Espin's pondering was brief. He looked at Doren and opened his mouth.
"This is my opinion. I'm not asking you to agree. Just listen."
Doren nodded. He'd wanted to hear Espin's thoughts from the start. This was Espin who always had better thoughts and actions than himself. Being the same age was also good for confiding worries. Even though Doren was always timid like he was scared in front of the big Espin, he had quite a stubborn streak.
That stubbornness was also self-respect, and the reason Espin sometimes thought of Doren as a brother even while treating him like a subordinate. By back-alley logic, a small person like Doren should normally be trampled, but not in the fairly equal Tracking Mercenary Group.
A new place, new meetings, a new leader. That diluted Espin's blood-reeking cruelty, and because Doren stepped up when he needed to.
"Big gains like this time won't come again."
"Are you saying the captain's changing the profit structure?"
