Not nearly drunk enough yet (Open!)

[Anonymous]

Just about to respond with exactly what she would do if he didn't let go of the girl, Zareen stopped when the girl herself broke away and hit the bastard. And Zareen fairly beamed at that. She always did like to see asses like this piece of work get their comeuppance, particularly at the hands of the women they inflicted themselves on. "Hey now, that was great! Why didn't you do that right off?"

But then before the girl could answer, the bastard grabbed her hair, and Zareen drew in her breath sharply - she'd rather thought being hit by a girl would be enough humiliation for him. But no, apparently he was going to have to take a more thorough beating before he backed down. Once again, Zareen grabbed his wrist, this time jamming her thumbnail deeply into the tendons there. At the same time, she brought her other hand up to give him a quick jab in the throat, right on the windpipe, all in the blink of an eye.

Between some rough-edged street-tough and a well-trained soldier like Zareen - and furthermore, a soldier who takes such obvious joy in giving men like him their just desserts - only a fool would bet on the former. Alcohol is one way of forgetting. For Zareen... a good bar fight is another, and just as good.

"I'll say this again - she doesn't want anything to do with you. I severely doubt any woman does. And if you keep pushing me - and pushing yourself on her - I'll make sure to remove the part of your anatomy you're clearly thinking with. Is that understood?"

[Anonymous]

(ooc: *smacks Neril so hard* Stupid character with the attention span of a mayfly! He wandered off and I totally forgot I was in this thread at all *many apologizes*)

Neril dropped his intimidation act in exchange for a bug-eyed look of disbelief when the victim suddenly struck out. He hadn't expected that from the naive-eyed girl but then again, drastic situations usually led to drastic actions.

That the street-scum retaliated against the girl's aggression did not surprise Neril but Zareen was much faster in moving to deal with him. The large man wasn't worried about Zareen handling herself--even though she was drunk, she seemed to have skills hands and above him--but he was worried about the other girl keeping out of the way. Moving around Zareen's other side, Neril jockeyed to put himself between the other man and the girl. It'd probably be best for everyone if his sleezy hands weren't within reaching distance of anything decent and fair. So yes, Neril made a proper buffer.

"Step back a bit, sweetheart," Neril told her softly, ushering her behind him with his arms.

[Anonymous]

((Haha! ^-^ It's okay! It's been happening to a bunch of people recently...so there may be an ADD virus going around.))

The rogue gagged and coughed, paying particular attention to the nail in his wrist. He let go of I's hair to take some of the pressure off of his wrist. I looked up at Neril and obediently made her way to stand behind the large man. She grabbed his shirt with both hands before realizing her left handâ€"the hand she’d used to clout the guyâ€"stung like hell. She pulled her hands off of his shirt and favored her hurt hand, poking at it to see if she could heal it herself.

The man, in the meantime, was doing his best to free himself from the soldierâ€"anyone who threatened his manliness was worthy of getting what they want. He wiped his nose with the back of his free hand, noticing how much blood was coming out of it. Sweet mother, that girl had a punch! “Fine, fine! Lemme go then, aye?â€? He pried at her fingers and, when let loose, sulked out the door.

I blinked up at Neril and Zareen and smiled. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.â€? She turned and looked over her shoulder, seeing the Man standing there. He reached out to put a hand on her head.  Before he could say a word, I said, “That other man told me not to listen to you.â€?

“Wha? So no matter what I say, you won’t listen to me?�
 
I’s conversation could’ve been the most normal thing in the world to her. She shook her head at his question. “No.�

The Man chuckled. The bastard had the smarts to turn I against him. “Then what’m I to do with you, then? I can’t leave you alone…�

[Anonymous]

Zareen released the man with a disgusted sneer, absently wiping her hand off on her tunic as if she were convinced mere contact with him would have dirtied her. Well, actually, that seemed quite likely. She watched him until he'd vanished out the door, then shook her head in annoyance and looked away.

"I need another drink," she muttered under her breath. As she did, though, she shot a look at Neril and smiled faintly in thanks for looking after the girl. Crude as he had been with her, he'd done well in stepping between that scum and the girl.

Still, she smiled at the girl as she spoke to her, and answered, "Oh, don't worry about it. This is what we do for fun. Well, me at least. I don't know about him."

And then that man who'd been sitting next to her at the bar stepped forward, and she eyed him with suspicion throughout the exchange between the two, finally saying with annoyance, "You can very well leave her alone. She's a woman, not a toy or a dog, and if she doesn't want to listen to you, you should let her be. Because I'm very drunk, and just looking for a good fight." She paused, thinking, and added, "Another one."

Cue the dangerous smile. Sometimes Zareen shouldn't be allowed anywhere without a handler, for the safety of... well, everyone.

