As the pair of them walked along the well trodden yet deserted path to their destination, the one thing on Oleir's mind was money. They were beginning to run low on supplies and, with Rautt's appetite, he wouldn't be surprised if there was nothing left by the next evening.
They'd have to go into town.
Originally he'd wanted to stop by a small village for barely a few hours to get more food and trade in items they'd collected along their journey, but now it seemed as though he'd have to scrap that plan.
They needed money, and badly. He honestly had no clue where it had gone, but with all that had happened (not including the most recent event), he wouldn't be surprised if their cores had been tainted. Such a thing spelled doom to all travellers like them, especially if they were penniless. Treatment could be incredibly taxing on the wallet.
The little money they had left would have to be spent in bribing the gatemen to even gain access - just in case.
Rautt, although slow when it came to people, certainly was not stupid. He could tell something was bothering him, so while he was amidst deep thought, he'd woven a bracelet of coarse grass, "Here, break it when you're upset..." and he shoved it into his hands.
Oleir smiled, not that the other could see it under his hood, appreciating the sweet gesture and slipping it onto his wrist. "Will do."
The small interaction passed like that, and they continued walking onward.
"Ollie, Ollie! Look - is that Kimberly?" he looked up at the excitement in his friend's voice to see that, indeed, it was Kimberly.
Seeing it, he looked up at the sky to roughly gauge the time... late afternoon. The sun was only just beginning to set.
At this time, gate men usually became more lenient due to the late hours and cold environment, wanting things to be over as soon as possible. There also tended to be fewer of them, leaving those that were there to be susceptible to bribes and other underhanded tactics.
Oleir beckoned Rautt over to follow and remain silent as he cautiously approached the gate man, observing his features closely.
He seemed plain enough, and rather new. While it could make things difficult - all with the infamous flickering flame of justice that likely inspired him to take the job in the first place - it could also make things quite easy. It depended on his financial status...
Oleir groaned though his gait remained steady, why did guards all have to look the same? The uniform gave away nothing to their vulnerability, and it always made everything so unnecessarily complicated. Thankfully, unlike some other stiffs he'd come across in the past, this one was not wearing his helmet.
As he came closer and closer to the young gate man, he filled his mind with warm, happy thoughts. Thoughts that could melt the ice from even the most frozen of hearts. If he was going to act, he was going to act well. It had to work the first time, else it wouldn't work at all.
Now even closer, he could see the face of the boy. Yes, boy; he barely qualified as a man. He may have been a prodigal recruit, which of course meant that he was eager, which also meant that he was difficult. Oleir struggled to keep his thoughts positive and fiercly fought off a frown from his hidden features.
The boy had large bags under his eyes and looked rather ill. The cooling temperatures likely had something to do with it, but it wouldn't have been the main factor. Was he actually ill, then...?
Oleir smiled brightly to no-one but himself. If he was ill, he was easy.
Rautt sensed Oleir's fluctuating mood keenly and wondered why he was suddenly so excited. Even so he kept his silence, not wanting to ruin it by accident.
"You look rather sick, are you okay?" the gate boy jumped at the sound of his voice, having not expected anyone so late.
He took a while to answer, "Who's asking?"
"Hm? Can't a stranger be kind? Honestly, you're far too cautious!" he gently patted him on the shoulder, casting magic to provide the illusion of a dull heat. He was taking a risk here, but as long as he proceeded carefully, it may even heighten his chances at entry.
No real reward is reaped without risk.
The boy visibly relaxed at the falsified sensation, though he clearly knew what was going on. "...I suppose that's true. What do you want?"
"Want? It's nothing big... I just want entry." the boy froze, having realised their end goal. Oleir continued on regardless, pretending that he hadn't noticed and wasn't worried.
"I was going to ask two times the original toll, but I wouldn't want such a promising member of the guard to get too sickly... five times should be enough for a good doctor, right?" he faked friendly concern, inwardly rejoicing as the boy again loosened up.
"My sickness has nothing to do with you. Why can't you pay the original but can pay five times?" wait... what? The phrasing was all wrong - did he seriously not know about core screening?
"I'm merely worried about you! I had a brother who would have been just a bit younger than you now," he paused to watch the boy's face, saw nothing of note and continued, "though I lost him a few years ago to illness. He'd always wanted to be a guard - like you."
"...like me?"
He nodded and hummed, slowing himself slightly, "You reminded me of him... 'wanted to do my bit and make sure history doesn't repeat itself. At least, not with me involved." even if he didn't know, it would be best to instill some kind of gratitude in case something went wrong. After all, again because he didn't know, it was getting increasingly unlikely that he made it there with skill. Connections would be the next big bet, and Oleir wasn't one to pass up on a good opportunity.
"Then, I guess I can accept the extra..." his tone was riddled in gratitude and guilt, "Thank you."
The perfect time to induce a memory print happens to be with variations of those aforementioned emotions, didn't you know?
"Don't mind it. And, thank you." Oleir passed him six chips, one for Rautt - the standard fare - and five extra as his own.
As he walked through the gate, allowing Rautt in first, Oleir allowed the light to hit his face slightly, revealing his smile.
...the boy looked on, starstruck by the sight. He hadn't even noticed the armoured fellow until the extra coin was passed to him, and even though he had the faint thought that he'd been had, he found that he didn't particularly mind it.
The mysterious man's voice rang in his ears for a few moments more, the image of that briefly glimpsed smile echoing along with it.
"Carterson!" he was then called from his mind by his cousin's voice. "You alright?"
Carterson smiled, now he was.