[FIN] Of All the Nerve [Nafsharky]

[Lucca]

Graeme looked at Sabe in surprise as he told about his past business...but then he snapped his fingers and laughed. "Ah, that's right! I remember now," he chortled, grinning slyly. "I wonder if you do, though? McDuck Enterprises helped fund your building. We were business partners for a little while, until your service got on its feet. Though we never had the chance of meeting in person before now." And now that he knew the Heron for a business man instead of just some stuffed shirt from the Courts, Graeme had warmed to him significantly. He frowned then, though, hand halfway across the table, as though about to slap the Heron companionably on the shoulder. "I was sorry to hear about your business going under...nasty rumors circulated for a while there. I wasn't sure how many were really true. You can never be sure about such things." He eyed Sabe speculatively for a moment, then shrugged and turned back to Menefer in time to catch his nod.

Mrs. White had noticed how strangely happy Menefer was, for a Torque. She was torn between being amused by it and being annoyed by it, and so she outwardly chose amusement, though inwardly she prickled at his laughter. "Hmmm, " she said amiably, and then winked. "I do believe clam chowder sounds better, as long as it's your recipe and not the one with the beeswax." Though being sick might get her time off of work...hmmm...

[/|/afamere]

Sabe just frowned for a second before looking up to Mr. McDuck. His business did fall through and rather quickly thanks to royal in the court of spades. He couldn't believe it when someone had told him that they had bought his company from him. It had happened right under his beak and he hadn't known about it. Apparently the bank had rights to his company and sold it to the highest bidder when they had the chance. He never knew what hit him.

"Yes the bank bid my company without my knowledge, and a royal had purchased it right from under my beak." he said with a shrug as he waited for the feline to scamper off and get the meals for the two. He really didn't like how this Torque was being so happy... it was damn near unnerving. "Though that is the way of business, no?" he asked as he sipped on his pale ale.

Menefer was all smiles and sunshine right now, to be asked for his clam chowder was something else! He loved his food and loved to make it, and that just happened to be one of his favorite dishes to make for his dinners.

"Right away madam." he said with a steep bow towards her and then a stiff bow to the queen and then left to make the meals ready.

[Lucca]

Graeme frowned deeply at the story, eyes dark. He opened his bill, as if to say something, and then shut it, thinking better of it. Bad mouthing the Courts in a place like this, and in the company of someone who was titled (even if it was in a completely different Court that the one he would have been insulting) was just a bad idea. So instead he sipped at his tea, shaking his head as he set the cup down and giving Sabe a sympathetic expression.

"Sadly, it is the way of business indeed. 'Tis why I try not to deal with banks. Count and store all me money personally," he said, a note of pride creeping into his voice. It was common knowledge that McDuck kept his vast riches stored in his money bin instead of using an outside service. Not that some of it wasn't invested, but he handled all that himself as well, or else oversaw a reasonably trusted accountant to do it for him.

Mrs. White smiled and inclined her head to the Feline, though when his back was turned and she knew no one was looking at her, she rolled her eyes. Ugh, yes, way too cheerful. She turned back to the conversation the two Birds were having, all smiles once again, though inwardly she groaned. Why did they have to be talking about subjects that were so boring and, worse yet, ego boosting for Scrooge? But she couldn't think of a way to really steer the conversation somewhere more interesting...not yet.

[/|/afamere]

Sabe could only nod at what the duck had said. It made since after all. He would think back on the time and just wonder what he really was thinking back then, when he was trusting other business to take care of his funding and his money. It was probably a very bad choice to make. He would shudder at the thought when it had first happened, he even still wondered what his workers where up to these days. They must still be ok, after all the business that he had started was still running, but under a new name and owner.

"Maybe I should have stored all my money myself... it would have been rather a smarter move if I had." he said as he gave a shrug and then watched as the Torque walked off into the kitchen. Something was just not right about that feline.

