Pathfinder [Frontier Justice] In Character

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Oct 15, 2013
Here is where we'll post all our in character posts. I'm excited already ya'll! The first post should be along shortly, but bear with me until then.
 
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The town of Ide was a lovely rustic town smack dab at the edge of the Kingdom of Gra's territory. It was one of the larger frontier towns, but still lacked in the wealth that the inner settlements had. That being said, two years after its founding it was steadily increasing in power. The position was good for trade and agriculture. The area to the south and east was a vast plan great for fertile fields, to the north lay the forests and mountains and to the west lay the river and a vast marsh for fishing.

The only major issue was the sheer amount of undesirable neighbors. Aka monsters ranging from the cowardly goblin to something as dangerous as a dragon seeking to claim a territory of its own. The military of Gra was doing its best to handle the problem, but there was only so many and they could only safely cover the towns and trade routes without risk of over extending themselves. That's where the Guild of the Starry Skies came in. The guild members simply loved exploring new areas and fighting monsters ,for a price of course.

Seeking to gain wealth, knowledge, and more opportunities for adventure the guild opened smaller halls out in various small towns and put senior members in charge of the young bucks simply chomping at the bit to carve their name upon the world. In Ide the Guild had made its hall on a small hill near the south entrance of town.

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While not all that large it could house all its members in the feasting hall and those who didn't have their own rooms could stay at Guild owned Inn literally right next door. It was around 8'o clock this morning and most everyone had started their day. The notice board had a fresh string of requests and there was plenty of work to be done.
 
Alita

Alita Calendra was whiling away her spare time at the inn; specifically in the tavern. Since the Guild had placed that pompous fool, Talon, in charge of their group, she technically didn't have the authority to take on jobs by herself. It was frustrating to not be in charge, but even worse was that Talon seemed to think that he could simply dismiss her because she was a woman. A sensible person might have just kept their head down so long as the coin kept coming in, but Alita was hardly sensible when her pride was wounded. She'd spent the past year showing up Talon at every turn: she poked holes in his plans, stole his kills during jobs and occasionally ensured that his spellbook was "misplaced", causing him to spend hours looking for it. She'd never been caught stealing his book, but no one else in the party disliked Talon quite like Alita did.

Alita was in a particularly foul mood today, having had an argument with Talon that morning, and since she wasn't able to stab monsters at the moment, she was instead drinking her troubles away and glaring at anyone who came near her.

Alita was an attractive woman; standing at 5'5", she had long black hair, currently done up in a braid that fell just below her shoulder blades, and emerald green eyes. Alita had an hourglass figure that practically begged to be starred at, which she used to great effect in her armor. Her exquisitely tailored and enchanted leather armor drew her opponents' eye along the curves of her body while still protecting her. There was a small gap of skin open on her thighs between her armored skirt and her thigh-high boots; the gap wasn't large enough to be a prominent target and the enchantment on the armor protected it along with the rest of her body, but the little glimpse of skin was often enough to distract opponents and leave them open to attack. She also wore a veritable arsenal on her belt: she had a rapier at one hip and a gladius on the other, and a mace dangled by the gladius. Furthermore, there were a set of five daggers hidden behind her back, as well as a sap for when she wanted to take someone out without killing them. between the sour look on her face and how heavily she was armed, only the waitress who refilled Alita's tankard dared come near her.

-----

Markus

Markus had quickly become a recognizable face in Ide; with his massive height and build, ornate armor and outlandish spear, it was hard not to recognize him. Many people simply referred to him as "The Knight", which was accurate (it was the title he held, after all), but Ser Markus Ornstein was determined to make everyone recognize his name one day. To everyone who asked, he told the same story: he was a knight with his honor in tact, but no lord in the Theocracy of Londo wished to take him into their service. He would never give a straight answer as to why, simply shrugging and dismissing the question, often stating that the other knights must have simply displayed more valor than he.

