Private Tales Money of Clandestine Means

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
"But, Mr. Kouser...your wife..." Her golden irises had begun to turn a deep purple as she looked down. She didn't need an answer to hear if she should continue or pause. Since her first trip with her late fiancé, she considered all men the same. They were only after one thing, and now she was more than willing to give them what they desired for she, or rather her shadows, became stronger in return. "Wouldn't she be upset with you?"
He smirked as he watched realization dawn on her, and then at her question.
"No doubt she will be, you'll be fine of course... As for me? I'm a dead man anyways."
He chuckled, imagining what it might be like if she did find out and happened to care, to cause a scene over him... He doubted he could ever have survived to this day if they were married, that woman was incompetent and insufferable... Of course when he messes up it's a huge screw up like this, and he'll pay with his life.
Her words didn't match her actions as she moved in close to him, kissing his neck.
He closed his eyes and simply enjoyed that small sensation. The feeling of a woman's lips never got old. He let out a content sigh of appreciation.
"Help me, will you?" She turned to face away, waiting for him to help her out of her robes to reveal a set of lingerie that was very appropriate for the priestess to be wearing and a small tattoo of a rose on her shoulder.
He reached up and deftly helped her remove her robes. He'd obviously slept with priestesses before, he knew exactly what to do... Of course, what was underneath was certainly a welcome deviation, and she could feel his appreciation under his trousers.

His fingers found and traced the the tattoo on her shoulder while his other hand moved slowly up her body, starting at her thigh.
Being the man he was he recognized the tattoo almost immediately.
"I didn't know you were a petal of the Cherry Rose... Seems we have more in common than first impressions suggest."
 
"No doubt she will be, you'll be fine of course... As for me? I'm a dead man anyways."

She giggled quietly, "In that case, I'll send you off with one last good memory." She spoke as he undressed her, stopping when he mentioned the Cherry Rose. She couldn't make out if his tone suggested it was a bad thing or only a simple observation.

His fingers found and traced the the tattoo on her shoulder while his other hand moved slowly up her body, starting at her thigh.
Being the man he was he recognized the tattoo almost immediately.
"I didn't know you were a petal of the Cherry Rose... Seems we have more in common than first impressions suggest."

"Don't you worry my dear, I am only their healer." She lied, turning to face him before guiding him back towards the bed. If he was paying attention, he'd see shadows of various shapes dancing in the candle lights as though they were sentient. She would help him undress before pushing him back and getting on top of him before pausing again.

"You say we have things in common? So which one are you? The healer or the whore?" She smiled before leaning down to kiss him. Things would carry out for a few minutes before she would pull her face away, the soft purple smoke beginning to flow from his mouth as her shadows began to siphon his very essence to feed themselves. The pair would experience altered sensations in a more dreamlike state as they continued on.
 
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"Don't you worry my dear, I am only their healer." She lied, turning to face him before guiding him back towards the bed. If he was paying attention, he'd see shadows of various shapes dancing in the candle lights as though they were sentient. She would help him undress before pushing him back and getting on top of him before pausing again.
He nodded in affirmation, it didn't matter to him if she were a trained assassin. Just as the Syndicate wouldn't dare start a war with the Cherry Rose, the Cherry Rose knew better than to mess with the Syndicate.
The Cherry Rose all but completely controlled Alliria, but the Syndicate spanned almost all of Arethil.

She helped him undress the rest of the way and then they were on the bed again, ready to go.
The shadows didn't escape his notice, but he saw no cause for alarm yet.

"You say we have things in common? So which one are you? The healer or the whore?"
"I suppose you could say that I'm definitely the whore."
She smiled before leaning down to kiss him. Things would carry out for a few minutes before she would pull her face away, the soft purple smoke beginning to flow from his mouth as her shadows began to siphon his very essence to feed themselves. The pair would experience altered sensations in a more dreamlike state as they continued on.
That kiss was definitely different, he could almost detect the imperceptible tingle of magic as they came together. The sensations she induced in him were incredible and instead of fighting it he let himself get lost in it... Might as well, even if she killed him, better to die happy.

