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Pathfinder [Frontier Justice] In Character

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Feint: 1d20+10=26
Attack: 1d20+6=25
Sneak Attack Damage: 1d6+2+2d6=16

Alita's mouth curled up into a fierce grin as she watched the charging lad. He was nervous and left himself wide open. With another feint, she opened up his guard and struck him in the back of the knee with her other club, driving him to his knees. "When you wake up," she said. "Remember that there are things bigger and nastier than me out there." With that, she swung her club and struck the recruit's temple, knocking him out.

Alita walked back to the wall where she'd taken the practice clubs from and placed them back in their sconces, talking to Lug without actually looking at him as she did. "You should scold the wizard girl," she said, her voice far less angry than it had been when she entered the room. "She fled before the fight even started and left her comrades to die. Hardly the cooperative spirit the Guild's trying to foster. I know the recruits don't stand a chance against me one-on-one, but that's no reason for her to skip out on training." She turned and leaned against the wall facing Lug. "She's young: she needs to learn how to fight without her spells, especially since she can't memorize that many with her level of experience. Trust me; I've bloodied my fair share of novice casters in my time. Besides, if she can't keep a hold of a spell while someone's bouncing a club off of her noggin, how's she going to do it with a sword through her gut?"
 
His arm was heavy on her shoulders and for a moment she wondered if it was there more to keep her from bolting like a skittish colt than anything else. He reassured her that there would likely be few people there this time of day, and that he found her lovely and would defend her against any detractors. The thought was appreciated of course but likely unnecessary; aside from a few pointed stares and whispers behind hands she doubted she'd draw much attention to herself. Still, it was very kind of him to make the offer. He was certainly very protective, she mused to herself, seeming very much like the sort to take exception with someone speaking ill of his...

Ohh dear, he was undressing. Right in front of her. She didn't even have time to turn around to give him any privacy before she was given a full view of him without his armor and clothes on and she had to admit, even as she blushed furiously, that he was magnificent. Every defined line and muscle, every smooth inch of flesh, every bit of him...utterly delicious. She found herself staring, mouth slightly agape, before she could catch herself and she looked away quickly with mumbled apologies for staring at him so inappropriately. However, even as she apologized to him, the imagery was burned into her eyes; indeed, she'd be hard pressed to not remember precisely how delicious he'd looked, and she couldn't deny that her gaze dropped down for a mere instant to see...well, he'd declared his intent to court her, it only made sense that she should be curious as to what that would entail.

She was very grateful that he had the presence of mind to turn around and look away as she undressed, especially considering that she hadn't had just a quick wit to do so herself. The robe was easy enough to slip off, just a quick untying of the belt and letting it slide off of her shoulders and into her arms, turning to hang it up. Unpinning her hair, she shook it out, letting it fall in long waves down her back as she moved to step into the water. She as small and slender, her skin pale and creamy with a soft golden tone to it, though that was offset by how red her cheeks were from blushing. Her hair fell all the way down to her thighs, and offered at least a small bit of covering for the sake of modesty.
 
Markus felt no shame as Meri watched him undress. What was there to be ashamed of? His body was a gift from Sarenrae and he took very good care of it. He understood that Merised would not share his view, at least at first, but he hoped to teach her his ways. She was a follower of Sarenrae, after all, so he felt that it was his duty to teach her the ways of Londo: the nation that had dedicated itself to Sarenrae and built the cathedral city in her honor. They had perfected the art of Her worship, so it only made sense for him to introduce Merised into the Londo culture.

Once he felt that he'd waited long enough for Meri to undress, he turned around and smiled at her encouragingly. There had been no doubt in his mind that she would be beautiful and he was not wrong. He loved the length and volume of her hair and made a note to encourage her to wear it long when they were not adventuring; a bun was practical when taking the field of battle or exploring a cave, but when there was no reason to keep it pinned up when they were at home. "You are gorgeous, my dear," he said, offering her his hand and leading her over to one of the baths that was towards the middle of the room. He helped her up into the bath, then climbed in himself and sat beside her. "I know you are nervous, dear Merised," he said, "but you have nothing to fear from me. I have noticed that you have a tendency to over think things, but when you are with me, I would like you to try and find the pleasure in simple obedience. Trust me to have your best interests at heart and allow me to take care of you. Do you think you can do that for me?"
 
