After a few moments of Will just staring awkwardly, the silence was broken by a soft cough from Jocelyn.

“Brick, don’t act a fool.” she said. “You know what he means.”

“Right, of course I do.” Brick said, his face turning serious. “But while I may have been quite obtuse about it, I do have a point I’m getting to.”

“Then do get to it.” Jocelyn said.

“Right away, Miss Maestra.” Brick said. He put a hand into his hat and fished out a gold coin and held it up to Will as he spoke. “You stole for this, I suspect. Precious metals are the most common currency in the world, and for good reason. They’re easy to understand, and everyone can both use them and be used by them equally. Or almost everyone.” He grabbed the coin, and flipped it away and into the fireplace. Will winced involuntarily. Although he wasn’t in a need of money right now, he still mostly thought as an impoverished person would. Destroying money like that was simply incomprehensibly stupid.

His hand twitched towards the coin, but he stopped it. It was already melting by the heat of the fire. Brick snapped his fingers, and a second coin seemed to materialize from nothing into his hand.

“A particular gold coin isn’t any different from any other one.” Brick said. “That’s what makes it simple, and so ubiquitous. But after a person gets a certain amount of coins they just stop having the same value. For people like us who work around alchemists especially, a different currency is much, much, more important.”

“What’s that then?” Will said, still half looking at Brick and half staring at the slowly melting coin in the fireplace.

“Influence.” Brick said. “Secrets, connections and politics. Any and all of them, take your pick. They’re all valuable, and can be used to trade the same as gold. Information is a type of currency that’s much more vague and indeterminable than cold hard cash, so it can’t be used with just anyone. In this context, secrets are one of the most precious things a person can have.”

He twirled the second coin around his fingers, and suddenly it vanished just as it had arrived. Then he turned and looked straight at Will.

“And of course at the center it all lay alchemy. Materials to be exact. They’re the major reason we play these games in the first place. These materials are the lifeblood of any alchemist, and even most high society non-trained. They’re not like gold, in that they are both consumable and expire rather quickly. Everyone’s supplies constantly need to be refilled, or they’ll starve out.” He paused, and turned to look straight into Will’s eyes. “You say you stole money to pay for food and housing? Well what we’re doing is basically the same thing. Our gold is information, our food is materials.”

Will didn’t know what to say. He sort of got what Brick’s meaning was, yet something about it gnawed at him, saying that it wasn’t as simple as Brick was making it out to be. On the other hand he couldn’t figure out a way to poke a hole in it either, so he was left just sitting there with nothing to say. Eventually Brick looked away and said, more casually this time.

“Then again, that’s just for the ones in charge. For people like you and me, although it’s important to know and understand how it works...” He flicked and the coin appeared once more in his hand. “...Gold is still very much so the end goal.”

Will frowned.

“So basically everything you’ve said is a giant excuse just so you can steal stuff?” he said.

Brick started, then began laughing loudly.

“I like you, Will.” he said. “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good thing…” Will said.

“I bet.” Brick said. Once he calmed down slightly he continued. “You’re 100 percent right, of course. I use it as an excuse to steal stuff.”

Will nodded. “Just checking.” He wasn’t sure exactly what had happened, but somehow he had less of a problem with it than when they’d started talking. He still didn’t like the idea of stealing, but it was true that he had done it before, several times. Perhaps he shouldn’t be the one to judge.

“Besides,” Brick continued. “It’s not as if everyone else isn’t doing the same thing. Alchemists steal and try to outmaneuver each other all the time. Just wait a while, and you’ll find something we’ve paid for, or sent explorers to go find, end up with someone else. It’s inevitable.”

“I see.” Will said with a frown. Brick nodded.

“Good,” he said. He gave Will a once over, then nodded again. “You seem adaptable, at least. I can work with that. Even though you have strange moral restrictions.”

“It’s strange to be averse to theft?” Will asked.

“For a dockworker it is.” Brick said. Will couldn’t really argue with that one. After a moment Jocelyn cleared her throat, and both Will and Brick turned to face her direction.

“Now that introductions, as well as some other words, are out of the way, can we get to the important part?” she said.

“Of course.” Will said. He was a bit embarrassed. He had been getting more comfortable with speaking his mind, but this much was a first. Something about Brick and what he’d said had brought it out of him. Luckily Jocelyn didn’t seem too upset they were the only ones talking.

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“Right away, Lady Jocelyn.” Brick said with a grin. She shot him a glare and he quickly continued.

“As I was saying, there is a Red Lantern grove in the Midalan Highlands up for grabs, but we have to be quick. The expedition is almost ready to depart, and we have to get there first.”

“How do you suggest we do that? They have such a large head start…” Alice said.

“They’re expedition is rather large. Ours can’t be. We have to be able to travel faster than they do, so we have to go with fewer members. In return we won’t be able to gather as much, of course, but that’s the price we have to pay.”

“I assume you already have a crew in mind?” Jocelyn said.

“Naturally.” Brick said. “I have two reliable companions who’d jump at the chance as soon as I ask. All I need from you is payment and money to rent the horses. Oh and the wyvern gloves.”