Markus towered over all other men, standing at 6'3" with shaggy blonde hair and bronze eyes. Today, as on most days, he wore his magnificent armor: an enchanted mithral breastplate with enough bronze mixed in to give it a dull golden color. His helmet, which was one of the more interesting features of the armor, was presently down. The helmet was built into the armor and had a minor enchantment that would cause it to raise up and form around his head when he entered combat, making it look like a lion had engulfed his head in its mouth. He could easily see out through the slit in the mouth and his training and the enchantment in the armor compensated for any visibility issues he might have. The armor made hardly any noise as he walked down the street: the mithral making little noise against the layers of cloth beneath them. If one listened closely, one might head the light jingling of chainmail, but it was hardly noticeable over the bustle of the crowd.

Today, Markus did not carry his greatspear or, for that matter, his backpack with him. In fact, besides his coinpurse, he had only one other item with him: an anklet he'd had specially commissioned for this day, which he held in his left hand. He'd seen how the elf, Merised, had been admiring him from afar for the past year and decided that it was high time he did something about it. After all, any man would kill to have such a lovely woman by their side, so Markus decided that it was time that he made her his before he had to duel another man for her. He had no doubts that he would win if it came down to that, but he had little interest in spilling the blood of his fellow man if he could avoid it. He knew that Merised could be found in the library, so that was his destination. He was no stranger to the library: unlike many of the brutes the Guild employed, Ser Markus could duel just as well with words as he could with his spear. He had become familiar with Merised's favorite reading places, so it was simple enough to seek her out. She also had a good chance to see him coming, since the top of his head could be seen above some of the shorter bookshelves.

"Ah, lady Merised," he said, smiling upon finding her, his deep voice rumbling in his chest. "I do not wish to intrude, but do you perhaps have a moment to talk?"
 
The town was pleasant enough; Merised couldn't complain about that. Her compatriots for the most part were good people and she knew she was fortunate to have been welcomed into the guild with as little combat experience as she had. And of course there were...well, there were other reasons to be happy that Ide was her home now. But sometimes she would read something in one of the many books in the guild library, just an odd little bit of lore or history about her people, speculation on the elven customs or religions, and the pain of separation would flare to life in her chest anew. She was happy in Ide, truly she was. She was able to do the same sort of work that she had been trained for in her home village: she still brewed potions for healing and strength, still delivered babies and set broken bones and mended torn flesh. She still passed on the knowledge of the tilling of the earth and the rotation of the stars and the tempers of the spirits to those that would listen but at the same time, it wasn't quite like being home, not quite the same as being the Vale Guardian of her people. She refused to regret it, refused to be angry or bitter but she did question it sometimes, and though she did her best, sometimes she felt a familiar ache in her chest when she happened to read someone's breathless account of the exotic culture of the elven people.

But Sarenrae had called her to travel far from her home and to minister to and protect other people. And having learned of the goddess's power first hand, she obeyed the summons and had found herself here. Far indeed from her woodland home. There were books to study, lore to learn, wounds to heal and people to protect and thus she was fulfilled, if a bit lonely. That was more of her own fault than anyone else's though. She couldn't blame them if no one understood that elves were by their nature more quiet and contemplative. Elves were thought of as charming but she had never been one blessed with a silvered tongue and it was rare that she would be quick witted enough in a conversation to make a funny joke or tell an amusing anecdote. She preferred to toil quietly, to watch and listen more than act and speak. It had served her well, and even now she found herself more comfortable in the role of watcher. It didn't hurt that what...or whom...she watched brought her a great deal of enjoyment.

