driftfleet | Waystation Mingle Log!

[Zhas already threw money, so that counts.

Now about those would be robbers.

She looks at Zhas and back to them, making a mockingly scared face.]

Uh-oh. You guys did it now.

[She starts plucking out a kind of ominous tune to accompany Zhas' approach. Look. Helping!]

[not. helping.

his advance stops just long enough for him to glare over his shoulder at her--he can't believe she's doing that. it's ruining everything. so when one of the guys gets brave and decides to lunge at him with a knife, he aptly dodges, lifts him off the ground, and throws him in Syeira's direction.

which is not practical so much as intimidating. two guys look pretty ready to bail. the one not getting thrown is trying to yell orders at them.]

[Wow, rude, Zhas. That guy has a knife. And she's on a crate.

She moves in time not to be accidentally stabbed, but not to avoid being unintentionally slashed, because the guy is flailing. It's very minor, taking her near the bend of the elbow, but there's blood in the air. And that means her good sense is just that bit more compromised.

When the robber turns, he gets smashed in the face with a conjured lute. Twice. And then kicked in the chest. And...she is probably not going to stop. GG Zhas.]

[sorry what was that he's busy beating the shit out of this thug here.

it's very easy. live humans are squishy. he doesn't get the same kind of joy out of it that he would with a vampire. the guy goes down in just a couple of good hits and Zhas has no wounds to show for it save for maybe a bruised shoulder the next morning.

he barely has to look at the other guys before they scatter. so much for team loyalty.

he turns around, hoping that maybe he can get a fight out of the last g--oh.

she's. she's really going at it, isn't she.

he doesn't stop moving, but he hovers out of range for a moment, trying to gauge just how much she's going to pulverize this guy (but mostly the way she goes at it, how she moves, how angry she seems, lots of little details no one else would find important).]

[Actually, she's not angry at all. It's more excitement. There's blood in the proverbial water and she hasn't had a real fight in weeks. She's graceful and quick, her strikes actually juggling him, keeping him on his feet. And the other guy has really no chance to swing back at her. He holds the knife because that's all he knows really at this time. He's being pummeled and he has a knife. The knife is his lingering hope.

And that doesn't last long. She moves in, catching his wrist under her arm, and the knife is just suddenly in her hand. It dances through her fingers artfully until the hilt is in a proper grip. Her arm raises up.]

[there it is. he forcefully steps in the fray, grabbing her wrist and pushing--keeping the knife up in the air and not plunged into something this guy would have otherwise really needed to continue living. his bodily shoving between the both of them is enough to send the now-useless goon stumbling backwards, falling on the ground.

his focus is all on her, though. he's calm and ready and forcing her to keep eye contact. forget the thug. keep it all on him. this close, the face paint doesn't really matter--he's strong and he's got a commanding presence.

she needs to stop.]

[The thing is, she is not out of control. She's perfectly in control. And that may or may not be worse than the alternative, depending on his perspective.

But because she's not out of her mind, she's only surprised when Zhas grabs, and she doesn't struggle or fight back. She just looks really put out, and a little confused.]

Zhas, what?

[Because she honestly doesn't understand why he stopped her.]

[he doesn't move much. turns his head a little, somewhere between confusion and disapproval. he doesn't let up, despite her being very calm. he's assessing, and he needs to be the bigger force here.

but there--he shakes his head definitively now. stop with the making to stab him, already.]

[She's not trying to stab Zhas. He stopped her from stabbing someone else. There is a difference.

But okay. She gets the signal, finally. Takes a breath and lets it out slow, forcing herself to relax.]

Right, okay. You uh, wanna let go of me now?

[it's trying to stab anyone that's worrying to him. but... as she starts to wind down, he starts to ease up on his grip. the comment doesn't really phase him. he lets go when he's sure it's safe.

he should trust that she's got herself under control, since she shows no signs of being a raging maniac or anything--he's just too used to nightwalkers. he's used to a pretty face hiding snarling teeth. so he's slow to believe her, and he's slow to feel like things are okay.

he finally steps out of the way. glances back down at the guy, moaning pathetically where his crumpled form is now pretty much useless.]

[She understands his hesitation, though she doesn't realize it's personal for him. So she waits until he actually lets go, and not just loosens his hold. Only then does she drop her arm, slipping the knife into her belt.

Looking at the thief, she feels strange. A little sullen, but a lot more guilty.]

I don't really have the luxury of mercy very much back home. People come at me with weapons, they mean to kill me, or worse. So I kill them. It's just... what has to be done.

[She looks back to Zhas then.]

Thank you. For stopping me.

