Re: Home from the Hunt

[Tabitha Wolfe]

Tabitha could not stop herself from grinning when Sharaku frowned. She knew full well it wasn’t what he’d meant, but it was just so fun to poke him. Enough poking and she’d find those delightful buttons. Her favorites were the ones that made him blush and stutter. More so stuttering than blushing, it was amusing to her. Blushing was something you couldn’t quite control, but stuttering showed a complete lack of control. For a girl obsessed with control, this was a great game. “Oh, a real reason hm? Generally getting experience and getting paid are enough for a job, and enjoying the company is enough for spending time together. Does that mean I’ve been boring thus far?” He was actually surprisingly polite. He tended not to want to offend her, so she wasn’t sure what he would do with this comment.

“Oh, the usual, slumming around alley’s, kicking puppies, whatever it is people like me do,” she smirked and shrugged, looking at her empty beer, and then back to him, “I play darts sometimes, usually shot per bullseye. It can be a really slow game sometimes,” she said, but it was only slow when she wanted it to be slow. She could make that game go very quickly if she liked. “What do you do, oh-rescuer-of-women?” she just had to add some sass to everything. She really did. It probably said so in a contract somewhere.

[Sharaku]

Sharaku didn’t comment on Tabitha’s sarcastic remark on what it was she did during her free time. He assumed she had a reason for not answering and that was fine. Still, he couldn’t deny the image of her kicking puppies in an alleyway seemed out of place enough it was funny. She did answer for real,though. She played shots for darts or whatever. Sharaku raised an eyebrow at that one. She had enough skill with a knife he doubted she lost that game She was probably some sort of weapons expert or something. No, he shouldn’t assume. Assuming got you killed. But he was sure she was good at it for one reason or another if she played it. She liked teasing him too much to like being the drunken one.

Then she asked what he did. He actually chuckled at that one. Not because he did anything exciting but for the exact opposite reason. “I rescue more women than you’d think,” he told her cryptically. It was true. Half of the fights he got into were punching guys in the face who got drunk enough to think they were hot stuff around all of the ladies. “I guess I’m into saving damsels in distress.” It was an ironic claim considering he was in Shadow Heart, and they both knew Tabitha wasn’t one of those damsels. “And sometimes you,” he added, not counting her as a damsel in distress.

[Tabitha Wolfe]

Tabitha was sarcastic, all the time. Defensive or not, it was her. If someone said it was a defense mechanism, it wouldn’t break her. Telling her she was this, that, or the other thing, never cracked anything but a smile. It was funny to see someone care. If they didn’t care, a word, a sentence, a remark, and they were done. She could handle that. If they kept going, kept digging themselves a hole, she knew she had them. She knew it, and it was just funny. Power was intoxicating like that. Far more than any alcohol she could ever find.

She wasn’t the drunk one. It was a fun game to play, but even drunk she was careful. She got drunk enough, she calculated. Who could she get drunk with? She didn’t do too much with strangers. She’d rather kill a stranger than let him hurt her. It was cruel, it was cold, and it was Tabitha. Black Widow. Next? Sharaku was an interesting kid, now wasn’t he? He said he rescued more women than she thought, and she assumed it was generally similar to her situation. Maybe she should stick around the guild more often and watch him… for scientific reasons.

Tabitha laughed, with no restraint, “Oh, so I’m not a damsel in distress now? Aw, and what, pray tell, does that make me, Sharaku?” she asked, leaning toward him and grinning. He was fun, both as prey, and as company. That was rare indeed.

[Sharaku]

What was Tabitha if not a damsel in distress? From the coy look she kept giving him he would sooner say she was a shark than a damsel in distress. It was funny the way she swam around him, preying on any awkward comment or thought she picked up on. It was like these were blood in the water. No, he wasn’t a match for her. Not when she kept distracting him with awkwardness, anyway. But he was at least aware of the things she picked up on the most. It was handy for someone who lived in the biggest, most secretive guild in Fiore to be able to spot this sort of stuff. Those who didn’t ended up either dead, or someone else’s puppet. Sharaku would be no one’s puppet unless it helped him serve his own ends.

