Business, Brunch, and Bevies!

Asteria was very rarely, if ever, late. Being the second to arrive was never good as it gave the enemy time to prepare for any sort of attack you planned to bring. Although this was a nice brunch meeting between two businesswomen, the first meeting was always crucial in how the world perceived you. And at the moment, she was not looking like the dominant power she knew she was. Quickly parking her car, the artificer stopped to examine her outfit in the window before entering. Her dark green sleeveless dress was slightly bunched up, and she quickly adjusted the odd creases in a calm, professional manner. Deciding to avoid high heels, Asteria chose to stick with a nice pair of brown calf length boots that still needed to be broken in properly. Adjusting the dark red hair that hung down and kept getting in front of her monocle, she quickly made her way into the restaurant proper and approached the maitre'd.

"Apologies, Mikael. Has Miss Del Bosque arrived already?"

When given the small nod from the maitre'd, the witch could only curse slightly under her breath before giving the man a nod and following him to the table where her future business prospect was waiting. "Miss Del Bosque, I presume? A pleasure to meet you in the flesh finally. My name is Asteria Vrall, and I do apologize for my tardiness. I've forgotten about the rules of the road as a driver after not having to drive for so long." She held out her right hand in order to properly shake it, subtly keeping her left hand hidden. The black and white weaving band on her ring finger always seemed to be a distraction and she had to keep focused on her current mission.

Fun talk could come later, after all.

@Zora

Quickly giving a look over Miss Del Bosque as she took a seat, Asteria couldn't help but be impressed by what she saw. The woman was only a few years younger than her in physical appearance, but Asteria had been alive long enough to know that most of the people on the island did not show their true age. She activated her monocle, quietly bringing up her identifying focus to figure out her new 'friend's' powers. A mental note came back registering her simply as 'supernatural' and a few possibilities to her powers' origin, which made the artificer mentally curse. She was definitely on the back step of being on top in the knowledge department, but that could easily change.

Time for a new course of action. The waiter walked by to ask for her drink order, and quickly walked off when she ordered a bottle of champagne, a pitcher of orange juice, and two glasses. "So, Miss Del Bosque, I imagine you are very curious as to why I've called for a meeting. Normally, I wouldn't call for one so quickly as I've just only returned to the island, but I feel it is of importance that I start setting up some groundwork for things in the future. Before I begin giving my spiel, are there any inquiries you might have for me?"

Interesting, interesting.

Miss Del Bosque didn't ask anything about Asteria, only how she had heard about her business. A weird question to ask, especially with such a wide range that she could have inquired about. With a small smile, the witch would take a sip of her freshly made mimosa before giving Zoraida a raised brow.

"Miss Del Bosque, finding the information for your work would by no means difficult. I have lived on the island for well over a century, I am a former civilian contractor with the Veil, and I like to be knowledgeable about anything and everything. You may take your pick at which answer appears to be the most reasonable." She paused, taking another sip of her drink before continuing. "But that sounds unreasonably harsh. In reality, I have need for someone who can import and export materials for artificing as quickly and efficiently as possible. You have good recommendations, so I sought you out. Overall, I am looking for something long-term in that regard."

"But there is a short term deal I must discuss with you which requires a modicum of secrecy." Asteria narrowed her eyes, staring at the woman across the table. Her mood quickly shifted to something more positive almost immediately. "But we can discuss that later, if you wish."

"Fantastic. I imagine that you are able to procure most items in a timely fashion. We can discuss price and amount of products depending on how quickly you can gather the materials as well as how quickly we can have finished magical items shipped out."

Asteria watched as Zora scribbled down some notes as she spoke. How very professional of her to be taking notes as they conversed; being studious was a great asset but could also come back to bite Asteria in the rear if she got forgetful. Having those receipts, as the kids would say. Her eyebrows raised slightly at Zora's inquiry about the secrecy, but she couldn't help but smile. Unafraid of the possibility of the request being somewhat shady or wanting to think on the request first, Zora would rather just dive right in. Asteria could respect that.

"Well, if we're going to discuss that, I suppose I'm going to ask you a question first in response. What exactly do you know about me, Miss Zora?"

Asteria couldn't help but give a faint smile.

She did her research. That's a good sign. Knowing that Asteria helped stoke the flames on some of the more outlandish rumors wasn't too common of knowledge, but could easily be found. Bringing up Ezra would have been a bit more surprising, but they did have her last name. Among other signs. "Not bad, Miss Del Bosque. I'm curious to what you think of the public rumors. Not all of them are false, you know." She grinned, taking another sip of her mimosa.

"The fact that you know about Ezra and that they're an empathy spirit would surprise me a bit more, but they've already told me all about you, 'Miss Zora'." Frowning slightly, she leaned in a little closer. "I will say giving them advice on romantic relationships was a bit odd but I'm sure they asked a lot. I apologize for their... lack of tact in such topics of discussion."