Through the Wilderness (closed)

[saedo]

Closed for NDIaC

"Really, Bertram?" Cassandra cast a disapproving look at the interior of the tavern. "You expect to find a suitable guardian here? In a dive like this?"

Bertram wiggled his nose as he always did when he was nervous. Truth be told, he didn't much care for the environs himself. Though his fondness for alcohol often found him in taverns, he normally favored a less scruffy clientele.

"Admittedly, it is in need of a spring cleaning," he countered, his eyes glancing at the less than pristine furnishings. "But my contacts assure me that this is a favored hangout for sellswords in the city."

Cassandra frowned as she looked over the various occupants as the pair entered. The customers were a motley assortment of ethnicities and attire, but virtually all sported the weaponry and armor that suggested familiarity with violence. "I still say we should have hired the Knights of Ceridian," she grumbled as she settled her diminutive frame behind a corner table.

"Yes, Priestess," Bertram replied, "but I remind you that the Knights told me that they wouldn't counsel a trip through the Halifax with less than four and we could scarcely afford one."

"And yes, I told them that you personally deemed that unnecessary since we would be traveling light without cargo and therefore unlikely to attract the attention bandits." Bertram's voice shifted from his usual clipped enunciation into the soft purr of Cassandra's southern upbringing as he paraphrased her oft-repeated argument. "The Knights were most insistent, however, and we lack the funds for their required complement. Are you sure you can't wait for the next caravan?"

Cassandra felt the urge to stick out her tongue at the willowy wizard. She hated it when Bertram treated her as a little more than a child. True, she was new to adulthood and her diminutive stature certainly emphasized her youth, but she was an anointed priestess of the Goddess Elune. Just because he had a streak of gray in his dark beard did not make him automatically wiser.

