Cavras rolled his eyes at Ithacles, as if to say, You never give up do you?
"Let's not dwell on the past," Skandra interrupted that statement quickly, before Vedette could get a word in edgewise. "Done is done. I won't hit you with chairs and cut your bow in half. And you won't be... ah... you will be yourself once I've demonstrated my good intentions."
Another pause, longer than the last three.
"Right."
It was not a question.
Foul stenches were floating on the air. A kiss of this and a belch of that, mixing together, the scent of every fluid or excrement that a body could secrete stewed inside of a pot made of shit for ten days, then poured directly into one's mouth. Skandra never felt the need to gag in the presence of such wondrous things. Not anymore. This was his home, these were his people, and it was everything he could do not to tell Ithacles that he gave up on finding assassins. So that he could play cards. It would have been easier to tell the prince that they were all going to the sun starting in five minutes, but the difference was one would earn you a laugh and the other only scorn.
Anyway, Skandra didn't really feel like gambling.
He just thought he did.
"So do you think I have a chance with Lethe?" Skandra went on in a lighter voice. "I would definitely perform my duties with due diligence, if you catch my meaning."
Cavras only shook his head - and he wasn't sure, because the lieutenant was trying hard to hide his face, but Skandra thought the narrow man's shoulders were shaking with laughter.