Brawling and Bawling[Ayero/Job]

Job Name: Bashing The Bandit
Job Rank: C
Job Location: Reim
Job Rewards: 100xp / 7k Huang
Job Prerequisites: None
Job Overview: A notorious bandit has been evading Reim's soldiers and running amuck around Remano. He's been robbing merchants, attacking people, and being a general all around menace. There is a bounty out on his head for anyone who can take out this scoundrel and bring him to justice.

Enemy Name: Brutimus
Rank: B
Needed damage to take down: A
Description: A man who grew up in the slums making a name and a living for himself as an outlaw. He considers himself to be somewhat of a big shot and arrogantly expects others to do as he says.
Abilities:
Dagger - A small B-tier dagger tucked into his belt.

Gutting - Brutimus slashes out at an opponent at 20m/s horizontally aiming to disembowel them. This attack deals B-tier damage.

Pierce - Brutimus throws his dagger 10-15m in a direction aiming to intimidate civilians or stab an opponent at long range. The blade flies through the air at 20m/s and deals B-tier damage.

It had been quite some time since Ayero had left on her journey leaving a slightly awkward void between herself and Liber. Or perhaps it was Liber whom had left the social chasm there. The events of the night of the ball had left the fanalis man uncomfortable with the thought of Ayero. She drifted into his mind on and off much in the recent days they had been apart. Sometimes he felt angry at himself for having such a hard time coping with how rude he had been. But for the most part, Liber was upset over the memories now attached to the thought of her. Life as a slave. A life Liber spent the past decade putting behind him. Liber had thought he'd left his past trailing in the dust and yet all it took was one night with a lusty drunk and that past had fully caught up to him. Now it hung on his back like a devil intent on making him return to the young slave boy he had once been.

Liber pushed these thoughts aside for the thousandth time as he left his inn and held a hand up to keep the blinding sunlight at bay. Who Liber used to be didn't matter. What mattered was who he currently was and that just so happened to be a man indebted to Ayero for saving his life two times over. She'd just recently arrived in Remano again and had contacted Liber interested in having that drink he promised her. It would be incredibly rude to object, so instead of declining, Liber swallowed down the lump of memories in his throat and made his way to the pub where they had agreed to meet.

Liber arrived at the pub entrance and brushed aside the hanging cloth that was being used as a makeshift doorway. The cool interior was filled with the smell of good food and better brew, it seemed like Ayero had good taste. Taking a few steps inside, Liber looked around and observed that he had gotten here first as no beautiful red heads clad in armor were in sight. Aside from a barmaid, there wasn't a single woman to be found in the pub. Just a bunch of hard looking men who were trying to relax after a long day of heavy labor. Liber spotted a few wanted posters on the wall and walked closer to look them over while he waited for Ayero to arrive.

One bounty stood out among the rest as the one with the highest price on his head. "Brutimus" the bandit was wanted for a long list of crimes and the officials didn't care if he was brought in alive or dead, so long as his spree of violence was stopped.

Word Count - 463/1000

After returning to Romano with her younger brother in tow, Ayero found that she rarely had time to herself anymore. Taking care of a traumatized child when both were still suffering through the pain of a great loss had sucked the energy out of her. After things began to settle a bit, the Fanalis woman contacted Liber about the sharing of drinks she had offered the last time they’d met. She felt bad that he had cared selflessly for her inebriated self and sought to make up for it through buying him a round or two of ale. Part was still too sapped of her usual strength to go, but her pride demanded that she not go back on her word. So with Vin tucked into bed and Kabu curled around him, Ayero slipped out of the inn and made her way to the appointed tavern.


After entering and spotting the familiar head of red hair looking over the job board, Ayero approaches the other Fanalis and musters up a tired smile. ”It’s good to see you again, Liber. Have you been waiting long?” She’s able to keep the strain out of her voice and the dim light did well to at least partially mask her haggard appearance, aside from her under eye circles. Ayero didn’t give herself much time to suffer from the loss aside from the time spent on the mountain, spending her days caring for her younger sibling and earning whatever money she could from the job board. She was more cautious as to how she approached things now, noting the worried looks Vincenzo would give her whenever she returned injured.