When they separated from the kiss he was breathing hard, he noticed the smoke escaping his mouth and her purple eyes and magic, but he decided he didn't care.
Eilerias was beautiful, even for a whore, it was a shame she just hired herself away like this... She could have made a lucky man very happy even into his old age.
"You're incredible, Eilerias. Definitely worth the pain to get here."
 
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"Pardon me Inara, I think Mr. Kouser has been mistaken. You should be okay, but I'd still take it easy for a while. Again, if you need anything just let one of the ladies know and they will get it for you."

Inara waited.

And waited a few more minutes.

And then she got impatient and headed out of her room. She had seen the room that Max had been taken to and it did not even cross her mind to knock before she pushed the door open.

Two naked bodies. Shadows. Two naked bodies. Shadows.

TWO NAKED BODIES!

Inara slammed the door behind her to get their attention.

"What the actual fuck, Maximilian Kouser?!"

Had she just used his full first name? Why did she care? She caught sight of the tattoo and her eyes widened even more.

He had brought them to a Cherry Rose healer. Fuck, she was going to kill him before her father had a chance.
 
Inara slammed the door behind her to get their attention.

"What the actual fuck, Maximilian Kouser?!"
He looked over when he heard the door slam but Eilerias's spell was in full effect, in his dreamlike state all his senses were being filled with pleasure.
In spite of this, his voice was clear.
"Inara... I'm enjoying my last meal, kindly leave me to it so I can have at least one less regret before your father kills me."

He didn't stop, even with Inara standing there.
What was the big deal? It's not like they were crunched for time, Max certainly wasn't in any hurry, and it's not like she cared about him or what he chose to do with his last day on Arethil. Heck, she had Tal to keep her warm at night. If she could fuck blackmailing traitors, he could fuck a magic whore.
 
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Eilerias jolted as the door slammed shut, but remained over the man as she held his hands down. She wouldn't cut the shadows off, maintaining her own focus as Max spoke to the irate woman. A smile creeped across her face.

She could have stopped them, but allowed it to play out. After all, he was paying her in platinum and the building was in need of repairs. It wasn't the first time someone's wife found their husband in her arms and it would likely not be the last.

Shhhh... Her voice would echo in his head.

Focus on me. Ignore her. Don't leave me, love.
 
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"Inara... I'm enjoying my last meal, kindly leave me to it so I can have at least one less regret before your father kills me."

Inara thought about what to do. Stabbing him was an option but he was in a room with a healer so that would not be a nice long term pain.

"I will leave. I will see you back at the office...I do hope none of those people who were after us find me...my father would be very upset if I ended up dead or came home wounded without you because you needed a good fuck..."


She could fully take care of herself but this was more fun. The words were barely out of her mouth as she slammed the door behind her and left the temple through the side door they had entered through.
 
Shhhh... Her voice would echo in his head.

Focus on me. Ignore her. Don't leave me, love.
He turned his attention back on Eilerias after he said his piece, and redoubled the efforts he put into their lovemaking.

"I will leave. I will see you back at the office...I do hope none of those people who were after us find me...my father would be very upset if I ended up dead or came home wounded without you because you needed a good fuck..."
Those words got through to him and he watched as she slammed the door behind her.
He slowed down and slowly let himself regain his senses.
"Oh fuck..."
He laid back in the sheets and closed his eyes tightly, rubbing them as if he suddenly had a massive headache, which at times like this, was exactly what Inara felt like.
"Damn, I hate that woman."

He looked up at Eilerias, his face seemed drawn and tired, his eyes half lidded, as if suddenly he was exceedingly bored by everything.
"I suppose this whore has to go face the harsh reality."
He attempted to extract himself from Eilerias and start dressing himself.
 
Eilerias sighed, fake pouting as she moved away, taking a sheet with her as she sat at the edge of the bed. "To be fair, I did warn you..." She twisted a few strands of hair around her finger, looking off towards the candles, where the shadows had ceased their dancing.

