Character's job title

[CloverReef]

Question!

Okay so there’s this place. Let’s just call it the ghetto. It’s pretty dangerous and filled with abject poverty and crime. And there’s a dude who gets paid by various rich people to go into this place and do various things for them. Usually just buying things for them on the black market or something that they can’t get elsewhere. 

So what would you call him? What would his job title be? Errand boy seems too… I guess less specific? Like he’s not picking up dry cleaning or taking dogs for a walk. He gets paid a lot of money to go into this place no one else wants to go, to do somewhat menial things, but things that are important enough for someone to pay a fair amount for. 

I’ve had him call himself a glorified errand boy, but that just doesn’t really hit the mark. And I’ve had other people call him a mercenary, but he’s not hired muscle. He doesn’t rough people up or intimidate anyone. 

[GeorgeGlass]

Off the top of my head: fetcher, acquirer, obtainer, go-between, broker, “personal shopper” 

[WillowDarkling]

The only one that I can think of, that GeorgeGlass hasn’t already mentioned is “Fixer”.

It’s a bit clichéd, I’ll grant you, but I’ve seen it used in both movies and TV shows, and it could fit. Although there might be a bit of implication that the person “fixes” uncomfortable situations, as in might have someone killed if you need them to be killed, etc. English is my second language, so I don’t always realise implications like that. 

On a different note, I kind of like that word GeorgeGlass suggested, “acquirer”, I might steal it one day   

[JayDee]

Factotum as well, maybe?

[JayDee]

Gopher (As in “Go for this/go for that”) as well as a more slangy term.

[BronxWench]

I like broker or fixer myself. Nicely ambiguous, and doesn’t always imply mayhem for hire. Although factotum appeals to my love of extraordinary words… 

[yukihimedono]

What about “Curator” or “Concierge”?

[CloverReef]

So many words! I love words. Give me a moment for my organizational neurosis to take over. My brain won’t let me do anything else until I make a list. It likes lists, and I like to keep it sated. 

• Curator
• Concierge
• Fixer
• Factotum
• Gopher
• Acquirer
• Fetcher
• Go-Between
• Obtainer
• Personal Shopper
• Broker

I had to look factotum up. It’s close to what I’m looking for, but does it imply one single employer? I like fixer, because it’s a word/title everyone’s familiar with, though I’m not sure he does enough ‘fixering’ to warrant it. Thank you for all the suggestions, guys. I gotta think this through and indulge in my bad habit of way overthinking small details. 

[Melrick]

• Majordomo – A person whose job is to make arrangements or organise things for other people.
• Delegate – A person designated to act for or represent another or others.
• Commissioner – A person commissioned to act officially.

[InvidiaRed]

I would use the term Hand or Keeper

Agent could work too.

Nobility generally had servants to buy things that could damage their social standing or reputation. Typically, personal vendors, hand-servants, housekeepers, servant managers etc... Essentially, intermediaries  or intermediaries of intermediaries

whether or not the items were too base( How boorish) Put you in suspicion(what are you a criminal?) Or just plain weird as hell (what do you mean he wants 36 watermelons cut at a 34 degree angle and heated to exactly 89.5 degrees)

These vendors would be given a purse and instructed to buy whatever the noble in question wanted. Provided they didn’t draw attention to themselves, attempt to rip off the noble, steal and or ripoff said noble or noble house they were pretty much intentionally obscured and you’d never know the person next to you might be a fellow-commoner or a vendor/servant of a noble.

Depending on how snobbish the rich are. (Like servants are not meant to be seen) To (Why is this commoner talking to me?) to even (Holy shit! poor people are real)

There might be several layers of intermediaries each with their own functions regarding to Law, Trading, Storage and Delivery, Personal Items, Arts and other luxuries. Etc...

There could be an entire complex social industry powered by the nobility for the express purpose to remove the nobility altogether from the common day to day. Like celebrities on steroids. 

So far removed the common folk that they simply can’t conceive non-nobility life.

 

Edited July 7, 2019 by InvidiaRed
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