”Order whatever you’d like.” She offers as they take a seat at the bar, easing onto a stool and laying down some coin. Upon receiving her ale, she brings the mug to her lips and takes a deep drink. She hadn’t felt much of a desire to dink until the taste of the ale hit her lips and she quickly drained half the glass. Pulling away with a satisfied sigh, she keeps the rim of the glass to her lips and casts a sideways glace to Liber. ”So, what have you been up to?”


[368/1000]

Looking at the list of injustices this "Brutimus" had been accused of, Liber couldn't help but find the large price on his head appropriate. Men like this were the scum of the earth and there was sadly not enough righteous fire to cleanse nearly enough of them. The fanalis assassin was beginning to consider this man as his next mark when he found Ayero's familiar voice in an unfamiliar tone sounding in his ear. Liber turned to greet her in kind, his maroon eyes and exposed nipple both facing her head on. "Good to see you too Aye...ro...you...don't look like you've gotten much rest." He says choosing his words carefully so as not to rudely come out and just say that she looked like a mess. The strained effort to appear like she was fine was a vain attempt in the face of the visual cues her body gave off. But Liber didn't think it right to press the issue and let it drop for now opting instead to join the woman at the bar. "Not long, I only just arrived a few minutes prior."

Taking a seat next to her Liber nods to the bartender and requests a brand of rich flavoured wine with sweet undertones. The mug in which the drink was served lacked the elegance that the wine itself demanded, but Liber did not mind one bit. He brought the intoxicating nectar to his lips much like Ayero did, only he continued to gulp the quenching brew until his cup was emptied. Liber let out a breath as he slammed the mug onto the bar and tapped its surface while simultaneously dropping some coin of his own to usher the tender into pour him another serving. While he wasn't as exhausted as his companion was, Liber felt that he would need the drink in him if he was going to deal with the deep seated conflict he held towards Ayero. Perhaps the wine could dull confusing vexation's sharp blade.

When she asked him what he'd been up to, Liber starred a thousand miles into the distance and thought to himself a mocking response, 'Oh, you know. Killing a few Kou soldiers here and there. Trudging through the sewers like a mad man. The usual.' But he thought better than to say as much aloud and gave a bemused smile before giving his real reply, "I've been working. I made some good money gambling on that Imuchakk Magician's fight with the king, but it would be boring to sit around living off the winnings all day. I'd rather be active and earn my living day by day." As he spoke, the fanalis man rocked his cup in a gyrating motion, his maroon eyes fixated on the swirl of the deep crimson liquid.

Liber brought the drink to his lips for another healthy serving, but this time he took it slower and only drained a quarter before pulling it away. "What about you? How was the trip? Where did you even go, anyways? I assume that Imuchakk tagged along as I haven't seen him around since you left."

Word Count - 985/1000

The Fanalis woman raises a brow at his remark on her appearance but doesn’t comment on it, too exhausted to even send him a pointed look. As they both indulge in their respective drinks, Ayero vaguely notes how her companion drains his glass fairly quickly. She raises a brow at the reaction her seeming innocuous question elicited from the Fanalis man, but again says nothing and chooses to close her eyes and tilt the cup at a steeper angle to drain the remainder of its contents down her throat.  


”Oh? I’m afraid I didn’t catch that battle.” She places her mug onto the counter and nudges it forward, indicating that she was ready for a refill. While she was present for Yakuroro’s outburst towards King Lagi at the ball, the woman generally didn’t take much interest in the fighting of others. In fact, she hadn’t had much interest in the coliseum until very recently with her first match and victory. ”And how is the…acupuncture going?” She asks smoothly, eyes fixed on the glass in the barmaid’s hands as she pours the brew into it, filling it to the brim. After seeing him fight several times, she felt as if Liber’s movements were far too skilled for someone who makes their living off of acupuncture alone. But she chooses not to press him, as it was not her business.