To say that she knew men like Ser Markus would have been a lie. Nearly a hundred and twenty years (two more weeks until her one hundred and twentieth name day) and she had not found a single man that she could say was 'like' Ser Markus. There were men that he reminded her of, and she rather liked those sorts of men. They were strong and noble, and even though some people rolled their eyes and scoffed at it, she found herself delighted by his chivalry. A true knight, with all of the pageantry and courtly behavior that one came to associate with the title. They'd spoken, of course. It would be impossible to live in the same guild hall and not speak but she hadn't spoken to him nearly as much as she'd have liked. She couldn't quite explain why it was that she had such a hard time speaking around him, or why she tended to hang back and watch him rather than make her thoughts regarding him known. He had always been kind and gallant when they'd had occasion to speak but her own tongue felt heavy and leaden when she tried, and her stomach churned with nervousness, making her prefer the safe distance of library window, or across the feast hall, any place aside from right next to him. Besides, she'd come to terms with the thought that he most likely had a lover back in Londo; what man like that wouldn't? Still, it harmed no one for her to admire him and it looked as though she would get a chance to do so as she saw his golden head above the shorter bookshelves. However, she hadn't expected him to address her, and the nervousness that accompanied his arrival was telling.

"I...y-yes Ser Markus. Is...anything wrong?" Perhaps one of the young recruits had been injured in training. Or there had been an injury or an accident. A fever perhaps had taken hold of citizens in the town. No, no...he was smiling. He wouldn't smile if someone was hurt or ill. A question about a potion perhaps? Perhaps they had been requested for an assignment. It wouldn't be the first time she'd been requested to travel to a more remote village for some reason. Or perhaps a message had arrived in response to the missive she'd sent to the High Temple of Sarenrae. There were a multitude of reasons why he would be speaking with her and she was being very silly for becoming nervous about it. She put the book away quickly, not wanting to risk the pages being ruined by her palms becoming sweaty (an embarrassing situation for anyone, but especially for an elf, who was supposed to be beyond such things as sweat, according to human belief).
 
Markus chuckled, a deep, joyful sound that rumbled in his chest, as he saw Merised's nervous reaction. "Peace, sister elf," he said, placing a gauntleted hand on her shoulder and gently lowering her back into her chair. "Nothing is the matter; this is simply a personal visit." Once Meri was sitting again, Markus knelt before her, though it was hard to tell if he was doing so formally or if it was so that his head would be more level with hers. Without another word, he held up the anklet he'd had made for her. It was a simple piece, all things considered; it was mostly made of silver with a steel hinge and a small indentation with a hook on the inside that looked like it could be manipulated somehow. The anklet was a bit thicker than most pieces of jewelry Merised had seen, though not by much.

Markus gently picked up Meri's foot, carefully ensuring that only the leather parts of his gauntlets touched her delicate skin, and gingerly began to fit the anklet around her ankle, all the while looking her directly in the eye; his expression unreadable. When the anklet clicked shut, a broad smile spread across his lips and his eyes sparkled with mirth. "Excellent!" he said, perhaps a little louder than was polite for a library. "It overjoys me that you have accepted my gift, Lady Merised. Now our true courtship can begin!" He stood, offering her his hand. "Come! There is much I have to teach you about being Lady to a knight of Londo!"
 
The doors to the Inn opened to reveal a tanned blond woman of a average height carrying three dead rabbits and a pheasant across her back alongside a large longbow. Her face had a small grin revealing startling white teeth. She wore leather armor like her teammate, but it was less exotic and favored a typical style rather than emphasis on her curves.

Not that she looked any less feminine. She stepped over to the inn keeper who took the beasts with a grin and handed over a small amount of coin. As a small favor to the owner Tala often caught some extra game for them for a cheap price. It wasn't much, but every little bit counted. With that bit of business out of the way she ordered a bit of fruit, cider and cheese and joined Alita at the table, not bothering to ask if she wanted company. They were teammates after all and she had a bit of news for her.

"Good morning sweet heart. The notice board's been updated again. I bet you're itching to kill something and get some coin eh?" Tala had grown used to such moods from people over the years so the murderous look on the pretty rogue's face didn't frighten her as much as it amused her. "Do you want me to get you a bit of ale to help smooth over what ever happened now? You know I don't mind listening to anyone's problems. As long as they return the favor when the time comes?" She winked cheerfully before she took a swig of apple cider.
 
Alita glared at Tala. There was little that could make a bad mood worse than someone who was in a good mood. Alita would have been content to simply sit in a corner and drink by herself, but Tala apparently had other ideas.

