Chapter 18: The Snake in the Garden, Part 1

It was hard to tell when Larian Masters wasn't happy. The man had the most severe cast of resting bitch face Xigbar had ever encountered. Which was saying something, since resting bitch face appeared to be an endemic condition among the ranks of the Pavers. It didn't matter if Larian was cleaning out everyone at a card table or losing a month's profits to an aspiring lawmaster's raid, he always wore the same stoic frown.

That being said, if Xigbar had to guess just from the circumstances, he would have assumed that Larian was not happy.

The raid on their headquarters in Shadefall had been disastrous. The vault had contained the spoils of weeks worth of robberies, not to mention the profits from the guild's illicit trade, and it had been completely emptied. Emptied, and redistributed to the people of Shadefall just to rub salt in the wound and make it that much harder to reclaim. 

Maybe, just maybe, some of the people would have been too afraid of the Pavers' revenge to take the handouts. Except the raid had also burned their headquarters, and a burnt out shell of a headquarters didn't make for a very intimidating presence to the locals. They hadn't just lost money. They'd lost face.

The only bright spot of the situation was the Larian's displeasure wasn't directed at Xigbar.

"I swear to every saint there is, Arty, this is why mom didn't fucking love you," Larian spat. "I handed you one, perfectly fine sect that practically runs itself, and you still managed to cock it up."

Arthur Masters withered under his older brother's anger, and Xigbar did a bad job of hiding his smile at his fellow Paver's discomfort. Arthur was a prick, but because he was the prick in charge with the head of every sect in Lochmire territory for an older brother, he wasn't someone Xigbar could tell off whenever he wanted.

Or at least, he hadn't thought so. But if this was how Larian treated him, Xigbar would have to try his own luck later.

"It wasn't my fault," Arthur protested. "They got in through the well entrance, so someone talked, or was too obvious when they came in. And the snake is the one who fucking antagonized—"

Larian cut him off. "Rule number one of being in charge: everything's your fault. Somebody found your hidden entrance? You didn't impress on the rank and file how important it was to protect it."

"I thought the sect ran itself," Arthur retorted.

Larian reached across the table and slapped Arthur. "Give me lip again, little brother, and I'll bust it open."

There was already a little spot of blood on Arthur's lip, but he nodded his understanding. His head hung.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I fucked up."

"Yeah, you did," Larian said. "Do you have any idea who hit us?"

"It was a bunch of scavs," Arthur said. "I tried to tell you, Snake Eyes over here robbed them. He must've pissed them off."

"I ran that job as clean as they come," Xigbar said. "In fact, all of my jobs were clean. You want to talk about pissing people off? Maybe nobody in Shadefall stopped them from coming for us because you had us bleeding the town dry."

Arthur gave Xigbar a murderous look, but Larian still hadn't taken his eyes off Arthur. "How many jobs did you run in Shadefall last month?"

Arthur withered even more. "A few more than normal. I was trying to—"

"How many?"

The answers was twelve if you just counted highway robberies, and seventeen if you counted everything else, but Arthur took a very long time to answer. Xigbar wondered if he was struggling to count that high.

"Maybe ten," Arthur lied.

"Ten?" 

Before Arthur had taken over, the Shadefall sect of the Pavers had sustained itself on ongoing business and two jobs a month. Arthur had been massively overreaching, which Xigbar had tried to tell him, only to be ignored and called a gutter lizard for his trouble.

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He was going to wring every drop of vindication he could get out of this.

"Maybe not ten," Arthur tried to salvage.

Xigbar nodded. "It was more."

Larian briefly looked like he wanted to slap Arthur again, but he restrained himself. He drew in a deep breath. "Arty . . . I've got sect leaders that are sloppy. I've got sect leaders that are greedy. But you were sloppy and greedy, and that's a problem."

"I can fix this!" Arthur said. "Just give me a week, me and my guys''ll find the scavs and—"

"You're not doing anything in Shadefall," Larian said. "I'm cleaning that mess myself. You are going to Lochmire. Tonight."

"Why?"

"Because on top of the mess you made, the Chosen is trying to duck out of paying his dues to us, so we need to remind him that he can't afford to cross us," Larian said. "Details of the job are waiting for you at the sect headquarters there. If you can pull it off without cocking it up, I might just have a reason not to boot you from the guild for incompetence."

"Good luck with that," Xigbar said with a sarcastic chuckle.

"And Xigbar here is going with you."

Xigbar's smile vanished. "Excuse me, the fuck?"

"Why is he coming?" Arthur asked.

"Because Xigbar's a decent set of hands, and with the Shadefall sect temporarily shut down, he needs work as much as you need to get your shit together," Larian said.

"I mean I've got some spare cash in a mattress, I can afford a brief vacation," Xigbar said. "You really don't have to go out of your way for me."

"You're going," Larian said, and that was the end of it. "With you around, there's half a chance Arty actually pulls this off."

Xigbar could practically feel the murderous glare Arthur was sending him, though he had the good sense not to actually make eye contact with the younger Masters brother. Arthur might have run a sloppy operation, and been too greedy for his own good, but—he was also a short-tempered idiot. Humiliated as he was probably feeling right now, he could pop at the slightest provocation, and Xigbar would hate to have to beat a man in front of his own brother.

"There's a half chance we stab each other," Xigbar muttered.

"What was that?"

"I said we've got a lot better than half a chance with me on the job, boss man!" Xigbar said with a forced smile. "We won't let you down!"

"That's what I thought you said."

Xigbar kept up his smile as he and Arthur made their way out of Larian's office to pack for their trip. Arthur made a point of shoving through the doorway at the same time as Xigbar, and shoulder checking the anima-human aside.

Xigbar suppressed a groan, but kept walking to collect his things. If they both survived this job, it would be a miracle.

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