As the commander said as much the outsiders face turned into a playful smile as he caught a glimpse of her companion’s face, he watched that face grow more and more anxious as the Oldman ushered the knight out. As the door closed  his smile completely vanished.

‘Figures.’ Thought the outsider as he recalled the Oldman’s actions today.  It Seemed this was his way of asking for a favour. His eyes turned back to Martha who stood silently in-front of him.

“Alright let’s get this over with outsider. Do you have any clean clothes?” Said Martha, obviously annoyed.

The only response she got was of him clearing his throat once again and it landing on the ground in front of her. His face had changed from the joyous mask he had on to the face filled with distain he sported earlier. Even the air about him changed back into the torrent of displeasure and a lingering hatred.

“Why don’t we get to the heart of why you’re her Martha of the Bine house.” Said the outsider as he tilted his head waiting for the reply he hated the most.

Martha paused for a moment perplexed.

The outsider took a step towards her causing a rather callused reaction from the knight. She scuffled backwards hurriedly only to stop a moment later on guard, hand on her sheath.

A low growl escaped the outsiders mouth as he side stepped Martha, seeing to much trouble in acknowledging her weariness. Coming to a pile of discarded cloths he slumped off the right shoulder of his jacket and reached down grabbing what appeared to be a woman's leggings with a slight variance. Her eyes widened for a mere moment as she witnessed the of stump of flesh that stood where an arm would originally. 

Martha seeing the actions of the man eased her tension, taking her hands of the sheath and looked on in intrigue at the man before her. To her it the garment the man held appeared to be cut where the ankle would normally reside and it looked as if someone simply stuck a leather glove at the end of it.

After a moment of repositioning the garment in his hand the man then poised to attached the garment to his stump.

To Martha's confusion the man before her, in tattered cloths, in a room that lacked any meaning of the word living courters and with a mysterious reputation that would either strike awe in the hearts of many or produce a spiral of disgust and contempt, there he stood in a pile of dirty garments and with a stump of an arm and attached to it was women’s leggings. Confusion was the only way to describe it and after a moment of realization the hope she had arrived with was snuffed out.

She now looked at the man before her with indifference.

Gloom filled the air between them, only producing as much as a growl once more from the outsider as he received the growing scowl from the soldier.

A moment later he walked to the one wall in this tiny room with no windows and stood before it. He seemed to be chanting something as Martha once again brought her guard up, only to be surprised once more at scene before her.

In front of the man that once housed nothing but a wall less anything else, now stood a door much like the one to the entrance to this room. Add to this the sleeve that hung from the man’s stump now seemed filled, in-fact in more so looked like the man simply wore a long sleeve on his arm. For that’s what it preciously looked like, it seemed like the man before her had both arms and intact at that.

The man proceeded to pull his now mysteriously rearranged arm through the empty jackets sleeve, soon after adjusting it. After which he simply opened the door stopping halfway through it, looking back towards her.

“Wipe that idiotic look off that smug face of yours and come in, I don’t like people wasting my time.” He said with a bit of contempt as he continued into the room.

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She paused for but a moment as she soon followed after him.

What awaited her as she stepped through the doorway was a similarly sparse room, furnished with only a desk and two chairs. There was a window behind the desk with curtains parted to the sides allowing the golden rays from the sun entrance to the room.

The man was own sitting in his own chair behind the desk as he gestured for her to take a seat. As she did so she took something different from the mans face then before. Now what she got from it was a certain prudence and seriousness. A thought flashed through her head, ‘How many faces can one man have…’

The man leaned back in his chair and placed his feet on the desk as he eyed the women before him.

“So, miss Bine, would you like to tell me why exactly you’re here?”

She stopped for a second, seemingly confused until she answered, “I already told you outsider… the King-”

He waved his hand cutting her short. “I didn’t ask you what brought the knights here miss Bine, I asked what brought you here… Now do me a favour and don’t waste my time again, you’ll find that I have little patience for those that beat around the bush.”

Martha stared at the man for a while before clearing her throat, taking a defensive posture and leaning back in her chair, arms crossed. “A friend of mine needs help finding her husband.”

The man grinned in response. “I see… a friend, was it? That is interesting, though please do answer my question… what brings you here?”

“Heh…” She scuffed. “Everyone knows about you outsider. You’ve got a reputation for getting things not everyone has access to, including information…” She went on. “My friend likely knows the fate of her husband, but she contacted me, seems she wants to find the one that sealed him to this fate.”

The mans hands were on his chin, gently stroking his beard as he seemed in deep thought. He broke the silence soon after with a bit of intrigue. “Do you know of my fee little miss?”

She waved her hand over and stretched it towards the man. After a swirl of soft violet light a brown and slightly greenish glass bottle appeared on-top of her palm. The man smiled in response.

“Tsk, tsk little missy. That is indeed my preferred form of payment… though you appear to be a bit short.”

Martha stared at the man in front of her, her front breaking as her lower lip started to quiver in anger. ‘This sorry excuse for a man has no idea how hard it was for me to obtain this… I’ve wasted my time coming here.’ She thought to herself just about standing up when she noticed the bottle from her hands missing. Her gaze locked to the man in in front of her as the anger within her nearly exploded.

The man, with bottle in hand was ungraciously gulping down the last of its contents as a loud bang was heard. A chair had hit the wall and Martha was now on her feet, fists balled and teeth clenched as she stared daggers at the man. Bloodthirst leaked from her as she was about to dash out and deal with the insect before her. Though before she could take a step he extended a finger towards her. She was startled for a second and waited for what she thought was a voiceless incantation.

That was until she had heard the loudest belch she had heard in her life and could have sworn that the walls themselves shook in its quake.

With a satisfied look on his face the man slammed the bottle down on the desk.

“You!” Was the only word she said as she disappeared in a blur.

The man simply held up his leather glove in response, doing nothing adversely defensive, simply as a means to stop.

Martha appeared at the foot of the desk a bit confused.

“Now, now miss Bine, I simply took what was mine.” He said with a sly smile.

“Enough of the pleasantry’s outsider, you’ve gotten what you wanted and then some, now it’s time to pay up” Martha said almost snarling at outsider.

Laughter rang throughout the room as the chair the man sat on heaved under his weight. Silence soon ensued… the outsider sat up, hands cupped in-front of him and elbows supported on the oak desk.

“Now, now little missy… have we finally taken off that little mask of ours?” At his words a noticeable twitch traced across her face.

“Oh?” Said the outsider with a bit zeal to it. “Did you believe that I, the great ole me, the one and only detective in the lands can not tell when he’s being tested? Heh” He said as he spat at a waste barrel beside his desk. “Let me tell you this, it’s not my skills that are in question, it’s your story…”

Martha’s eyes grew noticeably as she digested the words coming from the outsider, not long after she turned around, slowly and lethargically returning to her seat.

“Good, good now that all the lies are out of the way…” The outsider stopped himself seemingly in thought for a moment. “Well I guess that’s not entirely true is it, I myself have lied haven’t I. Yes…. Yes, lets start this relationship a new shall we… and as for my lie… as you can see I’m not particularly impatient …when a little fun can be had.” He said with a beaming smile.

“With that over why don’t we start with what you believe happened to your husband.”