He scoffs, so forcefully the breath disturbs the surface tension of the cup. A ripple skims across the tea: still, it does not spill.

"An open posting? What will that get us, except the dregs. Already it is a silly thing. Do we trust the raising of our money to any-old-one? No, we do not. We must be selective if we are to raise any funds with this plan. We must choose, and inquire, and populate our list in this way. Any open invitation to participation will get us nothing but head's aches."

Please. At last he takes a sip of his sludge. It is thick, this sip. Val does not flinch at all.