"You know damn well that we can't do anything without that imbécil's permission," she said, her voice heavily accented with western Common (essentially Spanish, for those reading at home), as she downed the rest of her ale. Over the past year, anyone who had ever been near Alita had learned that she refused to refer to Talan by name when she was in a foul mood. "Now, if someone would post a bounty that let me gut the sexist pig, I'd be on it in a heartbeat. Hell, I'd post one myself if I had the coin, but as it stands, the Guild put him in charge, so we have to wait for him to choose a bounty before we go after it."
 
"Now now Alita, that's the booze and anger talking don't get too angry now. He may be our team leader, but that doesn't mean we need him on every adventure. If you want I'll go ask and see if you and I can go on a mission without him, or you can even go solo if you want." It was best to try and placate her rage than let it boil over.

"Perhaps there is something else you'd like to do if you don't want to fight today. I hear the baths are free if you want to relax in the hot water and let your troubles soak away." The guild bath house was the best in town. Thanks to a bit of magic from other members the bath could be easily heated, but the only problem was getting enough clean water to fill it. Carting water to and from the bath tanks was a bit of a pain in the ass, even if every guild member carried a bucket or two every morning to the well and back.
 
"I don't want a bath, Tala," said Alita, glaring at the ranger. "I want Talan to pull his head out of his ass. You've seen it too: he thinks that we're idiots just because we're women. He does the same thing to poor Meri as well. So, if you've got some way to make Talan into a decent human being, I'm all ears. If not, shut up and let me drink."

Alita was used to solving her problems directly, as was everyone who lived in Lago Urba. It was not unheard of for duels to the first blood to be fought in the streets over small slights. It was in such an environment that Alita had thrived: all she had to do was pick a tavern, preferably something close to high-class, sit at the bar and wait for a confrontation to start. If one side didn't look particularly physically adept, she would offer her services as a champion to help ensure that their side was the winning one. Some outsiders considered the practice barbaric, but duels were mostly to the first blood; a duel to the death required official sanctioning by the government, a rule that was strictly enforced. This kept things running smoothly: people kept their opinions to themselves unless they felt that they were worth fighting for or they were confident that they could win any challenge that was thrown their way.

Unfortunately, this practice generally wasn't accepted in most places outside of Lago Urba, with the exception of the upper class and nobility; a concept that Alita found laughable. Everyone was equal in combat, provided both sides had weapons. What should it matter who had more money or influence? If you couldn't back your tongue with force, you really didn't deserve to be speaking. This was why she found it particularly frustrating to deal with Talan, since he would simply laugh at her if she challenged him to a duel and it was against her code of honor to strike someone if they were unarmed.
 
Talan's sexism was irksome at times, but it wasn't in-tolerable to Tala. She'd rather have a strong competent leader with some personality quirks that were irksome than a weak buffon with troubling traits. "I won't defend his behavior, but it could be a lot worse and you know it. He can improve his attitude, but as far as decisions in battle go he handle's himself pretty well. At least he doesn't go around telling a friend to shut up when she is only trying to help."

A pout graced her red lips as she stared at Alita before taking a drink of cider. She wasn't offended, but being told to shut up still stung a bit when you were only trying to help.
 
"A competent leader will listen to his followers if they have useful input," grumbled Alita. "Remember that tribe of lizardmen? I tried telling him that we should have lured them out, that fighting them in their natural territory was a bad idea, but he didn't listen and Markus nearly lost an ear because of it." The duelist let out a long sigh as she watched Tala pout. "Tala, you need to understand that you and I come from very different places. Where I come from, you do not ignore disrespect: you throw down the gauntlet and you defend your reputation when someone disrespects you. Telling me to just ignore Talan because he happens to be our leader just isn't useful advice for me. In Lago Urba, status means nothing: if you insult someone, they have the right to defend their honor. I made a living off of that, as did many others. When you come in here and tell me that I should just let it be, you're telling me to simply ignore everything I have ever known: it simply isn't going to happen. If I could have let it slide, I would have done so a year ago and we wouldn't have this problem."

