There may be nothing overtly smug, but the damage is already done. Civility will be all Valdis is likely to expect from this encounter. Rutile stops and turns back to Valdis, their arms crossing over their chest and their weight shifting to one leg. The effect is one of hubris, but also of casuality.

“I wouldn’t dismiss the weather so quickly,” they point out, “for meteorological changes may be one sign among many of nefarious activity. Where I come from, a sunny day is the most dangerous of them all.

“That said, you are right. I have more interesting things to care about than the rain. How goes your investigation into the Planes?”

The question is born of true interest: their personalities may clash, but at heart, Rutile and Valdis are asking similar questions. The fastest way to an investigator’s heart is to ask them about their work; perhaps this will bridge the gap.