Marching, Markus could handle. He had done it much the last decade, and he would likely march until a blade cut his life short one day. As it were, he did not mind being paid to do it. And so he and the lady Lannister had made great haste to the tourney, with a new companion in tow. A hulk of a lad with a dumb expression and a willingness to please. Could be worse, Markus knew. Could be one of Celena's cousins. Truth be told, he had never liked Lannisters. From his admittedly short exposure to them over the years, they had always seemed too golden for his liking. Undeniably arrogant with nothing to back it up save money, and something about the way they spoke made him feel like he was covered in sword oil. 

Celena was an exception, however. A pleasant surprise to the sellsword. She was an outcast just as he was, and though she had the same money as other Lannisters, she had deigned to give him a bit of it which helped his opinion of her immensely. So far it had been a relatively easy job as well. A lot of walking, a lot of standing in front of doors while she made secret deals, a lot of drinking, even sometimes together. He found he enjoyed her presence, which was the last thing he had expected. They hadn't bandied many words, but Markus had never been one for long conversations unless he was with an old friend or lover, and Celena was neither. But a business relationship suited them, he thought.

Now they found themselves in Summerhall of all places, at the tourney grounds where plump lords and simpering courtiers watched as the more daring of their lot shed money and paid in blood. Markus had not yet decided on his bet for the jousting, but once their tents were set up and he had grabbed a good night's rest, he'd find a drink and some beef and get to that. As it were, the sellsword groaned in bed, and thanked the seven Celena had provided him one. The bloody Red Keep was certainly new to him, but a bed being provided on road was something he could get used to. Sliding out from under the covers, he passed the snoring Dunc and opened the flap, letting the daylight of the early morn filter in as he stepped over behind a tree, dropping his trousers. 

Markus was a rugged, well built and lean man with a stubble and a mane of dark hair that caught a few maidens eyes, but he never really had a penchant for dressing up or capitalizing on it. He relieved himself beside the tree and sighed contentedly. As his luck demanded, a courtier galloped by on a mare, likely carrying an unimportant message but treating it with the importance of a royal death. He dropped his jaw when he saw Markus's bare front, his face betraying his thoughts of telling him to be decent or to simply leave and gossip of it later. 

"Jealousy does not become you," Markus grumbled wryly, and with a huff the fellow in red livery galloped away contemptuously. Yawning, the mercenary pulled his trousers up and went into the tent to gather his normal apparel and weapon, strapping it all on with practiced efficiency. They weren't hauling anything, so Dunc's position needn't be amended. Rather, Markus didn't want to wake the boy up, glad to pretend the tent was private for the moment. A scant minute passed, and he stepped out into the world, the lumbering beast he had been when arousing had been replaced with a panther-like grace as he strode towards Celena's tent, intent on finding out the schedule for the day. 

Rather than step in, however, he merely took his position at the front of her quarters. The paymaster would come out when she was ready, and even if it would be a pretty sight, he had no intention of drawing her ire by walking into her tent while she was indecent. He also found he respected her too much for that, as well. Instead, he gazed wolfishly out at the tourney grounds and the myriad of retainers hustling past them as if their lives depended on it. Considering all of the pompous charlatans and their delicate tempers, some of them just might have their lives threatened by the end of the day. 


[hider=My Hider]
Markus wakes up, makes a spectacle of himself, and then stands ready for Celena's orders.
[/hider]