult to figure out when Remi took visitors to discuss anything political, and though they were friends she respected that this was more of a business call than a social one. So she arrived at his home, knocking before entering the wing that had been created for this specific sort of thing. "Governor? Can I have a moment of your time?" she asked, perhaps a bit cheekily, as only a friend could get away with, as she stepped into the room.

loving you was the most exquisite
form of self destruction

everything i knew is turning into ruins in your shadow

"Hardly like you to ask." The Alchemist countered with a roguish smile. Sitting at a rather simple desk, he gave Phoebe a mischievous look while he carefully folded some schematics and drawings that had been open before him.

"Come to ask me to lure more birds to their death?" He asked with a raise of his brow, the gesture entirely Ronin-like. Remi didn't actually think it was that. What was most likely was her wanting to open up a clinic here...but of course, Nate had beat her to it. Perhaps they could work together? Then again...with Nate and Sunjata's relationship, perhaps that wasn't so wise.

THE ALCHEMIST

i thought that i'd be ready
but falling isn't steady once you let go

Phoebe

"You're a Governor now, so I have to have some semblance of manners, right?" she said. To emphasize the point she curtsied dramatically, rather like she had when Ronin had become king and she teased him about being the Prince Consort. Laughing lightly she came to sit in the chair across from Remi. At the mention of killing birds though, she shook her head.

"No, I had just enough to get what I wanted." she said, As if on cue, a grey, over-fluffed kitten with a bowtie around his neck peeked up out of her bag. He ftt fftt ftt'ed his displeasure at this new environment and having his nap interrupted, but Phoebe just pet the top of his head. "This is Branbast." she introduced, so as not to be rude.

But this was about business, wasn't it.

"I took your advice and asked Frey for guidance as to what I should do." she said to start. "And they wanted me to take over the running of Torchline's brothel. So...that is what I am here about."

loving you was the most exquisite
form of self destruction

everything i knew is turning into ruins in your shadow

"Oh gods, don't do that." He said of her curtsy, wrinkling his nose. "We're both commoners, regardless of who has what title."

Watching her sit, Remi cleared off the space immediately in front of him so he could casually lean his elbows against the desk. Glancing at the cat, the Alchemist narrowed his eyes slightly. "I can't tell if you're leaning into the stereotype of being a crazy cat lady, or going against it." He chuckled as he looked at the ball of aggressively-cute gray fluff.

Drumming his fingers on the desk at the mention of Frey, the Alchemist raised a brow...and then the other, at the mention of the brothel.

"You? Forgive me if this comes across as condescending but, you do know what a brothel is, yeah?"

THE ALCHEMIST

i thought that i'd be ready
but falling isn't steady once you let go

Phoebe

Phoebe snickered at Remi's display of disgust over the gesture. "I might have to curtsy every time I see you if that's how you are going to react." she teased. But her gaze went down to the kitten, having not considered if she was being a crazy cat lady or not. "Can you be a crazy cat lady if you only have one cat?" she asked. Branbast glowered back at Remi, orange eyes overcast by tufts of grey fur.

A brothel is a place where a group of prostitutes conduct their business." Phoebe said, tilting her head to the side. His surprise wasn't surprising. She wasn't exactly the promiscuous sort, leaning instead to the proper side of things. "But really, I'm the best sort of person to run a brothel. My connection to Frey aside, I know how to care for people in that line of work. It's going to happen anyways so I might as well make sure people are safe and protected and healthy while they do it, right?" she explained.

loving you was the most exquisite
form of self destruction

everything i knew is turning into ruins in your shadow

'You do that, and I'll ban you from Torchline.' He shoots back with a grin. "And before you go saying something about power and corruption, I'll remind you the sort of place I'm governor of."

Raising a brow at that, the Alchemist shrugged. "I guess we'll have to find out." He smirked. If anyone could be a crazy cat lady with only one cat, it was absolutely Phoebe.

