"Well fuck you, too!" Brianna snarled as she hit the ground outside of a bakery in the wonderful and hospitable city of Estosa. Her pack hit the ground next to her, and her eyes met those of the store's owner.

"We don't take kindly to your kind around here," he said, drawling low and gruff.

Ears flat against her skull, Brianna shot back, "Well I hope you choke on that sorry excuse you call bread!" As the door slammed behind her, the dark-skinned woman gathered her things and muttered a string of curses to herself. "Stupid bastard was more than happy to take my coins. Bloody fucking robber, what he is."

A crowd had begun to gather around her. Brianna's ears swiveled in every direction as the people murmured about her. Pack in hand and straightening to her feet, she met the crowd with an icy glare and hissed, "I can hear you, you know." Some of the meeker women in the crowd gasped or cried in alarm. Men frowned and whispered among themselves. Heat rose to her face as her anger burned white hot in her stomach.

As she slung her bow over the rest of her pack, the sound of heavy footfalls drew her attention. Before she could even turn on her bare heels, a pair of heavy hands came to rest on her shoulders. Glancing back at the hands owners, Brianna found herself gazing up at a pair of city guards.

"We're going to have to ask you to leave."

"Get your hands off of me," she hissed, fangs bared.

Their hands tightened against her shoulders in unison--the hand on her left shoulder putting uncomfortable pressure on her scar--and Brianna found herself being ushered forward. "I'm afraid that's not an option, outsider." The older of the two had growled into her ear, and Brianna's blood ran cold.

Whirling around with claws unsheathed, pupils narrowed to little more than slits, Brianna lashed out. "I said get your hands off me!"

A stinging pain erupted in her wrist as the second guard struck her with the shaft of his spear. The hands tightened against her, and Brianna found herself starting at the sharp point of a spear.

"That wasn't too smart, miss."

----

The ground came flying towards her a lot quicker than she expected. With just enough time to hold her hands out and brace for impact, Brianna hit the ground for the second time that day, only this time on the dirt road outside the gates of Estosa.

"And here I thought cats always landed on their feet," japed the younger guard, sneering down at her, his eyes wandering where they shouldn't.

His senior spoke dryly, no emotion on his face, "You're not welcome back, outsider."

"Well I wouldn't want to come back, anyways," Brianna said spitting at the feet of the two guards. The whoosh of a spear through the air had the feline tumbling over her hands in a cartwheel, avoiding the strike narrowly. With a toothy grin, she took her things in hand and left.

The weight of her pack rested heavily on her shoulders now, and the wrist struck by the guard began to throb. Rubbing it tenderly, Brianna sighed to herself. "At least I sold most of my pelts. Too bad I won't make it to the forest before it rains, though..." She ran a hand through her long honey-colored hair, eyes fixed on the dark clouds in the distance. "Damn this city..."

She could sense the stranger before he caught up to her. His aura was...intense? The sort of intensity that filled the air before the strike of lightning. A quiet sort of danger that made the hair stand up on the back of her neck.

Brianna didn't look at him as he spoke, his words caused her tail to lash in irritation. Was he patronizing her? He was! Oh, the nerve! The feline stopped in her tracks and stamped a bare foot indignantly on the ground, the claws of her toes digging in. Turning in a fluid motion to tell the stranger off as she took a sharp breath, finger pointed directly at him, she found herself face to face with his waist?

What. the. ever-loving. hell.

The gods truly had a strange sense of humor, because this had to be a joke.

Mouth open slightly, brows knit together, finger pointing directly at his abs, Brianna found herself blinking and at a complete loss for words. Mind reeling and feeling a bit like a fish, she huffed, set a hand on her hip, and collected herself before saying, "Isn't it a crime to be that tall? And how'd they let you in, since you're obviously as different as I am?" Swallowing the ire in her throat, the feline sighed and flipped her hair idly.

"Look, mister, I appreciate the concern and all, but I know human cities are bad news. But guess what? I need money to continue living, and who buys my pelts and wares? Humans." She met his steely blue gaze with her own--one silver eye and one gold--and found herself with a chill running down her spine; though it wasn't entirely unpleasant... "I just happened to have a lot of pelts. I needed to sell them, Estosa was the closest city. I've never been thrown out before."

Why was she explaining herself to him? She didn't need to justify herself to him!

