With his other hand, he reached around in the bag he had brought and fished out the honey ale. "I believe you promised me a tale, my dear lady, and I intend to hold you to it... but I'm not such a villain as to make you tell it with a dry throat."
Tala pulled two wine glasses from the basket the servant had placed earlier. She took a delcious sip before leaning back again the cave wall, and speaking.
"Well, I wouldn't want to keep you in suspense, Pasha.
I was only 16 when I had to leave my home town-you remember why..."Talas smile fell a bit, remembering the first dark deed she had done-and why. He just wouldn't take no for an answer...
"Well, after that I hit the roads. A city girl like me, travelling alone in the wilderness...I had to be very careful.
But, they stopped eventually, and I was alone. I found food where I could get it..."Tala had improvised a black bandit hood to go with her tiny knife. She wasn't going to be hurting anyone with these, but yet...
When the farmer came down the road, she stepped out in front of the potato cart, knowing full well he could just ride her down. Tala had called out, in a badly disguised voice.
"Stop! This is a robbery! I am robbing you!"
The effect has been...somewhat less than she had hoped. The farmer had burst out laughing. Not a good start for her first crime. When he stopped, she was surprised to find his voice was not cruel.
"Ahh, forgive me.
If you're hungry, young madam, you can take one or two."
Tala had been too embarrassed to do anything but take a dozen potatoes and place them in a small sack, trying not to meet the farmers gaze. Then she had run off into the forest, scowling.
"My first crimes were ones of nessecity...and often I was alone. Well, most of the time...but I found places, like this one..."Tala said, motioning to the cave.
"...and I could see the stars at night, away from the light and smoke of the city. It wasn't so bad. But, I was called back eventually. I couldn't live out there forever."Talas first winter was tough-the point she realized no amount of shelter she could make, or supplies she could gather would keep her alive.
She made her way back to the city streets...and warmth. And opportunity...
"I guess that's when I became a theif. The first winter. I started picking pockets...and then breaking into apartments...it was easy for me. Too easy, maybe. I stole for the thrill. Got myself into trouble again.
They were still chasing me, of course. For criminals, they had long memory-I was the one who defied them after all, I was supposed to be an example.."The man sneered suggestively.
"We'll make an example out of you, girl...surrender, and I'll go easy on you..."
She didn't answer-merely shifted her stance in preperation for the attack. She had been lucky that day-he was more experienced, had a long blade and had backed into her into a dead end alley. But he was trying to capture her alive, instead of kill her. She knew why.
The thought of being captured made her angry...and very afraid. Her blade spun toward him.
...
She left the alleyway, leaving him behind her, bleeding on the ground. No longer was she a victim-she was a survivor.
"It kept going-they kept coming. I spent as much time in the wilderness as I could, and kept moving...for three long years.
Then I was recruited by the Dragon Empire."Tala visibly shuddered at that. It had been seven days they kept her in the safehouse...seven days. They hadn't left many scars, at least on the outside. They were very professional.
Trying to make her talk? She didn't know anything. They were trying to break her. Tala knew if she broke, she died-so she didn't, and she survived.
"Well, I shall not recount what I underwent after that. Let's just say Pasha, your wild rose had her own trial to endure, as you did in your fathers dungeons. She survived, barely. "Tala was glad the memories were fading again-appeased at having been told. She crossed the room, needing his embrace.
"...and now she's here with you. And, she's very happy..."Tala laid her head on Pashas chest.
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Buy some drinks for the soldiers who might make good muscle, good scouts and especially those who -need- someone to command them. Make friends and learn names, but don't do any hires just yet - keep them in mind for the future and give the most promising a couple of coins for the card games. Keep an eye out for a decent scout/lookout for the present job.
Try to find out via gossip who the ladies' guards are and if Juan can find them, become drinking buddies. Try to find out what 'public engagements' they are being hired for and when. Pose as needing the work himself and ask where they get their uniforms from and how they got the job.
[5]
You gain casual knowledge of the various pockets of Royalist soldiers and scoots that hang in and around the area. You feel you could call on more than a few if you can assure them the money is good-and they have a seething anger that is fairly undirected.
Many of them maintain relationships with those still in the army-and many of those they know have sympathy for the cause...
[3]
It's not hard to find the three guards-laboring for Nobles is probably the best job an out of work soldier can get. In this case, it's two men and one woman, all recently discharged, and being paid well to keep a wary eye. They seem to be pretty tight lipped about 'engagements'-implying a degree of inbred cautiousness. The leader of them in particular-Albrad-keeps the other younger soldiers in line.
You approach them asking about a job-posing yourself as one of them, naturally.
The man who seems to be the leader of them offers to speak with you, after a few drinks of course.
"Work? Well, it's tough to say. The Couple doesn't like too much security around them, prefer it to be unseen and unheard. I'm not sure if they'll hire you in addition to us three. And, frankly mate, I'd rather not lose my job either..."The woman cocks an eye at you.
"What unit did you serve in again, did you say?"