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Another Day, Another Dollar [M] [Vicious]

Started by Lowen Thorn, April 16, 2018, 08:08:51 PM

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Lowen Thorn

@Vicious

"Stay away from me you fucking bastard!"

The man ran down the docks of the Jin'ta port and Amaya followed. He knew there was a bounty on his head, but he really didn't think anyone would come after him for the small fee put on his head for his petty crimes - especially not the infamous Amaya Midgar. Damn Serenian trash running a muck in Thanatos.

"Oh, but where would be the fun in that?" Amaya called out to him as he ran away, a sly smile on his face as he paced forward. He was unarmed, his arms folded over one another against his chest he strolled down the dock. "Why are you running? This dock ends. What are you going to do? Swim?"

"To hell with you!" he spat, almost out of breath. Shit. He was right, the dock had ended. He whipped around to face Amaya and pulled a knife from his pocket. "Okay, hot shot. This ends here!"

The bounty hunter was in no hurry to reach the man at the end of the dock. He continued to walk forward at a medium to slow pace. "Huh, what am I going to do for food today?" he asked himself, contemplating. "Getting pretty hungry. Maybe I will hit the tavern or something. Ugh, their food is trash, though. Well, at least this guy won't take up too much of my time."

"The hell you say?" the man spat again, both panic and irritation in his voice. First he was after his livelihood, and now he was after his pride!

"Oh, come on," Amaya said snidely as he closed the gap between the two. "That's rude. I wasn't talking to you. Say you're sorry!"

Without hesitation, he leapt forward at his bounty. Ducking out of the way of the man's retaliating dagger, he threw a right hook that landed square into the man's chin.

The man tumbled back, hazed from the blow, and dropping his dagger in the process.

Now's my chance.

Amaya grabbed him from behind, wrapping his arm around his neck and putting him in a choke hold. "You know, this would be alot easier if you didn't strugg-"

The other man started pushing back until the both of them went tumbling off of the dock.

"Fuck!" Amaya yelled as they fell over.

Splash!

Vicious

Selona's dark red hair was partially covered by a royal blue scarf and her pierced ears, the only visible body modification she had, were adorned with two golden hoops that had been a gift from one of her more generous patrons. Her tight blouse was low cut and showed off more skin than even most Thanati usually did, the yellow sash at her waist adding some of the bolder coloring to her otherwise simple clothing that the Thanati were known for. Selona had never bothered much with modesty, so her skirt had a slit that travelled high up on her thigh. Her attire obviously hadn't cost much, but the clothes were well taken care of and complimented the warm undertones of her medium brown skin.

Selona didn't often come to the docks except for when she was meeting a client who'd already paid, and it was rare that they chose to meet anywhere near the water, since most chose someplace far more private to conduct business.  Selona was an Untouchable after all, and to be seen with her was considered to be dishonorable in and of itself. Today was one of the rare times she was here of her own volition, mostly because she was looking for a cheap deal on fresh fish and she knew one of the merchants personally, but that didn't mean she had to like it. The stench of the salt air, dead fish and unwashed sailors was... never pleasant.

Before making her purchase however, she heard a commotion nearby, and her curiosity overriding her common sense, she decided to check it out. Seeing two men getting closer and closer to the water was causing a few others to pay attention as well. Selona briefly overheard another woman mentioning that the tall handsome one happened to be a bounty hunter of some sort and her curiosity was only increased.

Hearing said bounty hunter mention that he was hungry, she couldn't help being tempted to offer him a drink if he came out of this alive, but she stayed quiet. Selona almost laughed as the two men threw insults at each other, and when they fell into the water, a grin lit up her features, her bright green eyes sparkling in amusement and lingering on the bounty hunter. Really, she should leave... this fight was none of her business and if either of the two men ended up being more than mortal, she'd likely end up in a precarious position.

Selona remained silent and remained where she was however, despite knowing she should've walked away a long time ago. If either of the two men had powers, surely they would've used them by now. Besides, she had no bounty on her head so the man hunting his prey would have no reason to chase her, nor was there any reason for them to take notice of her yet. Life was short, and even if her life ended today, it wouldn't matter much to her. The only reason Selona actively sought to avoid death was because she was never sure how long her mother could last without her. Aside from all that... entertainment this good was hard to pass up for anybody. "Two soaking wet men... usually I have to wait til night fall for such a pleasure," she offered in wry amusement to another passerby who happened to be watching the same show she was.

Lowen Thorn

Amaya surfaced with a quick gasp for air. Damn. Where did he go?

