Tansy of the Wilds

Chapter Three

Xer'tal couldn't help a smirk that spread on his scarred face. This little human female was all over the place, her life seemed as chaotic as a chicken running around without a head, no rhyme or reason to it. Yet, against his predisposed judgement of 'weak, simple-minded humans,' her rambling had a charm to it he couldn't ignore. There was no guile, no subterfuge. The words seemed drawn out of her like she was under some sort of truth potion. He had always been good at sniffing out a liar and this little human was very much telling the truth.

Even her appearance gave credence to her words, the wide eyed look, the paleness of her face, and the shaky hands, they all came from a close call. She was telling the truth and she had presented him with payment up front. It was better than some of his other jobs.

"Lumberyards, bandits, skirts, and kobolds." Xer'tal snorted, his rough fingers picked the pouch and weighed it in. His gaze flitted to Tansy as he added, "Good on you for slicing that bastard. No man should have his way without consent." However, she thought a mere bag of coin could afford his services was laughably naïve. Still, something flickered in his red-brown eyes, an echo of respect. She had guts. She tackled her situations head-on, or dagger to balls as it were, even if she did jabber a little too much.

"Woman, you do realize my service doesn't come che-" He paused mid-sentence as he opened the pouch. His eyes widened slightly, then narrowed dangerously. There was considerably more gold than he originally thought. "Alright," He grumbled begrudgingly. "We can be 'friendly.' I'll be your blade for the journey, woman, to the Kelpfar kobolds to get that iron deal of yours then I'll escort you back home. Safe." His voice held a tiny hint of mirth as he offered his massive hand, the armour on his arm clinking slightly. "Deal?"

In the abyss of his mind, a voice that sounded suspiciously like his father sneered, 'Are you really going soft for a puny human female, Xer'tal?' He quickly squashed it, there was no reason for his father to be in his mind at all. Xer'tal knew all too much that there were no friends in this world. Only gold and blood. And she offered him gold enough for the job, perhaps a bit more than enough.

He glanced up at the little female and she beamed at him. He was struck dumb for a second because it radiated a warm glow from her face and no one ever smiled at him like that. He was an orc, he was used to being spit on or screamed at. He wasn't a person human females smiled at, let alone like that.

She didn't seem to notice his expression before taking his large hand in hers and shaking it firmly. "Thank you so much! I really do appreciate it!" Her smile seemed to soften slightly and she brought her other hand up, cupping it around his large one. "My name's Tansy. Like the weed, well the flower. It's not so much a weed because it has many medicinal uses and it can be quite beneficial to make into teas and syrups." The newly introduced Tansy seemed to understand she was slightly off on a tangent because Xer'tal could tell the moment she shifted thoughts. "My mum thought it would be funny to have a full garden of us, Rose, Daffodil, Tansy, Cedar, Briar, Basil. Our surname is Wilde you see, she thought she was being funny." His fingers twitched against the warm softness of her hands before she gave his hand a grateful squeeze between both of hers.

Xer'tal's stomach was in a strange sort of knot as she squeezed his hand so gently so he withdrew his hand a bit swiftly when she finished speaking, using it to gesture dismissively at her. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. The job's the job, no need to get sappy about it. Name's Xer'tal the Bloodthirsty." He couldn't deny he was a bit wary of the large pouch of coins, expecting a trick or ruse. But it was evident that this Tansy Wilde was earnest about this deal and had simply been desperate enough to part with that much coin. He couldn't deny her naive trust, it didn't help that an annoying part of him had begun to soften towards her the moment she gave him that soft smile.

"Flowers, weeds, herbs... there's no end to your rambling, is there?" Xer'tal grunted it out, but there was a mellowed edge to his tone. It didn't feel right to snap at her. She was all sunshine, warmth, and softness. It felt wrong to hurt that, it would be like kicking a warg pup. "As it seems, Wilde is a fitting name for one such as you" Xer'tal grumbled, picking up his tankard of beer, taking a heavy drink. She certainly was a wild little thing, her words like rampaging little creatures and he couldn't denote her use of a blade. He smirked slightly over his tankard, his use of humor a rare occurrence, but her endless chatter had an odd way of softening him.

"Get some rest. We will leave at first like to go back to your first camp to salvage your supplies." No matter how much he grumbled, Tansy had hired him for protection, and damn it, he would make sure no bandit or beast dared lay a finger on her. Not while Xer'tal, the ruthless orc warrior he had made himself, still had breath in his lungs.