Menefer walked away and came back soon with three steaming bowls of clam chowder. He would set them down on the table before each of the people and then smile as he waited for them to say something about his cooking, after all... a cook was only as great as his customers thought.

"I hope that you enjoy the food!" he said, his tail a-waging in anticipation.

[Lucca]

Graeme felt the familiar rush of self satisfaction at the Heron's words. Not that he ever changed up his own ways in regards to what others thought; he knew that the way he did things worked, so he would continue to do it that way and his naysayers may as well just go hang for all he cared. But it was still nice to get a little bit of affirmation from his fellow Cards, especially if they were businessmen like himself.

But being sympathetic to Sabe's situation, Graeme did his best to keep the emotion off his face. "Ah, well, perhaps," he hedged, eying the other man. "Y'see, to store your own money, you've got to meet certain...requirements, or else you'll be even worse off than before, with some lowlife trying to rob you. The money should be given the highest protection possible, or else well hidden." And as he knew from his many treasure hunts, even the best hidden money can eventually be found if one is dedicated enough. "Then again, you could always have invested most of it. Not only is it a safe way to 'store' money, but you earn more at the same time," he added with a little chuckle.

Mrs. White continued to smile almost vacantly, but inwardly she was bored out of her mind and occupying herself by thinking of all the many gory ways in which she would love to kill her employer...while just smiling at him absently.

She was very glad, though, that the soup arrived sometime in the middle of an elaborate ploy involving a rope, a washing machine, and a rabid bander. How would she ever sneak a bander in to the mansion? "Thank you, it smells lovely," she said, picking up the spoon daintily in her paw. She was a bit surprised, though, that Menefer was still hanging around...didn't he have anything else to cook for the banquet tonight? Other cooks to yell at and throw out on their tails?

"Oh, thank you, Menefer," Graeme said, also picking up his spoon and taking a small bite of soup. "Mmm. I'm sure I will, this is very good," he told the Feline honestly, and that's when it occurred to his maid.

The cook was fishing for compliments! Perhaps, Mrs. White mused, that was the secret to his strange cheerfulness....he forced fancy people at fancy places to boost his ego all the time! Oh, very well, she could play that game. She'd have to start plotting ways to kill him, too...she took a bite of soup. And honestly, it -was- rather good. But she let herself being purring and turned to give Menefer a glowing look. "Oh, it's lovely! Best clam chowder I've -ever- eaten, dear! You simply -must- share the recipe!" she cooed, inwardly imagining what the Torque would look like strung up by his own binding over a pit of sharks. "I'm something of a cook myself, you see. Oh, oh, but less talking and more eating!" Eagerly (but still as dainty as a princess) the Tulgey took more spoonfuls of soup.

Graeme gave his maid a bemused look, and then turned to Menefer and shook his head in a stunned way. "I had no idea she was such a fan of clam chowder. Pity shellfish are so expensive, even when I import my own..."

[/|/afamere]

Sabe would just nod at what the duck had to say to him, it didn't strike him as odd to have kept his money and wealth to himself, so that no one would be able to keep it. Though being that paranoid would have driven him crazy... had this duck been driven there? Probably not, for he seemed to have a very high Constitution. He would just nod and smile as he took a spoon full of the soup into his mouth. It was good... but he had better.

"Well your quite right about that, having hidden your wealth so perfectly so many times would just drive me up the wall. Personally I'm happy that I lost my business, for it drove me to become a public leader after all." he responded with a mild shrug as he pushed the bowl away from him. His mother made better chowder.

Though Menefer was alighted with praise. He was smiling from one ear to the other. He did enjoy the praise but found something weird about how she had went about saying it. It caught him off guard for a moment and started him thinking. Yes... he did trick important people to come eat for him, to spread the word of his cooking and excellent service throughout their little rings of power, hence how he landed this gig, but... something just didn't sit right with how she responded.

