[sub][i][color=ed1c24]Disclaimer: I got permission to use A.G. from Shiva.[/color][/i][/sub]

“Yeah, thanks.”
The otter said nothing more in turn as the woman offered him assistance getting into the room. At first he assumed she was just a friendly patron, but as she walked into the room ahead of him, it was only obvious she was here for the very same job offer he was. He then simply waddled into the room on his hind paws, intending to seem as intimidating as his stature and appearance would allow. Which was not at all.

There wasn’t much time for Soot to assess first impressions of the woman who’d helped him nor the half-genie who was already inside, since as soon as they’d stepped inside, another individual followed. The otter gave the newcomer a once-over, coming to the conclusion that they were yet another of the half-genie folk. He fell to his front paws and scurried past the woman who’d let him in, nearer to the female half-genie.

It wasn’t long before more people started waltzing their way in. The otter let out a quiet but exasperated sigh before nimbly hopping onto the now unoccupied chair and proceeding onto the little table set next to it. He stood back up onto his hind paws and looked across the room, giving everyone a thorough evaluating look. But when the demure elven lady found their way into the room, Soot found himself suddenly a little hesitant. He was used to the ruffians, the cold-hearted ones, the capable and cocky sort of folk. Her demeanour didn’t quite fit the bill of his sort of crew.

The otter then watched the proceeding scene between the elven woman and the half-genie unfold with a skeptic expression on his face - or, as skeptic as an otter can look. Squinted eyes, scrunchy face, tight-lipped maw - so to speak. They seemed friendly. Friends had each other’s backs. And Soot suspected that these two might have the bright idea to screw everyone else over to split the reward. He hung his head lower, raised a paw to stroke his chin and hummed quietly to himself.

While in the midst of musing over how to solve this particular issue, the words of an older gentleman made him snap out of it and resume looking over the people in the room. There were two newcomers, namely the older gentleman, and a rather large and imposing warforged. Soot didn’t have much experience with their sort, mostly having seen them positioned as guards for the powerful and wealthy. But the otter smiled, now feeling quite a lot more confident in their ability to survive just about anything.

Soot listened attentively as the gentleman spoke, immediately curious as to why the wife had been kidnapped. He supposed that they’d have to go around and question other victims’ families to surmise a possible motive, provided there was one. Soot was entirely comfortable with the idea, keenly aware of his own people skills - no one would say no to speaking to an otter. He smiled to himself, again. Once the man finished speaking, the otter raised a paw and extended his body to stand on his toes as to ask a question:
“Hey, pal, over here. Question: what’s with all the people? Yeah, sure, getting a band together just to make sure you’ve got everything covered is the smart move and all but… You’ve covered all the bases and then some.”
Even with this many people taking on the job, the take would likely be more than enough - provided no one was trying to screw the others. But that was something Soot couldn’t rely on. Free agent work like this drew all sorts of unreliable folk in, and Soot was intent on sussing the worst ones out and finding a way to get rid of them.

The old man turned his head to listen to the otter as he spoke, waiting respectfully for him to finish talking before answering his question. His expression seemed to turn a little sour, even pained, as the otter talked.
"It's more for your own protection, to be quite honest. Buncha folks around these parts have been picking off other groups that have gone looking for the criminals, tryin to make sure no one else gets to the money before they do. I figure if y'all have a nice sized group, you're less likely to be in danger from vultures like that. Plus, it's a pretty good ride to where the clues, few as they may be, end. It's probably about fifteen miles west of here. Y'all don't need to be riding through the wilderness in small groups. That's just asking for someone to die."
The otter nodded at the man, understanding the unfortunate predicament that they’d be in if they accepted the job. He put his paw back down and fell back on his heels. Convincing the gentleman to let some of them go was clearly not an option, but Soot had worked with less ideal circumstances. He then looked about the room, waiting for the rest of the meeting to proceed.