Pathfinder [Frontier Justice] In Character

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Alita simply glared at Talon. She was grateful for the cloak, but if she was in for a year of thankless toil and humiliation, she would hardly make it easy for Talon.

"So what now?" she asked, doing her best to control her language, though there was still a note of irritation in her voice. Things could have been worse, but there were plenty of scenarios she would have found preferable. "I get down on my hands and knees again? Perhaps crawl after you into town? Look, Talon: I get that you want to sound like you have noble intentions or whatever you're using to justify this, but if you're just going to get your revenge on me by humiliating me for the next year, I'd like you to just come out and say it. You're still the same person who's always looked down on me and I'm still the same person who's hated you for it. Once the year is up, we'll just be at each other's throats again."
 
"I'm not here to humiliate you. Not unless you force me to." He slid the leather strap around her neck and buckled it close to her skin. His hands were warm and strong against the tender line of her body. Once that was done he smoothed his hands across her shoulders. "There. Women always look so much better with a proper collar around their necks."

He sat down opposite her and put a foot up on a stool. "Did you happen to see what Marcus did to Merisel today? He put an anklet on her; a... betrothal thing similar to a collar. He didn't tell her what it was all about or ask her if it was alright; he just went up to her and put it on her, and now he has her following him around like a confused puppy. That does neither of them any good. She didn't get a choice on the matter, and you might think that you didn't get a choice either."

"But here's were we differ. You decided that you had to have some kind of... retribution against me. For what, I'm still not sure. Apparently you think that simple teasing and vocal wrestling is a bleeding offense. Your ego couldn't take what would be considered good natured ribbing in my country. So... you forced my hand, Alita. I was content to let you simply fade into whatever oblivion your sharp tongue and hot temper would bring you to. Now I'm obligated to train you for a year and make sure that you leave my company a better person than when you started. It would have been easier for me to have to apologize publicly for whatever imagined insult I paid you, and to lie and say that you are a better leader, but Fate had other plans."

He reached out and drew her chair up next to his so that they were sitting intimately close. "The truth is that you cannot be a good leader of others until you learn to control yourself. So that is what we will be learning, Alita. Control. And right now... I control you. This isn't about revenge. It never has been."
 
"It wasn't the insults," growled Alita, crossing her arms beneath her breasts under the cloak. This caused the cloak to fall open a bit, revealing her cleavage but leaving her nipples shrouded in shadow. "It was the disrespect. You sent Markus and I into an ambush and never said a word about it. We nearly died, but you blamed be for everything. You always dismiss everything I have to say because I have a short temper and that I'm too rash. Even now, you're telling me that I'm too impulsive to make my own decisions. I can control myself, but you've whittled me down over the past year to where I'm so angry I can't even sleep properly. I was not an angry person before I met you, Talon, but when you sent us into the middle of that lizardman village telling us that we'd be sneaking around behind it, you crossed the line. I can take japes and jokes at my expense, but I will not let you blame me for your mistake; especially when it nearly cost me my life and the life of my comrade."
 
Meri had nowhere near the confidence in her face and form that Markus did, and as such hid herself behind her hair as she took his hand, her own hand seeming small and almost frail in comparison. He led her into one of the baths, and she quickly sank down into the water up to her chin and blushed, staring at the rippling surface nervously. He had no idea what kind of nerves she was currently grappling with! She looked up at him as he spoke about her overthinking things and she had to admit he spoke the truth. She could never turn her mind off, could never stop thinking about things, worrying at little threads of thought like a dog with a bone, until she could barely breathe from the froth she'd worked herself up into. She'd always been like that; even back home, her mentor had told her that she needed to relax, that she couldn't solve all the problems of the world by vexing herself into an early grave over it.

She looked up at him as he discussed obedience and she wasn't sure how to respond. She'd been obedient most of her life; to her parents, to her mentor, to the elders of the village who'd decided her fate when her new calling was made known. She'd been obedient to Talon's commands in battle, to the other guild members' request for healing or potions or scribework. She'd always been obedient. She didn't know how to be anything else. She was dutiful above all else, acknowledging her duties to her people and to her comrades and to the other people in the town. Duty. Sometimes it felt as though that were all her life was comprised of. Obedience and duty and being useful. She bowed her head slightly and nodded, heaving an inward sigh. "Yes, I will do my best." She said quietly, doing her best to not let her weariness show in her voice.
 
