Negotiation with Guzman

Summary

The Negotiation with Guzman was an extended absurdist negotiation scene in Session 4 of the campaign, occurring after the party exposed Louise Guzman's failed frame-up attempt. What began as a confrontation transformed into chaotic negotiations conducted with ceremonial "Negotiating Hoods," where the party leveraged their position to secure not only payment but also a professional massage for Monster, Katniss's cat. The negotiation escalated through multiple participants donning various hoods, with the cat's spa treatment becoming the central non-negotiable demand. The session concluded with Guzman agreeing to claim the job was successful to The Organization, buy the party's pigs, arrange Monster's massage by pocketing the organization's fee, and hire them to escort a shipment to near Smoke.

Later in the same session, after learning that standard escort rates are 54 coins per day, the party returned to renegotiate their payment for the escort mission. Vasso led this second negotiation wearing a negotiating hood, delivering moral arguments about fair payment while Cat contributed pointed questions from outside the establishment. Despite Guzman's dismissal of market standards and moral arguments, Vasso's successful defy danger roll using charisma secured an increased rate of 15 coins per day, totaling 45 coins for the three-day journey.

Details

Following the exposure of Guzman's attempt to frame the party, the group entered into negotiations. Sucks Benedict presented the stolen Gold Wedding Ring as evidence against the Sniff Lord's acolytes, establishing the party's leverage. Guzman initially wanted to void the contract entirely, but the party pushed for both payment and additional benefits.

The negotiations took an absurdist turn when multiple parties donned negotiating hoods. Katniss wore a regular hood, Guzman pulled his own hood over his head, and Sucks wore a face-covering zip-up hoodie that resembled a venom mask. This last hood triggered Safia's trauma about genetic mutant collectors. Vasso watched the proceedings in confusion, having never witnessed negotiations conducted in this manner.

The central demand crystallized around Monster's massage. As Sucks declared: "Either you do the job for me and we get paid by the org, or you don't do the job for me and you get paid by the org. But either way, either way, this cat's got to get massage because this cat's key to the success of this team." Katniss pushed for a professional cat massage, prompting Guzman to clarify: "I believe you're just describing petting."

The final terms Guzman agreed to included telling the organization the job was successful, purchasing the party's pigs, arranging Monster's massage (funded by pocketing the organization's fee), and hiring them to escort Guzman's Shipment to near Smoke. As Guzman stated: "I will organize a massage for your cat, provided maybe I pocket the fee from the organization."

The scene concluded with Monster receiving an elaborate spa treatment. The cat was placed in a high-backed chair with a small towel wrapped around the top of her head, tiny cucumbers over her eyes, and massaged with fish oil. The treatment proved disastrous—Monster's fur became matted and she ended up smelling terrible. Someone at the table observed the absurdity by suggesting: "Should we open a competing massage business for cats on pigs?"

Payment Renegotiation

The renegotiation begins when the party returns to Guzman armed with knowledge of standard escort rates. Vasso steps forward wearing a negotiating hood and frames the argument in moral terms rather than purely economic ones, declaring:

"For me and my friends, we believe we should be paid a fair and righteous rate for this strenuous task of being escorts. And thus we should get paid what is standard where people are in our employ."

Vasso emphasizes righteousness and fairness despite claiming personal indifference to money, positioning the request as a matter of principle.

Cat participates from outside the building, yelling questions about the payment structure and reminding Guzman that "the pigs were technically free," challenging the value Guzman claims to have already provided.

Guzman, smoking from his cigarette holder (and eventually just sucking on the empty holder after the cigarette is gone), counters the moral framing directly, stating:

"In this line of work, rotten wrong is subjective. I will give you 15 coins and not that. Not the silver."

He dismisses the party's appeal to standard market rates, refusing to acknowledge any obligation to meet industry norms. However, he also reminds them of the value he's already provided:

"We'd also like to remind you that I bought you six pigs."

Vasso makes a defy danger roll using charisma, succeeding in pressing Guzman to accept the higher rate. Guzman agrees to 15 coins per day for the three-day journey, with payment to be collected upon delivery:

"45 coins will be collected from my. How you say? Agent."

Participants

Louise Guzman — The primary negotiator representing his interests and the organization
Katniss — Led the push for Monster's professional massage
Sucks Benedict — Presented the gold ring as evidence and declared the cat massage non-negotiable; also present during the payment renegotiation
Vasso — Initially observed the first negotiations in confusion, unfamiliar with this style of negotiating; later led the payment renegotiation wearing a negotiating hood and made the primary moral arguments for fair payment; rolled defy danger with charisma
Safia — Present during negotiations; traumatized by Sucks's hood; also present during the payment renegotiation
Cat — Supporting negotiator during the payment renegotiation who questioned payment structure from outside the establishment and pointed out the pigs were free
Monster — Katniss's cat; the central subject of the first negotiation and recipient of the spa treatment
Dayna, Brad — Other party members present during the payment renegotiation

Consequences

The party secured payment from the organization despite not completing the original job as intended
Guzman agreed to report the job as successful to The Organization
The party sold their pigs to Guzman
The party gained new employment escorting Guzman's Shipment to near Smoke
Monster received a massage, though the fish oil treatment left the cat smelly and matted
The negotiation established the party's willingness to prioritize absurd demands alongside practical concerns
Guzman pocketed the organization's fee to fund Monster's spa treatment
Through the payment renegotiation, the party secured 15 coins per day (45 coins total) for the three-day escort mission, up from an implied lower initial offer, though still significantly below the standard 54 coins per day rate
Payment was deferred to be collected from Guzman's agent upon delivery rather than upfront
Guzman's dismissal of moral arguments and standard rates established him as someone who operates by his own rules rather than industry norms