Chapter 6: Business with Pleasure
The sun was setting behind the office's windows, engulfing the streets below in orange light. San Francisco seemed both big and small from this height, with the entire city in full view of the guests. The delegation was waiting here for almost an hour, but nobody complained. The office was spacious and good on the eyes with its dark colors, while the furniture was better than many could ever see in their own houses. It was clear it wasn't meant for a regular employee.
"Ha-ha-ha, look at them. Oh help me, Many-eyed!" Leo said as she scrolled through social media on Arnold's laptop.
It took the countess a moment to master this new technology, but, being a highly intelligent and educated being, she soon learned what all the buttons did and began giggling in front of the screen like a child watching Cocomelon. The media she watched was centered around one topic only: Textilian women running around naked in public. Their skirmish was only an hour ago, but it already went viral with photos and videos of the poor, embarrassed protesters filling the web.
It turned out that while some of them had husbands or friends who lent them clothing, others either came alone or were so panicked they separated from the group, now forced to streak through the busy streets and cause even more raised eyebrows than Leo herself. The countess thoroughly enjoyed this irony. In fact, she couldn't get enough of the unlucky girls' jiggling butts and rosy cheeks as their figures scuttled around the city with their hands clutching their privates. Lala stood beside her in silence, with a deeply hidden empathy for the girls' shame.
"So this is a network that allows people to comment on everything that's happening right now?" Leo pointed at the black-and-white logo. "Huh, what a trinket! My world also might need one of those."
"Uh... No, trust me, you don't," Arnold said this so firmly he surprised even himself.
It surprised the agent that Sanflarians didn't have internet. Well, they had a similar technology allowing them to freely share information, but it was much more strictly regulated and meant mostly for governmental or business needs, not entertainment. When Arnold asked how regular Sanflarians lived without it, Leo explained that everything they needed could be found on separate data modules, which they'd connect to their appliances.
This way, a Sanflarian could easily get access to all of their nation's literature with the local version of an ebook or upload useful functions to a spherical computer labeled by the locals "infocore" that most upper-class citizens had on their person, but these modules were premade. Folks with tech smarts could customize them, but it was implied that Sanflaria chose specific content to shelter their citizens from informational garbage and keep them from finding something they didn't need to.
Likewise, most communication within the network itself only concerned narrow, professional topics, so hobby communities or Sanflarian version of "fandoms" gathered offline. As a result, their information field was clean and to the point, never reaching levels of chaos that one Google search could've brought upon an unsuspecting user from Earth. It was efficient but strictly regulated, not allowing one to stray from the course too much. Just like Sanflaria itself.
Speaking of strictness, Araman just walked into the room, to which everyone got up and greeted him. The baron waved them off and briefly pointed at the door. A second later, another figure entered the room, all eyes on it now. It was a short, somewhat stocky man past his prime. He had a blue suit, a briefcase in one hand, and, clearly, a wig meant to hide either graying or balding. The man's face was adorned with a wide smile.
The whole delegation straightened their backs in reflex. This unimposing man might've been mistaken for some lawyer or salesman to others, but they knew him as Mr. Maitre, a millionaire, politician, and one of the three investors Kir'ador was about to work with on the documentary. Maitre politely greeted the guests and wiped the sweat off his brow with a handkerchief, panting a little.
"Can you believe it? We're in the most important building in San Francisco, but even here we can't escape the breaking elevators," he said with a jest and walked right to the main table. "I'm sorry I had to keep you waiting. But, as you can understand, this was neither side's fault. Force majeures happen, but I'm sure those textians, or however they call themselves, will soon feel the consequences."
"Some of them already did," Leo said with a giggle, closing the laptop.
Mr. Maitre looked up to see the two naked girls standing right in front of his workplace and said something in French, clearly enjoying the view. Leo winked at Araman and puffed out her chest in a newfound boost of confidence. Even this fat cat wasn't immune to her and Lala's charm.
"Will the other two of our investors not come today?" Araman then asked.
"Unfortunately, since we couldn't meet in time, they've already left. We millionaires are busy people, you know," Maitre chuckled at his own joke. "For now, it's just me. But no worries; I shall give you all the necessary contact information so you can discuss everything with Mr. Gelbstein and Mr. Luxe later."
"Alright, let's go one at a time, shall we?" Leo leaned forward towards the man, letting her large breasts bounce right in front of his face. Lala awkwardly followed her lady, forcing a wide smile that looked more creepy and demented than alluring.
"Of course. Please have a seat," he seemed completely unfazed by this showcase of female beauty.
Leo must've misunderstood his previous gesture, then.
"Oh, I'm sorry, not to insult you," Maitre said, noting the blonde's dissatisfaction, "you two are remarkably beautiful women. But, let's not beat around the bush, I'm gay. I can only admire the aesthetic aspect of your forms, which, let me say, is simply stunning! But I do apologize in advance if my reaction to you isn't what you came to expect from our men."
Araman grinned--for the first time since their journey began--when he saw Leo pout as she realized her magic won't work this time. It looked like this time, she'll have to play by the rules.
Surprisingly, the negotiation that followed went quite well. Both Leo and Lala came to appreciate their investor's lack of sexual interest since the conversation with him flowed very naturally, reminding them of how Sanflarian males who saw naked women all the time would treat them--like women who were beautiful, but not out of the ordinary. The bodyguard was especially happy about that, though still dreading the thought of walking back through the entire tower and exposing herself to its numerous workers.
Overall, Mr. Maitre seemed already interested in the idea of a Sanflarian documentary, so the delegates didn't have to do much convincing. Instead, Leo and Araman focused more on the series' general direction and points they were trying to make. Arnold was surprised at how well the two coordinated their opinions despite them being different. Even if they had some squabbles, they didn't let them overtake their common goal.
The investor liked the approach that'd make people understand the depth of Sanflarian culture and promote tolerance of their traditions to the masses. That way, he said, they could effectively lay the groundwork for future cooperation. He carefully listened to Leo's words about the appeal female nudity could have on Earth and agreed with her.
However, he also urged them to focus on how free and liberated it made Sanflarian women feel, stating that this fell in line with an agenda he was already trying to push and that naked girls didn't need to be emphasized to be appealing. This seemed perfectly reasonable to Leo. She thought she'd have to fight for a possibility to show her female compatriots as personalities rather than just pieces of bare ass, but Maitre suggested it himself. It looked like a win-win situation, at least at the moment.
When they walked out into the main building's hallway system, with Leo proudly walking first and Lala nervously stepping beside her with an unhealthy smile on her lips, Arnold took the countess by the hand and whispered:
"Listen, I... I just wanted to say that I wouldn't put my full trust in him. Mr. Maitre is a political heavyweight, and they always seem to find ways to, y'know..."
"No worries, my fellow warrior, I understand," Leo replied. "Don't you underestimate us just because we're not of this world. Both Araman and I are very careful with what we say and what we hear from these moneymakers. For now, though, we'll have to work with Maitre the best we can while looking for contact his two friends. Then we'll think about our general strategy regarding this trio."
