• “Mr. Rasmus. How nice to meet you.”

    Their initial meeting had been anything but ideal. Maria, the Skybound outcast and Mr. Sacrah Rasmus, a human mastermind in the area of business, had met in a pub with the former the target of multiple firearms. “I trust that the rest of our business will be under more ideal circumstances.”

    The businessman, who had shed his suit jacket in favor of the pressed shirt, tie, and suspender look, smiled in an embarrassed fashion. “I would hope so, Maria. Please, have a seat.”

    The man was well-versed in business etiquette. He waited for her to sit first, then sat himself in a seat across from her and went straight into a business spiel. Maria didn’t care about the business aspect. She would have never gotten by in life if that were her skill. She read him -- his movements were clean, postured, honest. He didn’t lie. He was charming, and the jokes that he threw into the fray now and then were precise.

    Finally, he seemed finished. “Well, Maria, that’s all I can tell you about my current situation. Anything further, and you’d have to come to my offices in Raén. I’m afraid that not everything is proper for discussion in a place such as this.”

    He was an older man, possibly in his sixties, but still had the speaking ability on par with anyone she’d ever met. “Mr. Rasmus,” she responded, sticking to pleasantries, as opposed to his first-name charm, “I believe that I shall take you up on that offer. I shall send word back to my associates, and I will leave on the first train tomorrow morning. By tomorrow night, I shall be in Raén. I hope you’re ready for a tour.”

    “I’m sure you’ll find it to your satisfaction, my lady,” he responded. They wrapped up their conversation quickly, not caring too much for smalltalk, and then he left. It was snowing outside, and the wind blew his overcoat as snow entered the warm pub. The wind chilled the drunks sitting around, still taking swigs of their various spirits.

    How had she ended up in this situation? Maria was a Skybound, one of the avians who shared this world with the humans as a dominant species. While the humans were more technologically advanced, the Skybound had pushed themselves spiritually to the limit, and had developed different abilities that they could then apply to the world around them. Maria was a Seer. The only one currently living. Apparently, there weren’t many who liked the future they were given, as the other Seers had all been killed.

    Maria was special. She had used her ability as a career, and had been reading people for a small fee for years now. She had gained a sizeable fortune from it, and was now looking to invest. At the same time, Sacrah Rasmus’s company, Rasmus, Inc., had nearly gone under. He was looking for an investor, and she was interested. Of course, the future would currently remain a mystery.

    The pub --The Emerald, as it was called-- was situated in the middle of Vicore, the capital of the human’s so-called Empire. It was situated deep in the southern hemisphere, only a short train ride from the shore, where a ship (coincidentally made by Rasmus, Incorporated) would take you anywhere in the Empire. It was very convenient.

    But that was all for another day. For now, it was time for Maria to get in contact with her business partners and discuss Mr. Rasmus’s current offer.