The young woman slides the glass over to Ayero as Liber prompts her with his question and she flicks her eyes away for a moment so that Liber wouldn’t be able to see the hard look in them. She brings the newly refilled glass up for another long, slow drink while contemplating her answer. ”Up to the mountains. I was helping him with research.” She grunts into the glass before silencing herself with another deep drink, this time tilting her head back in order to finish off her second glass. Initially she didn’t have the intention of drinking this much this quickly, but the combination of her emotions and the presence of alcohol made for a slippery slope.


[714/1000]

The tension of the conversation was slowly becoming more palpable as the two unintentionally asked questions that made jabs at one another's soul. A waltz of subtle lies was being danced between the two and it seemed as though the alcohol couldn't flow fast enough to keep up with their needs brought on by the resulting stress. "I don't do acupuncture for a living much anymore, I mostly get by on the job board. But I did take on one patient recently..." Liber said, his thoughts drifting to the injured hero and the Kou soldier's he'd been hiring Liber to assassinate. "I made sure to alleviate whatever had ailed them. We've had a few session's so far and I think is healing is going well."

Once Ayero had responded to Liber's own question he noticed the grunt and it was his turn to look to Ayero with a raised brow. Was helping Yakuroro with his research really that bad? Instead of prying, Liber began recounting a false story of his supposed acupuncture statement that had some truth sprinkled in. A soldier of Reim, injured in battle, needing to be healed. The process of using needles on acupuncture points and how it could promote good health. As he went on in an attempt to draw focus away from whatever had bothered Ayero, an elderly woman entered the pub. Her grey hair spoke of decades of experience and the clothing she wore told the world that she held a great deal of money, influence, or both.

The elderly lady came to sit at the bar next to the two and began speaking with the barmaid cheerfully. If Either of the fanalis eaves dropped at all, they'd be able to tell that she was the barmaid's grandmother and that she had come in to check on her kin. By the time Liber had finished his tale about the fake patient, he had put away another glass or two of wine and was beginning to feel the effects. "What? I can't enjoy myself?" He'd ask the barmaid when she gave him a look as the man reached his fifth serving. "You should have seen this lass on the night of the coronation, she took a whole bottle down in one go!"

Word Count - 1000+/1000

She’s grateful when he doesn’t question her further, not in the mood to make up a more elaborate story about her trip to the mountains. All of it wasn’t a lie, but rather Yakuroro had been the one helping her with her own mission. The thoughts Liber had unknowingly invoked set a low heat simmering in the woman’s heart which she steadily tried to drown with the burn of alcohol down her throat. But the drink only serve to increase her feelings of guilt and despair, even as Liber steered the topic away and relayed to her the tale of his most recent acupuncture patient.


Not as entirely focused on the conversation as she should be, Ayero’s thoughts can’t help but return to her slain family. She tries to fight away the feelings of her recent past and her worry over what the future held for her and Vin. She’s brought back to reality by Liber’s comment on her behavior at the night of the ball and growls. ”Oh, like you didn’t have anything to drink.” She huffs, squinting at him. ”And that’s a god damn exaggeration. If you saw what I saw that night, you’d be drinking like that too.” She spits back, not caring if her statements seemed contradictory if she was even aware of it.


[934/1000]

Liber was draining yet another helping of wine with a smirk on his face, clearly having thought his comment to be funny. Slamming the cup onto the counter, the fanalis man leaned back and began stretching his neck as he listened to Ayero's shoddy retort. Liber scoffed at the audacity that she would claim that he himself had had too much to drink that night, "Having one glass doesn't compare to polishing off a bottle, Ayero~" His voice undeniably had a teasing tone as Liber had fun picking apart her poorly made argument. Perhaps a bit too much fun. Not thinking about what kind of impact his words might have due to the numbing of his reasoning, Liber heard her excuse for having drank so much and shot back with force.

"Whaaaat? It's not like anyone you knew or loved died!" The words came out before Liber even knew he had spoken them, but once he was self aware he made the mistake of elaborating further. "People die every day, you even make money off of killing bad men sometimes. In my experience, the people who get killed usually deserve it." What Liber meant by this was that among all the politician's present at the ball most likely had sins worthy of deadly punishment. But he was not thinking clearly enough to say as much or to explain that such a mindset wasn't what he thought about all deaths.

