Ashton nodded grudgingly at Worthy, but the young noble seemed like the only person without any relevant skills at that point, so that was all he could do. The alchemist, though rude to Ashton by calling him a 'You', seemed to suggest something better than Pete Girly, which did make him look a little more sane. Of course, they were still planning on burning down<span style="font-style: italic">three</span>buildings, so sanity seemed to be on a 'what-you-can-get' basis.<br/><br/>"Two and a half days. I'll take it. And talking about wealth..." Ashton knew he looked rich, but he wasn't going to throw his money at the start of a mission that looked like it was going to fail.<br/><br/>There was Verse's advance payment in his coin pouch as well. 600 silver coins was a lot of money. The young man must have paid nearly 1800 coins to the trio, offering another 1800 on success afterwards. When his estate back home only paid 50 silvers a year in tax to him, 600 was a startling amount, but Ashton wasn't impressed by money. Well, not usually impressed by money.<br/><br/>The way Worthy seemed to be searching for his money pouch implied that he received the up-front payment too, though with a job like this, Worthy couldn't be worthy of much respect if he failed to receive any early silver coins.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">600... that can buy a lot.</span><br/><br/>Ashton clicked his fingers, gazing towards the ceiling in thought. "600 silver coins... 50 could be a gift for a noble party, possibly. Talk with the local nobles, drink some wine, discuss their family..."<br/><br/>He suddenly turned towards Pete and Worthy. "Get to know who's up for a scrap, who supports the king and who doesn't. Try to get those who hate the king to live. They might get the blame, and those people will fight a LOT harder if their lives are on the line."<br/><br/>Ashton should know.<br/><br/>"I'll play the part of a noble from another court. Mr. Girly could be my bodyguard, and Mr. Worthington should stay at home and make the portable 'fire-bombs'."<br/><br/>Though Pete Girly dressed rather outrageously, with his exposed chest, he certainly spoke with a polite air reserved for that of nobility. But the man ate like a pig. He couldn't possibly play the part of another noble.<br/><br/>Worthy had no eyebrows. Ashton didn't need to explain to himself any more than that simple fact.