"So, what's our plan?" The weasel asked as he pulled on his thick leather gloves. He was a lithe and sinewy fellow, with close cut brown fur. Other than that, the only distinguishing factor about his appearance was a horizontal scar above his right eye.

"Don't ask stupid questions Yuuda. What is this, your 100th salvage mission?" replied the ferret seated opposite of the weasel. The ferret, an albino, was remarkably skinny, even for his species.

"97th, actually. And John, I thought that the only stupid questions were the unasked ones. Besides, you never know. Remember that old vermin camp in the Northlands? " The weasel began putting on his leather armor, not necessarily a requirement for his job, but a useful asset nonetheless.

"That's the reason why we carry weapons, idiot. And other than the occasional rough and tumble, we never had any trouble. Also, when was it really any different? Sneak in, find all the loot, and then torch the place. We haven't really deviated from the formula since we started this gig. This time it's an abandoned hovel, not necessarily breeding grounds for bandits and marauders, so you don't have to worry about further damage your ugly mug." replied John. He pulled out some flint from his pocket along with a fresh cigar from the tabletop.

"Alright. If there is no difference, then I think the only question this time is when do we leave?" Yuuda finished dressing, and was now tightening his belt.

"Immediately. Well actually, as soon as I finish my smoke. In the mean time, wake up Andrew. We'll need him conscious so he can crunch the numbers." After a few unsuccessful attempts with the flint, he was able to ignite the cigar. "Well, don't just keep watching me! You aren't paid to stand here!" John waved the cigar towards the adjacent room for emphasis, spraying crumbly embers into the air. Yuuda frowned and quickly turned to go.

"Hmph! That fat bastard Andrew has it easy," muttered Yuuda under his breath. "Hardly does anything except eat, sleep, and scribble." The weasel crossed into the connecting room, their impromptu barracks. It was relatively plain and rather boring room, with beige walls, beige carpet, and three small beds with beige sheets. One of the beds was covered with food, crumpled paper, and the large blob of black blubber known as Andrew.

The weasel sighed and walked over to the slumbering rat. "Hey! Wake up!" said the weasel, poking Andrew on his huge belly with a claw. The sleeping form muttered something indistinctly and rolled over. "So that won't work huh?" Yuuda spotted a half full pitcher of water , retrieved it, and held it over the rat's face. "Time for Plan B," said the weasel and promptly emptied the contents of the pitcher.

The results were immediate. "What in the Hellgates was that for!?" spluttered the thoroughly soaked rat. He sat up, throwing various food wrappings and rinds all over the floor and the weasel.

"Well unlike the cushy jobs of desk clerks and shopkeepers, we salvagers can't afford having breakfast in bed and spend the day twiddling our paws," replied the weasel coolly, wiping off a spare fruit rind from his fur. He grasped Andrew's paw and pulled him up after a brief struggle.

"So what do you want me to do again?" yawned the rat, scratching his large posterior.

"Whatever Boss wants you to do, of course."

Pulling the dozy Andrew by the arm, Yuuda dragged him over to the living room. John was still peacefully smoking his cigar, without a care in the world. Breaking free from Yuuda's grasp, Andrew seated himself on a stool, the old wood creaking with stress.

Giving the ferret a dirty look, the rat started complaining, a typical morning ritual for him. "What do you want now? I was having a very pleasant dream about good food and wine and mansions until I was rudely interrupted by an unpleasant waterfall down by face!" grumbled the rat.

"We need you to estimate the value of the salvage we'll bring back from this abandoned hovel."

Andrew snorted. "You'll be lucky if you can find a spare lantern or at best, some plowshares. Why'd you even bother waking me up?"

"You never know until you go in, right? Remember that one burrow near the Eastern edge of Mossflower Woods? The former occupants had genuine badger-forged steel hidden under the floorboards. We worked up quite a sum thanks to you. If I remember, most of it went into acquiring this current base of operations," said John, flicking some ash off the end of his smoke.

"Still, that wasn't that just a lucky haul? It's been ages since our last genuinely good run, and that was in that old mausoleum. Shouldn't we scout out some more?"

"It'll take too long. Plus, winter is going to set in soon, so I think we should just take our chances. We already have enough supplies to last us through the season, so what's the problem with making a little change on the side?"

The rat groaned with exasperation and put his paws to his face. "I guess we're going to have to stick with hardtack and water this season. Fat chance of rare cheese and seasoned wine," sighed the rat with exasperation.

"Don't be so gloomy!" laughed Yuuda, slapping Andrew on the back and nearly knocking him off the chair. "It's better than starving, right? Who knows? Maybe we can get a real motherload this time!"

"You always say that," mumbled Andrew from behind his paws. "And you've been with John for over 10 seasons. Don't you miss your family back in the East?"

"Yeah. I do. But I promised them a good house and enough wealth to last us so that I would never have to leave again. And I cannot break that promise." The weasel replied quietly.

"Hey guys! I'm done with my smoke!"

2 Hours Later

"So, this is where we get our next payload, huh? " commented Yuuda.

The pair hiked for about 4 hours to reach the abandoned house, having to navigate thick woods and uneven terrain. Although John felt relieved that they finally reached their destination, his partner was less than satisfied. It might have been grand at one point in time, but that has long since past. The triangular roof was half collapsed and half the dwelling was missing because of it. "It looks like nobeast lived here for several dozen seasons, don't you reckon? I think bandits and looters would have probably stripped it to the bone by now."

"Look, if you don't want any share, then be my guest. And if not, shut your gob!" snapped John.

"Alright, alright, I was just fooling around."

And without any further ado, they entered the building.