"Yes, Max, go on ahead. I think it might be unwise to return here when she's done with you though." She chuckled, getting up to get dressed quickly before ushering him out of the room.
 
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Inara was seething. She didn’t know why she was so mad but she was. He had the audacity to fuck a priestess from the biggest gang in Alliria with her two doors down. She was pretty sure that she could kill him for treason or something and get a new bodyguard. One she actually liked.

Unfortunately, her mind was on all the ways she wanted to make Max suffer and she missed the two men trailing her.

It was too late by the time she noticed them and her dagger was barely in her hand when one of the men grabbed her. Inara sliced back and felt her dagger connect with flesh. The growl of pain was the last thing she remembered before the world went black.

The only evidence she had been there was her dagger covered in blood and droplets of blood that trailed some ways from it before stopping.
 
"To be fair, I did warn you..." She twisted a few strands of hair around her finger, looking off towards the candles, where the shadows had ceased their dancing.
"Yes... You did."
Which would only make sense if Inara was his wife. But her reaction... She either really played the part, or she really lost her cool.
"Yes, Max, go on ahead. I think it might be unwise to return here when she's done with you though."
"You have my thanks. You've given me one less regret before I die. I doubt I'll ever see you again."
He finished dressing himself and left the room to go after Inara.

She wasn't bluffing, she actually left the temple without him. He had half expected her to be waiting for him to gloat or something, but she was nowhere in sight.
It was easy to guess which way she went though, she wasn't lost in this part of town.

He strode down the street, adjusting his jacket and throwing on his coat. He couldn't be too far behind her.
But still, the way she looked at him when she found him... Anger at being made to wait was one thing, but that wasn't the same anger she just displayed... What did it mean?
There was a metallic scrape on the sidewalk as he stepped on something, he looked under his boot and saw a knife, Inara's...
His blood ran cold as his fingers closed around the knuckles in his pocket... Fresh blood, a trail.

He followed the trail into the alleyway, but the trail ended not long after.
"Fuck..."
He whispered as he knelt down to examine the last drop of blood.
"Fucking thirteen hells and all the devils..."
Steel entered his cold veins... Anger, his own brand of it.
What kind of two bit thug was stupid enough to kidnap a member of the Syndicate?

He rubbed his temples for a moment.
"Think Max, think... The trail has gone cold, you don't know who took her or where they might have gone. If they're local thugs then the locals might be familiar with them... If they're not local, there's a high chance that they're either hiding nearby or someone spotted them leaving."
He nodded to himself, a look of determination on his face.
He went to the nearest door in the alleyway and knocked.
He listened by heard no signs of life so he tried the next door. This time he heard shuffling but no answer, so he kicked the door in, startling an elderly man tiptoing around his own house.

"Evening, grandfather. Sorry to disturb you, but a group of people came down this alleyway no more than thirty minutes ago..."
He walked up to the frightened old man, visibly slipping on his knuckles so the old man could see.
"... I'm in quite a hurry to catch up with them, they might have had a woman with them, tell me what you know and I'll leave you to your quiet life."

Max he'd spent the better part of his time in the Syndicate making a name for himself that people feared and respected, even here in the slums.
After terrorizing a few more houses, breaking a few noses and a couple kneecaps, he learned that people in the slums of Alliria were a close knit community like they were in Elbion. Stubborn but to a point, and he made sure to discover that point in his merciless questing to find Inara and her kidnappers.
 
Inara came back to consciousness with a splitting headache. She would’ve touched the back of her head to feel for wetness but her hands were hands were shackled behind her back. The room was so blurry and she struggled to make her eyes adjust.

What had happened?

“Good, you are awake. I would like to know who decided it would be a good idea to fuck with Lord Clydus. He does not like to be scammed and he does not like his scammers to continue to live…”

The man who was speaking had been in the office earlier but now he wore a face that promised her was going to torture her until she spoke.

