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KAZ TALKED ABOUT THE PAREM WHILE Nina listened intently, curiously about what was going on. Granted, Dinara had heard all of this before, so she was half-ass listening, while her gaze wandered around the room. She took in all the details of the small room, how red seemed to be Nina's color, as it was splattered among the room, painting it like Picasso. Dinara thought it was a little too bright, seeing she enjoyed the much darker shade of red — blood red. It reminded her of all the people she killed, happy thoughts in her mind, knowing that she was getting rid of rats that made the world a worse place.
Nina's voice broke her out of her thoughts. "If this is all true, then Bo Yul-Bayur needs to be eliminated."
"That is not the job, Nina." "This isn't about money, Kaz."
"It always is, Nina. Everyone needs it. It's what keeps us alive," Dinara said. Nina rolled her eyes at that, she knew Dinara would always take Kaz's side no matter what. It was their bond, always trusting each other to their dying breath. Sure, it was a little morbid, but it was the way it worked with them.
"Nina, we're going to need to retrieve Bo Yul-Bayur, and I need a Corporalnik to do it. I want you on my crew."
"Wherever he's hiding out, once you find him, letting him live would be the most outrageous kind of irresponsibility. My answer is no," Nina said.
"Come on, Nina, please?" "He isn't hiding out. The Fjerdans have him at the Ice Court." "Then he's as good as dead."
"The Merchant Council doesn't think so. They wouldn't be going to this trouble or offering up this kind of reward if they thought he'd been neutralized. Van Eck was worried. I could see it."
"The beecher you spoke to?" Nina questioned.
"Yes. He claims their intelligence is good. If it's not, well, I'll take the hit. But if Bo Yul-Bayur is alive, someone is going to try to break him out of the Ice Court. Why shouldn't it be us?"
"The Ice Court. You don't just need Corporalnik, do you?" "No, I need someone who knows the Court inside and out."
Nina leapt to her face and started to pace, putting together what Kaz was getting at, knowing that it would go nothing but pain. Dinara shook her head with a sigh, she knew this was about to go horribly. "You're a little skiv, you know that? How many times have I come to you, begging to help Matthias? And now that you want something..." She trailed off.
"Per Haskell isn't running a charity." "Don't put this in the old man. If you'd wanted to help me, you know you could have." "And why would I do that?" "Because...because..." Nina didn't have a good reason. "When have I ever done something for nothing, Nina?" "You buy Dinara all of those dresses. I know they aren't cheap, yet you do it anyway. That is nothing."
