Olosse wrapped her ankle with the bandages, his eyes bouncing from what he was doing (didn't want to mess this up) to Iris' mournful gaze. It was odd to see her emote, let alone cry; no, odd wasn't the right word. Humanizing, maybe? Yes that was it. Iris had, no doubt due to her occupation, managed to keep herself at arms length (and then some) from the prince, allowing Olosse to see her as a valuable tool, yes, but as a person with emotions, dreams and aspirations? Not always. There had been a few moments in the last several years where he had seen brief flickers of passion spark from behind her normally stoic masquerade, so to see this...well, Olosse was moved. 

Wrapping up her ankle completely, he grimaced, wiping the tears that were visible from her face (touching more skin in the process...humanizing indeed) before allowing a few moments of silence to pass between them, the only other noises in the room piercing the silence being Rowena's once-again ragged gasps for air and the gentle breeze the fluttered the curtains on the patio that Iris had made her appearance on. 
"The Vikar must be in more dire straits than we thought." He stood up, hair rustling. 
"Nowhere in the Vadrudorian annals that I've read indicate that child slavery was ever a tactic in the past...it makes me wonder if we haven't walked in on something much more complex than we knew." Iris' words about Arel rang through his mind.
"You mentioned rations? And unrest? If the city is a tightened bow ready for the arrow to be launched, I wonder how desperate Rakuhor is for this alliance...and if this alliance is borne out of necessity rather than actual long term political gain. I certainly wouldn't want us to sign this treaty only for the Ishmeldian regiments to get pulled out of the kingdom to quell an insurrection that we weren't warned about." Olosse had begun pacing in the middle of this semi-monologue, armed folded across his bare chest, hand cupping his chin. He paused in the center of the room. 
"Then again, this could all just be a front for something much more sinister and if there's anything Father taught me, it's that the first impression of a thing is normally the farthest from the truth of a matter." The liege in waiting turned to face Iris fully. 
"You said that you were spotted?" He chuckled, motioning to her.
"Well of course you were, you got into quite a scrape." He tapped his foot a couple of times, eyes looking her over. 
"And yet you managed to let those in the Bludless and those helping them understand that their actions are not only being watched, but threatened, which will only accelerate their desire to make good on their plans, whatever they are." A pause.
"Which then means that tomorrow night's banquet will be a prime target for their hypothetical 'storming of the castle'." He huffed a sigh, shaking his head as he cast a glance at the patio. 
"Iris, darling, I have a favor to ask of you." He motioned to the patio, index finger pointed at the cityscape beneath. 
"I need you to accompany me into the city. I want to go to a specific tavern, one that I've frequented in the past when I was...well, I don't think I asked you to accompany me to said tavern, but I do know that there are many, many unsavory characters who might be willing to give us more of a 'boots on the ground' perspective so to speak." He cleared his throat, cheeks flushing. Olosse had indeed visited this tavern multiple times, without his shadowguard or anyone else knowing for...specific visits to specific individuals of the opposite gender. Along the way he had forged a few connections with those who were more than content to keep his identity a secret in exchange for generous contributions to the tavern's upkeep. As a future liege in waiting, he knew that having unsavory connections could and would pay off; it just so happened this might be one of those times. 
"All I would ask is that you take two of the others with us and the three of you remain in the shadows until I signal for you to appear, if at all. Allow me to work the locals and see what information I can find out. If all goes well, we might be able to get some solid evidence I can present at tomorrow's signing and get the truth out of Rakuhor." A slight smile creased his youthful face. 
"I can feel the anxiety welling up inside of you already and I assure you, this isn't a request, my dear. It's an order. I need your help now more than ever." He approached her chair, kneeling across a foot or so away. 
"But feel free to give me advice before we venture out; if there's anything I'm missing, I'd love to know." Olosse stared deep into Iris'..well, irises, and found himself wondering what lay behind that mask, what features HE was missing out on viewing. It was difficult to read one's expressions when hidden behind something like the Shadowguard's uniform, but he was especially curious about his own guard more than ever.