[Anonymous]

I noticed that the woman was snapping at her Old Sir and shook her head. “Oh, it’s okay. He’s my Old Sir. He doesn’t mean me any harm.� She smiled brightly, the naivety just oozing from her every pore. “I was his slave!�

“AGhahaha…â€? Too late. The Man had moved to put his hand over her mouth before she mentioned that little detail. Hence…the nervous laughter. “Sheâ€"Iâ€"someone gave her to me,â€? he stuttered, “I never really wanted her, per se…her…she…ah…â€?

I spoke up for the Man cheerily. “My trainer and First Sir gave me away to try out on the public.� The Man pulled his hand away from I, running his fingers through his shaggy blond hair. “And my Old Sir has been very good to me up until now,� she added with a smile thrown in the Man’s direction, “so please don’t hurt him.�

Then it hit herâ€"she had no Sir. Her trainer had taught her specifically that if she did not have a Sir, she was as good as a cat decaying in the street. She paled and looked up at the Man, her big, bright, turquoise/green eyes twinkling with worry. The Man took a step back in surpriseâ€"she never looked that way at him! What was wrong? “What’s wrong, I? Your hand hurt a lot?â€?

“Noâ€"I don’t have a Sir.â€?

The Man blinked at her, unsure how to handle the situation before breaking out into a comforting smile. “Oh, is that all? You don’t need one.�

“I’m not supposed to walk around without one, Old Sir!�

“I, call me Fohn. I hate it when you call me Sir.�

“I’m not supposed to call you by your first nameâ€"doing that is an honor I’m not worthy of, my trainer says.â€?

Fohn opened his mouth as if to explain why this trainer was a lunatic to begin with before heaving a sigh, somewhat deflated. “Fine.â€? He looked up at Zareen, the constant battering of having to look out for I every second of the day showing through his wrinkles. “Is there any way you could beâ€"?â€? What was the right word to use around I? Certainly not Masterâ€"she didn’t know what that was the last time and…well…some man he was about to hand her over to…ah, never mind. “â€"her…caretaker?â€?

I looked up at the Man named Fohn. “Caretaker? She takes care of me, right?� Fohn nodded. “I can’t do that.�

Frustrated, Fohn found himself close to barking out his next statement at Zareen. Yeesh. The closer he got to getting rid of her, the harder it was. It took him a second to calm down. “Thenâ€"! Is there any way you could be her friend? Would that work, I?â€? I nodded. “Right. Her friend. At least? Please, I have to put her in a pair of trustworthy hands.â€? Fohn pleaded mightily, his wrinkles seeming to deepen more and more with every word.

((Ugh. Sorryâ€"trying to get back into the swing of things with I and Fohn. Sidenote: Fohn is pronounced “phoneâ€?. xD HAHA! IPHONE! HAHAHAAâ€"! [/bad joke]))

[Anonymous]

Zareen stared at the girl for a moment. And then at the man, her expression entirely perplexed. But at least she wasn't looking to pick a fight anymore - now she was just confused.

"Excuse me, her what?" she demanded, voice rising from its previous dangerously quiet tone to something closer to disbelieving and hysterical. A few of the bar patrons eyed her, I, and the men a couple moments longer before finally deciding there wasn't going to be a fight and turning away, having lost interest.

"Oh, no, you don't... I can't take care of her. I mean, I can't even keep plants, they all die. And I'm a soldier, I've got trainees, I can't go looking after some girl who..." Zareen trailed off, losing her train of thought, and decided to just abandon it, turning toward I.

"You don't want me. I'm not good for looking after people - only people I look after are my trainees, and they all end up with bruises and broken bones and... There's no reason you can't just go without him, do whatever you like. You're a grown woman..." Her voice had started to edge toward desperation. Defending the honor of some girl in a bar was one thing, good way to relieve tension and all. Being asked to take care of that girl was something else entirely.

[Anonymous]

Fohn and I jumped back a little at Zareen’s unexpected screech. Fohn shook his head frantically as she began rejecting his offer. “What’ll I do with her, then? Iâ€"â€?

But by then, Zareen was speaking to I. I tilted her head, confused. What did being a grown woman have to do with anything? “I could make balms to heal their bruises and make splints for their broken bones,â€? she offered, her happy face melting her brief confused disposition. “And I can’t do whatever I like, Ma’am. It’s in my bloodâ€"I am a slave, and a slave I will stay. It’s part of an oath I took when I was little. So going without a Sir would be like going against my oath.â€?

