On this absolute bombshell, Ezer Ji left her at the front desk and went to one of the side rooms.
Breda didn't even have the presence of mind to apologize again. She was just left gawking in view of a well dressed young woman at the counter. The lady, experienced enough to tell that her client was not ready for her, gave Breda a few moments to collect herself.
A few moments evolved into a few minutes, but as she was not busy with anybody else, she could wait a bit longer. It was admittedly a bit annoying to have someone in the middle of their lobby looking dazed and confused, and should someone ill tempered and influential come in unannounced the image of the establishment could be harmed, so she would have to take action eventually.
Luckily it never came to that as Breda remembered why she had come to town in the first place. Reaching into the bag for the pendant, she approached the receptionist.
"May I help you today ma'am? Forgive me for making assumptions but you do not appear to be a regular. Do you have an appointment or would you like to schedule one?" There was little beating around the bush in business. The sooner she got done with dealing with the customer, the sooner she could go back to doing more important things, like working out her life's problems and daydreaming.
The job may pay well but it was definitely boring as hell.
"Ah, neither. I was actually sent here by a friend of mine to deliver something. She said you would know what to do with this pendant?" This was a line she had rehearsed obviously, and it sounded a tad stiff.
The receptionist's reaction was anything but. "My apologies oh esteemed guest! I did not realize that you were holding a stakeholder's mark! Please, take a seat while I go get the master." She then ran, or rather briskly walked, down one of the hallways towards a set of stairs, grabbing the attention of one of the wait staff along the way.
If Breda didn't know better she would say she was dreaming. A stakeholder? Merri? She never really seemed to be that money-oriented or business savvy. Hell, she was giving away the profits from an entire batch of medicine.
Wait a second.
Could she be so willing to give away these profits BECAUSE she was swimming in money?
Breda supposed that made sense. Aside from working as the sole maid of the most powerful persons on the Zen Gin Peninsula, she was also the only one who knew how to make an incredible sought after and effective medicine.
Surely she couldn't be strapped for cash could she? Not with all those sources of rich income.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt as if Merri had played her in order to give her the money for her anniversary gift.
Naturally, she stopped thinking about it.
"Would you like some tea madam?" A strapping young gentleman in a well tailored robe made of high quality materials seemed to manifest himself beside her as she was lost in her thoughts. "It will be some time before the master is out to see you. If you need anything don't be afraid to ask. You do hold a stakeholder's mark after all."
Without much thinking about it (she had ceased such unnecessary functions at this point) she accepted, paying no mind to the comment about the stakeholder's mark. The tea was of incredible quality. It seemed to calm her very soul clearing her head of stressful thoughts, and even tasted sweet despite not having anything else added to it. She did not know it, but this man, an expert in his field, noticed her chaotic mental state and chose that tea specifically for her.
Normally, this would be out of the question as it was, frankly speaking, one of the more expensive blends on hand. It actually had a high concentration of Xan in it, making it both extremely valuable and very rare much like the Swedice Melon. As a result, this tea was only used on special occasions.
The presence of a stakeholder's mark, even if they were not the stakeholder themselves, was extremely rare. This man had only seen holders on seven dates during his eleven years of employment, five of which were during celebrations and parties.
He had been told by his employer that there were a total of seventeen, and that each one should be treated with utmost respect. In his eyes, one of these stakeholders was more valuable than 100 normal clients. The owner would surely excuse the consumption of some of this expensive tea if it meant that the stakeholder was both satisfied and the later dealings went off smoother as a result.
"This is really good tea!" Breda was suddenly more awake now, having been rejuvenated in more ways than one by this miracle tea. "Do you know where I might be able to purchase this?"
A tough question for him. "I apologize but I am not privy to that information. If you would like I can go ask the master, but I am afraid that will have to wait until he is done with his meeting." A textbook example of keeping the master's responsibility his master's and his own his own. This was not born of laziness or spite, but an understanding that this would make good small-talk and show how well connected and knowledgeable his employer was.
Of course he knew what the tea was called, where it was grown, and what its effects are. In fact he also knew it was ridiculously expensive, if it was even for public sale in the first place. It was leagues more likely that this was only something gifted or won by auction.
"A pity. I was looking for a good anniversary gift... Do you have any ideas? My husband spends most of his days on the road if that helps."