More than just petty Gold

Smirking, Alice knew the upper-hand that she held, and she delighted in tormenting the young man, slowly tilting her head as though deep in thought, seeing if she could draw out any semblance of impatience from the overseer. She knew how negotiations worked, and that he was making a mistake by allowing her to anchor the initial offer. Was he underestimating her, or had he simply gotten excited at the prospect of another promotion? It didn't matter, as long as it served her purposes. Drumming her fingers on the table, she counted down the seconds as she could see Roger slowly sweat, as though slowly realizing that her first offer is going to be anything but reasonable.

"5000 gold," the princess said sweetly, giving him a bright smile. A stark contrast to the pale sheet of ice that Roger had become. An outrageous sum, more than a year's worth of revenue for even the capital branch of the merchant's guild. It was not a price they could afford, not even for something like this, and Alice knew it. In truth, she would be surprised if she could pry more than 1500 from their greedy hands, but gold wasn't actually her motivation here. Gold was useful, but the merchants guild could provide her with something much more valuable, something they alone could offer her. After all, gold may be useful, but it was also ubiquitous, and she could earn it anywhere. She'd rather use this once in a lifetime opportunity for something else.

"Apologies, your highness, but such a sum is beyond what we could afford," Roger replied truthfully. While he could probably scrounge that much in liquid currency if he had to, expensing such an absurd amount would probably bankrupt the operations here within the city, as they would no longer have the capital to sustain any sort of business expenses. It would be tantamount to suicide. "We are hard-pressed for coin in this market downturn, perhaps you might be willing to lower your price? To 700 gold?"

"Do you take me for a fool?" Alice asked, feigning indigitation, placing her hands on her mouth in a practiced act of seeming scandalized. "I assure you sir, I know the value of this information, and I refuse to part with it for anything under 4000."

"Indeed, but it stands, you may very well be walking away with nothing," Roger argued, and Alice had to admit he was doing decent, especially considering she didn't actually care about these negotiations at all and therefore can be as ridiculous as she liked with her demands. "1000 gold is a hefty sum, as much as we would normally loan with a high interest rate. Is that not to your liking?"

Pretending to think for a moment, Alice shook her head. "Very well, I can see very clearly that you and your guild lack the funds to satisfy me. Fortunately, I have one final offer to you, one that hinges on a different request of mine," she says, and she can tell that Roger was immediately interested. Favors that didn't cost money were a merchant's best friend, after all. "I wish to join your mercenaries when you deal with the bandits. If you allow for that, I shall accept an offer of 1500 gold."

"I- What? Why? I don't see why your majesty would deign to do such a thing? While it's hardly my place to question such momentous decisions, I must warn you that the battlefield is a dangerous place," Roger almost yelled, confusion painting his features. "The bards and historian may romanticize such things, but I've seen **** with my own two eyes, and I-"

"I will ask for your opinion when I have need of it," Alice interrupted coldly, her patience rapidly draining away. She didn't come here to listen to some rich fool lecture her on the harsh realities of battle. She's studied it plenty, and her own appetite for bloodshed is hardly weak. While her reasons were no doubt a mystery to Roger, her though process was rather simple. She needed manpower, and going there with the mercenaries can give her some options. Once she had the gold, she'd be able to hire her own, and ingratiating herself with them early could definitely prove to be useful, plus she can evaluate their competence directly. Alternatively, she could always use the surviving bandits, no doubt handed to a **** by hanging. A royal pardon, in exchange for their service. Risky, but free. Either way, she'd need to be on site to actually get anything done. "So, answer the question overseer. Deal or no deal?"

Roger mulled it over for a only a moment before rising to shake her hand, albeit reluctantly. Perhaps he thought she was naïve, insane, or some combination of both. It didn't matter to the princess. She had no need for the guild's opinion of her, only their resources.

"Very well," he said, signing a notice allowing her to withdraw 1500 gold from the guild. "I will speak to the captain of our troops, to inform him of your addition to his group. He leaves tomorrow morning, so you'd best be there."

"Of course," Alice replied smoothly, happy that a part of her plan was already in motion. If she could get herself an army... Even a small one, her ability to actually make changes in this country would be dramatically improved. With a smile and a wave, she heads out, letting Finley carry the gold while she walked alongside him, humming softly.