[Pig's Foot Tavern] Troublemaker (Caela Dorin)

[Mirian Jade]

Caela laughed and backpedaled.

"You can't blame me for asking you a couple of little questions, can you?” the dancer asked. “You did mention working so surely you knew that I'd ask. And you know what I do after all, Jade. If I sounded too nosy than I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to pry."

Mirian tilted her head. A bit of a quick response, but then again… well, what harm had come of it? She hadn’t gone too far with her questions. Yet.

“S’fine,” Mirian reassured with a nod. Caela was Sunberthian, so Mirian would trust her to know what was a good idea and what was not.

"Well, I can't say that I don't mind if the subject of work isn't up for discussion,” Caela continued. “I certainly don't want to talk about mine but then that shouldn't come as a surprise. If you've been in here when I dance then I'm sure you've seen the sort of... reactions I cause. So we'll just have to talk about something else, won't we? Like what you do when you aren't working. I hope that you don't often have reason to come in here in the middle of the day to drink."

Or maybe nosiness was a thing of hers. Mirian arched a cautious eyebrow.

“What does anyone do when they’re not working?” the halfbreed evaded. “I sleep. I relax. Not much else to it, really. Believe me, this is not the sort or place that I like spending more time than I have to. You saw what happened with that bloke. I come here for a drink sometimes, and that’s it.”

To demonstrate, Mirian took another sip from her rum. It was getting low, but Mirian knew the kind of kick that rum could carry; she didn’t want to order another, not this early. It had done its job and eased her shoulders, at least enough for her to continue on through the rest of the day. She would take off when she was done, but for now, there was a new game for her to play right here.

“What about you, Caela?” Mirian asked turning the question back on the dancer with an innocent smile. “What do you do when you’re not working? Is sitting cloaked and hooded in a corner in the middle of the day a usual thing for you?”

[Caela Dorin]

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The woman was watching her a bit quizzically but there was no comment made on her answer. Apparently what she'd said had been satisfactory in allaying any suspicions that Jade might have. The dancer smiled back in response, glad that the other no longer seemed on the verge of raising her hackles. Her companion would have to be treated with some measure of caution if she didn't want her clamming up or running for it. If it was done easy then the woman might yet spill what her line of work was. It was entirely possible. She just had to make sure that she wasn't too forward and that any questions she asked were thought about rather than blurting out whatever sprang to mind.

It was a bit late to be thinking that way after all caution had been thrown to the wind and her tongue had been too loose in her line of questioning the woman. Her companion raised an eyebrow. Yeah, she'd been far too careless with the questioning and that was immediately apparent. She went back to her rum, sipping it so that she wouldn't have to make eye contact while Mirian mulled over her words some more. If she didn't meet that look then she wouldn't have to betray that she knew that she was being extremely nosy.

The woman's answer was evasive enough although it could be possible that she was telling the truth but simply didn't have much to say on the matter. Caela didn't really do anything outside of work or at least she hadn't until recently. Working out was something new for her, the unarmed combat training that she'd been doing was a new development this season as well. There was certainly more going on in her life these days than there had been before. She also seemed to be meeting more people lately although that was mainly because of the change in her lifestyle. Her training had brought her to the Hot Springs and her sneaking and spying had brought her to lots of other places that she wouldn't normally visit. Her amateur spy work was something that wasn't up for discussion of course, the blonde wasn't that stupid as to let her mouth run away with that bit of information.

Her question was batted right back at her but with a twist that brought the one thing to the fore that she didn't want to shed light on. She sat blinking as the beauty smiled so innocently at her. Real or fake? Her choice of area to pry had been a bit too good to be mere coincidence so she was leaning towards the latter. The dancer conjured up a laugh from somewhere though. "I wouldn't like to say that it's a habit I'm getting into but if don't want to be staring at the four walls of your room all day then you have to do something to have a bit of peace. Do you think that I can sit in here without attracting attention any more than you can? I could be mobbed by my adoring fans at any time you know. Try having a quiet drink and watching the comings and goings of life if that happens," the young woman explained.

Another sip of rum was taken, the tankard considerably lighter than it had been. She tilted it, not having to move it far before she could see the bottom. Not much left now and she wasn't going to splurge on another drink and if Jade offered her one then she'd have to turn her down. No sense in getting drunk although this drink certainly seemed to pack a bit more punch the wine that was normally her tipple. Considerably more palatable but she also feared that it was far stronger.