At least that was what he told himself. Truthfully, he had a hard time keeping up with Tabitha the way she kept poking at him. Sharaku didn’t know why women made him so nervous and awkward, but he couldn’t exactly help it at this stage. “A uh… damsel that's not in distress?” he said weakly. The shark thing had crossed his mind, but he was even more polite when he was awkward, so any of his less flattering comments went out the window instead of out of his mouth. It wasn't that she said anything to throw him off guard so much that time as when he nearly said the shark thing he suddenly remembered he was talking to a pretty young woman.

[Tabitha Wolfe]

Tabitha wasn’t a shark, she was a spider. Spinning her little webs, invisible to the eye, but you felt them when you got caught. It wasn’t a perfect analogy for her, but she did consider herself a bit of a spider, literally because of her magic and her nickname. Another nickname Tabitha had earned was Ventriloquist. She could get people to say whatever she wanted, and play them like a dummy. She was a bit of a puppet master, but she felt Ventriloquist suited her more. Or maybe other people just thought that, Tabitha hadn’t actually picked her own nicknames, she just fit the bill and people, generally people trying to insult or compliment her, called her names.

Tabitha had asked Sharaku what she was if not a damsel in distress, and his clever response was that she was a damsel not in distress. She laughed, but not really to make fun of him, just because it all amused her. “Well that’s just because I haven’t had more to drink. Or maybe its because I have that charming knight standing guard to make sure no distress gets near me. Does that sound about right?” she asked him. She was having a good night. She was hungry and she wanted more to drink, but she was having a good night all the same.

[Sharaku]

Sharaku glanced at Tabitha and shrugged, taking another sip of his beer as she teased him about being her knight. “I’m hardly a knight,” he insisted quietly, recalling rather quickly that he was a criminal, not a soldier. “But if you’re looking for a protector, you could do worse I suppose,” he decided , leaning forward and sighing as he closed his eyes. He opened them again with a slight grin, shaking the mostly empty beer bottle. “Want anything else?” He jerked his head towards the bar. The place also sold meals – usually simple tavern foods such as fish and French fries. Sharaku thought he might get that again.

He got up, intending to get something for himself even if she said no. His beer bottle landed heavily on the table as he inserted his hands in his pockets and assumed a slightly slouchy, relaxed posture. He gave her a slightly warm grin. He was nervous, but she wasn’t being too bad. He’d certainly done worse in his conversations before. A lot worse. “I know I could go for a fish basket and maybe another beer,” he informed her, in case it influenced her decision about getting something. He’d heard women wouldn’t want to eat if the guy wasn’t, after all.

[Tabitha Wolfe]

“I’d say you give yourself too little credit, but that isn’t it,” she mused, “really its just that you don’t think outside the box.” There were dark knights. Bad knights. Knights that people really didn’t respect, but they got the job done. For better or worse, for good or ill, they were knights as far as Tabitha was concerned. It didn’t help that she had been picked up by criminals, and that the “good” people had done nothing for her. The darkness was there, and the corruption opened up doors, and everything else just closed them. She wasn’t bitter, but she wasn’t a chump.

“I’m not looking for anything, I guess, I just take what I get,” and I take what I like, she didn’t add that last part. It ruined the effect. He asked if she wanted something else, and then seemed to relax when he stood up. She wasn’t entirely sure what to ask for, but he helped by saying he wanted a beer and fish, “You can double that for me, that’d be charming,” she told him with a smirk. She was perfectly fine eating if he wasn’t, but would have had to see what they had. She wasn’t really sure why he was buying things for her, but she wasn’t arguing. In fact, when he came back with the food she leaned across the table some, looking him in the eye and smiling, “So, if you’re buying me things, and I intended to go out and blow some money, you’ll have to let me make it up to you by taking you out sometime.” It was a genuine offer, phrased more like an instruction.