"I don't need to justify myself to you, stranger," Brianna said quickly, rolling the crystal pendant at her throat between two fingers. "But thanks, I guess. For the concern, I mean. Us strange creatures gotta look out for each other, I guess." She averted her gaze back to the horizon as a distant rumble of thunder rolled across the grasslands. "I don't suppose you know of any shelter nearby," Again Brianna glanced up at the strange man. Without waiting for an answer she pulled the head of her jaguar-skin cloak over her head and fastened the clasp around her throat, "because I'd rather not get wet."

Brianna came to the conclusion that this man was strange. Definitely strange.

Whether or not that was a bad thing, she had yet to determine.

He seemed to think she was stupid--something that the feline definitely resented. She didn't survive a dragon attack just to die at the hands of some stupid humans. The thought sat in her gut like a hot stone. It was a mistake to think of it. Stupid stupid stupid, she thought.

As she watched him head towards his house, Brianna rested both hands on her hips and meowed, "Before I go anywhere with you, let's get one thing straight, okay?" she began, staring coldly at his back. "I'm not an idiot, okay? I sell to all races, Estosa just happened to be the closest city." Having said that, she trotted after him, falling into step at his side--though one of his steps was two of her own.

It was as if a switch had flipped in her. Now all smiles and gentle warmth, Brianna looked up at him with a wry smile. "Don't get me wrong," she said with a wink, "I appreciate the concern, but I can be my own prince charming. Though a girl could get used to someone like you looking out for her." She gave a bright laugh, like the chime of a bell. "I appreciate the offer of shelter, too. I don't mind the rain, personally, but my hair--" She paused to gesture to the wild locks of honey blonde hair escaping from within the confines of her jaguar-skin cloak. "--takes forever to dry, you see. And it's already unmanageable as-is. Trust me, it's a nightmare."

This casual conversation...it was nice. Brianna found herself smiling out at the horizon even as the scent of wet earth and rain drew ever closer. How long had she been alone? Time had funny ways of passing by her, it seemed. Slipping through her fingers no matter how hard she wanted to keep moments like this close. Peaceful moments where she could just breathe.

The grass tickled her bare feet as she walked in step with the stranger who'd offered her shelter. The feline had come to the conclusion that he wasn't a bad person. He was just a little awkward around others, like herself. He'd even offered to help her find a buyer, a kind enough gesture on its own. Tail swishing idly, brushing against the tips of the grass, Brianna glanced up at the stranger and said, "I think I'll take you up on that offer of yours about the buyer. I might not have any pelts left now, but I'll go hunting soon enough."

She smiled again, radiant as the summer sun, and introduced herself, "I'm Brianna--Bri, to you, stranger. It's nice to meet you."

"Zaeren, huh?" Brianna said with a deep throaty purr. "Sounds so official, like there's a title in front of it." She held her arms out and in her most grandiose voice, as though she were proclaiming to arrival of a noble, proclaimed "Lord Zaeren, master of pelt sales and and hero to the poor--that's me," she added with a twinkling wink, "has once again graced our fair town with his presence!" Laughing, she continued on, "I jest, of course. Title or not, it's a fine name. Can I be counted among one of the few to call you Zae?" She glanced up at him, eyebrows raised in question.

Of course, Brianna wasn't about to wait for an answer when there was so much more to be done.

Falling into stride ahead of Zaeren and turning to walk backwards so she could face him, the feline clasped her hands behind her back and danced thoughtfully over the grasslands, somehow avoiding tripping over her own feet. Zaeren seemed distracted, though by what she didn't know. Maybe it was that mysterious aura about him? There was just something off about him. No, not off. Odd. It piqued her curiosity, to say the least. She studied his face and the way his eyes seemed to focus elsewhere as he kept his gaze straight ahead. She glanced back to see where they were going, and saw nothing of particular interest, with the exception of a rock that looked particularly warm and inviting to bask on. What does he see, she wondered. What's it like to be so tall you can see forever?

How could someone with such distant eyes be so kind as to worry after a complete stranger? Though Brianna supposed it made sense for him to worry, since he had seen her getting tossed out of a human city. Ugh, embarrassing...

"I'm afraid I don't need for much, really," she admitted with a shrug. "I fend for myself mostly, living off the land and the likes. I'm a pretty good shot," Brianna paused and tapped her bow gently with a forefinger. It was carved of dark wood, inlaid with gold filigree that spiraled over the wood in intricate, complex patterns. Though well used, the weapon was kept in good care, no doubt a sign of its master's tender care. "There's not a creature alive I can;t take on, and if it's too strong for me--something like a helvati or what-have-you--I know how to keep myself from being found." Her chest rose as she swelled with pride. "I really only need coin to buy more materials. Salt is expensive, you know! And so's the magic crystals I have to grind into it. How else do you think I got my pelt to resist water and dirt?" She tipped the head of the jaguar pelt in a nod, grinning brightly at her handiwork.