Fohn briefly went to the bar to get a drink and came back, taking a long, slow drag on his liquor as I continued to plead. “I won’t get in the way, I promise. M-maybe you could teach me how to be a soldier?â€? Fohn choked on his drink. Her? A soldier? What an awful idea! She’d get massacred within the first dayâ€"or worse. Defensively, I brushed off some dust on her white, waist-length dress, silently noting the bloodstains on it. “I could be! And…and I’d be pretty good at it, too. I promise you I wouldn’t let you down!â€? She opened one palm and slammed a fist into it, remembering briefly that her hand was still in pain. She cringed and pulled her hands apart, shaking her fighting hand.

Fohn arched a brow at her from over his glass. “Yeahâ€"you’d make a great soldier all right. Just look at how you handle fistfights.â€? I pouted at Fohn. “What? I’m telling the truth, I. She could take care of you, but you couldn’t be a soldier even if you tried.â€?

It took a moment. It took a moment for I to finally let the words sink in. Her confidence deflated and she looked up at Zareen with drained eyes. “Please, Ma’am? At least take me in, since Old Sir says I couldn’t be a soldier even if I tried…�

[Anonymous]

Zareen stared at I, skeptical and a little annoyed by the girl's demeanour. She understood slaves, sure - they had them everywhere - but... slaves still ought to act like people. To be honest, it rather unsettled her. It was like talking to someone who'd been magicked out of certain parts of their personality... The thought made Zareen shiver.

But the offer to train as a soldier... Zareen considered her for a moment, lips pursed. She glanced over her shoulder briefly to Neril - not that he'd be any help - and then back to I. She'd do okay in the army...

Just as long as none of the enemies thought to give her a direct order, a contrary part of her brain added. She ignored it.

The girl could fight - that punch she'd thrown was not at all unimpressive. And if she couldn't handle the more high-pressure jobs, they'd find that out in training and push her toward a gentler specialty. It would still put her under Zareen's care, but in a way Zareen could understand and deal with.

"Why not?" she said finally, despite the nagging feeling that she would someday regret those words.

[Anonymous]

I squealed and clapped her hands, bouncing on the balls of her feet at Zareen’s words. I’m going to the army! She thought. Her mind jumped from happiness to curiosity. I wonder what it’ll be like? Maybe the barracks are filled with blood like First Sir said they were… She shrugged at the thoughtâ€"she’d seen so much blood in her lifetime that it barely phased her anymore.

Fohn blinked in surprise and stepped toward Zareen, his brow furrowing slowly. “Wait a minute! WAIT a minute! You can’t just throw her in the armyâ€"LOOK at her!â€? He gestured towards the smiling red-head who was now standing at Zareen’s side like a loyal puppy dog. “She’s a delicate little flower!â€?

“I can handle it.� I said with a smile.

Fohn choked on his words and waved her off. “Fine! Fine. If you want to go to the army to be murdered, go right ahead. Just don’t come crying back to me. Understand?�

“Yes, Old Sir.�

Fohn growled at his nickname and calmed down to pat I on the head. “I’m just worried about you, I.�

I tilted her head and giggled. “I know you are.�

Fohn smiled and looked up at Zareen. “Don’t get her killed, Miss.� He stood and headed out the door, wondering what the consequences were for what he’d just done.

In the meantime, I was blinking up at Zareen expectantly. What she expected, she didn’t know what. Look at herâ€"she’s so strong! I wanna learn to be just as strong as her! “Sir?â€? (A little side note hereâ€"the only reason she’s calling Zareen “Sirâ€? is because that’s what she was taught. All slaves were to call every master they had Sir no matter what.)) “What now?â€?

[Anonymous]

(Neril, ooc: omg. dude. for real?)

Wait. Did that just happen? For most of the conversation, Neril had slipped expertly into the background. It was a talent he had--anytime officers asked for volunteers or someone was simply just out for blood, Neril could become as tiny and unnoticable as he wanted. And for this little exchange, well, he knew he did not want to be part of it at all.

First off, slavery was an shakey topic with the large man. He'd been in more than one tight spot where a potential solution involved him becoming a slave, so in general, no, he was not supportive of a practive his horrible betting habits could easily land him in.

Second... Responsibility was never his strength.

Third... Even he realized the absolute craziness of the situation: Zareen had basically just adopted a ward.

Shrugging, Neril took another long drink. Better her than him.

The large man moved forward into the conversation just in time to guffaw at I's eager question. "What now? I think now Zareen needs to keep drinking. A lot more. Cheers," he raised his near empty glass, "to your new ward!" He took a quick gulp, grimacing at the fiery liquid before turning to I directly. "Is I really your name? A number might work better than a pronoun. Can be awfully confusing... Maybe its just me... Or this..." he tipped his empty glass thoughtfully.

