Scales For Hire

As darkness descended upon the kingdom, Hazzarathina few back into the city. She had recently taken up home there, finding that the forest and mountains that surrounded the area were filled with valuable herbs and stones that many people needed, but few could get too because of natural obstacles or the dangers of going to get them. This meant that she would dominate the business and live rather comfortable. She had one stop to make before she returned to her room at the boarding house she lived in. The royal blacksmith and asked if she could gather some rare stones that he could use for his weapons, stones that would cost an obscene amount if he went through a merchant.

Gladly she took on the job, rather honored that someone that did such important work for the king would even know about her skill. She had found many of the stones within the nearby mountains, having stuffed nearly two large bags full. As she descended, her tools in a hanging bag while the stones were strapped to her back, she spotting something sitting outside that castle. She flew a bit lower to take a closer look and was stunned to she a giant snake! Upon further inspection she noted that it was part man as well, how curious! Fluttering to the ground quietly, her bright yellow feathers still catching the dim light that remained as the sun set, she landed near the creature to investigate. Though she was usually shy to strangers, she saw that he seemed to be in pain and felt bad for him.

"Are you alright?..." She spoke softly too him, keeping a safe distance in case this person's pain was not what it seemed. More than once she had nearly gotten hurt when she asked if someone was alright, only to be attacked.

She looked over the snake man with mild interest, he seemed rather strong and looked to be handsome. The only thing that bothered her was his sheer size, he could easily crush her and kill her without much effort, her hallow bones already weak and frail. The darkness also did not aid in her observing of him, only making it harder to see him.
 
The sound of something landing made Tethebi jump. He glared at the harpy, but only briefly. In a way, she was human, but in a way, she was a bird. Her breed was new to him as well; he had heard stories regarding them, but never seen one. The stories did them no justice, he decided, looking at her a bit more softly. She was rather attractive for a feathered woman. His headache kept him from his usual flirtatiousness. He peered at her suspiciously; he never trusted a stranger, unless they proved themselves trustworthy.

"Managing. Could use a strong drink, to be honest." He massaged his temples and settled down some more. "Or maybe sleep. Costs less."

He snorted, a bit irritated with himself, with the world, with that face in his visions.
 
Haz tilted her head to the side a bit as she looked over the giant snake man, feeling bad that he was suffering discomfort. Her claws tapped along the ground as she stayed in place, trying to think of a way she could help him. A spark seemed to come to her eyes and she smiled a little bit.

"I have something that might help you...If you are willing to use it that is." She added, not wanting him to feel pressured into doing it.

As she waited for his answer she crouched down and started to shuffle through her tool bag for a moment, her feathers pointing out in strange ways as she continued to search for something. After a few moments of digging around she pulled out a small jar of blue pills with a cork stopper keeping them all inside. It wouldn't be much but it might help him if he accepted it, she would not give it to him otherwise.
 
Tet weighed the options. He had previously intended to stay up rather late, and medicine would allow for that. But if it wasn't simply medicine, it would probably either kill him or disable him so he could be robbed more easily. It had happened before.

A flick of his tongue told him, however, that her purpose was kind-hearted and that she would be no trouble. In fact, she was rather flighty because of him. She was giving off a scent of uncertainty, shyness. This wasn't uncommon; many were unsure of Tet's demeanor and feared him.

Instead of approaching her to take the medicine, he held his hand out slowly. He didn't want to frighten the feathered girl.

"If you would be so kind, ma'am..."
 
Haz smiled a little bit and trotted towards him, pulling out the stopper as she approached. She poured a few pills into his waiting hand, making sure that he would have enough. He was certainly much larger than she was so he would need more than her for it to actually work. When she finished pouring she put the stopper back in place and looked up at him.

"It's not a very strong medicine but it does keep pain at bay. hopefully I gave you enough to help...I'm rather small so the dose I take might not be enough for you." She said as she went back over to her bag and put the jar away.

She shuffled around a bit as she got the bag back on and adjusted it a bit, making sure it was on comfortable and that it would mess with the stones upon her back. She had to get to the black smith soon, he would be upset if she did not get what she found to him before evening hit, a time when he would be very busy with putting out his fires. However, she didn't want to leave just yet, she wanted to make sure the snake man was alright before she fluttered off.

"I hope that will help you, I know it isn't much but it is what I have..." She said as she looked at him.
 
