Beginner's Job. (PM for entry)

[Loreley]

Loreley looked around the room, golden eyes taking it all in. She wasn't quite in the middle of it all, but wasn't quite away from it all either. She liked the crowds generally, but her favorite ones were the ones that reminded her of home. Here in Bern, it seemed that taverns could quickly swing from welcoming and open to the darkest broodiest corner of the town. Something to do with their political situation. She'd heard that the Northerners, the Ilians, had ruled with a harsh fist here in recent years. It reminded her of some of the places back home on the Isles. There, warlords were common. It was a way of life in some areas. The people like those in her village just had to hope that they were considered unworthy of subjugating. Wake had been safe for many years. Maybe it would be again, but for now, the people of her village had moved to one of the larger cities on the isles. Living under the protection of the Etrurian fleets. She was glad for her family, and her people.... She just was left with a feeling of being displaced after the move. The new home wasn't like Wake. She didn't belong.

Now she wandered, making her way through a variety of means. She'd left her sloop with her family on this voyage, booking passage on a larger ship all the way to the other side of the world. It was both exciting and terrifying to be so far from home, but she'd grown a little more sufficient over the recent Years. She could fish. She was passable at hunting with her bow or trapping small game. It was hard to travel quickly on the money that those things could give though. Recently, she'd been drawn inland, away from the sea. She wanted freedom to travel. She wanted to see the oceans of grass people told stories of in Sacae. She wanted to see the little kingdoms in Lycia, and look at all the beautiful lords and ladies there. Etruria's churches and clergy were spoken of so highly. She wanted to see those too.... To do all these things, she needed to find a good trade that could travel as fast as the winds carried her.

Mercenary work was the solution. It would build the talents she'd need to get to and through the more dangerous places on the road. It would keep others from discouraging her on those travels. It could bring good money, or get her safety in numbers if the right job showed up. Mercenary work was the best and scariest solution.... The only issue preventing her from getting in on it was that she had no idea how to get "in".

To get around that, Lore had posted up a job of her own. She was looking for someone who could show her the trade, but she wanted to learn from someone who had done this before. They needed to know what they were doing. It seemed risky to put up a contract like that here. She'd dealt in and around rowdy crowds before, so she hoped she could avoid any cutthroats who would want to rob her of her coin, or worse. To be a little safer though, the job posting said to contact the Innkeeper for details. He'd said he would keep an eye out for people he would trust the job to as well, after she'd slipped him another golden mark. It seemed gold bought cooperation from people here in Bern just as well as the Western Isles.

So, now she sat in the common room of the Halfmoon Inn, just another nameless traveler stopping by for a few days on the roads. Enough jobs came and went from here. It was a good centralized location for travel and the people here seemed to always have trouble boiling up their sleeves from somewhere. IF there was nothing going on here, there would be around their relations. And if nothing turned up for Lore, she could always move onto the next town. She had enough gold put away for a little while before the gutters began to run dry.

[Syana Flamberge]

Syana was walking towards a place called the Halfmoon Inn. She felt like she had been here before, but couldn't remember the circumstances around it. Maybe she had stopped in here traveling around with Saturos at some point. Or maybe even before that, she couldn't remember. Not that it really matter. What did matter was the job that she was responding to here. The description had been rather vague, but from what she could tell it was someone basically wanting to be trained in the ways of a mercenary. Even a month back, Syana would have ignored this type of job as not in her wheelhouse. But after going through the motions with Tiz, she had decided to give it a chance. She wasn't the best teacher, nor did she intend to do this all the time, but she was interest to see how things went. Plus, money was money.

As she stepped inside the inn, Syana took in her surroundings. It was a fairly lively place. Not too crazy, but also busy enough to make it easy to discuss work without being overheard. The posting had mentioned contacting the Innkeeper for more details, but that wasn't her style. It was probably just the job poster being extra cautious, especially if they were just trying to get into the game. That aside, Syana intended to ignore it. Instead, she focused her attention around at the patrons in the Inn itself. The poster was most likely here already. She was almost immediately able to discount 75 percent of the patrons, as they didn't fit the profile of the poster. She slowly worked her way through the remaining patrons before she settled on a girl sitting at a table by herself. Smirking slightly, she pushed her way through the cloud and slipped into a chair across the table from her. "So, you wanna be a merc, huh? Nice move, directing people through the Innkeeper. Smart. A good merc would be able to figure out who posted the job regardless, but it shows you have brains at least. And that's a good start."