The bounty hunter took a quick look around, only to find that his bounty was no where in sight. Did he drown? Did he not know how to swim? What kind of a man didn't know how to swim, especially in a place like this?

"Son of a-"

His words were cut off by the sound of the other man coming back to the surface. Simultaneously spitting out water and retaining air, he shot Amaya look of irritation before trying to escape once again. Somehow, when they were under water, the man had expanded the distance between the two. Luckily, he was not the best swimmer.

"Oh no you don't!" the bounty hunter yelled out as he glided toward him. With several quick, long strokes he was back in arms reach and grabbed the man from behind, wrapping his arm around his neck like he had before on the docks.

"C'mon man," he griped as the other man struggled to get free. "I really wasn't looking to go for a swim today. You could be a little more considerate when I'm hunting you."

"C-Considerate?" the man hissed through pressure. "You're trying to turn me in!"

Amaya tightened his hold on the man. "Would your rather I kill you?" he asked with a cocky whisper as the man fell into unconsciousness.

There we go. It was done. Now all he had to do was get this oaf back to the docks, bring him in, and collect his reward. It would be easy enough if he didn't weigh a ton, especially while wading in the water.

His eyes scanned over the docks until they landed on the woman watching. "Hey there!" he called out, waving one arm at her. "Throw me a line, would ya?"

Vicious

Selona watched the two men struggle in the water, seeing the one eventually fall unconscious, her attention turned to the man still awake. At his question, Selona merely smiled, "And what would I get in return for such generosity?" She picked up a rope, ready to throw it to him, but only if he promised her something worthwhile for her efforts, otherwise she'd simply let him struggle on his own with no guilt whatsoever.

Nothing came without a price, surely he knew that. Selona wasn't kind enough to help a stranger, particularly not a stranger turning in anyone to the authorities. Selona held a very deep hatred for government and its toadies on principle, and she wasn't about to start playing the role of the good law abiding samaritan now.

Her sympathies for the unconscious man were limited, and almost non-existent as he was the one who'd allowed himself to get a bounty worth chasing in the first place, but at the same time, he held more of her attention than his captor. Selona had committed petty thievery herself, though she'd never gotten caught. She was far too cautious and only did such things rarely when there was almost a guarantee of success... or at least as much of a guarantee as stealing would ever have. She wasn't about to risk getting branded like her mother had been.

Selona was cold and practical, her priorities almost solely concerned with her herself and her family. It was very rare that anyone could convince her to act against her own self-interest to help anyone else. This situation didn't involve her personally, but ultimately helping anyone who worked for or in conjunction with the law held her contempt. People had to find a way to live, and she knew there were more than a few simply working for the authorities to pay the bills... but so was she, which is why she wasn't about to budge unless profit was involved, in one way or another.

Lowen Thorn

A broad, amused smile lit across his face. Wanting something in return for throwing him some rope? Not a chance, he thought. But he'd play.

"Playful one, aren't you?" he asked, paddling closer to the dock with one arm, and heaving the other man through the light waves with the other. "Well, first starters, you'd feel better if you did. This is a wanted man that's been running around these parts and you would be playing a part in getting him off the streets. Think of the children."

He studied her face a bit more as he progressed forward - she didn't look like the type to buy that. "Also, how about the pleasure of my company? This man has a large bounty on his head," he lied. "We'll split the reward and celebrate with drinks!"

Vicious

Selona watched him in amusement as he tried to appeal to sympathy she just didn't have, laughing when he mentioned thinking about the children, “Pity for you, I’ve never liked children.” When he talked about splitting the bounty and getting drinks, she didn’t quite believe him, but she tossed him the rope regardless. “Sordid company aside, money and alcohol, I can live with,” she replied with a wry smirk. Yes, the Thanati were supposed to be polite and not insult strangers, but he was a foreigner and she was already untouchable so she had nothing to lose… besides he hadn’t yet paid for the privilege of her kindness.

Even if he didn’t carry through on his word, he’d at least provided some entertainment for what would otherwise have been a rather dull trip to the docks. The fact that he was either unaware of her social status or didn’t seem to care, was a refreshing change as well. One of the reasons Selona liked foreigners so much was that they were usually unaware of or indifferent to the Thanati caste system. There was the possibility he was saving his vitriol for after she’d helped pull him to shore, but she wasn’t about to put too much thought into it at the moment.

