Private Tales Brothels and Broken Things

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi had returned her attention to her drink and pipe whilst the man opposite her seemed to mull over her offer. His relationship with his cat was a curious thing. For a man of such bulk and his demeanour she hadn't expected him to really show kindness to a tiny creature like that. But then again, so had she. Perhaps it was the whole psychological trauma of doing what they did that small innocent cute things were a habit to protect. She finished her ale and set it to the side, motioning for two more from the barkeep and to add it to her tab behind the bar. As she was going to be here all night and the sun was only just beginning to set, it made sense to settle everything in the morning before they left.

"I can pay you 20 gold coins now, a further 20 when we are done," she laced her fingers and brought her hands together, then rested her chin on top of them to watch his expression. Monsters paid a lot higher than ordinary men for a reason; it was dangerous. The White Raven's services were technically free - it was for the good of the people - but they had wealthy patrons. Incredibly, wealthy patrons. Usually because it was them bollocking something up that meant Lexi even had a job. "I do require my men to be sober on the job, and not to make tits of themselves when we stop for the night, but other than that I couldn't care less how you spend your coin or your free time in between the work."

 

[Cassian]

Cassian's grin slowly slid from his face and he stared at her for a long moment, as though waiting for her to get to the punchline. But she didn't - forty gold coins was a ridiculous amount, he'd never had more than eight gold in his possession in his life, and those had been extremely well paid jobs in his eyes.

Sobriety however, he wasn't sure forty gold was worth being sober for even a short time. His hands lifted to rub at his battered face and he leaned back, looking at the ceiling as he considered... Forty. Gold.

"Done." he huffed, the twenty now would buy him a feather bed and a hot meal for the night, perhaps he might even have a proper bath and have his weapons and clothes mended. He had no idea what he'd be facing but he couldn't resist that sort of payment. Couldn't resist her either, regardless of her apparent disinterest in him, he felt she enjoyed toying with his head. He never imagined that he could find any respect for a woman in leadership, but fuck, she was fierce and stronger than the lot of her men by the looks of it. That and he enjoyed a challenge.

He reached the hand not holding onto his cat across the table to shake on it. At forty gold richer, the coppers he'd spent on the woman's drinks had been well worth it after all.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi smiled, perhaps the first genuine one since their meeting without the taunting or amusement. Business was something she took seriously. Leaning forward she shook his hands just as the two new ales arrived for them both. Picking up her own she raised it slightly then drained half the mug, wiped her mouth and set it back down. As he was tending to his own drink she rummaged in her pockets and then dumped the coin purse on the table in front of him. A few of the coins slid out and onto the table.

"So aside from your training as a soldier do you have any other battlefield qualities I could do with knowing?" it was paramount to know everything about her men's ways on the field so she could guide them correctly, utlise them how they were best suited. So far she pegged Cass very much as the brawn and the muscle. The creatures they were due to face would require both, not just the delicate magics herself and Kain could provide. As she spoke she was getting out a map along with a few sheets of parchment with horrifying drawings on. Best to prepare the man now about what they would be facing.

 

[Cassian]

"Well fuck, you can smile. Did I just do that?" he grinned, lifting his mug with a slight dip of his chin and a long swig of his ale to secure the deal. He licked the remnants from his lips and looked down at Red who was kneading comfortably at his chest.. "I think she likes me after all. But keep that to yersel'." he lifted his eyes to the woman, and to the coin purse, and he rumbled like an animal as he reached out slowly to take it from the table. "Fuck me." it was heavy, and it might have been paying for his life, but right now all he could think about was drinking himself silly and spending some of it on the ladies from some of the more high class establishments. The possibilities felt endless. But he looked back up at her and sighed deeply, fighting against those whims and deciding to try and behave himself. After all, this sort of pay might become a regular thing if he kept himself out of trouble and didn't die.

"Aside my training?" he laughed under his breath, Anirians were their training. "I can smith, was taught as a boy, but I prefer to wield the weapons rather than make them. If you're paying me to kill, I'll kill. Shit for that kind of coin I'll let you saddle me and you can ride me into battle." he snorted.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

The stare Lexi gave him would make many a lesser man make an excuse to leave the table and have a warm shower so icy was it. Very slowly she lowered her gaze back to what she was doing and turned the maps and parchments around so that he could properly see them. The map was marked with clear red dots leading East and North from where they were now, back across the Allir Reach and then on again to The Spine. It was always the blasted Spine, Lexi thought bitterly. It would be better if they wiped the whole Mountain range of the map, in her humble opinion.