Talon smiled and sat with Tala. "I don't think you have to be high born to be a lady. Trust me when I say that some of the most unladylike women I've met have had royal blood in them." He looked up and saw Anna approaching them. She was a young waitress, little more than an apprentice, really, and usually very capable.

"Hi Anna darling," he looked her over briefly but appreciatively. "If you don't mind, I'd like some cooled tea and bread with cheese, and..." he raised an eyebrow at Tala "whatever my companion would like." There were some facets of his countrymen who made their women and children wait to eat until after the men had, thought Talon saw not need of this unless they were in a war council. He thought nothing untoward of ordering first, though; after all... men came first.

He waited until the young waitress left before he spoke again. "So tell me, Tala, why is it that a capable and appealing woman like yourself is yet unclaimed by a man? It seems almost criminal that you're unescourted when your desirability is so obvious."
 
Poor Roland didn't hear anything Alita had said. Neither did Gran for that matter, but all Lug did was sigh. He didn't appreciate Alita lecturing him about his recruits. He'd been training young-ins for years now and knew what the kids weaknesses words better than the rouge. "She's studying like she's supposed to and she's already practicing with a crossbow, but melee is out for her. She doesn't have the body for melee combat. Besides Sophia would just walk away if you challenged her to a spar since she would find it pointless...At least without her team to support and protect her."

Anna grinned at the smooth talking Talon. "Coming right up sir. I'll bring you some mead as per usual Tala since you just had some food." Tala nodded to signify that was fine. At the question Tala simply smiled. "There have been offers, but I just didn't like them romantically. Plus most have been either young farmers, a merchant, or some our own drunken guild members. Plus, some are rather intimidated by the fact that I can fight better than them. Plus the fact that my Roc looks at most men like their a meal scares them away too." She loved that bird, it cracked her up every time it shrieked at any man making an advance towards her.
 
That made him laugh. "Well, yes... the fact that you routinely ride a Roc who could pluck the entrails out of any man who crosses you, well, yes. That does intimidate most mortals. I admit that it scared me the first month I was here, but once I saw how well trained he was and how disciplined you were my fears were eased." He looked across the table at her. Why had he not gotten to know her sooner? They had been companions for nearly a year now.

"I do like you Tala. If we were in my homeland I'd be very tempted to ask you to consider being a first wife, but we are not in my home and things are different here. Exactly how different is something that I have yet to understand, so I'd like to ask you - how can I spend more time with you without jeopardizing our standing as team mates? I do not want to threaten your plans for advancement in the guild, and I know that a woman like you can go a long way. I would like to know you more, and more intimately, if that becomes something you would welcome."
 
"And Roland's practicing mounted combat, but you still let him fight me without his horse," said Alita. "My point is that they should train for the unexpected. One of these days, Roland is going to be unhorsed and he's going to have to fight on his feet. One of these days, they're going to be ambushed and they aren't going to be able to protect Sophia in time. There's a reason why I fight the way I do; most other mercenaries like me need to sneak up on someone or have a friend distract their opponent to get at the vitals, but I learned how to do that on my own. Everyone has flaws in their fighting style. Even I have some holes I need to find and patch. Besides, if nothing else, fighting me will teach the recruits when they've met an enemy they can't handle. Having knowledge like that will save their lives one day." Alita pushed off of the wall and walked out of the training grounds. "Well, I'll catch you later," she said, walking past Lug. "I should probably have something else in my stomach besides mead."

Alita made her way to the tavern and instantly found her rage boiling once more. It wasn't just seeing Talon again, but seeing Tala flirting with him not twenty minutes after she'd claimed to be her friend. She'd been angry and gruff when Tala had spoken to her earlier that day, but she honestly liked Tala. So, seeing her batting her eyelashes at the man she hated made Alita feel betrayed and caused her blood to boil in rage. She strode purposefully over to the table and leaned over an unoccupied chair just in time to catch Tala's explanation and Talon's response.

