214. Of former friends, wagers and a bit of sparring

Cassandra Pendragon

"That's reassuring," I murmured while the group slowly came closer. At least they weren't directly headed towards us, which meant they probably didn't know about the entrance below the tavern. Otherwise, they'd have been able to figure out where their prey had gone to easily enough. Which begged the question, did William know? I had been inclined to think so, but now… oh well, I'd figure it out soon enough, one way or the other.

"No point in sitting around and waiting for them to find us, is there," I continued and added loudly enough for my voice to carry: "good evening, I assume you're looking for this chap," I tapped Will's back. "Why don't you join us? We were just about to share a beer and some stories. I'm sure it'd be interesting for you as well."

"Are you moonstruck," my companion hissed. "What was that for?"

"Hurrying everything along," I replied evenly. "Let's see what they do, now. If you told the truth, they won't attack us straight away. Who are they, anyways?"

"That's…" he couldn't finish, or rather even properly start his sentence. A deep, gravely voice interrupted him.

"What's that now? When did you have the time to chase another skirt, Will? Didn't you learn your lesson the last time around? If you think we won't mess you up just because you have another wench on your arm, you're sorely mistaken." Ouch. That was a first, I had never been taken for a prostitution before. At least, nobody had dared say it to my face, which probably came down to the same thing. I didn't even know if I should feel insulted or amused.

"At least he can afford one all for himself, while you have to share yours among three." Will buried his face in his hands in response to my remark.

"Was that really necessary," he complained. "That one, Josh, has a temper like a tiger with a toothache and he's tame compared to the girl."

"So do I and I'm not overly afraid of a big brute, nor the girl. Didn't you want me to protect you?"

"Sure, but that was mostly just banter. I didn't actually think you'd be stupid enough to antagonise four armed warriors and call one of them a whore."

"And what was I supposed to do then? Distract them with my charm while you make a run for it?"

"Now that you mention it…" again, he was interrupted by a decidedly pissed off scream.

"What did you just call me," the staff wielder exclaimed, taking a few more steps in our direction. "You must have a death wish or has the pox already gotten to your brain?" She was already reaching for her weapon but one of the others held her back.

"There's no need for violence, yet," the one with the spear interjected.

"That's Lorian, usually he's the voice of reason," my commentator explained. "But he's also adamant. Don't make him want to hurt you or he's going to go through with it, without batting an eye." My mood was getting better by the second. It truly did seem like I had merely been paranoid and this was just what Will had made it out to be. A glorified tavern brawl. I chuckled.

"Wise words, but I wasn't the one to throw insults around, in the first place and if your companion wishes for a lesson, I'll gladly oblige. No need to hold her back. I'm going to return the lass with barely a dent. A black eye, maybe, after all, some things can only be taught through pain."

"Are you trying to get us killed," Will erupted, which made me laugh openly.

"No, not quite. But depending on how this is going to go, you might find out why I called myself a monster." I turned to fully face him, hiding my eyes from the group. The light within them intensified and I could see him pale, a nice contrast to his red hair. I didn't mean much by it, and when I saw him involuntarily take a step back, I wanted to reassure him I didn't intend to actually hurt anyone, but the scornful voice of the woman brought me up short.

"Is that so," she practically spat. "Prove it, then. You and me, and when I've beaten you senseless, I'm going to work on you boyfriend, next."

"Fine with me," I shrugged. "And what happens if you get your ass handed to you? Are your friends going to line up, afterwards?"

"They'll leave you alone. No promises in regards to the coward behind you, but they won't touch you. Unless you stick to that silly notion of fighting for him. But you won't get the chance."

"Vanya…" Lorian tried to caution her, but she didn't listen and confidently strode towards us, unclamping her staff and removing her hood.

She was a pretty girl, probably around her 20th summer. Broad shouldered and tall with dark, intense eyes and long, blonde hair, she looked like an Amazon. An impression that was underlined but the glimmer of steel, blinking through the folds of her cloak. She expertly twirled her staff around and came to a halt in the middle of the street. Her eyes focused on me challengingly and with a broad smile, I shrugged out of my blanket, allowing my tails to swirl behind me freely. I left the shadows, I had clung to, to meet her. A sharp intake of breath rewarded my theatrics, when her gaze roamed from my glowing eyes, over my ears and down to my tails.

