Nalineth Pendar kept a keen eye on the curious looking youth. 'Demon-elf heritage, that's for sure. If it weren't for that expression, I'd wonder how old he really was.' She suppressed her smirk for only a moment before it broke through. The horns on his head framed a good looking face with a firm jaw at the base and bright blue eyes that spoke of some human ancestry, his black hair hung loose down to the base of his neck. She watched the way his thick muscles moved beneath his expensive looking armor, one might have thought him a hardened, experienced warrior. One thing however, gave him away to her.
'He looks around like he's never seen the world before.' She felt herself laugh and caught herself, covering her mouth briefly, 'Who am I to talk, we're kind of the same that way I guess. But him moreso.'
She waited while the wagons checked in, just sitting with her back against Harou's sleeping body, legs pulled up while she drank from her simple wooden mug.
She watched him chat idly with his team, and to her surprise, he spoke amicably with the prisoners as well. The ongeku prison labor seemed to reserve their glares for other guards and the old man at the front.
She pricked up her ears when she heard him laugh and a faint blush formed on the slightly purple skin, his hand rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Yet for all that, her senses pricked up at something more. His eyes were narrow, naive and open, but a sharpness to his features struck her like a knife, like iron waiting to be sharpened.
She let the thought go for a while as the newcomers to the outpost settled in, until the vendors began to sell them booze. She set aside her empty mug and stood up to stretch. Harou made a faint inquiring whine and raised his head from where it sat on his paws, only for her to pat his thick cheek affectionately and kiss him there. "It's OK, boy. You stay here."
The outpost was a busy little place, the simple log buildings cut from the local wood were strictly utilitarian, the booths all improvised and meant to be taken down as quickly as they were put up, and the 'bar' was nothing but an open area with a few barrels and crates stacked around that the bartender, a human woman, hopped over to work from. She opened whatever crate she wanted, and that was the booze she'd serve. "Don't like what I'm serving, go thirsty." She'd said to the first customer to ask for something else. She had a tough as nails look on her face and was always smoking a rolled up tobacco leaf, the thick rich scent of the stuff went well beyond the scant area of the smoke that went up from where she stood, and Nalineth could only laugh at the brassy woman.
She approached, and the dirty blonde with a dirt smudge on her cheek rested her arm on the crate in front of her, "What'll it be?" She then cracked a smile on her hard face and said, "Just kidding, you'll have what I've opened or nothing. That'll be three coppers for one, or two for five."
Nalineth pulled out the coin with the undead face on the side and counted out five.
It was well timed, the young half-breed was just walking up for a drink of his own.
"Hey, sell you my spare for four, I just paid five." Nalineth said to him just before he reached the little bar.
Marcus stopped short when the olive skinned woman approached him and held out the spare drink.
"Deal!" He said with a bright smile on his face and yanked out four copper coins.
"Hey you can't…! I was… he was going to…" The dirty blonde bartender's face briefly clouded with anger, and then as the drink passed from woman to man, and the coin from man to woman, she burst out laughing.
Marcus cocked his head at the bartender and then looked back over to the slender woman he'd just traded with.
"What's she laughing at?" He asked, and the raven haired woman laughed a little before smiling broadly.
"Nothing, just some local humor I think." Nalineth grinned and took him by his arm in a sudden, bold move. "You paid for the drink, but the company is free if you want it."
"Sure. My grandmother and grandfather used to say that pretty girls made drinks taste better, I think they were right." Marcus said and let the woman lead him away from where they stood. "I'm Marcus, Marcus Jabara, by the way. And you are?"
"Nalineth." She said with a pleasant little smile, "You're an adventurer, right? That was your team you were talking with? I've heard you all do stuff like that."
"Yes, we're 'Adventurers' I know, not the most creative name, but you should hear their actual names." Marcus chuckled as they approached the area where the large greater dire wolf was lying.
"We'll all have to drink together then, you're all from the Sorcerous Empire, right?" Nalineth asked, her face alight with interest, her eyes bored into his.
"Yeah, yeah we are… they grew up in the west, but I grew up mostly in the far east, my family has a place called Midland, in between a city called Pas'en and Komestra." He replied and then blushed, "Forget it, that's boring."
"No, no, tell me all about it… I've spent the last few, I don't know, days, week or three, whatever, here learning about your people and it's been… fascinating!" Nalineth clapped her hands together and rubbed them greedily.
'Sorcerophile. Ok I've heard of those, really into our ways.' Marcus thought and shrugged as they came close to the wolf.
Nalineth watched him with great interest, most avoided going anywhere near her greater dire wolf, not that Harou minded that only she drew close to him, but Marcus seemed indifferent to the beast to the point of blindness. He didn't pay any mind to it at all until he stuck out his hand to it when they were within reach.
