[ It made sense that businesses would have to get creative when it came to staying open, if they didn't just have to throw their hands up and close down entirely. It's yet one small example of how an ongoing war, even one that's still on the brink of starting, has a ripple effect on everyone. ]

That must mean they're being pretty strict with who they're buying from too.

[ Which means that Claude has probably struggled with conducting business in general, but Steve suspects that he'll find a way to continue to work effectively even under these circumstances. Claude is crafty that way.

But it doesn't take long for the conversation to shift to the military fallout, and Steve nods, yet again taking a careful look around them before he speaks up. ]

Yeah, I've noticed that soldiers have been mobilizing to Aquila too, which is definitely new. I'm not surprised that there's already talk of retaliation. [ And they'll just go back and forth with it until more and more lives are lost. Just the thought of it is exhausting, and Steve takes a moment to heave out a sigh. ] I can't help but wonder if there's more to it, though. There's a base in the mountains near here, and I have reason to believe they're developing some new tech there. That's why I've been trying to keep an eye on things.