[Sharaku]

Sharaku placed the basket of fish and fries down in front of Tabitha as she told him she would have to take him out to eat sometime. He simply raised an eyebrow in response, sliding back into the booth. “…As you wish,” he told her as he took a bite of the fried fish. Had she offered to pay for things for him? He only recalled being told she was planning to go out to a bar. Maybe he’d been distracted. Oh well. He took a swig of his new beer and leaned forward again.

“I didn’t come to have money spent on me, you know,” he insisted after a moment. “I came because you asked me to.” There was a difference, and the primary difference was that he didn’t have a problem paying for things. The fact that she was trying to make up for that was a little bit weird to him. He grinned slightly. If he had been more charming or more of a flirt he might have added a wink to it, but he didn’t. “Sounds like a good time,” he informed the assassin girl in front of him. Hanging out with people wasn't his thing, but since she seemed to want to, he would make an exception, he supposed.

[Tabitha Wolfe]

Tabitha smiled when the food came, and her amusing counterpart. She hadn’t quite said she would buy him food, but to her it had been implied. He said “as you wish” and she just smirked at him, “I’m more about taking what I want than making wishes. Wishes never come true, but it’s a cute statement,” she said, keeping her cockiness up, but not really directing it at him. It was more her general air of self-confidence. It wasn’t meant to put him down, but since she was actually making honest comments, she was allowed a bit of a wall.

He started drinking his beer and she, again, effortlessly opened hers before returning her knife down. She took a drink as she listened to him, “Yes, but if I pay for you next time, it means there is a next time, and I’m asking, so there,” she said. He said it sounded good and she nodded. She really felt like putting her legs up, but they’d have ended up over his leg and she decided not to do that. They weren’t alone after all, and he might not like being used as furniture.

“So, what’s it like actually living in the guild? I’ve never been much for living with a lot of people… it feels so… social,” she said. She could pick and choose when she was social, which she felt was more often than he would have, and yet he was the one living there.

[Sharaku]

“More than I want, less than you would expect,” Sharaku answered when Tabitha asked what it was like living in the guild. He had another drink and some of his food. Life in Shadow Heart was interesting. Not a single person seemed to know much about what was going on anywhere. Some were intelligent. Some were violent morons. Some were off infiltrating other organizations. All of them had some unseen purpose to the Shadow Lord and his elderly assistant, as far as Sharaku could tell. He only hoped whatever purpose that was wasn’t too much for Sharaku to live with. Even after nosing around as secretly as possible, he knew next to nothing, and had been asked to stop being so nosy as a result. He’d listened, just because it wasn’t worth the trouble it would cause to keep going.

“Some people are loud idiots. Like your friend in the hallway. Others are quieter and barely talk.” Fayte was among those people. She was admittedly probably his favorite member of Shadow Heart so far, despite the way they had spent so much time here being awkward last time he was here. “Mostly, it’s a good place to stay if you don’t mind putting up with it. It’s easier for everyone when you’re close enough to be found when you’re needed.”

[Tabitha Wolfe]

“Sounds like a situation,” she told him, without saying a word. Really. Tabitha could say as she pleased, and she didn’t care, People, were not people. People, were scum. People were the worst. Optimism wall all well and stupid. Neutral was all well and messed up. Pessimism was… well.. a bit too optimistic for Tabitha Wolfe. Tabitha was her own woman, and it wasn’t healthy, but neither was being stabbed in the back. She’d take her own little social anxiety over a bleeding wound. Any. Day. Of. The. Week. It wasn’t pretty, but being a murder was never pretty, and Tabitha wasn’t so delusional to think it was. It was glamour, and it was flash, and lies, and all the pretty lights to let someone allow you close enough to hurt them. That was life. And when you did that for a living, no one was close. No one mattered, survival mattered. You mattered. No one else cared, but if you wanted to live to trick someone another day, you better matter to yourself. That was al. Tabitha wasn’t stupid.

