Private Tales Girl Fight Tonight!

[Dianna Calcutte]

Alliria, the trade capital of Arethil and home to nearly every form of legal (and illegal) pursuits of pleasure.
As far as Dianna Calcutte was concerned, the only pleasure Alliria had to offer was a simple tavern in which she could drink with her comrades and enjoy the end of the week. It was the only pastime she had time for, her duties to the Mardanian ambassador to Alliria kept herself and her comrades busy, working overtime as the security detail assigned to guard and protect the ambassador.

Dianna and her comrades sat at their usual table, since arriving they had become regulars here and for the most part it seemed rather quiet. Their strange colors and uniforms often invited questions from the other patrons, but it never escalated beyond simple curiosity.
Dianna laughed and joked with her fellow Mardanians, simply enjoying the evening and her drink.

But, peaceful scenes does not a story make.
A blond haired Allirian girl entered the tavern, with a glint of mischief in her eyes.

Charity Briarthorne

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

After a hard day's training, Charity needed to unwind. And she knew just the thing. Weaving her way through the crowded streets, she came upon The Squire's Pride. She strolled in like she owned the place, and took a seat at the bar.

"OH! U-Um... Miss B-Briarthorne! Hello! What a pleasant surprise!" the barkeeper uttered nervously as Charity sat down.

"Ya seen Alyx?" Charity asked coldly, ignoring the man's greeting.

"She l-left a while ago... No idea where she went off to though."

"Damn that woman!" she cursed, pounding her fist down onto the bar. "Of all the times... Fine. Two dragonfire whiskeys and some bread then! And I want full sized tankards, not those tiny cups!" Charity warned. She greedily downed one of the drinks the moment it was in her hands, and took the other to sit at a nearby table.

Charity sat reclined back with her feet resting on the seat of the opposite chair, and one arm over the back of her own. Her eyes wandered aimlessly around the tavern as she thought about what else to do with her time. Charity's thoughts fizzled out as her gaze alighted on a group of guards seated at the next table over. They clearly weren't Allirian guards, but to Charity, any sort of uniform was enough reason to cause trouble

With a mischievous smirk on her lips, Charity began idly throwing small chunks of bread at them as she savored her second drink. This continued until a chunk found its way into one of their mugs, at which point Charity ceased her antics and her grin widened.

Now lets see what happens! she thought fearlessly. After all, what could they do? Arrest her?

Dianna Calcutte

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

"... I agree that Alliria has its charms, it is quaint and relatively quiet. That was the first thing I noticed on my first night watch, when the sun goes down the night life is practically non-existent. You won't hear businesses still hawking their wares, no heavy road traffic, just a few rowdy taverns, maybe a turf war down in the lower districts, a protesting mob down at the docks and barking dogs in the distance."

"No doubt, for a major trade city I am surprised how quickly the streets are given over to the creatures of the night as soon as the sun goes down. Nothing like Mardus, but those are some high expectations."
A general murmur of agreement went around the table.

"It is not exactly a fair comparison. Mardus was built by giants, Alliria was built by humans from the ground up. I think it is an impressive accomplishment."
Dianna sipped her drink and leaned back in her chair, something she never would have been allowed to do back home, let alone drinking cheap booze in a subpar establishment. Nobility were sticklers for personal image, soldiers, less so.

A chunk of bread landed in the middle of their table. They collectively looked over at the table beside them and noticed that mischievous blond haired girl who was currently entertaining a stout drink and not at all hiding her offensive behavior.
They all collectively turned back to each other, electing to ignore the troublesome girl and peacefully continuing their evening. Surely a single girl wouldn't want to continue to antagonize a group of five foreign soldiers...

A chunk of bread bounced off the shoulder of the soldier who sat with his back to the girl, he pursed his lips into a thin line but didn't respond.
Another chunk of bread bounced off of Dianna's head, but she followed suit with her comrades and didn't react.

Plop!

One of the Mardanian soldiers looked into his cup. Another chunk of bread floated to the top of the liquid.
He grimaced and looked up at his companions, each individually with a nod.
The thing with "quiet" cities and towns is they made for very bored soldiers... And bored soldiers made for a brand of trouble maker all their own.

The rest of the tavern was not idle, they were aware of what was transpiring and were waiting to see what would happen.

