Troublesome Women

[Alistair]

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Alistair was very uncomfortable in large public settings but he had been waiting for someone to come in and bring him something. He needed information, and the best way to get it was with coin. Coin he had, thanks to his recent 'adventure'. The man who had the information he needed, entered and came over to sit down. Alistair wasn't one to talk so the man slipped him a sealed parchment and Alistair dropped one of two bags of of coins on the table.

The man paused and looked as if he might try to say something but Alistair only jerked his head to the door in a silent command. Leave. While he was no noble, and did not even have the look; he was a large well built man. He had a way of looking at men, that some (especially non druids) feared.

Not wanting to draw attention to the transaction, Alistair sat there, waiting for the man to get away. He was not afraid someone might know his face, but more that someone would see this and wonder what was going on. He did not want anyone to know what he had just paid for. This was his 'trick up his sleeve' for later.

[Tam]

[tam]

Tam was hungry. She had been working for hours, wandering the markets and helping herself to enough coin to be sure she could pay for her lodgings. Though she stayed at what was possibly the cheapest, most run-down inn of the Kingdom, she still needed to pay the landlord something.
And being a thief was hard work, especially if you worked on your own. You had to notice everything and be always ready to fight and run. Now as late afternoon faded into early evening, Tam knew she had enough money to pay for her nights stay, and some left over for food. What she really needed was a nights work playing flute in one of these pubs. That was more reliable than stealing, and if she wanted to move on in a couple of days she needed the money for supplies.

Tam chose the pub that looked the cheapest and pushed her way inside. Several faces turned to stare, but Tam ignored them. Such a thing happened in any pub. Besides, Tam knew she was nothing to hold their attention for long. She looked nothing but a skinny boy with the travel-stained cloak and small pack of a wanderer. It was obvious she had little money and even more obvious she had not the strength or wildness to cause any trouble.
Of course they did not know about the seven knives she wore, hidden and secret under her clothes.

Tam ordered her food, struck a deal with the bar owner for work tomorrow night, and glanced around for somewhere to sit. Now she had promise of work and happy, she was cheerful. Just in the mood for annoying someone grave with cheerfulness and chatter!
Suddenly she grinned. She had spotted the perfect man. That was the best thing about being well disguised as a boy - she could talk with anyone without them thinking she was flirting.
As she approached, she money and a sealed parchment change hands. At once she was interested. This silent man had dealings was dealing for information, she guessed.
"Hey," Tam gave the man a beaming grin as she slid into the seat opposite him. "You don't mind, do you?" she asked though she gave him no space to refuse. "My name's Thomas Piper, but you can called me Tam. Everyone does! You from round here?" Tam continued, though she could tell he was a Nomad. Better to let him think she were unobservant.

[Alistair]

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When a little shadow fell into the seat across him Alistair (who was a still man anyway) paused, becoming almost like stone. His eyes just stayed on the . . . . boy's face, not moving at all. As the young man talked and talked; Alistair just sat there staring at him. He knew better then to brush off this lad as just the friendly sort, times where hard and often times people got desperate. Had he not been just so once?

"Go home to your mama, boy." He said in a very deep, calm voice that carried an accent of a traveler. Belonging no where, but to the land. Alistair did not plan to stay long, he was traveling out of the kingdom tonight before someone had to much drink and either told the wrong people about him, or started asking to many questions, or worse . . . go to bold and wanted to prove themselves. Alistair did not come here to fight and draw attention to himself.

[tam]

Tam was unmoved by the stranger's stare. She had chosen him because she believed he would behave as such. Her brown eyes flicked over his face, amused. He was so expressionless! It was really quite impressive. Most people were easily irritated when Tam started chattering, giving her the fight she wanted. Though this time, Tam was not simply looking for a fight. This time, she had seen an interesting exchange of money and a scroll, and was not yet wise enough to know such things are best left alone.

When he told her to go home to her mamma, Tam snorted.

