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Post by Vincent on Jan 27, 2017 2:54:57 GMT -6
A full day and a half had already passed since the battle with the riders. Vincent mostly felt better aside from lingering soreness and bruises. The two were not given full payment, as was to be expected, but they were given some. It seems that retrieving the shield bearing the bandits' crest was a good call. It also meant more work for the two, that is, if Eris would take it.
That was one of the three reasons Vincent was here now in fact, he had a job proposal to deliver as a follow up to the bandits threat. Scouts were going out to hunt for their camp and their task would be to infiltrate it as bandits themselves to search for proof of support from a noble house. It was risky and a theory but if they were right it was a job that must be done. It also ensured Vincent could stay on Aster's good side. Staying on his good side would further mean clearing his name.
Secondly, he wanted a fight with Eris. He had a feeling it would be a good chance for the both of them. He has not gotten to fight many strictly lance wielders and frankly he wanted to test how effective a weapon called a lancereaver was on actual lances, not more swords. He had the blasted thing since he was first an official mercenary, it was about time.
Lastly, he thought as he knocked on the door to the room Eris stayed in, he owed her a celebratory meal."Eris? It's me Vincent, I have your other part of the pay!"
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Eris Coulson
Soldier
"Sometimes goodbye is a second chance"
Posts: 106
Profession: Mercenary
Affiliation: Ambition
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Eris Coulson
OoC Alias: Tsunderis
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Post by Eris Coulson on Jan 27, 2017 13:35:38 GMT -6
Cleaning oneself up was a hell of a lot more fun when you didn't HURT ALL f**k**g OVER THE PLACE. Still, a nice soak had done Eris wonders. Made he grateful that the inn she stayed in had anything resembling a baths at all. Of course she had nearly passed out in there, so she had to force herself to leave earlier than she'd have liked to, well, pass out on her bed instead. Oh and how she had slept, too. Practically half a damn day.
When Eris had awoken she was conflicted on her next course of action. What she ought to do, and where she ought to go. Her body was still ah...sore, to say the least. Nothing was broken, at most a few bruises around her bones, but she still had a general ache throughout the entirety of her being. So, aside from eating a meal in the morning, Eris had been content to just...lie down on her bed. One more night of relaxation couldn't hurt, right?
Besides, if Eris knew anything then she knew herself. She knew she wouldn't be able to tolerate just lazing about in some inn. No no no...she'd get antsy. Hell it was only a matter of time before she got to training that day. If the mission had taught her anything, it was that she still had quite aways to go. She couldn't even safely harm one of the bandits, while Vincent not only took several blows from them and survived, he actually managed to kill one of them! Or maybe he'd just knocked one out...she actually wasn't sure about that.
Either way it was a lot more impressive than Eris' patented animal cruelty.
As she laid sprawled out on her bed she heard a knock at the door. Once the voice identified itself as Vincent she rolled her eys. She did have a feeling he'd be coming around. In her post-asswhoopin' fatigue, after the mission, she may or may not have extended him the offer to come around. Now she didn't hate the guy, he was a hell of a lot easier to work with than that stupid, busty she-bitch from Ilia, but she reeeeeeally wasn't in the mood for company.
When pain was your constant state of being, your tolerance for others had a way of...vanishing.
“...I have your other part of the pay!”
And Eris was up on her feet, much as her body protested the sudden movements. Not really caring how she looked, for once, she opened the door and crossed her arms beneath her chest. She was dressed, at least, just in basic shirts and pants. Nothing fancy,
“How much did we get?” Straight to the point, like a spear to the heart...or some crap. Eris studied Vincent briefly. He looked as though he'd made a pretty decent recovery, though if she felt as shitty as she did, he no doubt felt worse all the same. “...Good to see you're recovering.” She decided to add with a small shrug.
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Post by Vincent on Jan 27, 2017 14:38:46 GMT -6
The state of Vincent was more polished than herself for the singular fact he had to get dressed to come visit her. Otherwise he had bandages around his head mostly, and a few under his clothes as well. He was mostly unarmed save for Phoenix Heart. Like this if one was observant, or cared to observe, they could see the Phoenix Sigil upon the back of his right hand and his most detested scar upon his forehead.
