"I'm sorry!" Came a wail of regret that reached the rafters of the dockside tavern, "truly I am...please, you're crushing my skull!" There was another shriek and a sound of cracking teeth, all other voices having fallen silent only moments after the 'incident' began.

"I cannot hear you, manling..." responded a voice like gravel grinding together, "...some sort of apology?"

"Yes! Aaah. I am [b]so[/b] sorry I asked where your beard was, please, I-I did not even know there [b]were[/b] Dwarf women!"

Aina looked down at the foppish human fool once more, her ham-sized fist continuing to exert pressure on one side of his head - the other pressed tightly to the solid wooden bar top of the establishement -  and the sneer that had been plastered on her face the entire time now moving ever-so-slightly into a slightly narrower sneer.

"Take your friends," she said, waving her other hand leisurely toward the trio of battered and bruised manlings, "and get out of my sight."

There was a thump as he was released from her grasp, allowed to slide to the floor, his companions nervously helping him up and leaving the tavern as fast as their stupidly long limbs could carry them.

Far from a thunderous applause, or indeed any form of congratulations, the bearded patrons of the tavern turned away from Aina as soon as the 'fight' was over. Some grumbled into their flagons about women and war, some simply went back to their pint, and others could not take their eyes off of the mass of furious muscle in their midst.

"Come on," she huffed at the casually staring bartender, "another ale."

"But you need to pa-" the words died in his mouth as the mid-bearded Dwarf looked into the eyes of someone that would think nothing of killing...possibly even another Dawi, "eer, I mean, here you are. On the house."

It was halfway through the fresh ale that a young Dwarf appeared, glancing about the place until his eyes feel upon the mohawked fighter and her drink.

"Greetings, I come with a proposition, one that might see you dead."


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[i]I wonder how much that eye would fetch?[/i] Was all she could think as she stood among the group of Dwarfs, apparently all of them bought here for and by one reason or another, the Slayer focusing on the agate jewel and not much else.

Once she may have appreciated the craftsmanship of the place, the fine architecture, the armour of all those present, but now...now she saw only an opportunity to die.

"Aina, daughter of Jyris, Slayer."