_BB_
Resident Bard
Kalli had been in negotiations with the barman concerning their dinner. She sure as hell hadn't expected a full on brawl to break out on the other side of the room. Spinning around quickly, she felt her stomach drop as she saw a scrawny brat of a boy in the middle of the crowd. Durza. He had upwards of five men after him. He was holding his own, but unless he could duck dance his way out of that door, he was going to get hit eventually. And he may be speedy, but he was tiny and one hit was going to be enough. Torn, she reached for the daggers at her belt. She rarely had cause to use them, but she was a good actor-she could probably bluff her way out of that fight. She just wasn't sure about Durza. This was why she didn't look after people very often. Her charms worked best on her own. She thought of the little magic she knew, her hand hovering over to her flute. She didn't want to reveal that here. She couldn't. Before she'd had time to do anything other than jump to her feet, she knew she wasn't much use to him here. She started scanning for escape routes.
A bottle flew over Durza's head and smashed over a man who had been minding his own business at another table. Bad case of wrong place wrong time, but for Durza, it could be his saving grace.
Ok, this time she could afford to use a little bit of Luck. That wasn't what the magic was called, but it was something. To have hit Durza with a nice boost would have been lovely, but he was buried in enemies and she hadn't put a marker on him yet. The big fella, however, she could use. All she needed was for him to choose the right people to take this out on. She prepared everything and waited, muscles coiled, to see how he would choose. Her mind whirred. He was a huge man, an absolute mammoth that easily dwarfed Durza, and the other men. He had to be a warrior. She'd seen some of those marks carved into his skin. She may even have seen him before, or at least another of his people. All she could remember of them said he would act with a warrior's honour. All that remained was to see whether he thought defending the weak more honourable than ending the fight quickly and restoring the peace.
Ready to hit him with a big dose of Luck if he looked like he was choosing the wrong way, she waited. As soon as he saw the numbers however, she knew he'd chosen the right way. He started throwing men across the room, and Kalli just hoped Durza hadn't dodged all of that to get knocked over by a flying drunk.
She scanned the room as the big man finished it off. How had this happened? She saw a flash of green vanishing around the corner. A few eyes rolled towards her from semi-conscious men on the floor. Belissa. Of course. That girl never knew how much trouble she was in until she's drowned in it. It was honestly a miracle she was still alive. But she was also a viper and that her little following were so ready to fight for her spoke worlds to Kalli. She glanced over a few of the men on the floor. She recognised some of them. Thieves. From the same crew, run by a weasel of a man called Aron. They paid for information as well as anyone else, but no other crew leader gave Kalli the same sick feeling as Aron. Belissa had gotten herself involved in Aron's crew, and Aron's crew should not be making moves this far south. Kalli's eyes narrowed. Trouble was brewing. There'd be a turf war here soon. Time for them to leave. The roads would be far more dangerous than she thought then, and that meant she and Durza might have a little more trouble getting to the next town than anticipated. What better way to deter the unsavoury element than with their very own walking, talking mountain?
Quickly turning back to the bar, she placed an order for more food and a lot more drinks.
When she turned back, the big man had downed all of Aron's men, and had taken instead to booming at poor little Durza, who was miraculously still upstanding. Kalli grinned. Taking a keg on one hip, and holding mugs in the other, she walked over to Durza. "And here I was thinking you were still safely in my room. Honestly kid, at least you're making your first night in an inn memorable." She handed him a mug.
She grinned up at the warrior man who head, shoulders, and chest above her. "Thanks for the help, big man. I ordered us some dinner while you were cleaning up. Shall we sit at your table?"
A bottle flew over Durza's head and smashed over a man who had been minding his own business at another table. Bad case of wrong place wrong time, but for Durza, it could be his saving grace.
Ok, this time she could afford to use a little bit of Luck. That wasn't what the magic was called, but it was something. To have hit Durza with a nice boost would have been lovely, but he was buried in enemies and she hadn't put a marker on him yet. The big fella, however, she could use. All she needed was for him to choose the right people to take this out on. She prepared everything and waited, muscles coiled, to see how he would choose. Her mind whirred. He was a huge man, an absolute mammoth that easily dwarfed Durza, and the other men. He had to be a warrior. She'd seen some of those marks carved into his skin. She may even have seen him before, or at least another of his people. All she could remember of them said he would act with a warrior's honour. All that remained was to see whether he thought defending the weak more honourable than ending the fight quickly and restoring the peace.
Ready to hit him with a big dose of Luck if he looked like he was choosing the wrong way, she waited. As soon as he saw the numbers however, she knew he'd chosen the right way. He started throwing men across the room, and Kalli just hoped Durza hadn't dodged all of that to get knocked over by a flying drunk.
She scanned the room as the big man finished it off. How had this happened? She saw a flash of green vanishing around the corner. A few eyes rolled towards her from semi-conscious men on the floor. Belissa. Of course. That girl never knew how much trouble she was in until she's drowned in it. It was honestly a miracle she was still alive. But she was also a viper and that her little following were so ready to fight for her spoke worlds to Kalli. She glanced over a few of the men on the floor. She recognised some of them. Thieves. From the same crew, run by a weasel of a man called Aron. They paid for information as well as anyone else, but no other crew leader gave Kalli the same sick feeling as Aron. Belissa had gotten herself involved in Aron's crew, and Aron's crew should not be making moves this far south. Kalli's eyes narrowed. Trouble was brewing. There'd be a turf war here soon. Time for them to leave. The roads would be far more dangerous than she thought then, and that meant she and Durza might have a little more trouble getting to the next town than anticipated. What better way to deter the unsavoury element than with their very own walking, talking mountain?
Quickly turning back to the bar, she placed an order for more food and a lot more drinks.
When she turned back, the big man had downed all of Aron's men, and had taken instead to booming at poor little Durza, who was miraculously still upstanding. Kalli grinned. Taking a keg on one hip, and holding mugs in the other, she walked over to Durza. "And here I was thinking you were still safely in my room. Honestly kid, at least you're making your first night in an inn memorable." She handed him a mug.
She grinned up at the warrior man who head, shoulders, and chest above her. "Thanks for the help, big man. I ordered us some dinner while you were cleaning up. Shall we sit at your table?"