when Ras knocked Ophidian opened the door a few moments late and quickly smiled.<span style="color: #00b300">"Ras, my brother, come in."</span>he lead Ras to the living room.<span style="color: #00b300">"we gotta keep it quiet, the children just went to sleep. can i get you something to drink?"</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #4dffa6">"you dont have to call sentient people animals or threaten them and me."</span>he shook his head slightly as the merchant frowned at them.<span style="color: #ff9999">"hey! you get away from that! Sentinels! im being robbed!"</span>several Sentinels made their way over but they recognized Nalo and stood back. "she is not robbing you."<span style="color: #ff9999">"i paid my taxes yesterday!"</span>the ledger obviously didnt have one thousand gold extorted from Harpies listed but alot of gold was in the box the rest obviously elsewhere.<span style="color: #ff9999">"im not laundering money!"</span>he looked at the food as the color was draining from his face.<span style="color: #ff9999">"its smoked or salted meats and i keep a limited stock, it sells before it goes bad! i have been doing this for two hundred years without a health complaint!"</span><span style="color: #4dffa6">"and your excuse for robbing people blind and hiding the bonus income?"</span><span style="color: #ff9999">"i never did that i just keep plenty of cash on hand for... for purchases."</span>the assistant picked up the ledger and started looking it over against what was in the box. "we will need to search his home and his smokehouse. but these charges will likely stack up to alot of prison time and confinscation of all assets." the merchant paled more before he sank to his knees. "<span style="color: #ff9999">no! please! i pay my taxes! i do!"</span><div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>