well...now what?

[hobbit]

Town life- how could anyone become used to it? It was noise and more noise, none of it really important noise. She felt like cutting her ears off, if only to gain some comfort. The woman kept her irritation off her face as she moved along through the streets, keeping the dark purple hood of her robe up, casting her features in shadows. She would have preferred a more normal color, like brown, but purple was all she had been able to snatch before the baker’s wife had returned. Besides, the woman highly doubted anyone would notice her; she was small, she was feminine in appearance…she was a woman…she wasn’t worth noticing.

A light smirk came across the dark woman’s face as she paused before the booth of a man selling weaponry. Her eyes landed briefly on a Morning Star; she never relied upon a single weapon, for she found such a thing to be foolish, but she would be a liar if she said she had never wished for a Morning Star. Her hands urged to hold onto its blade, she wished to run with it, away from this town…but it was too bulky and noticeable. A light sigh escaped River as her eyes turned to the fine daggers lying on the table.

The man standing behind the counter eyed her before speaking, “This ain’t no place for a woman.”

River looked away from one of the smaller daggers. She hesitated for only a split second before pulling her head down. She wore her brown tresses in a bun, something she rarely wore, and while her hair certainly had more texture than the straight locks of the ladies around it, she had found some men considered it to be a nice change. It was clear that this rotund man was one of them. River smiled a bit, looking slightly abashed as she stared at her hands, “I was looking to buy my husband a gift…he…he really likes the battle axes and he’s going off to fight soon. I want him to have something new, better,” she added, looking up for once.

The man eyed River. It was not her best tale, but it seemed to do, for he shrugged his shoulders and turned around to pick up a battle axe, “Now, I know ain’t no woman gonna know what’s good. So I’ll tell ya: this here is the best, and only-” the man cut off, his jaw dropping. The woman was gone, and so were three of the small daggers.

River, meanwhile, walked through the streets at her usual pace. She did not wish to attract attention to herself, and running would do just that. She had, however, dropped the purple cloak on the ground; she no longer required it. Beneath the robe, she wore a simple dress. It was dark blue in color, and it played nicely with the tone of her skin and the color of her eyes. She was not usually vain, but River had found that standing out after the crime helped. High ladies never did any wrong, after all.

The daggers were hidden on her, the most irritable one was tucked into a leader strip she had tied around her lower leg. While the dress was tight, it was still loose enough to hide the faint bulge.

The young lady suddenly turned, abandoning the main streets and heading onto the darker ones, where things she did not wish to often partake in occurred. She was looking for a certain man, a man that didn’t mind dealing with stolen goods. A black market man. Her dark eyes scanned the shadows quickly, searching for the familiar face. As she walked, it grew more and more apparent that, for some reason, the man had not come…


Great! she thought to herself, pausing in place. Despite her anger, her face still remained serene and soft, What the hell do I do now?

[Jotari]

The outlaw was feeling especially bold today. She walked through the festival with a hood covering her face but no cloak and wearing pants and her typical woodland garb. The ever-present dagger was sheathed at her side and it looked like she didn't have a care in the world. Throughout the entire festival were several of her underlings, working to make the Grellon rich enough to buy what they needed. But their leader was headed for the Blue Boar Inn and Tavern, a favorite spot for her, to do any necessary business in the underworld. Black Star was about to enter the tavern when one of her men got her attention. She followed him down a side street where a certain dealer of the black market had been attempting to steal from a Grellon member. How the heck a Grellon member had been so stupid as to allow this, Black Star did not know. Usually her people were pretty careful.

She knelt down and flicked her dagger under her throat menacingly. He seemed to be praying or cursing in another language. Her tone was menacing, " You stay away from the Grellon, do you understand? Otherwise..." She trailed the dagger slowly down his chest and stopped at the lower stomach. He squeaked and nodded eagerly. She stood and he quickly jumped up and bowed away. The outlaw reached out and grabbed him again, "Where do you work?" He squirmed under her burning gaze and pointed down yet another street. Black Star shoved him back and wandered down that street with the intent of stealing some of his business or maybe driving off a customer. Sheathing her dagger she spotted a waiting young woman.

