But that's a tomorrow problem. A today problem is finding a way to navigate this without alienating someone. John's current investment is still far enough removed that he can consider it like a fairly interesting puzzle: how does one lie their way to the best outcome?
"If he doesn't have the good sense to keep his mouth shut, then I'm not sure he's worth the effort we're undertaking to retrieve him," John remarks, leaning back slightly in his chair. He presses his thumb against a dent in the cup until his fingertip goes white.
"We should at least propose it, and hear her conditions. They might not be as reasonable as you think, especially if we promise he'll be miserable." Which Armat likely would be; who wants to be stuck under house arrest? "Armat might not be pleased, but it has to be preferable to rotting here. And I'd be happier to leave with Gennaro's friendship. He strikes me as less fickle in his friendship than the Qunari."
Or more specifically: a more promising foothold in Antiva. John sees more long term benefit there than he does with the Qunari. The Qun tends to curtail negotiations, in John's limited experience. Not that he'd ever made any attempt to get more familiar than he had to. John had enough sense to know that for someone hiding his own magical ability, turning to the Qunari would be flinging himself into an open blaze.
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But that's a tomorrow problem. A today problem is finding a way to navigate this without alienating someone. John's current investment is still far enough removed that he can consider it like a fairly interesting puzzle: how does one lie their way to the best outcome?
"If he doesn't have the good sense to keep his mouth shut, then I'm not sure he's worth the effort we're undertaking to retrieve him," John remarks, leaning back slightly in his chair. He presses his thumb against a dent in the cup until his fingertip goes white.
"We should at least propose it, and hear her conditions. They might not be as reasonable as you think, especially if we promise he'll be miserable." Which Armat likely would be; who wants to be stuck under house arrest? "Armat might not be pleased, but it has to be preferable to rotting here. And I'd be happier to leave with Gennaro's friendship. He strikes me as less fickle in his friendship than the Qunari."
Or more specifically: a more promising foothold in Antiva. John sees more long term benefit there than he does with the Qunari. The Qun tends to curtail negotiations, in John's limited experience. Not that he'd ever made any attempt to get more familiar than he had to. John had enough sense to know that for someone hiding his own magical ability, turning to the Qunari would be flinging himself into an open blaze.