Jocelyn thought for a moment, tapping her chin. “So a four man team including Will…” she mused. “You won’t be able to carry much, especially since you said you would be traveling quickly. I assume that means no cart?”

Brick nodded. “I think we could carry two full packs per horse without causing damage to the shrooms. Half full if we need to rush on the way back as well.”

“That’s not a lot… I mean, it’s more than enough to cover expenses, but your team’s pay won’t be very high if you only gather so little.” Jocelyn frowned. “Why do you want to do this? What’s your angle?”

Brick shrugged. “Rives is the one leading the expedition.” he said. “I still owe him for the Bernstar fiasco.” His face crumpled as he all but forced those last words out like they tasted bad.

Jocelyn and Will’s eyebrows both shot up, and Alice couldn’t help but let out a chortle.

“After all you said to Will about stealing to avoid starving, that’s your reason?” she said.

“No, no, no, Alice. That’s why you’re doing it. I’m doing it for completely selfish reasons.” Brick said shamelessly. “But Will here doesn’t seem to be the same type of man as me, which isn’t very surprising as not many people can claim that honor, so I explained it in a way that he’d also get on board.”

Will shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Alice threw up her hands.

“Why did I even ask.” she muttered, mostly to herself. Jocelyn didn’t react to what Brick had said, instead she looked to be deep in thought. Then she turned her face towards Will.

“So, what do you think?” she asked him. “You’ve heard the reason, and you know what’s going on. If you don’t feel you want to go I won’t force you.”

Will grimaced. Great, she was leaving the decision up to him. Although it was pretty obvious what she wanted, Will could tell she was being serious. If he said no, she wouldn’t force him nor blame him for refusing. She truly wasn’t one who thought of rank at all. It was a trait that Will both appreciated greatly, who didn’t want to be treated like an equal, and made him very uncomfortable at the same time. It was true that his first instinct had been aversion to the thought of stealing someone’s valuable find, but the more he thought about it the less unappealing it seemed. He didn’t know if it was because of what Brick had said or something else. Perhaps it was just that he hadn’t wanted to think about the fact that he had already stolen, but now that Brick had brought it up he couldn’t find a way to argue out of it. Perhaps he’d been lying to himself, or trying to, at least.

“Are these Red Lanterns really as important as Brick’s saying?” he found himself asking.

“I’m afraid so.” Jocelyn said with a sigh. “No matter what else he said, we alchemists are always desperate for more material with which to practice our craft.” She trailed off, gave Brick a quick glance, then shook her head and continued.

“You’ve been feeling very lethargic lately.” she said. It wasn’t a question. Will blinked, then nodded. Brick’s eyes opened wider and he turned to stare at Will.

“How did you know that?” he asked.

“It’s a common side effect of not doing enough alchemy.” Jocelyn said.

“I don’t follow.” Will said.

“You don’t have to. I will explain at a later time, trust me.” she said. “Just know that that feeling, along with a few other worse ones, is the reason we alchemists are so desperate for ingredients.”

Will’s thoughts were a jumbled mess. This conversation had suddenly turned in a direction he had not seen coming. Not at all. Was she insinuating that he was an alchemist? Surely she couldn’t be. The mere thought was preposterous. Then what was she saying?

Suddenly like a flash of lightning insight struck his mind.

“The potion.” he whispered. That had to be it. He’d been exposed to the potion for too long, and that’s why he was having these side effects.

“Perhaps.” Jocelyn said. “As I said I will explain more in time. For now I just wanted to give you some perspective, perhaps make your choice easier.”

Will took a deep breath. The potion must have been truly special… And now that he thought about it it also made sense why she wanted to hire him. Perhaps she was studying him as much as she was the potion.

But that was fine with him. If she paid him this well she could study him all she liked…

...Or at least some. He owed her that much. Actually he probably owed her a lot more. Ah..

“Ok, I’ll go.” he said. Jocelyn nodded, and Brick clapped his hands together.

“Excellent,” he said. He rose from his seat. “Come with me, Will.”

“Right now?” Will said, surprised.

Brick halfway to the door stopped and turned around. “Huh? Yes of course right now. Didn’t you hear what I said; we’re in a hurry here. We need to go as soon as possible. Ah that reminds me.” He turned to Jocelyn. “I’ll grab money for the horses on the way out. Come now, Will.”

Will got up from his seat and began to follow after.

“The money’s in the usual spot.” Jocelyn said after them. “And just so you know I know how much gold is in that chest.”

“I’ll take what I need and not a coin more.” Brick said with mock severity.

“I trust that you won’t.” Jocelyn said.

“Oh and Brick,” she added as the two of them were passing through the door. They turned around and Brick cocked his head curiously.

“Do not breathe a word of what I said here to anyone.” Jocelyn said. Her gaze suddenly cold as ice. “Not to anyone.”

“I would never.” Brick said, for once completely serious. He turned and silently followed Will out the door before closing it behind them, then turned and began to walk down the hallway.

“This way,” he said. “I’ll take you to meet the rest of the crew.”