Before the conversation could go much further, Lazarus burst into the guild hall and brought some kind of storm of arguing along with him. Though Maddox's back was to the yelling that occurred, he remained quiet and listened intently. After Sasha finished with her yelling, the red-haired mage let out a sigh. "Only three months..." he muttered to himself as he closed his eyes. "Excuse me a moment James." He opened his eyes as he calmly stood up from his seat and approached Lazarus and Damien. Though it seemed the two reconciled, or were about to, Maddox placed his hands on their shoulders and moved closer, effectively interrupting them.
"Listen," he whispered, making sure only those two could hear him. After taking a brief pause to make sure they were both listening, he continued. "Everyone is a bit on edge and nervous. That's to be expected. Lazarus, you're a long-time veteran here like me. Damien, you're a symbol of strength. Members like us need to rise to the occasion for everyone else, if you understand me." Maddox took a pause to look around the guild hall for a moment. With that, he removed his hands from their shoulders and continued whispering. "Today is just like any other day." After letting out a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair and looked at the ceiling. Using his other hand, he removed the cigarette from his mouth for a brief moment to blow smoke upwards. After replacing it, he looked back at the two. "I'll talk to her," he spoke up, now at a normal volume. With that, Maddox walked around the two and headed toward the stairs.