Inara told him to go fuck himself which earned her a hard slap across the face and a promise of knives to that pretty face if she did that again.

She should’ve waited for Max. What had she been thinking?!
 
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Unfortunately, most of the people he brutalized hadn't actually seen anything, but it sent a message that the Syndicate didn't mess around and he made sure everyone knew that it was the Syndicate that he represented.
Then he broke the shin of one man that saw several men he didn't recognize carrying an unconscious woman out of the alleyway and down another alleyway to the right.
"Thank you for your cooperation."

He strode out of the broken in doorway and located the alleyway.
It came to a dead end but he didn't enter the alley immediately.
If it's someone nobody recognized it was probably Clydus' men.
And they were probably keeping watch if they were hiding.
Out of habit he pulled out his case of cigarettes and opened it, but he pursed his lips in disappointment as water ran out of it.
He dumped the ruined cigarettes on the ground and considered his next move.

Finding which building they were hiding in wouldn't be difficult, but finding out before he was spotted was another matter entirely.
He glanced down the alley to take note of the terrain.
Some clothes lines criss crossed the upper floors, those windows remained open so he could assume those houses were inhabited and inconsequential.
That narrowed his options down to two.

Alright, it was time to put his street rat tracking skills to work once again. They we're so deep in the slums that there weren't any cobblestone paths, so that made tracking difficult, but not impossible.
He bent down to examine the stones, a tell-tale skid mark, a dragged foot.
The path went around this same alley corner and went wide to make sure the watchman could see them... That told him that they were in the house closest to him, which meant he could effectively approach unseen until it was too late.

When he stood up again he picked something up from the ground and entered the alleyway. He clung to the shadows close to the building, he was dressed in white and stood out plainly, but every little bit counted in his favor.
He stopped beside a window and listened for a moment. He heard some muffled conversation and a slap, and then muffled words that sounded like threats.
Inara was probably being an idiot and trying to intimidate her kidnappers, a slap would do her good for that.

--------------------------------
Inside the house the watchman craned his neck to see the entrance of the alley, but the window provided only a limited view further obscured by filth and grime.

He did finally detect movement and tried to learn forward more to identify it without pressing his face to the dirty glass.
The next moment a loose brick from the cobblestone path came crashing through the window, striking the man full in the teeth and sending shards of glass into his face.
The door was kicked open another moment later and Max strode into the room.
His face stony to hide exactly how much he loved his job.

Exempting the maimed man on the floor he counted four guardsmen in leather armor, easily concealed beneath cloaks to blend in with the slums.
A white night serving the forces of evil stood against the dark knights representing the forces of good and justice. Irony just didn't cover it.

"Fucking windows, am I right?"

The man closest to him let out a war cry and charged with his sword.
Max caught his wrist with his left hand before he could bring down his sword and he delivered his steel knuckled punch to his throat with his right, crushing his Adams apple and dropping the man as he choked on his own blood.
He backed up immediately as two of the remaining three charged him simultaneously, driving him out of the house and into the street. The last stood guard over Inara.

Max ducked and weaved to avoid the sharp blades as they flicked out at him, but only long enough to gain the advantage. He kicked and connected with a knee, stunning the guard and giving him an opening to deliver a punishing blow to the side of his temple, knocking him out cold before he hit the ground.
The second swordsman slashed out and missed, but didn't put the same effort into the back swing. Max punched his wrist, shattering the bones and making him drop the sword.
There was a zipping sound as Max pulled out a garrote wire hidden in his belt. He had the wire around the guard's neck in an instant, he crossed the wires and pulled, blood squirted from his neck before he could bring his hands up, and he was bleeding out before he could do anything.
Max dropped the man, leaving the tightened wires on him as he bleed out on the cobblestones.
He then dragged the unconscious guard over to the sidewalk, positioned his teeth against the corner and delivered a kick to his head. Teeth and blood flew across the street and into the house...

He did all of this purposely in front of the open doorway.

