"Feh." Adele wasn't overly fond of being manhandled, but the violent urge to return the gesture of her arm being grabbed with a punch was more shocking than enabling. It was certainly in her nature to be mouthy, but violent? Never. The society she'd lived in could forgive hot-headed insults, but not physical assaults.

[i]What makes it worse is the fact that all of them are right. I'm not grateful for this brat's sudden sense of conscience, but alienating our only informant isn't a smart move. Zach's apparently so confident that he already wants more money for our trouble, but Marcel's right to worry over the immediate threat this presents.[/i] Adele moved her free hand to muss over her hair--a calming gesture as she tried to keep her temper from getting the best of her again.

"Look, I apologize for exploding like that. It's just--the moves Gaivus has been making defy any sense of caution. I'm sure you're obligated to follow orders and keep up appearances to hold your job, but look around you. Every person here has a name, friends and family. Your enemy is apparently targeting your Gaivus, but they've also shown no mercy to the people close to him. Protecting your company assets and your own personal wealth is mportant, sure, but don't forget that part of those assets are human beings. If you intend to be the steward of a company, you are also responsible for what happens to those people, so keep in mind that every action you take affects them and their future." Adele's tone had softened, but her gaze toward the woman was still stern. She needed to establish some trust, but she wasn't going to grovel for it.

"There are some assumptions we can already make from what you've said. It's obvious hat you've been closely watched or infiltrated, which means the enemy is aware of your travelling routes and stops. The assassination attempts don't seem particularly professional, given the casualties that only drew attention, but they are able to set up well planned attacks all the same. They'd also need considerable wealth to hire multiple thugs across such a distance, so we're at least a little closer to understanding who's after your boss. I'd like to know why they want him dead, but discerning the identity of this 'mastermind' isn't important at the moment." Adele folded her arms, turning more thoughtful than stern. "Our best clue right now is that site of the tree trap. If we could determine roughly how recently it was made and if the thugs are still nearby, we could at least uncover whether we're dealing with a common band of thieves or the people after Gaivus. There's even a possibility that the assassins are seeking help from local rogue bands to tackle a group of mercenaries like us.

"Given the nature of the former attacks, however, I don't think ambushing us in the wilderness would be their style. Taking out an entire band of White Guards would draw far too much attention to their goal, not to mention inflict the wrath of a multi-national group of active mercenaries. If they strike, I imagine it will be a precise and quick move while the majority of us are distracted. If we think along those lines and assume that they were the ones responsible for the trap, it may have simply been a way of gaging reaction time or even slowing us down.

"Of course, if we make that assumption, we'd also have to assume that they knew about the route we'd take since this morning or sooner, which means someone close to Gaivus is currently feeding information. If they'd expected us to take the main road instead, it would make sense for them to have tried to scare us back to where they'd made plans for us to be. Maybe they were buying time to put a larger group together--who can say?

"What I can say with complete confidence is that taking these merchants to the noble estates without informing them of our situation first is out of the question. If something were to happen to them or their serving staff because of the issues surrounding Gaivus, how could we possibly justify it? The safest strategy is to return immediately towards the main road and make our way from there. Even if we were attacked, the footing and visibility in addition to the towers' security would make any sort of ambush much less plausible."