Quoted By:
“Does the painting in there count as part of his possessions?” You ask for clarification. “An ally’s soul is inside and I kinda wanna save her.”
“An ally’s soul…? What in the stars happened?” Lady Steen is thrown for a loop.
“Beats me, we found her like this.” You shrug. “Magic exists and flames can be wild, we can make sense of it later.”
“I concur. Curiosity be damned.” Lady Steen crosses her arms and seems deep in thought. “If I may speak freely, my contractor never specified the items themselves. I’m willing to part with it.”
“Really? Thank you a lot!” You sigh in relief.
“Easy there, I’m *willing* to part with it for a good price.” Lady Steen shakes her head. “I receive a hefty penalty if I don’t meet my contractual obligations, yet it’s a loss I can withstand. It stays a hard sell regardless. It could potentially leave me at odds with my contractor as well. Not good optics.”
“What if I make sure the painting isn’t his?” You now turn to the old guard. “Hey, sir, are the paintings prison property?”
“I apologize, young man. Everything on this floor is confidential, including the paintings. My life is less valuable than these secrets.” The old guard sounds genuinely apologetic. Now that you think about it, the other guard that was with him is gone, the young one. The one who came to warn you up and left before Lady Steen stepped inside. “Again, if I could lend a hand, I would.”
“Should we ask the prisoner then?” Lady Steen proposes. No fondness for this guy at all.
“H-Hubbard here!” The old dust shouts from within the walls. “H-He refuses to move his lips, the cretin!”
“Why not? She’s here to save his ass. Tell him he’d leave if he clarifies.” You point out.
“He says she’s here to *take him out of the prison*, he could end up dead outside.” Hubbard can’t even blame him.
“Can you assure his safety?” You think as long as she promises it, it’ll be fine, right?
“Not in a contract.” Lady Steen has no idea what her client wants from this guy, or if she does, she doesn’t know if he will let him live afterward. “Our options are limited. It’s back to the negotiation table.”
“Yeah…” You wonder why this can’t be easy.