The pills looked like oddly colored grains of rice in his large, three-digit hand. He carefully lifted his hand to his mouth and swallowed the pills. They went down roughly without water, but he managed. After all, his kind was built to swallow all sorts of ungodly rough things with nothing but saliva. Once the pills were down far enough that he could no longer feel them, he looked to her.

"Thank you. Maybe I'll be able to show my face again tonight, after all," he said with a sour chuckle, shifting his weight a bit. "Ahhh, made a right mess out of things today. Hopefully tomorrow will go better."

Under most circumstances, he would offer a maiden a drink at the tavern. However, he could sensed that she was on a mission and was ready to get back to the task at hand.

"You seem to have somewhere to be. Don't let this pile of scales keep you, Miss....?" he said, his statement leading into a question to allow her to introduce herself.
 
"Hazzarathina, raw material hunter and sales woman." She said with a smile as she looked up at him, catching the questioning in his voice. "Do not feel bad for keeping me, my target is not far from here anyway. I am simply making a delivery to the royal blacksmith at his forge is all. What is your name sir? You seem to be new for I have never seen you around the city before."

She walked a bit closer to him, glad that he seemed to be feeling a little bit better already. He seemed to be rather nice for someone of his looks and stature. The saying never judge a book by its cover fit this situation rather well in her mind. She couldn't help but be curious about him though, she was a rarity in her own right but he was almost like a myth, you never truly believed in one until you saw one. On top of that he seemed to be on good terms with the king for even though he was kind to his people, he did not take kindly to those who were a threat to his kingdoms safety.
 
"Quite a task, I'm sure. You seem well-adjusted to your profession, though." He looked her up and down, his expression one of genuine curiosity. He could see that she was strong for her gender, probably from spending so much time in flight. Her burden, which he assumed was the delivery for the blacksmith, looked mildly heavy. Yet she held herself comfortably, as though she was used to such weight.

"My name is Tethebi. Tet for short," he said, trying his best to smile without looking like he was scowling. His headache was waning, but slowly. "I'm a sword for hire. I usually call the countryside my home, but hard times have forced me into the city."

There was a good reason for his species' rarity in populated areas. Most clans couldn't speak English, and were strictly maneaters, anyway. Tet had been lucky enough to be raised in a more or less civilized clan. They'd sent him off to be trained with a sword while he was young, and from there he'd learned English. Not to mention the fact that it was impolite to bite people.
 
"Nice to meet you Tethebi. I am sorry that you are facing hard times, but if you are on the castle grounds I assume you've found yourself some work? The king must have a good use for you, not many like the way he is so kind to his people, they think he is far to soft. I disagree of course, people such as I would not be able walk the streets safely otherwise." She said as she smiled a bit at him. "Well, I must be on my way with my delivery...However, if you ever find that king's tasks to far spread apart I'm sure I could give you some work. Even I have trouble getting certain things."

She took to the air a bit, fluttering her wings as she hovered a foot or two off the ground. She waited for a response for him since she could certainly use someone that was as strong as he. Even though she could carry quite a lot she wished she could carry much more. On top of that, sometimes she'd have trouble with some nasty predators that made it difficult to collect what she needed.
 
Tet chuckled bitterly. "Unfortunately, I think I might have botched my chances with the king himself. My headache caused me to collapse in front of the throne as I offered my services. Probably looked like a weak little hatchling to him...."

He conveniently left out the part that explained the reason he had such horrible headaches. Why alienate himself further in an unfamiliar place? He never told anyone, after his parents ridiculed him for it.

"To be honest, I don't know what to do at this point, Miss..." he paused, then attempted to shorten her name appropriately. "...Haz."

He meant it. He was embarassed, and hated himself for it.
 
"Such a shame, you seem to look like you'd be able to do quite a bit...Would you be interested in a small job from me?" She offered as she continued to flutter in the air. "I've been trying to get into this cave where some very portent medical fungus grows but it happens to be used by what I think is a pack of wolves. I've tried to sneak in but the fungus takes too long to collect for me to get in and out before they return. Do you think you'd be willing to hold them off for me while I get the fungus I need?"

She looked him over as she though about her offer. It was a good one and she would pay him very nicely if he helped her. The fungus alone was very expensive and rare and if she could get enough of it she could dominate the market for a short amount of time. She didn't need to dominate for to long, just long enough for people to notice the difference in price. He also seemed like he could handle himself rather well, especially considering his size and build.

