Fear and excitement intermingled with his blood. Nowhere was the towering mortar and stone structures of his homeland, the buildings were low but by no means ungrand. The city lay out of the city was uneven to say, there was the visible incline of what used to be rolling hills in the past but now turned into the living land of tens of thousands of inhabitants. Much of their structures were low but what they lack in height they made up for in expansiveness. Logs running to and fro, etched with ornate carvings. A visible indication of wealth and status.
Blood ran to his ears as he saw what the women were wearing. A single swathe of cloth was all that they wore on their upper torso, revealing their midriff for the world to see. It seems they were far more comfortable with such displays in their culture. And most probably a practical function too, what with the very humid environment of the land.
Perhaps that was the case, because he felt sweltering in his own clothes. He had hoped for things to be formal. Hence he dressed in this stifling formal wear. He took off his coat and headed farther inward of the bustling metropolis.
Jack's doubts of his own inexperience gnawed at him. He was twenty years of age. He felt like a belligerent youth. And even more so as he found his eyes trailing after the swaying hips of the women here.
He passed by a great river that broke out into the ocean. It caught his attention with the fact that he can see clearly beneath the crystalline lime-green waters, despite the fact that they were within what appears to be a bustling area.
Jack just stood there, enjoying the moment, with the cool breeze and the gentle rustling of the waters. As his eyes were watching the scenery, they were snagged at a group of women on the opposite side of the river. He didn't need to see his reflection to be aware of the fact that his cheeks might as well be cherry red. On the other side of the river lay a group of women, doing a variety of choirs. From washing their clothes or just netting some fish. But the thing that caught the most would be the group that boldly washed themselves naked in the river banks. No one stopped to stare, save for him perhaps.
He snapped out of it and forced himself to leave, otherwise his new manager would wonder as to why he would be late.
Their supposed outpost in this strange and was but a meager little stone quarter. It is but two stories tall. Three if you could count the small third upper floor that you could not even stand in.
His colleague was an older gentlemen by the name of Sir Reginald. He had done much. But there were other companies. With far better holdings in the region. The company does well enough it seems. Could have done better. But Sir Reginald had told him with the way things are. Being so far away from the strict policing of the Ministry of Tradely Conduct., some have taken to a more aggressive approach.
Matching and acclimating and taking liberties of the rather aggressive law of the land.
Jack was afraid. Such responsibility and the idea of death. He clenched his fists as if willing to let fear go away. But he could not deny. But fear was not the only thing that flowed through him. But also excitiemedn.t, and resolve. He had wished test himself. The idea of being in the office work. Day in and day out. He feared that he would ever get to do anything and before he realized it. Grow old of a sudden. Here he was now. Thousands upon thousands of leagues away from home. He wanted a challenge. To see the world and all its mysteries and wonders.
It would not be easy but neither was he backing down.
He faked a confident smile he did not truly feel.