"I'm not surprised an honorless cur like you would be scared by a baby bird," she spat, her tone dripping with vitriolic amusement. "You can't even put your steel where your mouth is, so I'm not surprised you flee from animals too. Maybe I should get a little dog and let it chase you around the courtyard from time to time, hmm?" She turned to glare at Tala. "If you don't want a coward, stay away from this one. I'd tell you that he talks a big game but can't back his words, but you already know that. Then again, maybe what you really want is a yappy little lapdog you can show off around town? If that's the case, I'd suggest an actual dog: it'd have twice his charisma and probably be more pleasing in bed."
 
Lug didn't respond and let the girl make her speech. It was if he didn't have near thirty years of experience on her. He was to old to argue with her so he just let her talk as he picked up the recruits to take them to the healer. "Have a good day Alita, just don't got thrashing these kids when they first wake up."

Anna brought back the food and mead then left the two alone. They seemed to be having a rather private conversation, but she couldn't help but listen to it since they were the only ones in the tavern at the time. Besides she was a bard. They were supposed to listen to gossip.

Tala was taking a sip of her mead when Talon told her that he'd like her to be his first wife if they were in his country. She coughed into the mug at the questions then regained herself. "Well first off, don't ask me serious questions like that while I'm drinking." A little humor to try make the situation a little less stressful. "I honestly don't know. I've just heard romance in teams makes life harder. I guess for starters you'd just have to trust me to do my job and not be overly protective."

She would have added more, but then Alita simply seemed to appear and start spitting venom like a cobra. What awful timing. Tala was not amused. "Alita for the love of the gods if you hate him so much why don't you ask to be put in a different team or if their weren't any openings in this town's team roster why not go to the next? It would be easier than just throwing a tantrum and railing about him every five seconds. Everyone is getting tired of the arguments."
 
Talon couldn't help but grin at Alita's words. He saw Anna watching them while pretending to wipe off a nearby table, and he gave the girl a wink. She was cute, after all, and he did enjoy the way she kept wiping the same spot over and over, her hips swirling as she did so. It was nearly hypnotic.

"The truth is that she doesn't hate me, do you, Alita? You actually love me but you cannot stand the fact that your voice is but a steady drone in my ears and I do not harden at the sight of your barely-covered curves. Oh... I've seen them and the way you glare at me every time I'm in your general vicinity. What is it? Do I remind you of the man who you paid to take your virginity? For I know that unless those dogs you speak of were the ones to pierce you it would take a lot of gold to convince any man to lay with you while your mouth was ungagged." His eyes narrowed as he looked over at her.

"I do like the way you're leaning over that chair, though. It makes you completely accessible should any dog walk by and decide that you smell like you're in heat."
 
Alita let out a scream of rage and drew a stiletto from her belt, slamming it home in Talon's chair just behind his shoulder. Yet another stiletto appeared in her other hand and its point came to rest at Talon's throat. "You're lucky I have more honor than you, you pathetic craven," she spat. "Otherwise, you'd be dead. Now, how about you run away with your tail between your legs, just like you always do whenever there's the slightest hint of danger? You're not a man, Talon: you're not even a boy. I'd compare you to a lowly goblin, but that would be doing a disservice to the poor little green skins. It's no surprise I always come back with a higher kill count than you. I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't killed a single foe the whole time you've been at this Guild and Markus just lets you take credit for a few of his out of pity. Well I'm not standing for your antics anymore, you pathetic nothing. I'm going to give you a choice; you can stand and face me here and now or you can retreat to whatever little crevice you always flee to. Whatever you choose, know that everyone will be watching and everyone will see what a coward you are when you inevitably run away."
 
Talon's eyes hardened when she stabbed his chair. He watched her nearly come unglued, her dagger at his throat vibrating with the intensity of her hatred for him.

"Calm yourself, Alita. You're making a fool of yourself." His voice was calm and low, as if he could control her temper simply by lowering the intensity of his tone. "Would you truly murder a teammate you consider a coward? Then you'd be thrown in jail, if not hanged. Put away your dagger and sit with me. We can handle our difference like civilized people or you can simply kill me now, and throw the rest of your life away for murdering someone you don't like. Is that something that you're willing to do? I wouldn't think that I'd warrant your life, simply because you think I'm a coward."
 