Ayero just grumbles and rolls her eyes at his retort while nursing another mug of ale, not caring enough to his teasing. That was until he had inadvertently stepped on a nerve. Images of her desolate, destroyed home flash in her mind at his following comment. Images of Vin, injured and terrified as he hid from the stranger in his home until working up the courage to confront her. The feel of her blade slicing through the men who had caused her so much pain, and the emptiness of dissatisfaction that had ensued afterwards. And at his added comment, her hand closes tightly around the cup until it shatters in her iron Fanalis grip.

She rises sharply in an instant, the wooden stool screeching loudly as it scraped the floor. Ignoring the shards of glass that pierced into her flesh, the Fanalis woman grabs Liber by the sash of his robe with her bloodied hand and pulls him close to her face. Her expression was not just one of an angry drunk as something far deeper could be seen clear as day on the distraught woman’s face. A hellish fire burned into her eyes as her face twisted into a scowl, the expression similar to the one she’d worn when facing Raizul.


”Don’t you DARE tell me that they deserved to die! What they went though…what I went though…what he went through…” She shudders for a moment, completely disgusted with the man in front of her. Despite not informing him of the recent tragedy and the fact that his comments were directed toward the events of the ball, Ayero’s inebriated mind had been triggered by his words as if he were speaking of her departed family. ”You wouldn’t know what it’s like to be separated from the ones you care the most about in this world…” Her venomous words aim to hurt, but she’s too caught up to recall the part of Liber past that had separated him from his lover. Unable for find more words that would properly convey her anger, Ayero decides to let him know of her pain through a more traditional Fanalis method. Reeling back her free fist, the halfling unleashes a blow intended for Liber’s stupid face.


[1000+/1000]

Thinking that everything was going just fine, Liber had no expectations that his comment had been in any way offensive. Surprise overtook him as Ayero shattered the vessel containing her drink and violently stood in anger. Looking to her in shock, Liber found himself pulled to his feet by his clothing and dragged face first into staring down the woman's enraged visage. Not understanding just what had brought this on and mind made murky by the nights drink, Liber's first reaction was to fell defensive. He'd done nothing to deserve this treatment in his mind and he held a stoic look as he listened to what Ayero had to say. It was all nonsense to Liber. They? He? Who was she talking about and what happened to her. Was the dance Ayero had at the ball really that bad?

Liber was ready to dismiss the outburst as simple being the ale talking. His arms were hanging loose by his sides and his body remained relax despite the tense situation of being held so roughly. But this changed when Ayero had the gall to claim what she should know full well was false. Liber knew better than anyone what it felt like to be separated from the most important person to him. He still didn't know where Yhamin was or what had happened to him over the past ten years. Liber's eyes narrowed and now his face reflected a similar rage as his blood felt boiling hot running through his veins.

It was within the man's capabilities to do something about the punch as Ayero's reeling back made her intentions clear long before she acted on them. But Liber was paralyzed with a fermenting anger that burned away at his already dulled logical mind. The fist crashed into his cheek jolting the man's head to turn as part of his upper jaw bone broke from the impact. The pain was a fuel that flowed through his body and stoked the anger driving him to action. Liber's face pressed back against Ayero's fist if it remained at the point of impact and his head slowly moved to look her dead in the eyes again. You...take...that...BACK!" As the fanalis male shouted, he lunged his head forward into a headbutt before his leg rose to kick Ayero in the gut in an attempt to push her away from him. If the distance between them grew, Liber our rub his cheek where he'd been hit before growling out a loud roar, "EVERYTHING was taken from me! Even now, I have nothing left! ALONE!" His words weren't making a whole lot of sense, but they came from the deepest part of Liber's heart. "What the hell do you know!?!?"

Meanwhile, the barmaid rose her hands and timidly urged the two to stop as the old lady laughed and shook her head, "Ah, young couples...Leave them be, girl."

