the escaped logician (cadence) wrote in ironman7, @ 2007-09-18 23:25:00 |
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Entry tags: | cadence, magna carta/final fantasy xii, week 5: prompt 6 |
Magna Carta/Final Fantasy XII (Ashe, Basch, Raul, Rianna) [week 5 - prompt 6]
Title: Proper Mercenaries
Author: Cadence
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 400
Summary: They stood out from the other hunters at the camp like silk among rawhide.
Author's Notes: No spoilers, and pretty much all you have to know about Magna Carta is that Raul's dialogue is actually this ridiculous at times. ^^
They stood out from the other hunters at the camp like silk among rawhide. The hunting profession was demanding, to be sure, but the work wasn't ever steady or sustaining. Hunters were built wiry-strong, and very few had the defined build that came from regular comprehensive training. Their gear tended to be patchwork, armor in decent shape but unmatched, weapons the best of whatever they could scrounge up.
These two were different. They were solidly muscular, and their clothes and armor were well-tailored. The sword slung on the man's back was large and solid, old but well-kept. The woman was pretty, her blonde hair in buns, but she wore leather gloves with viciously pointed studs on them.
They looked like proper mercenaries, but no one with the means to pay trusted fiercely independent mercenaries enough to hire them, these days. Ashe was immediately curious.
Basch caught the direction of her gaze. "Hmm." He glanced back at Ashe. "Go talk to them, then. But let me accompany you. There could be trouble."
Ashe restrained herself from a biting comment about the likelihood of serious trouble in full view of Basch and everyone else in the camp, and instead simply nodded and rose to walk over to the rock where the mercenaries stood.
"I don't believe I've seen you two here before," Ashe began.
The woman raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Perceptive. Yes, we're new in the area," her voice was friendly enough, but Ashe suspected she was being deliberately vague.
Ashe turned to the man, who was eyeing her with interest.
"Raul. I'm a wandering swordsman." He grinned. "And my body is for hire."
Next to Ashe, Basch coughed. Ashe stared incredulously for a few seconds. Certainly she'd heard rumors… but this man didn't look it at all. Surely not.
Raul's companion glared at him with a long-suffering look.
"I'm Rianna, and we offer bodyguard services," she clarified firmly. "We're the best. However, I offer a discount if you get me where I'm going, and for some reason this idiot is willing to work for food."
"Yeah, but you have to be careful, or I'll eat you out," Raul said. Suddenly there was a strip of dried meat in his hand, which he tore a large bite from.
"Would you stop?" Rianna growled. "We're not going to get any clients this way."
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."