Under the archway, the clerk's office crouches in dim stone and shuttered wood. Everen and the swordsman stand above the drift of bazaar noise, cooled by shade and by the first breath of evening.
The swordsman paces two more turns, then stops hard at the edge of the arch. His jaw works once, as if he still tastes the debt that was not his.
Bren
I was ready to spill blood for a lie. Speak plain, mage, does that stain wash out?
Everen
We do not wash it out by losing ourselves. We make it count, and we make them answer.
The words land. His shoulders ease a fraction, and the tight grip he had on his sword loosens without quite letting go.
Bren
Then I stand with you. Not as a hired blade, as a man with a grievance.
From lower on the lane, the merchant lingers near the steps, hands folded around his ledger. He watches the two of them with wary gratitude, as if a bargain has finally found its true shape.
The Merchant
That is better than blood. If you mean to climb into the counting office, do it with a clear head. I can point the way, and leave you to your work.
✓ Quest Accepted
Gain the swordsman’s agreement to a measured approach
“"Swordmen first, your name please."”
SUCCESS (Good Oratory, rolled +0)
The swordsman stills under the arch, then gives a short, self-conscious huff. His hand shifts on the hilt as if the next words cost him more than the last fight did.
Bren
Bren. Just Bren, if we are being plain.
The merchant glances between them, the corner of his mouth easing at the sound of it. Evening light spills farther into the lane, touching the torn seal on his ledger like a bruise.
The Merchant
Then plain it is. Bren, Mage, come, before the office shutters us out for the night.
Bren looks once toward Everen, the tension in his jaw gone softer now, and then he gives a small nod toward the stair. Trust, for the moment, holds.
Everen
The clerk's office is still the next step.
Quest Complete
Gain the swordsman’s agreement to a measured approach