"I don't normally take to drinking in the middle of the day either but I suppose one every now and then helps the day to by, Jade. Breaks the monotony and gives you something interesting to do, I guess. In my case at least." She shrugged, downing the rest of the rum in one swift movement. She winced as more liquid than she had anticipated seared down her throat. A breath was puffed out, the blonde rubbing her throat as the liquor slid down. The vessel was set back down on the counter, green eyes flashing to the brunette to see what she would do next. Caela would take her cues from her.
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[Mirian Jade]

Caela paused, and Mirian thought she saw a hint of caution but it was gone too quickly for her to be sure, swept up behind a smile and laugh.

"I wouldn't like to say that it's a habit I'm getting into but if don't want to be staring at the four walls of your room all day then you have to do something to have a bit of peace,” the dancer said. “Do you think that I can sit in here without attracting attention any more than you can? I could be mobbed by my adoring fans at any time you know. Try having a quiet drink and watching the comings and goings of life if that happens."

Mirian nodded in understanding. While the story she’d spun felt a bit odd to the halfbreed’s ears, there was the possibility of it being true, and that was enough for Mirian. She didn’t need to know the details of Caela’s life; the point of the question had been to make her uncomfortable. Mirian might have succeeded in that, but she might not have, and at this point it wasn’t as important enough for her to dwell on it.

Caela took another drink. "I don't normally take to drinking in the middle of the day either but I suppose one every now and then helps the day to by, Jade. Breaks the monotony and gives you something interesting to do, I guess. In my case at least."

That was something Mirian could relate to. The halfbreed nodded agreeably some more and drained the last of her rum, set the tankard on the table and wiped her mouth.

“Amen to that.” She saw Merv at the other side of the bar, who had spotted her finishing off her rum and was just waiting for her to wave him over and buy another. On that count, Mirian would have to disappoint him. At least for herself.

“If you want another tankard, I reckon you could pry another miza outta me,” Mirian said, inclining her head to Caela. “But I think I’ve gotten what I came for. The day’s still young, so ‘less you got something else to say I’ll be taking my leave. Work to do and whatnot.” She hoped that last little tidbit would stick in Caela’s ear. It was a petty hope to make the dancer squirm in curiosity, but it was a hope Mirian allowed herself. “You want another, or you think you’re done?”

[Caela Dorin]

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The woman seemed more willing to swallow everything that she was saying now. It was good to see as it meant that the other wasn't suspicious of her anymore. The subject was no longer on Jade, a subject which might have been what caused such a reaction in the first place. Her questions had been to test her no doubt, to see if the dancer was actually willing to speak openly and wasn't just fishing for information from her. Her reasons for sitting incognito in a corner could be plausible if a little unusual so why would the woman doubt her for that? She seemed to agree in fact, no doubt drawing from her own experiences with men like the one that had only taken place a few chimes ago. Maybe Caela's excuse even sounded like a good idea to the beauty, she didn't know. It hadn't been a total lie either, it was hard to have a drink in here in peace looking the way that she did.

The other caught her by surprise once she'd drained her tankard, apparently having every intention of leaving to go about her "work". The blonde had hoped to have longer to talk with her to try to find out what line of work she was in but the girl was snatching the opportunity away from her. The offer of another drink was somewhat tempting, just for the chance of having some more of the liquor for free but she knew that it was a bad idea. It was too strong to be pouring so much of it down her gullet, especially after having had one so recently already. She became pensive as she considered what she could do.

Jade wasn't going to stay that much was clear and so there was nothing that Caela could do to change her mind. She wasn't going to risk another tankard of rum either as much as the idea appealed to her. She had no desire to fall about the place drunk either. There was no need to hold the girl from her business any longer but the burning curiosity to know what she did still lingered. There was no reason for the blonde to hang around the place either so why couldn't they leave at the same time and Caela attempt to follow Jade? She didn't know if she could manage it though. She was far from stealthy and she had no idea how to go about doing it without being obvious. Surely the other would be suspicious enough to watch her back to make sure that she hadn't acquired a follower in the tavern. Didn't mean that she wasn't willing to try it of course.

