"What?"Headmaster Meris leaned forward in his chair, the springs creaking in protest. His bushy white eyebrows formed perfect arches above bewildered eyes.Valiant blinked rapidly, his whiskers twitching with barely contained energy. He wore a charcoal suit at least two sizes too large, the sleeves rolled up multiple times to free his paws. A silver pin in the shape of a lightning bolt adorned his lapel, occasionally emitting tiny sparks."What do you mean 'what'?" Valiant squeaked, tail lashing behind him. "What did you not understand in what I just said?""Nothing, to be quite frank," Meris replied, adjusting his spectacles. "Absolutely nothing at all.""Oh!" Valiant's ears perked up. "Well, that's great then! So, my name is Valiant, and me and my goons—""Not your goons, little boss," rumbled Thormund from behind him."It's a figure of speech," Valiant hissed, turning to face his companion. He lowered his voice to what he apparently thought was a whisper. "Don't embarrass me in front of the mage."The "whisper" was perfectly audible to everyone in the room, including Meris, who maintained a look of polite interest despite the situation.Valiant cleared his throat, tugged at his oversized collar, and turned back to the Headmaster."So. My name is Valiant. I am an information broker with an extensive spy network throughout Arkhos. My associates and I—" he gestured grandly to the three people standing behind him, "—have uncovered some deeply troubling information regarding Farmusian activities in the city.""Yes, I understood that part," Meris said, tapping a quill against his desk.Valiant's tail froze mid-swish. "Then what didn't you understand?!""Perhaps you could repeat the part about Farmus and the attack," Meris suggested mildly. "Just to be certain we're on the same page."Valiant's whiskers drooped. He shot an aggrieved look at his companions, as if they might (...)