Zara makes her way to the desk and places her hand on the small, wooden box. She runs her fingers over its glossy, ornate surface, trailing down to the golden latch on its front, and the conflicted expression on her face deepens.
Her eyes slide to a small note sticking out from under the box's lid. She reads its two words several times, admiring the beautiful flourishes in the author's penmanship.
I'm sorry...
Zara's expression softens ever so slightly, and she lets out a long, regretful sigh. Her gaze moves to the wall behind her desk, as though she's focusing on something far away, and her thoughts drift to several nights ago...
*****
{AN: These events take place before the nobles' meeting and the visit to Wellick, but after Cara and Alara agreed to build a train between their capital cities.}
"Ugh! I can't believe those bastards!" (Alara)
Alara crumples up the letter she was reading and tosses it across the family room into the fire. The fire's crackling briefly becomes more aggressive as it engulfs the paper, and Alara leans back onto the couch with a scowl on her face, crossing her arms over her chest in frustration.
Zara, observing from nearby, raises her eyebrow at the display. Then, she begins making her way across the room to a small wooden cabinet.
"I take it the news was not what you were hoping?" (Zara)
Alara snorts.
"You could say that. That good for nothing bank manager I invited to the opening tour of Eden was supposed to be my ticket to his boss opening a new branch here. But they just wrote me saying that they are going to wait a few years first...to see if Eden's a 'good investment'! Can you believe it!? They said that the train makes transport and travel to their nearest branch in Avalon so fast and affordable that they can't financially justify the cost of building a new branch here and staffing it." (Alara)
As Alara is ranting, Zara kneels in front of the small cabinet and grabs a dark-colored bottle and a drinking glass from it. She makes her way over to Alara, who's seated on the couch. As she walks, she uncorks the bottle, allowing the rich aroma of red wine to fill the room, and she fills the glass with it.
The scent causes Alara to snap her head towards Zara. Zara extends the wine glass towards her with a placid gaze, and Alara's expression quickly progresses from angry, to surprised, to grateful once she notices the wine glass being presented to her. She gives Zara an amused smile.
"Thanks, Zara...you really get me, huh?" (Alara)
Alara accepts the wine glass from her and immediately takes a long sip. As she pulls the glass away from her lips, she lets out a deep sigh and sinks deeper into the couch. She stares absentmindedly at the wine in the glass as she swirls it, a melancholy expression plastered on her face.
Zara nods respectfully at the sight, then sets the wine bottle on the coffee table in front of Alara before joining her on the couch.
"Can you remind me why exactly these banks are so important? Can you not just store your money yourself?" (Zara)
Alara smiles wryly.
"I suppose, but that's a minor issue. Having a bank is something of a status symbol – it gives a city an air of credibility and prestige, and its citizens a sense of comfort. Banks also serve many other functions. They offer loans that commoners rely on for major purchases like houses, have connections to other investment opportunities, facilitate tourists' spending by allowing remote access to their money, serve as a trusted economic mediator with other territories, provide the highly specialized personnel that are qualified for these and other financial activities, and some merchants or other businesses may only do business with you if there's a bank involved on your end. It's not so simple for me to replace their roles in a city's economy." (Alara)
Zara purses her lips, doing her best to internalize all these unfamiliar concepts. She raises her eyebrows at Alara.
"Then, if they are saying they won't build a branch here because of the train's affordability, can't you just raise the cost of them using it to force their hand?" (Zara)
Alara sighs.
"I wish, but that's as good as declaring war on them economically...and it's not a fight we can win. Not only could they refuse to do business with us as a city, but they could also target our local businesses and residents. Under such circumstances, our population and commerce would drop precipitously. Eden may not survive that." (Alara)
Zara's brows furrow at the frustrating explanation...every facet of it involves something that is entirely foreign to the wolf-kin. It only reminds her of how much she has yet to learn when it comes to managing a city – something she knows she'll have to do in the near future if her plans for her people come to fruition.
"What about other leverage, then? Everyone and everything has goals and desires...banks must have them, too. So, what do banks want? Whatever it is, with Mizuki's support, there's very little outside our reach if we are firm in our resolve." (Zara)
Alara turns to face her, raising an eyebrow, and her expression becomes modestly less despairing for the first time since they started talking. She purses her lips thoughtfully for a moment.