Tabitha didn’t worry about the big picture. She’d lived day to day. People… things… ended… day to day. She had to live in the moment. She always lived in the moment. She wasn’t caught up in emotions, wasn’t caught up in relationships and plans. Tabitha was alive, because Tabitha knew what she needed. Everyone else was… separate. A guild of selfish people could only expect so many loyal people… and so many more selfish people. Tabitha was selfish. It was how she survived.

Tabitha couldn’t show Sharaku how she was. No one. She couldn’t show anyone. That was life. She accepted it. It let her life until the next day. Anyone else was gambling, and Tabitha didn’t gamble unless the game was rigged. “I mind a lot of things, but you always have to put up with things to win. That is life,” she sighed, “I wish I were tipsy, I swear it would make me more endearing. Do you like any games, Sharaku?”

[Sharaku]

"Hey, if you want harder liquor then all you have to do is ask," Sharaku told her with a shrug. He wasn't going to join her, but if she wanted to get tipsy that was up to her. Unlike Tabitha, Sharaku didn't bother being pessimistic. Or optimistic. He was pragmatic. He did what had to be done. What was the most logical step in his plans. He thought ahead. He had to with his magic. He saw things coming that others didn't, be it punches or plans. Tabitha was hard to read, but Tabitha was new, and she was a shark. Or a spider. She didn't want read, and that told him quite a bit in itself. But it was nothing to get surprised about in a guild like his.

“As for playing games, games aren’t really my thing,” he told her, giving her a knowing grin. “I’m boring like that.” He was also referring to playing games with people. The kind manipulators liked to play. He wasn’t immune to their games. Probably especially not hers. She was pretty and paying attention to him after all, and he had to admit it was rather nice. He was at least aware he was probably being manipulated for something though, and that made things easier to deal with. It was like the difference between not knowing a party had booze, and knowing but still coming despite not liking alcohol. It made it a lot more tolerable. In some cases, it even made it a bit more fun. Manipulation meant there were puzzles to figure out.

[Tabitha Wolfe]

Tabitha laughed when he said she could have harder liquor. “We want lots of things we shouldn’t get,” she informed him. She could get tipsy, and she could drink harder liquor, but that didn’t mean she should. She might though, get tipsy at least. She hadn’t been joking that it would make her more endearing. She didn’t bring down all walls or anything, but she did seem less obvious about them. She also allowed herself a bit of questionably sincere niceness. Any niceness from Tabitha was questionably sincere.

Of course Tabitha didn’t want to be read. Did Sharaku want to be read? It told people all sorts of things, about paranoia, about not trusting others. It showed you that if someone so careful with their words… let anything slip, it was probably on purpose. Did that mean you knew everything? Did that really make them vulnerable? Those things weren’t set in stone, no one was completely predictable, because no one could know every variable in each other’s lives, but Tabitha, who enjoyed playing with people for business and for pleasure, knew all of these things. It wasn’t that she trusted, or would trust, Sharaku, it was that she allowed herself calculated weaknesses. Not to show him anything, but just because it could be slightly more relaxing.

Tabitha watched Sharaku. Saying he didn’t like playing games, with people of course. “Oh, you’re not boring," People play games, even if they’re just pawns in someone else’s game, “Variety makes things fun. Like reading a new book. Do you read a lot of books?” She did mean books, but she would have accepted an answer applicable to people as well.

[Sharaku]

“That’s true,” Sharaku chuckled as Tabitha told him that people wanted many things they shouldn’t get. “And sometimes they get those things too.” He obviously had no idea what the young woman was thinking, or exactly how dim her view of people was. He didn’t know her story or her preferences. He didn’t know the girl. They’d just met, after all, and an hour or so wasn’t actually long when it came to getting to know someone. Especially not someone who almost certainly had things to hide.