He wanted to be polite, and he wanted to tell her she looked good, but he had a creeping suspicion that may just be a very bad call, so he settled for, "Thanks, you seem to be doing better as well. We got more than expected and less than I'd hoped. Half of what would have been owed us with a captive. There is a good bit more to go over about the meeting if you're free? If you want to go grab a bite take it as a thanks for keeping me alive out there, and a celebration of our survival as a whole."
He pulled out a small bag filled with coins. It looked fairly hefty and full, until one realized it was mostly silver. Still a fair site next to what most average people earned but not nearly as wonderful as gold in abundance. "I hear a tavern down the road serves excellent roasted duck and I've been meaning to try it, only problem is they serve you a whole bird. With sides, I can not eat all that." Clearly trying to tempt her. "But if you aren't hungry I can just as easily talk business here."
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Eris Coulson
Soldier
"Sometimes goodbye is a second chance"
Posts: 106
Profession: Mercenary
Affiliation: Ambition
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Eris Coulson
OoC Alias: Tsunderis
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Post by Eris Coulson on Jan 28, 2017 19:42:23 GMT -6
Apparently they had gotten paid more than Vincent expected, which was likely far more than what Eris was expecting: zero. Hell Eris would be skeptical if not for the ba that Vincent held in hand. Was that supposed to be his half? Her half? Or did they have to split the contents of the coin sack? Agh, that'd be hell to deal with. How would they even split it? Just by half? Eris...hell as much as she didn't like it, if they had to split it by half she couldn't accept it. She knew full well the bulk of the work had been put in by Vincent. He'd not only bested one of those riders but even grabbed his shield, which went on to serve as proof of their struggle and eve secured their pay.
Eris had murdered a horse.
She knew that, if she was in Vincent's position, she'd sure as hell be reluctant to give an even split at that point. But that didn't seem to be on his mind, as far as Eris could tell. Instead Vincent tried to coax her out with food? Roasted duck, hm? She used to have that back in Bern, from time to time. Made for a good dinner...and damn it, she could use the meal.
“Fine, fine. We can talk business down at the tavern.” Immediately she walked away from the door, moving to pull on her boots and grab her spear. She knew better than to leave without it. “But don't go paying for my meal or anything. I can cover that myself.” Maybe she was little more than a slayer of farm animals, but she still had SOME pride damn it.
The disgruntled redhead tied her boots up, pulled her lance from its lofty position, propped against the wall, and made it back to the doorway. “We can talk on the way, too. About dividing the coin AND about whatever happened in that big meeting.”
Oh that had been on Eris' mind as well. Outclassed by those bastards or not, she had a bit of a personal stake in this story. They'd cost her success for her first ever mission. She wasn't about to forget that, so she'd like to know more about them. Maybe she couldn't take them on, even with Vincent, but if she'd been a quitter she would have died back in Bern.
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Post by Vincent on Jan 28, 2017 20:52:11 GMT -6
The moment Eris agreed a small smirk creased Vin's lips. "Alright, alright, you can pay for your own meal, we made enough from the job to eat for a few weeks after all." And that would mean with another good paying job he could have some reserves. Shoot, he had a bit of reserves already back in Sacae, but not that he would reveal that fact.
Vincent leaned in the doorway with the bag of coins by his side as Eris moved to get ready. The moment she grabbed hold of the spear he knew she was at last ready. "Well, on the subject of the coin, here." With a lazy flick of his wrist he tossed the bag to Eris. "That right there, is your portion. If you want to compare bags we can, but I hope you trust me enough?" He laughed. "Actually, I would not trust me. Good or not I am a mercenary, a filthy sellsword only loyal to gold." He laughed at his own cynicism.
Inevitably he had heard that story many times over. It was all water off his back at this point but he would rather no one assume that. He started to head down the hall relying on Eris's ability to keep up. "So, where would you like to start? The meeting? Or the riders? Know what? I'll start with the riders."