"The first job is this guy," she tapped on the parchment with a sketch of a man. He didn't look anything special, human in every way. Perhaps even handsome. "He made a pact with a demon from the inner circles of hell, a very old creature who now inhabits his body and uses him as a puppet of sorts. That mark on his neck is what we need to break in order for the magic to go, so translation - chop off the fuckers head. Myself and Kain will handle the magic," she looked up at him to make sure he was following before shuffling that paper aside and pulling out another one. This time the picture was probably more akin to the horrific monsters he thought they dealt with. The head looked much like a rhinos but its maw was a gaping thing with razor sharp teeth and it stood like a man. "This is a Ganushi, they're not usually found this far down from the Steppes. Someone caught one thinking it would be a great addition to a circus, now we're two towns razed to the ground and they are admitting their mistake. These things breathe fire but they die like any other man. Again, myself and Kain will deal with the magic... Do you have someone you want me to forward the remaining money on to if you do end up dying?" It was a casual question but there was no hint of sarcasm or tease in it. This was a deadly business after all. Certainty of death was high.

 

[Cassian]

Her glare struck him like an act of violence and his smirk dissolved. He was not one who was easily silenced, but even with one eye the woman's ice cold stare sent a very clear message. She was the one paying him, and so he cleared his throat and nodded a silent understanding, lifting the cat from his chest and setting her up onto his shoulder to allow him to lean in for a closer look at the parchments.

His eyes rose to her with a quick nod, apparently cutting the head from a man's shoulders was a task he wasn't opposed to, he'd lost count of the number of men he'd beheaded, it didn't faze him.. then again for forty gold, nothing would faze him.

The second sketch caused Cassian's broken nose to wrinkle and he groaned as he suppressed a shudder, but he nodded a second agreement and drank down the rest of his ale. "Right then." he wiped his mouth, a slight frown creasing at his brow in response to her question. "Mh.. Keep it. So long as the cat's fed." he muttered. "So.. when do we leave?.. Commander." he smirked cheekily.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

"Lexi is fine, nobody called me Commander unless they're getting a bollocking or we're out in public on duty," she waved her hand dismissively. She wasn't in charge for the title, she was in charge because she was damn good at her job and she brought soldiers home in one piece, often at the detriment to herself. She would never forget the day she carried her predecessors body home with the blood running down her cheek and her hands covered in it. Once she was certain that he had taken everything in she rolled it all back up, tied it together and passed the bundle to him.

"Study it. There's more information on there about what these things are. I know you Anirians don't like magic and what not but you're not here to do the magic side of things, you're just here to kill something. If it helps you think of them as men then fine. Just don't underestimate them. If you think I'm strong these fuckers are going to make me look nothing more than a fresh faced maid at the Spring Festival," she tapped the end of the papers on the table as she spoke before finally allowing him to take them from her.

"We'll be leaving at the fifth bell tomorrow morning, not a second later. Don't make me have to come fish you out of some poor woman's bed," Lexi grimaced and then leaned back to sip on her ale again.

 

[Cassian]

"Lexi.." he repeated in a honeyed tone "That works." he nodded, though he was surprised that she didn't use her titles. He was so used to it being spouted from the mouths of every man of authority he'd ever known, and he smirked at the fact that she didn't need to use it for her men to respect her.

He held out his palm as he listened to her instruction.. "Kill, don't underestimate, got it." he grinned, taking the papers from her and pointing them at her now "Just don't let the fuckers set me on fire or rip my guts out through my arse with some voodoo shit."

He was tempted, so tempted by her words about some poor woman's bed that he couldn't help himself. "You can keep an eye on me and fish me out of yours if it please you more." he folded his arms with a small smirk and looked to Red who was staring at him in apparent disapproval.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

There was a growing feeling in her mind that he wasn't entirely taking it serious, but then not many did until they were actually confronted with the things that Lexi dealt with on a daily basis. She snorted slightly at his comment about voodoo shit and took another sip of her ale whilst casually remarking, "that's an entirely different Chapter of the Templars - based out in the Savannah's. But I will attempt to keep you alive. As long as you listen to orders you should be fine." Should be. There was no guarantee she could give him. His last comment however gave her pause.

"Trust me," Lexi's eyes ran over him slowly as if she were imagining every inch of skin that lay beneath the clothes he wore. "If these things are worrying you and make you shudder....You're not brave enough to be in my bed." The man was cocky and arrogant, she would give him that, but traits like that resulted in certain body anatomy going missing.