She then asked him about reading books. Did she mean books or did she mean people? Sharaku thought she might mean both. Not that it particularly mattered if he answered correctly. Either way she would be amused and he wouldn’t be over thinking things like he was finding himself doing right now. “Books, huh? Yeah, I’m into ones with more complex stories. They’re real page-turners.” He told her as he took a drink. “So what about you? Are you into books? You don’t really seem like the ‘hole up in a corner by yourself’ type.” She might, but it wasn’t the thing that stood out with this girl. She seemed the type to spend her nights playing with people in ways that amused her.

[Tabitha Wolfe]

Sharaku gave Tabitha an agreement, even a laugh. She liked that. Even if people weren’t disarmed, laughter meant a few different things. Mocking, nervousness, or relaxation came to mind. It was a good sign in her mind, and she didn’t question it. He did say people sometimes got the things they shouldn’t, but Tabitha didn't ’see herself getting anything she wanted and it being a bad thing. She didn’t binge herself on bad things. She was careful, except when it came to drinking just for the fun of getting into danger.

She smirked, chuckled a bit, and approved of his response. She had meant books, although she did a lot more reading of people, this was undeniable. “Mm, I enjoy reading.” She agreed with him about page-turners more with people than with books. The complex stories, hm… “I’m far classier than beer and pubs suggest I guess. Maybe not… classier I guess,” she said, correcting herself with a smile, “but smarter. I do enjoy books though, immersive, educational, entertaining. You can put them down whenever you like, and they only hurt you if they’re good enough to really pull you in,” she informed him, nodding slowly, “What sort of music do you like?” It seemed like she was trying to get to know him now. Well, she was, strange as it was. It was to keep herself entertained, but she didn’t mind actually knowing the people in her guild. It could prove useful.

[Sharaku]

Sharaku was pretty sure at this point they were just talking about books. That was fine with him. Mind games were boring at best. This was probably the opposite of what Tabitha thought. Sharaku simply smirked at her answer. Book were pretty much like that yeah… said probably anyone ever having a casual conversation about books. “Music, huh? I don’t listen to much,” he confessed with a shrug. “Anything with a good beat I suppose. When I take the time.” He spent a lot more time reading than he did in concerts. A lot of that time he was reading more about his own magic from the tomes he’d liberated from the restricted section of Era’s library a little while back.

“Go ahead. Tell me what kind of music you like,” he decided, though he wasn’t actually particularly interested in knowing that stuff. It was at least entertaining to talk to the woman, and he supposed it might lead to more interesting conversation than he could think of saying right now. He wasn’t actually sure what to ask after something like a book or music question. Those were just hard to beat. They weren’t bad questions by any means… but they did make him feel like they were weird blind dates trying to get a feel for one another for some reason.

[Tabitha Wolfe]

Mind games were not boring. Were people boring? Not necessarily. If people weren’t boring, mind games weren’t boring. Mind games taught you about yourself, about other people, they made boring people riveting. They made life a game, a challenge, an opponent. No, Tabitha wasn’t misguided. Tabitha was smart, smart enough to survive, and to make her own decisions. Other people, people who thought just because she wasn’t living how they thought she ought, or wasn’t doing what they thought should make her happy. Well, those people were foolish, and she could twist their minds around like a string on her finger. Small minded people were always so simple, so boring, but playing mind games, that could make it interesting.

Shar might think Tabitha’s answer was generic, but that simply meant he didn’t appreciate the answer. How many of Tabitha’s answers were sincere? How many times could she allow herself a lapse into normalcy? No, it wasn’t the people who were boring, it was only the lack of effort taken to look into them. Shar, clearly, did not appreciate that if Tabitha acted normal about something, it was entirely abnormal. That was fine, she didn’t want him learning a thing.

