Teylouse hardly noticed when he heard angry shouting coming from the platform ladder until something about a sword was mentioned. He turned almost casually, his brown eyes settling on the foreigner. At the sight of the man, it was almost enough to make him want to kill him right there, but he was playing a smarter game now than when his wife first returned with the heathen. "I took what was mine," he said bluntly, "I didn't buy it, but I did trade for it. You have one skinny brat of a female and for the loss of my consort, I get some thing bigger than you." With that, he grabbed his crotch roughly and smirked. "Or isn't that what you wanted?"
The man was surely the one that hurt Talia and in a way that disgusted Arames. "It is not a trade to beat a woman, take a sword and defile her. You will give back what is mine." Taking step forward he glowered at the tiny man. "You have weak bones and you made a bad choice to steal from me. If I leave the red falcon leaves. I came here to help your people because Talia asked me to. This bird is precious to you and yet you steal from me. I will consider you as dirt until you have returned what is mine."
Teylouse didn't back down when the big, tan man stepped up. Instead, he closed the gap further and let his anger flare in his eyes. "Those are some serious charges," he growled, "Theft, defilement? Defilement is a pretty low hit accusation. I'm her husband, or I was. That gives me the right to do as I please, but even so, I wouldn't leave the marks on her like you left." The crowd exchanged confused looks. Teylouse smirked and stepped back. "You're not getting this sword back."
It seemed that this man wanted to make some sort of fight out of this instead of doing the honorable thing. "The charges are accurate. You say that you were her husband and you think that gives you the right to defile her. You condemn yourself. I will have the sword back, or you will pay me for it." Holding out a hand he beckoned with his hand for the sword to be placed in it. "Give it to me."
"Come take it," Teylouse spat back, this time his real anger showing through, "Or take it to the Chief if you don't have the balls to challenge me for it here. I'm sure he would come to some sort of other arrangement since he's already bartered away his sister to you in exchange for the bird." Another murmur swept through the crowd around them and a few of the soldiers came to back Teylouse, but the women stayed where they were, their faces set into a scowl. he smart men stayed by their women's sides and watched the argument between the two uncertain on how to intervene or if they should.
Just as he would have at home if he needed to make an argument Arames made his appeal to the crowd. Often times an unreasonable man could be swayed if he saw that his argument was bad. "Now, you see who is violent. I simply ask for what is mine." Arames looked back to Teylouse. "She had no reason to give you the sword. She has her home, I am there, the birds are mating and so it shows you're a thief. I ask you again to return the sword to me. You have already shown all those here that you are violent and it makes you highly suspect as the one to defile her as she is mine. Her beating is from you when you took her sword. Give it back to me."
Teylouse did not back down. To do so would have shown weakness and an inability to stand his ground. The men behind him didn't either, but it was the women who were edging closer that he made note of more so and they far out numbered him. His eyes shifted briefly to his surroundings before he shook his head. "Fine," he spat, "You don't want to fight me for it, then you take it up with the chief. I'll give it back when he pries it out of my fingers himself, stranger. Run along and go to him, if that's what you want. His hit is at the north end of the plat form." He waved his hand as if dismissing the man, but there was nothing light about his words as he spoke them. A dangerous gleam shone in his eyes at his challenge and it was easy to see he was more than ready to be down right malicious.
Arames met the man's gaze and he still held his hand out and beckoned for the blade again. "I give you a chance to hide your dishonor. Give me the sword and I will refrain from calling you thief whenever you should cross my path. You're an evil man and I will not let you steal from me and defile my woman simply because you consider it a 'right'." Beckoning with his hand again he stepped in closer. "Give it to me. I would gladly go to the chief with my complaints against you, but I'm giving you a way out."
Apparently, the foreigner was a coward or he was dense. Maybe both. Teylouse didn't like repeating himself either way and he wasn't a fan of the man's tone. Not to mention he wasn't going to back down when he had taken the sword and had to have the guts to back up his words. "You call me a thief, but it was you who stole a man's wife," Teylouse growled. The more he thought about the audacity of the man before him, the angrier he became until he drew the sword and in one quick, well practiced motion slid the blade over Arames' palm. "That's as close as you'll ever see this sword again," he spat as blood dribbled. About that time some of the women stepped forward and began hissing at Teylouse. A ripe fruit thrown from one woman smacked into the warriors chest with a solid splat. "You dishonor our guest rights," she snapped, "Leave the market now, or on your head it will be Teylouse."
