The Nighty Night Job (Tiz)

[Syana Flamberge]

Syana sat at a table in the back of a crowded tavern by herself. Some people might think that meeting a partner for a job like this one in such a crowded place wouldn't be a good idea. With so many people here, there was a chance at least one could overhear. But, what they often overlooked was places like this were so inherently loud that you could really only focus on one thing at a time. As long as you didn't look too suspicious and acted normal, there was nothing to worry about.

Maybe that was part of Saturos rubbing off on her, possibly even more than she wanted to admit. She hadn't been thrilling with the idea of parting with the swordsman again, but he had his own work to attend to. The man had a network of informants to run, he couldn't exactly be expected to let her trail around all day. Besides, the two would meet again. They always did. And until then, it would give her time to consider her feelings for the man. Was there something there? Or was there a bond beyond that, like the one she had with her brothers? She had to admit this wasn't something she had ever really tried to tackle before. She preferred just using her sword to solve problems.

Which was why she was in this tavern. While Saturos was off doing his thing, she might as well make some money. So she had taken a job that would pay out a decent amount of money. Plus, it was right in her wheelhouse. Someone had a problem and they needed Syana to fix it. The one wrinkle in this assignment, however, was the client had requested she take back up just in case. Syana wasn't opposed to back up if the situation called for it, she just didn't believe this one did. And beyond that, the other guy the client had hired apparently hadn't actually done much mercenary work. The redhead rolled her eyes at the thought. And so here she sat, waiting for a guy she would most likely be better without. He had better come ready, as she wasn't planning on holding his hand. This wasn't a training mission; this was the real deal.

[Tiz]

The door to the already boisterous tavern opened as Tiz stepped humbly inside, scanning the room like a child lost in a large shopping district. It wasn't often he frequented these areas-- the tavern scene wasn't really his own, and he more frequently felt out of place in old haunts such as these. He had a love of drink, sure, but on his own time, and in his own atmosphere. Sheepishly he stepped through the door and closed it behind him, safely adjusting his long, dirty, sleeveless coat. Running a hand through his messy hair, he looked around the room for the person he'd been searching for since earlier that day.

Bern was totally unfamiliar to Tiz. While he did well in new places, he always allowed himself the time to get a feel for a new city; since he'd been to Bern maybe once at best as an envoy in his early days in the League, it was practically new territory for him. And with all the tension that had been created from the still-hot rebellion, he knew to lay low and try not to cause any trouble... Fortunately, as Tiz smiled, gracefully weaving his way between bar patrons, he realized he wouldn't likely find any trouble here. These people seemed to simply be enjoying life, and that was enough to make the young swordsman happy.

After finishing his business with Dak and seeing Chelsea again, Tiz hadn't much on his plate. Myscha was gods-knew-where, and since his family wasn't particularly pleased with him, he figured he would pick up some light work until something else more shiny showed up on his path. Fortunately, he'd been contacted by an old military pal with some work to do, something that might whet his appetite. He'd been told to meet here, and that the primary contact was someone with red hair and big, blue eyes. Stopping for a moment to scan the area again, Tiz was sure he'd found her, sitting and looking relatively unamused with the whole ordeal.

He sighed happily and smiled, briskly making his way there and, without any sign of fear or hesitation, sat down beside her. Perhaps it was reckless of him to make these assumptions, but since no one else in the room fit the bill, Tiz only guessed he was in the right place. With a friendly and somewhat matter-of-fact tone in his voice, he outstretched his hand to be shaken and said, quite simply, "Hi."

Almost laughing at himself, he offered some words to break the tension. "Guess you're my, uh... I dunno," He scratched the back of his head, searching for the words. "Partner? Boss?" His smile was wide and brimming.

[Syana Flamberge]

Syana watched as a man came in, seemed to sweep the tavern, and began to make his way over to her. She could tell by how obvious his intentions were that he was her contact. In a different situation, she would have been mad at how blatant he was being. But again, that was part of why she had picked to meet in a tavern. A guy coming in, looking and finding a girl, and going over to her wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Just based on his build, he did seem like he would be a good fit for this job, which was never a bad thing. Time would tell, though, just how mentally ready he really was.

