[Talonopolis] Heroes for Hire (Closed for now)

[Apolline Allura]

Three days had passed since the botched operation in Lefferded. That was more than enough time for one, her mother, Dyne, to snark as much as she wanted about how the adventure business was going, and two, for Aposemati (insistenly known as "Miasma Vice") to reflect on the situation. The first and most important fact was that she did not like to lose. And she'd not only lost, she was humilitated on top of it. Being hung by her tail feathers in the market square early in the morning after having been whacked upside the head with a 2x4 had left quite the sour taste in her mouth. That Diamond Dog gang had done a number on her, and payback was on her mind. She eventually swallowed her pride (a needed sacrifice, she figured), and went to her mother to ask for advice on how best to deal with it.

"Strength in numbers." the great dragon said, not looking up from her tax papers. "When you can't do it, someone else surely can."

And that stuck enough with Miasma that she took out an ad in the paper for the next day with the majority of her allowance. There were posters and stickers left and right by Thursday morning.

Adventurers, Mercs and Heroes alike, welcome!

Gryphon offers cash and excitement!

'Do you like treasure? Are you more inclined to knock someone's brains out before listening to them? Can you even do that? Miasma Vice is offering an opportunity for you to find out the answers to all of these things today! Look for a navy blue gryphon in a suit in the Wisebeak pub early in the morning. Be ready to kick some serious tail for some serious reward!'

The headline was set, the article was distributed, and a cluster of drinks sat in the center of the table in the back of the dark of the pub. The only source of light apart of the doorway and the lamps at the front was a lit candle in the center of the bottles on the table. Miasma had ordered several expensive and imported brews for any possible hires that would show up. She also wore on of her more classic outfits. A simple closed black sport coat, a white button-up dress shirt, and a black tie. Dark shades covered her eyes from view.

"And now, we wait." said Miasma, leaning back in the curved seat.

[RarityDash]

Gilda sighed as she approached the Wisebeak Pub casually. Here she was, about to sign up for something that was probably stupid and had a chance of getting her killed for the second time since she had come back to this insufferable city. She couldn't help it. She needed the money.

She was reasonably sharp for a griffon, had some talent for speed and enough strength to get by. Gilda's greatest fault was her pride. Well, that and her laziness. They really went hand in hand. In her mind, working for a living was both intolerably dull and beneath her. She was flippant. She didn't respect the law of anyone: griffon, pony or the rest. For those reasons, she didn't have a regular job, and for that reason, she was always broke. Sure, she had her work as a trick flier, showing off all the sweet moves she had been learning since her days back in Cloudsdale, but there wasn't any serious money to be had there, not unless you were a part of one of those pony teams that ended in "bolt".

Which is why Gilda so often found herself involved in crazy schemes like this. Just recently, in this very city, she had joined a pony on a madcap quest to steal an ancient artifact that had lead her to break into not only a museum but a vault belonging to one of the leading griffon family's. That that little adventure hadn't killed her still astonished her. Perhaps more astonishing was the fact that she was here at this place, ready to follow another no doubt mad promise of treasures to be found. She really questioned herself sometimes, but eh, the promise of money could speak volumes.

Slowly Gilda entered the pub. According to the ad, she was looking for a blue griffon in a suit. She thought that sounded kind of silly, until she actually saw her. She looked reasonably dignified, this griffon. If this was her partner for this little adventure, she could probably do worse. It was a step up from that out of her mind pony adventurer in a lot of ways, at least.

"Miasma Vice, I take it?" Gilda started, approaching the other griffon.

[Tempest Rime]

When Shard landed in the city, she was greeted with distrusting glares and fear. Not an unexpected turn of events in any city, but here in the heart of the griffon territories, there was an air of menace over the whole thing. It was hard to ignore that for all her skill at fighting, there were lots and lots of griffons here, and they didn't much want a dragon around. She tried to ignore the atmosphere and act casually, unfolding a crumpled paper and checking that she had found the right place.

Looking at the paper seemed to be the cue for most of the onlookers to go back to their business, reasonably satisfied that the dragon amongst them wasn't going to start any trouble. The griffons still seemed wary, but they didn't seem to want to make the first move on her, and she was quite content to stay out of trouble. At least, until she was being paid for the trouble, or it was for a worthy cause.

