dogemperor (dogemperor) wrote in areyougame, @ 2010-02-12 09:17:00 |
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Entry tags: | *breath of fire iv, author: dogemperor |
Family Traditions, Breath of Fire IV (Marlok)
Title: Family Traditions
Author: dogemperor
Rating: PG/T
Warnings: Potential squick warning for mentions of human trafficking, definite squick warning re a certain canonical incident involving a Manillo being massaged by a Wyndian princess
Word Count: 365
Prompt: double dealing - follow the money
Summary: War profiteering could be VERY profitable sometimes...
A/N: Yes, rather a bit more of a drabble, then again, this is writing exercise. Besides, Marlok is kinda fascinating, if sleazy.
The Manillo people have had a long tradition--as long as anyone can remember, really--of being supreme merchants, very good at what they do.
This even extended to certain families going into sub-specialties...and with the perpetual war between the Fou Empire and the Alliance, Marlok--much as his father, and his father's father, and so on almost for the six hundred years or more that the wars had gone on--was engaged in what was (to put it mildly) probably the riskiest and yet most profitable sector of business.
Say vat ze will, Marlok thought to himself, but var...ah, oui, it brings opportunity indeed.
He had quite the racket going, had gotten things down to quite the science. One of the few items that were still allowed to be traded between the Fou Empire and the Alliance were foodstuffs (purely for humanitarian reasons, of course)...so he had a system that had worked quite well.
Whilst the various soldiers doing inspections might well open packages--they fortunately never found that these invariably had false bottoms.
Needless to say, this proved quite impressively useful. Back and forth, he'd ship weapons, art, fine cloth, the occasional bit of human smuggling back and forth (he never asked why--there were some things even he felt he was better off not knowing). There was even the time he'd managed to sneak out a rare vase dating back to the Muuru Empire for a Ludian noble...
Plus there were the fringe benefits. DEFINITELY the fringe benefits.
Most of the people dealing with him were...understandably desperate. This equaled profit, both of the conventional and nonconventional types.
In what other field of work could one expect to receive a full-body massage by an honest-to-the-Endless Wyndian princess, for instance? One who was willing to do such a thing for passage of herself and her companions to the Empire?
Marlok smiled to himself. Oui, zis is profitable. Tres, tres profitable indeed...
He didn't dare ask why they wanted to go--there were things even he knew not to ask--all he hoped is whatever they did, they didn't cut too much into the gravy train.
It just wouldn't do for this family tradition to end, in his opinion.