Psycho's Payment

[jiyoran]

"Your services have been much appreciated Mr. Nailtawa."

They were in the open, but fairly near the gate that would allow entrance to the village. There was a small carriage, and a rather overweight man was leaning from the open door, looking down on the tall sheikah next to him. To be completely honest, the mercenary creeped the merchant out. The fact that all throughout their interaction, he hadn't opened his eyes fully just once. No, they were always mere slits, looking the more sinister for the brief peek of crimson below the lids. And the merc seemed so smug, as if he owned the world and could do as he pleased to anyone he met. Nonetheless, he was good at what he did, and had protected the man from point a from point b. The various monsters that had come up through the journey had all been beaten down, and the effectiveness of that odd spear was proved many times over. Without his help, the merchant would likely not have made it through Hyrule field's roads, even with his bodyguard sitting up there next to the driver.

But still, he didn't like the mercenary one bit, and his bodyguard had odd feelings about Jiyoran since they had signed the contract with him. He was glad to be rid of the sheikah, but not of his rupees. So, he would have to attempt to hold on to what he had. Dishonest, true but truthfully the merchant was greedy as well.

"I am sorry to say, you didn't honor the agreement fully. Razaquel informed me that some gems were missing from our supplies. The theft had been prohibited, so I'm afraid that you will not be getting your pay. Good day Mr. Nailtawa." With a harrumph, the man closed the door and knocked on the wall, hoping that would be the end of it.
- - - -

What was this now...no pay? False accusations? Oh no. NO that would not do at all. The sheikah stood there for a moment, and then turned and rather nonchalantly jogged after the carriage. He caught up to it, and then passed it, giving the bodyguard/driver a small smile as he removed one hand from his jacket pocket and gripped Nitenwa's shaft. The gloved fingers clenched briefly, and then the mercenary twisted, plunging the blade deep into the horse's side. The animal screamed in pain and then stumbled, falling do the ground and bringing the cart to a halt. The human bodyguard dropped from the vehicle and pulled out his sword, glaring at the sheikah.

"Do not interfere, sheikah, you will be killed." Razaquel was surprised that the merc's response was a low, dark chuckle.

"Then your employer shouldn't have interfered with me then. I intend to get my pay." He didn't move into a fighting position, but stood calmly with his spear held low at his side.

The bodyguard growled and lunged, his sharp sword aimed for the sheikah's smug throat. He stumbled in shock, as the Mercenary was suddenly not there. A whispered 'too slow, insect' in his ear, and then a sharp pain in his side. the human fell, dropping his sword, and Jiyoran turned back to the carriage, hand releasing the handle of Finesi. Calmly he strode to the door and knocked. "Little pig, little pig, let me come in..."

------

"And one hundred, a hundred fifty, and seventy. There, fully pay for escort service." Jiyoran packed the rupees into his pouch and looked down at the freshly slain carcass at his feet. "Shouldn't have tried to cheat me, fool." He turned and stepped out into the daylight, treading on the body of the guard as he did so. "And should not have hired pitiful help. So unsightly...." Without a backward glance he strode off across the field. Well, what next?

[Alolu]

Alolu hadn't seen the whole thing. She had only seen Jiyoran chase after the carriage and kill everything within.... and out. She had to wonder why. There had to be a good reason, but she wasn't going to make assumptions or jump to conclusions. It didn't seem as if she had been seen yet. As soon as the Shiekah male had stabbed the horse, She had shrunk back against the trunk of the tree where she had been sitting in the branches, eating her lunch. Yes, she could still climb trees well enough without the use of one leg.

She didn't know what to do about this. Her first instinct would be to do nothing and move on, but what would that cost her? She wanted to know at least what she was not witness to, and why it had happened. The only problem with this was the obvious risk of retaliation. Sometimes, people where not very happy with these kind of actions being discovered.