[Anonymous]

"The army doesn't murder people," Zareen started to tell the man scornfully. She would have continued, certainly, given him a lecture or something - when drunk, Zareen got extremely talkative and often just couldn't shut herself up - but Neril distracted her by speaking up, and she turned to face him. She hadn't even batted an eye at I's calling her "sir" - being in the army, she was used to it, because you just didn't get the same effect calling female soldiers "ma'am". Mostly, she'd intended to ignore the "what now"

"I think I do need to keep drinking," she muttered softly, shaking her head a little and giving Neril a murderous look at the term "ward". She lowered her voice to mutter to him, "She's not my ward, she's a trainee. Or she will be, soon as I get her to the academy and sign her up. There's a difference, you idiot."

[Anonymous]

I smiled at Neril's cheer only to subdue it quickly at Zareen's corrective statement. "Well...my First Sir thought about naming my siblings and I by number, but he decided just to name us by alphabet." She shrugged, still smiling. I had no idea how much she could've had--a real name, a personality..."But it's not just you, Mr. All people find my name a little confusing."

And then, with the attention span of a mayfly, she looked over Zareen's shoulder to take note of what she was drinking. Do all soldiers drink this way? If so, perhaps it makes them a little stronger.

She smiled and got the bartender's attention. "Might I have what she's having?"

The bartender arched a brow at her and set down the glass he had been drying off. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen or nineteen--I don't really know."

"Either way, aren't you a little young to be drinking?"

With the same naivety as before, I shrugged with her unknowing smile. "I don't know. Am I?"

The bartender looked from his stash of liquor to the girl for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah, sweetheart, not tonight. I don't want you getting into any trouble. You hear me?" He walked off to attend to another customer sitting at the far end of the bar.

I fought the urge to listen to what her First Sir taught her years ago: If you know that something will help you be accepted even moreso by your Sir, and someone won't give you what you need, just take it without their knowing. Your Sir's happiness will pay for their lost items.

[Anonymous]

Neril crooked his brow at Zareen. Did she seriously think this girl would be independent enough to function as a regular trainee? She must be a lot more drunk than she seemed. Or stupid. With some people, it's hard to tell. However, he knew better than to push the issue. Zareen would realize her folly later and until then, he could be amused.

When I began her little explanation of her name, it was clear that the wheels were turning in Neril's mind... "So... you've eight others like you? Where are they?" But I's attention had already switched to drink and Neril abandoned his question, only giving himself enough time to give Zareen a look. There was something... off... with this girl.

After the bartender declined to serve I, Neril--without a thought--quickly offered her the rest (small amount though it was) that remained in his glass, "Here, finish that off for me. See if you like it."

[Anonymous]

Zareen chose to ignore Neril's doubt. He didn't train kids - she'd have known him, if he did - and her estimate of his intelligence had been taken down several notches by certain previous comments he'd made to her, so if he thought this was a bad idea, she supposed she didn't have to listen to him. If he turned out to be right later... well, she'd deal with that later.

Still, she did return Neril's look with a resigned glance of her own, and one that somewhat implied the question Well, what else was I supposed to do? She knew there was something off with the girl, but honestly, she was supposed to just leave her?

...Amid all of this, she can't help but ask the question, Why me? Gods, this girl was as old as she was, maybe older, and she was like a child. No, that wasn't right. Children were more self-sufficient than this girl. Like some pathetic puppy you just wanted to kick to make it stop following you... and you couldn't bring yourself too. Zareen rubbed at her temples. Why was she the one who had to put up with this?

Because she couldn't say no to someone who needed taking care of, that was why. Bloody hell.

[Anonymous]

I looked down at Neril's glass and smiled. "Yes, sir!" She took it and sniffed it at first before sipping a little. She wasn't expecting the small amount of liquid to feel fiery going down. Startled, she jumped a little and squinted her eyes. The taste was phenomenal, but it was the fiery part she didn't like.

She turned to Neril and caught his look directed at Zareen--and thought nothing of it. She'd seen it before and it never bothered her. Her First Sir always mentioned that when people looked at her that way, it meant they were jealous they didn't have a Distinguished Chattel. She'd faintly heard him ask a question before she'd turned away--what was it? Thinking back, braving another sip of the drink, she mumbled, "I have four brothers and four sisters, yes. But I don't think they survived training."

In fact, she knew they didn't survive--incompetent slaves were gotten rid of at once where she came from.

[Anonymous]

Neril gave an sharp amused laugh at I's reaction to the fiery drink. She actually jumped a little. Wasn't that cute! Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad, he started to realize... So long as Zareen was actually responsible for the girl, he could just have fun with her. "Interesting..." he said, turning a bright smile towards Zareen, "Wonder what else she hasn't tried yet..." The comment could have been meant innocently. But it was coming from Neril. So. It probably wasn't.

(ooc: fast but done. I get to go perform surgery on mice tomorrow! Yay!)