Vincent ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. "Back when I was a novice those men counted ten. A small group and I reduced them to half and a smuggler blew another one of them into kingdom come with mines." He chuckled. "That was when I found this one." Vincent tapped the hilt of his sword. "It's uh, a magic blade. Those riders were in possession of it and other powerful weapons so I have no idea how long they have truly been at this but I can say they hate me." They numbered ten once but when they were reduced to four they had to step up their game and boy did they improve.
"It seems as though they have a patron supporting them now and that they are the four pillars of some bigger group. That is the big take away from the meeting. They are keeping this quiet but there is concerns growing."
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Eris Coulson
Soldier
"Sometimes goodbye is a second chance"
Posts: 106
Profession: Mercenary
Affiliation: Ambition
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Eris Coulson
OoC Alias: Tsunderis
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Post by Eris Coulson on May 1, 2017 23:03:38 GMT -6
Enough to eat for a few weeks?! Wow, who would have thought people rewarded abject failure so handsomely.
“A few weeks, huh? We ought to get our asses kicked more often...” Eris mumbled, but with a tiny smirk. One couldn't really be upset with a pay like that. Especially Eris. She uh, kinda needed money pretty badly. That said it still didn't feel quite right. She'd have felt a whole lot better about the situation had she actually been of any use whatsoever.
But hey, a girl's gotta eat, right?
Eris kept quick pace with Vincent, locking her room door behind her and keeping stride with the seasoned merc. She listened as he went on about the riders. Apparently he knew them...and kicked their asses before? Seriously?! Did Eris just like, completely misread this guy when they first met?!
“So you got your fancy sword from them, AND reduced their numbers in half? With how strong they are now, you'll have to understand my skepticism over here.” Eris said with a small huff. Okay, maybe she was just a little bitter about how strong the guy next to her apparently was, but her criticism had merit. Mercenaries told tall tales sometimes, right?
“But all right...skilled raiders with strong magic, and strong magic weapons, who may have been working for someone else. Okay, so what about the meeting then? Was that all that was discussed?” Eris wasn't exactly looking for, say, a follow-up job. Tip-toeing the line of death THAT closely left her with reasonable reservations...
On the other hand, she was a vindictive, spiteful, inferno of a woman and wanted to drag every last one of those raiders to hell. Especially the mage. He'd be happy about it, right? Could reunite with his precious horse.
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Post by Vincent on May 2, 2017 1:13:58 GMT -6
She may of mumbled but his ears were still plenty good and a short laugh escaped him. "Let's stick to trying to succeed in a job instead, shall we?" Getting paid to get beaten may not sound bad to her but he did not enjoy pain much. "The only reason we got so much money for it is because it was so inherently dangerous." And weeks worth of food was him being generous with small portions in truth.
The hero found himself smiling at her skepticism. "Well, that first encounter was a weird one. Half of them were off chasing their horses and others got surprised. I can pride myself on taking out their leader that day, but my comrades dealt with the other four." He was more than forthcoming with the truth of the tale, even if he left out that he killed their leader with a trembling stab in the back. Not his most glorious of victories but he saved a life, that justified it all, right?
The two were out of the inn and walking down the street when the subject turned to the meeting. "They do not know where their hideout, or meeting place, whatever you want to call it by is, but they do know that all their members denote themselves at meetings by wearing skull masks. Supposedly the rumors are they come from all walks of life and this is to protect them as such." He shook his head and from his bad produced such a mask.
Handing it over to Eris he continued his explanation. "We don't have their location yet but once we do my job, our job if you'll join me, is to infiltrate their group. From there we learn who the ones in charge are and get the proof to bring them crashing down." His tone said it was easy but his eyes betrayed him. He was terrified to go back in there.