One soldier stood up, cracking his knuckles as he pushed his chair back and approached the blond girls table.
"Well... Let's get to it then!"
With that he grabbed the edge of her table and picked it up, trying to flip it up on top of her.
Almost as if on cue, the entire tavern erupted in a huge bar fight! The Mardanians rose to their feet and started laying into the crowd.

Dianna was no exception. A big local swinging a chair swished over her head, Dianna popped back up with a rising elbow to his chin, sending him crashing down to the ground, groaning with a mouth full of broken teeth.
She moved in concert with her companions, except for the one who engaged with the blond girl they moved as a loose unit, watching each other's backs and expertly taking down the common rabble with their elite training.

They weren't the only targets of the mob, most of the patrons present had separated into their own individual brawls, fighting each other and occasionally some of the biggest of the bar brawlers would come test themselves against the soldiers.
The Mardanians were holding their own with the general attention so divided, but as attention was slowly brought to them things began to go wrong.

Atros went down from a bottle to the head, Daniel got separated and buried under a dog pile. That left Dianna and Mark to fend for themselves, and whatever happened to Agnosis who engaged with Charity.

Mark took a chair to the legs and was tripped up, landing hard.
And Dianna now fought alone, taking on three at a time, dealing knockout blows, breaking arms and kicking out knees.
She kicked high and hooked one man around the neck with her leg, bringing him down to bust his nose against a table. She had little doubt that she would be leaving the tavern between two of her comrades with bad bruises and hardly able to walk... But this was fun! Therefore it was worth it.

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

Charity sat upright in her chair a one of the guard approached her table. She did her best to appear as innocent as an angel, but a wicked grin pulled at the corner of her mouth.

"O-oh! Hello!" she said in the most frightened voice she could muster. "Is there something I can help you-"

"Well... Let's get to it then!"

The soldier ignored her act and flipped the table up on her. Charity shoved her chair back and kicked the table, splitting it in two. Grabbing a chair, she swung at his back, only for it to break apart leaving her holding a pair of chair legs. Who was his guy? That hit shoulda at least knocked him over! She grumbled to herself, throwing the legs to the side.

She didn't have much time to think, as the man rushed her and grabbed her legs, sending her crashing to the floor. Charity attempted to avoid his attacks as they grappled. Finally she found purchase around his neck and pulled him down. She savagely bit his ear, causing him to release his grip on her. Charity threw him off of herself and popped to her feet. She swiftly kicked him in the face as he began to rise, knocking him out cold and sealing her victory.

A large smile cracked Charity's lips as she looked around the tavern. She hadn't expected it to turn into a full on tavern brawl when she was pestering the guards, but she certainly wasn't going to complain. The more people she had to fight the better!

She quickly danced around the room, never stopping and agilely dodging out of the way of incoming attacks. Charity fought anybody within reach, laying out all who were unfortunate enough to be in her way, and giggling the entire time.

This continued until Charity's eyes fell upon a blonde woman about her age with a long braid, and her heart fluttered. She was beautiful! Charity had seen her share of pretty women, but they paled in comparison. And the way she fought! Like a boulder effortlessly taking hits, and dealing them back twice as hard.

Charity's could feel her cheeks flushing, and she had to take a moment to remind herself why she was there. That was to fight! Not to fall in love. And the blonde woman would make for a worthy opponent! She fought her way through the crowd over to the guard, her cheeks still a light shade of pink.

"Ya know, you fight pretty well for a military dog!" Charity quipped as she threw a jab at the woman.

Dianna Calcutte

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

"Ya know, you fight pretty well for a military dog!"

"You act like us dogs don't fight for a living!"

Wow, this little redhead actually took down Agnosis? She probably got lucky.

That jab was telegraphed a mile away, and delivered to Dianna like a wrapped present with a pretty little bow on it.
Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth she sidestepped to the outside of the punch and caught the wrist as her fist extended through the spot where Dianna previously stood.

She pulled Charity's arm straight and gave it a yank, hoping to pull her off balance and stumbling forward. She intended to lock out her shoulder with a forearm from her other arm on the girls shoulder and drop them both to the floor, if it worked, she hoped it would immediately dislocate the girls shoulder and either handicap or take the short haired redhead out of the fight.

For either scenario she wouldn't stay on the floor for more than a second. She would quickly recover, not letting her guard down in case someone decided to take advantage of their tussle on the floor.
In their brief moment of contact, she realized that the girl was stronger than she looked, her muscles were hard like iron, Agnosis certainly underestimated her.

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

"You act like us dogs don't fight for a living!"

