Hearing the deal, Richard asks Sean to check whether the guy needs an answer now, or if they can think about it for a little bit (and while it's pretty clear Sean shouldn't relay this part, so they can check their concerns out a little first) with the understanding that the deadline wouldn't move either way. Besides just finding out how much information gathering they can do without comitting, Richard's also interested to see how the guy reacts to the proposal itself. The fishier the job, the more likely he is to pressure them into it, is Richard's thinking.

As far as the job itself goes...well, that depends on just how much they're being lied to here. If it's just a case of the contact wanting to hide the way this relates to internal Gunmetal politics, then...perhaps, although Richard's quite concerned that this might lead to a repeat of the Bread Basket situation, particularly given how little they actually know about the way Gunmetal works outside of the specific parts they've interacted with. At the same time, though, Gunmetal is an invaluable ally and supplier, so...perhaps. His main concern is the gang themselves - if they were the kind of people their contact is claiming they are, then Richard has no problem doing the job, but that "if" is doing a lot of work there. Given that the exiles already know he's lying to them, there's the possibility that these people aren't as bad as he's saying either.

And then there was the question of what this was all for...was Gunmetal planning on hitting them at some point? That'd be unusual, from what the exiles have generally seen of the way the cities have operated. After all, Mailer's army have had free range out in the wider world because of the cities keeping their attention close to home. Since when did they go out and hunt down gangs? There was the possibility of Gunmetal hiring another team to do the job, Richard supposed, but from what they'd seen it wasn't like hired guns were normally supplied strong intel gathered by another team. It all seemed...odd. As Richard thinks about it, part of him can't help but have the feeling like their contact is banking on the exiles getting spotted and having to fight their way out. Even then, that was a risky thing for him to bank on. Richard really isn't sure what to make of it, but suggests that Sean might want to ask about what the guy is planning on doing with the intel after they've collected it. He'll probably lie, of course, but even that might help narrow it down.