Talk About Breaking the Ice

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Shinsou pursed his lips and clicked his tongue at the report offered, absorbing the information whilst noticing a sharp change in the mage’s demeanour. Rehtul’s knowledge of the workings of underground Corone was far more diverse and wide reaching than his own, and the Telgradian found it useful to have the intelligent mage’s insight on matters that were more difficult to wrap his own head around without all of the intricate “pieces” of knowledge required from the inside. But, it wasn’t just that which impressed the leader of the Brotherhood. It was how coolly and carefully Rehtul always handled the information at his disposal. So it was rare, and perhaps even the first time, that Shinsou had seen Rehtul’s emotions slip through that icy, intellectual exterior and into the Whitevale office.

“Well,” Shinsou began, taking a final sip of his tea before placing the empty cup carefully on the silver tray, “With that in mind, let’s look at the big picture here. For starters, this new – and, frankly, crudely assembled – group of Dhethean traffickers will be vulnerable without the protection the guild has denied them. While they might currently have the local authorities tightened up, it won’t be long before their lack of friends and connections unravels their operation.”

His gaze found once more the frozen statue, which stood idly in the centre of the room as Rehtul’s aura coated it with a thick, glassy frost.

“So, I’m suggesting we apply a little ‘oil’ to these tightly wound screws. But that said, I understand your, and the guild’s, situation more than anyone – you have to keep your head below the parapet. However, the Brotherhood does not. We don’t run in many political circles and because of that we’ve the freedom to be quite direct with our methods. So, perhaps we can do something more publicly to get these traffickers off the streets, and allow the authorities to loosen their shoulders a bit without putting you guys in the crosshairs?”

To Shinsou, direct and unsubtle action was the obvious play. Rehtul was a friend, and whether the Telgradian liked it or not the guild and their workings were a vital part of both their friendship and Corone’s northern lifeblood. Helping him and taking any potential heat off of the guild would inevitably build bridges with both them and the authorities, too, and stop a horrific trafficking ring. Without another thought, the spellsword reached into the inner pocket of his white coat to grab a small flask. The water within gave his tongue a welcome lather, but the Telgradian could feel small crystals of ice cascade down his throat. He glanced at Rehtul, whose eyes were already locked on the bottle.

“…It’s better with the ice, don’t worry. Now,” Shinsou paced towards once more towards the icy cocoon that lacked any hint of thawing, “How about this? I figure that if we can thaw her out, she’d be able to give us a better idea of what we’re dealing with…”