"Not that confident anymore," I smirked, fanning my tails out widely. With a visible effort, she looked away and when I met her eyes again, they were filled with a steely resolve I found rather admirable. I couldn't say how much was actually known about my race, but we had never made a secret of our arcane abilities. If I had been forced to face a mage without a speck of power myself, I wouldn't have managed to look as resolute as her. Then again… when my temper got the best of me, I usually didn't care much anymore about strength and power. Maybe she was just the same. Hopefully we'd be able to have a more friendly chat after we were done with our obligatory, instigated fight.

"Just because you're not human, doesn't mean I'm not going to pummel you into the ground. And you do look more like a dancer than a fighter. But at least I can now see that you aren't his whore for the night, he wouldn't be able to afford you now, would he? Say, if I can best you, will you grant me a discount?" Was she trying to get me to lose my nerve? That might have been a good idea if we were somewhat evenly matched… but we weren't. Truth be told, I was more flattered than anything else, but if she continued to poke the dragon, I might come to enjoy this even more.

"By all means, but I have to ask, what are you going to offer in return, in case you won't?"

She smirked derisively. "You don't even have a weapon. How do you think you're going to manage?"

"That's my problem, isn't it? Still, if you're so certain you're going to win, there's no risk in making it more interesting, is there?" She hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going. She hadn't expected me to act on her provocation and now she had to own up.

"Sure, it doesn't matter, anyways. What do you want," she asked with bravado, even though she was studying me more closely now, trying to figure out where my confidence was coming from.

"Hmm… you asked for a night of service, but since I'm just a slip of a girl, there should be more in it for me. How about a week? No nocturnal duties, but I've got a few errands to run and you and your group of comedians might just be up to the job."

She growled in response but before one of her friends could reign her back in, she spat: "fine." Without another moment of hesitation, she threw herself forward, her staff descending towards my head, fast enough to make the air whistle. If that was going to hit, it'd hurt, but there was no way in hell. Compared to the other creatures I had fought, she was just too slow. Grinning, I whirled to the side and smacked her rump on the way past, wrapping one of my tails around her leg for good measure. A squeal followed the meaty thud and she went down. She hit the dirty cobbles head first, unable to protect herself since she was still clinging to her staff. She left a good portion of her skin on the floor, a bloody gouge marring her cheek.

"Ouch," I commented, elegantly turning on the spot. "If you don't want to embarrass yourself, you're going to have to try a little harder. Or is that all you got?" Spitting mad, she rolled around and scrambled to her feet, her hair matted and entangled with less than appetising debris.

"You're quick, I'll give you that," she spat, "but it won't be enough!" She came closer again.

This time, she was more careful, her staff held in a defensive position while she circled me, trying to catch me off guard. From the coroner of my eye, I saw her friends whispering, probably deciding whether or not they should allow the show to go on, but they didn't interfere, just yet. With a yell, she suddenly charged, her staff levelled at my middle like a spear. If I were to doge to either side, she'd easily be able to adjust her weapon accordingly. A trickle of energy flowed from my core and I leisurely summersaulted over her head, the wind whistling in my ears. It wasn't particularly clever, if she had seen it coming, she would have easily been able to strike me during the jump, but like most people, she could only watch, her mouth slowly opening. I rose nearly two metres into the air, my tails hiding me from her view, and quietly landed behind her. The breath exploded from her body when I slammed my shoulder into her back and sent her tumbling. For the second time in as many minutes, she kissed the dirt.

"I'm not impressed," I commented. "Somehow I thought you'd pose more of a challenge. Tell you what, next time, I won't dodge. We can't have you falling on you ass, over and over again." She had tried to provoke me, but in the end, it was her, who blew a fuse.

She slowly got back up, her reddening skin covered in scratches, some unsightly streaks of rotting vegetables and something that decidedly smelled like it had been ingested, once before. I could practically hear her struggle to control her temper, to advance more slowly and maybe get me into a position where my speed wouldn't matter that much, but it all went down the drain when I twirled on the spot, arms spread wide, and invited her to come at me again.