Her expression faltered slightly upon seeing the look of rage Liber gave her while her fist was still pressed against his jaw post-impact. Somewhat startled that he had the gall to assault her back after he’d unknowingly hurt her with his words. Her outstretched arm slackens just in time for Liber’s head to push forward, his skull making contact with her own right before she takes an unexpected knee to the gut. The impact sends her back several feet, crashing into a hard looking man at the bar. Hissing in pain and irritation, the Fanalis woman hastily picks herself up and fixes Liber with a wide-eyed stare full of killing intent. Her warrior instincts kicked in and her body heaved with anger as she snarled and lunged at the man once more.

”My family was ripped from me…I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye! They didn’t deserve that, they were innocent! So FUCK YOU!” She thunders, cracking the wooden floor from digging her heel into it hard before leaping into the air, prepared to bring her elbow down onto the man. Her words still didn’t make much sense, but it was more like a stream of conscious fueled but her inebriation and rage.

Ayero rose with a wild look that Liber knew all too well. She had the eyes of a resolved person set on doing serious harm to someone or something and if the target of their aggression died then so be it. But just before she took action to resume the brawl, a man walked into the pub. Those who knew the wanted posters well might recognize him as Brutimus. The thug had a grin on as face an a swagger about his movements that said he'd just made a big score and was feeling rather full of himself. Seeing the aftermath of Ayero and Liber's scuffle, the bandit cackled to himself softly, "This looks like my kind of place. Oi, wench! Get me a round of drinks ready! Brutimus has arrived and if I like what you serve, I might just not rob the joint!" But no one was paying attention to the criminal. All eyes were on the dramatic beat down taking place as Ayero leapt into the air splintering the floor beneath her.

Grinding his teeth in outrage that he was being ignored, Brutimus pulled his trusty dagger from his belt and threw it in an attempt to pierce the back wall of the bar just an inch away from the barmaid's face to demand with imposed fear that she do as he said. But the knife would never reach her. In response to Ayero's falling elbow strike, Liber grabbed the bar stool behind him and lifted it up to put something between himself and the woman's attack. As the stool lifted into the air the dagger cut right through one of its legs but was also put off course causing it to dig into the bar ceiling. The elbow strike would smash the rest of the stool to pieces causing it to shatter in Liber's hands, but he was expecting as much and simply used it as a distraction. When Ayero's elbow crushed through the stool it would fall right into Liber's left hand which had been waiting for it at the ready.

Catching Ayero's elbow in a grip, Liber would then put his hand on her shoulder and roll to the side pulling her and all her downward momentum in a roll that would tangle the two and take them more towards the entrance.

Ayero hadn’t noticed the entrance of the arrogant bandit, her energy and attention entirely focused on taking her rage out on Liber. At this point she didn’t even remember what he had done to stoke her anger, but it didn’t matter. She roars in irritation as he raises a stool to defend himself, displeased when her elbow smashes through the wood and not his face. Feeling his grip on her elbow, the enraged woman thrashed and snarled, bringing her other hand around in an attempt to backhand his face as he pulls her toward him.


”Let go of me!” She growls after finding herself entangled with Liber, annoyed that she wasn’t able to bash his face in. Using her hand on his shoulder as leverage, the Fanalis woman is able to push him herself off of him, stumbling from the force and her own wavering constitution. Unfortunately for her, she wasn’t able to steady herself in time and ended up bumping into a table only a few feet away. Gritting her teeth, she quickly nabs a half-full glass of brew from said table and chucks it at Liber. But the intoxicated woman’s aim was off and the glass sailed clear past her target, instead crashing against Brutimus’ head, shattering and covering the man in ale.


Scowling in anger that someone would dare assault him, the man turns around where his eyes quickly find Ayero with her arm still outstretched after launching the mug. ”You’re going to pay for that, wench!” The ruffian stomped over to her and spoke in a threatening tone, but it was as if Ayero neither seen nor heard  him with the way she was glaring at Liber for having the nerve not to get hit. Seeking to fix this, Ayero launches herself at Liber once more, holding out a fist with his name on it.

