Yes We Can

[Taelian Edevane]

34th of Frost, Year 4622

After an almost dizzyingly intense series of weeks with his husband, the two of them alone in their new home, Taelian decided to invite his beloved to their cannery in the last days before its official opening. Whenever he had free time, he had been traveling back-and-forth from Lorien to Jorikford or communicating over his Resonance-forged radio, but it was time enough to introduce Ford to Edevane Can Co. (formerly Von Klade Can Co.) officially. The man opened a portal through Daybreak in front of the wooden doors of their home and took his husband's hand, the two of them dressed in proper business attire as they stepped through. Upon re-emerging, they were met with the bowels of a wooden ship, which Taelian used to hide his arcane-enriched entrance.

Taking his husband's hand and tugging him to come with him, he grinned warmly, bringing him to the deck of the ship and gesturing him along the ramp that led onto the harbor front. Rather than being in Nivenhain proper, E Can Co. was along the coast that bled out from Nivenhain's northward districts, effectively an urban neighborhood of Outer Nivenhain. In front of them, along the harbor-front, was an array of factories, warehouses and distribution centers, with Hollows (human-like, strange automatons) and laborers crowding the area, bustling and moving back-and-forth between their destinations.

In front of them, if they peered beyond the initial industrial buildings that greeted them, was a sight to behold: Nivenhain, the largest city on Atharen, home of three and a half million souls with four and a half million more surrounding it in dense neighborhoods like this one. The towers and megastructures of Lorien like the Chantry Overlook and Castle Wight were visible even from where they stood, some the buildings within Nivenhain-1's core standing hundreds of meters tall. When Taelian first came to this city, he stared in amazement for what felt like hours, though he supposed Ford (as someone who had lived in Starkwayte, Atharen's second largest city) would not feel the same way.

Whatever the case, Taelian led his husband towards the grey, white, black and red buildings that sat along the cobbled harbor edges and towards their own, Taelian's beloved cannery. It was the fruit of a life-time of labor: a grey, brick-patterned building with smokestacks emerging from the top, the full name of their business inscribed in gold above the entryway, which was two wide, wooden doors with golden bars at their front. Drawing in a heavy breath, the man glanced to his soulmate who was at his side, and smiled softly.

"This building is what will give our children the lives they deserve," he muttered quietly, peering back forward and staring out. "This industry is the future of our world, and we stand at the front of it. We'll be living like royals by the time Glade comes to dawn our new year. I hope you're proud of me."

[Ford Edevane]

New homes required some work in order to get things done and to acclimate both themselves to the home and the home to them. Regardless of any of that, one thing Taelian had spoken volumes of, was the cannery. Ford didn’t know much about running a business such as that, so when Taelian spoke of it or gave him examples of things they could expect or things he had dealt with. Each time it was a learning experience, Ford grew more and more proud of his husband.

It had finally reached the time for Ford to be introduced to the location and to see it in person, especially to find out what it was, exactly, that Ford was going to be doing. Via Taelian’s Daybreak, they found themselves popping into the bowels of a ship. Initially, Ford’s brow rose, and he immediately thought of something that made him chuckle as they found their way onto the ship's deck, which Ford did pause to look at. His travels had never quite allowed him the pleasure of such a vast experience. And to an extent, Taelian would have been correct. Starkwayte had been the view Ford had been privy to for some time, but to him, Grisic was tainted for many reasons. This, though, was a sight he was seeing while hand in hand with his Arlaed. So, Ford did stop in silence and appreciated the sight before him.

With a pull on his hand, he followed Taelian along the cobbled path, taking in each building as they passed it. First, one, then the other, until they were standing in front of it. Blue eyes lifted, and he took in the width of the building, the grey bricks, and the name in gold above the twin doors. A smile overcame his features, and he turned his head to regard Taelian as he spoke to him. He spoke of their children, the future for themselves and their children, which was all perfectly fine. What had Ford pausing was the final sentence. That earned a few blinks from the blonde, and before they even considered entering the building, Ford’s right hand tightened around Taelian’s left, and the Griscian moved to stand between the Knight and the double door.

At this point, the blonde was just taller than Taelian, and his left hand slid down to take up Taelian’s right, and he looked him in the eyes. “Taelian Edevane. Each day you surprise me with something new to learn. I wake up every morning loving you and go to bed each night with even more love than I’d woken up with.” Gently, he pulled up his left and Taelian’s’ right hands and upturned Taelian’s to show the mark left behind by their bond. “I would be happy, knee deep in muck, digging for exotic… Shellfish if that’s what your business was. Because it’s your business.” Turning his face inward, he kissed Taelian’s mark on his hand before setting it back to his side. Before he let him go, the Griscian’s forehead bumped against Taelian’s and rested there for the briefest of moments. “I will always be proud of you, my most handsome husband.” Grinning, his face dipped down and lifted to capture his beloved’s lips in a kiss. It was simple, loving, and tender. Just long enough to accentuate his words’ meanings and not long enough to bleed them into something else entirely. The simple embrace finished, and his forehead remained against Taelian’s a moment longer before he pulled back, returning to Taelian’s side and clearing his throat.