"Sure you might fight for a living, but it's rare to see stupid, brainless dogs do it under their own volition without a direct command from their masters! I was expecting a slap on the wrist, but this is SO much better!"

Dianna saw her fist coming from a mile away. Charity had clearly underestimated her opponent, and it seemed the sluggish speed she had been using for the others wasn't going to cut it here.

Charity stumbled forward as Dianna yanked her arm, but was able to find her footing before completely losing her balance. In a flash, she had turned her wrist and jerked her hand out of Dianna's grip. She just as quickly grabbed her opponent's wrist with one hand, and the back of her neck with the other. Charity aggressively pulled her forward, her knee coming up quick as lightning towards Dianna's midsection. If everything went as she hoped, Dianna would be left breathless leaving her open for another attack.

Now that she was fighting Dianna, Charity could tell just how much stronger and sturdier Dianna was than she had initially thought. This realization only served to further feed her slowly growing crush.

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

The short haired girl was light on her feet and caught herself, and she was actually able to muscle out of the armlock. Very quickly Dianna felt herself losing control of the situation as the girl caught her wrist and neck and bent her down, she knew what was coming next and the elbow of her free arm was ready as she watched the knee coming up.

The best block was a strike, and she merely used the momentum from her opponents' own attack to drive Dianna's elbow hard into her thigh as it came up.
She would have tried to muscle out of the girl's grip as well, but she was almost absurdly strong, how did a girl like this get to be so strong?! They were the same size and roughly the same weight, accounting for muscle mass...
But as she tried to pull free, she couldn't overpower the girls grip by brute force alone.

Instead, she twisted her wrist and arm towards the weakest part of her grip, the thumb, and used leverage to pry her wrist free. The hand controlling her head was less of a concern for now... As soon as her wrist was free, she immediately stepped behind the girl and delivered a solid elbow strike to her exposed ribs, hoping that would be enough to make her back off for just a moment and give her some breathing space, and with Dianna's foot behind the girls she hoped she could trip her in the process.

Still, she was at a severe disadvantage, Dianna and her companions had been drinking a lot longer than this girl when she arrived, so if her strike caused that hand to leave her neck, she was falling flat on the floor immediately because he balance was practically gone.

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

Charitys grip was tight as a vice as she gripped Dianna's wrist. She had planned on following up with a second strike, bit o t seemed the blonde girl had other things in mind. Before Charity knew it, Dianna's elbow had connected with her her thigh. A small cry of pain escaped Charity, and Dianna was alble to wrest her hand free.

Charity twisted around to face Dianna, trying to keep an eye on her as she stepped behind her. There was not time to defend herself from the elbow ramming into her ribs, and she felt a few crack as the air was driven from her lungs.

She took a stumbling step forward, gasping for air, only to trip over the others girl's foot. Charity lost her balance and collided with Dianna causing her hand to release her head. Dianna crashed to the floor with an audible thud, followed by a flailing Charity who smashed through a table where a hooded figure sat, before landing on top of Dianna.

Who was this woman? Was she even human? Charity wondered as she lay there catching her breath. Dianna certainly appeared human, but she was unlike any other guard Charity has ever fought. Did she have orc blood in her or something?!

Charity rolled off of Dianna with a groan. She laid next to her, for the moment unable to continue the fight.

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

Things didn't exactly go as planned, but then again, how well do drunken plans in barroom brawls usually go?
She got the girl to let go, but instead of creating distance the redhead crashed into her, taking her already precarious balance and tipping her over like a cow.

In her drunken state, she realized too late that the spinning room was actually her falling to the floor. She couldn't even put her hands out to stop her fall before the back of her head bounced on the floorboards, driving away what little senses she had left.
She teetered on the edge of consciousness, the room continuing to spin even with her eyes closed, the only assurance she had that she wasn't in free fall was the floor at her back.

She was done fighting... Sleep sounded good, here was as good a place as any, not that she thought she could move under her own power... But her training kept her fighting for consciousness, someone could slit her throat with a broken bottle while she slept. She had to stay awake... But hopefully she didn't have to move at all.

 

[Gwendolyn Vollmund]

The hooded figure had sat watching the fight with disdain.

A single glass of red wine out of place in sea of chipped mugs and tankards stood lone as its pourer on the table. No one even seemed to notice they even existed.

Any fighting seemed to simply avoid her all together. As if the humans even in their drunken brawl had the instinct to stay far away from them. That was until the two fighting the fiercest threw themselves through their table.