He gave her a simple answer about music. A good beat. Oh, it was just so…. Mundane. She decided to save her scrutiny for the time being. “Go ahead?” she smirked, “Are you doing me some kind of favor listening to me? Well I best be grateful then I suppose,” she teased, a hint of feeling behind it. Lack of appreciation, but nothing so severe as actually being offended, “Violins, specifically. Music with,” she lifted her hand and looked at it, “A rising tempo, if you will, nothing so pedantic,” she told him, using the word ironically. Small magical strings reached from her fingers down to the table, which was about six inches down. She moved her fingers gracefully. The strings moved in a rhythm as if she was playing her violin. She could have heard the music this movement would make, but she doubted that from Sharaku, “I suppose I just prefer classically beautiful music, mostly stringed instruments.”

[Sharaku]

“A favor?” Sharaku asked Tabitha as she mocked him for acting like he was only talking to her out of pity. She’d judged inaccurately why he sounded like he did, but that was a problem Sharaku often had. Fortunately, he’d had just enough beer to remain calm rather than screwing up more. “Only if you consider enjoying an awkward attempt at casual conversation a favor. I’m just not great with talking about these things.” It was true, he didn’t talk a lot for a reason, and that reason was probably getting pretty obvious. It simply wasn’t a skill he had. He didn’t advertise his lack of social experience, but it was fairly obvious if anyone paid attention to his social habits.

He eyed the strings Tabitha produced, strumming like a violin. Where had the strings come from? It had either been magic or this girl had some of the deftest hands he had ever seen. Maybe it was both. Either way, it was obvious she could probably play the instruments she was so interested in. “Alright alright, I’m more into more… rock and roll tunes I guess. Classics aren’t bad though. They just aren’t really my go-to thing.” He didn’t do much in the way of listening to music though, so technically one could argue that rock wasn’t his go-to thing either, but he counted it for the purposes of music.

[Tabitha Wolfe]

Sharaku did seemed to disagree with Tabitha’s announcement that he was only keeping her company as a sort of favor. Well, that was better at least. He reminded her of his awkwardness and she smirked. How could she not? She lived for control, and she didn’t give out any over herself. How this man did it so easily amused her. Actually… “I find your awkwardness surprisingly endearing. You’re not my type, but you’re sort of cute anyway,” she told him. It sounded like flirting, probably. Actually saying he wasn’t her type made it sound more like flirting to her, because it brought up the subject. Still, he was so very not her type that she couldn’t possibly be flirting. She did want to see how he responded to it though.

As Tabitha played with her magical strings Sharaku seemed to pay a good deal of attention. Still, he managed to keep up with the conversation. Rock and Roll. She laughed lightly, “Well, guitars do have strings, so I’ll give you that,” she said. Rock and Roll was not her type of music, it didn’t suit her. It didn’t have the flow to it that her body enjoyed. Her body enjoyed a sense of grace while fighting. Although her attacks were fast and hard and could have been acceptably compared to rock and roll. She was giving this too much thought. “So, books and music…. Do you take a lot of work around these parts?”

[Sharaku]

Sharaku didn't really react to the part about calling him cute. Partially because he was rather guarded about just how good she was at manipulating and how often she did it at this point. Well, by he didn't really react... the best he could do was to look away for a moment and stop himself from blushing. She was smooth enough not to just instantly turn him off by gushing at him, but also smooth enough to make him want to be careful.

"Yeah..." Sharaku started in response to Tabitha's question about jobs. "Nothing too big so far. A lot of training and waiting for assignments rather than doing random jobs though... I've done one or two. Mostly training and whatnot." he explained, seeing no reason to hide that information. "Nothing like you and your job board hunting. Guess I'm not that motivated unless I have a reason to do it or something." There was another shrug, followed by a swill of the bottle of beer that was mostly empty again.

"Why do you do so many jobs, anyway?" Sharaku asked, not actually sure how many Tabitha did. It was certainly more than him, though. "Do you get bored, or just want the money?" he asked, leaning back in an effort to look casual again.

[Tabitha Wolfe]

When Sharaku was called cute he looked away. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” she informed him. Because driving home how he was cute for being awkward, when he acted awkward, made it more fun. His awkwardness didn’t actually make Tabitha want to manipulate him. It made her want to toy with him and poke him some, but not actually harm him. It was a surprisingly good defense if it were being used on purpose. She doubted that enough that she didn’t even consider it.

