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[favoriteanalyst]

Crystal, In Person, Mail, Gifts, etc.

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[thereneverwas]

Unfortunately it's not that easy, mate, you can only help one of us.

[He shoulders Jude back out of the way, putting himself forward, with one arm angled slightly back in case he tries to get cute about it.]

I'm going to ask you to help us clear the battlement and move a ballista to the wall. I don't know what he's going to ask you, but it certainly isn't nearly so altruistic or helpful to our cause.

[foolsmakeitcolder]

[Jude lets himself be elbows and otherwise human-handled. He looks very much like he's trying not to laugh, but lets Barrow get his piece in.]

Funny, because I was about to ask for the same thing.

[favoriteanalyst]

Uh-huh. [Yes, he easily sees this as a competition, but he's got to make them work for it, obviously.] And if you're both working at the same thing, then I can help you both. Maybe one of you is clearing the battlement, and one's moving a ballista?

[thereneverwas]

Would that it were true.

[With great regret,] one of us is your trusted brother-in-arms, asking you to do both of those things. The other is trying to sabotage him.

[foolsmakeitcolder]

[Jude, obviously trying not to laugh, laying a hand over his face:]

There's an incentive to recruit more people for the project. Whichever one of us brings in more people gets a pay bonus.

[favoriteanalyst]

It sure sounds like someone is trying to do the sabotage here. [barrow]

...Do the people on the winning side also get a pay bonus? [mobius]

[thereneverwas]

They could. [if they’re nice]

[foolsmakeitcolder]

They may also consider a baked-good related bonus.

[Shameless, at this point.]

[favoriteanalyst]

Now that's a sneaky incentive that I bet's working wonders. [He can guess who's winning, but also just joining the winning team is a little cheap! He motions for them to speak.] Gimmie the sales pitch. Make your cases.

[thereneverwas]

[Barrow sighs through his nose with an exasperated but not altogether unfriendly look at Jude, then does as instructed:]

It's the same sales pitch both ways, I'd imagine. But one of us can bake. [Putting it all out there, really.]

--it's not me, [he amends quickly, as if that needed to be said.] But I'll buy you a drink.

[foolsmakeitcolder]

[Jude shrugs his shoulders, spreading his hands elegantly, if a man this big can be said to do so.]

We've got cookies.

[favoriteanalyst]

You boys are cute, you know that? The baking is mighty tempting...

[He looks between them, looking both in deep concentration and deeply amused. This is, of course, serious business!]

What can I say, one of you beat the other to the punch by a couple seconds, and I'm a sucker for an underdog. [...wait-] No offense, Jude. [is that even offensive??] I'll have to throw my hat in with my brother in arms. I'm holding you to that drink, Barrow, even if there's no other bonus involved.

[thereneverwas]

Oh, you'll get it, my friend. [VICTORY]

[foolsmakeitcolder]

[Jude, obviously holding back a laugh.]

That I can respect. See you there.