It’s a charity case. ( one that predates the casino. there’s a hint of displeasure in his voice, describing the situation as such. pay no attention to the pink-haired twink losing every hand of poker behind the curtain, please. ) Besides, chips hardly count for much.

( such is the perspective of someone who’s just high enough of a rank to take it easy, of course. perhaps he’d feel differently if he, too, was in the basement— but even then, the poorest lodgings here still are indoors. there are worse places to be.

for instance: a haunted bar that serves dogshit whiskey. )

Blessings dilute the blood too much for magic. ( a statement that’s recited from memory, a teaching; not his own words, but ones heard often. whether it’s true... ) But I wouldn’t say I’m unfamiliar.

( not to say that he truly understands what she means by ‘tools,’ either. it’s just not his first time brushing up against an underground trade. )