The Dancer's Request

The Dancer's Request

Postby CherryStatic » Thu Oct 15, 2015 3:26 pm

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't put a knife between your eyes."

Bern Clydell glared over the rim of her mug at the cloaked woman that took a seat across the table from her, fingers itching to fly to one of the many daggers strapped to her lithe frame. The other responded with a tired sigh.

"I just want to talk. Please."

"You want to talk to me?" The half-elf's eyes widened, and she gave a single, harsh laugh. "What, did you forget to ask me something when I was being held against my will by your ringleader?"

The hooded woman was silent. She looked down at the table between them for a long moment. When she did speak, it was quietly.

"Look, I won't apologize for what happened. I mean, it wouldn't fix anything between us." She glanced up, blue eyes meeting green ones. "But I wanted to let you know that Crucia is gone. The Bloodletters have fled Myrkentown."

The bounty hunter's brow furrowed. "She packed up and left. Just like that? Forgive me for being a skeptic, but last I checked, she seemed pretty hell-bent on turning this town into her personal playground." She drank deeply from the mug of beer in her fist, wiping the foam from her lips with the back of one gloved hand. "And what does it matter, anyway? I was cut loose. I'm not a part of this game that you're playing."

"I'm not playing any games, Bern. And I'm not a part of their group anymore. They didn't tell me they were going. I was left behind." She shifted in her seat, glancing at the other patrons that filled the tables around them. "Which is just as well, because I was about to make myself scarce anyway."

"Of course you were." Bern sneered, folding her arms tightly across her flat chest. "You're story has some holes in it, sweet thing. That psychopath came all the way here from another country just to find you, her prized pet. She had her eyes on the Lady Warden since she got here, and didn't so much as bat a lash at the guard. So why would she fly South for the winter when she was just starting to get comfortable?"

The hooded dancer frowned. "I don't know. She seemed so sure of herself. Something must have frightened her off, and she isn't scared of much. Whatever it was, it was a threat to her and her group. But she always told me when she was worried about something, and she didn't say anything this time around. I don't--"

"Why are you here, Vixen, really?" the other asked tersely, cutting her off.

There was a drawn out pause before the dancer replied. "I need your help, Bern."

The fiery haired half-elf stared at her for several seconds, then wordlessly drained her mug in one go, slamming the empty vessel down on the table between them. She started to stand, and Vixen grabbed her by the wrist. "Wait, please--"

There was a dagger pressed to her slender throat in a second, and she froze, the hood of her cloak falling back, coppery red hair spilling out down her back to her waist. The bounty hunter's flinty eyes bored into her as the conversations around their table paused in anticipation of violence.

"If you ever touch me again," Bern said in a neutral tone, "I will kill you."

The dancer's fingers loosed slowly, releasing her. Vixen swallowed thickly, her adam's apple bobbing against the razor sharp edge of the half-elf's weapon. "I can pay. Twice the amount that I paid you before. Please help me."

"I've seen that weapon of yours." Bern's eyes flicked to where the object in question sat coiled on the other's hip, hidden beneath her cloak. "You don't need a bodyguard."

"But I do! There are men here in Myrken, they're looking for me, they'll kill me if they get the chance!"

"I'm sure they have their reasons." the bounty hunter said with a gracious smile, returning the dagger to its sheath. "If you need company so badly, go ask Gloria. She's always sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, anyway."

"No." the dancer responded without hesitation. "No, she can't know about this. I can't talk to her. She probably thinks I'm a monster."

"Well. She wouldn't be far off the mark."

Bern moved away from the table without giving her a chance to respond, disappearing through the door of the tavern and into the night. Vixen watched her go, mouth open, before realizing that there were people all around her, staring curiously. She quickly pulled her hood up, obscuring her face once more, and stood, making her way towards the door.

As was becoming more frequent of late, she was at a complete loss.
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CherryStatic
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