It does seem like it'd get in the way a bit, [ says Claude, aware that that's probably kind of an understatement. ] I wouldn't trust them either, in your shoes, but I've got a bit of a reputation for having problems with authority.

[ Says the literal duke. Or former duke. He's pretty sure the title doesn't carry over if he's dead, and if he's not then the everything that just happened would be grounds enough to make him step down anyway. ]

I'll have to look into them once we get out of here, though. It's a place to start, at lea- oh.

[ There's another person here, her back turned to them as well. Her dark hair is pulled back in a high ponytail, and she wears a high-collared capelet embroidered on the back with the same emblem that's on the shoulder of Claude's sash. He recognizes her instantly, stopping in his tracks, eyes wide. ]