A Visitor to Phoenix House (1EA, expecting)

[Yasuki Ryoichi]

"Well, I am not sure what I could do to help the Elemental Council," Ryoichi commented. "But iron is something the Crab could supply, and certainly we would be interested in smoothing out any 'areas of friction' as you put it."

"For our part, we could use lumber, which I understand is plentiful in the Phoenix lands." The Yasuki sipped his tea thoughtfully. "Perhaps naval supplies or paper, as well."

[Shiba Ryusei]

Ryusei arched an eyebrow.

"Lumber and paper? We can definitely help out there. And we have some naval supplies we could exchange. We don't require a great deal of iron, but we do have a small needs for weaponry, and perhaps stone..."

[Yasuki Ryoichi]

Ryoichi nodded carefully. "Stone we can supply, and we do make the best weaponry in the Empire," he affirmed. "We have some weapons available for trade, but from talking to the other delegates, there seems to be a lot of demand for them this year. May I ask how serious your interest is for them?"

[Shiba Ryusei]

"Oh, it's a small need.... [2 units worth]. In truth, many of our needs are small... if you would like, I could come up with a comprehensive list. Perhaps we could help one another, even if our clans can't meet the need, by sharing contacts who could."

[Yasuki Ryoichi]

"That could be helpful," Ryoichi agreed, nodding. "I do have a duty to look out for the interests of the Crab, but if you have needs for things that we can't supply anyway, I think it'd be only friendly to point you towards someone who can."

"And if your needs are small, I'd be happy to discuss trading small amounts of these things," the Yasuki added. "To be honest, I wonder if it would be easier for us to get a small agreement through the Imperial Court."

[Shiba Ryusei]

"A simple exchange of commodities is exactly the sort of thing junior delegates are supposed to busy ourselves with, isn't it? And as you say, we each have a duty to our Clan's interests, but equally, there's no reason we can't cooperate in areas where there's no conflict."

Sip.

"And a small, purely-material arrangement is less likely to draw opposition from anyone looking to score points for style."

[Yasuki Ryoichi]

Ryoichi nodded. "Perhaps something like, a small amount of Crab iron for a small amount of Phoenix lumber?" he suggested. "Subject to approval by our respective superiors, of course. Is that simple enough?"

--
Maybe 3 iron for 3 lumber?

[Shiba Ryusei]

"Hm, perhaps we could see about completely filling some small needs? I feel our superiors would be more likely to agree to us using time front of the Court if we were to wholly resolve some business...."


--
I'd rather check a box off for each of us if possible, Maybe more?

Dunno how much lumber you guys need, but have... a lot.

[Yasuki Ryoichi]

"That could be possible," Ryoichi said, nodding slowly. "Perhaps a larger quantity of iron for an equivalent weight of lumber, then?"


--
We could use 10 lumber, can you use 10 iron? or a mix of iron and stone?

[Shiba Ryusei]

"Hmm, we don't require quite so much iron, but..."

Ryusei reached for a piece of paper and started tallying things up.

--
We need 4 iron and 3 stone. If you have any Arms and Equipment, we need 2 of those, and... I dunno, for the last one to three (if Arms and Equipment is a potential snag), what else have you got? Dyes, copper, and sake are on our list, which sounds like a pretty lousy party in the making...

[Yasuki Ryoichi]

"Perhaps a more moderate amount of iron, then," Ryoichi amended. "We will add some stone and sake, instead. In return...."

The two courtiers pored over the paper and the tallies as they negotiated.