She was playing with fire here. Well, potential fire, like a piece of flint just waiting to be struck by steel. Alolu dropped down from the tree, landing on one leg and balancing perfectly. Her cover was successfully and completely blown. No going back now. Alolu leaned on her stick for support. "And what wrong did the horse ever do to you? "

[jiyoran]

Before Jiyoran could fully leave the caravan behind him, he was confronted by a spectator. He hadn't been aware that anyone had been witness to his fell deed, but no matter. The tall sheikah turned to face the woman, a small smirk playing on his lips as he beheld the fellow sheikah. "What's this? A cripple up in a tree? And she asks not why I killed two men, but why their horse was murdered instead. How certainly intriguing." Jiy twirled Nitenwa with one hand and rested the iron shaft on his shoulder, smirking at Alolu. "To answer, I needed some way to stop the carriage and prove a point. The man had slighted me on my payment, his guard had made up lies about me....and there they were just simply getting away with my rupees. Now, that doesn't seem very fair, now does it?"

Giving an amused chuckle, the mercenary began to walk, slowly circling the newcomer. "So why haven't you screamed for the guard yet? Or even attempted to apprehend me yourself?" One crimson eye peeked open, regarding the handicapped Sheikah wryly. "I just murdered two men in cold blood, and yet there you sat and let me. Oh dear, what has happened to the world that passersby ignore the crimes of those such as me?" The mercenary stopped, and then tucked his spear back under his arm, both hands comfortably held in his pockets. "So where do we go from here? A crime has been committed, the criminal confronted....and yet is his confronter a goody-two-shoes or a ne'er-do-well? Either way, will I have to kill you as well?"

[Alolu]

Oh, no no no no.

The way he talked, the way he moved, and many other things all raised little red flags in Alolu's mind. The safest way to get out of this would be to make herself seem non-threatening, and that was exactly what she planned to do. She bit her lip as he circled her, staring straight ahead. She would not retaliate, she would not challenge him. She didn't trust her abilities to save her if something bad where to happen. She should never have been so stupid as to confront him.

Alolu was visibly nervous. "I..... i have no desire to judge you, nor am I in a position to do so." Please don't get angry please don't get angry. "What happened was unfortunate, nothing should have to come down to killing, but...." She would have to step lightly here, she was walking on thin ice. "I won't be any trouble to you, so there's no need to kill me. "

[jiyoran]

The insane sheikah gave a laugh. "How very wise of you. One would wish that others learn from that wisdom and cease their attempts. You do not have the position of judge, and you decline it. Certainly, something I've yet to encounter." Smirking the mercenary shifted his position and looked back to the halted caravan, and then to the bloody bodies near it. Hearing her next statement, he reassessed the woman and inclined an eyebrow in curiosity. "Oh? Nothing, did you say? Miss, I've got to disagree with you on that score. There's a number of things that could be solved with a simple, quick and decisive action." To illustrate, the man brought one thumb sliding along his neck, as if the woman he was confronting didn't quite get the idea.

He was amused at her visible nervousness. But then, why should she not be? He had just proved that he had no compunctions on slaying, and logic would state that she wasn't even safe from his blood-thirsty blade. If she hadn't been nervous, then she'd just be easily as insane as he was, or had been. "Certainly you say so, but how can I be sure? I'd let you leave, and then you'd amass a posse to hunt me down and deliver the appropriate punishment. Or you'd go tattling to the nearest guard, first chance you got. Or even, " Jiy's finger drew up, wavering in the air before coming down and indicating Alolu. "Even you could go to kill me, minute I turned my back and let my guard down. And surely I have no reason to think otherwise. I have killed two men, and unless I'm very much mistaken that's against the law." Gloved fingers shifted, and then slid up the dark gray iron until the spear was brought to point at the other sheikah. "All things considered, I should kill you now. No hard feelings, right?" With a devilish smirk, Jiyoran lunged at the woman, wicked tip of Nitenwa leading the way.