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If Cinder had a coin for every time someone in this room asked a stupid question, she'd have... Well, a lot of coins. She hadn't exactly been keeping track of every person's questions, but a couple of them had managed to make her roll her eyes. The orc it seemed was practical and greedy, which she could respect. He also didn't seem keen on talking to anyone that he didn't have to, and this she could [i]also[/i] respect. Cinder had been known to socialize on occasion, but for the most part the genasi preferred to mainly enjoy either solitude or the company of her dragon Ulleiss, who wasn't prone towards towards being irritating or otherwise unpleasant to be around. At least not until he started lecturing her... 

The tiefling was charismatic and charming (typical), and seemed very keen to get information on the phoenix that they were supposed to be transporting. Cinder would be lying if she said that it didn't pique her curiosity as well. However she had no intention of jeopardizing her payday by sticking her nose where it didn't belong, and frankly she didn't understand why anyone else would want to do so either. What good was that going to do them? Sure, a phoenix was a rare sight indeed, but the fact of the matter was that it wasn't their problem who it did or didn't go to, and she very much doubted that a well-known businessman such as Mr. Garrick would involve himself in anything that was overtly criminal or worth sticking their nose into, and if he were going to do so she found it hard to believe that he would hire a bunch of wayward strangers to transport the cargo. It just wasn't logical. Wouldn't it make more sense to just send people that he trusted on an undercover errand, and to avoid the show of it all? 

Then there were the two tabaxi, who appeared to be siblings. They seemed fairly unproblematic. The one was quiet as a dormouse and spoke very politely, and overall seemed like a decent fellow. Poor thing. It also seemed that Val had caught his eye, and Cinder almost cringed in sympathy for the young Tabaxi as she imagined how many different ways Val would have him twisted around her slimy fingers. Perhaps she should give him a warning... Well, she wasn't going to interrupt the meeting to do it, but if an opportunity presented itself she'd probably say something. It would be cruel to not at least [i]try[/i] and save the poor boy some heartache. Hopefully his brother would see an issue with it as well and say something, but Cinder wasn't prone towards relying on other people to do the smart thing. That being said his brother didn't seem terrible either. He was a lot more talkative (and perhaps a tiny bit mad), which could be annoying if he started to pester her, but as long as he minded his business and didn't try to interact with her too much she'd be fine with him. 

Then there was the goliath... She had a feeling that he was going to be a problem. He seemed to be the dramatic type, and his questions indicated that he thought there was some sort of conspiracy as to how Mr. Garrick had come to hire them. Cinder's question was why? It was hardly unusual for a wealthy person to gather several different people to form a party for a task that they'd rather not do themselves, and if she remembered the letter she received correctly then he had been gathering people "of some repute," meaning that all of them would have a reputation of some sort in their field of work. Was he really that surprised that someone had recommended him? That didn't give her much confidence as to his abilities, but then again, she wasn't the one paying him so she supposed that it didn't really matter all that much. Then there was his question about transportation. What did he think this was? A charity? She figured that most reasonable people would have arranged for their own transportation when informed that they were going on a drive across the continent, but maybe she was just crazy. Cinder gave him in particular a rather long and unimpressed glance before her attention was called away by Val. 

Ugh, Val... The pointy-eared devil was a menace, and Cinder just hoped she'd decide this drive was too much work for her. She really didn't want to deal with her for the entire drive. 

"I have just one question, sir," Cinder spoke up once it seemed that everyone else was done. 

"What time is dinner?" 

Mr. Garrick chuckled at her question. 

"It'll be at 5:30 sharp. All of you are welcome to roam the grounds and explore a bit until then- I know one of you fine boys wanted to see the livestock you'll be transporting, yes?" He nodded towards the two tabaxi. 

"Just listen to whatever the guards tell you to do and mind your distance from the fences. Some of the creatures are docile, but others... Not so much. I'll send my butler to call after all of you once supper is about to be served. Unless there's anything else, y'all are free to collect your down payments and go." 

"Thank you." 

Cinder walked over to the desk and waited as the old man reached down and pulled out a drawer, producing a sack of coin which he then handed to her. She gave a respectful nod before backing away from the desk, turning on her heel, and quickly making an exit out of the room in an attempt to escape before Val or anyone else could try to talk to her.