Harou raised his head and sniffed the hand. "Beautiful animal." Marcus said as his hand was 'inspected' by the wolf.
Nalineth felt chills run down her spine and pride surge through her body. Goosebumps rose on her flesh at the casual praise, and Harou let the hand go around beneath to scratch beneath the tip of his mouth.
"Th-thank you." Nalineth said and went to tap her mount's cheek, "We've been together all our lives, his name is Harou. Aren't you…?" She started to ask and looked him up and down more closely.
"Afraid? No… no not really. For some reason that's never really been a problem for me, one of my teachers once did some experiments on me over that, wondering if I might have inherited a trait of my grandmother, who was said to fear nothing that was not stronger than her god."
"Oh? So was she some kind of warrior or something?" Nalineth asked with interest and took a sip from her mug.
Marcus's mouth snapped shut and then he covered the silence by drinking some for himself, imitating her action. "You might say that. The truth is though…" He scratched his horn on the right side of his head, "Well I'm a rich kid, good education, good equipment, lots of that stuff, but I'm naive. No use pretending it," he snorted derisively, "real danger hasn't ever been a big part of my life. My instruction 'hurt' like hell, but I never had to fear death as a result of it. Plus, I'm strong, I have killed monsters, ones we call 'The Hungry Ones' still live west of Pas'en, and I've hunted them. Compared to those things…?" He looked the greater direwolf over from tip to tail, "well how could I fear something so handsome?"
Harou seemed to sense he was being praised, and looked up proudly, seeming to preen beneath the looks he was getting.
It was an hour of answering questions from Nalineth about his homeland, his upbringing, his faith, she peppered him with questions about the food, drinks, celebrations. Questions that kept his pulse easygoing since it didn't involve his personal life or family.
She ate up the details of the great temple of Hoburns, and the rivalry it shared with the great temple of the last Beastmen Kingdom, the unique talents of the Understone Empire and their magicine tools. "Have you… been to all those places?" Nalineth asked him when she finally drained the last of her beer.
"Yes, not in a long time though. My mother and father used to travel that way before my grandmother's death, I remember some places better than others, but anyone could spend several lifetimes in the Sorcerous Empire visiting the great cities, and never see the same place twice." Marcus grinned like a happy pup, "Good times, good times. Great grandfather did great things there."
"Oh, was he an important official, is that how your family got rich?" She looked sadly down into her cup.
'Shit!' He mentally cursed and drained his cup to buy himself a moment. "Your cup is empty, here, let me get you another." He said and held his hand out, his eyes seemed very interested in the empty mug she held, so she handed it over with a shrug.
"Long as you're buying." She said with a little wink as he took it from her.
"Sure thing!" He said just a little too loudly before he walked away.
She waited and propped herself against Harou.
A moment later, she heard it. "What do you mean two for five?!" She heard him exclaim as he recognized Nalineth's trickery, and the bartender barely kept herself from laughing at him.
Nalineth took the coin she made off of him out of her pocket and fiddled with it idly, rolling it in between her fingers from one to the next, with a smug smile on her face, ready to wink at him when he returned.
She then pursed her lips as he did not return, but rather approached his team instead when they made straight for him. 'Did I offend him? Maybe so, I did take advantage of him… but it was just a copper, just a joke…' She thought and swore under her breath.
A tiny gnawing of conscience ate at her over it until she saw him leading his companions over to her.
She didn't have to wait long, so she looked them over rapidly. 'An orc? I've never seen one up close before, I always thought they were a bit bigger. Obviously a bard if that instrument is any clue, sharp eyes, the way he takes everything in. The other one there, she more stalks than walks, the light stepping of her feet, I'm surprised she doesn't already have an arrow nocked in that bow of hers. Assassin or a ranger or something, probably a ranger. And the other one, she looks like she's about to make love to the coin purses she sees, definitely a thief. The big one, like if you put a bear in armor. Got to be their fighter, sweet looking face though.'
She finished her evaluations just as Marcus came within reach and extended casually a mug to Nalineth.
"Ranger, Bard, Thief, Fighter… this is Nalineth the swindler." Marcus said playfully and gave a little smile from one corner of his mouth at Nalineth that fairly dared her to tell them he was wrong.
She blushed, took a swig of the beer and cocked her head at him. "Swindler? Me? Oh no you don't. It was a fair deal… it was just a little more fair in my favor than in yours. And besides, I gave you something more important than beer." She raised her mug in front of herself gesturing to the space between them.
"Oh, you value your company for only a copper coin? I had no idea…" He snorted as her blush deepened.
The team with him began to chortle and shake at the byblows between the pair, "No! I taught you a valuable lesson about shopping for the best deal!"