The figure sighed scooping up the glass gracefully as the table was smashed to bits and Charity rolled to rest at her feet. The bar tender had cleared out the place mostly.

The mountain of a man simply nodding to Cleo and gestured to the two women at her feet.

“It’s fine. I can see them out myself Gregor.” She would say simply as the man simply nodded and lumbered back behind his bar to close for the night.

Silence for a moment as Cleo allowed Charity to gain her bearings and become a bit more lucid. When thier eyes finally met Cleo would cast of the hood.

“Do you think this is what she would want for you..” Cleo would finally ask after a moment. She spoke in abyssal. A language Charity had always heard her whole life.

While to many the question may seem rhetorical or sarcastic, Cleo genuinely was wondering if Charity thought she was acting in a way she thought Gwen would approve of.

Human emotion was something she still struggle to understand a bit..

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

As the world came back into focus, Charity noticed a hooded figure looming over her. "Oh look! My babysitters finally arrived." Charity snipped sarcastically. "Whaddaya want Savoca?" she growled.

Why did it have to be Cleo? Charity would've happier to see one of her sister. Hell, she would have even taken that stuck up bitch Dream. And why couldn't it have been Faust? She would congratulate Charity for causing so much chaos, and maybe even given her a few pointers for next time. But no, it just had to be Cleo.

“Do you think this is what she would want for you..” Cleo would finally ask after a moment. She spoke in abyssal. A language Charity had always heard her whole life.

Charity considered Cleo's question for a moment as she glared at the demon. "Of course!" Charoty responded in common. "Mother always taught me to do what makes me happy. Fighting is one of those things."

That's what Charity has been telling herself at least. She knew Gwen's distaste for her destructive habits, and all the extra work at caused for her and Gilgamesh.

"Besides, I have all this power I inherited from Daddy and I have to use it somehow..." Charity turned her head to look away from Cleo. She knew what she was saying was just an excuse to cause trouble.

"I'm a big girl you know. I can make my own decisions without worry what others will think." she snapped at Cleo in abyssal. "Who cares what Mother thinks? She's not here to judge me anyway."

 

[Gwendolyn Vollmund]

"Of course!" Charity responded in common. "Mother always taught me to do what makes me happy. Fighting is one of those things."

That's what Charity has been telling herself at least. She knew Gwen's distaste for her destructive habits, and all the extra work it caused for her and Gilgamesh.

"I remember several conversations held leading me to believe the contrary." Cleo would respond in common.

"Besides, I have all this power I inherited from Daddy and I have to use it somehow..." Charity turned her head to look away from Cleo. She knew what she was saying was just an excuse to cause trouble.

"I'm a big girl you know. I can make my own decisions without worry what others will think." she snapped at Cleo in abyssal.

"You use it with no direction!" Cleo snapped back. "All of this power and this could be a room full of your fathers enemies. A room full of A...Your mothers killers allies..." Cleo seemed to be at a loss.

"Your mother used less power than you to do more than you ever could imagine. I thought you would honor her by doing more than.." She gestured around the devastated room. puddles of blood, vomit, and spilt booze smeared every surface still intact. chairs not in splinters littered the floor and sitting areas.. "..This.." She would finally finish.

"Who cares what Mother thinks? She's not here to judge me anyway."

Cleo's eyes flared. For a split moment she almost looked like she was about to pounce on the woman right then and sink her teeth into her. How long she would last was up to debate.

She would die certainly, but in that split moment of rage at the reminder of one of her most significant failures as her mistresses right hand still stung a bit more than she had realized. The moment was only a split second before it returned to calm and collected. Her lips tightening into a line.

She simply got on her knees next to charity and picked up her head by the back of the neck supporting her. removing a spotless white handkerchief from a pocket in her cloak she would begin to wipe some of the blood and grime from Charity's face as she had many years ago when Gwen was not around, off meeting clients or on a job. It was a small moment but soon the handkerchief paused. A flash of a younger charity in her hands.

"Cleo! Im fine! The blood makes me look cool! Let me gooo!" echoed in her mind. The hand holding the handkerchief in place trembling slightly.

"I miss her too.." She said in common. Her even voice catching slightly. A single tear dropping from her slightly frowning face which for the full blooded demon, was the equivalent of bawling. it landed on Charitys cheek causing the demon to quickly wipe it away.

"S..Sorry." She said quickly taking her own moment to look away and put her now filthy handkerchief away.