[at the very least, Zhas does not seem upset with her. he listens to her explain, still looking over the wounded thug. he tightens his fingers into a fist, lets them go again. several times, very controlled. it wasn't much of a high, but it still takes him a moment to come down, get out of that zone.

he has nothing to say, immediately. he sets his jaw; something he does when he's thinking.]

Child of a god of murder.

[he tilts his head a little. he's looking at the body, but he'd meant that to be towards her. he also meant it to be a question, but good luck figuring that out from his flat, gravelly tone.]

That, yes. But it's a rough world, Faerun. Even my most lawful and virtuous companions kill, once the battle is committed.

[She moves forward and kneels beside the man she'd beaten. Alive, but badly hurt. Leaving him like this would be wrong.

She holds her hands out, muttering a few words Zhas won't likely understand. Her hands glow very gently, and the glow spreads out over the prone figure. It's quick, and a lot of the signs of battle start knitting or fading. He's not perfect, but he wouldn't die slowly from internal bleeding now. Probably.]

[Zhas skitters back a couple of steps. he's been around healing magic once before, and he didn't like it then, either. at least he's not the one she's pointing it towards, this time. he steps clearly out of the way but doesn't have a word of complaint for her.

once he's emotionally settled again, he asks:]

How do you tell people from monsters, then.

I try to talk first.

[For example, she'd been sitting on a crate when a man with a knife came flying at her.

She'd seen him flinch away though, and after all this she has to know.]

I didn't hurt him, Zhas. I lessened the damage, as best I can.

[he knows. it feels... good, and pure, and healthy, all words that he could never ascribe to the too-familiar vampiric magic that usually surrounds him. but better the devil you know than the devil you don't, as they say.

he looks down at the healed figure, possibly ignoring her comment. maybe not.]

Don't kill humans. Monsters kill humans, and I kill monsters.

Even humans can be monsters, Zhas.

[She stands up, but doesn't try to get closer to Zhas. He's uncomfortable, and she doesn't want to make it worse.]

But I'll do everything I can to abide by your wishes. Becoming a monster is...what I've been trying to avoid for a while now.

[he knows that very well. but the only absolute way he knows to not turn into his enemy is to not prey on humans like they do. the rule is harder to define, here, where things are not strictly "human" most of the time... but there is also no Master her to lead him away from temptation. his personal rule has become more important than ever.

she probably has no idea how forgiving he's being. back on Earth, he would have hunted a thing like her without hesitation. here, he's giving her a chance. more than one chance. maybe he's getting soft.

he sniffs the air, briefly, looking up at the stars above them--letting the subject drop.]

Drag him somewhere his crew will find him. I'll tie up the other one.

[he glances over at the knocked-out thug.]

They might recognize who's been trying to steal their cargo.

[No, she has no idea how specifically he is being forgiving. But that doesn't mean she isn't assuming it. People in her world either instantly fear her, respect her, or try to use her. Often it's a mixture of two or more. Those who choose to simply like her, well, she doesn't hide what she is from them, and she's come to believe that those people must be forgiving of her fundamentally. Or she'd be dead already.

She makes sure there's no broken ribs before she props up the prone man, gets her arms under his, then stands up. It's not easy. She's not Minsc by any stretch, nor does she have his handy belt of Hill Giant Strength (boy would that be useful right about now), but she's fit, and she can drag the man like this. It'll be awkward but she'll do it.]

They might. Could stop this from happening again. Oof, glad this guy isn't armored...

[And now she'll just start...dragging. She's not going very fast, but she's not looking like she's going to drop him on his head, at least.]

[Zhas does not offer to help. Zhas does not even look remotely interested in maybe picking up a leg or something to speed up her process. he does, however, wave mocking to her as she passes--expression completely flat, as usual.

he's a helper. watching her drag a heavy body around makes him feel a little better.

he'll finally deal with the unconscious one after a minute, though. there's got to be some rope or spare chain around that he can use.]

[Actually, the wave makes her feel better. If he's being a casual jerk to her, he can't be completely mad at her.

So she s sticks her tongue out at him as she goes by. Because she's a grown up.

She comes back after a few minutes, having deposited her burden somewhere very visible and in the way. And she wanders up to hover nearby Zhas, hands on her hips. Not helping him as nicely as he didn't help her.]

Think they'll give us a bonus for him or something?

[She's just asking. She's probably the least money minded person who ever engaged in frequent mercenary work. It's shameful how many times she's turned down payment. Extremely shameful.]

[he makes quick work of tying the guy up (like he's done this before, or something) so she doesn't have to wait and not help for very long. he considers the useless thug for a moment before shrugging... he doesn't know, it doesn't seem likely.

he's not very money-minded either. he has an assistant to do that kind of thing for him, usually. so his answer is unhelpful.]

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