there’s a quiet desperation to her words, as if his own take on his situation was something she could use for better insight into her own. he looks at her bandaged hand, notes how both of them had been broken by the work of men and sighs. “I think what-ifs are a terrible thing. Perhaps I do wish I had remained a fully normal, human man. But there’s nothing I can do to go back to that.”
“There is wisdom in that.”
He is right, and she knows it. But Amani isn’t quite ready to stop feeling sorry for herself.
“It is almost painful,” she admits. “To think about what could have been.”
If she had never been captured. If she had never been forced to dance. If she had not been sold like a prize. If she had not been bitten by the asp.
If, if, if.
She glances into her mug of ale before taking a giant swig.
Was someone talking to her? Brought out of her internal monologue, the woman’s eyes turned to the other. Dark skin, a lithe dancers body - though tight, and drawn back like a bow string. Lethal to the touch.
“You. I am surprised I have not seen someone like you before.” A natural wildfire walking these blighted streets. “I seek a party … though no one will have me …”
“We have no say in the matter of our companions. That is up to our employer.”
Amani looked the other woman over. She seemed capable. Strong.
“Most in this settlement are in his employ. Perhaps someone can introduce you to him.”
He upends the empty stein on the bar unceremoniously and turns to the door as it swings open. In walks a woman he’s never seen before. Dark skin, wrapped in cloth, left hand bandaged and held close to her body. She’s not one of the brothel’s, no. He knows most of them. She’s new.
He orders another drink, “Hey, you th’ fresh meat off th’ stage coach?”
“Listen here, I was the first man the Heir hired, ‘n it wasn’t because he needed fresh meat. You’ll be thankful when this brigand’s skills saves your life.”
“Oh. I did not mean to insult. I was simply curious.”
“I thought wealthy men avoided those with a... past. That is all.”
“It would be more foolhardy to leave them to their own devices.” That much was obvious, when they grew paranoid and started ignoring his commands. Nothing brought death quicker than the notion of being able to survive in those settings alone. Even as a veteran.
“I’ve wondered why I seem more immune to the stress than others. Perhaps I have an advantage, being of the same blood as the one who started this all. I fair better in the dungeons, and when things become dire I know when to pull them back.
Their lives are worth more than lost wages.”
“Many men in power would disagree.”
In her experience, men with money cared little for those under them, valuing their own wealth over the lives of others.
“You are an odd man. I look forward to working with you.”
SECRETS . she doesn’t talk about her past as a slave, mostly referring to it as a time when she was a dancer.
PHYSICAL !
BUILD . scrawny / bony / slender / fit / athletic / curvy / herculean / pudgy / average
HEIGHT . 5′7″
SCARS / BIRTHMARKS . many scars across her back. large scarring around the stump of her right arm. small scarring around her stomach.
ABILITIES / POWERS . fast & tactical, amani specializes in breaking enemy formations & exploiting weaknesses within their armor. she is also knowledgeable in poisons & venoms, as the bite from the asp allows her to poison others.
RESTRICTIONS . amani is haunted by her past & still harbors a slight fear of snakes. while she is fast, she is easily hurt when blows do connect.
Amani peers at the woman seated next to her in the tavern. It’s rare that she approaches any of her compatriates during her downtime, but perhaps being... friendlier would be beneficial.
She’s sitting on the ground, her back against a wall. Amani wraps the stump of her left arm in fresh bandages, sparing only a momentary glance to the man paying her salary.
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