Spotting the contact wasn't difficult. Blue is not a particularly common color among griffons, and few of the clientele wore fancy clothing. Shard walked up hesitantly and addressed the blue griffon. "Um, M... Mia Small?" Shard guessed, not actually familiar with the word. "Is that you? You should totally hire me! Uh, Shard. Shard Talyn. I mean, that's me. My name is that. Uh, but with just the one Shard. Er, just call me Shard, anyway." She glanced nervously at the other griffon, hoping that they weren't going to have to compete for the job.

[Apolline Allura]

Miasma clicked her claws against the table idly, waiting someone else to show up. She had shown up five minutes early, so she knew some waiting was in order. But she hadn't taken into account how much she had wanted to get this thing started already. Five minutes felt like fifty as she stared at the entrance, the one source of natural light in the pub all the way from her spot in the back. Somewhat promptly, a gryphon had entered the pub, spotting Miasma easily. She immediately assumed this one to be one who had seen her flyer.

'Well ofcourse she saw you. Who else has this kind of style in this town?' she smirked vainly. Her fashion sense was a point of her pride. Woe betide unto anyone who'd dare mess up on of her designer suits.

She looked older than Miasma for sure, which certainly wasn't a problem, had became a recurring thing in her life she had suddenly noticed. Whether it was regular everyday grinders or higher ups in society, Miasma had mostly, if not always had dealt with adults. And that brought to light her rather startling lack of friends, accomplices, or contacts otherwise her own age.

She had to shut her own thoughts up as the other gryphon approached. 'Why am I even thinking about this? It's utterly irrelevant.'

"Miasma Vice, I take it?"

Purple tipped wings, a white crest and a pair of gold eyes...not to mention built. Miasma curtailed her desire to stare as she spoke. "Miasma. Vice. And any combination of the two you'd like. Please, have a seat."

She gestured with a talon to a seat on the end of the half circle of the table, and then to the chairs in front of it. "It's good to see someone interested in a little real fun around her nowadays. Granted, my idea of of fun deals with hunting down a group of diamond dogs for the map that they stole from a settlement near Raptorclaw River."

Producing a small folder from her bag sitting on the floor, she set it on the table. "What's your name by the wa-"

A small outbreak of muttering and such from the front of the establishment caught Miasma's ears. A frame suggesting wings and spikes and horns entered the pub.

'Well there's something you don't see everyday. A dragon in the-'

"A dragon?" she spoke out loud, in amazement. Apart of her own mother, she knew of no other dragons that roamed Talonopolis. Much like most other places in Equestria, one could count on a pony, a hippogriff, gryphon, or donkey to show up in parts unknown. But never a dragon. At least, not if they didn't have business in the city. And it had seemed this one did, making her way over to the table where she and the other gryphon were at. She was an interesting palette for a dragon. That shade of green just happened to be her favorite, and it meshed rather well with the blue scales running along her belly.

The slit red eyes looking in her direction were all the look that Miasma needed to confirm that she was here for it too. And then she spoke.

Um, M... Mia Small?" stammered the dragon, inadvertently revealing her age all too clearly to Miasma, "Is that you? You should totally hire me! Uh, Shard. Shard Talyn. I mean, that's me. My name is that. Uh, but with just the one Shard. Er, just call me Shard, anyway."

Her eyes could have turned into huge blinking bit signs and glowed behind her shades. A dragon. A freaking dragon. This was nothing short of pleasing for Miasma, who had also caught the glance toward the white crested gryphon. Was she worried that she was only taking one partner for this?

"Good to meet you, Shard," she smiled reached out to clap the dragon on the shoulder with a talon, careful not to prick her with the sharp edges of her claws. "I'm not hiring. But I am taking anyone who's up for knocking a few heads for some cash with me."

Sitting back down, she gestured to the small collection of drinks on the table. "I'm sorry I didn't have a dragon brew ready. Never know who's gonna turn up to help out these days apparently. As it is, these are for the both of you. And Shard, I was just getting ready to begin the debriefing." She reached for the folder before she remembered the other gryphon and turned to her. "What's your name by the way? I hadn't got it when you came."

[RarityDash]

Whoa, a dragon was going to be tagging along? That was kind of awesome. Gilda hadn't met many dragons, but she'd always thought they were pretty cool. Dragons were tough too, which should make things easier. Not that she'd really need much help to get the better of some dopey diamond dogs.

Gilda smirked and gave a quiet nod to the other griffon. "It's Gilda. Causing trouble and getting cash just happen to be two of my favorite pastimes."

