Tor loomed over the little female. He was a big guy, tall, lean, and buff. He wore all the authority that his position as the highly trained leader of a troop of mercenaries gave him. In short, he was a glorified bodyguard and a gun for hire, but one that just so happened to have brains, too. The elfess he was studying and listening to was giving her requirements for the job he was interviewing for in a soft, husky voice that sent shivers up his spine"or it would if he let it. The way she looked didn't help any. She was the stuff of dreams, and not the nightmare sort, either. In his line of work, though, one could not afford such luxuries as getting distracted by the sights and sounds of one's employer, or even potential employer. He made himself focus on her words, on her problem. Everyone had problems. He was the kind of guy people hired to get rid of them.
"This school of mine has been running for four years now. " Thankfully it had continued running even while she had been dead. "I haven't really had any problems I couldn't handle myself, at least not until now. My people train these girls, these babies, some of them are, to be able to read, write, get a good job, and just be able to hold their heads up again. We teach them there is life after slavery. We give them a new chance, a new start, either here or someplace else. However, now that I am back, I have been upping the ante. I've been pulling more of these girls and kids right from under the slavers noses, some even right from the slave pens. That being the case, it's been getting harder to hide what I am doing from the slavers. Up until just recently it was easy to make it look like a slave had died, or got sent to the wrong place, or got accidentally sold, for example. I think the slavers are starting to catch on now, though, that someone is meddling. Because of it their security is starting to pick up. So far I have been successful at hiding just who it is that is doing the deed." A satisfied smile curved her heart-shaped lips. "With the increased activity, however, the risk of that rises." She shifted in her armchair, restless and trying not to give in to the desire to pace. "The school is in the West End, and that holds its own set of both problems and benefits". Her smile became thin and edged as she asked him, "So now you understand the nature of the problem, right?"
The captain watched her as she talked, noted the way her hands gesticulated and fluttered about in expressive motion. It was rather hard to take her seriously, for her obvious femininity and her small size completely undermined her fierceness of spirit. Her gaze on him was distant and chilly, but her body was the stuff of pure sin. He knew she was a thief because his last employer had used her skills to acquire something. Tor had met her at that time. Yet here she was, helping slaves escape and live a free life. So many things just didn't seem to fit with this woman, at first look, but he found himself believing her. He nodded, his voice rising to fill the air of the room like heavy, ringing metal over her softer tones. "You need me and my boys to keep your school for women and kids safe. Sounds like pretty simple stuff." He purposely understated it to see if she would be honest with him about the risks. Shifting his stance, he gripped the heavy leather belt at his waist in big, strong hands, the leather nearly bending double, his eyes fixed on hers in cool study. His tall form stood in careless grace on the plush carpet in front of the mahogany desk she sat behind, the focal point of her office.
She gave him a little headshake, her eyes gleaming with a determination and a warning that belied her small stature. "It may not be that easy. Not if the slavers discover that some of those girls are their missing slaves. We keep them hidden and sheltered as much as possible, but just the same, bad things can happen. You will even have to guard the staff going to the market for food and whatnot. If we get a determined bastard figuring things out, we could be facing a wholesale assault with mercenaries and anything they can throw at us. It could even be military troops, bombs, and tanks, for all I know. Some of those slavers have a veritable army under their control. So while my goals are to keep things as low profile as possible, your job means being ready for whatever is thrown at us. I have backup plans if such things happen, of course, and you will be made aware of those contingencies." She folded her arms across her chest and waited for his response, the sound of the clock in her office seeming loud and demanding.
The man was rather surprised at how open and clear she was about the challenges he would face. He had to admit she had a fairly daunting problem. It had high risk, and as far as he could see, little gain. Rubbing his chin with long, steady fingers, he puzzled over the fact that she knew what the risks were and yet she persisted. He wondered if those women and kids she tried to rescue had even the vaguest idea of what this thief risked for their sakes. He mulled over the situation she had laid out, considering the proposition and his ability to handle things. He was trying to make sure he wanted this job for the challenges it posed, and not because the wench in front of him had the kind of chest that made a man's heart speed up. His jaw ticked in reaction as he forced that issue aside, and then gave a slow nod. "I am interested in the job."
She studied him for long minutes, and then looked down at the 'references", if one could call it that, lain out on her desk. "The people you have worked for said you have faced enormous challenges before, and that you are not only good, but you are lucky, too." An assessing gaze went over him briefly, but rather than focusing on his body, those amethyst eyes seemed to be trying to peer right into his mind and soul. "It could be the luck comes in more handy than being good. You are hired, if you want the job". She didn't offer her hand out to shake, as most would. She just gave him a contract to sign, with a bag of gold and gems next to it, and a brisk, impersonal smile.
He would not have trusted that in a man, but in this woman, he had already read the "touch me not' look in her eyes that spoke far louder than the sex kitten body. He abruptly decided to take the job, giving her a smile just as impersonal as her own. He was rather proud of being able to do that. The distraction this elfess provided was problematic. "You have yourself your own little merc force, lady. Tor's Tuffs stand ready to serve you." He signed the contract with a flourish, and left it lying on the table, taking up the bag of payment next to it. It clinked in a very satisfactory manner.