Black Star meandered closer and observed the woman silently from beneath the hood. She shrugged, not expecting for the girl to have anything of any value. May as well save the girl some time. The dog who usually runs the black market around here has found....better things to do. If you have anything worth while, try the Blue Boar Inn. With that the outlaw turned on her heels and rapidly beelined it down the street and onto a main street. Walking quickly down yet another side street she entered the rustic and dimly lit Blue Boar Inn.

The Inn Keeper glanced up and nodded to his patroness. Without a word between them he brought her a drink as she settled comfortably in a back corner. Black Star glanced up and nodded appreciably, placing a few coins, well above the drink's worth, on the table. Her sharp eyes had noticed that his clothes and his wife's clothes were a bit more ragged then usual. The Inn Keeper, a rather short and round fellow, grinned at her in a jovial way and went to show his wife as she worked on cooking int he back room. Black Star smiled a bit and leaned back to enjoy her drink and await any customers for her line of work. She had lines in the black market and goodness knows that most of the thieving today would be becuase of her and the Grellon.

[hobbit]

There was always the option of simply walking off with the daggers, and her coin purse still as light as it was now. The woman certainly didn’t care much for money, so doing so didn’t really make her irritated, but she had been looking forward to a quiet night in an inn- in a room which she had actually paid for. She was a thief to survive, after all, not one by nature.

River was about to turn and wander off, when she noticed someone looking at her. The female’s eyes narrowed as she turned her steely gaze upon the hooded stranger; unless the men here were growing breasts instead of balls, this was a woman she was staring at. Which meant that she was about to be attacked, appraised, or maybe this was just one of those recently released mental patients. When the woman spoke, River’s eyes narrowed even more. Dog, yes, that was a befitting word for the man she had come to meet, and if she ever saw him again she would strike him over the head for being absent. River wasn’t a lady of importance, not by any means, but she did not enjoy coming to an appointment only to find the other person was not there.

Before she could asks any questions, the hooded figure was gone. Puzzlement took over River’s features, but only for a moment. Deciding to take the advice, River walked off. She had not been in the inn, but she had heard of it, and knew where it was. It did not take her long to walk to the Blue Boar Inn; she paused outside of it, frowning for a moment before entering the establishment. She only had one inn she bothered to go into, and it wasn’t technically an inn. She found most of them to be rather dirty, and this one was no exception. However, she couldn’t afford to be picky.

River made her way to the bar, ordering a cheap drink, for she didn’t have many coins left to pay with. As she sat down and sipped the disgusting liquid, River wondered who she was to meet for trading. The stranger hadn’t been very clear. Hell, the stranger may not have even meant it; could’ve been a spy, or someone simply messing with her. Still, River would stay, if only for a few moments longer. She wanted to get rid of these damn daggers.

[Jotari]

Black Star took her blessed time, watching the young woman. Picking up her mug the outlaw queen moved to sit next to River. Taking a drink the outlaw set down the mug and glanced at River. " The name is Black Star, your former buyer moved in on my business and he won't be around anymore. If you need to sell something, bring it here. One of my "assistants" will probably be lurking about if you look carefully." The Innkeeper's wife plodded over and refilled the outlaw's mug to the brim. Black Star nodded appreciatively and after taking another long swig the outlaw looked over River.

"It was pretty obvious you were looking to do some business but the question is why a nice looking girl like you is into this sort of work." River didn't really impress Black Star but the outlaw kept her tone low and civil. She looked up as a man loomed in the doorway but focused back on her drink as the newcomer wandered over and sat next to Black Star. He coldly placed a bag on the floor next to him where a sword hilt peeked out. Black Star glanced at it and then placed a few coins on the table. The man muttered something but Black Star just shrugged. The man left and took the coins. Black Star picked up the sword in its bag and calmly handed it to the innkeeper who took it to another room. The entire transaction lasted only a few seconds and the other patrons didn't seem to notice a thing. If they did notice, they were the type who would do the same thing given the chance. Black Star was a thief, though she also had a good side to her. She did not murder, but she could be very cruel if truly angered. The Grellon had eyes and ears everywhere. There were two side to the coin, one side was Black Star the mysterious woman, leader of the Grellon and dragging people safely out from Murate. The other side was, Black Star the thief and outlaw. Right now, it was side two and business was flourishing.

