It was probably about 10 degrees cooler in the shade of the bungalow. The entrance opened immediately to a wide living area with a hardwood dining table in the left-hand corner. To the right was a tea table surrounded by what looked like wicker chairs and a bench. Peaking behind a wall in the back corner was some counter space and a hearth. The view past that was blocked, but it was clear that the bungalow stretched back deep with at least a few more rooms. Willjan let out a slow, quiet sigh, wondering if his elevated heart rate was due to the heat or his nervousness.
Three figures stood over what looked like a map on the dining room table. The leftmost figure was a man who seemed carved from the same hardwood as the dining table he stooped over. He had oily, finger length long hair that drooped past his eyes when he looked down; a strong chin and short-trimmed stubble. He wore a loose linen shirt that did nothing to hide his rippling, muscled torso and leather pants covered in sawdust and soot.
The rightmost figure was a young woman, lithe and tan. She held a serious face covered in streaks of paint, tumbling black hair, and deep brown eyes. She was pointing to the spot that the leftmost man seemed to be stooping to see.
The center figure was another man, maybe 20 years the other's elder. He had white receding hair and grey eyes. He too maintained short stubble over a strong chin, and was frowning over the map with his arms folded. When the captain and the others entered, he looked up and clasped his hands together.
"Ah, Captain James Chaliva, back from a successful voyage!" he said, "And I see you've brought Willjan and Des with you. Perfect!"
Willjan blinked at the recognition, but said nothing.
"Well informed as always, Mathais" said the captain, embracing his friend.
"Good to see you back safe, James," said the man on the left, smiling.
"That'll enough for now, Indigo," the man on the right, Mathais apparently, said, as he began rolling up the map, "Thank you for your help."
The woman nodded solemnly and exited the bungalow with a light step, giving Des and Willjan a curious glance as she did so.
"Come! Sit," said Mathais, moving over to the living room area with the wicker chairs, "You all must be exhausted after your trip. Please have a seat, and we'll discuss what I understand you've come such a long way to discuss - you're stay here in Syka." With that, he sat down heavily in the center chair, gesturing for everyone else to do the same.
"As you probably know from James, I am Mathais Okavis, one of the three founding members of Syka along with Randal Zor," Mathais waved his hand towards Randal, who was sitting to his left, "And Captain James Chaliva, who you've seem to come well acquainted with."
Willjan shook Mathais and Randal's hands each in succession, "I am Willjan and this is Des," he said slowly, "Though, it seems you know that already."
Mathais nodded, as if that were a given, "Yes. I've heard you're interested in settling here, correct? I presume James has told you about the requirements."
"Yes, that's correct," Willjan said.
There was an awkward pause. Randal lay back in his chair, studying the beam fastenings on the ceiling, and the captain wiped sweat off his brow. Des swayed back and forth between her heels and toes. Mathais simply waited, face unmoving.
When meeting someone, Willjan usually like to let the other do as much of the talking as possible. Almost everyone liked talking about themselves more than they liked listening. He would only bring up his own experiences as an off-beat reflection of the other (the experience needed to be offbeat or different in some way or else his reflections tended to come off as mockery or creepy). That way, he could validate the other person's experiences, and make them feel like he was cut from the same cloth. Mathais, however, seemed to be all business at the moment, so Willjan tried to engage him on those terms.
"You must be expecting me to give my sales speech now," he said, glancing over at the captain, "But the truth is, I'm a businessman at heart. I'd be a fool to make a pitch now, without knowing more about your settlement. Des and I have survived four years together, travelling from Kenash to Riverfall - making our first shot at business there - and so our experiences and what we can offer, are varied. Tell me: What does Syka need and I'll give you a more persuasive 'pitch'."
Here still, Mathais' face showed no reaction, but at the request he reached over to table stand by his char, opened a drawer, pulled out a scroll, and tossed it onto the tea table in front of them.
Willjan picked it up. In broad, cursive strokes the top read, "Syka's Help Wanted: What We Need for Sustainability." What followed was a list of employment positions that, presumably, the settlement needed. Willjan poured over the list. Animal Healer, ...Gardener, ...Mason. Willjan didn't know anything about these trades. Chef?, he thought, That's a dead end if I've ever seen one. Might as well just go back to Riverfall. He saw the word 'Blacksmith' written with two lines underneath and gritted his teeth, thinking of his grandfather.
A prickly sensation began to run down his back, and he could feel his cheeks flush. He came to the end of the parchment and immediately started reading it again, from the bottom up. There, he thought, That I can work with.
"Food preservation," Willjan said, jabbing at the scroll, "You need someone who'll preserve food for you. Des and I often needed to preserve our own supplies for Winter in Riverfall. We even started a business there doing so. We'd be perfect at it."
Mathais considered the proposal. "Syka is not like Riverfall," he said, "We do not need to stock up for winter the way they do there. On shore there's a fairly steady supply of fruits. Less so of vegetables, but we make do. We have a few good hunters here - Indigo, the woman you saw earlier is one of them - so we have access to meat often enough. We mostly need someone versed in food preservation so that we don't have to eat everything when Indigo makes a big kill."
The founder nodded, "Yes. I suppose if you want, you could fill that need." He shrugged and glanced over at Des, who had been uncharacteristically quiet during the whole exchange. "What about her?" he asked, "...food preservation will really be a one-man job. We don't need that much right now."
"Des is with me," Willjan responded, louder than he intended. "She will be my partner in this... and with all due respect sir, I think you're thinking too small. You're underestimating what Syka can be." Willjan took a breadth then, trying to read the room. Randal had finally brought his gaze down from the ceiling to look at Willjan. Mathais leaned forward, stony faced. Captain Chaliva's blue eyes were blazing.
"You say you're flush for fruit - that's perfect. Riverfall is not. Dried mangos will be like candy to the Akalak during any season. But you all have far more than mangos here. From what I've heard, you've got an incredibly diverse set of crops that can be ground, dried, and bottled not only for the locals here, but as luxury exports. Any surplus you have at all will be prized in Riverfall- or anywhere for that matter. Send these goods off with Captain Chaliva and money will be flowing into Syka. Money that you can reinvest in the settlement. Who knows, maybe advertise for a proper blacksmith?" Willjan paused for breath, "In regards to meat- you were just now looking over a map of Syka and the surrounding area, yes? You're scouting the surrounding area? Cured or dried meat will go much farther to satiate a scout than fruit. Not only that, but fruit is heavy. Dried rations will make your expeditions far more efficient."
When Willjan finished, Randall barked a laugh. Captain Chaliva's eyes were smiling again. But Mathais responded, "You tried to start a food preservation business in Riverfall? You have experience in this matter?"
"Yes and yes, sir," Willjan responded, "I'm your man."
"Then why did it fail?" Mathais asked, "It did fail, right? Why else would you be here?"
Willjan cursed under his breath. He should have seen that rebuke coming, "Barrier to entry, sir," he said, "Everything is already established in Riverfall." He paused then, considering his audience and everyone he had seen up to this point, "And Riverfall doesn't have what Syka has. Growth. A diversity of both ecology and peoples. The Svefra. In a few hundred years, Syka could be bigger than Syliras. How about this: put me on probation. Let me get started here for the season, and if I disappoint- ship me off the way I came. But I think you'll be surprised. Investing in me will pay dividends."
At this last speech, Mathais smiled broad. "Alright, Willjan. You've got a deal. Let's see what you can do this season," he said, clasping Willjan's hand, "Welcome to Sykas."