[Loreley]

Loreley was just contemplating he bottom of her mug. She'd not been drinking quickly. Mostly she'd been nursing it, awaiting the evening when everything livened up more. The end of the work day was like a dinner bell for the weary, calling everyone in to shed their worries and set aside their troubles for the night. It wasn't as lively as her people's gatherings, but it was lively enough to remind her of home.... She was just thinking that it was time for a refill and a snack when she looked up suddenly.

Sliding smoothly into the seat across from her was a woman with brilliant red hair. Confidence paired with nonchalance was immediately noticeable in her body movement. She was young, though age was difficult to make out precisely. A calm experience helped to mask what age she might be.

Her new table partner spoke up, making a casual comment on wanting to be a mercenary. Lore started, surprised that she'd been approached about it without warning. She whipped her gaze over to the innkeeper serving late lunches across the room and then back. The Half Moon's keeper was oblivious to what was going on. She would have heard or at the least noticed if he was talking to someone. It made her a little nervous. But there was an edge of something else there as well. A thrill accompanying the danger.

"How did you-" The blonde haired islander snapped her jaw shut. Now she'd definitely given away that she was the one posting the job. That reaction would be hard to explain away if she needed to. Still, this was a step towards what she needed. Potentially a sideways step, but still a little progression. She'd still be careful, but no sense pushing aside an opportunity given her.

"I didn't expect to be found so easily as that.... At least I'm starting off being accused of having brains, yeah?" Loreley seemed a cross between pensive, and sheepish. She wasn't actually sure what to do now. She'd expected to have a little while to think things through. What were you supposed to do at this point... ... ... Ah! Introductions.

"I'm Loreley... Could I ask your name? Can I get you a drink?" Hospitality. That had been something worthwhile in her home. Maybe it would still hold here. Who was this woman? She looked like she could be a capable merc, but how much did Lore really know about that business on the Mainland?

[Syana Flamberge]

The smirk grew wider on Syana's face as she watched the girl in front of her grow a little bit flustered. Not that there had been much doubt, but she did confirm that was she was right. This was the person who had placed the ad. As she had pointed out, she did at least seem to be clever, so she had that going for her. The fact she seemed so surprised to have been found so easily, however, showed the redhead that she still had much to learn, which was to be expected. Not much point in hiring a teacher if you were proficient in everything, right?

Syana gave her head a little shake. "I'll give you my name once you've convinced me why I should spend my time training you to be a mercenary. If you can do that, my name will be the first thing you learn. Otherwise, I'll be gone before you even realized I've left. So, you'd better make tonight count." While she had become more open to training someone, she wanted to make sure that it would be worth her time. She didn't want to bother with someone who didn't want to put in the work, nor someone who would take years to teach. She'd have to take on other jobs eventually, and if this girl held her back, that was money out of her pocket. So she had to be sure. Leaning back in her seat, she gave a little nod. "I will take that drink, though."

[Loreley]

Lore watched this woman speaking to her. Confident and capable. Secretive even. She was feeling a little tempted by the danger and uncertainty. Not something she was that fond of in herself, but there it was just the same. She'd grown an appreciation for taking risks in recent times. While some called it foolish, she never failed to learn something from her risks.

Loreley waved at the server, signaling her fingers up in a v for two more mugs and came back to the conversation. "I was kind of figuring on the gold getting me that far." She there was a small grimace on her lips as she spoke, but there was a challenge granted her now: find the right course to navigate. The two drinks arrived, and Lore took a sip of the local brew. It was a dark and bitter brew here, and more bitter than she was accustomed to. She'd grown up on Wake's grog, and was missing the taste right about then.

"Tonight?" Was she talking about a job? Loreley paused. She hadn't expected things to take off this quickly.

"Do you have a job already in mind? I'm sorry. I don't even know who you are or what you do yet." Lore's tone grew a little bit more accusatory, though still conversational in tone. "So far, I've been making the assumption that you really are a merc for hire. How do I know you can even really help me? Can he speak for you?" She nodded her head at the inn keeper. He'd seemed nice enough. He'd set her up with a tab after a few days staying here. He was polite, as far as folks went, and seemed knowledgeable.