She motioned to the waitress that she wanted her mead refilled before turning back to Tala. "The fact of the matter is that I'm not in a mood to be cheered up," she explained, watching as her tankard was filled once more.
 
The door opened and a tall, lean man strode in as if he owned the Guildhouse. His brown hair laid casually across his eyes as if he had spent a good amount of time perfecting his look, but in fact Talon RoMayniah (pronounced like "Romania") always looked impeccably pulled together even when he wasn't. It was a curse, really, to be that wonderful.

He had just come from the library where he saw the brute of a knight clicking a slave anklet around dear timid Merised's ankle and he nearly laughed. "My God, Markus. Why not simply club her over the head and have your way with her?" He shook his head and walked past the two 'lovebirds' and out to the guild house. Inside he noticed Tala (she was certainly looking cute that day, what with the pink hue on her cheeks from hunting already) and Alita.

Talon's steps slowed. "Drinking? This early in the day?" He shook his head at Alita. "It's bad enough that you're insubordinate and rude, but now you've added drunk to the list. And in the morning too. You'll be lucky if the guild keeps you with the way you're wasting what little talent you have."

Then he smiled at Tala. "Hey pretty lady." He looked over her outfit and noted the glow in her cheeks and the way her hair looked wind-blown. "You are looking really good today. If you're not careful, Markus might try to clip one of his little slave anklets on you, too." He winked at her.
 
Markus

Markus's expression was rarely anything other than jovial. Compassion would grace his features when the situation called for it and there was the occasional note of sadness, but Ser Markus Ornstein was a generally happy person. That said, his features hardened when Talon's voice interrupted his moment with Merised. In many ways, Markus was comparable to a statue: he towered over all other men, every inch of his well-muscled body was hard as stone, yet so smooth that one could only assume that he had been carved by an expert craftsman rather than born. Most notably, though, was how expressive his face was. Many statues had exaggerated features carved into their visages, but Ser Markus's expressions tended to be much more subtle. A hardening of his lips and a shift in the emotions behind his bronze eyes was all it took to convey the righteous fury that burned in his heart at that moment.

"I would caution you to watch your tongue, young Talon," he said. Many men growled when they were angry, but Markus's voice simply got deeper and rumbled like an unstoppable boulder and his speech became much more formal than it usually was. "I will tolerate any slight against mineself, as is the way of a knight of Londo, but thine comment came dangerously close to slighting my fair lady. Should I hear thee speak ill of her, no matter if the words were spoken in jest, we shall cross blades."

Markus's eyes followed Talon until he left the knight's line of sight, at which point his features softened and he turned back to Merised. He gave her a bow, his waist bending slightly while his head inclined deeply. "Please forgive me for such uncouth language, my lady," he said, his voice returning to the gentle, amiable tone he had used when first addressing the elf. "But as a knight of Londo, I cannot allow a lout such as Talon to speak ill of you. Granted, he was not outright offensive, but he came dangerously close."

-----

Alita

Alita glared death at Talon. She briefly contemplated spitting in his face, but decided against it. It would be much more satisfying to run him through with her rapier. After taking a deep breath to calm herself, she continued glaring at Talon. "Even drunk, I can best you with a sword any day," she said, her voice positively dripping with murder. "Or did you forget that I got more kills than you our past five jobs? And speaking of jobs, why has it taken so long for you to get us another one? If you've got a problem with my drinking, you've got only yourself to blame: I could be out killing things instead if you'd get us a damn job. You know damn well that the ones that only take one person don't pay for shit."

She couldn't help but laugh as Talon accused Markus of enslaving someone. "Really?" she snickered. "Markus? The giant puppydog? He'd sooner snap someone's neck than put a collar around it. Say what you will about him, but he's a far better man than you. If it weren't for his honor, he'd have broken every bone in your body by now. You know he hears about half the things you say about him behind your back, right?"
 
