"You should have said," Rus tells him, irritated. "Or told Rabastan. Suffering in silence is all very well, but we take care of our own."
"Who else? Only a great and powerful wizard could make that many people angry."
"I do," Rus admits. "It's far easier for me if everyone thinks I'm just a bullying brute. My being good at something that requires thought tends to confuse people." He smirks. "As I intended."
"I can get one for you and you can try it," Rus tells him, still humouring. "There's any number of the wretched things about."
"Count on it." he says flatly. "Why?" Having more brains than people credit is one thing, but he's never pretended to be able to follow all of Severus' mental acrobatics.
"Right, chupacabra," Rus nods, saying it softly a couple more times, liking the sound of the word. "Now you're talking!" He grins. "I might even bring back two."