"Well I think that I'm going to have to say no, Jade. Think it's a bit too strong to be indulging in so much at this time of the day and I should probably run whatever errands I want to run before I have to work," the young woman replied, getting down from the bar stool and smoothing out her clothing. "You coming?" The young woman walked to the exit and waited for the brunette to follow her. If the other seemed overly suspicious then Caela would go straight home but if there was a chance that she could follow the girl without being noticed then she'd take it. If they could get somewhere with plenty of foot traffic then she could hide her face beneath her hood once more and go unnoticed if the girl should look back.

"It was nice to meet you, Jade." She inclined her head, waiting for the girl to go her way so that Caela could go a different way that still afforded her a view of the other. She would duck into the first space that she could that wasn't a dead end and wait a few ticks before peeking around the corner as inconspicuously as she could. Whatever she saw would determine her next course of action, whether to follow the other woman or to abandon the endeavour and go straight home.
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[Mirian Jade]

Caela paused, apparently to mull over Mirian’s offer.

The halfbreed nodded when the dancer refused; neither of them seemed particularly interested in getting intoxicated this early in the day, so the decision didn’t leave Mirian with any real surprise.

What did leave her with some real surprise, however, was when Caela stepped off of her stool, straightened her clothing and made her way towards the door, tossing an offhand “You coming?” in Mirian’s direction.

For a single, wild moment, Mirian thought the dancer meant to take her home. But no, her mind quickly reasoned, that couldn’t be it. She was probably just asking her to… go on errands with her? Go to the door with her? Actually, Mirian had no idea what it was she was asking.

The thief gave an intelligent “Uh…” in response and stood. Making her way to the exitway, Mirian tilted her head. “I think you and I are going different ways…”

But no, it turned out that Caela had been asking Mirian to come to the door without any intention of continuing on together. Okay… it was a bit strange, but certainly not the strangest thing Mirian had ever encountered. Maybe Caela was just quirky. It was alright, and certainly harmless when all things were considered; Mirian dipped her head in acknowledgement of impending departure.

“You too, Caela. See you ‘round.”

With a half-bow, Mirian turned and left the Pig’s Foot, thinking to herself that while the encounter with Caela had been a bit odd, she was altogether glad to have had it. It was nice to know another woman at the Pig’s Foot, especially an attractive one that could understand some of the things Mirian dealt with on a daily basis. She hoped to talk to her again sometime, but as the Pig’s Foot receded from her awareness, so did the need for further contemplation on the matter. She could think about that later, because the time had come to get back to work.

Mirian mentally ran through where she had been already; the Seaside Market and Castle Commons were out, at least for the rest of the day and probably tomorrow if she wanted to be safe, but she hadn’t visited the Druken Fish in a number of nights. That would probably be her safest avenue for another day’s wealth.

“Hey, you!”

Mirian blinked, turning as someone called out to her.

No. Petching. Way. Had he been waiting for her to leave?

The man from not half an hour earlier had been leaning casually against a wall, at least until he abandoned it to come closer.

“I was wondering when I’d see you again.”

Mirian’s lip curled in disgust. “I’d really hoped for never.”

“Well that’s just too bad, because it looks like the world’s thrown us together anyway.”

“Imagine that.”

“Let me try again.”

“No.” Mirian turned on her heel and began to walk away.

An iron grip closed around her arm. The halfbreed whirled on instinct, fist flying before it was even closed properly and cracking against his shoulder, causing her more pain than it did him. The man shrugged off the blow with a grimace, pulling Mirian into the closest alleyway he could find and throwing her against the brick.

“You’re going to listen to me, or I will make you listen.”

Mirian kicked him in the shin, drawing out a pained hiss, but he was back on her before she could get at her knife.

“Let go of me!” she growled.

“Or what?” he taunted, lips pulling into a sneer. Whatever illusion of friendliness had covered him before was gone now, cast off for a cruel grin of determination.

Shyke.

[Caela Dorin]

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The space she'd entered was of little interest to her. It smelled like someone had been using it as a toilet, which probably was the case but that was of no concern to her. It was only a temporary hiding place, a place that she could peer from to see where Jade went after she left the tavern. When she turned into a street or an alleyway Caela would move to follow her but until then she was going to stay inconspicuous. If she followed her before she merged with the ordinary foot traffic and the other woman turned around then she'd be caught. The brunette had made no move to look behind her yet but that didn't mean that she wouldn't and the dancer wasn't going to take the chance. She had no experience with this and so she wasn't going to take unnecessary risks and upset the endeavour.