"Plus I need to buy glass eyes and beads for more complex processes, like my cloak here. I consider myself pretty good at this sort of thing, maybe even the--"

"The man doesn't want to be bored by a silly little thing like you," came a harsh feminine voice.

The exuberance left Brianna's face as her shoulders fell and she withdrew into herself at the voice's chiding. "Ah, you're right, Danae," she said, grinning sheepishly. "I got a bit carried away." Her chest tightened as she turned away to fall back next to Zaeren's side. Holding up an obsidian dagger in her left hand, the handle wrapped in red silk, Brianna said, "Zae, this is Danae. She's, ah...it's a bit hard to explain, really? She's like my soul, but in weapon form. Her other half is asleep right now." Brianna patted her right hip with a slender hand before continuing, "It's her fault we got kicked out of Estosa in the first place."

The dagger quivered in Brianna's hand as she laughed mockingly. "Oh! He worries after you! How lucky for us," she said with a sneer. Had the dagger a face, it would have been a snarl. "Oh, dear Brianna, how do you find these people?" Danae ignored Brianna's flushed cheeks and continued on pointedly. "Zaeren, dear, Brianna is quite capable of caring for herself. As much as I'm loathe to admit, I could never allow harm to come to her because I need her as much as she needs me."  

Quick to jump to Danae's defense, Brianna added, "She was just having a bit of fun, really. They can decide who they talk to. Sometimes only me, sometimes to others. It's...all up to them, and Danae is the more temperamental of the two. Kazae is more mild mannered. I like him more."

"Of course you do. He's too soft on you!" Danae snapped. "Put me back. This conversations bores me. You bore me."

"As you wish," Brianna said, sheathing the dagger at her left hip with a sigh. "They're not bad, honestly. We're still getting to know each other? It's weird. This whole situation is weird and new to me, so it's just...yeah." She ran a hand over the crystal at her throat, grasping it for comfort.

The air hung heavy as she held her tongue in silence. Zae seemed annoyed, though he was a bit hard for her to read. The man wasn't like her, who wore her emotions at the surface. He was more closed and guarded. A man with a lot of secrets. Brianna hoped she could chip away at his shield and get to know him a little better, at the very least. He was kind enough to take an interest in her well-being, so how bad could he be?

Breaking the silence, Brianna piqued, "Just worry about getting me buyers and leave the pricing to me!" The spark in her was back, her eyes and smile bright. The first few drops of rain began to fall, gently kissing her exposed skin until there was a steady sprinkle raining down upon them. The feline gave a quiet groan as she pulled her cloak tighter around herself. The cloak she wore repelled the water that hit it spectacularly, beading up and rolling off with ease. It was apparent great care had been taken in crafting it.

Antsy and bouncing towards the trees, Brianna glanced at Zaeren curiously. "How have you never had to use money before, though? Don't you need to buy food or clothes or weapons?"

"I get all the clotes I need from my clan and my people," he said looking at her confused. "Ve're like you... Ve hunt and all for tings ve need. Ve don't typically need ze help of strangers or have ze need for coinage" He thought it was obvious to most people. His style wasn't something in a traditional shop. It was meant more for assassin or thieves, never something most wore for fun or sport or even the gods forbid, style. Food though...that way funny. Most people ate yes, but he had money.. Just didn't get it like most people did. His was were darker and frowned upon by many. He figured it'd be best not to tell her that just yet. He didn't want to scare her. 

Sighing he nodded after a moment. "I have used money before tough. It's just rare. Not very often at best. And I never do my ovn pricing vhen I do go out vit coinage. I typically buy, not sell. Zere is a big difference betveen ze tvo. I have plenty of money, but I have noting to spend it all on. So it kind of just builds up over time and I get more ten I need," he reluctantly said. It was all true. He had more money then he could think of what to do with. He made sure his clan had money for food, but after that it was kinda anyone's game. They often got money as thank yous from kingdoms for putting them back in order or for helping with an imbalance. Often they were deemed as heroes, sometimes...as villains, but he didn't care what they saw him as. He just care that the world was at peace. 

He could see the house in the distance they were getting close at least. He looked at her hoping she didn't mind the long walk. "And ze dagger you keep for company is rude. You should make it mind better," he told her. "It's a veapon... vit a personality, but a veapon nevertheless. Try to get it to be friendlier to you and you vill find your life much easier ten it speaking out so much."