"You might know how to care for them...but run it? You're going to promote that sort of thing? That seems...unlike you."

THE ALCHEMIST

i thought that i'd be ready
but falling isn't steady once you let go

Phoebe

"So only every other time I see you then. Got it." she said with a smirk. And though she was tempted to continue to discuss the threshold of cats one needed to acquire before being dubbed crazy cat lady, more important matters were at hand.

"People are going to seek it out whether I promote it or not." she said with a shrug. "It isn't about me either. It's about caring for a group of people that generally fall at the bottom of the heap. If I can make it safer for everyone involved...why not promote it?" she said, tilting her head. "So long as it isn't rape then I don't see an issue. I'm not the same, niavely innovent Phoebe you know." she said with a small smirk.

loving you was the most exquisite
form of self destruction

everything i knew is turning into ruins in your shadow

'No, apparently not.' The Alchemist agreed with a soft frown of amusement as he leaned back in his chair. Steepling his fingers, he let his head loll to the side slightly. "So...you're here for what? My permission then?" Strange as it was, this was precisely the type of thing he'd signed on for as Governor.

"Do you need anything? Help, supplies?"

THE ALCHEMIST

i thought that i'd be ready
but falling isn't steady once you let go

Phoebe

Phoebe blinked at him, momentarily confused by his question. Wasn't that obvious? "Yes, your permission. I am not sure if anyone is actively managing it at the moment but I figured I ought to at least run it past you before I started anything." she said. He was the governor after all, and if she caused any problems he was bound to catch wind of it. Better to stay a few steps ahead if she could - and since he was her friend, she hoped that would be the case.

"Yes, I will definitely need help." she said with a light laugh. "Frey made it sound like the place might be in quite a state...so I am sure there will be building projects...and I will need to get my medicinal plants all replanted here..." For a brief moment panic gripped her chest. This was a big undertaking. She was uprooting herself. People and their livelihoods were involved. This wasn't just cleaning up a big vacant building after all.

loving you was the most exquisite
form of self destruction

everything i knew is turning into ruins in your shadow

'If you're going to run something here...you'll need to be a resident." Remi said in a soft, but stern voice. The Medical Collge...all her work done there would need to be taken over by someone else. She could visit and make trips of course, but to take this on, her primary place of residence and business had to be here.

"It is indeed. I've never been, but whatever TLC is occurring from the workers hasn't been extended to the building in quite some time."

THE ALCHEMIST

i thought that i'd be ready
but falling isn't steady once you let go

Phoebe

Phoebe nodded slowly at first, but then with more conviction. "I'll be making arrangements to do so quickly. I will definitely be a resident well before LongNight." she said. Though as where she would live while repairs were being done was another question entirely but...she was committed. She would find a way to make it work. It wasn't like it was the first time she had been completely uprooted with no where to go.

The even Remi knew the place was in shambles without ever having been there made her worried. "Would you mind going with me to see what all it needs?" she asked. It was probably better anyways to go with someone who had some authority the first time anyways to establish herself.

loving you was the most exquisite
form of self destruction

everything i knew is turning into ruins in your shadow

'That's probably for the best. No monsters of that sort here." Torchline had plenty of monsters, but at least they had the decency to die when stabbed.

"Sure." Remi agreed with a smooth nod, choosing not to make a joke about her needing him for this. "It's just off the main drag in town. We could go after the Festival if you like. I've a few things to do before then."

THE ALCHEMIST

i thought that i'd be ready
but falling isn't steady once you let go

Phoebe

She smiled a bit and nodded, grateful he was willing to go with her the first time to check on the state of the brothel. "Thank you, that works perfect. It'll give me some time to take care of business back in the Grounds." she said. And figure out where here she was going to live in the meantime...there were a lot of little things she had to straighten out before she could just jump over to Torchline after all.

So she stood and bid Remi farewell. It seemed in this new life, they were both busy bees. But at least they would be close again, and she looked forward to that.

--FIN

loving you was the most exquisite
form of self destruction