"What do they want, hmm...I guess all they care about is what's profitable for them in the long-term. They also care about raising their prestige, but only insofar as it builds trust with people who can help them acquire more money." (Alara)
Zara makes a puzzled expression.
"Money? Eden has plenty of that, and Mizuki can give you even more. Why don't you just pay for the building costs of opening a branch here?" (Zara)
Alara shakes her head.
"For one, it's not just the building costs – there is also the salaries of the people working at the branch, and the fact that those people are a bit of a rare resource to begin with. Plus, I have Eden's reputation to worry about. If we start giving such charitable deals to every business interest, we'll reek of desperation and get taken advantage of in the future. We can't be so direct in enticing them here." (Alara)
Zara purses her lips.
"I see...then, what did you offer them already?" (Zara)
Alara raises her eyebrows.
"Offer them? Nothing. I showed them calculations of our rapid population growth, and gave their representative a tour of the several unique wonders of Eden. That lets them know that Eden will be ripe with the kinds of customers they care about when deciding where to open a branch. They'll probably want to open a branch here eventually – we're an entirely new territory, after all. It's just that such an action would normally be taken when my domain is much older. Making a move so soon probably makes them nervous." (Alara)
Zara's eyes widen.
"That's it?" (Zara)
Alara frowns disapprovingly.
"Yes, 'that's it'! I told you, we can't directly bribe them to come here." (Alara)
Zara smiles viciously.
"You're thinking like an elf, Lady Alara. There's no need to bribe them...we have more than enough power to just force them." (Zara)
Alara rolls her eyes, taking another long sip of her wine. By this point, she's almost finished with her first glass of wine – her voice on the cusp of slurring, and her demeanor becoming less formal.
"I already told you, we can't get into some kind of economic war with them. And for gods' sakes, Zara, for the hundredth time, call me Alara unless we're at an official gathering." (Alara)
Zara shakes her head, ignoring Alara's tone.
"We don't have to...others can force them for us. This bank...they aren't the only one in the kingdom, right? They have competitors?" (Zara)
Alara's expression becomes pleasantly surprised.
"They do, and I approve of the clever idea, but threatening to accept another bank won't work. The banking group I was speaking to is by far the largest in the kingdom, and the one that's most dominant in nearby territories like Avalon. Another banking group would have less resources and more impediments for opening a branch in Eden." (Alara)
Zara shrugs.
"So what? You said banks care about money and prestige. Show them all the profit Eden has been generating, then make up some unique opportunity for them to directly share in it. Sell Eden as a partnership...an investment itself, not just a pool of customers. You're always complaining about how much hassle it is to manage Eden's finances, and these banks have people qualified to do it, so just offer them a job doing all of that for you, in addition to their other services. Their pay can be a percentage share of Eden's profits.
"If that's not enough incentive, you can use Nina as leverage...she loves hoarding shiny things. If she had an account at a local bank, she might just visit it regularly to stare at piles of gold coins. How many banks can boast the prestige of having an Elder Dragon as a loyal customer?
"If any of the competitor banking groups are worried about distance or logistics, don't forget to remind them that the train makes transport concerns end upon reaching Avalon. Plus, even if Mizuki hasn't built it yet, you'll soon have a train connecting you to Cara's territory...you can leverage that information, too.
"If the banking group that turned you down is the one you really want, and you can't justify going back to them for whatever reason, then just make them come to you. Send them a response letter saying that you understand their position and hope there's no hard feelings if you go to other banking groups.
"Then, put all of these incentives together in a proposal to multiple other banking groups, and make it clear that the fastest one to partner with you will be your sole provider. I can't imagine all of them passing up such an investment. With Eden's growth and trains, even small banking groups would have the opportunity to spread easily with Eden as their starting point.
"The news of this offer will spread to that bigger banking group eventually, and you can even have some of our well-connected Eden merchants leak the information to them directly. Not only will they be alarmed by the lost potential for profit, but they'll also see it as a threat. Another banking group partnering with Eden this way would allow them to spread in a way that could challenge this big group's supremacy in banking services.
"Do all that, and I bet they'll come begging you to open banks here as soon as possible." (Zara)
As Zara finishes her long-winded suggestion, Alara just stares at her in dumbfounded silence, her jaw hanging slightly open. They remain like that, as if frozen in time, for long enough that Zara becomes painfully aware of the only sound in the room – the crackling of the fireplace.
Just as she's wondering if she said something stupid, a wide grin breaks out on Alara's face.