"Ah, well you can't blame a comrade for trying to stifle strife in the unit. We need to settle our differences now while it's quite instead of out in the field." Arguing in the field was sure to invite disaster. Tala refrained from commenting on the lizard folk job because it would only make her madder. "I'll let you stew in anger then hon. Just please refrain from maiming anyone I'd rather you not end up in jail." She was about to leave so she could calm down, but alas the object of her anger arrived and did not help the situation at all.

Still, Tala loved a compliment. "Thanks Talan, you're looking well yourself. I'm not worried about Markus though. He seems to only have eyes for our dear elf friend." It was adorable yet sad. Even if they did end up together Merised would far outlive Markus. That was the curse of falling in love with another race sometimes. "Talan why don't you and I go look at the jobs board and leave Alita alone for a bit." She stood having finished her small meal and took a hold of his hand. "You know how I like discussing game plans after all." It wasn't a subtle attempt to prevent a verbal and perhaps physical brawl, but it was an attempt. Hopefully Talan would take the hint and come with her.
 
Talon pointedly ignored Alita's rants. It was typical of her, in his opinion, and he only noticed her when she was making a mistake. Her taunts and jests seemed little more than a tyrannical toddler's tantrums, and he didn't have the time or the desire to deal with her. Besides, he saw the reciprocal sparkle in Tala's eyes and it intrigued him. She had proven herself to be a competent, loyal, and quiet member of the team. He appreciated those qualities in a woman.

His lips curved upwards and he held her hand. "Sure, I was just heading there to see the new postings." He smiled over at her as they walked off. "I've always thought you had a good head on your shoulders... why don't we pick out the next mark for our group?" The way he was looking at the ranger, though, indicated that there was a lot more than just the 'head on her shoulders' that he admired. She kept her 'wares' covered, unlike some of the other women who seemed to enjoy flaunting as much skin as possible. Talon liked the idea that some things on a woman's body might be for his eyes only.
 
Tala returned the smile and kept his hand in hers until they reached the notice board. There was a good amount of new notices among the old. The oldest being the really strong marks such as giants, dragon kin, and strong bandit casters. Generally it took the entire guild house to go after those marks so they were ignored while the guild gathered strength and trained new members. There were the "easy" marks involving goblins and the weaker inhabitants of the area.

The newest ones involved worgs plaguing some shepherds, an Ettercap named Mal troubling lumberers, and a newly discovered tribe of Hobgoblins in the area. "Perhaps we should go after something relatively easy to boost moral like those worgs." She had experience hunting those beasts so it shouldn't be too much trouble. "Or perhaps we should scout out those hogoblins? The Ettercap lives in the woods so it will be a pain dealing with all those webs. What do you think?" She remembered she was still holding his hand and released him flushing a bit.
 
So Talon was ignoring her now? Alita could stand many things, but she would not be ignored by someone she took issue with. In her homeland, disagreements happened all the time and they were settled by force, but blood feuds were started when someone refused to confront the person they had wronged. It was one thing to flee: cowardice was mocked to be certain, but no one wasted their time with a coward. When the insulting party was perfectly capable of defending themselves and simply ignored a challenge, though, that was when things got ugly.

As Talon walked out the door, Alita's mug hurtled through the air and shattered on the door frame, not half a foot away from his ear. "Be careful who you ignore, you craven!" she spat. "I'd keep an eye out for knives in the dark if I were you!"
 
"Did you feel that breeze?" Talon asked light-heartedly when the mug shattered on the door frame. He didn't bother to acknowledge Alita's outburst, but it was more to allow her to recover from her childish acts with grace then because he was afraid of her. He figured that she was drunk, emotional, and possibly hadn't had sex in way too many days. Why add insult to injury?