One guard left.
 
She had done it again. The kidnapper had punched her right in the jaw.

She had done it again. The kidnapped punched her in her ribs. She felt a few break.

She had done it again. The kidnapper had stabbed her in her thigh and left the dagger sticking out of it. She grimaced and felt tears form in her eyes but she did not scream like she wanted to.

Inara was not just going to roll over and give up the Syndicate. She didn't want to put her father in the position of having to kill her. That would be extremely messed up. She would die before she forced her father to make that choice.

Her eyes slid towards the noise outside the open door and she saw Max looking very pissed off and very covered in blood. He had found her. She left out a painful sigh of relief as her kidnapper pulled his crossbow off a nearby table.

One guard by the door and the kidnapper stood between her and Max.
 
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Max tilted his neck to the side with an audible pop, then again as he leaned to the other side.
A smirk broke his stony mask and he licked a droplet of blood on the corner of his mouth none of it his own blood.
Inara wasn't looking so good, he'd have to bring her back to the healer at this rate... Looks like she was a bit of a slow learner when it came to being on the receiving end of torture.
He bent down and rifled through the pockets of the two brutalized men in the streets, a bag of gold each but not what he was looking for.

Just a guard and one other guy, looked like he might be Clydus' right hand man or something.
The guard however? Just fodder and he knew it.
Everything Max just did, was designed specifically to induce terror, and it was very effective.
Max looked the guard up and down as he practically shook in his boots, his comrades either met a violent and horrific death, or would be scarred for life so death would have been a mercy.

Max stepped inside the house then moved away from the door. He smiled and with a flourish presented the exit to him, he could leave.
The guard hesitated, looking from Max to his comrades, to his leader and then back to Max and the open doorway.
"Give Clydus the regards of the Syndicate, or don't. I recommend heavy drinking and whoring to forget everything that's happened here. Works like a charm."
The guard didn't look back. He just dropped his sword and bolted for the door. Max was there in an instant but he only stopped him with a bloody hand on the frightened man's chest, he searched his pockets as well before pushing him out the door and past his brutalized comrades.

Max then turned his attention on the final man, the right hand.
At first he seemed about to offer him an escape as well, but with a smile and shake of his head he stepped in front of the doorway.
He brushed a bloody hand through his hair, combing it out of the way as he strode forward.
Heedless of anything he might threaten to do to Inara.
"Trust me pal, if this were a perfect world you'd be doing me a favor by giving her a new smile about three inches lower."
He shined his knuckles on his coat, leaving streaks of blood on the white material.
"Hell, if this were yesterday I would have paid you to do it."
He purposefully stepped on the unconscious face of the first man who took a brick to the face. His boot pushed the glass shards deeper into his skin and had he been awake his cries of agony would have been legendary.
He then searched that man's pockets and found what he was looking for, he found a metal case with cigars inside, he found matches and lit it up, taking a long drag.
When he breathed out the smoke some of the bloodlust seemed to go out of him as well.

"But this world isn't perfect or fair, and yesterday ain't coming back. So I'm going to make you a promise. There is no cause or employer worth the suffering I'll put you through if you touch her again, let alone kill her."
He dragged on the cigar one more time before throwing it in the corner.
It was a far cheaper brand than he preferred.
 
Inara was in pain but very much still conscious as she watched the show in horror. This Max...this was not the Max she had been with all day...or that she had argued with multiple times since she had arrived at the Syndicate. This Max was fucking terrifying. Fuck...she would have given him whatever he wanted including her job if he showed up looking like this and demanded it.

The man who had been torturing her and who now held a crossbow leveled it at Max. His finger rested on the trigger and he had a crazed look in his eye. Inara couldn't blame him for the look though since all of his men save one had been brutally murdered at the hand of the blood covered man in front of him.

"Killing you and then finishing with her is easier. I believe I already shot you once today..."

The words were barely out when he pulled the trigger.