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

Dianna struggled to stay awake. She could hear muffled conversation around her but it sounded like it was miles away.
Some of the conversation was completely unintelligible, like it was in another language, but she could barely make out the common.

Having her eyes closed and the room spinning made her want to vomit, but she couldn't keep her eyes open for more than a moment at a time.
She groaned as her adrenaline died down and the pain from all her bangs and bruises caught up with her, especially the knock to the back of her head.

She had no stake in the conversation, but she listened anyways... She was getting the sinking feeling that she just got into a tussle with the daughter of some lord or wealthy merchant, and she could be in serious trouble.

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

"I remember several conversations held leading me to believe the contrary."

"That's because Mother always wanted me to act like more like a lady!" Charity grumbled. "Always telling me to do whatever made me happy, while at the same time saying that a lady shouldn't cause unnecessary trouble! But where's the fun in that?"

"Your mother used less power than you to do more than you ever could imagine. I thought you would honor her by doing more than.." She gestured around the devastated room.

"I know she did! You don't have to keep reminding me!" Charity snarled at Cleo. "Gwendolyn was the woman I always aspired to be! She was beautiful and refined, but also could be brave and deadly on top of all that! I've wanted to be like her in every way since I was a little girl! But I couldn't even get close!"

Charity glared at the demon as Cleo knelt down next to her and pulled ou a handkerchief. Her hard, angry expression slowly softened into one that made her look like she was about to cry.

The small gesture brought her back to the days of being a young child and the first time Cleo had cleaned her up after a fight. She had tried to wriggle out of the demon's grip, animatedly talking about how she thought she looked like a warrior with blood on her face. It had been nothing more than a small scratch, but to her it was a glorious battle wound.

"I miss her too.." She said in common. Her even voice catching slightly.

Cleo's voice brought Charity back to the present and she watched the demon tuck away the dirty handkerchief. She wrapped her arms around Cleo and used her to pull herself up until she was kneeling. Charity hugged Cleo tightly and put her face against the demon's shoulder.

"I... I don't know what to do..." Charity gently sobbed into Cleo's shoulder. "Its been months since Mother died, but it still feels like it happened yesterday..." She lifted her head to look at Cleo, wide rivers of tears streaming down her cheeks. "What am I supposed to do? Why won't it stop hurting?"

 

[Gwendolyn Vollmund]

"I... I don't know what to do..." Charity gently sobbed into Cleo's shoulder.

Cleo had listened quietly but as Charity pulled on her for support she was there. She held her close and rubbed the back of her head with her right hand while patting her back on the other.

"No one does. Just do the next thing you feel is the right thing." Cleo offered in abyssal.

"Its been months since Mother died, but it still feels like it happened yesterday..." She lifted her head to look at Cleo, wide rivers of tears streaming down her cheeks.

Now that was a feeling Cleo understood. No distance of time seemed to numb the pain in her chest everyday she woke and realized Gwen was not there to help ready for the day... The demon gave her a squeeze.

"What am I supposed to do? Why won't it stop hurting?"

"Know that your mother loved you, and until the moment she died she was thinking of you and your safety. Then once you accept that you were worthy of that love and care..You can forgive yourself..Like she would want you to." The demon whispered in common.

"Like I want you to." She said finally pulling away to wiper her tears with the immaculate cuff. Cleo hated dirtying her clothes in anyway.

She had almost taken a chunk out of a mans neck for some spittle hitting her shoes..But for this she didnt seem to care in the slightest.

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

"No one does. Just do the next thing you feel is the right thing." Cleo offered in abyssal.

Charity simply nodded as she clung to Cleo, unable to find her voice through her sorrow. She squeezed the demon tighter as another wave of tears hit her.

"Know that your mother loved you, and until the moment she died she was thinking of you and your safety. Then once you accept that you were worthy of that love and care..You can forgive yourself..Like she would want you to." The demon whispered in common.

Cleo was right. Gwen had loved and watched out for Charity her whole life, and Charity knew this. And while she didn't want to admit it, she knew deep in her heart that she had always been worthy of Gwendolyn's unconditional love.

Charity might not have felt ready to stop blaming herself for Gwen's death, but she had taken a step in the right direction. It was time to move on.

"Thank you Cleo." Charity smiled weakly at Cleo as she wiped away her tears. "I feel a bit better now..." she hugged Cleo one more time and kissed her on the cheek.