She laughed mildly and nodded once more as she took one of the drinks offered her. "Thanks for the drinks," she commented dryly before throwing back the entire drink in one gulp. "Really hits the spot...."

"So what's the plan?" she asked, ready to hear what she was in for."

[Dio]

“It seems the plan is to first have drinks, my fine feathered-- and scaled-- friends. Let’s not be rude now!”

The splash of brogue was followed by a splash of ice blue, the coat color of a lithe, wild-maned stallion that casually slid into the seat next to Gilda. The earth pony moved with an unnatural grace, more akin to a griffon aerialist than one with ground bound heritage. A messenger saddlebag was slung across his shoulder, a flatcap perched upon his head, and a silly grin was plastered across his face. Tapping his hoof on the table to get the attention of one of the waitresses, White Feather produced a copy of Miasma’s poster from his saddlebag.

“I’m guessing this is the table for Miasma’s marvelous, miserable, misanthropes and miscreants?” he said with a laugh as the waitress dropped off his mug of ale. His words lacked edge, maintaining a humorous lilt to them in spite of their connotation. “Oh come on now, don’t be so glum, I was only fooling about the marvelous part!”

“Name’s White Feather, and methinks you’ll be wanting my company by the looks of it!”

[Tempest Rime]

"Not hiring?" Shard looked crestfallen for a moment, until she realized that Miasma was still paying. "But there is money and glory, right? That's enough for me." She picked up a glass and opened her mouth wide, tossing the whole thing in. She chewed on the glass for a bit, trying to avoid making a particularly disgusted face, but it was hard to disguise how little she cared for the brittle and tasteless material, even hungry as she was.

"Um, so you will take me then?" She frowned. "And wouldn't the debriefing come after the normal briefing?" She suddenly gave a tiny, flaming burp as the alcohol hit her draconic digestive system and was instantly burned off. "Oop, 'scuse me."

She grinned at Gilda, giving a friendly wave. "Gilda... like gilded? Mmm..." Her thoughts quickly turned to food again. "Gold is tasty. I can't believe so many creatures use it for money. It's so impractical, I'm always eating it before I can spend it."

She was shaken from her thoughts by the arrival of, of all things, an earth pony. Was this frail little creature supposed to actually help them? Then again, Shard had heard of unicorn magic, maybe there was something useful earth ponies could do. About half of what he said went over her head, but she replied anyway. "Oh, I'm not miserable. I'm just a little hungry." She eyed his mug, the steel in it looked a lot better than the glass.

[Apolline Allura]

Miasma's first move in what she now assumed to be her company of adventurers, provided no one else showed up to join her, was to pull out a small sack of coins and slide it over to Shard. "Just wagering, but I think gold sounds plenty better going down than glass...or that mug you've got, Feather."

What a group. Two gryphons, an earth pony and a dragon. Not that the last item needed anymore emphasizing, but a freaking dragon was on her side.

'Those punks'll never see us coming.' she grinned on the inside, the want for sweet revenge in her mind. It was comparatively overkill, and Miasma discarded the abstract thought in her mind not to underestimate the enemy.'

"So since time is of the essence," said Miasma, not looking the least bit unsatisfied as she stood up on her hind legs, "I'd like to thank you all for coming by. Introductions have been given, but just to run through, that's Gilda, Shard Talyn, and White Feather. Now let's get down to business." She pointed the others to each one in turn before sitting back down.

Rummaging through her sidebags for a bit, she pulled out a small black folder and set it upon the table. "Peros Diablos. They've always been a thorn in the citizens of Lefferded. A small settlement out near Raptorclaw River. Recently though, the took a very special item from a buffalo who claims they stole a treasure to them. Naturally, I did not resist pursuing them, having been promised the reward of a forty percent cut of the treasure when I returned with it all." A sip of her cider...aaaaaand back to business.

"However, due to complications, and a really heavy two by four, I failed to recover the treasure." she pinched her beak in annoyance, not wanting to recall anymore of that rather embarassing part of the failed op, "But! I did manage to discover that they hadn't taken treasure from the buffalo. It was actually a treasure map. Leading to the riches of...ahem... Gil Dorado."

She turned to Gilda and bowed her head in mock apology. "I'm sorry that the place is named that. But it is." she said with a tone so forcedly serious, she had to hold back a giggle. Even she didn't believe it, but the map said what it said, and it was quite vivid in her mind.