 

[Cassian]

"Fuck, you have chapters?" he rumbled under his breath and shook his head. "I appreciate you givin' it your effort lass, but I'll keep myself alive. You sound like you got yourself covered." . She most certainly did not need his protection, but he still had a little too much pride to let her think he needed hers.

He watched her eye wandering over him and his lips curled into a Cheshire grin. He inwardly groaned at her words and he slammed his hands on the table and sat back, Red giving an irate little growl at the sound. "Oh I'm brave enough lass. But I can't believe you until I try it for myself.. But, fine. Red is better company anyway, least she likes me." he smirked. He rubbed at the back of his neck again, rolling out the pain in his muscles. Lexi the tease. He was going to need to revisit that river for a cold swim.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi couldn't help the smile of bemusement that crept across her face at his outburst and her eyes flicked to the kitten who was looking all flustered and fluffed up from all his moving. It was a cute little thing.

"It'll be more likely Kain keeping you alive, anyway," she decided to breeze entirely over his outburst as she sipped at her drink. It didn't deserve a reply. Perhaps, once she had seen how he dealt with the monster she would concede him the point. But for now he had a lot to prove. "Kain is my right hand, if he tells you to do something then consider it as coming straight from me. I can't have eyes everywhere on the field, which is why I keep him around.

Do you have any other questions?"

 

[Cassian]

He frowned with a stubborn huff at her words but gave a stiff nod in agreement. "Understood." It was do as he was told or don't get paid. It was fair, he just hadn't been used to working under the rule of anyone else for a few years now, he liked it better when he had nobody to answer to but himself.. Forty gold, he reminded himself in his mind.

"But no, I don't. I do however, have some coin to spend. I'll see you back here in the mornin'.. Five bells." he smirked and stood, tucking the papers under his arm and pocketing the hefty bag of coin. "Unless there's anything else..?" his brow rose, the kitten standing up to stretch her back and her claws dug into his jacket as she climbed down and into his large pocket, poking her head out as she often did when he travelled.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

"Not at all, enjoy your evening Cassian," it sounded like a dismissal and in a way it was. She was already pulling another piece of parchment from her bag that sat at her feet along with a quill and some ink. She had a letter to write home to a fallen friends family. She didn't so much as spare him a look as he left.

* * *
​

The horses were all packed and ready, stamping in anticipation for the ride that was to come. It was more than likely going to take them three days of hard riding to get to the next target. Such was the life of a Templar. And now, apparently, Cassian. The Commander leaned against her horse and waited for the other to arrive. Currently only Kain waited with her, but the rest had another ten minutes before they were late and she was a woman of her word. She would not leave until the fifth bell tolled.

"Are you sure about this?" Lexi was puffing on her pipe, enjoying the moment of calm and serenity that settled over towns this early in the morning. She spared him a glance with her one good eye and then shrugged a little.

"We need the extra manpower."

"But-" Lexi held up a hand and then returned it to her pipe. She had toyed with herself throughout the night on the decision enough for the pair of them. She didn't need to go over the same arguments with him. He inclined his head in understanding and left to sort out the tab in the bar.

The last two of the Templars arrived as Kain departed and swept themselves onto their mounts, chatting with the ease of two good friends. They gave Lexi a respectful nod but other than that no action determined that she was of higher rank. Apart from, of course, the gold raven on her robes rather than the black that was on theirs. She had once again donned the full Templar ensemble for riding, though her armour was packed in saddle bags. It made no sense to ride with extra weight.

Lexi glanced to the bell tower and then dowsed her pipe. Would he even turn up?

 

[Cassian]

Cassian was securing his upgraded weapons as he wandered up to the group, Red bounding after him and running up his trousers and jacket to settle into his hood as he stopped to ready his horse. "Morning' ladies." he smirked, glancing at Lexi and her men. He'd had himself a hot bath, trimmed his beard just a little and got himself some new, fresh clothes to wear, the pelt around his collar giving him even more of a bearish look. The small bruises under his eyes formed even darker circles than they had yesterday, but he'd managed to re-break his nose back into place and had wrapped his cracked ribs tightly in linen. He'd live.

He pulled himself up onto the dark stallion and patted his neck as he staggered a little and adapted to his weight. He said nothing else, and simply waited for Lexi's lead, wearing a small grin on his lips at the annoyance he seemed to cause.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi ran her eye over Cassian as he approached but otherwise said nothing. Her eye returned to the door instead and waited for Kain. It was another few minutes before her Second emerged, having cleared everything up inside. She nodded to him once he gave her the look and swung herself up onto her white mare. The beast pawed at the ground.