"You are a crazy woman. The reason that you and Marcus almost died when we went after the lizards is because you wouldn't do what I said. You two had to go charging in like two drunk baboons instead of waiting for everyone to be ready, and because of that you were hurt. You couldn't accept that my idea was the one we were going to go with, so you jeopardized everyone involved by convincing yourself and that overgrown meatloaf to charge in before anyone else was ready, and I never got a chance to confirm what we were reading was true! I thought that we were sneaking in around the tribe, but by the time I figured it out you two had already left! There was nothing I could do to warn you, so we went in hoping to get you out alive and we did."

He leaned back and studied her. "You have your own version of history, Alita. I'm surprised that you haven't been locked up for dementia or some other mental illness yet."

"You're lucky that I didn't turn you both in for insubordination. I never talked to you about it afterwards because I was so angry that your little ego nearly cost us the lives of everyone on our team. You might think that you're a seasoned mercenary, but if that was true you'd have been assigned as our leader. I was assigned because I'm the best qualified."

"And let's get something straight. I never call Marcus anything behind his back that I haven't said to his face. So stop spreading rumors about me around the guild house."

He listened, his demeanor almost bored, as Alita explained her thoughts about her future with him. "You need to be humbled. You need to be controlled. I'm not here to exact revenge from you; you've only been a pest so far. Hardly worth wasting my time plotting revenge upon you. As a matter of fact, I was content to let you self destruct. How many times can you smash the guild's furniture or abuse their recruits before you're kicked out of the guild? I can tell you; if you hadn't become my slave it would have been fairly soon."
 
Markus

Markus pulled Merised onto his lap, settling her so that her back was against his chest. Rather than washing her, though, his hands went to her shoulders and began rubbing and kneading them, easing the tension from her body. He had always thought that the little elf was too nervous for her own good and he hoped that the massage would help to calm her nerves. "It has always struck me that there seems to be too little pleasure in your life, Merised," commented the knight. "You provide valuable services to this team and this town, but I so rarely see you smile. I find it strange that you take no pleasure in your work when what you do is so valuable to everyone. Tell me, Merised: why is it that you are always so melancholy?"

-----

Alita

"No, let me get something straight with you," said Alita, standing and jabbing a finger against Talon's chest. "You were at fault with the lizardmen. Markus and I followed your plan to a t and, rather than getting into place for the ambush that you sent us to set up, we stumbled into the clearing that house their village. I trusted you and nearly got killed for it and I never so much as heard a word of apology for it. Instead, you called me inept and impulsive and blamed the whole thing on me. And you still are! That is why you are a spoiled brat unfit to lead our group: you are incapable of admitting that you made a mistake! Merised would make a better leader and she hardly ever speaks whenever our group meets up!"
 
Perhaps he was right; she was a bit tense. If by a bit tense one meant 'nearly launched herself out of the tub when he pulled her into his lap and began to rub her shoulders'. She was...a bit highly strung. She always had been. She managed to relax a little, his fingers feeling heavenly on her shoulders. "I...I suppose because what I do...it's intricate and requires concentration and focus...and if I lose that focus for even a moment, someone can die." she sighed softly, letting her head fall forward as he worked her slim shoulders. "I...ohh that's very nice, thank you Markus. I've just...I'm not melancholy, I don't think." She said, a little more defensively than she'd intended. "It's just...very different here. I'm not used to being around so many humans; I had never even really seen a human except once or twice before I came here. And... I lost..I left everything behind."

She frowned to herself, fidgeting her fingers as she stared at the water. "Everything I'd spent my whole like working for, everything I'd ever dreamed of or envisioned for myself...gone. Just like that. One night I went to bed, and I was an apprentice to the vale guardian of my village. The next night I was on the road, with every worldly possession I had on my back with no idea of where to go. The world just fell out from under me. And I still haven't gotten my feet under me. Not..not yet at least."