"Our mission is to recover the map, find the treasure, and if at all possible, detain the leader of the group," Miasma opened the folder to a lone picture of a diamond dog in a suit with a stallian cigar. "Fang. The citizenry of Lefferded have also promised a hefty reward for for bringing her in. They'll be en route to the Painted Pinto Desert today, so we have a few hours before their convoy departs from the city. So we've got our...work cut out for us, I'd say. Any questions?" finished Miasma, taking a deep breath, tired from all the talking.

[RarityDash]

Gilda stared in shock as a fourth arrived to join them. A pony? Seriously? Ponies weren't necessarily entirely welcome in Talonopolis. Much of the structure of the town was built to not even accommodate those who couldn't fly. Gilda herself didn't necessarily like them. She'd befriended a few before, and while there were some bright spots, usually they just disappointed her with their lightweight, lame decisions.

That said, a pony who had the guts to stroll into a Talonopolis pub either had to be a real tough guy or at least think he was one. Gilda studied this pony pretty closely so she could be the judge of that. He had a white coat, blue mane, small and not particularly imposing looking. He clearly liked to talk, but didn't seem to be saying much. He called himself White Feather; not exactly imposing. Honestly, Gilda couldn't say she was very impressed.

The dragon struck her as a little childish with all her tiresome questions and statements. That might also prove annoying. She was a dragon though, so it wasn't like Gilda could say or do much. Dragon vs Griffon bouts usually all went the same way. Gilda wasn't planning on acting all buddy-buddy with her, but she wasn't going to get on a more powerful creature's bad side either. That just seemed like a sure mistake.

She listened to the other griffon continue to lay out their mission. Gil Dorado, huh? Ha! That sounded like her kind of place. This sounded like it was going to be fun. A smirk appeared on her face as she decided to speak.

"Sounds simple enough," she said with a laugh. "This is going to be a breeze."

Her eyes turned to the pony, and grew a little more narrow and intense. "Though the way I see it, bringing along deadweight may end up dragging us down."

"What exactly do you bring to the table, pony? You can't fly and you don't look very tough. Far as I can tell the only thing you can do it talk fast and in my book that ain't really worth much," she finished, still glaring.

[Dio]

Miasma seemed to be amicable and straightforward enough. A job was a job, and handsome reward for a job was always welcome. From the description, it was a simple smash and grab op. Get in, get the map, get out. He’d leave the detaining to the predatory creatures; after all, they were the only ones who seemed concerned about taking the Diamond Dog boss for... well, whatever you’d do with a Diamond Dog boss.

"...though the way I see it, bringing along deadweight may end up dragging us down."

“Oh c’mon now, lass,” White Feather said without missing a beat, “Don’t be so hard on yourself! I wouldn't go so far as to call yourself that! You're just a little 'soft around the edges' is all!”

Not really. The other griffon was a bit rough around the edges. She had a scrapper’s build and a certain swagger that suggested she got her kicks from pushing others around, but the excessive amount of edge on her voice suggested she was none too good at it. Amateurs, the thief chuckled to himself.

"What exactly do you bring to the table, pony?” The griffonness continued. Gilda was it? “You can't fly and you don't look very tough. Far as I can tell the only thing you can do is talk fast and in my book that ain't really worth much!”

“I bring myself to the table first and foremost. Then I bring drinks!” the pony smirked, tapping on the edge of his mug. He then took a swig of the tankard, swiping the froth away with a free fetlock, purposefully letting the grin slip ever so slightly. The only response was a continuing glare from Gilda, drawing nothing more than a mildly exasperated sigh from White Feather. “Aye, tough crowd tonight.”

“But since you asked so nicely, I’ll be blunt. I bring with me very particular set of skills; skills very useful for persons such as yourself, Miasma,” he said, rapping his hoof on the table. “I’m what they like to call a... retrieval specialist. If you want something, no matter where it is or who happens to have it at the moment, I can ‘retrieve’ it for you. Get what I’m saying?”

[Tempest Rime]

Shard's eyes lit up and she wasted no time in emptying the proffered purse and wolfing down its contents with great gusto. "Mmph, so um, oops," Attempting to speak with her mouth full sent a small spray of molten gold onto the table, where it caught fire briefly until she bent down to lick it up. "Mm, sorry 'bout that. But anyway, I was gonna ask how you wanted to split the treasure we do get to keep. You said we got 40% from the buffalo, so are we splitting the rest evenly? 'Cause 10% of a famous lost city is still huuuge, I dunno how we'd even get that out of there."