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Eris Coulson
Soldier
"Sometimes goodbye is a second chance"
Posts: 106
Profession: Mercenary
Affiliation: Ambition
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Eris Coulson
OoC Alias: Tsunderis
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Post by Eris Coulson on May 2, 2017 10:28:59 GMT -6
Vince still had his sense of humor, thankfully, and Eris couldn't help but chuckle a bit with him. Yeah, she'd definitely prefer a successful mission over a well-paid failure...but he had a point. Looks like their employers were at least somewhat sympathetic, as they should have been, given the more or less lack of intel that had been given regarding the mission.
Eris was still pretty pissy about that.
“Chasing their horses, huh?” Bet one of those was the mage. He could go chase his horse straight to hell then. “So you had an advantage and more man power than we did. Yeah, that'd probably make a bigger difference.” Still, taking on their leader was a pretty sweet accomplishment...but Eris wasn't about to say that out loud. Her pride was like some sort of faberge egg. Small, and pretty much useless, but she had to protect it anyway.
As Eris and Vincent stepped out into the sunlight and onto a road through the village, he went on to explain what else was discussed in the meeting. What else was known about these raiders...which seemed to be little. They weren't all from one place, and they wear...super freaking weird skull masks whenever they get together.
“...Seriously? They wear this crap?” After Vincent offered one such mask to Eris, she held it before her face, studying it with a scrutinizing frown. “Are they from some sort of a cult?” Wouldn't put it past them. She'd heard of such things cropping up around Elibe before, but up until now those had just been rumors. Even this was just an odd hypothesis from her. Really they could just be weirdos who figured the best way to keep their identities secret were stupid masks.
Either way, it seemed these raiders were still a partial mystery. Their goal was unknown. Their true ranks were unknown. Their employer was unknown. Their identities were unknown. The location of their hideout was unknown. A.k.a: they knew diddly-dick all about these guys. Despite this it seemed that, one the location was known, they could get another job infiltrating their group...
...Which implied Eris would have to wear one of these stupid masks. She let the thing dangle in front of her face before sighing. Gross.
Still, they got paid so well just as compensation, even though their first mission was all but a total failure. Earning even more than that, along with taking down some cultist group armed to the teeth in magic and magic weaponry...that'd be one hell of a kick start to Eris' career. Opportunities like this didn't crop up willy-nilly, and frankly, she was a bit too greedy and self-absorbed ambitious to let this one slip by.
“Well, if it means more money, I'm in.” Eris glanced over at Vincent. He...didn't seem all that confident. Great, that was helpful. “How long do you think we have before their location is discovered?”
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Post by Vincent on May 4, 2017 20:16:06 GMT -6
Chasing their horses, "Yeah... Burt lit their tails on fire. A harsh method but it sure was effective." At the mention of manpower and advantages he agreed that it certainly did help but he felt compelled to stress one thing. "Back then... back then they were a ragtag group of ten. Random raider in Sacae, but now, under the tutelage of someone else, among the most dangerous enemies I have ever faced." And the assassins of the Black Feathers were one heck of a group... oh goodness, two of them were still out there too. He instinctively rubbed the back of his neck. How long until they too were at his doorstep?
"A cult?" Vincent laughed, "Would be an interesting discovery, let's hope not. Though, as luck would have it they aren't the first secret organization I've had to deal with. They are bound to have their eccentricities," He gestured to the mask. "Their own ciphers and symbols and practices... so... yeah kind of cultish." He conceded.
"More money huh?" He smiled at her softly, a mercenary at heart. "You can bet there will be money for it, probably enough to buy some nice things depending on results. With any luck we'll be famous in the region... and infamous to the underground." He did a sort of weighing the cost and benefits motion with his hands. "But it is equally likely to be brushed under the rug. No one wants to hear about lowly mercenaries taking down a criminal lord. That honor is reserved for knights and other lords." He himself looked dissatisfied with that.
Onto the final bit of information, and some of the most prudent. "Scouts have been marking the sightings and the known locations of their retreats on the map. The cross sections always point to the hills. One scout went that way and never returned. They believe he was found by them. So, in short, we can expect the word any day."