"Ahhh... yes. I did work hard with this recipe, and I'm here to say Mr. McDuck, that Shellfish are not that expensive as you like to believe, so long as you buy yourself and ship em by yourself as well." Menefer said, "The shellfish I purchased are one third cheaper than buying from the market, and completely free on shipping since I did it myself." Menefer was just beside himself showing that he knew some things about food, even if it went over into the business parts of it. After all... he wanted to own his own restaurant. He would just sigh and then look to the feline.

"Then why don't you come back into the kitchen and help me make some food? Who knows, I may even learn a thing or two." he said with a shrug as he waited patiently.

[Lucca]

Graeme chuckled again, politely eating another spoonful of the soup before replying to Sabe. "You would only need to hide it once, if you had a good enough spot," he said with a wink. "And as for meself, why, I have good enough protection to keep it almost out in plain sight." His famous money bin was a sight anyone who came within several miles of his mansion could see. And of course, he'd had many break in attempts, but very few thieves could get past all his security, and even if they could...he'd chase them down and take back what was rightfully his. He didn't mind fighting for his hard-earned wealth, if it came to that!

His orange eyes widened in surprise, though, at Sabe's second statement. What! Glad that he'd lost his business? Happier to be in the Courts? Poor Heron...the loss must have driven him a bit loopy. "I...see," he reponded carefully, brows lowering a bit. His eyes followed the bowl of soup as Sabe pushed it away. Was the chowder that bad to the Heron, that he couldn't even finish it to be polite? What low standards the Court must have in terms of manners. Perhaps there was more truth in the Suit stereotypes than Graeme would like to think...

"Where did you buy them from? If you don't mind sharing your secrets, of course," the Duck asked curiously, turning back to Menefer. In point of fact, he'd never seen them for less than 5 gold pieces a head, even in Midori where they were caught fresh by the fishermen selling them. And to make enough soup for a meal, it took at least a dozen clams. Shipping was not a problem, as there were Cards who owed Graeme favors and were able to move things very well.

Mrs. White nearly choked on her soup at the request. @#$%. That wasn't at all what she'd been hoping for. But now she couldn't possibly refuse, or she'd look lazy or dishonest. !@#$. She turned with a polite smile and shining eyes to the other Feline. "Oh! Why I'd love to help out!" She'd rather get her leg chewed on by wild Bandersnatches. She took another bite of the soup, steaming inwardly. "Just let me finish this delightful bowl of soup first, and then I'll come right back and cook with you." At least that would give her a little more time before she had to slave away doing something she hated and then serving it to a bunch of Cards she hated. It would be just like her daily job, but worse. And she probably wouldn't even get paid. Ugh!

It was so bad, she couldn't even enjoy the amusing expressions flitting over McDuck's face as he tried to comprehend why anyone would ever actually be at peace with losing their business! Arrogant, greedy, old fool.

[/|/afamere]

Sabe would just look slightly confused at the facial expressions that the duck was making. Had he said something wrong? He was only being honest to the card and letting him know the answer that probably was buzzing around in the cards head. He looked over to the two cards that were exchanging words and noted that the Silky wasn't really enjoying this. Sabe had always been able to read peoples actions, it came with his business and the jobs that he held in court. Though it was none of his business and stayed out of it. Sabe was just wanting to take a card out for a drink and ended up getting company. He gave a inward sigh as he would let the Torque talk first.

Menefer was all abuzz with the acceptance of her coming back into the kitchen to help, but was at odds with the duck wanting to know where he got his clams from. It was almost a trade secret that he had... and if he let it out then he could lose quite a bit of business himself if he opened his own restraunt one day.

"Well... I mean... well... I have a dear friend that catches them out of hobby... he has about thirty plots that was passed down from his fathers father. About... well... about ten thousands clams in each plot... maturing in about two years... so I have enough... I buy for two gold and seven silver per... and when I'm short on chash, I sell for four five." he said with a shrug as he took the plates that were finished and winked at the Silky..