She felt rather whiny to be talking about such things when there were so many other more important problems. She shook her head slightly. "I'm being foolish. I'm sorry. I'll try not to...to be so ..." She didn't even know how to finish the sentence, just let it hang there in hopes that he would fill in the blank and let it lay. "I'm alright, really." She forced herself to smile, but even to her it felt more like a grimace. She just had so much to worry about and fret over, so many things that she had to keep straight and taken care of. And sometimes...sometimes it just wore on her, made her feel stretched thin and tired and so very, very alone.
 
"You are not a fool, Merised," said Markus, continuing to massaged Meri's shoulders. "You are lonely. You do not need to try to hide your pain from me. You are kind, but quiet: you help everyone, but connect with no one. I do not fully understand your reasons why, but if I had to hazard a guess, I would say that I think it is because you are longer-lived than humans and you fear losing everything once more. However, happiness cannot be found in solitude and I do not think that you wish to be a hermit for your entire life. Sarenrae calls to all races, Merised, not just humans, and death is never the end for a soul. Like all gods, Sarenrae has a plane of existence all to herself where the souls of her worshipers go when they die. You will learn many things in your extraordinarily long life, so it should be a simple matter for you to research the ability to travel between planes. With the proper research, I am sure that you can find the planes belonging to the deities of your shorter-lived friends and visit them in their afterlives.

"Even I will not be lost forever when I eventually pass from this world; all knights of Londo train for war in this life so that we may serve as a member of Sarenrae's holy guard in the next. Those priests who are truly faithful and learn the proper prayers can summon friends and loved ones to their aid in battle once they pass while others are summoned to keep holy sites or important individuals safe. There is little in this world, it seems, that magic or miracles will not remedy, so I would not worry about the frailness of the flesh when the souls of those you hold dear will be safe for eternity."
 
Tala searched for the new couple, but didn't find them since they were in the bath. Since she felt no need for a bath she hadn't checked there. So she went about the guild simply looking in on people. The recruits now complete with Anna were running drills with Lug. They had a low level mission in cleaning out the sewers of a hoard of dire rats later. It wouldn't take them long since the town only had a simple sewer system and it was impossible to get lost in. She had a feeling they were going to need a bath later on today. Perhaps she'd be nice and gather up a few buckets of water for them.

The tavern had now been taken over by Natasha ,the senior bard, and Nate ,her fighter partner. Several other members where in there enjoying meals and conversation. The guild master was in his room studying as per usual and other members where out on jobs. So with nothing to do she gathered some water for the baths while she waited for Marcus and Merised to reappear.
 
His fingers on her shoulders and neck were soothing and she could feel herself relaxing under the gentle motions. Only a year living among humans and she still couldn't quite get over the...transience of it all. The knowledge that the babies she delivered would be dead and gone before she had even left her youth. She was barely into her second century; almost a child by her peope's measure, and yet everyone who would have lived in this town had been born, lived, married, had children and died before she was even considered a youth. She had lost her people when Sarenrae had called her into her service; anyone that she came to care about here in this place would be lost to her in a few scant decades. "It feels...it feels as though I'm simply meant to never be able to keep anything I would treasure." She said softly.

He spoke about how death is not the end, how perhaps she would be able to visit the planes that house the faithful dead, and she couldn't help but wonder if that was possible. Her people had always clearly differentiated the living from the dead, each a world unto their own, separate until one crossed from life to death. To travel the planes, to see those that had passed on before her without actually having to die herself... could such a thing be possible? Could Sarenrae truly return the souls of the departed to life, to stand as guardians and watchmen over sacred sites and holy men and women? It bore thinking about. Even still, she felt terribly, achingly alone here. Tala was friendly and Talon was...well, he was a good sort, she supposed, once one bore in mind the land and culture he was from. Alita was fiery and passionate and fierce, things that Meri had never been and feared she never would be. The knowledge that they would all be gone, passed on to that place beyond the mortal veil before she even began to see her middle age was... painful. Even if they lived on in another realm, there was no guarantee she'd be able to traverse the planes to visit them. There was no guarantee she'd even be able to find the planes where Tala and Talon and Alita took their final rest. But Markus had a point. It wasn't the end, just a new form of life. One that she would not be able to share with them for several times their lifespan.