"A-And I know I haven't treated you very well since Mother passed," she added quietly. "But I really do appreciate you watching over me... So thank you for that as well."

Charity glanced over to where Dianna laid, a worried frown on her lips. "I hope she's all right..." she mumbled. Her cheeks reddened and she quickly looked away. "Cleo... Do you think Mother would've-" Charity's cheeks grew pinker. "N-nevermind..."

 

[Gwendolyn Vollmund]

"Thank you Cleo." Charity smiled weakly at Cleo as she wiped away her tears. "I feel a bit better now..." she hugged Cleo one more time and kissed her on the cheek.

"I.." Cleo froze in place for a solid moment. Her shock freezing you in place. She finally gave her the slight smirk that signified her happiness "Good.."

"A-And I know I haven't treated you very well since Mother passed," she added quietly. "But I really do appreciate you watching over me... So thank you for that as well."

"Well I just.." The faintest hint of a blush creeping into her pale cheeks..

"Thank you Mrs.Charity." She finally seemed to regain her senses. She had never expected this from Charity. The young girl she knew peaking from behind the person she was becoming.

It wasnt bad..It was like meeting a friend you thought would never return just for a small hello.

Charity glanced over to where Dianna laid, a worried frown on her lips. "I hope she's all right..." she mumbled. Her cheeks reddened and she quickly looked away. "Cleo... Do you think Mother would've-"

"Eilerias can offer healing if either of you arent..Though i would wager your built of a bit sturdier stuff." Cleo said with a smile. As charity looked away.

When she looked back Cleo was gone.

Charity's cheeks grew pinker. "N-nevermind..."

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

"Eilerias can offer healing if either of you arent..Though i would wager your built of a bit sturdier stuff." Cleo said with a smile.

"Oh yeah! That's a good idea! I'll take her to see Elli!" Charity said eyes still glued to Dianna. "I hope she isn't too tired from taking care of Lulu..." Charity turned back to ask Cleo something, only to find she had left.

Grumbling to herself, Charity returned her attention to Dianna. She stared at the other woman, who seemed to be unconscious, or at least close to it. What was she supposed to do? She didn't know the first thing about caring for the injured. Charity rushed over the the bar clutching at her side, and soaked a towel in cold water.

She hurried back and carefully laid the towel over Dianna's forehead. She grasped Dianna's shoulders and shook her gently. Dianna stirred a bit, and Charity patted her cheeks to fully wake her.

"Hey... Hey! C'mon! Stay with me!" Dianna would open her eyes to the sight of Charity hovering over her, brows furrowed and a worried frown of her face. "I can take you to see a healer. She's a priestess and can fix you right up. I just... Needed to make sure you were still alive..."

Charity sat back on her heels and idly scratched the side of her face with a finger, trying to act like she hadn't been worried, though her face gave her away.

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

Wow, some rich girl losing her mother. Makes sense she would act out and pick fights in bars, she knew a couple other of her female comrades had similar stories. Most like her simply had a rebellious streak and valued agency over their lives, but others had trauma that they thought only military service could fix or distract them from.

She felt herself slipping away from consciousness, her breathing irregular as she fought against blissful darkness... Well, it seemed the conversation was over, she couldn't hear the other woman anymore. Maybe it would be fine if she just...

"Hey... Hey! C'mon! Stay with me!" Dianna would open her eyes to the sight of Charity hovering over her, brows furrowed and a worried frown of her face. "I can take you to see a healer. She's a priestess and can fix you right up. I just... Needed to make sure you were still alive..."

She awoke with a start to the girl laying a wet towel on her forehead and putting her hands on her. She initially tensed, but her limbs felt like lead.
She groaned painfully as awareness shot through her brain which awakened the pain from the mild concussion to the back of her skull. She closed her eyes and tried to relax.
"Oooohhh... Yeah, I need a healer..."
She squinted up at the redhead leaning over her. She had a childlike face; she could imagine pouting coming naturally to her whenever her father or guardian denied her something, or maybe she never had anything denied to her? spoiled rich kids who picked fights often had everything handed to them on a silver platter, the political landscape of Mardus was a diverse one, if she hadn't seen it, she's probably heard gossip or news bulletins about it.

She groaned as another wave of pain washed over her.
"So... what gives? You some nobles' daughter or something?"

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

Charity breathed a sigh of relief. Dianna was going to be okay. Not that she had been worried or anything... She looked down at the woman beneath her, taking in her beautiful features now that she could get a better look. Under different circumstances, Charity might've tried to take Dianna home with her. But since she had picked a fight, she knew there was no chance of that ever happening.

