Thread: ᴏɴᴇ ʜᴏᴍᴇ ʟᴏsᴛ, ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ ғɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ [ ɢᴇᴍ x ᴡᴏʟᴢᴇʀᴇx ]

To say he was uncomfortable and a bit on edge sitting next to Eli would have been the understatement of the century. He'd seen the looks she gave him immediately after the fight, and despite his protests that he could clean himself up at his forge just fine, Agnar and Frida had been rather...persuasive. Who knew you could coerce somebody with friendliness as much as violent threats? He'd felt completely helpless to resist as they spirited him away to their camp. It was a bit overwhelming for him in several ways, all this attention from these new people. Korm had gotten incredibly used to a life where he knew he could trust only a few people at a time. Handling most everyone else with a sense of wariness at best was strangely comfortable at this point. Even now, after three years in the town, he could count on one hand the number of people he truly trusted, and maybe on two hands that he would consider amicable acquaintances or business partners. So strangers suddenly showing him kindness, even though he could tell a couple of them weren't completely comfortable with him? That was a sensation that he was entirely unsure of how to handle. He wanted to relax and seem grateful, but he just couldn't make his body untense or stop his senses from constantly searching for some danger. The young boy especially, the one who was staring at him caused him to shift nervously on the bench. Hadn't he seen an orc before in all his travels? Surely the troupe had bumped into one or two of them at some point. When Eli said it was because he had taken a liking to Korm he simply gave a, Oh. He wasn't at all sure how to reply to that, so he just met Kai's gaze and tried to...communicate via their eyes? Was that what they were doing? Korm sighed inwardly, wondering why kids were always so confusing. He says 'thank you'...We say thank you. Korm swallowed hard at her words. Again, all he could say in response was, Oh. He looked down at the boy who'd just tugged on his legs, and wondered what was going on behind those enormous dark eyes. For some reason, despite how strange it felt, it was nice knowing that he'd gained the trust of such an innocent being. Then Eli began dressing his wound and he REALLY got on edge. Not that it wasn't nice, rather it made his heart hammer in his ribs like loud drum that he was sure she could hear. Her touch was the softest, gentlest thing he'd ever experienced and it brought a rush of bittersweet memories back to him. She had always used to take care of him like this, but now it was just a reminder that she didn't want him to be here. Or did she? He hadn't failed to notice her expression, the tremors in her words, or the way that she quickly pulled back from him after wrapping the bandage around his chest. What if she was starting to...did he dare even begin to think that way? Gods and goddesses, he thought, desperately trying to get his head to stop spinning. It was all too much. Honestly, he was beginning to wish he was back in the middle of the fight. At least that had been very familiar, the sort of situation he knew he could handle. But all this? He felt as though he was walking on a tight rope and if he made the wrong move he'd terrify all these small, delicate creatures and then they'd be as afraid of him as everyone else was. But then the incredibly strong girl from earlier, the short one walked in and gave his mind a solid thing to focus on. Her, she made a little more sense to him. He could tell she was a fighter, and looking at her didn't make him dizzy like looking at Eli did. Swallowing as he sat up a little straighter, forcing away his nerves, he nodded in greeting to her. Nice to meet you Frida, he said slowly, glancing around the room. Yes, my name is Korm. He hesitated before continuing, not sure if he should give his own speculations about the identity of the men. Because that's all they were, speculations. He hadn't ever seen them before, so he had no actual idea as to who they might be or if a single thing they had said was true. Still, he had a feeling in his gut that he was right, and if he was they needed to be ready. As to who those men were, I can't be completely sure. But I've never seen them in this city before, and I'm...fairly acquainted with what goes on in the underworld here, he explained cautiously, not sure how this information was going to affect their perception of him. So if they are as new to the area as I think they are, and they're already tagging other newcomers for protection taxes then...well none of the options are good. Either they're very stupid and trying to expand their territory and influence faster than they can maintain, which makes them very dangerous in the short term. Or, they're that aggressive AND that good. If they've dug in the right way already and this is just the natural progression of how they're operating, it means we're dealing with a very capable and very sophisticated crime boss of some kind. Pausing in his explanation, he looked at each of their faces, trying to weigh if they understood the gravity of what he was saying. This city has never seen a criminal organization of that caliber before, but I have. And you better hope to hell that they decide to forget about you. Either way, you have some time. During that time, lay low and get ready in case they decide to retaliate. Standing up, he crossed his muscular arms in front of his bare chest. In the meantime, I'll do a little digging. If I can press the right buttons and dissuade them from bothering you again, I will. It was honestly the best he could offer, but he still felt as if it was lacking. A true warrior, he was already analyzing every angle of this like a tactician, trying to decide how various scenarios might play out. But he had too little info to give them anything concrete yet, and he just hoped he wasn't wrong about them having some time to prepare.