Selona got a better look at the unconscious stranger once Amaya got closer and she certainly didn’t recognize him for being one of the more well known criminals with a high bounty. Selona glanced at Amaya in cynical interest, “Just how much of a bounty does he have on him anyway?”

Lowen Thorn

"Oh, you know," he started. "A fair amount."

He used the rope to pull himself up next to the dock, hoisting up just enough to toss the unconscious bounty onto the docks. Now free of that weight, he lifted himself up, and rolled onto the wooden surface, stopping us his back where he looked up at the woman.

"Wow, look at you," he said with a soft smile. "You sure are a sight for sore eyes. Was hard to get a good look at you while I was neck deep in fish piss."

He got to his feet and shook off like a wet dog, droplets of water traveling from his hair to the area around him. Kneeling back down, he hoisted that man over his shoulders and began walking in the other direction.

"Oh, would you look at that? This isn't the bounty I thought he was, this guy's not worth much at all.. Oh well," he said sarcastically while giving her a backwards wave as he faced away from her. "See ya."


Vicious

Selona couldn't help rolling her eyes at his response. So he'd been lying... well it wasn't like she'd expected much different, but either way she'd at least been hoping for free alcohol out of the deal.

Selona looked down at him once he got up onto the dock, smiling at his compliment, "Why thank you, I would say the same but..." Selona gave him a slow once over with a slight smirk, "I'm not very good at flattery." He was attractive enough, particularly when wet, but she'd be damned if she was going to exchange pleasantries with a man who wouldn't pay. When he shook off, some of the water got on her, making her grimace slightly but she didn't comment.

The news of his catch not being worth anything was no surprise after his previous reply, but her annoyance was still genuine when he started walking away, "Then you still owe me a drink," she replied simply, not that she genuinely expected him to carry through with it. Either way, she certainly wasn't following him as handing in a criminal meant dealing with law enforcement, and that was never something she would voluntarily do if she could help it.

Even if her record was technically clean, authority tended to believe she was always doing something illegal or something shady. On the rare times they didn't think she was about to pick their pockets, they treated her like shit regardless because of her caste. Selona didn't mind watching the hunter go though, her eyes freely lingering on his body. After all, she'd didn't mind taking what little life deigned to toss her way when she could get it.

Lowen Thorn

Then you still owe me a drink.

He came to a stop, peering over his shoulder and flashing her a quick grin. "I s'pose I do, don't I?" he asked innocently. "Damn. And here I thought I was going to get off easy."

His tone was a playful one, not taking the situation too seriously. Sure, he could buy her drink. What could it hurt? But he really wanted to change out of his wet clothes. "Tell you what," he said. "Let me take this guy in, I'll go change, and then we can meet at the local tavern for a round or two. Sound good? I'd say come with me now, but something tells me you wanna stay as far away from the authorities as possible."

He didn't wait for a response before he continued his stride. "See you in an hour."

Vicious

"I s'pose I do, don't I?" he asked innocently. "Damn. And here I thought I was going to get off easy."

Selona didn't buy the feigned innocence for a second, but she was amused at the attempt, "No good deed goes unpunished, so I hear," she replied playfully.

Selona was honestly surprised when he actually agreed to uphold even part of his bargain, grinning when he mentioned meeting her in an hour at the tavern, "Well, at least you're good for something," she teased wryly. She wouldn't be confirming nor denying his assumption about her problems with authority any time soon, though it wasn't exactly any secret she was intent on keeping either. Selona merely chose not to reveal too much about her own personal life before she got to know someone. She was cautious, even despite her curiosity, though the two impulses often warred within her and it merely depended on the day which one would win out in the end. "I'll see you at the tavern."

Selona watched him go in mild amusement before she went and made her purchase for dinner. She slowly walked back home, cooking up the food for her mother and eating some with her before heading out to meet the stranger at the tavern. Some part of her absently considered finding a patron in the bar before the night was over. If the bounty hunter was only buying a few rounds, she'd have a clear enough head to get some work in tonight before she made her way back home.

Selona just hoped the bartender wouldn't outright refuse to serve her at all. She ignored the blatant way people refused to even look at her, far too used to it by now to be bothered much as she made her way inside the tavern, looking for the tall stranger she'd met at the docks. Part of her fully expected him to bail, but even if he did, that didn't mean the trip into town was wasted by any means. She still had the potential for business.

Lowen Thorn

Amaya arrived at the little tavern a bit earlier than he expected to. Sitting on a stool in front of the main bar, he tossed back a pint of ale, taking a large gulp before placing in back onto the wooden surface. He had one elbow propped on top of the bar with the side of his face cupped in his hand, and the other hand attached to his mug.

