[color=black][h2][b]Easy Come, Easy Go[/b][/h2][/color]
The target died with shocking ease, he pondered as he fell to the ground and landed lightly on his toes. He’d expected a bit more resistance, honestly… from Runch, if not from anybody else. Speaking of whom, he appeared to be utterly livid with what he’d done, judging by his expression as he spoke.

And frankly, whilst he wasn’t surprised to hear himself being dismissed, he was disappointed with Runch’s lack of pragmatism. He held Runch’s gaze coolly with but a tilt of his head as the pirate captain spoke to Oren through the phylactery, before ultimately calling Erina to follow on after him. She seemed a bit upset herself, to say the least.

Motley waited until Runch had turned away before he began to speak. [color=black]‘If it matters,’[/color] he stated bluntly, [color=black]‘I extend my respects to her for not begging at the end. However, she had decided we were enemies before we even knew she existed; if you believe she’d extend your brand of mercy to us with the situation reversed, or indeed that she could not have fought back at all in her circumstances or known what would result if she failed, you are the naive one.’[/color]

He’d meant to leave at this point, but turned to find Erina’s sword at his neck, blazing with purple flames. When did she… and was Bend still possessing her there? For a moment, it seemed he was; but a moment later, the sword began to quake, the flame dissipated to reveal a rusted blade, and the girl sheathed her weapon angrily.

[color=bc8dbf]'There's reasonable and unreasonable killing. What sort of prestige did you hope to get out of this?'[/color]

To anyone else, the question might have been a piercing blow. Motley’s response was far more calculated: [color=black]‘Ask her. Or better yet, ask Bend. He gets it.’[/color] If she read between the lines, she’d understand that he meant his words very literally. She could see and speak to spectres, could she not?

Nonetheless, he’d been asked to leave, and hadn’t even been attacked as a result of his actions. Perhaps that was the best option he could hope for here. Even so, as he wandered past the fox girl and away from the irate pirate, moving back into the inn, it stuck in his mind that he’d effectively be made a target for killing one of the staff running the tournament. And now he had nobody to back him up if he needed it, which was… concerning, perhaps.

But, it had a potential resolution. He pressed it as appropriate to try and call Oren, if he still could. If his phylactery no longer worked as intended, so be it; he’d try and find another of Oren’s drones to talk to. If it did function, however, he would utter the following words into it, and release it before any reply could be given:

[color=black]‘You’re on thin ice, the lot of you. Should the girl’s brother come after me on his own perogative, for vengeance or otherwise, then that’s his fight to resolve. If anyone else is sent after me by your organisation, you will [i]all[/i] be on my kill list. I don’t like having enemies who haven’t been dealt with, and I’m sure you don’t either. Consider this your only warning.’[/color]