"And you're saying I got the best deal by getting your company for a copper coin… I think my last statement stands still…" Marcus replied with a neutral, deadpan face, her jaw dropped, and the rest of Marcus's party went from a shaking chortle, to bending over and clutching their bellies with laughter, letting it go so hard that their abs hurt, and they took more than a few seconds to compose themselves.
Nalineth crossed her arms in front of her chest and tried to appear cross with him, but the twinkle in his blue eyes told her he meant no harm, and so she didn't feel her temper rising. "Fine, you win this one, Marcus."
"Someone want to explain?" Thief asked, and when Nalineth did so, Thief's expression became smug, particularly when Nalineth held up the copper coin she'd duped him out of with her 'sale' and flipped it mockingly.
Ranger put her hands on her hips and leaned slightly toward the big half demon-elf. "Wait a second… Marcus… how on earth could you be witty enough to tease her to blushing, but dense enough to not realize she was gulling you?"
Marcus shrugged. "Rich kid, remember? I had the best teachers in rhetoric in case I developed an acumen for the family business. My grandmother was famous for her speeches and eloquence, so I and all my brothers, sisters, and cousins are all taught it just in case they take after her. I'm alright, but my cousin Auralius is much, much better. But… it meant I never learned much about haggling. I mean why would I? Money was… never...an… issue…" He hung his head and their neutral faces.
"Sorry, that was insensitive, I wasn't trying to…" He began, only for Fighter to break the tension and slap him on the back… hard.
"Don't worry about it, you didn't make us orphans, and you didn't ask to be born different. So what's the family business anyway?" Fighter replied and cheerfully changed the subject.
Marcus mentally froze, 'Shit!' He mentally swore again as his mind raced, "Oh, nothing important out here, you know. My grandmother, she was a priestess, ran a big temple in a big city early on, she did a lot of things, it ended up making her rich, doesn't matter. I just want to stand on my own merits, I'd rather not talk about it, sounds too much like bragging. So if it's alright…?"
Bard picked up on the slight shifting in Marcus's feet and posture, and his sudden hesitation at making eye contact, and went to his rescue, "Right, that's fair."
Marcus flashed the orc a grateful smile.
"So, how long have you been here?" Bard asked the olive skinned adventurer while he checked out her equipment and dress. 'Another rich one, at least as far as the olives go.' He concluded as he noted the excellence of her sword and the smooth polish to her bow, as well as the faint hints of enchantment his instincts told him was on most of her gear.
Nalineth shrugged, "I've lost track, a few days at least, maybe a week or two. I was planning to travel east for some adventure among you Newcomers but… well I've been making decent money as an escort here, the beer is good, nobody minds Harou…" She tapped the flank of her massive wolf, who raised his head curiously to see if she needed anything, then lowered it again to the tops of his paws, "and I've been able to learn a lot about you people from your travelers."
"Oh well if it's one thing we know, it's traveling." Bard took the lute off his back, and the group began to instinctively take seats to listen, and a sonorous ballad began to soar that stopped all work from one end of the little outpost to the other. Bard's eyes grew wet with happy tears, but he did not miss a note as he sang of the Adventurers first steps out into the great wide world. The thrill of their first adventurer plates, the fear of their first swing of sword or drawing bow to protect one another. The first night they lay down together after laying down their lives for one another…
Envy stirred in the breast of both Nalineth and Marcus.
When the music finally stopped, a scattering applause turned the green skin of the orcish bard grey with a blush.
Drinks began to flow freely among the ongeku prison labor, the free labor, the soldiers, the merchants, and the adventurers. It was then that Fighter reached out his hand, extending it to Ranger, and cued by wordless understanding, they rose together and left the company of their other companions.
Bard rolled his eyes, "Those two…" He gave a deep chuckle, "I swear…" He watched the large, thick hands of Fighter fold so fully around Ranger's that her own fingers all but disappeared.
"They're.. You know, together?" Marcus asked with a sudden look of surprise at their retreating backs. "Isn't that kind of frowned on in teams?"
Thief shook her head, "Not really, I mean yes, but we've never paid any attention to that." She chuckled mildly, "Me, I don't blame her, but Fighter isn't my type. Too… beefy." She smiled a little self deprecatingly, "I know, most of the men in our line of work tend to be on the musclebound side of things but still. I like what I like."
"Green skin and tusk teeth?" Bard asked with a wink.
"You wish! Pervert!" She clutched her belly and laughed for a bit, she raised her mug to the middle of the remaining group, and they clashed their mugs together. "To frustrations and perfect fits!" She gave them all a crooked grin, and a collective groan met her bawdy humor.
"Don't you groan at me, Marcus, I'll bet our little rich boy was a man whore back home." She gave him an arch stare and Marcus rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably and looked away.
He blushed faintly despite his purple skin, and after she'd milked him of every ounce of embarrassment, she gave a smug 'hmpf' sound and looked over the rest of the outpost. "Speaking of…" Thief licked her lips, "I see my type right over there." She pointed to an older man in exceedingly rich clothing of vibrant blue and green shades with ruffled sleeves that spoke of wealth.