Inara's arms were behind her but her feet were free and as soon as the mans finger twitched to pull the trigger, Inara kicked out hoping to cause the man to fall.
 
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"Killing you and then finishing with her is easier. I believe I already shot you once today..."
Max's smile vanished as he refocused.
That crossbow went off but Inara kicked out in spite of her injury, it didn't knock him off his feet but it upset his aim just enough, as Max moved to close the distance that crossbow bolt sailed inches past his cheek, he felt the air split near his face.

The bolt hit the wall behind him and Max was on the man swinging.
He hadn't counted on missing, but his reflexes were fast enough to his credit, he dropped the crossbow and drew his sword just as Max threw the first punch, narrowly missing the man's face as he ducked to the side.
Max jumped back but not before the sword opened a deep cut in his arm.
Red stained his white sleeve and Max looked disgusted at the sight.
"You cut my coat, it's worth more than your damned crossbow and sword combined you asshole!"
He drew his dagger from inside his coat and reversed the grip so the blade ran like a shield along his forearm.
He advanced again, using the dagger to ward off the strikes from the longer bladed sword.
The clang of steel rang out as the fighter and the killer dueled to the death.
He threw another dagger at the kidnapper which he easily dodged, and the blade buried itself in the floorboards between Inara's feet.

In spite of Max's clear disadvantages he seemed to be holding his own against the skilled swordsman, often getting inside the kidnappers guard and attempting to stab him, forcing the man to backpedal and flail the sword wildly to get Max to back off again.
He managed to get a slash in on the man's unprotected leg when he got close enough, so now they both were bleeding... Unlike Max, the kidnapper seemed a bit more perturbed by the cut than Max was for his own. It's like he didn't care he was in pain, which was an accurate assessment.

Max didn't care, he simply didn't care. His entire focus was on killing this man before the man killed him, he only cared about getting Inara free and safe.
Max feinted, drawing his guard while Max switched and scored another cut, this time between the leather armor and the bracer on his sword arm, it wasn't deep, but it was painful and the kidnapper wasn't accustomed to it.
In truth, Max was drawing this out in another terror tactic called a "slow bleed", where he consistently only scored small non-fatal wounds that bled, and he would keep doing that, draining his opponents strength and blood slowly as the fight dragged on... Eventually he would end it, but the kidnapper had quite a bit more fight left so far, he couldn't feel his failure yet.
 
The kidnapper continued to fight even as Max drew more and more slices in his body. Inara could admire his will, he was not going to be blamed for giving up on his mission. She, on the other hand, was very ready to get the fuck out of these chains and away from here before more of Clydus' people showed up.

She was only half paying attention to the fight but she could see that the kidnapper was finally starting to slow down. Max's latest strike had knocked the sword from the mans hand and a small smile curved her bloody lips.

The kidnapper knew he was defeated as the sword clattered to the stone floor. He just looked up at Max and charged him.

What his plan there was, Inara had no idea.
 
Max was slowly bleeding his opponent until he was suffering from over twenty three different cuts.
His movements were growing sloppy and his breathing labored... And Max just stared him down the whole time, his face not reacting as he clinically made one incision after another, strategically weakening his opponent till the grip on his sword was almost slack.

The kidnapper raised the sword one more time and Max punched his hand with his steel knuckles, breaking the grip along with a few bones and the sword fell to the floor where Max quickly kicked it away from his reach.
He fell to his knees, breathing hard and despair written all over his face.
Max saw it in his eyes though, he was loyal to Clydus like he was loyal to Marcus... He could guess what was coming...

The man charged, knowing he was going to die.
And Max denied him, dancing out of the way like a trained ballerina.
He let the man stumble past him to fall to the floor.
"No no, try again."
He coaxed the man and he slowly staggered to his knees again.

