"Ah, I wasn't sure when to expect you. Welcome to #11, Ser." Bowl for the paladin.

"Thank you."  Bowl.  They can sit together, unless the Select seems to have other plans?  "The going was a little slow. I did get your letter, and appreciate the advice."

The Select does not have other plans. "About traveling with a squad? I have... seen paladins around before, occasionally, and you didn't sound like you came with your own more agreeable company."

"I did not. Having had the experience, I think perhaps I should have arranged for company – I should write so to my order, in case anyone else is considering doing something like this... But I did manage well enough, in the end."  He is doing his best to only have very faint facial expressions, but did go from faintly cheerful to faintly haunted, and then takes a slower breath and manages to go halfway back.

"Should I know anything good or ill about the behavior of the squad you came in with? Guiu's, if the schedule hasn't changed."

"Oh, they were entirely fine. I didn't get the wizard's name," but he'll point her out where she's sitting with her meal.  "Would've barely stood out in Mendev."  And the wizard made him laugh, but that's not information that properly goes in an evaluation to one's commander.

"But for being a wizard, to hear tell. The Fiducia has remarked that if everyone got along well enough we could lend the plentiful wizards south for the positive channels in return but people would begin to find the treaty chafing."

"Now there's an idea.  I expect most of them would, but... Well, I'm getting ahead of myself... But having spent a year on the Mendevian line, and once I've spent some time here, I might be able to point out specific people I think could swap without trouble. For a small-scale test of the concept."

"It would require command acquiescence, maybe even the new Queen's signoff, on any more than an emergency basis."

"Ah, I suppose it would.  Mendev doesn't tend toward that level of organization."

"If a lot of their clerics aren't attached to their army they could do it independently as adventurers but that makes it harder to structure as an exchange."

"They mostly are, but each fort is nearly independent – like a town garrison, or sometimes more like a barony.  So that if the commander decides to send a handful of his assigned troops to another country for whatever reason, nobody's going to complain, or likely even notice."

"I see. That requires our generals to coordinate with each fort individually, though, and it's perhaps not the most appealing time to spin up time consuming Worldwound-specific protocols."

"I think it's an appealing time for Cheliax to mix with other countries a little.  But you're right that the amount of necessary command coordination may just not be worth it.  I cannot imagine how busy everyone above your level must be already."

"They do not tell me their troubles but I imagine it a troubled time."

"... You know, I just realized I have no idea who these people are.  I mean-- have they mostly been replaced since the war, and if so where did the replacements come from?  Or are they mostly still the old guard who kept their jobs through the transition because the Worldwound line is still the same?"

"One was also in line for a county and removed for what was at least stated to be reasons relating to that, and there was a desertion even at the highest level of a former cleric with an unhealthy complement of personal enemies, but most of the command has not turned over."

"Huh!  That's... probably a good sign? For stability, certainly, and for them being... the sort of people one could reasonably leave in command of anything.  Is it the same for most of the fort commanders, too?"

"Comparable, yes. I’m less sure that reasonable command is much of a factor compared to limited attention and supply of replacements."

"Ah.  You're right, I wasn't thinking.   I don't know that I'd call most of the forts this side of the line reasonably commanded," unhappy expression.  "Except of course for how they are still standing, which is the most important thing until all the rest can be fixed."

"Yes. I assume the Queen and company have a lot to do at home and the forts have done their job this long."

"Triage," a nod.  "A more painful sort of it than I've seen before, but such is the world, and we now have more hope of it getting better." 

And they should get on that, rather than chatting about things they can't easily affect.

"Well. Do you have any urgent questions I might answer? Or what would you like me to do, next?"

"When we've eaten I have my copies of the books I mentioned in my office and will best be able to refer to them there."

"Of course."  Less talking and more eating, then.

It's not like it's worth savoring or anything.

The commander's office is upstairs.