"All right!" He seems pleased.

"Do you know where to find any Underdark apertures near the city?"

"Ten miles north along the coast, there's the entrance to a cave system."

"You'll probably want to dig something if things go well but that's not too bad for initial forays."

"Yes, we've got a project planned to cut something more convenient in but it has opposition from some insurers. Once we know more it'll be clearer whether to go ahead, I think."

"Are you going to hire me? Any given day I'm not that likely to be hired to go dig through a pyramid or whatever but if I have a gig here I'd know to turn them down if it happened."

"I haven't looked at Luay's proposals yet but I think the only remaining uncertainty was about whether we wanted to hire your whole party. Makes it a fair bit pricier."

"Couple of 'em keep making noises about retiring, harder to tempt them with international commerce at that stage in the adventurer lifecycle."

"Well, far be it from me to discourage them from retiring, I bet they'll create a lot more value that way."

"Gotta get that last level and sell the big ticket stuff."

"Is that so. Well, consider yourself hired and I'll look at the budget and let you know about them by tomorrow."

"Cool, thanks."

"Can they stop by here as well?"

"Gonna have to get used to dealing with women if you want to trade downstairs."

"I don't, ah, take issue with women - it just might help give us a sense of who we're hiring."

"'Nother wizard, guy who shoots stuff, cleric. Wizard's the expensive one and also least necessary considering. I'd like the budget to bring at least one for watch-keeping purposes."

"Just, uh, three extremely generic examples of the type?"

"I mean, they have personalities and presumably also favorite colors, but if you assume that you won't be too far wrong."

"I feel like most adventurers don't travel with drow! Or women."

"They needed me for my darkvision and then looked me up again when they wanted to question a lady monastic."

"Oh, are these the ones who -"

"Think so."

"Ah hah. - I wanted to compensate you."

"Compensate us?"

"I heard that some adventurers inconveniently got into our foreign affairs at sea and got called off, and I thought you ought to be compensated about it."