[hobbit]

A loyal seller would have been infuriated that their trusted buyer was gone. However, loyalty was not something River practiced often, and certainly not something she would offer up to her old buyer. Business was just that: business. Friendship, loyalty…that didn’t mean shit when one was simply doing business. So long as the price was right, River would sell.

She chuckled lightly as Black Star carried on speaking. Did she really need to repeat the same old clichés? To be frank, every time she had to River vomited in her mouth a bit, but hey, if it helped to move things along she would take one for…herself. She opened her mouth to reply to the other women, but before she could do so a man wandered over and sat down next to Black Star. River’s keen eyes watched the entire transaction, which was so brief she was sure other costumers didn’t even notice. When the man had left, River took another sip of her drink before speaking, “I am River,” she figured that an introduction was in order. Black Star had shared her name, after all, and River had no need to hide hers. “You know the old cliché, don’t you? Looks can be deceiving,” she added, “However, I suppose I’ll answer your question. I’m into this line of work for the fame and glory,” her voice was dry as she said this.

There was no fame and glory in store for a thief. A thief could be rich, they could be poor, or they could be put to death; that was the three options a thief had in life. River had been eyeing the first one for quite some time, but she was used to being poor, and being poor was better than being dead. As soon as River emptied her cup, the inn keeper’s wife made her way over, offering to fill it. The young women simply shook her head to decline. The drink hadn’t been delicious enough for seconds.

[Jotari]

The man who had sold the sword came back and muttered something to the Innkeeper. Black Star watched with sudden interest and a shadow crossed her eyes. Something told her something was going on. But fr now she focused on River. When the young woman said "fame and glory" Black Star laughed. The innkeeper looked startled but then went back to talking to the man. The Grellon queen chuckled and took another drink, " Fame and glory huh? Look, River is it? Whatever, I doubt we'll see each other much. Anyway, look River, I run the black market in both Ellsinora and Murate. I have an entire hidden band of outlaws hidden in the Orestes Mountains. I have fame and glory, trust me, you don't want it unless you can run really fast. I not only have Magrej getting ticked at me, I also have Ellsinora royalty after me with a personal grudge from Princess Abigail. Albeit, I have royal allies too, but that's not going to help me if I ever get caught. Get rich but avoid the fame and glory part of this deal."

Right on cue the innkeeper came forward and filled the outlaw's mug. Leaning forward he muttered, " You may want to leave, someone has alerted the guards that you're back in town and they're searching for you." Black Star nodded and flicked a coin into his hand. Standing slowly she stretched and took a last long draught. " I hate to chat and run, if you have something worth my time now would be the time to show it to me. Those guards have a particular hatred for me after I took several of them out right in the castle courtyard. So what do you have and how much do you want for it?" The outlaw motioned for the innkeeper to hide the sword better and the innkeeper, a cheeky fellow he really was, took out the lovely thing and hung it calmly above the fireplace. The Blue Boar was a den of thieves who started leaving one by one. Many of them had prices of their heads. You could tell which ones were more experienced at this as they took their blessed time, some even just remaining where they were. The reckless and stupid ones were rushing about in a near panic. Usually the reckless ones ran out to hide behind their mommies' skirts or they got grabbed by an older fellow and forced to calm down. This wasn't a huge deal around here. Guards would come in and would hopefully, just leave. But there was still about two minutes to do some final transactions.

[hobbit]

Was the first bit of what Black Star said supposed to be a brag? Or was she simply the type of lady to brag without knowing? River preferred those that bragged, and were aware of doing so. They tended to brag less, and if they did get obnoxious, one could call them out. Those that were unaware of how often they bragged tended to put up a fight when someone pointed it out. While River was good at debates, she didn’t really go out looking for them, and there were certain topics she didn’t really wish to debate. She listened in silence, though, her face expressionless.

This was why she stayed out of politics. No one was ever happy, and someone always wanted to have your head. There were people that probably wanted her head, but at least they weren’t people with power. No need to fear the farmer; at least, not until he gets himself an axe. Before any more words could be spoken, the innkeeper made his way over once more. River knew the words didn’t really apply to her, but she listened in nonetheless; eavesdropping was rude, and she’d be annoyed if someone did it to her, but River was a born hypocrite- it was why she had managed to survive.