She could see Dianna studying her face as well. What was she thinking? Surely because of their fight, Dianna probably thought Charity was nothing more than a trouble making miscreant. It felt as if Dianna was analyzing her, and Charity shifted uncomfortably. She could feel her cheeks becoming hotter and hotter, but found it nigh impossible to tear her gaze away from Dianna's beautiful face.

"So... what gives? You some nobles' daughter or something?

"Hmm? Me? Oh no. I'm not a noble or anything." Charity said, leaning back swiftly to stare across the room with bright pink cheeks. Though truth be told, Charity did tend to act like a spoiled princess. Especially around her father. "Daddy's a businessman who has various things going on around the city, and Mother is-" Charity's words caught in her throat. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, and quickly scrubbed them away hoping Dianna wouldn't notice. "Was... A scholar of sorts."

She felt a touch bad for lying to Dianna, but what else was she supposed to tell her? "A-Anyway, I'm Charity." she said returning her gaze to Dianna. "And sorry for picking a fight earlier..." Charity mumbled quietly.

When Dianna felt ready, Charity would gingerly help her up, putting Dianna's arm over her shoulder to support her. "So... What about you? What's your family like?" she asked as they slowly set off.

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

"Hmm? Me? Oh no. I'm not a noble or anything." Charity said, leaning back swiftly to stare across the room with bright pink cheeks. Though truth be told, Charity did tend to act like a spoiled princess. Especially around her father. "Daddy's a businessman who has various things going on around the city, and Mother is-" Charity's words caught in her throat. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, and quickly scrubbed them away hoping Dianna wouldn't notice. "Was... A scholar of sorts."

Ah, so not a noble, but probably a merchant, as most "businessmen" in Alliria are merchants... Evidently her mother, a scholar, was no longer in the picture... The way she said "Was" told Dianna that her passing was recent, and the way she said it nearly broke her heart.
Death in the family... Another viable reason to lash out at the world.

She felt a touch bad for lying to Dianna, but what else was she supposed to tell her? "A-Anyway, I'm Charity." she said returning her gaze to Dianna. "And sorry for picking a fight earlier..." Charity mumbled quietly.

Dianna felt herself calming down, the pain in her skull helped with that.
She let out a long sigh and took a deep breath to help center herself.
"Charity? That's a pretty name... I'm..." She stopped short, correcting to introduce herself properly like a lady. "I mean, my name is Dianna Calcutte. So long as you're offering healing, all is forgiven."

When Dianna felt ready, Charity would gingerly help her up, putting Dianna's arm over her shoulder to support her. "So... What about you? What's your family like?" she asked as they slowly set off.

Charity helped her up and supported her. Dianna did her best, but she simply had to rely on Charity to keep herself from toppling over. She went with Charity, leaving the tavern to seek out her healer friend.
"My family? I come from nobility back in my homeland, my father a district lord in Mardus, my stepmother a dutiful wife and courtier."
She stumbled, but with Charity's inhuman strength she was in no danger of falling.

She chuckled as she felt the muscles on Charity's shoulders where her arm was draped.
"For a merchant's daughter, you certainly train. How did you get so strong?"

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

"Charity? That's a pretty name... I'm..." She stopped short, correcting to introduce herself properly like a lady. "I mean, my name is Dianna Calcutte. So long as you're offering healing, all is forgiven."

"Thanks! Daddy gave it to me when he adopted me!" Charity smiled at Dianna. She stifled a giggle as her companion had to stop and restart her introduction. "Wow! That was so proper and sophisticated!" Charity laughed loudly.

"How do you do, Miss Calcutte? I do declare its a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I do so hope we can become the best of friends. You must stop by my parlor for tea one of those days!" Charity teased Dianna, putting on her best fake noble accent. "Just let me know when youre ready, and I'll help ya up." she offered.

"My family? I come from nobility back in my homeland, my father a district lord in Mardus, my stepmother a dutiful wife and courtier."

"Really? I never would have guessed!" Charity gasped in surprise. She stopped briefly to look Diana over. Was this woman in a guard uniform really a noble? She hadn't acted like any noble she had ever met. No demanding attention, no flaunting money around. Charoty wished the other nobles could be like Dianna.

She chuckled as she felt the muscles on Charity's shoulders where her arm was draped.
"For a merchant's daughter, you certainly train. How did you get so strong?"

