Chapter 38: the home front

POV David

I sighed to myself as the rain thundered against the window. Isz sighed and handed me another document while Shyora sprawled across my desk.

Isz glared at the daemon as she knocked some folders to the floor. "Know your place…"

"You." Isz took a deep breath.

"Pick it up Shyora." I said quietly but forcefully.

"Yes master." She gracefully hopped off the desk and gathered the spilled

folders before neatly putting them back on the desk. She leaned against the desk and pouted.

"Am I not more important than a mere secretary master?" Shyora blocked my view of Isz with her ample chest.

"I prefer Isz's company to knowing that you and I share the same room." I replied. Shyora feigned taking a grievous blow to the head.

"How could you be so cruel to a beauty like me? Master!" Shyora tried gaining my attention but I tuned it out and focused on my work.

"Lord Fulton?" I looked up at Isz.

"David." I corrected her with a small smile. Both of us ignored Shyora's flamboyant attempts to gain my attention. I noticed a slight blush blossom on Isz as we stared at each other.

"Isz… I may have made an… ass out of myself the other day." I tried broaching that subject that was a sore spot between us. She backed up and made to leave and turned to open the door to see Shyora holding it closed.

"Shyora…" she nodded and moved out of the way.

"Isz…" my voice trailed off as she grabbed the door handle. "Could we be more than friends?"

"Didn't you say you only wanted to be friends?" She asked quietly, not looking at me. I was quiet for a moment, a long sigh escaped me.

"I… didn't realize what you meant to me. I don't want to hurt you. I still don't."

"Could… you love me?" she whispered.

"Yes…"

She turned, and walked back to my desk and leaned against it and stared at me. "Say it like you mean it David."

I bit my lip for a moment. I'd felt less nervous giving presentations. Hell even with the Queens hadn't been this bad.

"I want you to be happy." I said slowly. Isz rolled her eyes and chuckled. I narrowed my eyes as she walked around the desk and pulled me to my feet.

"Let's find out shall we?" She said as she tapped my chest with a wide smile.

A knock at the door spoiled the mood. We glanced at each other before chuckling to ourselves as Shyora barred the door with a devious wink. Isz stood on the tips of her toes and kissed my jaw. She winked and moved off to the side as Shyora let my guest in.

The smithing guild manager burst in, dripping water like a sieve. "Pardon my poor appearance lord Fulton!"

"It's all right, there's not much we can do with the weather like this." I replied.

She nodded her thanks and placed her few belongings on a chair. "Sire, I have good news in relation to your brother's commissions."

I paused. "My brother?"

"Yes. His commission for the regiment. The one from last month?" She replied as she presented me with the paperwork.

"When did…" my voice trailed off. Isz and Shyora grew interested in what I was reading and moved to peer over my shoulder.

"We have the first prototypes ready to be tested my lord. You're brother wanted to oversee it personally, but with him being away on campaign I brought it to you." Besser replied merrily.

"Master?"

"David… are these…"

I flipped the reports over. Smiths immaculate handwriting and sketches stared back. These were technical manuals. I stared at Besser. "You've already been paid in full for these contracts?"

She nodded, a bit confused by the question. "It was paid in a lump sum upfront. Your brother said it was being covered by the regimental expenditures."

"I never authorized this expenditure, so Smith is… whatever... We planned for this." I lowered my head. Damn it! Why did you go behind my back like this? We were going to introduce these kinds of technology slowly, so we could control them. Fuck…

"For now wait until my brother returns, afterwards testing can continue, continue making a few more of the prototypes, they'll make a good baseline."

I pushed the technical documents back to Besser. I sat silently for a few moments before I looked at Besser with a frown.

"Anyone involved in this will be employed at a company I'll create to handle this." I said in a quiet, firm voice.

"Excuse me, sire?" She looked at me with alarm.

"You do realize what this represents, yes?" I tapped the documents.

"Sure, the guild won't stand for that! Poaching of its members…" Besser protested.

My stare silenced her. "It wasn't negotiable. I won't let this fall into the wrong hands."

I gave Shyora a long, meaningful look before I turned back to the smithing guild manager. "I'm already trusting you quite a lot, don't make me regret this decision. You've been an invaluable partner so far…"

She was silent for a minute before she spoke. "I see… I… we don't really have a choice then."

"I'm sorry it came to this." I said slowly. She beamed at me. What? How in the world would she be happy that I just forced her to close her guild branch?

"Nah, it just means you're my employer now." She chuckled.

"I don't got to act on behalf of the guild anymore. I'll tender my resignation to the guild when I get back, I'll pass on the… information to the rest of the branch as well."

"Good." I leaned back in my seat.

"Ms. Besser…" I began.

"Irina, call me Irina." She smiled widely. Uhhhh…

"Irina. I'll grant you the starting capital you need to formalize this new business you'll run. I'll shuffle some of the heavy industries under it so that it has the needed capabilities to start operations immediately." I began grabbing a few sheets of paper and Isz passed me a few documents for the factories that we'd had guild assistance operating.

"What will this business be called?" Irina asked. I was quiet for a moment then sighed. In times of doubt smack your name on it.

"Fulton Armory."