Eberron - Bronze: It never hurts to look. [Episode 140533]

Ranma scratched his head in embarrassment as he belatedly realised that he was being asked for input, and he just didn’t know what to say.   He was not used to being asked to make a decision as if it mattered what he said, however the warforged of the 304^th Special Corps, were all looking towards him expectantly, as though they considered his opinion well worth weighing.   Even Issandra seemed to be curious about what he had to say.   Obviously, he preened to himself, they’d been most impressed by his mad martial arts skills.

“Ah, sure, why not?   It never hurts to look.   What’s the worst that could happen?”

Issandra cringed slightly at his phrasing, but nodded to herself. Then, to Grunthaar, she added, “the 304^th Special Corps is registered at Clifftop Adventurer’s Guild.   Your employer can arrange for a civilized meeting through the proper channels.   Now, if you will excuse us, we have some pressing business elsewhere… and you have some thugs to take care of.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Grunthaar agreed amiably, masking his disturbance at finding opponents who were so sure of themselves that they left armed attacker alive after a rumble.   Either way, Mister Corsone was going to be interested in hearing about these ‘304 Special Corpses,’ or whatever.

Ranma shrugged, and he and the warforged followed.   Once out of earshot, he asked, “ah, so what other business do we have?”

Issandra looked at him surprised, as though it should be obvious to a warrior of his caliber.   “Zen needs to do repairs on Tao and Karma.   We can’t walk into a potential ambush without everyone in top condition after all.   Meanwhile, I have to hit the bars and get the low down on this ‘Corsone’ character.   As you wisely pointed out, good intelligence wins half the battle.”   At least, that’s what she had assumed he had meant at the time.

“Oh, then I guess I’ll be — ah…”

“That’s right.   Standing guard with Arrow in case we are being followed, of course,” Issandra responded.   We wouldn’t want these thugs to take advantage of any distraction if the offer isn’t legit — and it does sound most suspicious.“

“Then should you be on the streets alone?   I mean, this city doesn’t seem safe for a girl right now, and if they follow you… Maybe I should come along?”

“They won’t be following me,” Issandra said in a miffed tone.   “I can blend in anywhere.   You on the other hand…”

“Oh, yeah,” Ranma remarked and slapped his hand.   It was one of the many odd gestures and idiosyncrasies, Issandra had noted, that marked him as truly foreign.   “You’re a ninja.   I forgot about that.”

She shook her head in puzzlement.   He just ‘forgot’ about the prime reason people distrusted her?   If it was just an act, it was good enough to fool a changeling.   He moved and fought like an experienced master warrior, –like nothing she had seen before, really,– but otherwise he seemed as completely clueless as a boy only half his age.   She supposed that he had been raised and trained in some monastery completely cut off from the real world.

“Yes, I’m a… ‘ninja’,” Issandra agreed.   The foreign term seemed to hold a more honourable connotation for the strange youth than ‘spy,’ and she rather liked that.