"You're not even a coward!" spat Alita. "A coward retracts his words when he backs out of a fight! A coward still has honor! And I'm not going to kill you; we're going to fight to the first blood like civilized people and then walk away with our differences settled. We are past words, Talon. Since the day I met you, you have shown me nothing but disrespect. You have rejected my ideas without even hearing them out, you have outright ignored me even when it nearly cost Markus his life and you continue to insult me without backing your words with steel. I don't know what craven country you come from, but in Lago Urba, we do not let that sort of behavior go unpunished. In Lago Urba, if you pick a fight, you see it through to the finish and you have been picking fights with me from day one. You are unfit to be a leader; unfit to even be called a man! Now fight me or flee: those are your options."
 
Talon laughed. "Well, see... that's where your problem lies. We're not in Lago Urba." He put two fingers up and moved her wrist and the attached dagger aside. "We're in Ide, in the Kingdom of Gra."

"Let me make sure that I understand your grief, Alita. You believe that I am a coward who is disrespectful of you and insulting towards you. You think that I should be forced to fight you to first blood to prove that I am worthy of being your leader. But you see, I am your leader. I have to prove nothing to you. You are not worthy of my respect or my fear, Alita, because I can see that you are simply an angry woman who has no sense of propriety, and I cannot fault you the fact that you were raised like a barbarian."

"You simply cannot help it."

He smiled.

"But if it will make you feel better, why not put this wager on a game of chance rather than a battle that will leave you frustrated and will not solve this dilemma we face? You want something from me, and I want something from you. Let's allow the gods to decide our fate, hmm?"
 
"Coward is too good a title for you, cur," said Alita, moving her dagger back to Talon's neck. "I am not challenging you because I don't like you as my leader. I'm not even challenging you to prove my honor; I know I have honor, and if I could say the same thing about you, we would not be where we are right now. You have no honor because you have offended me time and time again without once defending your words. No one is too good to defend themselves, Talon. No one. You could have even gotten a champion to fight in your stead and I would have been satisfied, but you think yourself above even that. You could have even offered to settle it with a pitiful little bet if you had been a year quicker to accept my challenge, but you and your inflated ego thought that you were too good for that. Well let me tell you something, you sniveling poltroon: you. Are. Not. Better. Than. Me. You are not better than anyone in this party! You are not above me, you are not above Tala and you're not above Markus or Merised! You're a mercenary just like the rest of us, so don't pretend you're superior to anyone who works for this damned Guild! There is nothing short of blood that will end this feud now, and if you refuse to accept my challenge now, I will personally see to it that your life becomes a living hell until one of us bleeds!"
 
'If I have offended you then it is only because you are too sensitive to be working among a group of mercenaries. We are not here to hold your hand and make you feel good about yourself." He tilted his head at her in a most Elven gesture, not seeming to care that she was one rash decision away from ending his life. "I am not obligated to defend myself because you feel offended at what I have said. I am not responsible for your feelings, woman. You are fool if you think anyone is obligated to fulfill your fantasies about how you think you should feel about yourself."

"You're an idiot who goes about swinging her sword, yelling at people, and battering new recruits to make yourself feel better about who you aren't. I won't lower myself to playing your stupid first blood games. This is not your homeland and I do not raise weapons against my comrades, no matter how infinitely moronic they are acting."

"Let us name terms on a wager and let the dice decide. Unless, of course, you are so unsure of your conviction that you know without a doubt that the gods will rule against you because you are being a blithering idiot. In that case, then... by all means. Kill me. I'm sure that your honor will be redeemed all the way to the hangman's noose."
 
"My honor will not allow me to attack someone without their weapon drawn," said Alita, a note of haughty pride in her voice. "But what I can do is make your life a living hell. You will reach for things in the heat of battle only to find them missing, pages from your precious spellbook will find their way into the fire and you will find yourself in possession of the belongings of people you do not want to steal from. And it won't just end with you. Everyone you are close to, be they friend or lover, will meet with the same fate for as long as you continue to ignore me. I will not lay a hand on you, but you will be begging for me to so much as nick your cheek to end your suffering by the time I'm done.