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Eris Coulson
Soldier
"Sometimes goodbye is a second chance"
Posts: 106
Profession: Mercenary
Affiliation: Ambition
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Eris Coulson
OoC Alias: Tsunderis
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Post by Eris Coulson on May 6, 2017 18:57:25 GMT -6
Eris stayed completely silent until Vincent finished talking. First time for everything, really. There was a great deal to absorb there, in terms of intelligence, and when it came to these bastards Eris really wanted to make sure she had her ducks in a row. The woman could bitch about a lack of information all she wanted, but only if she paid utmost attention when adequate information was actually provided. She brought a hand to her chin and looked to the ground, letting herself organize all that had just been said.
“Okay, so I'm going to ignore this Black Feather wyvern shite you spat out, because I have no idea who the hell they are.” Best to clear that up right away. For once Eris didn't even mean any offense, she just didn't need random information cluttering up what was wholly relevant. Turning her gaze up to the white haired merc, she continued.
“So, these bastards were a ragtag group of raiders. Strong, but they weren't major threats. Now someone's controlling them, giving them orders and supplies, helping them organize, so they've become a much larger concern.” Okay, all of that sounded about right. Really the Bernese rebellion went down a similar path. Start small, big influences come into play, and then bam. Next thing you know you're overthrowing a foreign power, mostly with men, women, and children who used to be villagers.
...Granted that's a rebellion and these a few assholes, but the analogy was still solid in Eris' mind.
“They have cult-like traits but we can't confirm if they're a cult. Okay...and some scouts for these people that we're working for have been recording known sightings of these raiders.” Okay, Eris had where she wanted to press from there...which was really the wealth and fame because OOOOH boy did that get her ego excited. Really, it needed something tantalizing after the beating it took from that mission.
However it was DEFINITELY more important to get one more thing cleared up. “Right. Vincent. Remind me again who the f**k we're working for? They've hired scouts, clearly have some serious vendetta against these raiders and likely the forces behind them. This is sounding more and more like some old maid's mystery story.”
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Post by Vincent on May 6, 2017 19:44:34 GMT -6
Vincent had an involuntary knee jerk reaction of irritation to the question of who had hired them. IF she showed up to the debrief she would know, wouldn't see? And it showed on his face as the briefest looks of annoyance flashed, but he contained it and any snark that would have resulted. It was probably a good thing he did too, the fire that resided in Eris was not something he needed to ignite. He could handle an argument with her, shoot, he bet he could win too... maybe he should give that one a go... no, stop, not productive.
"The man that hired us is named Aster." He slowly looked around for the sight of unwanted prying eyes and ears. "He is a local noble, no one big, but his family has a long and storied history with the area." He sighed, "Be glad you didn't go to the estate though, they did not take too kindly to a mercenary walking their hallowed halls." He redirected his snark to his employer, wise?
"But, yeah, this mission is being kept mostly off the books for now. If we can succeed than all will be revealed, until then however..." He rubbed his eyes. "Until then we are as much a member of the group as anyone that joins legitimately." He wanted to just shrug to that but he could not make light of that detail.
The two were nearing the tavern now. "I uh, I really am glad you're interested in seeing this through," he admitted. He needed allies in his corner for this job. As they entered the tavern Eris would get her first taste of the deeper mercenary life. The tavern was nothing special to the uninitiated but the moment they entered the door it became so much more.
Along the walls were boards with job postings and sitting inside mercenaries from all walks and styles. "Hey! Its the Heelcutter! And his girl!?" One of the more drunken of the men recognized Vincent upon entry and called out to him.
"Hardly! She is far too much for that prettyboy to handle!" This time it was a woman. Was she coming to Eris's defense, taking a jab at Vincent's pride? He had no idea.
"Hey! Multiple scars on my face and you all STILL call me pretty! What's that say about the rest of ya!?" Vincent shot back. There was a round of laughter by the patrons as Vincent moved to a clear table. His guild was not yet off the ground but at least as an individual he was recognized.