[Syana Flamberge]

Syana couldn't help but roll her eyes. This girl had started out so promising, but now she was unsure. Maybe she had given her a little too much credit before. "I meant you have tonight to convince me as to why I should teach you. My time is valuable and if I'm going to be spending it training you, it had better be worth it." She did have to admit, though, she liked the girl's fiery attitude. Sure, she was being a little bit rude, and they would address that later, but there was fight there. And if there was one thing you needed in this line of work, it was fight.

Reaching out, Syana grabbed the drink placed in front of her and downed it in one go. It wasn't awful. It was nothing like the drinks they had back home in Ilia, though. Maybe she'd make her way back there next, with or without this Loreley. Setting the empty mug back down, she addressed the girl again. "You don't know if I can really help you. Just like how I don't know if you're worth training. You have to take risks in this line of work. As for him..." She nodded her head towards the inn keeper. "I'd hope not. If a random inn keeper knows who I am, I'm not doing my job well enough. You want people in our line of business to know who you are, but not those outside it. You want to be known by reputation, not by sight. One gets you more work. The other gets you in trouble. Make sense?"

[Loreley]

Lore backed off a bit when she saw the red headed woman roll her eyes. She blushed a bit, embarrased. She might be coming off a bit too hopeful and eager, but... well, it was hard not to be excited. In the past several months leaving her home, she'd realized just how sheltered she'd been. She'd denied it at first, convinced that living in the isles would toughen anyone up. The rest of the world were "soft land lubbers" by some stories. What she had found after beginning her travels though.... It was reshaping her. There was so much worth finding and accomplishing out here. She wanted to see it all. Mercenary work was the freest of all the jobs she could think of and paid well besides. Gold and the freedom to travel. Wasn't that worth some sacrifice? That was why she was ready to dive in head first and ride the waves of fortune.

Hearing what she said about the innkeeper, Loreley thought it made sense as put. It just went to show that she had alot to learn, and resetting preconceived notions was going to be a part of that. It paid to be known as an able sailor in the islands, and it was even better if you were known to be worth your salt in a fight....

"No... I get it...." The sun-kissed blonde sighed as she realized that this would be alot like starting from scratch. She had no reputation. She wasn't known here, as she had been around her home in the isles.... That wasn't enough to stop her though. She firmed up her lower lip, and met the redhead's eyes, willing to take the chance. Some might laugh at her. She still had a soft and delicate side to her, and she didn't want to lose her empathy for people and amazing places. There was much more to her than that though. She'd ridden the waves since she was young and some of that wildnes infused everything about her. She'd felt at home tossed on the ocean, though she still respected it. The rest of the world was proving to be very similar.

"I'm willing to learn." Lore spoke up, golden eyes flashing in conviction. "Learning to do mercenary work will give me good pay anywhere in the world. Which is good, because that's what I want to see. I want the freedom to go wherever the winds take me. And, if you won't help, then... I'll just have to find another way." This woman definitely wouldn't be her only option over the coming time, but she felt so close now. She could practically taste it.... But what if she wasn't the one? Didn't matter yet. No alternatives right now.

[Syana Flamberge]

Syana's smirk grew wider as she slammed her hand down on the table. The inn was loud enough that it wouldn't attract attention, but it made her point to the girl across from her. "Good! You have a reason to do this, that's a good place to start. There's nothing worse than someone playing at being a mercenary just because. That never ends well." The last guy like that she had worked with had been killed during the job. Shame, as he could have grown into a pretty good merc, but he didn't have the drive to do so. He was just going through the motions, and that got him killed. As sad as it was, it actually worked out in Syana's favorite, as they took him for being there on his own and no one bothered to look for her.

The redhead took this time to look the girl across from her over. She had a decent build, but there were certain tells about her that help Syana learn more. She had noticeable arm strength, but not the type that came from wielding a sword or an axe. She determined she most likely used a bow. She looked nimble, but probably couldn't take more than a few hits before going down. Toughen her up a little bit, she could be something. But, that all depended on one thing. "So, you want to be a merc. The question is, what type of merc do you want to be? Thief? Bodyguard? Explorer? Assassin? Spy? Something else?"

