Drust had met Stoon when the former was still a clerk serving a junior Minister. He was a man with few prospects but possessed of a sharp mind and a deceptively innocent appearance. In those early days, Drust used to frequent the taverns and alehouses in the seedier parts of Arishaig, expanding the number and variety of his relationships in an effort to find allies who might help him gain a foothold on the slippery ladder of advancement. Most of his co-workers in the ministries would never have gone to the places he went, and what few did went for the more obvious reasons and not to make friends. But Drust knew that advancement did not happen in politics if you simply sat back and waited for your luck to change. You made your own luck in this business, and sometimes it required you to associate with people who possessed skills and experience that you lacked.

Among those he met in the course of his nighttime outings was Stoon. A mutual acquaintance introduced them, although he had already heard Stoon’s name mentioned and knew of his reputation as an assassin of extraordinary talent. Few knew much else about him. He preferred to keep a low profile and never speak of what he did, finding and choosing assignments that pleased him through word of mouth. Drust, understanding the rules of this relationship from the beginning, never asked Stoon about his work. He spoke instead about his own ambitions and plans, passionate and determined, demonstrating that his friendship might be worth something.

All the while, Stoon listened, sometimes smiled, seldom spoke, and never volunteered anything.

Eventually, Drust managed to gain an appointment as a junior Minister. His office—military debts and accounting—was so obscure and his duties so nebulous that he was left to run things as he chose. He made the most of this by befriending various officers in the Federation Army and Airship Command, and in the end won the support of a handful of important allies and an appointment to a ministry with a higher profile. His reputation within the Coalition Council as a man who lacked ambition but could get things done grew accordingly, and suddenly he was being sought out by other Ministers and asked for his opinions. His support became worth something and he gave it judiciously, never asking for anything in return.

Shortly after Drust was appointed as Minister of the Treasury, Stoon suggested they celebrate by meeting for a drink. As they sat in a quiet corner of a tavern he favored, the assassin said something completely unexpected.

“I’ve been thinking I might like to secure a permanent position rather than continue to freelance.” He gazed around the tavern as if searching for prospects. “If you were to offer me such a position, I believe I would accept it.”