The Medallion of Asgar

8.

Rui

All for the purpose of keeping her fighter spirit a secret, Rui was left with few options to get out of her predicament. In silent distaste, she cursed the knight's presence; he was all that kept her back. However, she also took his non-chalant approach to the tavern keeper as a sign of good fortune. It seemed for the moment there was no threat of a challenge from the armor-clad male. Still, she had a drunken fool to deal with, and in some respects, that was a helluva lot worse.

As she continued to push the brazen drunk away from her, a voice then called out, ringing over the constant hum of the crowd. "I believe she has voiced her dissent enough." It didn't take a genius to figure out which 'she' he was talking about. But the voice.. Who was crazy enough to bring attention to her? Glancing around, she saw the knight stood calmly, eying in her direction. Rui froze, quite fearful that the idiot pestering her had drawn the wrong attention. As she shot a calmly worried look towards to the knight, the other man at her side clamoured, "Why dun you mind yer business?" The black knight stepped closer to her, and the woman's heart began to race furiously. "Only once you've agreed to leave the miss be."

God, this wasn't her night at all. Karma apparently was looking to make her endeavors as hard as humanly possible. It took all her will not to slip up and accidentally reveal her true self to the enemy, now mere feet away from her. One wrong move or one slip of the tongue, and her cover would be blown. Rui fidgeted uncomfortably in her place, trying to consider her options.

As she fretted, the drunkard pulled himself closer, nearly pressing her against his body with all his sluggish weight. "But she wants to hang out wit' me an' mah pals, don't yah girly?" The reek of alcohol and bad breath combined wafted next to her as he forcefully drew her in close for an undeserved kiss. She cringed away, doing what she could to stay away from those gross lips. Rui didn't have to fight for long though, seeing as the knight took it upon himself to pull the ruffian away from her. She watched the man stumble back, causing a small uproar among the crowd. At the moment, the woman thief was at ends, frantically plotting what course of action to take. Did she dare wait for a fight to break out and slip under the cover, or stay and wait, and have the knight remain close to potentially draw his attention upon her more? Both options sucked, but at least the first had some usefulness to it.

It was only when a voice addressed her that Rui's trembling nerves reminded her to keep calm. She nervously turned to acknowledge the knight, hoping that her innocent ploy was enough to hinder the man's suspicions if he harbored any. Yes... Yes, she still had that on her side. Smiling kindly, Rui could only stand her ground and do what she could to hold that facade. "Thank you, Sir Knight. For you to go out of your way for a commoner like myself; I am most grateful."

As the knight's attention was drawn away for a brief moment, so was hers. To everyone's delight, the agitated men were leaving for the time being. At least with them out of the picture, she could leave in peace. But now, she'd have to leave without so much as an ounce of rest. Knights were already upon her, and remaining in one place too long would prove dangerous.

The black knight turned to her again, and gave his wistful words of warning. Rui smiled upon them with great respect. He was practically playing into her hand. "Oh, thank you for your concern, kind Knight. Chivalry becomes you well." Taking the opportunity while it was ripe, she stood up, straightening her dress with a loose hand. "But, I do not fear men enough to believe my safety is in danger yet. Still, I heed your words, from the bottom of my heart. I have to take my leave anyway." Giving a small bow of respect, she also added, "Godspeed, Sir Knight." With that, Rui calmly escorted herself outside, taking one last glance over her shoulder at the chivalrous man before closing the wooden tavern door behind her.

Once out of his line of sight, she hurried from the streets, seeking cover. The best place she could find was a shed behind a marketer's home. The lock on the door presented a small hindrance, but with a little persuasive magic, the metal padlock fell to the ground, and she slipped inside for a moment's reprieve.