Of Thieves, Warriors and Lessons (for Jinchu)

[Adamantium Babe]

In an average town, on an average rainy day, in an average tavern...a very unlikely friendship would soon have sealed two young women on their adventurous journey.

Ivy was trying not to smirk seeing the pile of gold coins and gems on her side of the table: the other three players, three rough sailors, were sweating visibly, asking themselves how a little girl, a sissy bard, like her could have won two times in a row and was about to win for the third time.
They laughed when she asked to play with them. They weren't laughing now.
"Soooo....are you going to lay your cards down, gentlemen? I can't stay here all night."

She smirked. She was a pretty twenty-five year old girl, with long auburn hair tied in a braid, two big hazel brown eyes, and a sassy little mouth; under the dark blue cape, a tiny body could be seen, with not much breast, which could really be helpul when she needed to escape.
She had been on the road for ten years now, adventuring here and there, performing for noblemen and rich mercants, borrowing money or objects...
She learnt a lot, but missed the old days, when at the orphanage Ivy could play freely with other children...one of them, she remembered, playing often with her, daydreaming on becoming a knight or something...
But enough thinking about the past: she needed to focus now.

[Jinchu]

Jen opened the tavern's door with a kick and came it. She was a tall woman with rather muscular build and wide shoulders. Her a bit bigger then medium size breasts were now partly disguised with the metal breastplate, but her sleevless (and, to be honest, not very fresh) shirt exposed the muscles and some scars on her tanned hands. Her robust legs were covered with leather pants with some metal plates on them for additional protection and high boots. Jen's helmet was in her backpack now, so everyone could see her dark-red, relatively short for a woman, but messy hair. Jen had a pretty face with dark-green eyes... or she would be pretty, if she wasn't so grumpy and didn't had that ready-to-battle look all the time.

But it was understadanble - in her age of 25 Jen was relatively well-known as a merchant, selling her sword (which was in the sheath by her side at the moment, while her axe rested on her back), but never - for injust and cruel deeds. It's hard to say if her tough profession made her not so lady-like, or Jen had chosen that manly profession because she was naturally rude and lacked traditional "feminity", but anyway - Jen was impolite, forecful and brute.

The warrior looked around, choosing the tablethere she wouldn't be bothered...

[Adamantium Babe]

The people in the tavern almost jumped from their seats when they heard a loud "bang" from the door. After a while they went back to their own business, mostly because they didn't want to risk a fight with her.
Ivy rolled her eyes and sighed: she really hated rudeness and loud noises, and that's why she really didn't appreciate warriors or knights...mindless brutes, that's what they were.
Taking advantage of the sailors' distraction, she quickly took a card hid in her sleeve and replaced it with another. She was sure to win, now.

[Jinchu]

But unfortunately, not everyone were distracted by warrior's appearance. One of Ivy's partners spotted her move - or at least he spotted something and now had an excuse not to loose his money to that silly girl.

"Hey! She's cheating! She has a card in her sleeve!" he cried loudly. "Ok, girl, we don't like cheaters here..." He took a short knoife from his bootleg. Over two sailors looked at Ivy in a very, very unfriendly way too.

Jen, who was heading to the table in the dark corner of the tavern, turned back, as the gamler's cry got her attention for a moment. Those unworthy theifs and tricksters, who tried to get money with no effort, no honest result, really irritated the young warrior, and normally she would ignore their fight. But the girl at the gamler's table looked... familiar? Jen couldn't put her finger on it, but it was enough to make her watch, what'll happen next.

[Adamantium Babe]

Ivy's heart stopped for a moment, but it wasn't the first time that something like this happened to her.
"Gentlemen, please....I'm not a cheater, since I don't need such stupid tricks to win. I'm very offended by this, I was only playing for fun, nothing else....No need to get upset at all. But, if you really want your money back, you can have it." She shoved the coins and gems towards them with a casual look on her face.
"Now, would put that knife back, please? I don't have any weapons, only my flute, violin and my clothes. It wouldn't be an HONEST fight, now, would it be?" She really hoped that that stupid warrior was the valiant and goody-good kind.

[Jinchu]

It seemed like sailor's were considering taking the stuff Ivy named (especially her clothes,obviously) as a kind of comprnsation of spiritual injury, but at that moment Jen headed to their table.

"Come on, guys. It's over. I don't know if she cheated or not, but she didn't take your money thanks to that anyway. Time to go to different sides. Nothing to fight over. And I'm sure you wouldn't want to fight with a lady." Jen said in a calm, but dangerous tone.

One of the sailor's didn't get the "dangerous" part. "Why not?" he asked, turning his knofe at warrior's direction.

"Because I will be that fuckin' lady, and I will break your arms so badly you wouldn't be able towipe your asses for a year." Jen said now with a clear threat. If that guy would make one more unwise move... She was ready to smash his face against the table.

[Adamantium Babe]

"Now,now, please, no need to fight, really!"
Ivy hated this kind of violence.
She was surprised that her plan actually worked. Oh, who was she kidding? Her plans ALWAYS worked. She hid behind her champion of justice, wrinkling her nose at her smell and bad language.
"Uhm, thank you my lady, thank you for defending my honor."
She could swear that the armor lady was familiar to her....

[Jinchu]

Jen looked at three sailors changing their place to the table as far from this as possible (the one she've chosen at first, irinically), and only after that she turned to the stupid girl. And playing with three strong men with her petite build was surely stupid - cheating or not, they would not let her to go away with money...

"I'm just as much of a lady as a boar is the Archmage of Ivory-fuckin'Tower. And you're lucky I was here to save your honorable ass..."

Now, then she looked at gamler girl's eyes, Jen was sure that she knew her. She looked closer... "Ivy?.."

[Adamantium Babe]

Ivy's eyes widened and sniffed haughtily, looking at her.
"Sorry if I was thanking you, then. And lucky or not, it's ten years I do this, and I'm still alive: did you really think that I don't have any weapons, you dumbass?"
She was taken aback when she said her name.
"It depends....who's searching for her?"

[Jinchu]

Jen frowned. That was not something she liked to hear from the cheater whome she just saved. For numerous reasons. Including the fact, that this girl admitted, that she've tricked Jen into helping her with lies.

"Ok, now I definitly see it's you. Always awaiding straight answers. Remember how you tried to steal some honey from the wild bee's nest and someone had to save your butt? I'm Jen. Saving your butt once again." the warrior reminded Ivy, eximining her at the same time. The girl siurely grew a lot (though not in the breast), but, it seems, didn't learn to stay out of troubles...