The Rogue Guardian

Chapter 14: An Uneasy Alliance

"Well? What have you got for me?" Caer didn't look up from the papers spread across the cluttered table. "Something good, I hope."

Joshua slapped his own papers on top of the tutor's and sat down without waiting for an invitation, his muscles aching from the morning's exercises. He'd been so busy lately that he'd begun skipping early practices-- not a good habit, but he could afford it. "I have a copy of the harbor logs from the night she left. The ships that look suspicious are underlined."

"Yes, good. And?"

"That's it. Now tell me what you found in her room."

Caer slid his papers away into a neat pile, facedown, then glanced over the log. "Don't be ridiculous. You expect me to hand over my information for this? All you've done is confirm what I told you in the first place."

"It's still confirmation. There was nothing else to be found."

"Disappointing."

"Your turn."

"I don't think so." He pocketed the log and shook his head. "Come back when you've got something useful."

"I'll give you a moment to reconsider." Joshua's voice was very quiet.

To his credit, Caer did seem to think about it, watching the captain warily. "That's not how an information exchange works. It's only fair if we both have new information."

"I wonder how surprised Tobias would be to learn that you went poking around his Thief's rooms without permission."

"Threatening to turn me in?" Caer only looked amused. "You know, I've been wondering how surprised he'd be to learn how often you go sneaking into the city. Don't play this game with me, captain. I have far more on you than you have on me."

"Tobias needs me. Don't overestimate the importance of your information."

Caer nodded. "True, a few nighttime strolls might not be suspicious enough to impact you. But combined with various other misdemeanors..."

He kept his expression neutral and bored. The tutor had to be bluffing. The messages he received almost monthly marked with that crown were always carefully disguised-- Caer couldn't possibly know.

"Been hoarding your pay, haven't you? And you've had a visit or two to the record room, and we both know you aren't allowed down there. To be honest," Caer smiled as he confided, "I still haven't figured out how you got down there without any guards seeing. Quite clever, really."

"If you're so sure he'll believe all this, why haven't you turned me in yet?" The world might just be spiraling out of his control, but Joshua had yet to loose his cool in front of a skinny blonde coward and he wasn't going to start now.

"What would be the point of that?"

"To know you did the right thing."

"You're... advocating for me to turn you in? Your sense of honor is showing," he said cheerfully, "and it's not helping your cause."

He was met by Joshua's unchanging, bland expression.

"Fine, then. I'll skip to the point, shall I? I will not be giving you any of my information until you give me some I don't already have. End of discussion."

"There is no more information to find." He stood up, angry at the waste of time, and walked to the door. "Enjoy that log, by the way. It's fake."

"It's-- really? Your lack of trust is astounding."

"Not really. You did take it and refuse to do your part. I only anticipated something like this might happen. I'm not afraid to underestimate your honor."