"I'll see you in the kitchen." he said with a smile as he left his tail awaging with much happyiness.

Sabe turned to the duck and smiled some. "Well I can see where that would be a great boon, though I would have to ask you... Is their something wrong with what I have said?" he asked as he leaned his elbows on the table.

[Lucca]

Graeme knew immediately that Menefer hadn't wanted him to ask (well, in that case, he shouldn't have been bragging about how cheaply he got them in the first place!) and his face settled into polite neutrality as he listened to the Torque flounder. But he let out a low whistle at the price Menefer got his clams for, eyebrows creeping up. "That IS a good deal. I'm surprised your friend sells them to you for that little considering what the market price is," he commented, eyes gleaming slightly. If he owned such a profitable farm...but no, he owned a number of other, more profitable businesses. And while he had many contacts, none of them owned plots of land where they caught clams. Though that had just been an idle thought and an idle comment; really, he would just as soon eat something a bit cheaper when he was home.

Mrs. White was pleased to note that she wasn't so out-of-sorts that Menefer's uncomfortable explanation of his cheap source of shellfish failed to amuse her. If only he was speaking of something more important than clams! Then, perhaps, things would get really interesting when Graeme tried to get the secret from the other Feline...perhaps if he had let slip something about a family treasure or something...

There -was- still a chance he'd reveal something interesting in the kitchen, and the thought actually cheered her a bit. She smiled widely at Menefer and returned his wink with a slight toss of her head and a giggle. "That you will~" she sang, and returned to her soup, in a far better mood.

It took a moment for Graeme, who was watching his maid practically flirt with the cook with equal amounts confusion and amusement, to realize what Sabe was referring to with his question. Gold-orange eyes blinked, and then a slight frown twisted the Duck's bill. "I suppose..." He hesitated, unsure if he should delve any further into the Heron's slight mental issues, especially since he was a titled Court member and they could be a little tetchy when questioned. "I suppose I was just thinking about how most of our public leaders are not what they could be," he finally lied, smiling wanly. "No offense to you, of course, Your Majesty, but you know what they say about power." He took a sip of his tea, carefully watching Sabe over the rim of his cup.

Mrs. White nearly choked on the final bite of her soup as McDuck, Scrooge McDuck, richest Duck in the Highlands and as greedy and proud as you please, actually uttered such a hypocritical statement that she felt glee at the irony of it all twist her gut. He had plenty of power, even compared to some of the Court bigwigs, and he knew it. Money was powerful. And Scrooge's rank was nothing to sneeze at, either. She coughed delicately and cleared her throat, before standing up lightly and giving a beaming smile to both the men.

"And with that, I take my leave. Your Majesty, Mr. McDuck, I'll be in the kitchen if you need me for anything," the Tulgey said sweetly, bowing to both in turn though something in her rebelled at the gesture, and then she turned and walked toward the kitchen, fluffy tail swaying.

"Very well, Mrs. White," Graeme said with a slight wave of his hand, watching her depart out of the corner of his eye as he set his teacup down on the saucer.

[/|/afamere]

Sabe wasn't angling to get into a fight or even an exchange of words that would have been disastrous. He remembered that on his orientation that they told him that he had to be real civil when out of the courts for fear that he could be persecuted. Though he wouldn't let these small comments pass off either. He would sit back into the seat gripping the top of his own walking stick some as he gazed at the Highlander before him.

Sabe knew full well that this card had much pull in the courts, and yet he didn't have a hold on Sabe at all. So it turned to his advantage now. "Well Mr. McDuck, power does corrupt." he said as he took a sip of his ale, "So I guess that if money is considered power, and that power corrupts." he said gazing at the two leaving right now, "Then someone with mountains of gold would be considered corrupt, no?" he asked looking back at the card before him.

Menefer wasn't even paying attention, instead he was talking about something to do with cooking and how he hoped that the breed wasn't done just yet... he still had some spices that he wanted to the spiced ale breed.