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Eris Coulson
Soldier
"Sometimes goodbye is a second chance"
Posts: 106
Profession: Mercenary
Affiliation: Ambition
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Eris Coulson
OoC Alias: Tsunderis
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Post by Eris Coulson on May 6, 2017 21:43:15 GMT -6
Vincent didn't look thrilled about Eris' questions, but his little frown didn't faze her any. He could be as mad as he wanted to be, the fact of the matter was that she needed to know this stuff. Though Eris was wondering how she'd failed to irritate the man before, but somehow succeeded in doing so now? Ugh, people were so damned weird...
Apparently they were hired by a man named Aster. Unfortunately Eris had missed the chance to put a face to that name, but a name was a good start all the same. A small-time noble, which immediately explained a great deal. Eris knew from personal experience just how damaging a group of raiders interfering with local trade could affect the wealthy. It delayed shipments of goods that they profited from, and would also dissuade trade from coming in, which would likewise hit the local economy pretty hard.
...And his staff didn't take kindly to a mercenary walking the halls, hm? Tch, better a mercenary than a bastard, surely. Eris wouldn't have been bothered in the slightest by pompous servants turning their noses up. At least Eris didn't earn her wages wiping the ass of an over-privileged sack of...
“Right, Aster. Local noble. Got it.” With a small breath to calm herself, Eris gave a nod. Okay, maybe...she wouldn't have taken the meeting all that well. Pushing those negative thoughts aside, Eris came to the realization that wasn't entirely sure what titles Lycian nobles went by aside from marquess. Would this man be a Baron, like her father? Didn't matter. Either way, he'd just be Aster to her.
Eris kept stride with Vincent, once again looking down at the stone and dirt beneath her boots. Either way, apparently they were part of Aster's team created specifically to eliminate the raiders. Interesting, given that Aster knew nothing about Eris. A literal traitorous bastard. If he did he'd probably think twice about hiring her for a task that seemed to be so vital for him. Buuuut whatever, the less others knew about her history the better.
Hm, and after Vincent's brief huffing and irritated glances, he oddly decides to admit that Eris was interested in seeing it through. Well...why wouldn't she be? The mission was personal to her now, and it had proven itself to be guaranteed money. Sure there was the chance that she'd kick the bucket trying to take these bastards down, but if she wanted to advance as a mercenary then she'd be a damn fool to turn away this opportunity.
“Well-” Eris had begun to speak as she and Vincent finally reached their destination. The two had just stepped in some drunk man hollered out, confusing Eris for Vincent's “girl”.
The redhead's eye twitched and her hands balled into fists, but she was cut off again, this time by a drunken women. Vincent exchanged some banter between these bar rats, and as laughter filled the hall, Eris steadily relaxed. She didn't like the idea of...being someone else's anything...but it hadn't been meant as an insult.
Maybe she had to just relax, from time to time. Getting so mad like that all the time clearly didn't do her any good. Hell, it's why she was in her current situation in the first place. Tch, you'd think she'd have learned by now...
“...Anyway, let's continue this over food and drink, huh?”
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Post by Vincent on May 8, 2017 10:05:55 GMT -6
"Food and drink sounds like an excellent idea to me!" Vincent chirped. As he took a seat he leaned forward onto the table resting his chin on his hands, obscuring his mouth. He analyzed the patrons of the day with intent for a while until a barmaid came by to see what they needed.
"What can I getcha hun?" She asked looking directly at Vincent but not once at Eris. She was an attractive woman with full pillowy lips, long red hair, and innocent doe eyes. The men seemed to come here for her just as much as they did the food and jobs. Some of the women too even.
"Going to celebrate a job going over well today, so the roast duck, and a mug of cider for me." Vincent replied only just taking note of her long enough to relay his wants.
"Ohhh, must have been a, real, big, score." She said in a seductive tone. Vincent passed her a bored expression to which she quickly knew he had no interest in her and went on to give Eris a look now. "Oh." She said in return. "And what do you want?" Her tone was far less pleasant, same with her expression. Her body language even shifted outright. It was like the whole world had something against Eris, even Vincent could notice it.
