When Rain Rises

Chapter 3

"Please, have a seat," a gray-haired man with a trimmed beard and sunbaked skin said as he motioned towards the black leather chair in front of his desk. He himself was in a similar chair, his desk neatly organized with unmarked stacks of files and papers. The incense Rain had picked up on in the hall was on a coffee table on the left side of the room. Other than the incense, the office seemed fairly Spartan with bare white walls and the same marbled floor as the hallway.

Rain had a fair knack for picking up information from people's subtle behaviors and the environments they put themselves in. It was a small talent he had for as long as he could remember, and he hoped to use it now.

As he found his seat, he could tell one thing almost immediately: this man was no-nonsense. From the organization of his desk to his clean-cut brown suit and expressionless face, all apparent details suggested that he was very logical and organized. He noted how unnerving this office was set up to be, and noticed that is was also somewhat colder.

"Hello, I'm Mr. Cole," the man began after clearing his throat. He slowly reached over the desk to shake Rain's hand. In that split second Rain remembered everything his aunt told him about the importance of handshakes and how to make a good one and threw it all to the wind, merely shaking his hand like a normal human being.

"I'm Rain. Rain Vivian," Rain said, nodding. "Your new merchant." Rain wasn't about to let the eerie atmosphere of the office get to his nerves.

"Rain, huh?" the recruiter cocked an eyebrow all his own. "You seem...confident." His analytical eyes seemed to be making constant but tiny movements, as though he was scanning every last detail about this young man before him. Rain remained undaunted.

"I am."

"Why?" The old man leaned slightly forward. "You don't look particularly impressive."

"That's because I'm poor," Rain pointed out bluntly. "Which is why I'm here."

"To make money?"  He frowned. "Or to duck out of conscription?"

"Both. I have a family to support and don't feel like dying."

"Not patriotic?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Good." The recruiter allowed  just the slightest smile to appear on his face. "Just gets in the way of business. As a merchant your allegiance is to no state."

"Just the merchants?"

"Coin."

"Cool. So, when can I start?"

"Do you even know what a merchant does?"

"I know I can learn."

The Recruiter was silent, studying Rain with a plain expression on his face. As the seconds of silence slowly ticked by, Rain reiterated his hastily crafted plan in his mind. He figured that the recruiter was so cold and his office so foreboding on purpose. The faction was trying to weed out people without any nerve by employing these tactics. Rain's cockiness and conceit should be just what they were seeking. . Fortunately, these personality traits  came fairly naturally for him.

"Very well," Mr. Cole nodded, seemingly confirming Rain's hypothesis. "You seem both full of yourself and ambitious in equal measure. Even if you were faking it, it would just mean you're insightful enough to know what we're looking for. Either way, I think you're worth training."

Rain tried in vain to keep his bearing, but his face cracked into a victorious grin in a few mere seconds.

"Thanks," Rain gleamed.  It was almost too easy in hindsight. It just took a little ambition and confidence to convince the Recruiter he was worth a shot.  He wanted to think he was just that awesome, and maybe he was, but all he did that those before him probably didn't do was try and sell himself rather than plead his case.