Part of River wanted to keep the daggers for herself, and she had no fucking clue why, as they didn’t really help her. “Daggers,” she muttered, pausing for a moment before reaching down and removing one dagger from the strap around her leg, and the other two from a less irritating “sheath” of sorts she wore on the other leg.

She hadn’t had a good look at the daggers, and now that they were out she saw they would be worth something. They were simple weapons; most of their beauty came from their simplicity and the tattoo like design the blades bore. “S’long as I get more than three coins, I’ll be pleased with whatever price you decide on,” River told Black Star, shrugging her shoulders as she spoke. If she had wanted to make loads of money, she would have gone the safe route.

She would have gone with legal transactions.

[Jotari]

Black Star glanced at the door, not afraid but simply checking. She calmly picked up a dagger and looked at it, running a finger across the blade. She had a devilish light in her eyes when the blade nicked her easily. These were good sharp weapons, they would sell nicely. Black Star handed River double the usual price and tossed the daggers to the innkeeper who went to hide them. " See ya." The outlaw turned and started to walk toward the door. True, she almost never paid that sort of price. But Black Star knew how to keep customers. If River was smart, she would understand why Black Star had paid so high. The Grellon simply wanted more future transactions.

The outlaw pulled up her hood over her pretty face again and slipped outside the door and into a small group of guards. Sighing she calmly turned around and walked back inside. The guards took a moment, but they remembered that hooded figure and especially that pretty dagger at her side. The Captain also remembered that the outlaw seemed to fade a bit without the dagger, such a clever little boy he was. He and his men stormed in and started pushing people around looking for Black Star.

The outlaw had returned to her former place and took a moment to finish her drink. People were now leaving the tavern, though most were so calm they even paid the innkeeper. Black Star was about to attempt escape again while the guards questioned and shouted, demanding that she be brought forth. They questioned the barmaid who gave a cheeky reply and got slapped for it. That ticked Black Star off. She picked up her mug and chucked it at the captain's head, hitting the poor fellow pretty hard. Seriously, use your eyes you stupid fools! I don't know what you're doing but in case you haven't noticed Alexa has taken a liking to me, as well as the dragon, remember him? The guards whipped around and charged her. Black Star gave a dramatic bow and lunged for the door. There were several crashing noises, chickens squawking, and then two yelps of pain.

After a few moments Black Star appeared from the back wiping off her bloody dagger. The innkeeper jumped but slowly his customers all returned. The outlaw queen disappeared into the back room and remained there, waiting for the guards to crawl back with their pride destroyed and two bearing wounds.

ooc- no real idea what I'm doing here o.O Sorreh lol

[hobbit]

The amount of money Black Star had thrown at her was much more than what River had expected. She did not stare at the coins, though; she simply slipped them into her purse. She would count them over and over and over again later. For now, River had more important things to think about. Almost as soon as the outlaw had left, she had returned, and River knew why. Only a fool would not make the connection between Black Star’s reentrance and the arrival of the guards.

Her mouth twisted down into a frown; she had not made enemies with the guards. Had no reason to hate them, actually. Her hatred simply came because they were a symbol of authority and, to River, authority sucked eggs. Many people were leaving the area, walking calmly out as if they were saints. River, however, no longer had contraband upon her and she was intent on purchasing herself a room for the night. Feeling that it would not be tasteful to request one at the moment, River simply sat, not outright watching the guards, but still keeping an eye on them.

At one point, when she looked away, one of the guards questioned the barmaid. River did not hear what was said, but she did hear the slap. Her eyes flashed as she turned around, though she did not get up in the other’s defense. She had no loyalty to the people within this building. It seemed that Black Star did, though, for the outlaw was immediately on her feet and speaking. River watched with a light smirk on her face as the outlaw fled, only to return after some sounds of crashing, chickens, and yelping. “Oh, bravo,” River muttered to herself.

The smirk remained on her face as the guards, defeated, made their way past. One of them glared at the young women and she quickly turned away, chuckling into the back of her hand for a moment before ordering a second drink.