Even while he held his hand out the man got even more angry. Arames hadn't known she already belonged to another, but he didn't blame her for wanting to leave him. A woman had a right to leave a man like that. At least as far as he was concerned. Suddenly the man drew the sword and slashed it across his palm. Arames hissed a little, but he thrust his hand closer to the warrior. "Give it to me, thief."
Teylouse spat at Arames' feet as he slopped fruit from his chest and stepped back. "Go to the chief if you want it so badly," he said, "We're done here." He wasn't about to fight some old maids along with the man if he could help it. That wasn't worth his time. "Oh and tell Talia, I'll see her around." With that he waved away Arame's hand and began walking away with a few of his men in tow. The woman who through the fruit come to Arames and held out a hand, offering to look at the wound. "He's always been trouble. Unless you fight him, you'll have to take it to the chief, son."
There wasn't much of a response from the man, just more spitting. Arames scowled at him and watched as he turned. "Coward. The thief turns his back and threatens my woman instead of me." Once the man was gone some of the women came over to him and told him what to expect. "I'm just a blacksmith. I'm not a warrior. I will go to the chief with my complaints." Arames let one of the women help with his hand and he flexed it slightly after he had it wrapped in a bandage and sighed. "I will go get Talia and we will make our complaints."
The comment didn't seem to phase Teylouse. it had proven exactly what he wanted. That the strange man was all bark and no bite. The older woman tended to Arames' and shook her head when he mentioned bringing Talia to see her brother. "I'm not sure the woman will want to say who or what happened to her. It happens often this way. A fear of retribution, and not just against ourselves, but for others around us," she explained, "Try if you can, but to do not look for relief from Teylouse. If you have struck a deal with the chief, however, he is bound to honor it."
"There is no punishment for the thief defiling my woman?" Arames could feel his anger start to rise a little more. If there was no sort of justice he would be forced to fight the man and he didn't want to do that. In the event that he had to he knew he would have to rely on his bones and strength rather than his skill.
"There is," the woman said carefully, "Talia could say something if she wanted to. But it would bring more trouble on her and you should Teylouse come back with more. She is in no state to fight and I imagine, if she returned with you, she is trying to protect you. If the deal you have with the chief is true and she is yours then you can make the complaint. You did lose some consortium thanks to Teylouse." The woman's eyes were framed by wrinkles but they still held the sharpness of youth despite her age. "If I were to take something to to the chief I would do it quickly before Teylouse had a chance to do anything else. He is cruel and while some men are like him...not all are."
Arames stepped away from the woman and nodded. "Then I will take Talia with me now." He didn't figure she'd want to, but if they made their complaint now, before the thief told his story first then he would have a chance to make sure the tribe was aware of the thief's cowardice and malicious intent.
* * * * * * * *
Talia hardly registered something nudging her arm and a familiar voice saying something. She mustered enough consciousness to nod before puffing out an answer and curling up in her hammock further. She'd been having a nice dream of running through the woods. Her feet were quick and her breath steady as she ran, wind whipping past and trees flashing with white bark. She was on the move, not hunting, but simply running for the thrill of it. Over head, beyond the trees, a falcon was crying with the same excitement. It only made her run all the faster in an attempt to best the bird for fun. Her bare feet met soft grasses and thick leaves rustled behind her until she reached the precipice where the birds built their nests, a mile deep and just as wide, the crag held hundreds of nest with chicks all crying for food. Mother birds swooped here and there, gliding with a grace like no other. She squinted into the sun pouring from the sky as a male falcon passed over and for a singular moment she saw the shadow of something more. A figure with hair red like the rising sun. Talia stepped closer to the edge and held out a hand, intent on flying along with the stranger...her toes hovered over the air....
The sound of heavy foot falls coming into the room jolted her awake. "Uhn? Huh..." Talia sat up causing her hammock to sway and the world to pitch slightly as her eyes focused on a tan face. "Arames?" Rubbing her face, she sat up further and tried to figure out what he was talking about so early in the morning. There was something about swords...no...her sword. The one that was stolen. He had to go with her to get it back? Make a complaint? A complaint.
Her stomach turned ot lead and dropped to her toes. "You did what? Arames!" A flash of anger came over her face and she half stumbled over her hammock . "I didn't want to make a complaint! You want me to go on and tell them all about...uhg...I can't. You can't. If Teylous decides he wants to challenge for the sword, you'll be called to fight for it."