“…Show me what you have in mind to welcome the future to our doorstep.” Said with a nod of his head towards the double doors.

[Taelian Edevane]

He laughed and grinned at the gentle, affectionate touch of his husband, whose lips made their way to his owns, their hands entangling as their faces touched, the Knight's beloved whispering his sweet, tender words. Ford was always so loving to him, no matter where they were; he had no sense of shame about it, and Taelian was glad. It made him feel, in a sense, surrounded by him and his warmth. He was glad that his husband's demeanor to him didn't change when they were away from their paradise in Jorikford's valleys.

But, as his husband returned to his side, the man teasingly chastised him. "You're going to make the employees think I'm weak and soft," he muttered, a half-hearted glare forming for a moment upon his face, before being dispelled and replaced with a warm grin. He slid his arm around the small of Ford's back, wrapping around and grabbing the side of his waist and tugging him firmly into his side. They were both giants among men: two Argent in stature, though only one of them was... officially a member of the Knighthood.

Finally, the man pushed open the golden bar, swinging one of the doors open and -- as the two men stepped inside -- revealing the contents of the factory. There were production lines everywhere, running across what must have been somewhere around fifteen thousand square feet, the building stretching a considerable distance. In the back was a storage room, and at the corner of the room was a stairwell that led to a series of nice-looking industrial offices. Though they would not be able to see the lettering from where they were, one of them -- the largest -- said Lord Taelian v.k. Edevane, with a slightly smaller office beside it (Ford v.k. Edevane) and finally, a smaller one for the factory overseer, Hans Stotler.

The storage room was considerably large, with glass windows along its span to allow people to look inside from the rest of the factory, a deterrence for thieves. The production lines ran in several rows side-by-side and back-to-back, with the lines running so that roughly eight Hollows on each side could manage the canning of the Edevane Can Co's products. There were a few employees and investors around, communicating, mostly men with industrial vests and newsboy hats. Upon spotting Taelian, several men waved hello and began to scurry over towards him, Taelian offering his husband a knowing nod before the men met them face-to-face.

"Lord von Klade," a tall, light-brown-haired man said, greeting him with a nod. "Welcome back. Is this your husband, Lord Edevane?"

Taelian smiled, smoothly. "It is," he replied. The man nodded.

"Lord Venger came and wished to give you a gift to commemorate the Can Co's opening. It's in your office. When, ah... when you have the time, would you mind discussing the Hollow prerogatives with me?"

The Lord nodded. "I wouldn't mind. Ford -- this is Hans, the factory overseer and manager. He'll be the one managing production here, the main hub. Once the cans are produced here, we distribute them via rail to the warehouses in Westfalen and Amhern. Hans -- Ford will be overseeing our advertisement and general population messaging. You two will get on quite well, I'm sure of it," he said, tipping his chin.

[Ford Edevane]

Ford would never find it inconvenient to portray his love for Taelian. Taelian, for as much as he sang Ford’s praises, had saved Ford in the same vein. Even bloodied and wounded, nearing treasonous actions, they had still shared in their tokens of affection with one another, even remaining respectful while they did it. When Taelian was back at his side, the comment about being weak and soft earned a raised blonde brow, and his blue orbs scanned down Taelian’s body and back up, a knowing smirk on his features as he looked to the door, ignoring the glare. “Weak? Never. Their first mistake.” Ford did not bother to comment on the rest because they were, in fact, needed to come off as businessmen and not anything else!

The smirk remained, even through being pulled into the man’s side, and he chuckled, sliding his own arm around Taelian so they could enter the building. When the doors swung open, Ford’s eyes, once more, went wide. Hearing about it, even the logistics of it, was one thing. But actually, seeing everything Taelian had been telling him of the cannery was quite the eye-opener. Between the workers and the investors, Ford had caught the nod from Taelian, but his gaze lifted up, following the stairwell up to what seemed to be some offices. He heard the man speaking but narrowed his eyes on the office space. Stoically, he stared in the direction of those offices, and only when he heard his name did he turn to regard the man.

“My apologies, Hans. I was surprised by how far and well everything has come along for the cannery.” Not wishing to be rude, Ford extended a hand in greeting Hans, clasped his larger hand around the man’s, and gave a firm squeeze and shake. “Please, call me Ford. No need to be formal unless something serious is happening. It is a pleasure to meet you.” He offered a smile to Hans and then glanced to Taelian as he instructed Hans on what Ford would be doing. A raise of both of his brows as his jovial smile was offered to the man. “I look forward to working with you.” A glance to Taelian and then up to the offices. “Let’s go check out your office. Will be nice to know the lay of the land and be able to see the gift that was left for you.”

Chuckling, mostly to himself, Ford took that opportunity once more to look around. He had many questions, many of which could be answered by Taelian or Hans, but for the moment, he was not going to interrupt Taelian’s job with his questions. Which, of course, meant he was looking to the Hollows. For a man that had not been exposed to magic much until relatively recently, he wasn’t as bothered by them as he thought he might have been. Tilting his head, just at that moment, he was quite curious about what made them tick. And if something was making them tick, was it considered alive? When he realized he was staring, he blinked back into the conversation and smiled politely at the pair of them. It had been quite some time since Ford was around industrialized areas. Too much time roaming Radenor had made him lose his edge for the industrial.