She frowned. "Oh, and if we have to bring back the rest of the city for them, we'd need a whole big expedition. I don't think I could carry more than like, a small building, and even that would be pretty tough if it's made of gold."

Her questions asked, she turned her attention to the pony. Gilda had brought up a good point. "So, how fast can you travel? I mean, if you can't fly you're already going to be slower than us. Would you you be cool with being carried? You don't look too heavy." She paused, a thoughtful look on her face for a moment. "A retriever, huh? I thought only diamond dogs were those. The way you describe it sounds kinda like a thief." She frowned at him. "Stealing is bad."

[Apolline Allura]

White Feather possessed a certain swagger that Miasma could only respect. If it wasn't her running the show, she'd probably snarking alongside Gilda at him, but more for his reply than actual dislike. As it was, she brought this motley crew together to work together.

“I bring myself to the table first and foremost. Then I bring drinks!” he exclaimed.

"I could have sworn I did both actually," said Miasma, gesturing to his copy of her flyer and then to her various refreshments she ordered prior to anyone's arrival.

He looked slightly embarrassed when the table went silent, and everyone simply stared on at him. “Aye, tough crowd tonight.”

Clearing her throat and stifling a giggle, Miasma listened as he continued on to detail his role here. Ponies were trouble in their own way. Heck, Equestria was ruled by two at one time. And if Feather could walk what he talked, he'd be another plus for them. From the other two, she judged him as a bit more expendable, for she knew not what he was truly able to pull off. All the same, she'd give him a chance. The only thing at this point that she would have had to take into account was whether or not he'd be able to keep up. She nodded at him before there was suddenly a glob of melting gold sitting in front of her, and the dragon leaning over to lap up the remains of her little meal, which she seemed to be immensely satisfied with.

"Mm, sorry 'bout that. But anyway, I was gonna ask how you wanted to split the treasure we do get to keep. You said we got 40% from the buffalo, so are we splitting the rest evenly? 'Cause 10% of a famous lost city is still huuuge, I dunno how we'd even get that out of there."

"Good question, Shard. Quite honestly, the only real strict ruling I have is on the capture and delivery of Fang. That's more or less my real stake in this adventure. That reward is mine entirely, no questions asked. If the legends of Gil Dorado are true, then the only problem you'll have to worry about is how much you can get out with and take home. I've already went to the trouble of arranging for a few unicorns to meet us out in the desert after you all have decided what you can get out of there. They'll transport everything back to my home, which is where we'll be heading back to. You all can collect your share, and part ways then."

She went silent for a moment, at which Shard spoke up again.

"A retriever, huh? I thought only diamond dogs were those. The way you describe it sounds kinda like a thief." the dragon frowned at White Feather. "Stealing is bad."

"Ah ah ah," said Miasma, a twinge of annoyance pricking at her. She didn't need her comrades fighting. That was not good for a haphazardly thrown together of strangers in the least. "If anyone has a problem with anyone else, feel free to whup each others tails after this is over. Your mission, should you choose to take it, requires cooperation. Period.

I'm not taking anyone I have to babysit." she removed her shades, revealing neon orange eyes staring hard at each person at her table.

[RarityDash]

Gilda growled. This pony irritated her. This kind of smug, cocky jokester always rubbed her the wrong way, and when it was a pony acting like he was such hot stuff, it was even worse. She glared at him, as she spoke in low voice "You think you're so clever, don't you? All up on yourself with how cool you are. Well, I don't buy a word of it. You're just another pony, weak and lame like any other..."

Her piece said to the pony, she looked toward that dragon. "Stealing is bad"? Really, now? What kind of simple-minded, do-gooder dragon was this? She wasn't about to say anything on account of her being a blasted dragon, but gah, this was looking like it was going to be irritating. Gilda just shook her head and sighed in irritation before turning toward what was probably going to be the only member of the group she could stand, her fellow griffon. Considering Miasma's words, it was a good idea not to say anything anyway. Her comments to the pony might already be pushing it.

"And what if this fantasy treasure of yours, isn't real, or isn't worth anything? What are you promising us in that case?" Gilda asked with a discerning stare. "I don't want to be out on some wild goose chase unless I'm for sure getting something out of it."

[Tempest Rime]

"Uh, no sir ma'am, you don't have to. I can work with him. As long as he doesn't try to do anything bad. But yeah, Gilda's got a good point. What if the treasure map is a fake? Or if it's not, but the city itself ends up being a myth, and it's actually just made of brass or something. Yeuch." She made a disgusted face. "If that happened, you'd be getting your reward, but we'd be going hungry. That's not very fair."