[Loreley]

Loreley gave a start as the woman pounded on the table. Just a little one, but the woman had gone from quiet and contemplative, to excited. If not in an eager manner, than at least in an energetic way. The noise around them swallowed up their discussion in its chaotic patterns.... Yes. Mercenary work did seem right, because it was a reliable way to travel the land. Maybe a little fame and recognition on the side... but no. A traveling merc shouldn't be recognized by the commonfolk. She'd just learned that. She frowned a little in thought. That might be a hard mindset to break....

"Playing at being a mercenary?" That sounded foolish. And, dangerously so. "Like someone claiming to be a fighter, and then going and getting themselves killed?" Death... That was the only hangup to her plans. She didn't want to die young. She didn't particularly want to die in battle. But "little risked, little won" was the saying.

"Oh. What kind?" Loreley thought of what this woman had said. The fact that she'd given so many possibiities helped the blonde haired sailor to relax a little. It seemed and sounded like she was putting real thought and real questions into this pursuit. It didn't establish true trust, but it brought Lore closer to trusting.

"I honestly hadn't thought enough about that to give you a very good answer. I don't really want to be known for... shadier dealings though." She bit her lip before continuing. She was just being honest, but she did wonder how this one she was talking to would take such an open statement. "Is that naive?"

"Explorer sounds like a good fit for me. But what kind of work is that? And how much gold is actually in it? ... I expect that I won't be able to be very choosy in this line of work." It was going to be a challenge. A challenge to break in. A challenge to break herself to the skills she needed.

[Syana Flamberge]

Syana shook her head. "Some idiots out there think being a mercenary is an easy way to make money and that they don't have to prepare for it. Basically just show up and get handed money. Instead, they find themselves looking down the wrong end of a sword before they see so much as a coin." Idiots. The amount of stories that she had heard about fools trying to pull stunts like that blew her mind. Even today, people still didn't understand what it meant to be a merc. It wasn't a walk in the park. People die all the time, even on jobs most mercs would assume would be easy. You couldn't take any job as a given thing, or you might not live to see the end of it.

As the girl started talking again, Syana gave a shrug. "It is and it isn't. It's easy to say no now, sitting here in this inn. But a year or two from now, when you're starving on the side of the road, shadier dealings are a little easier to stomach. However, if work goes well, you might never need to worry about it. Only time will tell." Admittedly, Syana had never really had a problem with shadier dealings, as the girl put it. There were things she wouldn't do, but for the most part she acknowledged it was part of the job. But that was something she would have to learn for herself.

"Explorers explore, to oversimplify things. They're usually hired to do things like find a missing object, explore a newly discovered place and sometimes map them out, stuff like that. The money can be ok, depending on what the job itself is, but it's usually one of the lower paying aspects of being a mercenary."

[Loreley]

"I dunno.... It sounds like explorers need a reputation before they can get too much work.... You'd need someone of wealth to fund your expedition, and they have to want it done before that can happen." And you have to inspire their trust before they'll hire you. Loreley finished the list of challenges to getting a job to herself as she bit her lip lightly and considered. Well, no one had said mercenary work was easy. What this woman said, and what she'd seen herself out in the isles said exactly the opposite in fact. It did pay well thuogh, the blonde haired sailor lass reminded herself again. And, it would be work in all of the places she wished to go.

"It's almost like treasure hunting. I don't have the strength for that yet.... Not when you factor the competition." She was a little downcast, but firmed her chin up and kept thinking.

"I could handle tracking, but that could turn nastier than I'd want to handle just as easily.... At least with bodyguard duty, I might have someone watching my back." That'd stick her right in the thick of things too. If danger was going to strike, it would come for her first in that position. But the, nothing risked, nothing gained.

"Is it alright if I ask how you started? If you're confident enough to teach me, then you must have gotten a start somewhere." She looked at the red head. She was genuinely asking, but she was also hoping for a little more insight that this person might actually be fore real, and not just someone trying a con. Lore took another pull of the bitter drink these Bernese used while she waited with an attentive face.

[Syana Flamberge]

"That is an excellent question," Syana responded with a grin. "Unfortunately for you, how I started won't help you very much. As you theorized, the biggest and toughest part of starting out is building a reputation and that takes years." Truth was, Syana was still building her reputation. In her mind, the best mercenaries never stop improving. You always want to be doing better work and building that reputation. You want to be the best. And even once you were the best, you still couldn't stop. Because someone will always be coming for you. That's the nature of the game, and Syana wouldn't have it any other way.

