Lucius sighed in impatience as a rather green recruit tumbled to the ground with a cry, his shattered nose gushing blood down his lips until it dribbled down his chin.
He had heard stories of the Courier's skills in combat, but that was primarily with a rifle. It seems, however, tales of her heroism left out her vast strength. She was such a small thing, really. He wouldn't have expected the power even if she was a Praetorian guard.
Vulpes' absence from the Fort ultimately left Lucius in charge of the girl. Until now it hadn't been a hassle, seeing as she had some sort of sexual infatuation with him. Or something of such nonsense... But tonight was quite different.
Lucius' brow rose as the girl took a blunt punch to the jaw with nothing short of grace, snarling at the guard who had struck her before lashing the chains around her wrists smartly across his cheek. The metal of the chain tore the skin from his jaw, revealing muscle and white tendon.
A third guard retaliated for his shrieking comrade, slamming his power-fist into the Courier's shoulder, sending her skull thudding back against the bed frame.
"Enough."
Lucius looked over his shoulder in unison with the sudden quiet that enveloped the room. How disappointing…
Vulpes stood at the entrance of the tent, his face etched in stone and his eyes sharp enough to send the three guards previously assaulting the Courier fumbling out of the tent.
Watching the recruits flee, Lucius had to frown. Had he not warned them of weakness just an hour before now? Seeing those men—no, boys—flee the savage wrath of a girl barely older then a child was horribly disgusting. He'd correct such fear accordingly…
"Ave, Vulpes, you have my apologies." Lucius sighed, his eyes sparing the Courier a glance. Her lip was split and her left cheek-bone had swelled considerably, not to mention the odd angle her shoulder lay in. "How was your… trip?"
Vulpes took his eyes slowly from the bleeding woman fastened to his bed, nodding curtly to the Praetorian as he unfastened the crimson coat around his shoulders.
"Interesting." He replied guardedly. "Has she been misbehaving?"
"No, not until tonight…" Lucius shook his head thoughtfully, ignoring the loud growls from the aforementioned woman who was now writhing on the ground in her attempts to free herself from her chains. "Shall I be of assistance?"
Vulpes shook his head dismissively, catching the double meaning in his question, and unarmed himself slowly as he kept his hard gaze on the wild woman. "I don't believe so…"
Lucius nodded, not trying to deny the dissatisfaction in being yet again denied the Courier, but instead promptly left the tent to deal with the three recruits.
Vera cut her watering eyes to Vulpes, feeling as if perhaps she should be terrified of the steely set of his expression, but instead simply wanted to beat that condescending air straight out of his body.
She did not cry for fear or for humiliation, for she truly felt neither. Instead her eyes watered in lack of control, seeing as her already horribly sore shoulder was now out of socket and she was pretty sure that punch to her jaw sent a few of her more important teeth loose.
"My… You are like a woman possessed…" Vulpes mused, cocking his head to the side. "Why the sudden anger? Have they touched you?"
He didn't sound angry in the least as he strode over to her, he certainly didn't look afraid of her either, despite the damage inflicted on the soldiers previously in attendance.
"Get… these fucking chains… off me…" She panted through sore, gritted teeth, desperately trying to suppress the shake of agony in her voice.
The man before her narrowed his eyes dangerously at her tone, leaning close enough to make her second guess her defiance but still far enough to be able to easily dodge an attempted strike.
He didn't need to look twice at a severely broken nose and torn off cheek to know that this woman was rather strong.
However, Vulpes was stronger…