Her first question was raised after he sat down and held out his hand for her to shake, wearing a big old smile. She had to figure the urge to roll her eyes. "Hand down, try not to be too obvious we're meeting for the first time." The redhead wanted to scold him for smiling so much, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Not yet at least and, hey, the night was still young. "And none of that. The name's Syana, and that's all you need to call me." She hadn't gotten enough of a read of this guy to tell if he'd be able to handle this job or not.

Turning to face him more directly, she leaned back in her seat. "So. How much experience do you have in this line of work? Our client told me it wasn't much, but I want to hear what you have to say. And speaking of the client, how much did he tell you about what we would be doing?" Of course she knew exactly what this job was going to entail. She wouldn't have taken it if she didn't. That was one of the perks of having something resembling a reputation in the mercenary world. But as this guy was her back up, she had no idea what he had been told. Syana wondered whether or not he'd actually stick around when he found out.

[Tiz]

Tiz chuckled, unaffected by the woman's immediate and understood decline of his hand. They didn't know each other, and normally Tiz tried to break tension like this with kind gestures, but even he knew that not everyone was accustomed to such informality. He was too easy going for his own good, maybe, and for jobs like this, perhaps the woman was right-- maybe he shouldn't be so hasty. But, after quickly dismissing the thought as nothing more than self-doubt, Tiz let his smile beam out at her as he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, accepting defeat for the time being. Maybe he'd shake her hand later.

"But it is the first time, right?" He asked lightheartedly, with a smile. "I think formalities are in order!" He shifted his weight around in the chair. Formalities were a pleasantry, and as a man of pleasantry, he was almost always keen to them. "Syana, huh? It's nice to meet you." His tone was a touch more serious, and a little quieter. "I'm Tiz." After a few seconds of listening to her speak, Tiz almost blushed as he realized how in over his head he was. It was rare that he felt this way, since he was confident in his line of work, but this... wasn't quite his line of work. She had been informed well: as far as "mercenary" work was concerned, he was wet behind the ears, and too true to his militaristic ways to have delved into what some might call shady business. Nonetheless, he tried not to be close minded, and he had, in that effort, chosen this job as a way to expand his horizons.

Thumbing with the edge of the table like a small child, Tiz chuckled, a toothy smile beaming from his lips as the naivety rolled over him. "Well, I... Yeah, none." He wasn't going to try and hide it. There wasn't much point. "I wasn't told much... Guy said that, uh, you would have enough information to keep us going. As far as my skill, I mean... I don't know, I've handled my fair share of trouble. I'll be alright, you don't need to worry about me." He offered another genuine smile as he declined to tell her about his extensive military experience or all of the traveling and light work he'd done afterwards. If she didn't want to take this time to swap stories, that was fine-- she seemed to be a woman of efficiency. Tiz could lend a sword arm, and she'd know that soon enough, so that seemed sufficient, even if it was less than what he wanted out of this encounter.

[Syana Flamberge]

Syana could have let her head fall into her hands as her new partner talked. She had tempted her expectations, but this guy had really never worked a job before. There had to be something that he wasn't telling her. At least she hoped there was. Why he wouldn't be upfront about it, she didn't know, but there had to be something. She refused to believe that their client would hire someone completely green. She forced herself to remain calm and maintain eye contact with this Tiz. He did at least seem fit, so that was a step in the right direction.

Brushing a strand of hair out of her face, the swordswoman leaned in and began to talk. "Well then, you'll be facing a trial by fire. This isn't a training mission; something easy to get you some experience. This is the big time. Our client has offered to pay us a substantial sum of money for this job, so we can't afford to screw it up. That means, if I tell you to jump, you ask how high. Your life could depend on it."

Syana took a deep breath before continuing. "Our client wants us to do one thing. It's actually a very simple thing in theory, but in practice you'll find it a lot harder. Several years ago, the daughter of our client was assaulted by a man in a nearby town. He has waited for the right time to exact his revenge and has decided now is the time. So. We'll be making out way into said town, preferably without being seen, finding a way into this man's house, and putting him down. Permanently. Any questions?"