Shard paused, considering. "Oh, and the guy himself, he's got a band of its, right? How many bandits, and how tough are they? I don't think I could handle more than thirty or so if they're really strong. Maybe more like fifty if they're weaker. Any more than that and it gets real annoying when they dog-pile me."

[Apolline Allura]

"Fang is a female dog. She controls a rather large assortment of ponies, diamond dogs, gryphons and if the rumors are true, she has a dragon on her side now. Though I don't put much stock in believing scuttlebutt. And if Gil Dorado doesn't turn out to be anything more that that as well, then the reward for capturing Fang goes to you three. I'll give up my take and I'll walk. Simple as that."

Miasma's orange eyes gave them all another round table once over. A pokerface was an important thing to have in these kinds of deals. Miasma had every intention of honoring her promise, but it was a lot to say that someone who'd organize a treasure hunt, and a criminal hunt would just give up their own share. Especially when they advertised money as part of the whole package.

All the same, time was getting short. "If you don't want in, out, now. Simple as that. If you've any more questions, I'll answer them. But we'll need to proceed to the planning stage. That convoy is set to leave an hour from now. And our first objective is to stick to the convoy like glue. After that, we can decide whether or not to capture Fang or wait to see what she comes up with after raiding Gil Dorado."

[Dio]

“On hoof, I can be right quick. But I’m thinking you need to be a good bit faster than that, if what the dear Miasma says is true. The rumors in Manehattan always pegged me as having wings and really it’s a bloody shame I don’t. But I make do with it when we’re out and about.”

“Of course,” the pony paused to take a long draught of his ale. He chuckled as he put the tankard back down. “It wouldn’t hurt to have a ride.”

“You needn’t worry about weight; I’m just a wee little pony, unlike featherfluff over there,” he said, motioning towards Gilda with his head, “and I can assure you I’ll be invaluable on the ground.”

"A retriever, huh? I thought only diamond dogs were those.”

White Feather smirked at the remark. He could work with the dragon. She had a sense of humor it seemed! “In a manner of speaking, though i’m neither so smelly nor so doltish.”

“...the way you describe it sounds kinda like a thief. Stealing is bad."

And that was the kicker. What could have passed as wry humor was buried by an avalanche of moralizing and White Feather raised an eyebrow at the otherwise well-meaning dragon. She had heart, he could admire that, but what else was she expecting coming into a job like this? Thankfully, Miasma decided to nip the problem in the bud.

"Ah ah ah, if anyone has a problem with anyone else, feel free to whup each others tails after this is over. Your mission, should you choose to take it, requires cooperation. Period.”

“Aye, you’ll have mine for certain, Miasma.”

The griffon continued. "If you don't want in, out, now. Simple as that. If you've any more questions, I'll answer them. But we'll need to proceed to the planning stage. That convoy is set to leave an hour from now. And our first objective is to stick to the convoy like glue. After that, we can decide whether or not to capture Fang or wait to see what she comes up with after raiding Gil Dorado."

“If I can walk away with a cut of the reward for bringin’ your buffalo friend his map, that’ll be enough of a job for me this day. If it actually does lead to a legendary city of gold... well, let’s take it one step at a time,” White Feather chuckled. “The convoy. What are we expecting and when do we leave?”

[RarityDash]

Gilda glared at the pony as he made cracks at her expense. Her weight? Really? She was lean and sleek, more built for speed than most griffons. She wasn't even going to dignify that line with a response. She just rolled her eyes and looked away. This group... she was honestly unsure how much she'd be able to take. Between the smart-flank pony and the childish dragon, Gilda wasn't expecting a particularly enjoyable excursion. She'd almost sooner endure the company of Pinkie Pie. Almost.

If the reward was good it would be worth it though, and the more Miasma talked the more it sounded like a relatively safe bet overall. She still had some concerns but that she'd get her share of the reward money at the very least alleviated most of her concerns there. She nodded to the other griffon quietly. "Well I'm definitely in. I'm not about to pass something like this up. Just tell me what you need from me, and you'll have it."

That was all she really had to say. She wasn't a dense griffon, but she wasn't prepared to waste too much time on questions and planning and lame little details when there were others here to do that for her. The further she stayed away from a leadership role the better. That way if things turned south she had someone else to pin the blame on. She was just here to do her fair part and rake in her fair share of the profits.