We took separate rooms in the same corridor of the Inn and once I had freshened up from the bowl of clear and cool water and smoothed out the rat's nest that was my hair, I headed out to the tavern's main room. I paid for a ale and took a seat in a shadowed corner, whilst I waited for the others, casting a surreptitious eye over the other patrons. Most seemed to be miners or ruffian's from the Warrens, though there were one or two more affluent men around, probably lowly skilled silver-smiths. The mood was sombre and brooding, like the ominous calm before a storm. The thief part of me was screaming at me to get away from this wretched hive but the part of me that I had been trying to make more of an effort to listen to was saying that something was desperately wrong here and that I needed to do something about it.
Fuck.
A dark shadow crossed my vision and I started, stupidly I hadn't been paying attention to my sur-roundings any more. An aging Nord, eyes and nose red with drink, skin caked with dust and stinking of sweat and beer had plonked himself down next to me on the tiny bench. "Hey there, sweet thing."
Oh Divines, his breath stunk.
I discretely tried to ease away but the idiot followed me, invading my personal space, "Up for a little fun?" My fists clenched but he didn't notice. Mindful of Vilkas' earlier warning, I bit back my urge to shove him away and managed a grimacing smile, "I'm flattered, really but I'm not here to have fun, I'm here on business." The man chuckled, "Oh aye, business is it? I get ya'. You know what, sweetie, I once fucked another whore with a face like yours. Down in the warrens." The drunken wretch was leering over me. My hand clenched round my tankard and I took another sip, trying to quell my rising temper. "Must'a been twen'y years ago." His hand came up to caress a strand of my hair but before I could take a swing at him, he was being hauled out of his seat by a very angry Vilkas who snarled in his face, "Get lost, rat." The man fled, hitting the door jamb in his haste to escape. Deprived of my original target my anger found a new substitute. "What in the name of Oblivion do you think you're playing at?" Vilkas glared right back at me, "Saving you from Cidhna Mine?" "I had it under control," I growled, standing. "Is that what you think?" He raised a eyebrow at me. Playing the supercilious bastard as usual. Not waiting for a reply he continued with his lecture, "You'd have swung a punch, started a brawl and got thrown in jail for 'disturbing the peace' or the guards might even have recognised you from one of your actual crimes." I deliberately stepped into his body space, refusing to back down, glaring up at him, "I can handle myself. I've been managing for my entire life- certainly since before you came along and I really don't need or want your protection!" Our faces were now inches apart, flushed with rage. Torvar was shifting uneasily in the background, juggling three metal tankards spilling flat ale onto the floor, "Maybe you two should calm down, eh? You're attracting a lot of attention."
We were. The whole wretched tavern was eyeing us, half just looking for entertainment and the other half with a slightly more sinister intent, hands dropped to concealed weapons.
This place really is a tinderbox. All that's needed is a spark…
So I backed down, meekly dropping my eyes and nodding, though the clench to my jaw remained. "Thank you, Vilkas." My voice was perfectly level. "I'm just going to get some fresh air. I'll rejoin you both in a minute." I inclined my head in what I hoped was a graceful manner and headed for the door to calm down, still inwardly fuming.
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timeasmymeasure
Call of the Blood 5.3/?
Date: 2013-07-05 11:54 am (UTC)Fuck.
A dark shadow crossed my vision and I started, stupidly I hadn't been paying attention to my sur-roundings any more. An aging Nord, eyes and nose red with drink, skin caked with dust and stinking of sweat and beer had plonked himself down next to me on the tiny bench.
"Hey there, sweet thing."
Oh Divines, his breath stunk.
I discretely tried to ease away but the idiot followed me, invading my personal space, "Up for a little fun?"
My fists clenched but he didn't notice. Mindful of Vilkas' earlier warning, I bit back my urge to shove him away and managed a grimacing smile, "I'm flattered, really but I'm not here to have fun, I'm here on business."
The man chuckled, "Oh aye, business is it? I get ya'. You know what, sweetie, I once fucked another whore with a face like yours. Down in the warrens." The drunken wretch was leering over me. My hand clenched round my tankard and I took another sip, trying to quell my rising temper. "Must'a been twen'y years ago." His hand came up to caress a strand of my hair but before I could take a swing at him, he was being hauled out of his seat by a very angry Vilkas who snarled in his face, "Get lost, rat."
The man fled, hitting the door jamb in his haste to escape. Deprived of my original target my anger found a new substitute.
"What in the name of Oblivion do you think you're playing at?"
Vilkas glared right back at me, "Saving you from Cidhna Mine?"
"I had it under control," I growled, standing.
"Is that what you think?" He raised a eyebrow at me.
Playing the supercilious bastard as usual.
Not waiting for a reply he continued with his lecture, "You'd have swung a punch, started a brawl and got thrown in jail for 'disturbing the peace' or the guards might even have recognised you from one of your actual crimes."
I deliberately stepped into his body space, refusing to back down, glaring up at him, "I can handle myself. I've been managing for my entire life- certainly since before you came along and I really don't need or want your protection!"
Our faces were now inches apart, flushed with rage. Torvar was shifting uneasily in the background, juggling three metal tankards spilling flat ale onto the floor,
"Maybe you two should calm down, eh? You're attracting a lot of attention."
We were. The whole wretched tavern was eyeing us, half just looking for entertainment and the other half with a slightly more sinister intent, hands dropped to concealed weapons.
This place really is a tinderbox. All that's needed is a spark…
So I backed down, meekly dropping my eyes and nodding, though the clench to my jaw remained.
"Thank you, Vilkas." My voice was perfectly level. "I'm just going to get some fresh air. I'll rejoin you both in a minute." I inclined my head in what I hoped was a graceful manner and headed for the door to calm down, still inwardly fuming.