The nature of how Liber pulled away from Ayero would allow him to narrowly miss her back hand, however now that they were tumbling he didn't know much how to proceed. He had wanted to throw her, but he held on for too long and instead they rolled together making a pretzel of limbs until Ayero pushed herself away. Liber rolled to his feet and stood with his back to the door hands up and ready to engage in some fisticuffs. The fanalis man swayed to dodge the thrown object even though such efforts were entirely unrequired. This sway almost made him lose balance due to his inebriation and Liber faltered in a stumble only preventing another fall by catching his hand on a near by table.

Brutimus's anger towards the two fanalis was already present since their little act had led to him being ignored. But now that he had been drenched in brew by the fanalis woman, Brutimus had a personal reason to cut her throat open. Brutimus approached Ayero in a fit as he drew another dagger from his belt and prepared to do some gutting to show the woman and everyone else present just who was boss. But the bandit would never get a chance to initiate his attack. Liber hardly noticed as Brutimus passed him and approached Ayero, his mind was set on giving the girl a good beating. As Ayero lunged forward with a punch Liber did the same and performed a punch of his own.

Brutimus was caught off guard by the fanalis speed and, as a result, in between a pair of fanalis fists. The bandit's skull was broken at the face by Ayero and in the back of the head by Liber. Brutimus fell to the ground a bleeding mess one might think to be lifeless were it not for the occasional twitch. But this interference in the fight was a fleeting distraction. Liber's fist retracted from the punch as his other hand lashed out for an open palm strike to Ayero's chest followed by a right hook aimed at her chin with the arm that had just been cocked back. He'd been aiming for a three hit combo all along and the human shield that took the first blow would not stop him from committing. "I'll never see him again!"

Normally the Fanalis warrior would be keenly aware of the armed man that was approaching her, being used to fighting multiple opponents. While her mind vaguely registers his presence as he steps in front of her and brandishes a dagger, her eyes are on Liber and his incoming assault. As her fist smashes into Brutimus’ face and Liber’s to the back of his head, Ayero lets out an irritated grumble, displeased that once again her strike has missed its target. Casting an annoyed glace at Brutimus, she raises her head just in time to see Liber aim another attack at her.


The open palm strike makes contact with her chest, its strength fracturing her collarbone. She grunts in pain as the force of the Liber’s palm knocks the wind out of her, but her eyes take note of where his other hand is in time to raise her chin and catch his fist in her hand, stumbling back a bit from the power behind the blow. Her teeth clench as her hand tightens around his fist, quickly sliding her hand down to grasp at his wrist to try and prevent him from moving his hand. ”I’ll never see them again!” She echoes, raising an armored knee to jab him in the stomach.

The fanalis man grunted in displeasure as his fist was caught in Ayero's block but the woman made a mistake that would end up in his favor. A knee rising into your opponent's stomach was often a solid attack, but when your foe had a metal cloth wrapped around their abdomen such attacks were made in vain. Ayero's knee would slam into the hard Swordsman's Cloth Liber wore around his stomach allowing the weapon to absorb the blow. Not one to let such opportunity go to waist, Liber made an upper cut for Ayero's own stomach which he would follow up with a spinning back kick in attempt to send her flying back towards the bar.

If this kick succeeded, Liber would yell at the top of his lungs, "What are you even talking about!?" Before running after her. But Liber wouldn't get far. Regardless of whether the kick landed or failed, the elderly woman from before would step in by splashing two mugs of ale onto both of the fanalis. In the event Liber did kick Ayero, the old woman would trip him first causing the man to stumble forwards only to land face first in the breast of his opponent.

"Alright, alright, cool off you two. It sounds like you both need to exchange words, not fists. Do it while you take care of that scoundrel." The grandma would say as she gestured to the still twitching body of Brutimus. "You're gonna need the reward money if you plan on paying my lovely granddaughter here for all the damages you've caused."

