[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/4zEf6qn.png[/img]
[sub][@Rune_Alchemist][@Aerandir][@Guilty Spark][/sub][/center]
[b]"Thank you."[/b]

Qantz-Farron slipped the flask into the folds of his dark coat in one smooth motion, nodding once towards Nyrien. His hands stayed in his pockets as he took in the thoughts of his colleagues, letting their words and beliefs seep into his mind. The line that Finn drew was too long for his liking; the degrees of separation from customer to dealer to producer was long and uncertain. Would dealers continue their work, when they’ve lost contact with their producer? Sera’s words had some weight to it though. Unpreparedness and overconfidence lead to unseemly demises, whether above or below the surface. The work she wished to prepare though…Qantz-Farron gazed towards the shuttered windows, the ones that lead out to the training fields. Fields for combat training, but no qualifications of intellect or skill.

The Watch had professionals but lacked individual power.

The Guild had amateurs but held plentiful might.

It was in these liminal spaces, where skill and experience did not outweigh power and recklessness, that adventurers existed, bringing forth sub-optimal solutions using a motley collection of capabilities. Like puzzle pieces forcefully pushed through incorrect places. Like snakes contorting into tunnels meant for worms. He listened to Sera and Finn spar a little more. The archer was finally getting his footing, conversation-wise. That was good.

Qantz-Farron took a breath and spoke.

[b]“When the situation calls for flight, creatures make one of two decisions. They can escape back to their group, finding protection in anonymity, or they can escape away from their group, seeking to divert the predator from the collective.”[/b] The black-eyed man pulled out a pale hand, extending two slim fingers. [b]“Roaches, when flushed out, will scurry to their homes, to their group. Our friends in the sewers will do the same. If they are alone, they will seek the group. If they are together, we let one go. So long as we [i]manage[/i] their fear, they will not blind themselves with it.”[/b]

With his other hand, Qantz-Farron pulled out the flask again.

[b]“As for finding our first, we have this. A unique concoction, a taste foreign to the sewers, and the [i]producers[/i] who’ve brewed it. If the dead are pleased, it will lead to the individual. If the forebearers are pleased, it will lead to the hideout.”[/b]

He brought both hands into his pockets once more, smiling his mirthless smile.

[b]“Leave the Watch to their tedium of investigation and interview. Our work does not rely on words.”[/b]