Imogen's ears perked up at the word "owe," but only for a moment. After a few seconds of thought, she sighed and shrugged. "Couldn't take any money for it, I'm afraid. Practically an advertisement, what have you, would be a terrible affright to my vows to take your coin for a chat about how you ought to give us your coin."
It wouldn't, really, but it would certainly strike at Imogen's sense of propriety. The money taken for Sunsinger work served two purposes; maintenance of the order and insurance that their services were not invoked frivolously. Here, she'd spent no resources of her own in speaking to Rickter, and she was the one importuning him to inquire with the Sunsingers. No, taking payment for that would be positively unjust, and while she wasn't above a little dishonorable business for coin, she wouldn't besmirch the coven's name over a few coins.
With her drink finished and her message and paper presented, Imogen stood from the comfortable armchair and turned off the gas in the stove, dimming the fire. It would flicker for another half-hour or so on the wood still in the grate before it burned out. She unlocked the doors, and carefully began putting away the alcohol.
"Now, if you should need any services in the future, feel free to come to me. My rates are quite competitive- thirty gold for a job, or ten gold for a day, haggles down to five if it's a long-haul matter. Oh, and a good reason. Sunsingers don't hire if the contract's not in the best interest of the community, see."
And who decided that? The Sunsingers, obviously. Just as she had decided that, whatever skulking Kalzasaern business Mr. Maze was on here in the High City, it was probably better to help him remain undetected than to covertly report him. After all, she had no great appreciation for the city government and the order they imposed, and what she'd learned on Mr. Maze's vision quest quelled any concerns that he meant to harm the general public in some dire way.
"Well, I ought to finish up here for the night. A pleasure to see you again, Mr. Maze- hopefully, we'll meet again. Try not to do something stupid and get yourself killed!"
Not that she expected him to. Imogen was a great judge of character, and Mr. Maze seemed much too steady to get himself obliterated in some grand gesture.