Gratianus rolled his eyes, keeping most of his focus on the ritual. "You said these supplies are for your competitors, not your enemies. That implies you'd also have a use for them, no? Here's a mutually agreeable offer: we finish escorting Smirk and his supplies to Sandpoint or another town similarly close by of your choice; wherever 'Pillbug' would have otherwise 'taken care of the rest'. You then buy the supplies for a fair price, Smirk pays us for the escort, and then we are available to work for this 'Pillbug' fellow." Gratianus managed to keep the conceit out of his voice; those who saw the world in only black and white were an antithesis of him. "You not only deprive competitors of supplies, but gain them for yourself. Smirk gets to sell his supplies for close to what he was planning to. We get paid for the escort job, and have a promise of more profitable work in the future. And, of course, we all get to avoid any fighting." He switched over to Common for the benefit of the rest of the group. "Let's see if he'll take the counter-offer."