"Of course this is only and offer. I'm certain that there are plenty of people in this city who are willing to pay for your services."
 
Tet thought about it for a moment. Yes, he had royally mucked up a chance to work for the king, but there was still no telling if the king would accept him back. He didn't want to seem like he was leaving the king and jesters high and dry, but he did not know how things would work out.

"I would love to help, but I need to figure out what to do about the...-"

He had an idea suddenly, and grinned. Reaching into his pouch, he searched for something he had been given in return for a favor, long ago. He pulled it from his pouch triumphantly and held it up. It was a smooth, unremarkable pebble - but only at first glance. A more magically observant individual would notice the tiny runes that covered the stone. These runes were scribed using magic, and held properties that turned an ordinary rock into a multi-purpose talisman.

He lifted the stone to his lips, then opened his mouth wide, exposing his fangs. He squeezed a tiny amount of venom onto the stone, all the while thinking of the jester brothers. The runes lit up in reaction, bright green in the dark. He tossed it in the air, where it stuck, as if held there by something imperceivable. Tet cleared his throat and spoke directly to it. If he didn't feel like showing his face right now, the least he could do was send the jesters and their king a message.

"This is Tethebi. I apologize for leaving so suddenly. Everything that happened today is rather overwhelming and I need some time to think on it. If you need me, touching this stone will transport you to me. Spilling blood or saliva of your own on it, then speaking to it, will allow it to record a message. After a message is recorded, blow it out of a window and it will find me. I truly wish to work for your king, and help protect his kingdom."

With that, he blew on the stone, and it zipped away, finding an open window in the castle wall so it could reach the brothers.

He turned back to Haz and nodded at her. "That should do it. I'll do what I can to help you, as your hire."

He felt the headache fading into nothingness. It was wonderful. He did a dramatic bow, and grinned at her almost devilishly. He was back to his good-natured self again.
 
"Through all that was won, in the fire and the stone,
A man run to save his love, unknowingly alone.
In a flash and a flurry, he was struck dead,
An assassin's dagger - not to the heart, but the head!"

The tale-song rang bright and true from a nearby courtyard. Though the words might have seem of sorrow, the tone was one of action - clearly the retelling of a battle. A small crowd seemed to enjoy it, and gasped at the end of the verse. The singer, a medium-sized beastman lacking in a shirt, played on a guitar while standing atop of a fountain - he stood unmolested by guards, weaving his tale for others to hear. His features were that of a coyote, and his voice rang true.

"As the villain cast off this disguise of love,
a voice rang out from the alcove above:
The grouping of heroes, angered by the sight,
jumped on the killer with all their great might!

When the battle was won, amidst settling smoke,
standing over ally and enemy, the slain and the smote!
The castle would crumble, turning to dust,
escape had become an absolute must!"

In the middle of the tension, a laugh rang out. The guitarist-singer winked, "My apologies, ladies and gentlemen. I can never tell a straight sad tale. If you like, you can ignore that bit." The whistles and claps seemed to encourage the bard, and his tail swept gratefully.

"A jump and a fall,
came one, then all.
A keep in the sky,
unfit to fly!

A snap of fingers, a single spell,
saved them all from the flames of Hell.
A shattering noise as the fortress slammed down,
The corpse of the villain lost with his crown.

Though the treasure was lost, the love yet remained:
The dead heroes' tale is not remembered in pain.
Rising from his slumber, spiriting the devoted Quinn,
For he and his loved one... my story... 'Fin'."

The bard responded to the clapping with a bow and a lovely strum of his guitar, hopping from the fountain. His ears flicked merrily as a question rang up, "Were you really there, with them?" The bard turned with a grand, canine smile. "Of course! Though, truth be told, I was merely supporting from the far back row. Hidden behind an altar, you see." He winks with a chuckle, "My companions are a lot more skilled in combat than I, you see. I am more than content to sing their praises... and besides..." He strums his guitar again, "A bard's buisiness with everyone here... and because of my tales, my companions will never run out of buisiness!" He laughs a bit, turning and walking away, offering a wave to the small crowd who had listened to him.

