Negotiations

"**Negotiations" -** **A Tale of the Mercenari Sanguinose**

Captain Fransisco Romanni of The Fighting Cocks, often claimed there were very few things that drum up good business like war. The Albian civil war had certainly done that. Ever since Athus and Athal had declared war on each other, demand for the services for the battle hardened free companies of the Mercenari Sanguinose had increased three-fold. The Fighting Cocks were one such free company, heavily armoured halberdiers, bolstered by crossbowmen and soldiers wielding great swords. They were well known for their expertise in siege warfare and battlefield control.

Captain Romanni, who was sat down in his chair, had a satisfied grin on his face, and rightly so. He had just negotiated one of the most lucrative contracts in the history of his free company. A request for 100 halberdiers, to be dispatched immediately and attached to the garrison of Straff, a small villiage currently in danger of being overrun by the forces of High Constable Cambolt. Romanni leant back in to his chair, “I should have held out for more” Romanni thought to himself.

Maurizzio Massoni, a slender man and good twenty years younger than Romanni, had arrived a day earlier to negotiate terms of a contract. He had seemed eager to come to a contractual agreement quickly, “things must be desperate” mused Romanni. It was common knowledge there were no other free companies within 5 days march of his own, especially those trained to use a halberd. Romanni was in no rush, it was considered poor form to conclude negotiations in haste, even if the situation warranted it. Mistakes were often made when rushing contract talks. By taking your time, both parties knew what they were getting, and what was required. Anyways, the young man had gone to the trouble of bringing with him several bottles of the finest Tilian wine, and Romanni had every intention of sampling every last one of them before concluding his business. It was simply the polite thing to do and Romanni wasn’t going to let any army get in the way of good manners.

Negotiations had begun shortly after the third course was served. Romanni had managed to acquire the services of one of the best up and coming young chef’s in Albia. Both parties had eaten well, but now it was time to talk business. Despite Maurizzio’s  young years, he had proved to be an accomplished negotiator. That hadn’t stopped Romanni from getting exactly what he wanted though, Serafina had seen to that.

Serafina was Romanni’s secret weapon, one he would use if negotiations were not going his way. While Serafina was an accomplished fighter by anyone’s standard, her fighting skills were rarely needed during negotiations. Serafina however, was one of the great beauties of Albia. Dark chestnut hair, olive skin, and emerald green eyes, she could put even the most devout priest in to a stupor with a single look, a touch, a smile. Not a bad asset to call upon during any contract negotiation. Once Serafina had worked her magic on Maurizzio, Romanni had gone in for the kill.

Romanni shrugged his shoulders. Business was business. He poured the remnants of the Tilian wine in to his glass and quaffed it down. His men would be more than happy with their contract rate, four times the going rate for a halberdier.