"And him being here is an unnatural state of affairs. I do not think he will find my fingers to be an object of his concern," Oliver said.
Verdant nodded. "Quite right. It is far from being out of character for you. I can not recall the last time I managed to talk you into dressing all the way you ought to."
"A compromise is what you'd call this, then?" Oliver said, raising his arms, to show off the wide sleeves of his ruffled shirt, before he donned his jacket. "Despite how stiff these clothes are?"
"A compromise," Verdant agreed. "If you would wish to win the nobility over, you would start by understanding them."
"I have no wish to win the nobility over," Oliver sighed. "That at least, I can assure you, Verdant. Warriors are who I wish to win over, and if they happen to be nobles, it is of no consequence. It is our swords that would be the just… and… I suppose… our ability to lead, a front on which I am lacking."