He looked over the board with Tala. "You're right about the Ettercap. Besides, their stink never comes out of clothing," he said, sliding his arm around her waist when she let go of his hand. He considered the Worgs versus the Hobgoblins. "Those Worgs might be too easy; after the last few marks we took I think our team needs something that they feel is 'worthy' of them, lest they get lazy and slip up." He studied the post for the hobgoblins. "Let's go talk to the people who sighted the Hobs and see what they have to say. If we decide to take it we can let our people sober up before leaving in the morning." He smiled over at Tala. "You don't have any plans for tonight, do you?"
 
Tala cast a look of her shoulder at the childish outburst of Alita's as if to say "Calm the fuck down" and continued on with Talan. As those two vanished the barmaid/waitress approached the angry Alita with a broom, mop, and bucket of water and set it down at her feet. The barmaid named Anna was a young red-haired bard and a junior member of the Guild around the age of 17. As a junior member aside from training her job was to help at the inn.
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She wasn't too happy with Alita, junior member or not she wasn't going to put up with this kind of behavior on her shift. "I have enough trouble keeping this place cleaned normally Miss Alita and I'm not going to waste my time cleaning up your mess because of some qaurrel you have with Talan, so either you clean it up or I won't serve you in this bar anymore." The youngster might not have the power to kick her out, but she could refuse service.

Back at the Guild poster board Tala gently took his had and unwrapped it from around her waist with a smile. "I guess that's a fair choice. It's probably a good idea to scout them and take them out before they form alliances if they haven't already. Our diviner has picked up some messages hearing that some of the creatures are forging alliances against us."

Tala wasn't made he made a grab for her, in fact she felt a bit thrilled by it. Still, this kind of thing was best kept private. Alita would only get more fuel for her fire and possibly turn her ire onto Tala as well. "I normally don't do much save perhaps read and check equipment and reports. Why do you ask Talan? Are you planning on trying to sweep me off my feet?"
 
Alita looked at Anna. She didn't glare, like she had at Tala and Talon, but there was definitely an intensity to her look. Alita was well known for being prideful and having a temper and this was far from her first outburst in the bar. She was even known to draw steel and challenge people to fights if they were particularly belligerent towards her, though to her credit she always demanded they step outside to fight, even though the other side had always backed down so far. So Anna would have known that trying to tell Alita what to do while she was in a bad mood was not the smartest of ideas. Finally, after an intense silence, Alita let out a sigh and stood.

"Anna, I like you," she said, walking over and placing a hand on the other girl's shoulder, her voice calm and controlled. "I'd go so far as to say I respect you. However, I am having a very bad day and I am not going to leave this bar without my pride in tact. So here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to apologize and I'm going to tip you very generously, but I am not going to clean up the mug. I want you to know that this is not out of disrespect for you, but because if one more thing goes wrong for me today, I am going to gut the next person who so much as looks at me wrong. If that is not an acceptable deal, then I am more than happy to pour my own drinks from now on."
 
Talon let the ranger take his hand off her waist. He saw the way the tiny hairs on her neck raised up, but not in a cautious response - it was more of an aroused or thrilled response. He liked it.

"Well, I think planned sweeping off feet works better than unplanned ones, don't you?" Talon smiled at her. "Besides, every leader knows that the key to being successful is to recognize talent and intelligence and to bring people in who are helpful, and I see in you a lot of talent and intelligence. If you like, we can simply dine as... team mates... and discuss plans for the next mission. Or, if you'd prefer, we could talk about other things."
 
Anna stared back unafraid since she had done nothing wrong. Alita may be many things, but she wouldn't attack her just for pointing out what she did wrong when the older woman was clearly in the wrong. The deal wasn't bad and since there was no one else around to really see the deal going down it wasn't as if Anna was losing face. "How much of a tip are we talking Miss Alita?" The barmaid didn't get as much pay as the older members since her trainiee group only went after small marks until they got some experience under their belts. The tips were alright, but they'd never but the good gear she wanted.

"Yes, one is a lot less likely to fall if it's planned." Countered the archer. "My my so much flattery today. I think you want to do more than sweep me of my feet." She gave him a light punch on the shoulder to show some companionship. "Dinner sounds nice and we'll need a plan before going in. Some other things can be discussed as well, but dinner is a long ways off. Perhaps we should get the information and talk now over a drink or something."
 
