Inside a basement with a sign hanging over the entrance that read "Nettle and Catnip Apothecary (Temporarily Closed)."
Wilson stood on an overturned beer barrel, doing his best to make himself look taller.
"Ahem! Quiet, quiet, my dear colleagues! The elites of the Shadowless Squad!"
A dozen or so Rogue Apprentices stood scattered below. Some idly fiddled with a bent lockpick, some yawned, and one was trying to pluck the cat hair stuck to his trouser leg, one strand at a time.
"First," Wilson spread his arms in an affectionate embrace, "I, along with several unfortunate... uh, temporarily furloughed core members, am back! Thank you all for holding the fort while we were... well, away for advanced study of the town's security system, allowing our business to... uh, keep flowing!"
"Flowing? Boss, we could barely afford moldy Black Bread this month."
"Aha! That brings me to my second point!" Wilson acted as if he had not heard. "I heard that while we were away, certain external forces... people who don't understand the rules, engaged in malicious competition! They seriously disrupted market harmony and stability!"
He swept his gaze around the room, his eyes turning sharp as he tried to imitate the imposing bearing of Steward Ford, whom he had once seen.
"I received an extremely reliable tip—"
"The Adventurer Guild has some complaints about the 'surge' in our recent workload!"
"That new guard captain, Andre, even slandered us by claiming that we staged everything ourselves, saying we first made our clients' jewelry disappear, then made it miraculously return! Absurd! This is a grave insult to the professional integrity of our Shadowless Squad!"
A female apprentice timidly raised her hand. "Captain, but... didn't we charge Madam Mendy twice for that pearl necklace last month? Once for 'borrowing' it to study, and