"My big sister works as a bodyguard and she trained me. I've always enjoyed fighting but was pretty bad at it as a young girl. Daddy recognized my passion for it, and asked her to teach me. Spent my whole life fighting. Guess that's how I got so strong."

Charity could've talked about her love of fighting for hours, but for once decided not to be selfish. "You're pretty strong yourself!" Charity complimented Dianna. "So what made a noblewoman like yourself want to play soldier?"

Their conversation made their short trip pass in a blur. Before they knew it, they stood in front of a small stone church. "Lidia! Lidia! Are you there?" Charity called as she pounded on the door.

Eilerias

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

"Thanks! Daddy gave it to me when he adopted me!" Charity smiled at Dianna. She stifled a giggle as her companion had to stop and restart her introduction. "Wow! That was so proper and sophisticated!" Charity laughed loudly.

"How do you do, Miss Calcutte? I do declare its a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I do so hope we can become the best of friends. You must stop by my parlor for tea one of those days!" Charity teased Dianna, putting on her best fake noble accent. "Just let me know when you're ready, and I'll help ya up." she offered.

Dianna couldn't help but chuckle at Charity's fun as she accepted her help, but the laughter made her head hurt and she groaned.

"My big sister works as a bodyguard and she trained me. I've always enjoyed fighting but was pretty bad at it as a young girl. Daddy recognized my passion for it, and asked her to teach me. Spent my whole life

Dianna wasn't convinced. There was technique, and there was raw power. Charity had some technique, but more power than her body suggested. Still, her head already hurt enough, so she decided to drop it.

You're pretty strong yourself!" Charity complimented Dianna. "So what made a noblewoman like yourself want to play soldier?"

She wasn't feeling a whole lot of inhibitions at the moment, drunk as she was so she didn't mind sharing.
"In my homeland, noble daughters are raised to marry for the political or financial benefit of their families. The only way out that doesn't drag the family name through the mud is military service."
She grinned at the memory.
"So I decided to join the most elite knighthood in the Kingdom! The Knight Paladins of Mardus!"

They arrived at the church, Dianna waited patiently while Charity knocked on the door. Seems she was well connected, her father used bodyguards so he must be considerably wealthy. If she's learned anything in Alliria, it's that the line between noble and merchant is very narrow in this trade city.
Still, this Charity was an interesting character, she wouldn't mind being friends with her.

 

[Eilerias]

"Please...just one moment of peace." Lidia plead with the voice outside the church's front door. After Eilerias' sudden departure, Lidia had been responsible for keeping the place up and running and in a place like Alliria it was like a revolving door. These people were always hurting themselves, though most looked disappointed when they were told Eilerias wasn't in at the moment.

She wasn't sure what that was about, as her healing had surpassed Eilerias' own. Perhaps they wanted to talk about something Sol'Nityr related. Despite her changes after having Lucinda, she still could manage to be more boring than anything else in this city.

She tried to ignore the pounding on the door, but it was clear they weren't going anywhere so she got up from her chair and made her way over, cracking it open to check who it was before flinging it open. "Charity, what's wrong?"

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

"In my homeland, noble daughters are raised to marry for the political or financial benefit of their families. The only way out that doesn't drag the family name through the mud is military service."

"Married off for the benefit of your family?" Charity asked. "That doesn't seem very fair to you. What if you met a man you really liked? Do you really not get any say in who marry?"

"So I decided to join the most elite knighthood in the Kingdom! The Knight Paladins of Mardus!"

"So paladins don't have to worry about any of that? No wonder you chose that path! You get to be your own woman, and not forced into the life of someone else's choosing."

"Charity, what's wrong?"

"Lidia!" Charity exclaimed, wrapping her free arm around the younger woman in a side hug. "Nothing serious.... Just a couple broken ribs! Got into a fight with Dianna here at a tavern."

"Ya should've seen her! Taking on whole groups of men twice her size, and barely taking any hits! She was doing pretty well until I got to her!" Charity beamed at Dianna, her excitement over the evening's events clear on her face. She was exaggerating a little of course, but her newfound admiration for Dianna was unmistakable in her voice.

"Umm anyway, she hit her head pretty hard during the fight..." Charity's excitement turned to worry and she looked back to Lidia. "Please take care of her first. I'll survive until your done..." She gently ushered Dianna inside, and quietly sat on a bench while Lidia got to work.