Swamped

"So how was the stew?" you ask casually.

"Too salty. If I wanted that much salt I'd have a bowl of seawater," Resk grumbles, as Billie finishes adjusting the breather mask. "Now let's get moving."

You get your own mask on and follow him in. He motions to you to shut the door; you do so.

Then he walks over to the closet.

"So the source of the gas is in there?" he asks.

"That's what I heard. Haven't actually seen it for myself, since that would mean letting the gas out."

He stares at the door silently for a while.

"This door is briskwood," he says finally. "Expensive stuff. If we cut a hole in it, that's a few thousand gold worth of good wood wasted. I can't approve that kind of expense."

Figures it'd be expensive. This is a VIP room. Probably got refitted on the sponsor's dime. But you also know Resk is the only officer who'd even be concerned about that when there's a deadly gas on the other side.

"Easy enough, then. We cut through the wall instead. Or are you going to tell me that despite looking like regular old shipwood, the walls are made of something else?"

He looks almost disappointed.

"I'll consider that option," he concedes. "But there's still the matter of the pipe. We don't have a lot of that, and using some of our precious supply to get the gas out would contaminate it. I can't accept such a use of scarce resources."

Hmm, you may need to think a bit harder on how to respond to that one.