Once Eris ordered, assuming she did not have words for the woman, gods save her soul if she did, he would be able to explain that as an unknown mercenary she is as good as a corpse to them. Give her a few jobs, or fame of any caliber and she would be just as popular. Well, barring her personality getting in the way, but there was always a spot for the angry personality in the mix.
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Eris Coulson
Soldier
"Sometimes goodbye is a second chance"
Posts: 106
Profession: Mercenary
Affiliation: Ambition
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Eris Coulson
OoC Alias: Tsunderis
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Post by Eris Coulson on May 8, 2017 21:40:32 GMT -6
Taking another calming breath, Eris nodded and followed Vincent over to an empty table. She sat across from the mercenary, and followed his eyes as he gazed around. Seemed like he was studying the people in the tavern. They all seemed to know him, at least a few of them...was he really that big of a deal? Even so, perhaps learning the faces of other mercenaries was helpful. After all they were the largest dangers to any mercenary. They would be Eris' competition some days, allies the next, and outright enemies the day after.
Though the silence had helped Eris calm herself, she really hadn't expected her self-control to be so thoroughly tested twice in quick succession. But really, Eris should have seen this coming. The world and whatever gods presided over it had always hated her guts.
Some hot to trot bitch, apparently one of the barmaids or serving girls or whatever, had sauntered over and started cooing at Vincent. Everything from the way she moved to the sound of her voice grated on Eris' nerves. It was always the pretty ones that made her want to drive a spear through their heads...of course, she supposed the men could...sort of relate to that?
Thankfully the merc didn't seem all that interested in her, probably because she was so damned obvious, so Eris didn't have to sit there and watch them flirt. But the bitch couldn't even hide her disappointment, or absolute lack of interest in Eris when she finally addressed her. What the hell was she, chopped liver? She had half a mind to call her out, to tell her that if she was in that great a need of a “spear”, then hers was far larger.
“...Same as him.” Eris managed to answer, through grit teeth and with a firm glare.
Luckily for Eris, and the barmaid for that matter, the mercenary's OTHER half a mind was the smarter one. Eris' mother was a serving girl, granted she served a Baron while this bitch served whatever sack of crap waltzed into the tavern. Not that the Baron wasn't a sack of crap, but that was besides the point. The point was Eris knew better than most not to bite the hand that fed you, or at least brought you your food.
...And that people would do whatever it took to earn some extra gold. The bitch probably wasn't that whorish, she probably was just digging for a bigger tip.
Still, Eris did cross her arms and sink back into her seat a bit. She really needed to stop getting so worked up over other women. Or other people in general. It was...it was a waste of energy, and probably made for a really shitty image.
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Post by Vincent on May 8, 2017 22:14:57 GMT -6
Normally Vincent would have to suppress a grin at a scene like this but not this time, Eris seemed to have a lot that bothered her and he knew too little about her to say why one way or the other. He could guess she did not like the attitude of the woman here, and the way she changed her mood and step between the two spoke to a vial character. Besides, Vincent had someone, once, maybe, it was a weird relationship. He noticed himself instinctively touching his necklace.
As Eris struggled and sat back to fume in all her glorious rage and hatred he offered her a soft sympathetic smile. Back when he was just a farm brat he felt like everyone and everything was out to get him. He endured endless and relentless torment from others, but he had Ash there to bail him out and be a close confidant. Turned out he secretly hated him and joined a group of bandits. His wanting them to be mercenaries was an initiation ploy to get him killed. Man, that is some dramatic irony.
Not to mention all the crazy stuff that had happened to him since becoming a mercenary, man, it really was SOME CRAZY TIMES. But he learned to smile more through it all. Maybe he could help Eris do the same. Then again, looking at her now, he was not so sure about that. "Well, unfortunately I have you as caught up on the mission status as I am, unfortunate, but the way of things. Now, I remember you told me that last job was your first, and a heck of a good job that was, really." He knew she did not believe it but he meant it, he really did.
"So, I want to open the floor to any questions you might have for me, be it as partners or about being a mercenary. I can speak to working in Illia, Sacae and obviously here too. Even on the sea." He smiled for her.
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