"You are right. I will think on those things. It is a very different way of viewing life and death than I am accustomed to." She said softly. There was really nothing else she could say on the topic, not without a bit more study and research.
 
"I would not worry about experiencing misery in your lifetime, Merised," promised Markus, kissing the back of her neck. "You are perhaps one of the most fortunate people I have ever met. So many enter into the service of a god or goddess of their own volition: each of them have their reasons, some selfish and some pure, but so very few are ever personally selected by a deity for their task. You say you do not know much about Sarenrae, so let me tell you this; our goddess is a kind goddess. She does not give her followers a task she thinks them incapable of handling and she will lay many good things in your path so long as you continue to serve her faithfully. I am but a humble knight in her service and my devotion has led me to you, after all; I cannot imagine what delights Sarenrae has in store for you." Markus's lips curled into a playful smile. "Though I can certainly show you a few of the things I know about delighting a woman."

Markus's hands moved from Meri's neck, slid gently along her back and then her sides until they came to rest cupping her breasts. Without any hesitation, he began massaging her chest as expertly as he had done her neck and shoulders, gently pinching and rolling her nipples between his fingers. He felt her tense and start to struggle, but his powerful arms held her to his body as he gently cooed calming words in her ear. "Be still, dear Merised," he murmured, his mouth right against her ear. "The pleasure of your flesh is nothing to fear. You are alone no longer: in life and in death, I will always stand beside you. You need fear the passage of time no longer. Stop worrying about all the little "what if's" and simply let yourself be lost in this moment. You and I are blessedly entwined and the pleasure you feel now is simply a reminder of that. You are mine, Merised. Mine to protect and to treasure, to command and to pleasure. You are home."
 
The kiss on the nape of her neck made her shiver, and she wondered if perhaps she should see about starting to bathe. After all, she still needed to get something in her stomach and see if Talon had decided on an assignment for them to take yet. She hoped so, she could see Alita getting a bit stir crazy around here. She was more of a homebody, perfectly content to study and take small scribe jobs and function as the town's healer. There were others that had far greater experience and abilities than she but she was fairly confident that with time, study and practice she could be the equal of any of them someday. However, any thought she might have had of speaking up was gone when Markus's hands slid up to cup her breasts and begin to toy with her nipples.

She gave a little squeal of shock and tried to stand up, but his arms around her kept her still, her back flush against his chest as he spoke against her ear. It was hard to concentrate on his words with his fingers toying with her nipples, making her wriggle against him as she flushed in nervous, embarrassed arousal. "Ma...Markus! I don't..." She trailed off, breathless and still not completely certain of this new situation that he had introduced to her. She closed her eyes, trembling slightly as he whispered that she was not alone, and that in and of itself was nearly enough to make her still her struggling. Still, she didn't stop trying to pull away, even as her struggles became weaker, her ears flicking slightly from the warm breath tickling along the sensitive skin.

"W...we shouldn't be d-doing this in the...in the public baths! Anyone could walk in and and...and see us!" She exclaimed, making a valiant effort to turn her ear away from his voice, finding it very hard to think with his mouth so close to her neck and his fingers playing with her breasts. It was...it was distracting and she couldn't be distracted right now. Who knew what he would wind up trying to seduce her into if she wasn't wary?
 
"It is the middle of the day, Merised," chuckled Markus, continuing to stimulate the little elf on his lap. "We have the baths to ourselves. Though, if you would prefer that we continue this in my room, I would be happy to oblige you." He kissed her cheek, his own cheek brushing up against her ear as he did. "It is my duty to learn to pleasure you, Meri, and party of your duty to learn to pleasure me. Since you are so demure, so chaste, I feel that the best place to start is getting you to learn to enjoy your own pleasure. Our bodies were made to experience pleasure such as you are feeling now for a reason, my dear Merised; because such sensations are good. You should squirm at my touch, but your goal should not be escape. I will teach you to crave me more than sustenance; by the time we are wed, you will treasure each and every second we are in contact. Every little touch is an affirmation of my love for you, my darling elf, and I want nothing more than for you to learn to enjoy it."
 