He charged again and again Max stepped out of the way, letting him fall on his face and getting a face full of glass as he landed near the window.
Max stopped him from getting up this time, holding his head down and his face in the glass.
He leaned down to his ear as the man whimpered in agony.
"You don't get to die tonight, you get to return to Clydus, and you get to bring him a little message from the Syndicate."
He turned him over and sat on the guys chest, dagger in hand and inching closer and closer to his face. He had to be careful, the man was half dead already, looking like a mutilated red lump of raw hamburger

"The message? Don't FUCK with the bloody SYNDICATE!!!"

He held him still as he could as he shaved off a portion of his face, again, he was being supremely careful now NOT to kill him, he was relying on this man's loyalty and spirit to Clydus to keep him going.
Thankfully, it paid off, he didn't die but blissfully lost consciousness.

No healer would be able to restore the psychological damage, and it would take a true miracle or very talented healer to put his face back together in the same way it was. Healing magic made traditional maiming more difficult, so people like Max had to get creative to make sure the scars showed no matter the treatment.

Max sighed, removing a set of keys from the kidnappers pocket and replacing them with the folded bloody skin before standing up and turning to check on Inara.
His face was blank, his expression the picture of boredom even though blood splattered nearly every inch of him.
He jingled the keys, "Glad you're still alive boss, no doubt in spite of your best efforts."
He approached, bloody dagger absently held in one hand and the bloody keys in the other. He stepped behind her and unlocked the shackles before stepping around her and picking up the knife from the floor between her feet.
 
"Glad you're still alive boss, no doubt in spite of your best efforts."

The metal hit the floor and she found herself absently rubbing her wrists as she watched Max come around in front of her. She narrowed her eyes at his words and tried to stand up. She did not make it far before all the pain came rushing back and she stumbled forward into Max's hard body.

Inara righted herself quickly and apologized for her violation of his personal space. She fought the urge to yell at him for just announcing that the Syndicate was behind trying to screw over a prominent Lord and thanking him for saving her life...again.

"Well you pissed me off and I am petty," she said as she hobbled over towards some cabinets to look for some kind of cloth to clean herself up. Her face was bloody and her thigh was still bleeding from being stabbed.

"Thanks," Inara finally mumbled as she finally opened a cabinet that held some rags. She took a few out and hobbled back over towards Max.

"If you thought you were going to die anyways, it would have been easier to just let me die..." She set the rags down and leaned against the table. She was in more pain than she wanted to admit.

Karma had definitely gotten her today.
 
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She narrowed her eyes at his words and tried to stand up. She did not make it far before all the pain came rushing back and she stumbled forward into Max's hard body.

Inara righted herself quickly and apologized for her violation of his personal space. She fought the urge to yell at him for just announcing that the Syndicate was behind trying to screw over a prominent Lord and thanking him for saving her life...again.
He caught her, but his body was indeed hard and unyielding, the adrenaline had yet to stop pumping and he looked at her the same way he looked at the kidnapper... Like a bug, insignificant but worthy of hatred... The way a killer looks at his prey...

"Well you pissed me off and I am petty," she said as she hobbled over towards some cabinets to look for some kind of cloth to clean herself up. Her face was bloody and her thigh was still bleeding from being stabbed.

"Thanks,"
She said it, so it must be true.
He pulled out another stolen cigar and lit it... Breathing in the smoke and letting it out visibly relaxed him, and the look in his eyes went away.
He smirked as he held the cigar in his teeth.
"Princess, it's been a pleasure to kill for you, beats pushing papers any day."

"If you thought you were going to die anyways, it would have been easier to just let me die..." She set the rags down and leaned against the table. She was in more pain than she wanted to admit.

Karma had definitely gotten her today.
Max realized he still held his knife in his hand, so he wiped it off on a guardsman's pants leg and sheathed it. He then took the cigar out of his mouth, trailing smoke as he helped her sit up on the table and took the bandages from her.
"Princess, there's a possibility that I'll die, and then there's one hundred percent certainty. I'm willing to bet on a one percent chance if it means I don't have to face the alternative."
He knelt down and held her leg still, it might have been better for her if the knife remained in her leg, but that wasn't the case. He bound her leg tightly, once again to stop the bleeding.