Lhex seemed to have other ideas for her.

A voice called out and the blonde looked around, paranoid that the words had been directed at her. It was a knee jerk reaction but after a tick she realised that the sound had been further away. She peered back towards where she'd seen Jade and found that she was talking to someone, a man. She squinted at him, something familiar about him from behind. The woman wasn't happy to see him and by the words she was catching he was harassing her. He wanted to try again? Caela recognised him then, the revelation a sudden one. This was the man who she'd chased away by placing a blade at his back. He'd waited for her. He was one of the bad ones then. She wanted to warn Jade to run, to get onto a main street where there would be others. She needed the safety of numbers even if the people in the crowd couldn't give a toss about her. Witnesses would deter him and maybe she might lose him.

The woman went to go, was grabbed, tried to punch him and by the time Caela had blinked the pair had vanished. There was the sound of a struggle and she could hear the hum of voices although she couldn't make out the words. The dancer crept from her hiding place, moving as fast as she dared to where she judged the encounter had taken place. The sounds grew louder, more distinct and she realised that Jade and the man were down an alleyway. Flattening herself against the wall beside the alley entrance the young woman peered in to gauge the situation. Jade against the wall, the man keeping her there. His back was to her so she took the time to check his hands for weapons. None. The woman didn't seem to be armed either.

The dancer considered what she should do. If Jade was going to get out of this then she would have managed it already and she wasn't in a good position to fight back. If she didn't step in then she could imagine what could happen. The worst outcome that she could think of was Jade ending up dead with other things happening to her before she got that far. There was no one else around, no one to step in and save the woman's ass as some many people had done in the past for Caela. This time there was only her and it seemed that all her rescues had led to this. She'd been the victim, the one who needed to be rescued one time too many it seemed and now it was her turn to be the rescuer.

Drawing her dagger quietly she allowed Noven's lesson to play through her mind. Just because he'd taught her to move her feet when she was fighting with her fists didn't mean that she couldn't do the same while wielding a dagger. She just needed an opening. He was taller than her so he had more reach but if he didn't incapacitate Jade then he'd be dealing with the threat of an attack from behind. The odds seemed stacked in Caela's favour. Wielding the blade she rounded the corner.

"Hey you! What did I tell you before? She doesn't want your attention, you stupid petcher," she spat as she approached him, a few feet space kept between them. His head turned, a sneer forming on his features although he made no move to leave Jade as of yet.

"I know you! You're that dancer in the Pig's Foot! I'm not scared of you. You're lucky you know what end to hold that dagger but you haven't got the stones or the know how to use it. Go ahead, blondie! Do your worst!"

He pushed Jade sideways, trying to throw her to the ground before he gave Caela his full attention. A knife made an appearance. Oh shyke, what had she gotten herself into? The blonde was terrified but she began to move from side to side, searching for an opening as the man started to back away. He was trying to get the brunette in front of him so he didn't have to fear an attack from the rear. He could only back up so far and so the dancer began to pursue him, hoping that he wouldn't get desperate once he was cornered. She hoped that the other woman had some sort of weapon on her. At least the two of them would stand a chance.
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[Mirian Jade]

The time for words had come to a close; Mirian and her assailant were each too busy with their mutual struggle to concern themselves with quips or wit. Each writhed, looking for purchase, finding it, losing it, battling for dominance over the other. The man had the upper hand, simply for the fact that he was physically larger than her and had her against a wall, but that didn’t mean she had to make it easy for him. She twisted and kicked, making it too difficult to keep a hold on her for him to try anything else. But in the long run, her attempts were little more than stalling the inevitable, and they both knew it; as Mirian busied herself with keeping him at bay, he busied himself with simply keeping up. He was larger, stronger, longer-winded; he could outlast her. All he had to do was wait for her to tire.

Her fate was all but sealed.

“Hey, you!” The familiar, unexpected but altogether welcome voice took them both by surprise, and the struggle paused for a single moment as each turned to look at their new audience.

Mirian didn’t know what the petch Caela was doing there, but she thanked all her lucky stars that she was.

The dancer spat out another repeat of a previous command that hadn’t gotten through the man’s thick skull, brandishing a knife that couldn’t have looked prettier to Mirian if Zintila herself had forged it. It got the man’s attention, alright, and although he still had his grip it gave the halfbreed enough time to regain her breath.

