Zarius is learning that Vail has a lot of thoughts and likes using a lot of words to communicate those thoughts, but only with those he feels will listen. Every time he speaks with Vail, it's like another piece of a puzzle is revealed and put into place. The full picture becomes clearer each time.

The look of desperation in the man's eyes is a bit surprising. Whatever incident Vail was referring to must have shaken him to his core. 

Vail had been pretty adamant about not taking on any jobs that would put him in difficult situations where others were likely to suffer. Zarius had assumed it was perhaps because the man just wanted to distance himself from the horrors he witnessed in Darkveil's underground, but now it seems it's more complicated than just that. 

He sits back and contemplates what Vail is offering him. It's a tempting offer. He can always use more people who are willing to do anything, especially when he knows they are likely to get the job done no matter what. Any crime boss would look at Vail and see nothing but opportunities with limited to no risk should something go wrong. 

His eyes close as Vail finishes saying his piece. 

No. 

He wouldn't do it. 

"Vail," he starts, keeping his tone measured and calm. "I hear what you are saying, and I can see how important it is to you. But, even if you only see yourself as a tool, that is not how I treat my allies. You are not disposable, and I will only send you on missions I believe you will safely complete."

His eyes flit over to Mei and he catches her glancing his way. Was she judging how he would respond? It wouldn't surprise him. How someone with power and influence responds to such an offer says a lot about them and their values.

If he was being honest, many of his own words are honied on purpose, to specifically make himself look better than those who would be far too eager to take advantage of someone being so openly desperate. This strategy has proven to work in his favor plenty of times before. People who feel that they are only tools are much more likely to turn on those who wield them as such should the scales tip out of their favor. 

He'd rather avoid all that. He'd rather bide his time and build trust in a more outwardly earnest manner even if the motivation is still just to have people willing to do what he asks without question further down the road. 

A long con takes a lot of patience, and sometimes it means making sacrifices early on in hopes of them paying off later. 

"If it is answers you need, we will get them. There is no need for you to put yourself in more danger just to pay back an arbitrary debt you think you owe me for my help." 

He sits back and dusts some ash off his knee. 

"Instead of running away, perhaps what you need is to find something to run towards. If you want help with that, I am more than happy to provide my assistance. I would make you this offer even if your motivation was as 'trivial as revenge'." 

There's no doubt in his mind that Mei probably feels a certain way about revenge being referred to as trivial, but it seems she is holding her tongue for the moment. That's probably for the best. Vail need not know about any of the other arrangements the fellblood has with his other allies. Not for now at least. 

He doesn't expect Vail to appreciate the fellblood's counter offer, and he wouldn't be surprised if the man thinks he's being dismissive of his concerns and requests. None of this is any of his business at the end of the day, but he does respect Vail and is fine with helping him even if it means having to go to extra lengths to accommodate his odd condition.

"If it is worth anything, I do not think you are a monster. True monsters do not regret their actions or request their own destruction should they harm someone else. Until you get to that point, I do not think you are beyond hope, and if there is a way to cure your condition, we can look for it as well."

Vail stays still until Zarius finishes talking, only to sink back into the cushioned chair with a disheartened groan, his head tilting upwards as he looks to the ceiling.

Why can't anyone just give me a simple yes or no?

Zarius’s words express a sentiment that is still quite foreign to Vail. Any show of concern for his well-being was prefaced by his value as an asset to the family, whether it be for future use or short-term gain; you don’t win a war of attrition by throwing away resources after all. That wasn’t the only cause of his misgivings, however. Part of him can’t help but wonder if Zarius doesn’t understand the extent of his desperation. His own safety hardly matters, liabilities aren’t afforded such a luxury, and as for his condition… The fellblood speaks as if he’ll be given time to realize when there is no going back.

Still, it’s not as if Zarius is speaking from baseless grounds. The fellblood had already gone out of his way to rescue him once before, and that was before he even offered to work for him. In his old life, such an act would go a lot farther than any amount of solars, but after the betrayal of his previous family, even words of sympathy could be followed by a knife to the back. Then again, such an act was specifically what Vail had requested…

His head drifts back down with a less than confident expression, but rather than looking at Zarius, his eyes wander to Mei, catching a glimpse of their furrowed brow. He was unsure whether their expression had soured due to his words or Zaruis’s but regardless, he was eager to get another opinion on the matter and to see whether the fellblood’s honeyed words held any merit.

“What do you think Mei? Do these words sound familiar? Promises of fulfilling your desires with no great costs of your own? Did you get any sympathy or pity for your prior sins? More importantly, if someone was a threat, conscious of their actions or not, would you be comfortable around them? Or would you recognize them for what they are?”

A silence lingers for a brief moment before the scarred man breaks it with a grunt of resignation, his tired eyes drifting back to Zarius as he finally gives a response.

“Whatever your intentions may be, I’m not in a position where I can be picky. I’ll take what I can get, but don’t think you’re going to rope me into some grand conspiracy. I’d prefer to keep my visibility here to a minimum, even if that means continuing to exist as only a memory to those I once held close.”
Vail pauses for a moment as recenters himself, leaning forward as holds a cold stare into the fellblood’s golden eyes. “Regardless of your opinion of me, I ask that you heed my warnings, not for my sake, but rather your allies. That is if your words hold any merit, of course.”

