"Indeed, I was interested to meet the person who would risk so much for so little return," the Queen of Mice and Men replied. "Why did you bring the girl here, I wonder? Kindness? A sense of justice? Or... guilt, perhaps?"<br/><br/>She continued, "I don't wish for you to find out the hard way that there is no room for freelancers in this city. The aristocracy has an iron grip on the world above, and the bat sires seek to enthrall the entire world below. Add in my people, we who merely wish to make a peaceful living, free from the corrupt laws that empower and enrich the select few while living the rest of us to rot, free from those who would seek absolute domination over not merely our lives but our very souls. And then there are the myriad minor factions, each with their own goals, whose allegiances are shiftier than quicksand - ask your friend Jasmine about her church, or the Duke about his private army when you go to his ball - I trust you get the idea."<br/><br/>The shadowy figure behind the paper screen reached her point at last. "The question you should be asking is not where I heard your other name, Ms 'Titania', but who else has this knowledge? I can assure you that you would find yourself in a much less comfortable situation, were you having this conversation in the warrens of the bat sires or worse, the dungeons of the magistrate. Will you join our cause? We can offer you much. Protection. Connections. Leads for your... line of work. And one thing that no one else will offer you: safe passage out of here should you refuse. If you still need a reference, then remember that a paladin is willing to break the law and destroy a thrall of the bat sires, in order to cooperate with us on common goals."