Talon grabbed the hand that was jabbing at his chest and pulled Alita into a crushing embrace. He stared down at her. "Listen. To. ME." Then he flung her onto his bed.

"The map was faulty, woman. It was wrong. We had just decided to send you and Markus to scout it out and were barely into deciding what our rallying points were and what our contingency plan was when you two ran off. A few minutes later I realized that the map was wrong, but by then..." He stalked away and drew a hand through his hair.

"It was too late." Talon pressed his lips together.

"It was your fault. If you weren't so eager to get the job done and get back for the money then maybe you would have waited five minutes."

"Five damn minutes! You two would have never been in the middle of that chaos! The only mistake I made was keeping you on my team afterwards." His eyes grew cold. "But now... we can teach you to be a valuable member of the team instead of the one who everyone is thinking will snap and cost us our lives."
 
Alita was silent for a long time, processing what Talon had told her. She hadn't known about the faulty map; all she'd heard was that she was supposed to take a certain path to lie in wait while the others drove the lizardmen towards her and Markus. That had been the plan, after all.

"It wasn't greed," she said, finally, her voice much quieter. "I told you I was going to take Markus and head up to the ambush site. I didn't run off alone: at least not intentionally. I don't know if I didn't hear you telling me not to go or you didn't hear me saying I was, but I guess there's no changing it now." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the anger was gone from them. "I'm sorry, Talon. I've been mad at you this whole time over a misunderstanding. I've wronged you and I've made the past year stressful for everyone. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused. I know it doesn't mean much, but I'm sorry." She paused for a moment; her next words were easier to say now that she wasn't angry, but still somewhat difficult on account of her pride. "I guess... I guess I need to be taught some discipline after all."
 
Talon blinked a few times. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

What was this? She apologized? She was calm and 'normal' and she actually seemed reasonable?

"I'm sorry too." He walked over to the bed and sat down next to her. "So."

He looked over at her in his cloak and collar. Bits of her bare skin peeked out at him, tantalizing and mysterious now that she was covered. "You admit that you need discipline. I'm willing to give it to you, but the question is, Alita, whether or not you remain my slave or we begin anew. I'm willing to trust you again if you'll do the same for me."
 
Alita sat beside Talon and listened to what he had to say. When he asked if they should start afresh, she shook her head. "It might be a simple thing for you to just take the collar off," she explained, "but this is a bigger deal for me. Where I'm from, you make damn sure that the other person deserves it before you draw steel. Most of the time, it's simple: he insults you, you give him the chance to take it back, he doesn't and you fight. But I was at fault here and drew steel and I need to make up for that. Besides, I was the one who issued the challenge: I need to accept the consequences for that." She took a deep breath. "So... so I'm your property for the next year. I'm not exactly happy about it, but it's what I deserve. I'm a woman of my word, Talon; I'd be disgracing myself if I backed out now."
 
"Very well." He nodded, taking in her decision to remain. That in itself was an interesting development. She was ready to flee just a few minutes ago, and now she was staying voluntarily. He glanced sideways at her, wishing that he could read her mind.

With a decisive breath he stood. "Good. We'll go get your collar and a few things, I'll send for your belongings to be brought up here, and then we will go to dinner. After I visit with Tala you and I will go over some rules; it wouldn't be fair of me to expect you to understand what I require from you without explaining it to you first, would it?" He smiled and held up a leash. "Come here."
 
Alita took a deep breath and nodded. She wished she'd just taken his offer and let him set her free, but she had to accept the consequences of her actions. After one more deep breath, she stood and gently raised her chin so that Talon could easily clip the leash onto her collar. She pulled the cloak tight about her, not looking forward to going outside wearing only it for clothing, but she reminded herself that it would teach her to be more cautious in the future. She found herself wondering if she'd be brought along when Talon visited with Tala and was embarrassed when she felt her nipples hardening at the idea.