"I'll slip you a gold," said Alita. It was a good deal: the mead was worth a copper and Anna would be lucky if she made a handful of silver all week. A single gold piece was worth an entire week of meals and, while it was hardly comparable to the payoff that a bounty would net her, it was still a substantial amount of money. Alita pulled a gold coin and pressed it into Anna's palm before turning and heading for the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to go to the sparring hall and beat the tar out of some rookies. If I'm lucky, I might find a few who last more than a few seconds."
 
Talon laughed. He nodded, acquiescing Tala's point. "I am that obvious, aren't I? I suppose that deceit is not my strong point. Yes, we should get that information you keep mentioning and then follow up with a drink." He refrained from putting his hand on the small of her back as they left the bulletin, though that was where his hand naturally wanted to go. It was difficult not to treat women in the Kingdom of Gra like he would any woman in his homeland.

There the roles were clearly defined. Women were women, born to serve and please their men. The men were expected to be leaders, nurturers, and protectors. They ignored women who were not in their direct web of influence, more out of respect for other men than anything, and women would sometimes compete for the privilege of belonging to the most desirable of men. Power, wealth, and influence were all desirable traits to be sought after, and many women spent their time perfecting their skills to be competitive in finding their desired Master.

Since Talon was trying to interact with a woman he found attractive but who had no idea, really, what a woman should do, he was careful to be considerate and to not assume anything about her. Other women... those like Merisel or Alita, he mostly ignored unless he needed to interact with them for the needs of the team. If they had proper men he'd merely direct orders to the women through their men, but even Marcus was somewhat barbaric in Talon's view.
 
To be entirely honest, Merised didn't know exactly what she should be doing when Markus took her foot in his hand and lifted it up, closing the silver clasp around her ankle. She was rather too surprised to speak up, and the whole idea of him simply kneeling in front of her and clapping a band around her foot seemed very odd to her. Had she missed some social cue that she should have picked up on? Some holiday that she hadn't known of that required the exchange of gifts? She had nothing for him, was that rude on her part? He had the most peculiar, closed expression on his face as he fitted the anklet around her leg, an expression that had brightened into a brilliant smile when the latch closed and she was now in possession of a well crafted silver cuff around her ankle. Of course, she didn't have long to be just confused; as soon as he said 'true courtship' she found herself slightly alarmed. Courtship? Did that word mean the same thing in the human tongue as it did in elven lands? And now...now she was a lady to him, as a knight? What had just happened?

"I...Ser Markus, thank you for the anklet it's...it's of fine craftsmanship and I'm most grateful for the gift but..." And then of course at the most horribly inconvenient moment, Talon had to make his presence known in the library. She felt the color rise in her cheeks and she looked away, straightening her robes bashfully as he joked about Markus clubbing her over the head and...ohhh dear... She glanced down at the anklet and swallowed hard, worried that perhaps...perhaps something had happened that she really hadn't anticipated. It wasn't her fault, she screamed inwardly. She didn't know these strange human customs from Markus's homeland! Of course Talon would make his commentary while breezing through the library, never one to stop and be bothered with the consequences of his unfortunate word choice, and of course now Markus was in properly riled honor mode. It was probably for the best that Talon just kept walking, because then at least Markus was apologizing for his slightly salty language.

It didn't help matters of course that he'd referred to her as his 'fair lady'. THAT was going to get some snickers in the dining hall later. She could feel a headache coming on from Talon's commentary, Tala's laughter and Alita's bad temper now. "Talon comes dangerously close to many things, Ser Markus. I am not insulted. It is merely how he is. You wouldn't be angry at a fox for killing a rabbit, you needn't be so angry on my behalf." All that talk of courtship and fair lady-ness was thankfully paused for the moment, and hopefully he wouldn't bring it up again until she could do some discreet research and find out what exactly in the Nine Hells he was talking about. Somehow, she wasn't sure how she was going to feel about the answer.
 
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