[ P ] The Violence Causes Silence

SIF ASGAUT
Bulletproof, Nothing to Lose

The city streets bustled with merriment; the market was as lively as ever and full of quite the assortment of wolves trading and bartering among themselves, chatter loud enough to make one's ears bleed. There was a faint smell of wine that hung in the air and iron of fresh prey that enticed the masses of those without time to forage for themselves, having their own things to attend to. Unfortunately where there were goods to be sold, there were also thieves that lurked and snagged what wasn’t there behind a poor merchant's nose. Poor merchant. The concept was laughable, most of them just as dastardly as the next crook, often asking for far more than what the things they traded were worth and they could get away with it most days if their clientele was desperate enough for something that was being offered. A rare meat perhaps a titillating delicacy that could fetch far more than say a small rabbit, upselling it as demand grew. It was quite the spectacle to watch when not partaking in it directly.

Quietly the young servicewoman watched the uproar, her singular amber eye shifting from one noisy customer to the next, some tempers starting to flare while others just sounded desperate. Whatever it was, it had to have been worth plenty or something someone wanted to resell where it might fetch a higher price elsewhere. It wasn’t uncommon for Lowlanders to take advantage of their neutrality and take Mainlander commodities and sell them in the Highlands for far more than they may ever obtain here, and vice versa with selling Highlander wares here since the war. It kept the economy going, though, so no one could really complain besides maybe the poor suckers that thought they won a bargain. She could only wonder what it was that had them in a tizzy that was admittedly starting to disturb the peace of the locals, some of the consumers storming off while others continued in their ill display.

She couldn’t let it progress any further, she’d have to step in and restore some semblance of order, something she didn’t really want to do but the last thing that was needed was a pointless fight over a commodity. If it had been down in the Seagull, she probably would have let it continue to fester and let them wipe themselves out, for most involved were likely charlatans and lawbreakers, not that she ever ventured there beyond just once to see what it was like out of morbid curiosity a couple months back. It had been to put nicely, a mess but she was on the surface, not some hub for a brothel. These were for the most part regular citizens; just some with dirtier secrets under their counters.

Taking in a breath she walked into the crowd till she stood in front of the ones causing the most disruption, nearly moments away from tearing into each other. “Break it up. Settle this civilly and move along, this spectacle has gone on long enough,” she ordered as one of them got into her face. If she wasn’t someone that frequented a patrol here since most didn’t want anything to do with being so close to the tavern, they may not have listened but the clatter quickly died down at her indirect warning. Clicking her tongue as they started to spread out, going back to their daily lives, she would look behind her to see the merchant had already run off. It raised suspicion but without proper cause, there was no reason to pursue. With a sigh she’d walk away, her ears curving to the sounds of the streets as it seemed everyone was merry once again.

She’d moved toward the edge of town but not before almost walking into someone, since they were in her blindside that was mostly healed now, having to swiftly take a step to the side to avoid collision. “Pardon me,” she murmured, only realizing after that it was someone she somewhat knew from the subtle scent of pine and rain. A fellow soldier.

code by claerie

She was off-duty, and was only visiting the merchants to try and find a present for her mother, a pathetic attempt to lift her spirits. She wasn't sure exactly what she was looking for -- a delectable snack, an interesting trinket, a rare herb? -- but she figured she'd know it when she saw it. The timber woman browsed the wares from afar, ignoring any rowdiness from the crowd and not bothering herself with their disruptions. She simply didn't feel like getting involved with the lowlifes and peasants today. She felt the brush of a pelt, saw the sweep of someone out of the corner of her eye as they just barely walk into her and missed. "Watch where -- " she said, though cut herself off as she turned her eyes on who it was. It was someone familiar. "Oh, Captain Sif, she said, her voice losing it's growling edge, though the timber woman didn't smile. Cairo had rarely spoke to Sif outside of the general greeting in passing, and was relatively indifferent in her feelings toward the woman, if not a bit cold toward her. It was not through any fault of Sif's, but it was not lost on Cairo that the the other would've likely spent more time with Kohl than Cairo had herself, what with her being under the Tiamat man's command. That, and there was a jealous vein that she had been made Captain so young, and before Cairo herself. Still, it was no reason to be outwardly aggressive. "It's been some time. How are you fairing after the war?" she asked with formal politeness. Cairo hadn't seen her since the war's end. She'd heard that she was injured pretty badly in battle, but hadn't seen the extent of it until now -- Cairo's gaze lingered on the missing eye before refocusing onto her remaining one.

SIF ASGAUT
Bulletproof, Nothing to Lose

It seemed her dodge wasn’t as fruitful as she had hoped as a tingle of contact threatened to make her shiver just a little from the gentle brush of pelt on pelt, now kind of preferring she had just walked into the other but that thought was snatched as quickly as it came. There was a rumbling agitation that flared in the other, able to hear the growl wanting to fester within their voice before it cut off abruptly in some wave of recognition. She felt eyes turn to her, seeing the shift in their body as she turned her head only a little when she had uttered her apologies in advance. Their voice confirmed the beast, the elder sister of the noble Tiamat bloodline and Kohl’s daughter. If she recalled correctly the woman had just become a Captain at the end of the war, not too much after she had acquired such a title herself. “Ah Captain Cairo, cheers on the promotion,” she said cordially, finally starting to turn to face the other properly.

As she finally got the woman in her sights, however, that easy ability to speak suddenly felt far harder as she looked upon the woman of timber. Xandria was easier to face despite being closer to her. Cairo on the other hand, it took every fiber of her being not to look away in that moment as her ears threatened to lay down upon the top of her skull. All she could see was the Colonel standing before her, a man she respected highly even if it had taken some time under his command to trust him and his underlings after what she had been through. They looked so much alike from nose to tail tip. There was no ignoring the fact this was his kin, his left behind progeny. The biggest difference being that the female was more honey in hue than that warm chocolate; even their eyes had the same brilliant haunting gold shade.

There was the bubbling desire to offer condolences or even apologize, feeling some guilt in his death even if she held no blame. But if she had secured the one section sooner, what if they could have changed the tides in more than his just life? If the other’s mind was not on the subject, it was unfair to bring it up. She knew what it was like to lose family and she wouldn’t pull off a bandage if she didn’t have to. Apologies, sympathy, nothing would bring him back.

“Yes it has,” her voice came out even but barely, throat feeling unreasonably dry as she wanted to peel her gaze away. She took note of the other looking at her missing eye but thought little of it; it was quite the spectacle after all. “It’s fine to stare if you wish, there’s no pretending I’m not half blind now. It’s nothing. The army might not view it that way but it’s good to have routine again after they finally cleared me for return. Too much time and one's own thoughts can become unwelcoming,” she replied, feeling at times she had too much time on her paws that left sanity on a teeter totter but she couldn’t say it was all bad. It had allowed her time with her daughter without any hiccups, something she relished to every last drop and it allowed her to try and piece her back together. Too shaken from the ordeal.

“How about you; getting on well? Hadn’t expected to see you at the humble markets among this... rowdy, rustic crowd,” she asked after a couple passing seconds, partly out of formality but also out of genuine concern as her gaze skimmed the townsfolk and merchants.

code by claerie