He knew Vargis well enough to know he wouldn't agree. After all, there were times when Conlan skated that edge with Vargis before. The difference between those times and this one was he knew why he was doing it. They knew next to nothing of Ackerly, so shedding the white seemed like even more of a sin. Idiot or not, Conlan couldn't stomach it. He scowled. "I hope it doesn't come to that then. I don't want to get you caught up in anything that bloody; there's likely more tobacco beneath that skin of yours than anything red."
He heard Hasna sigh. "You're like children," she said and got up from her chair.
Conlan didn't have a response to that, mostly because she was right, so he strummed his fingers on his knee for a brief moment before looking to Vera. The girl was silent and blank-faced, except for her eyes. Dark eyes that changed as quickly as the weather. There was another person in them, thinking things that he might have liked to hear but wouldn't because she did not know them yet. Or trust them for that matter. "Let's stop sitting around. I'm starting to feel old," he said with a smile.
He got up, knowing what they'd do next. There was a horse he had to give Vera and a quick note to the Captain. If Conlan didn't have the time to do it himself, then the Captain was going to have to root around for more information on Ackerly. Vargis was good enough at that, but there were people, mostly high ranking people, who would speak to Mearann that would never give anything to his friend without a knife to their throats. Conlan preferred it not come to that. He also had to break the news that he was taking Hasna, whether the Captain liked it or not.
"We'll gather basic supplies," he said to everyone. "Meet at the gates of the Castel in an hour or so. We'll make it at least half way before dark and I might want to visit the neighboring towns. Plan to set camp frequently. I may like the woods better than an inn at Ackerly."