Tansy of the Wilds

Chapter Five

From his place by the now subdued brawl area, Xer'tal let out a heavy sigh of frustration as the restless energy the brawl gave him, moved through his veins. "If anyone approaches my new employer, I will rip your throat out with my bare hands. Understood?" He swiped his tankard from the table and took another swig of the shit beer to clear his throat. He slammed the tankard down on the table with a crack. "I said, am I understood?" He growled it out and there was a murmured agreement and he sneered before he turned back to the bar, lifting his tankard up again as he moved over.

"Hope you put her in a decent room." He grunted it out. After the time she had, she needed a comfortable place to sleep. He honestly couldn't believe the tiny thing had sliced a bandit's cock after he tried to get under her skirts. She had guts, he had to give her that. Guts to approach him as well.

"Aye." The barkeep nodded as he looked over the three knocked out men Xer'tal had left behind. "Best room in the inn for the wee lady and her new guard." The barkeep flicked his gaze back to Xer'tal. "On the house."

Xer'tal grunted, not caring overly much about that. He had dealt with the problem patrons, a room was the least the barkeep could do. He glanced out the window, the night was settling in faster and a feeling of strange unease settled over him. He had seen what fear and desperation looked like. It was the main driving force that brought clients to him. However, Tansy's fear, her flighty chatter, her meanderings about weeds and trees, it was different, the type of different that unsettled him slightly.

Xer'tal shook his head and downed the last of his drink. 'Don't get soft for a damn human female,' he chastised himself. Holding a casual conversation or two wouldn't change who he was. He was Xer'tal the Bloodthirsty. His history run red with battles and blood.

He got up and made his way up the creaking stairs to the room the barkeep had allotted to them. The door creaked open to reveal Tansy curled up on the floor with a makeshift bed and both the beds pushed together to make a large one. He stopped, struck dumb slightly from the clear reason she did it. She had pushed the beds together to make him a space to sleep while electing to sleep on the floor herself. He grunted at the sight, taken aback by her thoughtfulness. Xer'tal shook his head, chuckling softly to himself before he cut it off. He very quickly shook off the tenderness that began to well up in him at the kind gesture.

"Don't even think of catering to my needs, Wilde. I've slept in worse places than this." He grunted it out as he walked in but there was nothing but soft even breaths from the little woman curled up on the floor. Aware she was asleep he moved quietly, careful to disturb as little as possible. He sighed quietly to himself as he turned to the night, dark thoughts creeping up on him about everything that could potentially happen between Yarkin and Kelpfar. "Rest up, Tansy Wilde. Tomorrow, we face the wilds." His tone was soft, almost a murmur as he stripped off his armour, the cool night air brushing over his battle scarred skin.

He laid down on the laughably small beds and stared up at the ceiling before letting out a soul weary sigh. Another day, another job. It didn't matter that she smiled at him softly or did something thoughtful for a damned orc. It was a job, that was it. All that mattered was she paid up front, in good coin, and requested him to guard her on her little adventure.

He was a personal guard and that boarded on being a cutthroat sometimes but he had a feeling there would be little need for that on this job. The little human was chatty, overly so, and friendly to boot, but it was unsettling for him. Orcs were not trusted and the fact she gave him so much trust it bordered on naivety didn't feel right. She should have recoiled from him, should have found another guard but she walked up to him, bold as tusks, and smiled at him. An honest to gods, smile. At him. A scarred, gruff, fearsome orc that should have sent her screaming.

Not to mention that after his display in the bar, she should have become wary, seeing an orc like that would peel the tusks on any human but instead she pushed two tiny beds together in an attempt to make him more comfortable while she slept on the floor. He frowned deeply, the scars on his face pulling slightly, the feeling was one he was used to but he ignored. He had no clue what to do with Tansy Wilde and her soft smiles but he decided to treat her just like any other job.

She was a job.

That was it.