"And just so we're clear, this has nothing to do with me and everything to do with you. I would gladly take every indignity you have to offer if you would simply show that you have honor enough to match mine. I would smile as you berated me, ignored me or contradicted me to your hearts content if you would simply show that you are worthy of my respect. You have a pretty title, but that does not earn you honor or respect. If you knew anything about leading, you would know that you do have to put up with the idiosyncrasies of your followers until you've proven that you're a worthy enough leader for them to set them aside for you. Well guess what? You have failed. You have failed to earn my respect, so you're going to have to do something to win it if you want me to obey you. This is how mercenaries work, Talon, and a duel is a perfectly legal way for us to settle our differences. Now, fight me and prove your honor or flee and prove you have none; there is no bet you can offer me that will make things even between us."
 
"Well, my honor will not allow me to draw a weapon upon a teammate. It's unfortunate that you would do something as juvenile and harmful as jeopardizing my spell casting abilities or threatening my loved ones. That is the act of a cowardly terrorist, not a person worthy of honor."

"I don't know what you want from me, Alita. Even if I were to take you up on this stupid 'first blood' challenge you'd be chomping at the bit tomorrow to have another go at me, simply because you are undisciplined and childish. So here is what I am willing to wager over a game of High Numbers. If you win, I will do your guild chores for a year and apologize publicly for every real and imagined insult you think I have dealt you. I will tell everyone in the plaza that you are my superior and that you deserve to be the leader because you are so obviously my better, and that your honor knows no bounds in how perfectly flawless it is."

The sarcasm practically dripped from his lips.

"But if I win, then you will be my slave for the year." He smiled. "It's a game of chance, completely empowered by the higher powers. We know that they can control the dice and they will make whomever they wish win, win. What say you? Or do you fear the judgement of the gods?"
 
Alita was silent for a long time. It was obvious that there was a struggle going on behind her eyes; she so desperately wanted to fight Talon, but at the same time the game of chance intrigued her. Even if she dueled Talon, she would not get such a profuse apology from him: simply the satisfaction of his blood on her blade. The stakes were high, and she would not get the catharsis of a fight, but she would get to gloat as Talon publicly apologized to her. If she won, and that was a big "if". Alita preferred games of chance that actually required skill: cards were her favorite, though she knew of a few dice games that required skill as well. Normally, she'd scoff at something as simple as "whoever rolls highest wins", but there was something intriguing in that as well, especially for such stakes.

Alita was silent for a good five minutes, her teeth grit in indecision as she tried to make up her mind. Finally, she lowered the stiletto at Talon's throat and jerked the one embedded in his chair from the wood and sheathed both. "One condition," she said, calmer, but still cautious. "We use dice provided by the Guild, brought to us by an impartial third party. I don't trust any dice you'd bring to the table and I doubt you'd trust mine, even though I bought them from the gaming authority in Lago Urba. If neither of us touch the dice before the game, we know they aren't rigged."
 
He waited for her to decide what to do. The eyes watching them in the guild house were almost a physical weight on his shoulders. To pass the time he reached for his cooled tea and took a sip, the cold tip of Alita's dagger now warmed by the proximity to his throat.

After an impossibly long time she took her blades away and demanded impartial dice. "Of course, I completely agree to the dice condition. I want us to have the agreements written and signed for with witnesses though; once the gods put you under my rulership for a year I don't want you to claim that the agreement wasn't clear." He grinned, sure of the outcome only because he was cockily sure that he was in the right. "So, let's have the papers drawn up and the dice brought forth. It will be nice to have a proper slave, if only for a year."
 
Alita snorted and settled down into the chair she'd been leaning on. "You know, it would likewise be completely legal for us to duel with proper paperwork as well," she said, though far less insistently than she had been earlier. "You wouldn't even have to break your own stupid code of honor: you could hire a champion to fight in your stead and it would still be completely legitimate. A trial of might is legal pretty much most places: I'd be surprised if they weren't legal in Gra." As the paperwork was brought out, Alita bit her lip and looked up at Talon. "May I add one more condition?" she asked. "I am unfamiliar with High Numbers, so I would like to play a few practice rounds so that I am sure I understand the rules."
 