[Ford Edevane]

Ford, Taelian, and Hans had exchanged niceties with Hans, and the group had completed the cannery tour. Taelian moved off to inspect things around the factory more closely, and Ford wanted to get a feel of some of the work he would be doing. The Girscian had an idea of what he would be doing and how he could go forward from this point to bring in more revenue for the business, but he had to have at least a starting point for everything to lift off and go. Luckily enough for him, Hans was hovering nearby, and Ford had requested his presence in his office.

Once the pair had traversed the steps to the next level, Ford entered his office and lifted a brow with curiosity as he took in his very own office. He had never had one and remembered as a little boy in Grisic, admiring his father’s office, thinking one day that would be his office. And for a very brief moment, the blonde had a moment of nostalgia and realization, which did not often happen to him. His memories in the Commonwealth were not all terrible kind to fall back on and remember too often. With Hans quickly behind him, Ford lifted his head when the door closed, and Hans stood politely at the closed door. Sliding into the seat on the business side of his desk, he let out a breath, realized Hans was still standing there and gave a single-breathed chuckle. Lorien reminded him of home. In some ways, it was interesting, and he only hoped it would remain exciting and not remind him too much of other things from Grisic.

“Take a seat, Hans. I’m not very formal. I gave that life up a while ago.”

Chuckling again, he got comfortable and waited for Hans to sit. Ford took that time to size the other up. It had been too long since he had sat in a business-like fashion where he had any kind of authority, so it would be some time before he felt completely at ease behind the desk rather than in front of it.

“So… I know people, and I like learning about people. I can easily tie things together from person to person or society. I am rusty and need some help with the business aspect. I need your help when Taelian is not around. He seems to trust you with the cannery operations, so I will trust you, too.

Leaning forward, Ford rested his forearms against his desk, slid his fingers together, and interlaced them. His gaze slid from Hans to the desk and wandered the expanse of it. From one side to the other, his blue eyes seemed lost momentarily as he thought about putting his best foot forward in the situation, not wanting to hurt things too much for himself or his husband’s new business.

“There are going to be times I am going to want to wander the streets here and talk to the people, probably. Can I count on you to occasionally go with me so I have someone who knows more about the cannery's inner workings, especially when Taelian can’t be with me or needs to be here?”

Hans seemed to have a question regarding Ford's words but immediately agreed.

”Of course, Mister Edevane. I would happily help make this business successful for you and your family.”

This, of course, brought a smile to Ford’s features as he leveled his gaze on Hans.

“This is fantastic news and makes me feel at ease that we will have someone as dedicated to the cannery and seems as steadfast as you, Hans. I will rely on you heavily some days until I learn everything I can about how the business works.”

The smile remained genuine, and there was a flash of that brilliant, Griscian Gentleman’s smile. Lifting his hand, Ford offered the hand across the desk again for Hans, and he noticed the man looking at the hand, questioning touching him again. Ford laughed quite loudly as that kindness that seemed in abundance filled the laugh with joy.

“I am not one of those Lords afraid to get dirty or shake hands with those who work for them. I know what it means to sleep in the dirt and have nothing more than the clothes on your back and a sack filled with your only possessions. If I ever start to worry about shaking hands or being kind to someone, you have every right to punch me.”

Laughing again, Ford’s more significant hand gripped Hans’ smaller hand, but Hans looked shocked at being told he could hit Ford, which only made the blonde’s smile wider.

“With that out of the way, I want to reward the people we have working here. I want them to tell their families about the opportunity offered by the cannery. We will have a small party or get-together, and we can invite the investors as well. Everyone will be welcomed and celebrated. Do you think you can round up the workers? I can put together some letters to send out to investors. The first step to having a great word of mouth to speak of the cannery, is to make sure everyone attached to it is happy.”

Hans agreed and stood, giving some form of a formal bow to the Griscian, which Ford just smiled at as he was soon left alone in his office. Taking a deep breath, he looked around the office, lifted his hands from resting upon the desk to placing the interlaced fingers behind his head, and leaned back in his seat, letting the heated air out between his pursed lips.

This was a new direction for Ford to apply his study in sociology, but it would also be an interesting. For a brief moment, he lingered on what felt like something familiar attached to Lorien, which found the Griscian’s brows furrowing, but it left as quickly as it had begun. Pressing himself up from his seat, Ford left his office. Closing the door behind him to find Taelian to see what else he could learn about the business and to offer his ideas to Taelian to see what he thought of them, so they could move forward with, what ford was hoping, was the first steps in a thriving business venture.

[Treachery]

"A new day brings a chance for growth and change;
All of the uncharted territories are quite vast in range;
From a seedling, roots are laid bare;
And what could sprout be rare;
Time to leave the old and bring in the new, for it is needed exchange;"

!	Message from: Treachery
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