"No, no. Of course you're not being held to anything right now. We just want you to keep it in mind, that's all."
"I still don't see why you're coming to me with this... " "I've never been interested in half the things you and yours deal in. It's not really my thing."
"It's the half you are interested in that we care about. Like I said, don't make a decision right now, think on it."
He nodded at the dark-skinned elf, who looked more a warrior than a merchant; his half naked body riddled scars, and the rest looking as if he were ready to go to war, outfitted with some basic lightweight armor and more different types of weapons than he cared to count. "Will that be all then?"
"Yes, yes of course. I apologize for the inconvenience." The Drow nodded at a large cloaked man who had been standing uncomfortably close to him for the duration of their conversation. Obeying the nod, the man moved forward and, with a knife, severed the ropes binding him to his chair: the decidedly more uncomfortable part about his situation.
Rubbing his wrists where the tight ropes had chaffed his skin, he made a slight bow to the Elf who was still seated in his own wooden chair and skirted around the man towards the door. As he put his had on the knob however the Drow spoke up behind him. "Oh. By the way... Don't tell your friends."
Not a problem, he thought as he turned the knob and left the room behind
***
Relic stood, arms crossed, in a long hallway in the Keep with one of his brothers, a man he had known for generations; a human, several inches taller than Relic, though a bit more wiry. Although he was a fierce strider, by trade, he was the longest standing Vox of the Hoard, and though once a pupil of Relic's, they now sought council with each other.
"And what did he say?" the tall Human asked of Relic, speaking of one of his recent meetings with what they called "The Potential".
"Before or after he shit himself?", Relic replied with a grin.
The strider before him sighed. "Are you ever serious?"
Still grinning Relic said, "He said the same as all the rest, brother: that he would consider it. Which is all we ask in the first place." His grin fading he added, "Besides, we cannot expect to find true brothers by looking... you know this is how it's always been, they must come to us."
"Yes, I know, I know... but we still must get the word out. What about those closest to us? Have they said much?"
"No, they cannot, and will not, betray theirs until it is safe to do so, we can't expect more than that. The whisper, however, has been placed in their ears. All we can do is be patient."
"I hope patience will put coin in our pockets..."
"Stand on the right corner with enough patience and it will." Relic cackled at his own wit.
Rolling his eyes the taller man said, "We've got a lot of work to do, best that we get to it."
