[ic inbox] - Kaisou

[throwmoreswords]

You'd ought have a good reason for calling upon me directly, Mongrel.
State your case and don't bore me--or there may be consequences.

username: AUO

✉ ☏ 📷

Comments

2/2

[paraselenic]

[Once Gilgamesh finishes, he'll start his response.]

Your words could pierce diamonds, Sir Gilgamesh.

I am not above criticism. In fact, one does not hone a craft without it.

[But now his reputation is being called into question, and the wolf will bare his own fangs, ready to devour the sky.]

I take pride in catering to the specific needs of every event. The drinks for this menu were prepared specifically for Mydeimos, as well as various deities of the Greek Pantheon I have recently found to be inspirational. I would not dare to use anything less than fresh, even for a taste test. I assure you that everything there is authentic and tailor-made for the situation. To say they are simply recreations...well, I suppose it is my turn to be insulted.

[Onto the next.]

I will take responsibility for the discrepancy of my talent in comparison to the wages I receive. My deepest apologies for not considering how it would look to undersell myself in such a way. It is not that I do not agree--I take great pride in my work and expect compensation as much as anyone. But the market is not nearly so prideful, and artisanal talent to them is merely profiting off a worker's ambition.

As it is, I am almost unaffordable to my spring contracts.

[Is he venting a little now? A bit.]

Nevertheless, I refuse to give anything less than my best, as a bartender should. If I do not, I am merely a drink dispenser.

[And finally.]

You may judge my numbers as you see fit. And I will accept any payment you deem reasonable.

[There's a soft ping, with his payment information.]

[throwmoreswords]

You'd be surprised how many people in this city shirk from such a refreshingly correct opinion.

[ his words are diamonds in their own right, piercing and honed to fly true.

he won't flinch in the face of Lycaon snapping back--bare your fangs and howl all you wish, son of the moon; the King who found kingship in the God's clay wildman finds a certain comfort in such simple honesty. if an insult was made, then surely Lycaon has enough pride to know that Gilgamesh was right--but he's never been in the hobby or habit of apologizing. he doesn't lie to people because he speaks the truth as he knows it.

lies are for sparing people's hearts. Gilgamesh doesn't do that. not even with his lover legally acquired clown situationship. ]

The market would never stoop to allowing a customer to pay less money simply because they craved what was out of their reach; neither should you be forced to accept less than you're worth because they're sniveling cowards that only seek to impress men who'll never see the point of the word beyond the number that it builds for them.

Be unaffordable to them. If your work is half as pleasing to the taste as it is the eye, then I'll pay to keep you on retainer alongside Zulius. I have so many events that happen under my umbrella and in my name that I could use a consultant in my network. I am bored of seeing the same charcuterie and martinis in every promotional spread.

[ the King brings all treasures to his Gate and holds them close for the sheer ability to say he has them. it still remains that they are the best and most worthy of their type--he is the man who desires everything in its best and its most mundane. ]

Good. Carry yourself with the heft of that pride, and not even my words will matter in the end. Stand tall, o Lycaon.

[ there's a returning ping, and a fresh $3000.00 in Lycaon's payment program of choice. ]

[paraselenic]

[Lycaon wasn't sure how Gilgamesh would take his snappy remarks. He didn't regret them. To insult his pride as a bartender was an insult to his integrity as a wolf, and no cosmos was safe from his scathing words on the subject. There is something to be said about removing the muzzle and unshackling the legs of a beast. They know when to ascend, when survival of the fittest will benefit them from scaling higher. And now was no different.

Gods are fickle. He just has to wait to see where this one falls.

What he gets in return is...Gilgamesh's praise. To say he was surprised is an understatement, and he's never been more glad this was behind text. Not even he could hide his expression changing as he reads every word of the King's message. While the drinks had yet to be tasted, Lycaon could tell from the text alone that his hiring was already in everything but writing.

It was a feeling that he hadn't felt since Zulius hired him.

Zulius had given him stability. But with Gilgamesh complimenting the zebra in hiring him, he could fully showcase his work.

