Swamped

"So what's it like on your squad, anyhow?"

"Not so great lately," the bearded knight grumbles. "For one thing, Squib's not actually in charge right now, so he's been even rougher on us when we've got downtime. Which we ain't had much of since Clancy quit. Makes me wonder if he somehow knew it was coming."

"Wait, what do you mean Squib's not in charge?"

He seems real upset now.

"Burgundy filled Clancy's slot with someone who's pretty obviously there to keep an eye on us. Here I thought it'd be smooth sailing once she got busted down to private, but no, she still finds ways to give us trouble. And it's put Squib in a worse mood than usual."

Intriguing! Squib Squad has a minder now. Apparently, this isn't widely known, since Mark didn't know the reason for their better behavior.

"So who's she got watching you, then?"

"I think her name's Nora? Don't care much for her. She's bossy."

The only Nora you know is Nora Feldspar, and 'bossy' is not at all how you would describe her. She's one of the most cheerful people you've ever had the pleasure of meeting, even when she's on the job.

Although you can certainly imagine her giving this group a hard time.

"So what was this Clancy like? I'm naturally curious, and it sounds like I won't get to meet him."

"Why would you want to? He's a little weasel. Always mouthing off at bad times, acting like he was smarter than the rest of us just 'cause he could read. Y'know, he blabbed on us at the newmuck the other day. And then he acted like it was Squib's fault! Hated that smartass. Didn't help that he was practically second-in-command, and hells, some days it felt like Squib answered to him. The way he made a big deal of it every time we got orders from..."

He suddenly stops himself.

"Never mind. Point is, Clancy was a piece of shit and I don't miss him in the slightest."

Well. This clarifies a lot about why Clancy left. You can't imagine this group being subtle in their disdain.

But it also seems this fellow came very close to saying something he shouldn't have. Which has definitely piqued your curiosity. He doesn't seem to have much restraint, so perhaps if he's upset enough while talking, he'll spill a few significant beans.

So. Where do you take the conversation from here?