The man bit back at Caela with a cruel smile, then pitched his weight and swung Mirian sideways, taking advantage of her already upset balance and sending her tumbling to the ground. Grit scraped at her shoulder and dust filled her nose, but those were minor annoyances that could be ignored in the face of another, much more important development: her hands were now free. She had the means to defend herself.

Mirian clambered to her feet just in time to be accosted again, this time shoved in front of her opponent to make a shield between him and Caela. Something sharp was pushed against her back. Mirian gave the dancer a flat look.

“Hello again,” she deadpanned, sliding her fingers into the false pocket on her left side. To the man she was unarmed, while he had a knife that was currently pressing uncomfortably against her spine. He was concerned with Caela, not her, and that misplaced attention was enough for her to get beneath the cloth of her skirt, hoist her knife back out into the open air and plunge it into the man’s leg.

Well, perhaps not plunge it, but dig it halfway into what felt like soft flesh and tendon and jerk it around a bit, not really trying to do anything specific beyond just causing damage. The point was that she was hurting him.

The man let out a howl and his offended leg bent, tilting his entire body and giving Mirian the opportunity she needed to elbow him in the… wherever was right behind her elbow, which opened his grip so she could rip away. She practically vaulted from him and towards Caela, breath labored and muscles rigid.

When she turned to look back at their enemy, she saw to her chagrin that she had not caused as much damage as she had hoped. There was certainly blood on his leg, but the wound itself wasn’t very large, and he was already recovering a defensive stance with flashing eyes. What she had managed to was make him even angrier.

“Ain’t gonna ask why you’re here,” Mirian said to Caela, “so long as you help me finish this.” It wasn’t a question, but it might as well have been; this man was stronger than either of them, and if Caela felt inclined to leave Mirian here then the thief would most likely die.

[Caela Dorin]

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Desperate was definitely what he became as he grabbed Mirian and used her as a human shield. That made Caela slow down. She couldn't approach him and attack him around the woman without risking hurting her herself or having the man hurt her. The dancer wasn't going to do that and so there didn't seem to be any way to rescue her now. A bad situation had turned into another equally bad situation. She could understand the other woman's less than enthusiastic greeting given how badly this rescue mission seemed to be going.

The man seemed to have the knife pressed into the brunette's back so there was no way to approach him without leading to a pointed reaction. The only option appeared to be to make a retreat and hope that the man would let his guard down once she was gone and that his hostage would be able to free herself and escape. She began to lower the dagger and started to back away from the pair of them.

The howl caught herself by surprise and she found herself staring at what had caused it: a knife in the leg. She had no idea where the woman had produced a blade from but she'd gotten ahold of one somehow and had managed to drive it in and wiggle it around in the man's leg. She elbowed him and escaped his grasp to come to stand by the blonde. Her own knife came back up as the woman approached, seeing the man recovering behind her and expecting an attack from him at any tick. The dancer shifted her body in anticipation of an attack, one foot placed forward and the other behind, her legs forming a firm stance. She poised herself ready to move, trying to be light on her feet so that she could dodge and attack when the time came.

It was two against one, which should have made the odds favourable for the women but he looked like he was stronger and if Mirian was asking for her help then he probably was. He certainly had good endurance seeing as he'd just been stabbed and elbowed and he didn't seem too phased by the damage although it didn't seem too extensive. He started to move towards him, a slight irregularity in his gait from the wound to his leg. He could still move fast enough in spite of his injury and Caela watched him closely.

"I'll help," she murmured back, jolting back a step as he lunged forward and then pulled back again, testing them. Her heart was bouncing around in her chest, beginning to pound adrenaline through her veins and arteries, preparing her to run or fight although her decision was made. She would fight by Mirian's side because she'd tangled herself in this and it was a bit late to go backing out now.

The blonde watched their opponent move from side to side in the alleyway, searching for a way around them, or maybe for a weak spot. "Think you can get the best of me, do you? Think I'll let you go without a fight, huh?" he sneered. He moved towards Jade, making Caela move to stand in front of her, to protect her but also to get at him at the same time. It seemed to have been a feint because he was moving back too fast and moving to the space where the dancer had just been. She turned to try to follow the movement but he'd already struck her in the back of the knee and shoved her forwards. Her balance went from under her and she found herself toppling to the ground at the brunette's feet, leaving herself vulnerable on the ground and the other woman open to attack.
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