He had been chatting with the tavern owner since the moment he sat down, watching him with genuinely entertained eyes. It was the little things that made this life worth living, and he loved hearing about them from strangers and friends alike.

"Tell me, Amaya," the owner said as he wiped an empty glass clean. "How do you do what you do? Don't you ever get tired of that line of work?"

"Not really," the bounty hunter replied with a grin. "Guy's gotta eat, doesn't he? Besides, how else am I suppose to have fun?"

"You call that fun?" the owner asked with a curious look.

"Well, of course, Mel. Keep me young, I s'pose. What do you do for fun?"

"Me?" the man contemplated. "When I'm not serving other people drinks, I serve myself drinks. Not much fun to be had in this world other than that, aside from the occasional fuck when my wife obliges."

"Ah, a gentleman, then," Amaya said, slightly raising his glass in a nonchalant salute. "You are just looking at fun through the wrong set of eyes, Mel. There's plenty of good times to be had, if you're lucky enough to be alive."

The owner chuckled and shook his head. "What are you doing here, anyway? Don't you have some bounty to collect?"

"I do," he replied with a nod. "But I'm meeting a new friend."

Peering over his shoulder, he spotted the woman as she walked in and he waved her over.


Vicious

Selona smiled briefly when she saw the tall stranger, slipping through the crowd with the grace of someone used to being ignored and having to work her way around the general populace. She quickly made her way to the stool next to the bounty hunter and smiled at the bartender, "I'll have whatever he's drinking, please," she offered with as friendly a tone as she could.

Confidence sometimes shocked people into being less rude, but she could never be sure, and she was ready to leave if asked. She knew well how this city worked and she wasn't about to try and make waves just for the sake of a drink. Selona glanced at her temporary partner and studied him in interest, "I was half expecting you to bail on me," she admitted easily with a wry grin. "Good to see a man at least partially keep his word." She couldn't help teasing him at least a little, but she figured he had more than earned it with lying to her earlier.

"By the way... I don't think I caught your name earlier," she added simply, hoping that even if the bartender refused to serve her alcohol that maybe he'd at least let her stay and talk instead of kicking her out. Selona couldn't help being a bit on edge, since even if the bartender ignored her, that didn't always mean the other patrons would leave her be. Sometimes she just wanted to blend in with the crowd... and on occasion she could succeed at that, but she wasn't often as lucky at fading into the background anymore.

Selona glanced around the bar, quietly taking in the quickest ways to leave and trying to get a general read on the patrons. Some would call her paranoid, but she preferred to think of herself as prudent. Kindness and courtesy were completely lost on the Thanati people when it came to untouchables, so she always expected the worst.

Lowen Thorn

Mel shot her a quizzical look, but it was brief. He gave a slight nod, with a 'Any friend of Amaya's' kind of look in his eyes, and filled a nearby mug with his finest ale. Finest, by Amaya's definition, of course. The cheap stuff. "First one is on the house," he said as he slid it over to her.

Amaya gave the owner a sly smile before returning his gaze to the lady of the hour. "I thought you'd never ask. My name-"

He stopped abruptly, the light-hearted twinkle in his eyes shifting to irritation. There was a Thanati man standing just to the side of the woman, shooting her a look of disgust. The bounty hunter felt the need to interject before the man had a chance to speak his mind.

"Got a problem?" he asked sternly. "Look, I get it. She's a beautiful woman - something you've never experienced before. No need for those chastising eyes, though. Some people, I swear."

The man let out an aggrevated huff before returning to his drink.

"Like I was saying," the bounty hunter said with a sneaky grin. "Amaya Midgar, but the folks around these parts call me the Champion of the Night. What might your name be, m'lady?"

No one ever called him the Champion of the Night.

Vicious

Selona was shocked by the bartender not only serving her but being polite as well, and her surprise no doubt showed on her face as she barely managed to stammer out a coherent response, "Thank you... I- I appreciate it." Cruelty was the expectation... and she was rarely so blind-sided by a stranger's generosity.

Selona was never at a loss for words... nor was she flustered easily, so anyone who knew her would've known just how strange it was that she couldn't immediately reply with suave confidence and ease. Selona would've probably cried if she didn't have better control over her emotions, as she hadn't been expecting anything like this from the bartender.