"We don't stop till nightfall," Kain heaved himself up onto his own dun mount and nodded in the affirmative, as did the other two who moved to flank Cassian. After all, he was the unknown and the most vulnerable to magical attacks. It made sense to keep him snugly in the middle of the group. She didn't so much as glance behind her before she spurned her horse into a canter and the troop clattered out of the town.

* * *

Lexi was a tough taskmaster. She hoped Cassian was used to riding this much or he was going to be useless when it came to the fighting. The Commander stuck by her word though, they didn't stop. Occasionally she called for a dismount to give the horses a rest and allow time for people to slip into the trees if they needed to relieve themselves, but also to stretch their legs. Then they were mounting and on the way again.

The sun was beginning to deepen from pink to a deep red when Lexi finally gave the command to stop and make camp. They had covered a lot of distance and she was content they had pushed themselves as much as they could. The area Kain chose for them, having been scouting ahead, was a sheltered area with thick forest covering to one side and a river on the other. It would make it easier to guard the camp.

"Cassian - you and Kain - go and get us something to eat," she glanced up from her task of unsaddling the horses briefly before going back to her duties. Kain raised a brow but otherwise said nothing as he slunk over to Cassian.

"Can you hunt?"

 

[Cassian]

Cassian had been used to longer stops than Lexi had granted, and the pain in his ribs caused a few many grunts from the man, but he didn't complain. He tended to suit himself and take his time when he wanted to, and he was usually piss drunk. The withdrawals from his usual consumption had caused a pounding headache and some cold sweats, but a deal was a deal and the sooner this was done and he had the rest of his payment he could buy all the drink he needed.

He was glad to be stopping for rest, and he slid down from his horse and unsaddled him, giving a brief nod to Lexi's command.

"Aye. I can hunt." he shot a look to Kain, and lifted his crossbow. Clearly thrilled to be spending some one on one time with the man..

Cassian had to learn to hunt over the past few years on the road, the journeys from town to town often lasted days or weeks, and so without taverns to feed him he had no other choice. His older brother had taught him a little when he'd been younger and now he'd had plenty of time to practise. The forest was lush and green and with the river flowing nearby, there would no doubt be plenty for the taking.

He led the way into the trees, as stealthily as a man of his size could, and came to a stop at a clearing. Two rabbits, one deer. He gave the man a look. Of course, neither of them wanted to take the rabbit back to camp...

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Kain gave the man a barely concealed look of contempt before following him into the forest with his bow and arrows. He was not best pleased with Lexi's choice but he had learned a long time ago not to question her judgement. She hadn't survived this long by going the normal route through the ranks of the White Raven. Even still, it was hard to keep a handle on his emotions and so opted for silence instead of the easy banter he would have shared with the other two.

He stepped up beside Cass and spied the animals as well. It seemed they both had the same thought as they glanced at one another. That natural born primal instinct for men to compete. He knocked his bow and shot the man a look, aiming directly at the deer and loosed.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian’s lips curled at the man, his crossbow had already been loaded and drawn, and he squeezed the trigger before the man could nock his arrow. His smugness was short lived however, either the deer had moved or his aim had, but he caught the deer in the backside and sent it running. He growled and loaded another bolt, for what it was worth, and aimed it for the first thing he saw move... a fucking rabbit.

“Mh... fuck.” He huffed. His masculinity taking a major dent.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Kain in his impatience to win the hunt had also acted too quickly. The arrow went through the deer through the front thigh. The beast went crashing through the forest to a chorus of noisy stomping and crying, but the thing was still fast even if it bled everywhere it went. The Captain cursed under his breath. Unlike Cass he didn't even bother with turning to something else he was pushing the foliage out of the way to go after the injured animal.

"Come on, if we let it go like that Lexi will put us both over the fire," he muttered. The Commander didn't care about many things but she couldn't abide needless suffering of animals. She preferred to put them out of their pain with a quick clean slice to the throat or a precision shot. She would also be incredibly annoyed if another hunter found the animal with two different bolts sticking out of it - it would be an obvious sign another group were nearby. If a group of cutthroats found it and pieced it together it would be an unnecessary fight.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian grunted at the man and shook his head as his arrow found another non-fatal home in the deer. “I thought you could fuckin’ hunt.. Fuckin’ animal is sufferin’..” he huffed and followed, picking up his rabbit and giving it a look of disdain. He loaded another bolt as they followed the thrashing doe, and he took aim and loosed another bolt at the beast’s head. To his surprise, he hit it, but the beast fell writhing with the bolt in the back of her neck and he groaned at the messy kill.
He took a hunting knife to her throat and cut, her screams halting and she fell limp into his grip.