It wasn't that far away when he stopped, looking at Tethebi with a slight look of terror. "Yuan-ti!" His mind rang out, seeing the man's snakelike features, his lips crossed the first few syllables of an Invisibility spell, before stopping. He was in town. A yuan-ti wouldn't have any place in a town... so that man was clearly not a yuan-ti. Still... The bard's face turned curious... and he merely walked up, bowing to the harpy, then the snakeman. "My apologies if I'm intruding..." He smiles kindly at the two as he rises. "My name is Smiles... short for 'Smiling Dreamer'." His tail flicks in an interested manner. "I can't help but notice I've never seen either of you in town before. Are you new?"
 
Hazzarathina landed back upon the ground as she watched the snake man pull out some strange stone, never having seen anything like it before. She pulled back a bit as he put venom upon it before it burst into a bright green light. She could only watch in curious awe as he spoke to the stone for a moment as if he was speaking to a person before blowing upon it and sending it off into the air. She blinked for a moment as she looked into the direction of the stone before looking back at him. She let out a small laugh, her wings landing on her hips as she looked at him.

"Well, are you just full of surprises. I don't plan to head out to the spot tonight, to dark and too hard to harvest. We shall go out tomorrow instead in the morning if that makes it easier upon you. Do you have a place to stay? I can recommend an inn if you can afford it...If not then I might be able to find you some place in my room at the boarding house." She said.

Before she could continue on with her talking she was interrupted by a beast man of sorts, him asking if she was new. Her feathers puffed slightly, irritated that she had been stopped in her business making but she replied in kind, those such as themselves had to be kind to one another when they could, especially when some human's did not think of them kindly.

"I happen to live in the city, Mr. Smiles...I have never seen you either though. It is no surprise considering the actual size of the town." She stated simply to him.
 
Smiles turns and offers a nod to the harpy. "Oh?" He examines her wings, nodding. "Ahh, yeah. You definately have the advantage of mobility. Must be nice..." He muses a bit, looking up at the sky. "...The sun's touch against your back must be amazing if you're closer to it... the moon's loving caress and the view of lakes from the sky..." His ears flick, and he closes his eyes, humming softly. "Oh, what a tale that would be... makes me long for that blessing..." Opening his eyes, he nods at her. "I spend most of my time around the taverns, and very rarely up at the castle for banquets."

He shifts his body, moving his guitar around behind him, resting his elbows on it, sticking his hands in his pockets. He sniffs a bit at the air. "Hrm... herbs. That smells amazing... do you have any Bluewort?" He smiles kindly at her, "There's a lovely lady at the Drunken Hunter tavern downtown who's looking to buy Bluewort in bulk: something about fermenting it with the hops for a smoother brew... but I might have misheard. Is there even an herb called bluewort?" Truely interested, he nods at her... then turns to the snake-man again... still quite curious. He takes a hand out of his pocket, holding his hand up in apology. "Sorry if I was disturbing your conversation. I love meeting folks around town."
 
Tethebi had heard the music from the distance, but hadn't paid much mind. After all, bards were rather common in cities, and he had never met one that wasn't simply looking to gather material for his next song. Upon being interrupted, he looked up and raised a brow. A coyote bard. That was new, but not unexpected. They had personality traits that made them naturally suited for the position. He didn't see it as the most...masculine of jobs, but the way bards could string words together with ease and then create a tune was still admirable.

It didn't change the fact that the bard was a male, though. A male meant competition. Even though he didn't know enough about Haz to gauge whether or not he "liked" her, there was an animalistic part of Tet that was competitive over the silliest things.

"I'm a greenhorn to cities in general," he said, folding his arms, extending his hood, and rising to his full height. It wasn't meant to directly intimidate, but it certainly looked like it was. "A drought in business for my sword drew me in from the outside. I assure you, I won't be any trouble...unless troubled."

He held out a hand tentatively, far less cautious around a fellow man as opposed to a woman. He nodded at the 'yote. "They call me Tethebi. Nice meeting you, Smiles."
 
"There is such an herb, Mr. Smiles, but I do not carry any on my person. I was picking it this morning, however. You seem to have a very strong nose in that case. As for disturbing our conversation, I was merely working out a deal with Tet for a job that I have for him and arranging thins is all. HIt was nothing of sever importance. Speaking of sever importance..." She mumbled near the end, stepping back from the two men and quickly taking to hovering in the air. "I must be on my way, I have hesitated too long and the royal blacksmith must be rather mad for my lateness. Tethebi, I live at the only boarding house within the inn district, near a tavern called The Horses Hoof. If you go there I shall meet you and show you to my place for some food and rest.