"I would never have someone fight a battle that I wasn't willing to fight on my own. To me that is without honor. If I were crippled, untrained, or somehow unable to wield a weapon, then perhaps, but without such a reason I would feel like I had spurned my duty as a man of honor." He smiled at her. Obviously she did not think that he had any honor in the first place. She might not see that he had anything to worry about.

They drew up the papers and signed them, and then the dice were brought by a neutral party. Many people took bets on how they thought the game would play out and whether or not they would follow through with their agreements. Pretty soon the betting outside Talon and Alita's game was more heated then their own exchanges.

Talon let Alita roll the dice a few times and he taught her how the game worked. Basically five dice were rolled, one at a time. The dice were counted down by the highest to the least, and only in order. If there were four in order then the highest numbers won. If the number of dice in order were not the same then the totals were added and the highest total won. It was actually quite simple and impossible to cheat with using unweighted dice. Once she was ready he allowed her to go last, so that she could see what he rolled before she did as well. She'd know what numbers she had to roll then.

Talon took the dice and said a quick, simple prayer over them. The dice fell from his hands.... 2, 5, 4, 3, 2. It was almost a perfect roll. Almost, but the first '2' made his string only four digits long. She could break it.

Alita's dice were rolled one by one. The first one was 6, then 4, 3, 4, 6.

She had only three in a row. Her three dice, 6, 4, and 3, added up to 13. Talon's dice, 5, 4, 3, and 2, added up to 14.

He had won.
 
It took Alita only a couple of rolls to understand the game. It seemed incomplete, if she were totally honest; a good game allowed for room to bluff and bet, which was where the skill came in. In poker, she would be able to try and intimidate Talon into folding by placing a large bet and acting like she had a good hand, even if she didn't. Still, she'd agreed to this game and it was too late to back out of the bet now: she had her honor on the line. So, when they played officially and the dice fell, she was incredibly nervous. She might not have liked High Numbers in principle, but she had to admit that it was excellent at building tension.

Her heart sank and her eyes went wide when she saw Talon's roll. She'd lost. In all honesty, she could have done more to protect herself. She could have suggested a different game, could have picked a game she knew like the back of her hand, but she hadn't. Her shock quickly turned to anger, more at herself than anyone else, as she stood and kicked the table halfway across the room. It was childish, she knew, but at the moment she wasn't thinking rationally. She had just signed herself away to a year of slavery to Talon. She stood there seething for a moment, but could not bring herself to do anything more. She didn't care about her signature on a piece of paper: she had lost and she was honor-bound to uphold her end of the deal. When she finally trusted herself to speak without unleashing a stream of profanities or bursting into tears, she spoke without looking at Talon.

"What now?" she asked, her voice soft, but full of resentment and anger.
 
Talon stood up abruptly when she kicked the table. He narrowed his eyes, seeing the desire to rail that was simmering just beneath her surface. Normally he'd be inclined to give her a few hours to get her mind wrapped around her new situation, but her impulsive and destructive outburst disappointed him.

"Now... you learn to control your temper," Talon replied, his voice quiet and controlled. "Go and calmly pick up that table and bring it back. Then apologize to the room for your angry outburst."
 
Alita glared death at Talon. There was one thing she hated doing, and that was admitting that she was wrong. Many would see such a trait as childish, but it was one that was common in Lago Urba where skill with a blade could matter just as much as actual fact. She lingered where she stood for a long time, her fists and teeth clenched in anger, but she eventually moved toward the table. She could not precisely be described as calm, if the seething anger in her eyes and the tense, deliberate nature of her every motion was anything to go on, but she picked up the table without comment or lashing out at anyone. She place the table back down where it had initially been with a loud thud, then muttered something that sounded vaguely apologetic, but mostly furious, without raising her eyes from the table's surface.
 
Talon took the opportunity to apologize quietly to Tala. "I seem to be called to set this in order," he said, indicating Alita. "I'm sorry; I hope we can discuss this further tonight. Right now I need to set some ground rules for my unwitting slave."

He turned to Alita when she tried to get away with muttering incoherently to the table.

"Speak clearly and loudly so that people can hear your apology, Alita. An apology means nothing if they do not hear it." He waited until she complied, a look of patience on his face.
 
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