Instead, she held her dusky countenance calm. "You know that waiting for the caravan will delay us by weeks. I must depart within three days at the outset if I hope to reach Thornton in time." She sighed with resignation. "Fine, bring on the candidates."

~~~~~~~~~~
An hour later, Cassandra's ordinarily sweet visage had turned quite sour. Once word filtered through the crowd about a possible employment opportunity, they'd been visited by a dozen applicants for the position. Fully half had balked at the idea of going through the Halifax Forest without the safety in numbers of large caravan. Three had demanded nearly as much as the Knights had. Two had agreed to the job while leering obviously at Cassandra and making poorly concealed innuendos about what extra "compensation" the young priestess might provide. One had been so obviously drunk that he'd nearly fallen off his chair.

Cassandra's almond-shaped eyes narrowed as she glared at Bertram. Though the paucity of acceptable candidates wasn't exactly his fault, her ire needed a target. "This was a complete waste of time," she hissed.

She drew breath for further recrimination, but a fresh shadow darkened their table. Cassandra glanced up expecting to see yet another scarred veteran of a hundred fights ogling the curves that her pale white gown couldn't fully conceal. Instead, she found a woman. Admittedly, she was nearly as tall as several of the men here and the muscles that lay coiled beneath her lightly tanned skin rivaled those of her masculine counterparts. But the mane of red hair framed a face of undeniable feminine beauty and the cavernous cleavage between her massive breasts put any question of gender beyond doubt.

"Who are you?" Cassandra blurted.

 

[NDIaC]

Maia strode confidently into the tavern, the chink of mail following her every step. Piercing blue eyes narrowed slightly as she came to stand just a few feet past the threshold, taking in the common room and its current occupants. Almost all looked to belong, a faceless cast of nondescript characters that could be found in any shady bar like this. That was except for the duo tucked away in a far corner of the room, they stuck out like sore thumbs. But they were the reason she was here, or so Maia thought. Word had traveled fast of some fancy pants outsiders looking for bodyguards. It was an odd request, one that few people would willingly agree to especially for the price they were paying. It was chump change really, especially for the dangers one would expect to face through that dangerous stretch of land. Maia wasn't all too particularly concerned with the dangers, perhaps from confidence, or just general lack of intelligence, fear was one thing that rarely bothered the statuesque warrior.

Standing at an impressive five foot ten inches tall, Maia was powerfully built, with broad, proud shoulders, a sculpted core and muscular limbs. Despite the definition of her figure from a life of constant strife, she had an impressive bust size, along with an alluring curve to her hips, all in all giving her a rather stunning figure. If that wasn't enough, her long red hair, sharply chiseled face of femininity made her all the more fetching. A cocksure smirk lingered upon her lips as she made her way towards the table, the subtle sway of her hips noticeable as the spare armor shifted, creaked and groaned. She bristled with blades, several hilts protruding from a leather belt slung about her hips along with a massive sword strapped to her back. Upon closer inspection one could make out the gold headband she wore, three sparkling sapphires resting at the center of her brow.

She gave a curious look, tilting her head to the right a fraction of a degree as the young priestess so rudely demanded her name. Maia just snorted, her nostrils flaring briefly before she grabbed a chair, spung it around and straddled it. Her arms curled over the backrest, folding slightly and her ample cleavage pressed against them.

“I'm the one that's gonna keep that pretty head on those lovely shoulders,” Maia said easily, her voice low and husky. That smirk lingered still, so confident it was almost annoying. “People call me Maia. But if yer coin is good you can call me whatever you like.”

Those bright blue eyes shifted between the two at the table, taking them in quickly enough and passing judgment before she had all the details. “This yer first trip? Next time you might wanna take someone with a bit more meat on their bones.” She let out a unsubtle guffaw as she eyed Bertram once more. Without waiting for a response she slapped her palm on the table, making it shudder and shake fiercely.

“Enough chitchat. Buy me a round and fill me in on the nitty gritty. Where we headin' exactly?” Maia asked. She obviously didn't think that either would turn her own, already in her mind she had the job and was preparing to head out as soon as she had all the information she requested. She might have not been the sharpest blade in the bunch, but her confidence and strength surely made up for it.

 

[saedo]

This yer first trip? Next time you might wanna take someone with a bit more meat on their bones."

Color rose in Bertram's cheeks. His nose twitched in irritation. "I'll have you know that brawn is hardly the sole indication of potency," he declared indignantly. "Why if I was so inclined, I could --"

Cassandra placed a dark hand over Bertram's pale one to forestall him. Truth be told, it amused her to see Bertram with his ire up. She often did it herself just for grins. But she also knew well that despite his somewhat foppish appearance, the wizard could be quite formidable indeed when sufficiently motivated. Cassandra didn't think this barbarian would care about crossing that line, so she intervened before Bertram could boil over.

"Easy, Bertram," she soothed. "I'm sure she was only joking. And besides, you were the one who insisted I needed some brawn on this journey."

The barbarian seemed wholly oblivious as she sat down. " Enough chitchat. Buy me a round and fill me in on the nitty gritty. Where we headin' exactly? "

Cassandra felt her lips tug in a quick smile. She'd had to be aggressive in her own way to achieve her position. This barbarian seemed a kindred spirit in that respect.

A fresh round was ordered -- further pacifying Bertram -- and Cassandra explained. "I need to travel to Theramore and I cannot afford to wait for the next caravan. As you know, the main road through Halifax Forest can be dangerous. Bertram and I thought it wise to travel with an escort. Might you be interested?"

 

[NDIaC]

Maia flashed a wide, toothy grin at the man’s response. It was clear now she said it just to get a rise out of him. She considered it a win. But the little one was quick to ease the tension, so much for Maia’s fun. At least there was enough alcohol to keep her busy, otherwise she just might start something again just for shits and giggles. Sitting around and talking wasn’t really her thing, even if she had come to them in search of a job, Maia’s attention was very finite. It was hard to tell what was going on behind her blue eyes more often than not, though the guess of ‘nothing at all’ was a solid bet. She drank heavily; guzzling tankards of ale like it was water, though in a dive like this it probably was mostly water. Maia managed to listen long enough to get the gist of the girl’s plan to which she simply laughed and downed another mug before slamming it down.

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard today. Just the three of us? Straight through Halifax to Theramore? Yer either stupid or desperate.” Maia concluded with a solemn nod before that ridiculous grin reappeared upon her lips.

“Either way, I’m in. This should be entertaining at the very least.” Maia said as she turned to Bertram and narrowed her eyes just a bit. “Maybe I’ll get to see the potency of yer waggly fingers and fancy tongue. And maybe some magic too.” Maia laughed aloud at her own crude joke before she waved the barmaid back over for another round with instructions to keep them flowing.