"As for me, well, I guess you could say I was born for this. Literally. My father was a mercenary. My mother was a mercenary. All five of my older brothers are mercenaries. It was the only way of life I ever saw for myself and it's what I trained for since I was a little kid. I couldn't even imagine what I'd be doing if not this." She gave a shrug and motioned to the server for another drink. "Started by working odd jobs with some of my brothers, getting experience and all that. After a year or two, finally moved onto working on my own." She thanked the server as her drink was placed in front of her. This time, she decided to make it last a little longer and only drank some of it for now. "Any other questions?"

[Loreley]

"Wow. You really were born to this." Lore tried to imagine what it must have been like growing up like that. Had they gotten along better because of it? Or had they fought more since they were all looking for the same jobs? The sunkissed blonde mused on it a few more moments. She'd seen families like that before, but in the Isles, it was far more common to split people up among different jobs. At least where she'd lived. Everyone had seemed to know a little sailing. Hunters and fighters had seemed the most common outside of her home. Wake had had more than its share of fishers and farmers as well as lumberjacks and miners. It had been blessed with a safe place, and many natural resources to flourish under. Oddly enough, it had lacked an abundance of craftsman. They had been there, but not in the numbers you would have expected. Probably because despite the numerous resources, something had kept Wake a small village.

"I... don't know. I can't think of any more questions.... So you'll show me then?" Right then, Lore didn't have proof that this was the best or safest choice she could find. But as had been mentioned earlier, mercenary work wasn't safe or easy. She realized now, that even she had been infected with the idea of mercs making an easy buck. It wasn't going to be easy at all. But it would be good money, wherever she was. She could still fall back on her other skills as well, which would probably be a handy safety net to have. "I still need to learn... at least I need to learn to get started!" She needed to know who to talk to. When to shoot and when to wait. She needed experience.

[Syana Flamberge]

Syana folded her hands in front of her face and rested her head on them. She fixed her blue eyes on Loreley and stared at her. The girl was rough and unpolished. It was take a good deal of training to get her up to par. She had some of the intangible things that would make a good mercenary though. She seemed to have the drive. She seemed like she actually did want to do this, which as she said before was something you needed in this line of work. She was a little concerned about one of her previous assessments, that being that the girl used a bow. Not that you couldn't an an effective merc with a bow, but it was something Syana herself had little experience with.

After a few minutes, Syana lifted her head up and began to nod. "Yes. Yeah, I'll train you. Why not. It could be fun. Actually, it will be fun." A grin began to break out on her face. She was actually looking forward to this now. She downed the rest of her drink for a second time before reaching out her hand across the table. "Nice to meet you, Loreley. I'm Syana." She shook the girl's hand, as if to seal the deal. There was a new energy in Syana. Maybe it would be short lived and she would regret this. But until that time came, she really was looking forward to this. "Oh, and by the way. Since you never asked, I figured you might want to know what type of mercenary I am." She leaned in a little closer and gave the girl a wink. "I'm an assassin."

[Loreley]

Loreley waited, as Syana seemed to be making up her mind. She avoided trembling, but oh, she could feel the pressure on here. This was one of those times where she'd look back and see diverging paths playing out in front of her. She ought to read the stars on this one and on herself later....

She took the hand as it was offered, a smile of relief growing into triumph and excitement a moment later. This was a good first step to where she needed to go, and what she needed to do. She wasn't sure if she'd ever be rich from it, but opening options up and being self sufficient was what she wanted out of this. She would definitely find that.

"Syana" She tried the name out in her mouth, as if tasting something for the first time. It felt right for the red head, but Lore wasn't sure what made her think that. The next revelation came close on the heels of the first.

The archer's golden eyes popped open in surprise and her jaw started to drop before she had the presence of mind to catch it. An assassin! "Fate of the Hunter! Syana, you're not supposed to tell people that." It came out almost a hiss, but Lore knew just enough about making deals in taverns too keep it from looking and sounding too suspicious. She kept her voice mostly level, however she couldn't mask her surprise.

"What does that mean for me?" Assassins. Killers for hire. They could be sloppy and murderous, but those didn't hang onto the title very long. A skilled was a planner, could think on her feet, knew when to press on and when to run. It was a valuable skill set that went along with an intimidating position.... What would an assassin teach?