“Made a mess of that one didn’t you?” He looked up at Kain with a small grin, ripping the bolts from the deer’s flesh. “Fucked the pelt up. I’ll be lucky to get more than eight coppers for this.” He snorted and dragged the beast back to camp by the scruff.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Kain gave the man a withering look but helped him carry the doe back to the camp by picking up its rear legs, in his other hand he carried the second rabbit he had managed to shoot in the meantime.

When the pair returned Lexi and the other two men had already sorted the fire, laid out all the roll mats and had set up a series of small traps that would act as small alerts if anyone approached. A pan of water was boiling over the fire and one of the men was just about to pour out some tea for everyone. Lexi lay stretched out on her own mat with her boots off and cloak discarded, rolled up to act as a pillow for the night. When she was passed her cup of tea she poured in a dark liquid from a flask she wore on her hip at all times.

All three of them looked at the two men with raised eyebrows.

"Did... the doe fight back?" one of the men, Alec, joked.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian sneered at the man's quip as the dropped the kill by the fire.. "Nah, your boy is just a shit shot." he gestured toward Kain with a jerk of his chin, and knelt in front of the deer to start skinning, his eyes lifting to the three as he tore his knife aggressively into the beast, yanked, and ripped the skinless hind leg from the carcass before tossing it to the man who'd spoke. "I'll leave the cooking to you ladies." he flashed a grin and continued to cut the skin away.

He spared a glance to Lexi and laughed under his breath as he worked.. "I hope you're plannin' on sharin' that.." his brow rose..he'd noticed the flask.. "Or haven't you tortured me enough lass?.." and tore a slither of raw meat for Red who was pawing at his arm.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Alec looked at Kain who looked like a wall of ice and decided very wisely to keep his mouth firmly shut. So much so that he was almost grateful for the leg that was thrown at him so he could busy himself with that. his friend, Peter, followed him quickly. Kain sat down in a dark cloud of anger opposite and set about skinning his own rabbit in silence. Lexi narrowed her eye a little at her Second but said nothing over the fire, she would need to talk to him in private to figure out what his problem was truly with Cassian and assess if it was going to impact their mission. If he was just vexed this man wanted in her bed they were going to have a problem.

"I wasn't planning on it, no," her eye shifted to Cass as he spoke, taking a sip of her tea calmly from her propped up position on her elbows. "Didn't I give you enough join to top your own flask up before you left? Or did you spend it all on women before we left?" her lips twitched in amusement. But the other lads were looking at her hopefully too and she sighed and threw the flask to Cass. "To be passed around. Gods." An eyeroll.

 

[Cassian]

He smiled with his eyes, turning the doe over onto it's opposite side and continuing to work his blade under the skin. "Aye. You did. But you said I had to be sober on the job." he reminded her with a tilt of his chin, and gave a gruff laugh at her comment. "No...No women. Afraid you might have dented my pride a little too much for me to settle for another woman's bed.. Besides, I'm not sure you could handle your own jealousy if you had to, what was it? 'Fish me out of some poor woman's bed'?" he looked up at her, his brow rose with a cheeky smirk and he caught the flask. "Such a kindness." he rumbled, opening it to pull a large mouthful before securing it back shut and tossing it to Kain. "See.. She likes me." he added smugly to the man.

Kain didn't like him, and Cassian was okay with that. He had a feeling that the man had been the jealous type and hadn't liked Cassian's cockiness when it came to his commander, or had they been more? Cassian never considered these things, he didn't care, he simply saw this outstanding specimen of a woman and decided he'd try his luck. Upsetting men's pride and masculinity over women was something he was used to doing, it amused him. She amused him.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Kain caught the flask at the same time he caught Lexi's look and he looked away awkwardly as he took a sip. After the drink he seemed to settle a little bit or perhaps he had just realised his attitude was not impressing her either. He cleared his throat and passed the flask onto the two boys who spluttered after their sips. The fire whisky was not to everyone's taste.

"You should be thankful, she doesn't like everyone."

Lexi snorted at them both and took another sip of her tea. The herbs mixed in with the whisky were a nice combination she enjoyed after a long day on the road. It might help her sleep more than two hours.

"There would be no jealousy in fishing you out of a woman's bed, the woman I had in mine was probably a lot nicer than anything that would agree to bed you," the comment made the youngest of the lads cough, though he hid it by taking another swig of the flask, regretted it immediately and passed the thing back to Lexi who passed it back to Cass for another round.