[Tiz]

Tiz smirked, trying not to laugh. Perhaps he was in the wrong place, and the client had hired the wrong set of hands... This mission seemed to be much more serious than anything he'd taken on recently. Teaching some girls how to fish, catching a wild bear, and even dealing with some stray bandits had been alright, enough to handle-- but this? As Tiz let his fingers trace lazily over the edge of the table, he had some second thoughts. This line of work seemed dirty and dark, and while he wasn't himself necessarily opposed to this type of job, he knew many that would be, including his family. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them, of course, but could someone who was typically pretty straight-laced delve this deeply into what seemed to be a criminal world?

Maybe.

Letting his eyes float to the ceiling as this Syana talked, Tiz weighed his decision on his conscience. He'd killed people before, sure, and if Syana could do most of the dirty work, he could handle it. He was beginning to wonder why he'd let himself fall into this mess, but nonetheless, as the woman spoke, he found himself becoming almost duty-bound to finish the task. He wasn't sure if it was just, or if it was deserved, but he knew that more than likely, this was a task that could be handled. And if it paid well, maybe he could get something out of it... Maybe. Tiz wasn't sure. Money never seemed to be worth it to him.

"Money, huh?" His voice was light and lazy, almost unconcerned with what the woman was saying. Sifting himself into the back of his chair, he let it rock on the back two legs, balancing it as he kicked his foot up on the table. "I dunno, I guess that's good enough." He'd never been terribly concerned with finance, and Tiz made no effort to seem like he did now. He chuckled a little as the woman instructed him. "I guess I'll do whatever it is you say, miss, uh... Syana." The name fell from his lips as though it were fake, but somehow he didn't doubt the woman's honesty. It seemed real to him. "Sounds like a hefty fine for an assault. I mean... Couldn't we just..."

Jail him? No, he couldn't ask that of her. Not now, since she had accepted the job and its conditions. But maybe... There would be time later for deliberation. Tiz wouldn't bother now. His interested green eyes wafted over slowly to meet her blue ones and he leaned forward again in his chair. "Okay, yeah." He smiled and stood. "You lead the way, and I'll follow."

[Syana Flamberge]

Syana could be a somewhat carefree when off the clock, but when she was working a job she was always serious. Because of this, she wasn't taking too kindly to Tiz's tone. As she didn't know him pretty much at all, it might just be his normal tone, but the way he sounded unconcerned did not instill confidence in her. She could see some unease behind his eyes. And that was normal. You shouldn't want to go out and have to kill someone. But this line of work wasn't normal. You might not always like what you have to do, but if you accept a job, you had better finish it. Otherwise, you could either get another one or you could wind up dead. And those were two things the redhead did not want to happen.

As Tiz started to talk about what they could possibly do besides kill the man, Syana cut him off. "No. It doesn't matter if all he did was step on some flowers. When you accept an employer's job, you do not get to question them. You do the job and you move on. If you don't like it, you decline and look for another one." Admittedly, she had an uncomfortable feeling in her gut as she said that. Their client had kept Tiz in the dark about what he was asking. Sure, Tiz probably should have pushed to find out more details, but he was also knew. He seemed like he was going to go along as he stood up, but Syana figured she owed him and out.

"I'll tell you what," she said, standing as well. "I'll give you a chance to bow out. I can handle this alone if it's not something you're comfortable with doing. You weren't told what we were going to do. So if you want out, this is your chance. Heck, I won't even tell the client you walked and I'll still get you your money. But if you stay, you have to be one hundred percent committed. No doubting what we do when the time comes. So. What'll it be?"