He holds his stare across the room for a few more seconds before breaking it with a smirk as he leans back. If Zarius was plotting some manner of scheme through his promises, he had made one fatal mistake; he’d missed a perfectly good opportunity to request an end to the incessant teasing and bad jokes. “I’d say none of us were expecting something like this when we woke up this morning, but look on the bright side, at least no one is going to complain how dirty your roof is now.”

With his poorly timed joke finally unleashed, Vail gets up and approaches the Zaruis and Mei. His eyes wander as they continue to take in the hall’s grandeur, before stopping to look at the pair with a neutral expression. “It sucks to lose a home, but I’d say this place is far more luxurious than any hovel I ever had to rest in, and if I had to guess, today there are far more people in my situation than yours. Be thankful you didn’t lose your shelter… or family.”

Mei certainly does feel some way about this back and forth.

Zarius knows where she stands on the subject; and to hear affirmation of Vail's choice of phrase shades her expression somewhat. She purses her lips while she tilts her face away from Zarius and Vail and listens to the fellblood present his counter offer.

She is quiet, but she listens.

Vail is reckless; he wants answers; and he’s willing to do anything for it.

Mei understands that feeling; she felt that way once. She was willing to risk it all for only a chance to hurt the Crimson Hand. The changeling casts a sidelong glance at Zarius, with the peripherals of his family home so clearly in her vision, before lowering her lashes.

When Vail addresses her, she has trained her expression into something neutral.

With a breath that raises her shoulders slightly, she leans forwards and rests her crossed arms over the apex of her thighs. She doesn’t know Vail’s story in its entirety, but in some ways, she can relate to the raw feelings of the man in front of her.

“Not a single one of us sitting in this room can claim to be without some kind of sin.” she says, “I never wanted sympathy or pity, and I still don’t. With all due respect, Vail, second chances in Darkveil are unusual; even if all you seek from the underworld is answers, don’t squander your opportunity to get them by being reckless. You have to live if you’re going to ever see the answers you’re willing to sacrifice everything for.”

With a slow breath, Mei pushes her palms into her knees and uses the leverage to lean back into her chair; her expression softens somewhat. “… That being said, my words will not alleviate your worries. Words only say so much; I judge those around me by their actions- those which they control, not those which they cannot. Your warnings and concerns say volumes of your character as it stands; but, regardless… should you choose to accept Zarius’ offer, I am sure you will see through his actions that his words are not just the prettiest of sympathies.” She runs her fingers through her ash-laden hair, and gathers it behind her with a small puff. She doesn’t have a hair tie on her, so she releases it, letting it pillow back around her shoulders with a soft sigh.

She allows the silence to linger, or for Zarius and Vail to say their peace; only choosing to make sound when Vail cracks an alarmingly out of place joke, earning him a snort from the changeling, followed by a series of coughs into her hand. “What roof?” she scoffs back, sighing heavily as she pushes back into her chair with an over exaggerated sigh. “I suppose if we’re looking at the silver lining, that might be one of them. No one even looks at the rafters except for Charlotte and Ebony, and they’re half the problem.”

She looks at Vail, watching his approach with a cautious gaze; with a slow breath, she dips her head in acknowledgement.

The fellblood keeps quiet as Mei weighs in with her own thoughts. She of course doesn't drag him through the mud even if she likely agrees with Vail that Zarius' words are pretty out of place within the criminal underground circles of Darkveil. It's not like Zarius isn't aware of that himself. Regardless, Mei's answer is a respectable and reasonable one. Words only go so far. Actions are what actually get things done. 

Vails response, on the other hand, makes Zarius' face visibly indignant. The groan? Really? What is this teenage display? You'd think Zarius just told him that he couldn't have a second helping of dessert until he cleaned his room. And Vail saw him as the spoiled one? 

Well, he's not wrong. 

But if Vail wants to act like a snot-nosed teenager, Zarius can play that game too. 

"Vail. You may not be in a position to be picky, but that does not mean that I cannot use my position to be picky on your behalf. And I simply will regardless of what you want. What? Are you going to refuse to do what I assign you after all? No. You will not, because you cannot afford to be picky. Right?"

One of Zarius' worst qualities is being more than happy to use someone's own words and logic against them, and oh boy did Vail give him waaay too much leverage to work with. He twists Vail's words and meaning to suit himself, and why shouldn't he? Maybe it'll wipe that smirk off the young man's face. 

Zarius scoffs and sits back with a dismissive wave. "Why would I let you in on any grand conspiracies in the first place? Bold of you to feel you have earned as much." Oh god, the pettiness is coming out in full force now. 

He does give Vail a bit of a break though and recomposes himself. "I will take your words into consideration. And I can assure you I will not put anyone at risk just for the hell of it." 

Mei's snort and choking laugh make Zarius' unimpressed expression deepen even more.

Children. The both of them. 

"You are both the worst, I hope you know that."

Jokes aside, Zarius does not shy away from Vail's words or neutral look. 

"Not all people are dealt the same cards in life. I have never taken that fact for granted." 

He wouldn't apologize for being lucky enough to be born into the lap of luxury, nor would he argue that there aren't people who are suffering much greater losses than he has in this catastrophe. The world isn't fair. Life itself isn't fair. And while Vail would probably think less of him for being more concerned with protecting his own rather than extending a helping hand to others in need, he still firmly believes that one must first take care of oneself before one can even think of being of any help to anyone else. Better a tragedy to only claim one victim than two. 

"Are you going to stay and rest? Or are you deadset on finding a hovel instead?"