The tavern bar smelled of weary travelers and spilled drinks, but Audhilde was enjoying far too many laughs to let it drive her away. Several bar patrons clambered to their feet while Audhilde held her stomach and threw back her head. Her sleeveless, white dress was made of a single piece of silk tied together at the waist beneath her red sash. The sash hung low around her hips where the silk dress split in two; the resulting skirts were wide, ankle-length squares that made no attempt to hide the sides of her legs. Audhilde was certainly a sight, and in glaring contrast of her surroundings.
"You clumsy oafs," she said between laughs. "That's not how one finishes a drink." She turned up a mug of wine, and then slammed it upon the bar table. "I win."
"You wouldn't be celebrating if we hadn't spilled our glasses," said a bar patron while wringing out the lower portion of his shirt, "I'm not only soaked; I'm thirsty."
"Ah, and who's fault is that?" asked Audhilde.
"Yours," said a few patrons in unison.
The party cackled, and Audhilde slammed her hand on the bar.
"Gavin, my friend," she addressed the bartender. "Another round of drinks. Also baths and fresh clothes to those who need it; the ones who reek of vinegar."
"Ambassador," answered Gavin, "that's far more than I can give you on credit."
"Gavin, don't be stern," she said in a jovial tone. "When have I ever failed to pay you a debt?"
"This is your first time here--"
"That's right. Never."
Gavin sighed. "I'm sorry, but you'll need to pay for any further services in coin."
Just then someone announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen tonight the establishment is offering five thousand in gold to whoever can stand an hour in an no hold barred bout with the Essnryi Hellcat! In addition you will receive two more thousand coins as a bonus if you actually win against her."
"How auspicious is that, ambassador?" asked another bar patron. "You were just boasting about your fighting skills. You even claimed to have killed a moose with your bare hands."
"That's true, and I have," said Audhilde.
"She only needs to last an hour," said the first patron, who was still wringing his shirt. "I'd bet she could dance around a ring that long."
Audhilde's brow furrowed in an instant. "And what is that supposed to mean?" She put one hand on her hip and jabbed the other in the patron's chest as she continued. "Are you suggesting I can't hold my own against some Essnryi kitten!?"
"No, I was just--"
"Very well then. I'll go get those seven-thousand coins and we'll have a whole new reason to celebrate." Audhilde huffed as she turned towards the ring and began walking.
"Is there no one here brave enough?" the Essynri fighter asked aloud.
"I'm a brave one," answered Audhilde. "And, more importantly, very capable."