With an incoherent shout, she flung herself forward for the third time, intent on bringing me down by strength alone. There was no finesse, no grace, she simply held her staff horizontally in front of her, preparing to push me along and into the nearest wall. I understood her reasoning, from what she had seen, I was more flexible and agile than her and that usually came at the cost of raw, physical strength. Unfortunately, I didn't play by the same rules.

An instant before she reached me, my eyes flared and she had to avert her gaze. Caught in motion, she charged on, head turned to the side. I toyed with the idea of stepping out of her way again, but I had already indulged myself long enough. I reached out and deftly grabbed her staff in the middle, my tails slithering around her legs. Her snarl vanished and her features rearranged themselves into a wide eyed look of surprise when she was stopped dead in her tracks. Her momentum was converted into a bone jarring impact, her legs giving out when I heaved with my tails and pulled. She kept her balance for the fraction of a second, but there was no way she'd be able to remain upright.

Finally, she tumbled to the side, her numb fingers unable to hold onto her weapon. With a suppressed curse, she went down, but this time, I was above her as soon as she hit the ground. My tails still held her legs in place and with a quick push, I turned her over, my hands at her throat and our faces only a few millimetres apart. I was still smiling but judging from her expression, I might as well have been frothing at the mouth with canines, longer than a vampires.

"What should I do with you, now," I breathed, my grip tightening gradually. "I did say I'd send you back with nothing but a black eye, but I have to admit, I'm starting to have second thoughts." She was blushing furiously, but still managed to remain rigid, only her eyes moved frantically, searching for a way out.

"Save yourself a bit of pain," I purred, "and stay down. I'm not going to hurt you, I think. But I might yet change my mind. You remember our bargain? A week's worth of service?" She nodded and I felt her relax. "Good. Just to be clear, do you concede?" Another nod. "Prefect," I said and clapped my hands, rolling off of her and onto my feet in one fluid motion. She wasn't much worse for wear, except where she had made close contact with the street and my fingers had left reddening imprints on her neck. I clicked my tongue and offered her my hand.

"Sorry for that," I pointed at her throat. "I got carried away. Thanks, by the way. This was fun. We should do it again, sometime." She was utterly confused by now and hesitantly took my hand. A second later, she stood before me, breathing heavily, the confidence she had excluded before our little spar was entirely gone.

"Who are you,'' she finally asked. "I've… you shouldn't have been able to… you didn't even use any magic! How did you do that?"

"Who says I didn't use any magic," I chuckled. "But I guess you're right, in a way. As for who I am. That's an interesting question. I can tell you this much, though, I, sure as all hells, ain't no harlot. I'm a kitsune, a pretty rare tribe of beast kin. We're quick, talented in the arcane arts and have a short temper, but that might just be me." I paused and looked her up and down. "I'm Cassandra, by the way. Cassandra Pendragon." She didn't react, but from further down the street I heard one of her companions exclaim: "aw, fuck! That's just our luck." I smirked in response.

"It seems like one of your friends has already heard of me. I'd quite like to know why. Now, what do you say, why don't we sit down like civilised people and have a chat? Since I've already proven that violence might not be your best course of action, you've got nothing to lose, do you?"

"No, I guess we don't." She exhaled deeply and lowered her head, looking up at me through her bangs. "I'm Vanya. Vanya Lafayette. I'm a mercenary and apparently yours to command for the next week." I raised an eyebrow. She wasn't a sore loser and seemed to readily accept the outcome of our duel, which came as quite the surprise. Someone as prideful as her was bound to have a problem with losing as well as being ordered around. I had even thought about letting her off the hook in exchange for a detailed explanation, but her willingness to play along made me reconsider. I could seriously use a second pair of legs in the days to come and from what I had seen during our fight, she wouldn't be half bad to have around. She wasn't a match for anyone of my friends, but she did know how to use her staff and she was human. A human with connections that probably complemented Pete's contacts nicely. As a mercenary, she might have knowledge about the priests we had encountered or she might even be able to recognise one of them. Provided Alassara was willing to allow her inside.

"Don't look so glum," I replied. "I'm not going to force you into anything despicable or even overly dangerous. In fact, I might just have an offer for you and your comrades and it isn't tied to what you owe me in any way." I gesticulated towards her friends. "Why don't you join us, now? I already offered to pour you a beer and my word is still good. Unless, of course, you want to further discuss whether or not it's a good idea to pick a fight with me."