"Well, I mean, I got blackmailed and I figure you'd want to be next in line," Neil said, shrugging. Stedder was a reasonable man, but he wasn't a very trusting one, even to someone as generally harmless as the 'thieving moonlighter' Neil. Tibs opened a door in the back and moved as stealthily as one could in stark eyesight, and Neil realized he was trying not to bother Stedder rather than be unseen by the unexpected guests. Neil wondered just how long Stedder would keep this kid around. Neil got into the thieving business by necessity, though admittedly, he learned to love it very quickly. He wondered when this kid would make the choice to make it a life or not. 

"Well I appreciate it, but I don't appreciate it." Stedder said back with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Neil didn't blink at the facetious comment. 

"I'm serious, Sted." Neil admitted apologetically. "I guess I could maybe offer you some...fish? We got a lot of that. I can offer you information on a certain inspector that's been snooping around. But at the end of the day, either you help me or I help him with you." Stedder opened his mouth, moving his hands as if to get a better position on his chair when he heard the telltale 'click' of Neil's pistol from behind the jacket he had taken off and placed in his lap. Stedder gave him a look that seemed half warning, half surprise. Neil raised his brows. He wasn't going to take a chance. "Wouldn't you just rather me pay you?" 

Stedder's face was unreadable. He only glanced at Emmaline once, but otherwise just kept his eyes on Neil until he relaxed a long, drawn out second later. "Ok, I can see something's pushing you. You wouldn't do this, otherwise." Neil nodded, and Stedder sighed. "Ok, what do you want to know?" 

"You're familiar with the gunnery college explosion, right?" 

"Yeah." 

"Yeah. There was a shipment of twenty tons of black powder from the Grey Mountains that disappeared a fortnight ago before the siege. It disappeared [i]in[/i] the city." He could really use a drink, come to think of it. He loved discussing future business. Neil, however, didn't bandy words. "Where is it?" 

Stedder blinked, incredulous. He looked around, as if he was being duped. "Are you serious? I'll help you with that, Sigmar's balls." Stedder laughed, shaking his head. Neil even heard a bit of his native Middenland accent in it. At Neil and Emmaline's confusion, he clarified. "I'm pretty sure it was taken by cultists, and not the well-to-do sigmarite kind." 

"What?" Neil started, taken aback. "Why didn't- oh yeah." The cogs were practically moving visibly in his charming little head. 

"They're in a barge. One of the ones commandeered by the countess." 

"Hold on, wait. Let me guess." Neil started. "The barge came into the port and signed in as a gunpowder shipment. Since it's black powder week, they kept it on board to keep it from being mixed with the experimental ordinance. When the siege happened, they had a crooked guard-" 

"Two." 

"-Two crooked guards," Neil corrected, holding up two fingers. "To commandeer the vessel, kill the dockmaster in the confusion, declare the barge held other goods, and now in order to steal it, it's guarded by the very government that needs the goddamn blackpowder from right under its nose?" 

Stedder's nod had Neil laughing. "Fuck!"