She then turned to smiles and looked upon him for a small moment before opening her mouth again to speak. If what he said was true that it would be a wonderful business opportunity that she could not pass up.

"Mr. Smiles, if what you are saying is true then I would be most interested to hear more. Business is business after all. If you wish I shall meet you at the same tavern as Tet for convenience sake to speak upon this more. Now I must truly be off. This will only look bad for business if I force the poor man to stay up any later!" She said in a slightly rushed tone of worry before shooting into the air.

"I shall speak with you soon~!" She called down before continuing towards the castle as fast as her wings could carry her.
 
Tethebi's sudden stance change spooked Smiles, his ears flipping back and his tail moving ever so slighty between his legs. He held both his hands up in a surrendering manner, trying to assure the snakeman that he was no threat. If he really was a threat (which was unlikely), he certainly didn't seem to be. "Hey, hey... it's fine, I'm no trouble either. I've never been trouble, after all, and I don't intend to start being trouble anytime soon." He spoke quickly, alarmed by the snakeman's comparitive size. Smiles takes a hop back... a trained eye like Tethebi's would notice that he was just far away to dodge an attack from the man... the coyote's estimation of arm length, sword length, and the extra distance from the snakeman's serpentine body was... decent. It'd be easy to assume he's been in a few fights, though he certainly didn't look it.

Rather than accept the handshake, Smiles bowed as kindly as possible, eyes keeping track of the man. Calculations afire in the bard's mind of a snake's swiftness... from his worried expression, it was clear that Smiles knew very clearly that he's in a clear disadvantage. His tail held tight between his legs, he attempts to raise his ears... then change the subject. "Sword for hire, eh...? Mercenary work shouldn't be that hard to find, if you know where to look..." He raises a finger to his muzzle with a wink. "Though really, if it's some coin you're looking for... there are few things quite as profitable as some 'hands-on' archeology... get a grant from one of the scholars or mages in town, and you're suddenly free to enter an old ruin somewhere, gather some lovely trinkets of yore, and bring them back for a tidy profit... considering the monsters that love old ruins of all kinds... there's good money in it..."

He chuckles nervously. "If that helps at all. I'm sure you'd actually have no problem finding work on your own, Sir Tethebi..." He looked pleadingly up at the harpy as she left, ears folding back again... now alone with the snake-man. Glorious.
 
Tethebi watched Haz fly off, with the exact intentions of finding her later. He had caught her scent, and held it to memory. It would indeed be a great business opportunity, especially if the king refused to hire Tet after his little...incident.

He turned to Smiles and began paying better attention to him, only to find himself avoiding laughter. The 'yote was terrified. He was certainly not a dominant male, and therefore would pose little threat to any...pursuits Tethebi had in mind. He chuckled, and it turned into an outright, good-natured laugh. It was like his personality had turned on a dime yet again.

He grinned at the bard and nodded. "Aye, but the second I thought that I'd found all the work I'd need, it started coming out of the woodwork. I think I need to settle on a job, and handle them one at a time."

He held his hand out again, and rubbed the back of his hood sheepishly. "Sorry if we got off on the wrong foot, mate. I'm willing to make friends if you'd be willing to give my ugly hide another chance."

He was genuinely apologetic. With males that exuded as much testosterone as he did running around, he became defensive. But this man was no issue at all. If nothing else, he could be a valuable ally.
 
Haz flew off as fast as she could, making it to the royal black smith in time to give him the stones she had found. She apologized for her lateness in the most sincere way but the man simple shook it off, more impressed that she had been able to fill his order so easily and is much less time than most other gatherer's called for. She was given her money along with a thanks and a smile, the bags of stone quickly taken away by an apprentice of some sort into the forge room for later use. With a bit of relief and a smile on her lips, the harpy decided to take her time finding the snake man and coyote once more. She had rushed off after all and to return so quickly would seem strange to them maybe, then again she was a harpy so maybe they assumed she would be quick.

Either way she did not rush or even fly as she made her way towards the meeting spot, her mind starting to think of the deal she made. Someone like Tet would be great help to her, allowing her access to once hard to reach places because of over baring predators or the lack of ability to defend herself as she worked. With someone protecting her she could easily take maybe twice as much as she used too without having to worry about getting hurt or worse. Yep, he would be useful for now, she could not promise him constant work but enough to keep him well fed for a little while. If she was lucky, maybe he'd stick around and become permanent help...but that was pushing it, especially with those nomadic types.
 
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