It was a nice evening. A warm breeze passed through the convoy, and Haeftin smiled. This was all going quite smoothly. He smiled at the battered Nadya, trussed and next to the adjutant. She'd gotten off very lightly. If Mezmoriia had been actually depending on the nymph talking, Ms. Nadya would be in considerably worse shape. Some of the things Mezmoriia might do turned even Haeftin's stomach, and he should be more used to the inquisitor's tactics than anyone.<br/><br/>"A nice night," he told the prisoner. "Don't worry, this will all be over very soon. As soon as Ms. Mezmoriia retrieves Ms. Nettles." He nodded. "A simple enough extraction for the expert team we sent ahead." He didn't expect a response.<br/><br/>Ms. Mezmoriia rode a little ways ahead. Haeftin smiled at her too, though he didn't expect her to see his smile. It would be so rewarding to see her satisfaction when they completed their mission.<br/><br/>The house came into view. But for the soldiers surrounding it, the little house on stilts under a starry sky was quite idyllic. Once The Retrieval Squad had cleared the premises for entry by Mezmoriia and himself, Haeftin looked forward to seeing the inside of the quaint abode. And of course seeing though the mission efficiently and effectively. The lieutenant wondered what Ms. Fossil Nettles looked like, and who these allies of hers who seemed independent of the Red Leopards were. He enjoyed having questions like these because he could soon learn the answers, to him an exciting prospect.<br/><br/>Haeftin looked to the prisoner again. It seemed like a good idea to reinforce the internal emotional conflict initiated by the Inquisitor's tactics.<br/><br/>"Do you think your love will be happy to see you now that you've brought us here? Ah, I don't think I had a chance to thank you for making this so easy. You've been a great help and I for one very much appreciate it."