"What now, Inara? Get you back to the temple for healing? Or do we go home and take our chances?"
 
"Princess, it's been a pleasure to kill for you, beats pushing papers any day."

She had already wondered what his actual job had been before he had been assigned as her bodyguard. She was wondering if she was correctly putting the pieces together here or if he actually gave a shit about her. No, it definitely was not the latter. He was a trained killer and he loved it.

"What now, Inara? Get you back to the temple for healing? Or do we go home and take our chances?"

Inara winced as he wrapped her thigh but she didn’t say anything. She was so over pain today but this had been her fault and she would suffer for it. No easy way out for her being a stubborn asshole.

“Home,” she finally answered. “There is a back alley that runs behind my townhouse that I can use so no one sees me and alerts my father.”

Max was done wrapping her leg and she pushed off the table with a few curses. There were definitely a few broke ribs. She didn’t change her mind though. She just had to keep reminding herself that this was her punishment. She deserved it.

“Then you go back and finish with the Priestess,”
she said snidely as she started to walk towards the door Max had murdered his way through.
 
“Home,” she finally answered. “There is a back alley that runs behind my townhouse that I can use so no one sees me and alerts my father.”
He nodded and helped her to her feet, putting the cigar between his teeth so he could use both hands.
“Then you go back and finish with the Priestess,” she said snidely as she started to walk towards the door Max had murdered his way through.
He put her arm around his shoulders so that he could take the weight off of her leg before she could go more than a step.
"And leave your incompetent ass alone for even a second? I'm not leaving you alone to bathe if you keep this up."

He brought her out of the house and led the way through the streets. After a few minutes he stopped for a break to toss the cigar and wrap his injured arm.
By this point he had completely calmed down and was more himself again.
"I'll take care of Clydus, I'll find a way to ruin his noble name and break him in every way. He could have let us go, but he decided to pick a fight with the Syndicate, his title cannot protect him from us."
He then continued to practically carry her the rest of the way out of the slums and back to Syndicate territory over the course of an hour.
 
"And leave your incompetent ass alone for even a second? I'm not leaving you alone to bathe if you keep this up."

Inara tried to protest that she could walk on her own but she did not even believe it so she let Max help her. She was in too much pain to argue.

Him calling her incompetent caused her to throw a glare at him. “Fuck you,” she said with as much menace as she could manage. It was half hearted at best.

"I'll take care of Clydus, I'll find a way to ruin his noble name and break him in every way. He could have let us go, but he decided to pick a fight with the Syndicate, his title cannot protect him from us."

“Good,” Inara said before giving all her remaining focus to their journey.

Eventually they came to the back entrance of her townhome and she pulled a key from a very hidden and safe pocket up in the bodice of her dress. It took a few tries but the door eventually swung open and Max helped her inside.

“Just put me on the couch and go. I will figure it out. I don’t want to owe you anything,” she told him.
 
Finally in a safe spot... Well, mostly safe. Now they just had to avoid their own people.
He brought her inside after she unlocked the door and shut it behind them.
“Just put me on the couch and go. I will figure it out. I don’t want to owe you anything,” she told him.
He did as she asked, gently setting her down.
"I'll go find someone we can trust to heal us up."
He turned to the door and stopped, "You already owe me, Inara. This is twice in one day that I've saved your life."
She wasn't going to tell her father, he was slowly being convinced of that, she was being careful that word didn't even reach him about their condition.
So... That's one life debt paid off, a life for a life. But he still had one up on her.

He went out the door and located one runner he knew he could trust, a young man who also owed Max his life.
"Keep everything you see, hear and do locked down, they never happened as far as your concerned. Just go to the temple of the Celestials and ask for a healer who can make a house visit, bring him to the back entrance of Inara's townhouse and knock three times, then once with your dagger. Got it?"
The boy nodded and rushed off to carry out Max's orders.

Max returned to Inara's townhouse, as if he would actually leave her alone after her scrape with death.