[Tiz]

Tiz sighed, rocking his chair forward again to leave it at right. He rested his forearm on the table and waved his hand off to the side, accepting defeat as he closed his eyes, his brows framed upward in disappointment. It wasn't a battle he was willing to fight here, at least not at present, and it was a much more serious issue that wasn't worth exploring right before starting on his mission. Tiz was no man of moral high ground, but he did see the value in sparing the lives of those who might deserve less than death... But these were ponderings to be explored later. He wasn't worried about it just yet. "Okay, okay." He said with a soft smile, a few white teeth showing. "You win."

Crossing his legs under the table, Tiz reached up and rubbed his chin. His eyes darted about the wooden pattern on the table as the woman made her offer. Bowing out was obviously not part of the job description, and his time in the military had beaten into him the idea that to give up so early would be cowardly. He fancied himself no coward, but also not a man to act before thinking. He could be reckless at times, sure, but this was different. Because he was so fresh to this line of work, Tiz gave it some thought before his answer. Once he had finally composed himself, he looked up, a carefree and happy gleam in his bright green eyes. "Listen..." He started, his smile growing wider. "You might need the help. I can't abandon you now after taking the job, can I?" He winked playfully at the girl, who he felt was much too serious even given her station. But then again, he considered that he might be wrong. There very well could be more at stake her than he'd bargained.

"Let's go whenever you're ready. I'm good to go." He leaned back again, placing his hands behind his head. It had been a couple days since he'd stretched his sword arm.

[Syana Flamberge]

Syana gave the man a small nod. So be it. She had given him his out, and he had turned it down. He was in it for the long haul now, whether he really wanted to or not. The man winked at her and once again she fought the urge to roll her eyes. She really hoped that by the end of this job, the target was the only one she killed. Otherwise, she'd be in a spot of trouble. Though, she could always make it look like an accident...

She shook that thought from her head and nodded her head towards the door. "Let's move." Sure, they probably could wait until morning, but she wanted to get going. The sooner they get going, the sooner they could get this job done and get paid. This Tiz may not care about the money, but most other mercenaries did. Pushing her way through the crowd, she eventually reached the door and stepped outside. She took a deep breath; the air inside hadn't exactly been the best smelling.

Turning around, she waited for Tiz to catch up before starting through the streets of the town they were in. The had to get to the next town over to get things underway, so there was time to plan things out. Well, get a basic plan done, anyways. She'd need to adjust it when she saw the building they needed to get into and the guard situation. But they could get most of the basics down. She turned to Tiz as they walked. "So, you've never done mercenary work before. So I'm guessing... military?"

[Tiz]

Sighing, Tiz adjusted the sword sheathed at his belt one last time before standing to follow the woman out of the tavern. They weren't watched or addressed as they left, which was good, since it meant that more than likely they wouldn't be tailed or anything of the sort. He wondered again what sort of mess he might've gotten himself into, but again, he found that it was easier to push the thought aside and, for now, do what was asked of him. It wasn't often he found himself in such a bind that he needed money badly enough for mercenary work-- in fact, it had been a few years since the last time that had been the case. Since his ex-military status kept him cared for, more or less, he hadn't really needed anything extravagant. Life was easy enough as it was right in that little space he had between retiring and meeting Myscha, but since that... Things had gotten a little more tense. There was Dak, his family, Myscha leaving... Whatever could be next?

With a slight smile, Tiz thanked fate for providing him, at the very least, with something exciting. His life had been filled with many things to keep him on his feet, and he guessed that was better than having nothing at all to do. Watching Syana's figure closely as he followed her, he simply hoped she wouldn't turn on him in the course of events. Surely no one was out for him... Right?

Another thought pushed aside. He chuckled a little, unable to keep a smile off his lips as he kept step with the woman, his hands shoved in the pockets of his sleeveless cloak. "Well, I... uh..." He struggled a moment, blushing as the smile on his face grew wider. He always tried to avoid talking about himself if he could, but when pressed, he certainly wouldn't lie to this woman. He'd be working with her, after all. "...Yeah, actually. I was captain of the Lycian League's 1st Swordfaire Division for a handful of years. I ended up retiring... Didn't really suit me." It wasn't a lie; in fact, it was vague enough to be true. He offered a look and an authentic, warm smile to the woman walking next to him. His tone was relaxed and lazy.