Her slender boots scraped over the ground as she got up, "Excuse me." She gave them awave, "Hey Bard, I'll trade you one copper in ten of whatever I get from this guy if you'll play some more."
"Done." Bard hopped up to his feet and took out his lute again, "See you in the morning, Marcus." He waved politely and followed after Thief.
"They're… quite a group, your team." Nalineth said shly after a moment of uncomfortable silence caused her to shift where she sat.
"Yeah… yeah they are. This is actually my first mission with them. I have no idea if they're normal for adventurers in the field or not." Marcus answered.
He felt her smile form, spreading over thin, friendly lips, she took a sip and asked him, "So were you really a man whore back home?"
Marcus swallowed wrong and began pounding on his chest and coughing, hard. "No!" He finally exclaimed.
"So you're a virgin?" She pressed him, rearing her head back in surprise.
"No!" He exclaimed again and waved his hands frantically.
"So… which is it?" Nalineth pressed him harder, keeping her mocking smile fixed in place.
Marcus shook his head and exhaled a deep breath. "You Ongeku… you're a bold people, it's an endearing trait, my mother is like that, kind of reminds me of home. My father, he's kind of like that too. Supposedly my grandmother was the same way, though I don't remember much about her. I guess… if you really want to know…" He bit his lip and looked down at the dirt.
Nalineth's mocking smile fled and she reached over to touch his hand, "Look if something's wrong with what I asked, I was just teasing."
"No, it's fine, I figured, but why not? We'll probably never see each other again and it is all in fun. I'm not a virgin, how to please a woman, that was part of my education too. It's common in the far east, beyond the Slaughterlands, for a man or a woman to gain an education in pleasure. It's considered a vital part of life, an art no less than that of music or dance or painting."
"So why does that make you all…" She waved her hand up and down in front of his face, "frowny faced? Did you fail the class or something?"
His eyes shot up to her and he shook his head with vigorous denial. "No! I've always been a great student! And yes, I enjoyed learning, but it was the other thing."
"Other thing?" She asked hesitantly, leaninging forward, she caught his eyes and held them.
Marcus looked down into his cup and took another long, heavy draw of the alcohol within. His tongue felt looser than usual, like it had been relaxed with the warm flow of the brew over it that settled in his stomach. "Look, when you're from a family like mine, it's considered important to have children, lots of them. And when your family is wealthy like mine, there are always those who are happy to oblige, because the chance to raise a Bar-... a Jabara, child, it's not only considered an honor, but an opportunity. Maybe this sounds dumb, but when I was younger I always assumed that the women who slept with me, actually wanted me for me. I didn't think about whether or not they just wanted status, or the silver that would come from my house to their hands to provide for one of my family's bloodline. Once I started thinking that, I had to leave. I had to go far away, and here I am. To prove myself, in every way."
"Oh." Nalineth looked him over and took another long drink of her own, setting the wooden mug down when she emptied it. 'Well… I guess if we're comparing cultural boldness, his is not so different than mine… or is it the booze, damn this is strong stuff.' His tight muscles and exotic appearance, handsome in their way the moment she saw them, were now even moreso.
Their idle touches, casual and innocent, and their verbal games and company, not to mention their drinking, and the topic itself… lent itself themselves to her choice.
"So… you're going west, and it's dangerous out there." Nalineth said, inching closer to him.
"That's what I hear." Marcus replied quietly, letting her hazel eyes clearly and obviously look him over under his own roving look.
"You might die out there, have you… done anything, with anyone, since getting out to my part of the world?" She drew herself closer to him.
Marcus shook his head, "No, I haven't been here long and…" He began to say, only for her to cut him off by putting a slender finger over his lips.
"Among the Ongeku, if someone is going out to a place where they may conquer or die, they are honored with one night of promised pleasure. I don't care about your family, I don't expect or need any money from you, I'm offering you a chance because you're handsome, charming, even 'cute' in an innocent sort of way. So…" She stood up decisively, holding his hand still, she pulled lightly, drawing him to his feet.
"Come on, make love to me at the edge of the world you know, before you go over it." Nalineth smirked and pulled him toward an empty stall with fresh straw, and began peeling off her clothing and casting it aside before he could think of any kind of verbal response.
Nalineth leaned forward and whispered in a dusky voice, laying a hand on his chest and rising up on the tips of her toes. "Let's see what those lessons in the east were worth."
By the time he thought of words to say, his body chose to speak for him, and they fell together into the straw in a tangle of clawing, grasping, demanding limbs, and hungry lips that would not be satisfied for hours.
AN: Well, 20 chapters in, hope you're enjoying it and I look forward to your feedback.