Ayero cursed as her knee made contact with something metallic, wondering in brief confusion what she had hit if the man wasn’t wearing any armor. Looking down she recalls the metal cloth the man wore around his abdomen and her eyes flare up in anger in time for stumble backwards and avoid the fist to the gut. Unfortunately for her, she was still in the range of Liber’s kick which made contact with her ribcage, breaking two of the woman’s ribs as she was sent backwards, ultimately crashing into the counter. Momentarily stunned, the Fanalis woman struggles to climb from the wreckage that the impact of her body had created and pauses as she feels the cold sensation of ale poured onto her head followed by Liber’s face landing in her now wet chest.


Jolting her head up with a scowl, Ayero quickly pushes the Fanalis man off of her with both hands. But the nasty expression quickly fades as she meets with the disappointed gaze of the elderly woman and looks down in a bit of embarrassment and shame, the cold drink having sobered her somewhat momentarily. ”Sorry, ma’am…” She mutters, hanging her head like a child who had done something wrong. She casts an apologetic look to the young barmaid and gives the grandma a questioning look. She follows her gaze to see Brutimus’ twitching body, a wave of realization coming over her. Ayero didn’t know that the man was even wanted, but she was able to catch the contextual clues.


Grunting as she pushed herself up, Ayero tried to ignore Liber for the most part as she made her way over to the felled bandit and prodded him with her foot. She was still angry, but thanks to the grandmother’s intervention the fire of her rage had been somewhat smothered.

The cool ale splashing on Liber's face was a stark contrasting difference to the hot cheek that was now beginning to swell from Ayero's first good blow. It would of cause Liber's head to cool off if he hadn't just also almost broken his nose by flying face first into Ayero's breasts. Liber pulled away from her holding a bleeding nose and snapped at the old lady, "Stay out of this! I need to kno-" But the elderly woman would hear nothing of it. She threw the now empty mug in her hand with expert aim. The hollow wood clunked against Liber's forehead and shut him up long enough for him to take a look into her eyes. Suddenly feeling disarmed and disengaged, Liber's posture deflated and he too looked down in shame.

"She started it..." Liber mumbled to himself as he got up and moved over to Brutimus' side as Ayero kicked his defeated form only to get a slightly more energetic twitch before the bandit fell still again. "Looks like...hey, this guy is wanted. Good thing I knocked him out." Liber said passive aggressively claiming that he had been the one to defeat Brutimus. He would then kneel down and try to pick the human up insisting that he carry his body. If Ayero argued, he would bicker with her over it until their voices raised loud enough that the old woman cleared her throat from behind them. At that point, he would agree that they could both carry Brutimus and positioned himself under one of the bandits arms propping him up from one side.

Once they were outside, Liber's slightly sobered up mind tried to make heads or tails of what had transpired between them. At the moment he couldn't even remember what started the whole thing...something about loved ones? Either way, considering his odd mood towards Ayero, Liber assumed that it had been his fault. "I'm sorry..." The apology would come out just loud enough for the fanalis woman to hear.

”I hit him too.” She grunts, glancing over at Liber with a sour look on his face. As Liber knelt down to pick up the ruffian’s body, Ayero protests and makes a move of her own to carry Brutimus, claiming that she should be the one to take him as Liber was drunk. At the old woman’s hinting Ayero relents and compromises with Liber, each Fanalis shouldering either side of the man as they dragged him into the night.


She didn’t plan on saying anything more, but Liber’s soft apology came as a surprise to her. She hadn’t expected him to apologize, but the sincerity of his tone softened her heart. Leaving about a minute of silence between them as she gathers her thoughts, Ayero responds in a low voice of her own.


”When I was young, I lived in the mountains with my family. I was the second oldest of 10 kids. When I was 12….” Her voice suddenly catches in her throat and she swallows the lump that had formed from there mere thought of her brother and the family she left. ”…M..my older brother was captured by slave traders. It broke our family, I couldn’t…I-I left.” She pauses again to bite back tears before continuing. She relays to him the guilt she felt over leaving, how she couldn’t stay in a place like that and about how at times her strong desire for freedom had overshadowed the urge to find her brother. She told him briefly about the caravan, about how she left them and traveled on her own, how she reunited with her brother in Heliohapt during the slave auction only to become separated from him once more in the chaos.