The elfess smiled up at him again and nodded. "Its Gem. Just call me Gem?. He deemed it an appropriate fit for the woman.
"This school of mine has been running for four years now. " Thankfully it had continued running even while she had been dead. "I haven't really had any problems I couldn't handle myself, at least not until now. My people train these girls, these babies, some of them are, to be able to read, write, get a good job, and just be able to hold their heads up again. We teach them there is life after slavery. We give them a new chance, a new start, either here or someplace else. However, now that I am back, I have been upping the ante. I've been pulling more of these girls and kids right from under the slavers noses, some even right from the slave pens. That being the case, it's been getting harder to hide what I am doing from the slavers. Up until just recently it was easy to make it look like a slave had died, or got sent to the wrong place, or got accidentally sold, for example. I think the slavers are starting to catch on now, though, that someone is meddling. Because of it their security is starting to pick up. So far I have been successful at hiding just who it is that is doing the deed." A satisfied smile curved her heart-shaped lips. "With the increased activity, however, the risk of that rises." She shifted in her armchair, restless and trying not to give in to the desire to pace. "The school is in the West End, and that holds its own set of both problems and benefits". Her smile became thin and edged as she asked him, "So now you understand the nature of the problem, right?"
The captain watched her as she talked, noted the way her hands gesticulated and fluttered about in expressive motion. It was rather hard to take her seriously, for her obvious femininity and her small size completely undermined her fierceness of spirit. Her gaze on him was distant and chilly, but her body was the stuff of pure sin. He knew she was a thief because his last employer had used her skills to acquire something. Tor had met her at that time. Yet here she was, helping slaves escape and live a free life. So many things just didn't seem to fit with this woman, at first look, but he found himself believing her. He nodded, his voice rising to fill the air of the room like heavy, ringing metal over her softer tones. "You need me and my boys to keep your school for women and kids safe. Sounds like pretty simple stuff." He purposely understated it to see if she would be honest with him about the risks. Shifting his stance, he gripped the heavy leather belt at his waist in big, strong hands, the leather nearly bending double, his eyes fixed on hers in cool study. His tall form stood in careless grace on the plush carpet in front of the mahogany desk she sat behind, the focal point of her office.
She gave him a little headshake, her eyes gleaming with a determination and a warning that belied her small stature. "It may not be that easy. Not if the slavers discover that some of those girls are their missing slaves. We keep them hidden and sheltered as much as possible, but just the same, bad things can happen. You will even have to guard the staff going to the market for food and whatnot. If we get a determined bastard figuring things out, we could be facing a wholesale assault with mercenaries and anything they can throw at us. It could even be military troops, bombs, and tanks, for all I know. Some of those slavers have a veritable army under their control. So while my goals are to keep things as low profile as possible, your job means being ready for whatever is thrown at us. I have backup plans if such things happen, of course, and you will be made aware of those contingencies." She folded her arms across her chest and waited for his response, the sound of the clock in her office seeming loud and demanding.
The man was rather surprised at how open and clear she was about the challenges he would face. He had to admit she had a fairly daunting problem. It had high risk, and as far as he could see, little gain. Rubbing his chin with long, steady fingers, he puzzled over the fact that she knew what the risks were and yet she persisted. He wondered if those women and kids she tried to rescue had even the vaguest idea of what this thief risked for their sakes. He mulled over the situation she had laid out, considering the proposition and his ability to handle things. He was trying to make sure he wanted this job for the challenges it posed, and not because the wench in front of him had the kind of chest that made a man's heart speed up. His jaw ticked in reaction as he forced that issue aside, and then gave a slow nod. "I am interested in the job."
She studied him for long minutes, and then looked down at the 'references", if one could call it that, lain out on her desk. "The people you have worked for said you have faced enormous challenges before, and that you are not only good, but you are lucky, too." An assessing gaze went over him briefly, but rather than focusing on his body, those amethyst eyes seemed to be trying to peer right into his mind and soul. "It could be the luck comes in more handy than being good. You are hired, if you want the job". She didn't offer her hand out to shake, as most would. She just gave him a contract to sign, with a bag of gold and gems next to it, and a brisk, impersonal smile.
He would not have trusted that in a man, but in this woman, he had already read the "touch me not' look in her eyes that spoke far louder than the sex kitten body. He abruptly decided to take the job, giving her a smile just as impersonal as her own. He was rather proud of being able to do that. The distraction this elfess provided was problematic. "You have yourself your own little merc force, lady. Tor's Tuffs stand ready to serve you." He signed the contract with a flourish, and left it lying on the table, taking up the bag of payment next to it. It clinked in a very satisfactory manner.
The elfess smiled up at him again and nodded. "Its Gem. Just call me Gem?. He deemed it an appropriate fit for the woman.