He switched with her to the topic of work, and he apparently didn’t do it much. She arched an eyebrow, not scrutinizing, just listening. “Training hm? I suppose that makes sense,” she said. She wasn’t sure how one trained a magic like his. She didn’t think of reading as training, and she didn’t often train with people, so it was a confusing situation. Tabitha didn’t like confusion, unless she had caused it. She liked to find out things and know what was going on. Still, this wasn’t something she was going to ask just now. He turned the topic back to her and she shrugged, “Bored I guess. The company at the guild is… meh. I meet more people away from here, and have better chances to meet someone who keeps my interest. Besides, money supports a lifestyle, and work means training. Gotta keep sharp, right?” she asked, smirking, thinking of her knives. She had more on her than he would have guessed.

“You should come with me sometime,” she suggested. Sharing money wasn’t fun, but he was a curious person, and she thought it might be interesting.

[Sharaku]

Money did support a lifestyle, that much was true. Sharaku just didn’t have much of a lifestyle anymore. He’d given up a lot of that to gain the chance he now had. As far as training went… a lot of it was studying and exercising. His magic didn’t require a lot of training, since he gained his opponent’s knowledge on how to use spells when he touched them. It was more physical training. He had to be in good shape to stay in a fight long enough to gain the use of the magic that would help him win a fight, at least when a fight was one on one, or he was without allies.

“Come with you, huh?” Sharaku chuckled, wondering what kind of experience that would be like. “That could be interesting. You’re sure you know what being a team player is, though?” he teased, thinking of her loner nature. Not that Sharaku was the best team player. His magic just lent him to situations where he had to consider what his allies and opponents could do. “But really, I’m not that hard to find if you want me to tag along. It could be interesting get out every once in awhile.”

[Tabitha Wolfe]

Tabitha didn’t know anything about Sharaku schedule, so she didn’t know what he was thinking about. When she suggested going on a job with him he seemed amused. She smiled as he spoke. Working with Tabitha was fun, sometimes. If she was in a giving mood she could be very enjoyable to be around. If she was in an unpleasant mood she would be just as unpleasant to be with, sometimes. Sometimes she played the part even when she was unhappy. It wasn’t about being transparent, it was about being only as visible as you intended to be.

Sharaku said that travelling with Tabitha could be interesting, “I’m always interesting,” she remarked back, smirking. It wasn’t clear if she actually thought that, but she was clearly teasing right now. “Oh, I know how to be a team player, I just choose not to be that often. How could I know I don’t prefer it if I didn’t know how? You seem fun enough to hang around with for some time though,” she informed him. She’d nearly said play around with but she figured he might not respond how she wanted to that.

“Fair enough, I’ll just look for the cute guy saving girls from rude men,” she said with a smile. She was content to make idle conversation with Shar for a bit longer though, maybe it would give her a better idea on what jobs to take him on.

[Sharaku]

Sharaku couldn’t help but grin when Tabitha insisted she was always interesting, and went on, finishing with how she was going to look for the guy saving girls from rude men. He did suppose he did that more often than he thought about it. Really though, as far as he was concerned he was just doing Shadow Heart a favor and trying to teach a lesson to the idiots who found their way in. Yeah, they were pawns and not much more. He understood that much. They were pawns who were loyal to Shadow Heart because of a lust for gold or power. They were easy to control as long as they kept getting a taste of either. Still, they didn’t have to be that stupid around guild mates, right?

“I’ll see you there, then,” Sharaku told her with a chuckle, finishing his beer. “In the meantime, it’s getting late. I’ve got a few things to do before I go back home that I have to do on my own. I’ll see you around.” Sharaku paid the tab along with a tip, taking his leave from the bar. What kind of mischief was this woman going to get him in? He supposed he could use more practical training, so he wasn’t going to complain much regardless of what happened.

-EXIT-

[Sponsored content]