As soon as the escort began, movement soon followed within the camp: archers hidden in the boughs of the trees overhead trained crossbows on the unarmed messenger, just in case he tried anything foolish as he was led forward, rogues sequestered away in the shadows with throwing knives and blowguns ready. The new recruits had already been ushered to their tents: if anything happened, the more experienced guards and agents would deal with it. The fact that their visitor had willingly given his weaponry to the woman currently guarding the camp didn't necessarily signify a willingness to stand down. Yet, the messenger would find himself unharassed.
Perendi nodded at the mage's statement; none of them could complain about their service to the Haldane Cartel- and if the company's main branch was any inidication, there would probably be no issue working for the secondary branch at all. When the half-elf returned with their drinks, she tossed hers back in a few swallows before turning her attention to the man's sales pitch again. No different than last time; even the puppies should be able to catch on quickly. Nodding again to let her "translator" and "runner" know that she intended on accepting the terms that hadn't changed since last time -regardless of how pissed-off that would make more than a few people- and turned her attention back to the Cartel's courier.
Her expression was pleased and welcoming, yet offered very little room for argument as her hands rose to dance in their silent language: "As your terms coinside with that of your Zantaric division, we accept. However, as you're not the one who sought us out last time, we have our own terms as well: we will accept the same rate of pay that the Zantaric division provided us and in turn, we will serve your branch willingly, whether in passive or active service, until our contract ends. Housing does not have to be provided for any of us, nor do we expect any luxuries. When we are not working, we will not interfere with your business in any way and we expect the same. We've one cleric and a sawbones, so we won't bother yours unless ours find themselves overwhelmed."
"Though we suffered no casualties when we served the Zantaric branch, should casualties occur, we expect the fallen's pay to be delivered to their families as soon as it is possible to do so. Other than that, we will expect our pay on time- no excuses or attempts to delay will be accepted. If we suspect something is wrong, or that a mission or assignment is a fool's quest, we will refuse that particular job- and will expect to be paid for time wasted, while addressing someone in seniority." They were the standard terms that she started with when negotiating. While some employers hadn't exactly liked the idea of accepting the last part of that silent speech, it was usually nothing more than a failsafe in case someone decided they were going to send a couple fortune-seekers to their deaths. "If you accept, when do we leave?"
They could have easily broken everything down and been mobilized within an hour, if the messenger insisted that they travel under the cover of night. While there would be protests from those who were currently sleeping, or on their way to bed, the Hounds were always ready to move at short notice. They didn't have their reputation for nothing- and as a whole, there was very little that they would turn down as far as employment went. She would rock back on her heels, lighting a cigar and giving the elf a moment to mull over the Hounds' own terms, gesturing her cohorts closer and signing to them both: "If he agrees, we accept. I think we've found a way to recover the pay we lost from that bastard Yvelines. Kallias," She addressed the half-elf for a moment, "I know you helped with the rumor-spreading, but you're still prepared to do what we spoke about earlier once we leave, correct? If not, go prepare." She would flash a small but wicked smile at Parezi -the mage- before again turning to face the cartel's messenger.