"You know, not for everybody. Did my time, as they say... Or whatever. What about you?"

[Syana Flamberge]

Syana listened as Tiz briefly talked about his military past. He didn't give a ton of detail and the way he hesitated made her think it wasn't something he really cared to talk about. Not that it mattered, it was his past. If he didn't want to talk about it, that was up to him. Captain of the Lycian League's 1st Swordfaire Division was nothing to sneeze at though. Meant he wasn't lying earlier about having a good sword arm. Which was good, they might need it.

As Tiz turned the question back on her, Syana answered with a shrug. "Not a whole lot to tell. I'm from a mercenary family through and through. Mom and Dad were both mercenaries in their day. Actually met on a job together. All my brothers are all mercs. Really no other job I could ever see myself doing." She purposely neglected to mention that one brother had been forced into retirement from an injury and that another had been killed. Not exactly a conversation she wanted to get into with someone she barely knew. Instead, she kept going. "I've been doing it for a handful of years now. Made something of a name for myself in certain places. Got a few nicknames along the way, none I particularly care for." There was a twinge of bitterness in her voice. Everyone else in her family had gained killer nicknames and yet she couldn't get a worthwhile one. She sighed. Maybe this would be the job to change that. Who knows, right?

[Tiz]

Hands still shoved in his pockets, Tiz laughed as the woman told the brief synopsis of her story. It wasn't unusual. In fact, he'd heard much the same from other mercenaries he had talked to, and while those had been few in number, many of them had the same background. Whether it was for personal gain, money, or some sense of vigilante justice Tiz wasn't sure, but he did know that there always seemed to be a plentiful supply of these types. It was good; after all, if everyone just relied in the common soldiers, not much would get done... As a former soldier, Tiz almost hated to admit that. But it sat well enough with him.

As he looked around the night sky, he wondered why he always got wrapped up in things that happened at night. Never during the day was it that Tiz was working; no, it was always dark and mysterious. That didn't bode well. Tiz wasn't superstitious himself, but if he were, it would be an ill omen and he might even take the night off. And yet, here he was, still in step with this Syana girl who was going gods-knew-where to do gods-knew-what.

Well, Tiz did know. She was going to kill someone.

He hadn't a fondness for killing, but he wasn't opposed to it either. He was, mostly, a proponent for justice... But wondered in these moments if it would be justice they were delivering. Unfortunately, he wasn't paid to ask questions. He needed to hunt down Myscha, and to do that, he needed money. This provided that for him; and for now, that's all he could think about.

Tiz finally spoke. "Hah, how cute." He laughed. Parents meeting on a mercenary job. How romantic. "I'm sure we've all got those kinds of nicknames," Tiz said, understanding her plight. He'd had a few in the Division back in his day, though now he couldn't even remember them. Some were flashy and indicative of his skill; others, mocking, though those seemed to be the ones he'd forgotten... Probably for the best. "I won't ask, though I'd be curious to know." He giggled like a child, his strangely deep voice echoing a bit into the night.

"How close are we, anyway?"

[Syana Flamberge]

Syana fought the urge to roll her eyes as Tiz commented on how her parents had met. She had never considered it cute. It was more pure chance than anything. Maybe if he knew the type of job they were working when they met, he'd think differently. But they had already moved passed that, so no need to bring that up now. "We're getting closer, but it'll still take a little while to get there." The two towns weren't too far apart, but there was still some distance they needed to travel. They would get there before the sun began to rise. Which was good, it was much easier to do this in the middle of the night than in the day.

Instead of worrying about how far away they were, Syana turned her attention to Tiz himself. He was masking it well, but she had been doing this long enough to know when people were uneasy underneath. If she had to guess, he was most likely still worrying about what they were being asked to do. He had already voiced how he didn't think killing their target was necessary, so it made sense. She understood why it was necessary, but as he had been mostly kept in the dark, she could see his side as well. The woman decided that if he still had his doubts, now was the time to address them. She looked over at the swordman's face. "So. Still have any doubts about what we're going to do?"