Looking for Payback

[hisdivineshadow]

Tanith Aquilinus paced angrily back and forth across his study. He wore the dress of a high-born son, well-matched by the expensively-appointed house he dwelt in. He thought himself quite a handsome man, but right now rage twisted his face, obscuring any trace of nobility in his features. His appearance wasn't helped much by the ugly gash across his forehead, the scabs on which kept threatening to split from the furrowing of his brow.

There was a knock at the door, and Tanith whirled and shouted, "What is it?!"

A servant answered timidly after a few moments of silence, "The bounty hunter you requested, sir. He's arrived."

Tanith flung the doors open, nearly bowling over the servant in his haste. "Where?" he demanded.

"The- the parlor, sir."

Without paying the servant any more attention, he turned and stormed off down the hall, rehearsing in his head the litany of woe and injustice he would recite. After he burst into the parlor, however, he came face to face with the bounty hunter and couldn't help but stop in his tracks and stare.

Tanith blinked. He hadn't expected the man to be so . . . big! He was tempted to rub his eyes, just to make sure they weren't playing tricks on him. Remembering himself, the nobleman cleared his throat and addressed the warrior, "Ansrax Sougai, I presume?"

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Ansrax turned away from looking over one of the lush paintings that adorned the admittedly somewhat overdone parlor. As he faced the nobleman, his cloak swept aside a bit to offer a glimpse of the bullwhip coiled on his belt, and he absently realized he probably should have left that and his longsword at the door. It was rude to enter a domicile armed, for one. But the tall bounty hunter had not thought of that at the time, and thus it was too late to remedy the situation.

"I am Ansrax," he returned coolly. "You are Tanith Aquilinus, I presume."

Nothing else. The nobleman would undoubtedly want to get to business quickly, and then leave to get that nasty head wound looked at.

[hisdivineshadow]

Tanith blinked a few more times before he answered. "Well, yes, of course I am."

He felt a little foolish looking up at the man, so he turned away and began to pace the room, hands clasped behind his back. "I suppose you saw some of the damage on your way in: the stables burned, the gate knocked from its hinges, the garden trampled. And this," he paused and turned to Ansrax, indicating his own head wound, which on closer inspection was relatively shallow and not nearly as bad as it looked.

Tanith resumed his pacing as he continued, "All this was the work of one man, a dangerous criminal. He's already shown he can outwit the local guards, so I thought it prudent to hire a specialist." He stopped again, turned to the bounty hunter, and pounded a fist into his open palm to emphasize his next point: "I want him brought back alive. I intend to humiliate him the way he did me, and then I plan to make sure he's locked away for the rest of his miserable life!"

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Ansrax blinked very slowly, rather like a cat. "How did the incident happen?" he inquired in his flat, deep voice. He was not sure if the damage, somewhat minor as it was, warranted such anger from the owner. Of course, the culprit had to pay for the vandalism, but if Ansrax was going to get the vandal alive, he was going to have to charge a stiff price.

[hisdivineshadow]

Tanith fumed. "What do the details matter?!" He threw his hands up in with an exasperated sigh. "I was to be entertaining a friend for dinner. We met at the gate, and as we were getting ready to stable the horses, this madman attacked us! He was obviously a Fire sign, as he lit the stable on fire to cover his escape. Frankly, I don't see how the guards could have allowed someone like that to even get past my front gate, but the fiend was lying in wait before we even arrived." He took a step closer to Ansrax, his anger overriding his earlier discomfort around the bounty hunter. "This man," he went on in a low tone, gesturing sharply for emphasis, "is a menace! When he is captured, he'll be facing charges for assault, destruction of property, and maybe even attempted murder. Now I'm relying on you to make sure he's brought back here to face justice."

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Ansrax blinked slowly again, more thoughtfully this time. It would probably come across as a sign he was numb-witted, but in actuality, he was thinking very quickly. He definitely knew he wasn't getting the whole story here, and he would not be able to until he could find the man Tanith was talking about.

"There was no evidence the fire was an accident?" Ansrax inquired, looking down at the smaller man. Once that was answered, the redhead would ask for the vandal's description, a guess as to where he had gone, and how much Tanith was willing to pay.

[hisdivineshadow]

He waved a hand dismissively. "We all saw him do it. He apparently has his signs on his thumbs, just a flick of his fingers and it was like something exploded. You can ask my servants, even, they might have gotten a better look at the rascal's face than I did."

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Ansrax's lips twitched for the briefest instant. His former student, Alexian, would like the "criminal". But then, he liked explosive things in general. "I will do that. Now, depending on how far the culprit has gotten, I must ask for the standard fee, plus enough to cover his food, water, and medical care, since you wish him to be brought in alive. You said the fee would be generous."

He left that open to whatever Tanith was going to offer.

[hisdivineshadow]

Tanith nodded. "Oh, and it shall. Fifty coin up front, the same again when you bring him in." He said it without batting an eye, though the amount was substantially more than what would normally be offered. It was clear the nobleman was determined to catch his vandal, whatever it took.

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Now the old bounty hunter's eyelashes flickered in a surprised blink. That was generous indeed. Normally the price was anywhere from twenty-five to thirty up front, but this....

Well, Ansrax wasn't going to argue. If the old fool wanted to waste his money on what could have been an accident, so be it. Besides, he didn't get where he was by not cheating now and again.

"Generous," he said dryly. "Very well. I will depart immediately after payment."

[hisdivineshadow]

Tanith nodded, looking a bit more satisfied. "Glad to hear it." Walking to the door, he cracked it open and motioned to a servant standing outside.

Momentarily, a wooden coffer was handed through the doorway, and Tanith turned to present it to Ansrax. "The first half of your payment is in here, along with a parchment detailing what we know of the culprit. I expect you to work quickly, I don't pay for inferior service."

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Now Ansrax's direct stare was cold enough to chill steel to brittleness. "You hired me. Therefore, you know my reputation." There. That would quell the noble's arrogance. After all, a bounty hunter who "provided" "inferior service" usually died on the job before they got too old.

And Ansrax WAS nearly ninety now.

He took the coffer and gave the contents a once-over, to be sure he wasn't being cheated, weighed a coin in his palm, then put all the money in a belt pouch. The parchment was glanced at, sped-read, and put in his belt to be taken out later. "I will take my leave," he said shortly.

[hisdivineshadow]

Tanith scowled a bit at the man's attitude, but nodded. "Very well. One of my servants will see you to the gate." He turned and exited the room, careful not to walk so quickly it seemed he was fleeing.

A few moments later, a mousy-haired girl in a servant's uniform appeared in the doorway, waiting for Ansrax.

[Deleted]

Ansrax nodded to her and quite willingly followed her out. "Girl," he said, not condescendingly or arrogantly, just a call for her attention. "Did you see the incident your master reported?"

[hisdivineshadow]

She was slow to answer. "No, sir," she finally said, shaking her head. "I was in the kitchen when the trouble started. Although, I had seen the man earlier." She avoided his eyes, and spoke softly, but not so quietly that she would have to repeat herself.