Per usual, the Tavern in the Kingdom of Spades was a madhouse. Drunken males shouted often, slamming their cups down on the tabletops after each sip of their alcoholic beverages. Females enthusiastically flashed the not-so-gentlemen, some even going so far as to kiss each other just to get a rise out of their audience. The bartender was stolen from whenever he turned his back, giant muscular males played violent games together, vulgar words were thrown around carelessly.
One particular blond took great comfort in the environment. She has spent her whole life in the Spades kingdom, and so such chaos was what she was used to. Her blue eyes flickered around the room from time to time, her glass of beer never leaving her fingers. She was not so foolish as to even turn away from her drink for a second. It only took one second for someone to slip something into her drink, as many girls learned the hard way. Luckily, Xena has always been far too careful to endure such a fate.
Light pink lips curled back in a smirk as she witnessed two more suckers fall for a game of fixed poker. She didn't know why anyone even bothered to play each other anymore- they all cheated. No game was fair here. Suddenly, she felt rough fingertips brush against her cheek, pushing blonde curls behind her ear. She turned to her left, smirk gone, rage in her eyes.
The male who touched her had black hair, as long as her own. His skin was pale, his teeth crooked, and he smelled strongly of weed. "
Hey sexy," he began, but Xena held up a finger to cut him off. She looked directly into his eyes, leaning forwards slightly. Her lips parted, and the simple word she uttered cut through the air harshly:
"
No."
The man laughed, Xena's countenance remained the same. Sloppily, he pulled a knife from his belt, looking at it as if he was turned on by it- which was a very strong possibility. Xena placed her drink down on the bar, finished with it anyways. She never took her eyes away from his face, being sure not to show fear. In all truth, she was not afraid. With a drunken grin, the man looked back to her, roughly taking hold of her right wrist and pulling her close to him. He pushed the tip of his blade to her cheek, and asked, "
How about now?"
Xena might have laughed, had she not felt so disgusted by his odor. Now that she was closer she could tell that the slight smell of urine she noticed earlier was coming from him. Swiftly, she pulled her own knife from her leather boot with her free hand, gripping it firmly and placing it directly above his scrotum. She watched as he looked down, having felt the slight pressure she applied, her smirk slowly returning. "
I'd love for you to give me a reason."
The male hesitated, obviously trying to find a way to disarm her. However, as Xena began to push her blade down, her drew his hands back. With them in the air, the male slid his chair back and away from Xena. He stood, and walked away backwards. Placing her weapon back in her boot, Xena noticed a table of younger ladies- probably in the age range of twenty and twenty one- staring at her.
"
There's nothing a boy cares about more than his penis," she informed them, before standing up herself. She knew it was wise to leave, before the now embarrassed man got angry and gathered his friends to team up on her. Besides, she had been away from the castle all day, and thought it was wise to check in. It was, after all, her job to do
King Damon's bidding. If he had a task for her, she'd like to get to it.
Stepping outside, Xena heard the sound of a gunshot. She did not know which direction it came from, nor did she particularly care. Getting shot was just another part of living in the gruesome kingdom she did. Minding her own business, Xena set out towards the Spades castle.