Selona was still trying to contain her own reaction to the bartender's kindness when she caught sight of a far more familiar expression on a nearby patron. His disgust helped ground her back in reality and remind her exactly where it was that she stood in the world. She wouldn't have bothered actually saying anything to him, but the bounty hunter spoke up for her anyway.

Selona studied him quietly in renewed interest, wondering what it was that he had to gain from such actions... did he expect a discount? Selona wasn't entirely sure what to make of his behavior after how he'd acted on the pier. He was confusing... and intriguing in a way. She smiled a bit at his name, almost laughing at the moniker Amaya had clearly picked for himself, "And here I thought I was the Champion of the Night... small world," she teased with a somewhat wicked grin. "As for my name... you can call me Lei," she offered with a slightly warmer smile than what she'd give to most strangers. Selona never gave out her real name anymore unless she was amongst people she knew and trusted.

Lowen Thorn

Amaya let a soft smile slip as he watched the woman's internal conflict of trying to figure him out. Clearly not very comfortable with kindness, or most people in general. But he couldn't really blame her for that, he thought. These "untouchables" in the Thanti land weren't the most revered people of all time, though the bounty hunter certainly had no issues with them. Hell, he was a bounty hunter. Taking the law into your own hands was hardly admired, and his history before that gave him no room to judge.

"Sure," he said as he took another swig of  his ale. "It's nice to meet you, Lei."

He finished his mug and motioned Mel for another. "You're not from around here," he stated bluntly. "What brings you to these parts? Tell me more about yourself."

Vicious

Selona nodded to him and smiled, "Nice to meet you as well, Amaya."

When he stated she wasn't from Thanatos, Selona raised a brow and smirked, "What makes you think that?" she asked in turn, amused and curious. She wasn't going to give a stranger much personal information, so answering a question with one of her own was her way of politely deflecting his interest. She was genuinely curious as to why he assumed she wasn't from Thanatos however... or was it merely this part of the city? Selona wasn't sure but she figured she'd find out soon enough.

Granted, her ability to speak common was better than that of most Thanati, as she didn't have much of an accent, but her physical characteristics didn't differ too far from most of Thanatos' own. She supposed her Connlaothan heritage might be more easily visible to some but... on the whole, Selona didn't think she differed too far from her peers, aside from her status as untouchable but she'd been born into that caste and it had little bearing on her ethnicity.

Selona took a drink of the ale, smiling a bit at the luxury. She could rarely afford anything other than what was needed for survival unless a client paid for it, so it was nice to be able to drink with someone she wasn't in business with.

Lowen Thorn

He gave her a sly smile after hearing her response. He figured she was, in fact, from Thantos, but thought he'd play around with his new friend first.

"I don't," he said simply. "You would be amazed at how much you can find out about a person just by making false assumptions. You do look like you are from here, but you don't look like the type of person who fits in here."

He took another large swig of his ale, and motioned Mel for another refill. His face loosened even more as the buzz set in, grinning curiously at the woman.

"No problem with that, though. I don't fit in either," he said with a wink. "So why do you stay?"

Vicious

Selona was... slightly surprised by his response and she wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. Selona decided not to try and overanalyze it, focusing instead on his rather blunt assertion that she didn't quite fit in. There was no denying that she was far from society's ideal, not to mention the fact that most treated her like she carried the goddamned plague. Selona merely nodded, "I may not fit in, but... it is what it is," she added with a shrug. She'd gotten used to her place in this world. She didn't agree with it, but she understood it and she worked around it as best she could. 

She smiled briefly when he mentioned that he didn't fit in either, his question making her pause as she considered how to answer it. "It's not inexpensive to leave, and right now I just can't afford it," she replied simply. It was a partial truth, and she wasn't about to explain overly personal details to a stranger. "And you? What made you decide to stay here?" she asked in turn. Selona ignored the looks they were getting as she was far too used to their treatment. A few patrons even left, refusing to be served by the same hand that had served an untouchable and she could only hope the bartender wouldn't suffer too much from his act of kindness.

Lowen Thorn

"Oh, well that's sort of a long story," he explained. "To give it to you short and sweet, I'm from Serendipity, and I got myself into a little bit of trouble there. My best option at the time was just to run, and I ended up here."

He took another swig of ale, and placed the empty glass on the bar in front of them. "I don't know why I stayed," he said after a few moments of contemplation. "It's not bad here. I didn't have any particular skill to adapt here other than throwing a fist or two, so I became a bounty hunter. Sure, it's not the most revered profession around these parts, but it pays for my living and the law doesn't seem to mind it too much. Maybe that's why."

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