Taking in a deep breath, Ayero prepares for the most painful part of her story. ”About a month ago, I went back to my family’s home to visit. When I got there, they…it…i…it was all gone. Bandits came, I don’t…why? They had nothing, they…the houses were burned, the blood…I-I…” She keeps her face pointed forward, desperately focusing on anything other than Liber’s crimson locks in her periphery as tears stream freely down her face.

When Liber apologized he had been expected a well deserved cold shoulder. He had built a wall around himself when she had upset him the night of the ball, despite the woman's apology. What reason would Ayero have to react any differently? But to his surprise, Ayero began recounting the tale of her childhood. At first, it all seemed very unrelated. Liber would have though she were simply drunk if it weren't for the sobering tone of smothered pain her voice held. As Ayero went on it became more and more clear that this was a heavy subject for her. One which claimed an immovable spot deep within her heart where it eternally burned away a hole that would not be filled by normal means.

Finally, Ayero came to the details of where she had been during her trip and what had taken place. It all fell into place in Liber's addled mind and even with lingering intoxication running through his blood, the fanalis man realized that this must have been what the fight started over. Liber would open his mouth to speak but quickly realized he had nothing he could say. His lips closed again and he too looked forward not sure what to say without trampling on Ayero's feelings. There would have been silence between them if not for Brutimus regaining consciousness just in time to hear Ayero's heart breaking story. Even the egotistical bandit was brought to tears and he sobbed softly all the way to the guard house where the two fanalis turned him over.

It was there that Liber decided to part ways with Ayero for the night. But he would not do so on these terms. The fanalis man placed a hand on Ayero's shoulder from behind and turned her into an embracing hug. "I'm sorry..." He said again, the words more genuine than ever as the warmth of his body spread into her through the hug. Liber's arms squeezed her gently and then he let go. "I was wrong." He admitted. Liber wasn't 100% sure on what he was wrong about due to his hazed memory, but he knew that he had been.

Ayero lapses into silence shortly after conveying what had happened during her trip. She couldn’t say more if she wanted to, for her voice began to crack and slur. She doesn’t even notice the soft weeping of the man she and Liber were hauling along the darkened streets, concentrating hard on reigning in her feelings and fighting to keep them from overwhelming her. Right now, she had a powerful urge to climb back into bed and never let go of Vincenzo, the only relic she had left of her family.


After unceremoniously dumping the bandit at the guard station, Ayero turns to leave without so much as a parting word to Liber. It wasn’t out of her animosity towards him, but rather she was more focused on returning to her inn and her brother. She makes a soft noise of surprise when she feels his hand at her shoulder, turning her head to gaze at him in her inebriate curiosity with misty eyes.  ”Ah—“ Her body stiffens, startled with the sudden apology and gesture from the man she had been fighting just minutes ago. Biting her lip, the distraught woman relaxes her body into the hug, finding that it was actually somewhat of a comfort. As they part, she lets out the breath she didn’t know she was holding in and lowers her head. ”Goodnight.” She mutters, an edge of a sob in her voice as she turns on her heel and makes her way back down the road.


[Exit]

"Night..." It was almost painful to watch Ayero go. Liber wanted to do or say something but he couldn't fathom what kind of words he could impart upon her that would make much of a difference. As the fanalis man turned and began his own lonely walk home, he sighed and reflected on what had happened between them. Perhaps keeping Ayero at arms length was a bad idea after all. The wall he had built led to an unjust insincerity that brought fresh and agonizing memories about. Her hurt was much more recent than his own and yet he had torn it to the surface anyways. Sure, his transgressions had been unintentional, but that didn't make him feel any less terrible for them.

When Liber arrived at his inn he spent the rest of the night tossing and turning in bed as he wrestled with the idea of letting his cautions against Ayero go. One on hand, it was probably the right thing to do...but it meant letting her get closer to his own heart wounds. Liber fell asleep torn, unable to make a decision yet.