And he wouldn't be trapped on a boat for weeks at a time. He suddenly had much more freedom when it came to his time. It was the opportunity of a lifetime right now.]

Thank you for your praise, Sir Gilgamesh. Your words are inspiring, and I will take them to heart from now on with every job you provide me from this moment on.

I will carry myself with the confidence and pride of a wolf.

[Because yes, those drinks will taste amazing. There's not a doubt in his mind he is hired. His chest widens a bit in pride at this, unable to hold back a little smile. And maybe a hint of boldness.]

Since I am in charge of refreshments, I will also bake a cake for the event, as well as small teacakes to go with each drink. Prices and time will be logged with updated rates based off of your payment for consistency.

[Ah. ....Ah? AH?

That's...that's 3000.00 for a menu. Lycaon has to squint for a moment to make sure he counted the 0's right. ]

I have received your payment. I look forward to working with you, Mr. Koski, and Miss Yasuho.

[That's about all he can get out before his brain re-calibrates. Lycaon was well-off, to be sure. He was not suffering monetarily. But this is what his work is worth.

Who couldn't have pride at that?

He will. Once the shock wears off.]

[throwmoreswords]

[ it's refreshing, to have someone who both weathers the flare of his temper and holds his head high in spite of the squall. Some men believed themselves too noble to demand the world treat them with the respect they were due--like swallowing bilgewater while being the only one trying to bail out the boat was an accomplishment. The King of Heroes had acted as he pleased and defended what was his, and the people under his banner had paid tithe in kind

(even if they were well within their rights to beg the gods to send help when he got tyrannical about what he was due--sometimes you had to bare your teeth to get a heel off of your throat when you lacked the strength on your own.) ]

If you conduct yourself to your best ability, there's not a force in the world that can make you kneel. Pride is something you build, not something you need permission to hold.

If you are the best, then you are the best. Why demure otherwise to spare people who've not worked themselves to your level? Accolades are meant to be hard-won and earned.

[ it's perhaps a roundabout way to--reassure Lycaon? that he's done the right thing. If he's as good as he is, and everything he's done is uniquely made, then no one else's opinion matters in the face of the truth.

Not even Gilgamesh's. There's nothing to be studied about the man who demands both obedience and defiance, stop trying to work that shit out with a therapist. We'd need councils worth of people with clipboards to unpack all of that baggage.]

I'm changing your rate of pay to $100 an hour until I've picked the proper contract out of my consulting folder. This token amount was chosen because small numbers are annoying and I am too busy coordinating the rest of my brother's event to put my valuable hours into sourcing six cubic feet worth of bartending related objects to be dropped at the most inconvenient point of your residence.

If you attempt to deflect me or demure again, I will make time to be certain that my point is terribly clear and unequivocable. I do not suffer noble fools.

I already have the butcher in my contacts database.

[ is that a joke? A threat? Both? Lycaon has passed some sort of trial but who knows whether that's a good thing or not. ]

[paraselenic]

[Lycaon listens to those words, and something inside him resounds with it. A certain untamed part of him, shackled to appease those he served. Manners simply refined that wildness, he told himself. But one cannot become too complacent with that, either. A light snap of his teeth at the god who flicked his ears was merely that shackled beast sending a reminder to Lycaon himself.]

It is strange. Your advice has given me clarity, and yet it is something that I did not already know. I do pride myself on the quality of my work. Perhaps I am simply surprised that an employer other than Sir Zulius has seen that quality for what it is.

Then I will say this. I am the only one who can achieve these results. They are the sum of hours of careful crafting and extensive use of my abilities. I will let their taste speak for themselves, and I look forward to seeing your pleasant surprise at the first sip. Naturally yours will be one of a kind, where you are the only judge.

[A challenge to himself, now.

The...cube-shaped threat is ominous, indeed. Why is he getting vague memory flashbacks to his conversation with Varian? Strange time to be reminiscing... No matter.]

I will accept your rate of $100/hr until it comes time to review.

One final inquiry, if I may, Sir Gilgamesh. Do you and Mydeimos have a favoured cake flavour?