"Is..." she asked, trying to find the right words. "What should I call you? Just Talon? Or am I supposed to call you Master now?"
 
Talon smiled smugly at her as he clipped the sturdy leash on her collar. He gave it a short yank to make sure that the clasp held and then drew a hand up across Alita's body to curl a finger underneath her chin. His eyes looked steadily into hers. "Master sounds so sweet coming from your lips." The corner of his mouth turned up even more. "Master Romayniah would be fine. I may allow you to call me simply 'Master' in private."

He reached underneath the cloak and put his palm against her sternum, then ran it down her chest, bypassing her breasts, to travel over her stomach and down to her mound. "It's too bad you had to be so argumentative this past year. It might have been your room I was planning to visit tonight instead of Tala's if things had been different." He slid a finger in between her lips and gave her clitoris a flick before turning and walking out of the room, allowing the leash to jerk Alita forward if she didn't move fast enough.
 
It was strange: just a minute ago, Alita would have hated the thought of Talon touching her body. Now, though, with the leash around her neck and the confident way Talon handled her like it was his right, which she supposed it was, she found herself craving this treatment. She was mesmerized by Talon's eyes, unable to look away as his gaze commanded hers. Her cheeks burned red with embarrassment as her Master's hand slipped between the lips of her sex, only to find them wet and swollen. She let out a gasp as he flicked her clitoris, the sound both surprised and a little bit needy: there was a very loud part of her that was disappointed that Talon hadn't done anything more. She felt her cheeks burn once more at the tug of the leash; it felt strange to say, but the feeling of being lead in such a way just felt so right to her. She quickly hurried to catch up, but hung back a little, unsure of how close she was supposed to be following her owner.
 
He led her downstairs, past the guildhouse great room and then out the door. As they were exiting the house he saw Tala and called out to her. "Hey! Tala!" He waved a hand and walked over, casually tugging his slave pet along behind himself. His eyes sparkled as he noted that the ranger looked like she was getting ready to take a bath.

"So... got a hot date for tonight?" he teased.

Once she replied he grinned at her. "I'm going to the smithy and the leather worker's shop. Is there anything I can pick up for you? For tonight, maybe?"
 
It seemed as if Talon and Alita had settled their differences for now. And by settled Alita had been collared. The scene made her blink, but she chose to ignore Alita so she wouldn't hurt the girl's pride. And honestly what could she really say that wouldn't be taken the wrong way. Instead she grinned at Talon. "You could say that. I really don't need anything for tonight, but you could ask the smithy if he has any more special arrows in stock so I can go buy them later. How long do you think the business it town will take?" She should take a bath before their dinner. She had gone hunting today and she honestly didn't have much else to do until tonight.
 
"Arrows, hm? Most girls want flowers." He smiled. "It won't take more than an hour and a half, I think. We'll be back in time for dinner. "Be careful," he said as he turned to leave, "I've heard that sugar dissolves in water."

He didn't mind laying it on thick, and he knew that Tala would know that he was being silly, but part of him also was simply giddy because, well... he didn't have to worry about his spell book getting lost. And of course there was the fact that he hadn't been cursed at by Alita for at least fifteen minutes. That in itself was enough to make him happy.

He took Alita to the smithy first, and picked up a collar he had actually commissioned out of random whim a few weeks ago. It was a flat steel band with a sensuous curve to it, and in the front there hung a sturdy silver ring. Talon inspected it thoroughly before paying for it, and then he exchanged the leather one for the cold steel one.
 
"All right then. I'll meet you in the Tavern." She made a face at the horrid line. "Wow, that was something I've only heard drunkards use. Yet you still managed to pull it off a bit good job." At least Talon was in a good mood. She couldn't blame him. Alita wasn't going to mouth off or torment him for a whole year. "Did you want to vote with the group first and eat dinner with them, or did you want to vote and the two of us go eat somewhere away from our lovely dining hall or tavern?"

Private talks were hard to hold in either locations due to the racket made by the guild members. Plus, with two bards in the area it was likely love ballads would be written about them just for the hell of it.
 
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