"Well you're very nice," she said, dryly sarcastic. "I'm not a child!" Though she supposed that might be how she seemed to this grave man.
"You could tell me your name," Tam continued, eyes dancing.
Maybe she could annoy him enough to make him leave. Then she could follow him, and pinch the scroll to see what it said. If this man could afford to pay for it, then he probably had money worth stealing too. As he was sitting, she could not see how tall he actually was... but she could see that he was solid muscle. If they had a fair fight he would probably crush her, unless she was fast enough to dodge every attack he gave. Tam considered this, and let her wonderings continue her attack of questions.

"You could answer my other question. You from round here?" she repeated. "What you work at? Warrior? You're big enough. Assassin?" she grinned to show her last word was a joke. "I'd guess a knight, but you don't look clean or clever enough. Bet you could use a sword, though, if you wanted. Bet you could beat a knight. Or maybe you just have a club like them barbarians up north? "
He probably would not even begin to tell her what weapons he used. Though it was worth a try, because Tam's endless mix of compliments and insults angered some people faster than they might think. And angry people said stupid things.

[Alistair]

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And he just kept going. And not the going away, just talking going. Alistair had all but brushed him off, and the little tike did not seem to get the idea that he was not wanted. Then again from the bold way he spoke to him, Alistair was willing to guess that this 'Tam' had gotten the idea but was ignoring it. Alistair was used to ignoring people but not used to being the one who was ignored.

When the bold little brat called him to unclean to be a knight, he glared at the child. The 'boy' was to young to have grown the man features and still had the softeness in his face that only young children and women had. "Did you have need of this table?" He asked, since he would not go away, "If you do then I can leave you to it."

[tam]

Tam just smiled as the man glared at her. So he did not like to be called unclean. She supposed that no one would really like that, but she had been worried she would get no reaction from him at all.
But now he spoke as though he were already about to leave! Tam blinked. Why was he so keen to go? He had showed no annoyance other than that one glare, and he sounded almost polite when he asked if she need the table.

"Don't you need it?" Tam countered the question. "You were sitting here first. People are always sharing tables these places, you know," she continued, for all the world as though he were the young 'boy' and that it might possibly be his first time in a pub. But as she said it a small thrill ran though her. If she had managed to make him leave already, she could follow him. It was dark outside now. She could follow him and take that scroll, read it and satisfy her curiosity.
And take his coin, too, Tam reminded herself. Always need more coin.

[Alistair]

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Yup, the lad was up to something. Alistair reach over to his cup and and took a last drink before passing it over to the lad. "Enjoy." He said before getting up, to leave. As he did ht used his hip to knock the table some, so the ale slashed out onto the table, some even falling between the cracks, landing on the lad's pants. Perfect.

Alistair was a hunter, not a fighter. He knew the every sound, and scent, and sight of the woods and roads he traveled. He learned to tell when an animal was approaching, or a man. The scent of the ale on the clothing, would arm him if the lad followed him into the woods. With that pleasing thought, Alistair turned to walk out of the pub, and into the night.

[tam]

He was leaving all ready! It was almost strange how fast her chatter had convinced the man to move on. She watched as he rose, scowling deeply as he hit the table and caused the ale to splash. Tam scowled deeper as she felt the liquid seeping into the coarse fabric of her breeches. The gaps in the table meant that her left knee was spattered with the stuff.
Oh, that's just great, Tam thought as she scooted sideways to avoid the rest of the drips. He did that on purpose!
Though she had noticed the spilling to be deliberate, she had not realised the reason behind it.
"Well I hope you have a very miserable time!" Tam called indigently after the man. This raised a small laugh from the near-by tables and Tam grinned. Well, she would get him back for splashing her with ale. She would take his money and read his precious secret.
She rose and went to the bar, asking them to wrap the food she had paid for in cloth. Tam then slid in into her pack and left the pub.

Outside the night air was cool and sharp. Tam was just in time to see him disappearing down the track that lead to the forest. She grinned and began to follow.
Keeping the distance between them enough so that he would not know, Tam slid cat-like from shadow to shadow. She would wait until they were in the woods. Then she would creep closer... but he looked so strong, Tam knew she could not actually attack him. She was not that stupid. Normally she chose easy targets and lifted their money without them even knowing. She had only done a theft in a wood once before, and that had been a soft young noble.
Never mind. She would know what to do when the time to do it came.