Know Who to Count On

Chapter 5: A Gift to Grease the Wheels

 Alexis woke the next morning and sent Simon on a mission to find out how they would be handling breakfast for the two of them. While he waited for his friend to return, he paced around his room, running over the various approaches he could take when it came time to talk to Halstein. He wasn't able to get himself too worked up, thankfully, before Simon returned. He was relieved to hear that food would be sent to his room and a servant would be sent to escort him to the study around ten in the morning.

He and Simon pushed the food carts from the night before into the hallway and waited for breakfast to arrive, diving into it once it did. There were no incidents with this delivery, unsurprisingly so since no member of the Banselva household was nearby. Liara did join them, her reports on the goings-on consisting of only the mundane matters of a large household. Alexis hoped the two girls from the night before were doing alright, but he reflected that they were probably used to odd outbursts from the count's family. It still bothered him that Helene would do something like that right outside his door, but for all the intelligence she put towards trade deals, she seemed to lose it easily if something provoked her.

After their uneventful breakfast and some dithering about, it was finally time to meet with his rival and iron out the details of his visit. Alexis was slightly surprised to see the same timid butler from the day before at his door to escort him. It was actually appropriate to send a high ranking staff member to acquire the high ranking guest, but Alexis had expected Hastein to send someone of a lower station due to the lack of respect between them.

"Well, good morning sir," Alexis said heartily upon seeing the young man again. "I hope you slept well."

The butler looked almost confused, but finally broke into a smile. "Thank you, My Lord, I did sleep well. I hope everything here has been to your liking?"

Alexis patted the man on the shoulder comfortingly. "It's been an absolute pleasure, I assure you. Now, how about you show me more of this wonderful home you have here as we make our way to the meeting. By the by, what's your name?"

"Leon, Sir," the young man said. Alexis had initially thought they might be about the same age, but upon closer inspection the young butler looked to be older than he'd first thought. That made more sense, the butler of any household had to manage and run so much of the day to day functions, not to mention that he would then be in charge of overseeing accommodations for all the additional work a visit by someone like Alexis would bring. Putting all that in the hands of someone too young or too timid was asking for trouble. As a particularly young man himself, Alexis never liked to dismiss someone purely because of their age, but he also knew that his level of competency was an exception, not the rule.

Leon led them down the hallway back towards the impressive foyer and its grand staircase that connected the first and second floors. Crossing the top of the elaborate set of stairs and its rug that spilled downwards towards the entrance, they entered a smaller hallway and began climbing up to the third floor. Judging on the directionality as they entered the expanse of the floor that housed Count Halstein and his large family, the door they made their way towards was situated over the foyer itself. This intrigued Alexis as it put the study almost center in the house and he was certain Liara had mentioned entering and leaving via a window. He thought back on the floor plan he'd seen and realized that the window in the study must be overlooking the roof of the Great Hall.

They stopped outside the large double doors and Leon motioned for them to wait while he announced their arrival. Simon was at Alexis' side in this endeavor and Alexis was grateful for the massive man's presence, even if he was confident he could do this presentation alone. They didn't have to wait long, as Leon pushed both doors open and stood back, once again announcing Alexis by name and house. As the two of them passed through the doors, Leon then introduced Count Halstein, listing his various titles, none of which mattered in Alexis' eyes.