Night soon fell upon the land, the cold winds gusting quickly and hard, since the temple was located at the top of a mountain. The Zangoose made a wise decision to spend the night there, as it was rather comfortable with a fire to keep him warm and safe from the cold night, which turned out to be even colder when there was a snow storm. He couldn't help but keep thinking about that Laurie digimon, but his thoughts were mixed. Why, though? She had betrayed his trust and hit him with a cheap blow. Still, the Zangoose was slightly worried about her being caught in the snowstorm. Nobody could reach the foot of the mountain so quickly. She must have been caught during it, most likely.
He finished his soup and sat down at an armchair, using his cape as a cloak to further warm himself up. Luckily, the pain on his balls was wearing off, which made him glad for not having such sensitive parts hurting anymore. He was about to fall asleep when something came to his mind. In a few minutes, he quickly barricaded the door and windows to the room he was in. Renamon could come back looking for shelter, and he wasn't willing to share the room with the female after what happened hours before. He eventually fell asleep for the rest of the night.
When he woke up, he was glad to see the barricades were intact, which meant he had no surprise visitors. He then put out the low burning wood by the fireplace and picked his stuff up, along with the head of the fallen angel he originally came to this place for, „You better make it worth all this crap I went through,'' he muttered to the bag with the decapitated head inside. He then carefully removed the barricade from the door and made sure there weren’t any traps from the Renamon around, but he found nothing out of the ordinary at all, so he started making his way down the mountain.
It had stopped snowing by then, the fresh snow making the air colder, but also more pleasant to travel over. Even though the Zangoose had a good sense of tracking skills, he couldn't find any traces of the Renamon. Those were most likely covered by the snow that fell on the previous night. When he got to a clear turn to the right, he could spot the town at the foot of the mountains, seeing some smoke coming through the chimneys down there and some villagers started their work day.
He nodded and went to travel down the path towards the village and once there, he headed towards the small guild building where he took the job and headed towards the desk. The clerk smiled at him, „Welcome back, Mister Ironclaw. I take your job was successful.''
„With some trouble,'' he said and put his head on the desk. „Thought you could have told me that on his medallion was a job as well. Then I would have picked it up along with his head,'' then he narrowed his eyes. „Or was it in some other town and it didn't reach your ears as I picked the head hunt?''
The clerk laughed weakly as he understood what happened, „Yes... the message came only today. From Camat. It was taken from the head priest there,'' while he went to get the reward for the head and once he got it he handed it over to Raven. „Though I am not sure where you heard that... as nobody came to turn it in yet.''
„Odd... that place is the nearest office of the guild,'' he muttered and rubbed his chin but shrugged his shoulders. „If she is so dumb and tries to travel to Camat from the temple, it's her skin that gets freezing off,'' and left the building to hit the inn. From there he could plan his next steps. Including where to go to sell the goods he collected from those guys back at the temple ruins.
Reaching the inn, he opened the door and walked in, going towards the innkeeper directly, but stopped on his tracks when he saw Renamon sitting at the counter in front of the innkeeper. The vixen had her back turned to him, and didn't seem to have noticed the newest customer, since the inn was busy busy, with pokemons and digimons coming in and out by the minute. Most tables were currently occupied by other customers, where waitresses walked around and got their orders, mostly ale horns and pieces of meat.
The Zangoose was groaning internally but was keeping a straight and professional face as he moved forward and sat down on the counter as well and knocked twice on it to get the innkeepers attention. Who turned around and Raven spoke, „One portion of your breakfast meal please.''
The innkeeper nodded to the request and went to the kitchens to place it. Renamon recognized the voice and turned her head aside to look at the Zangoose, „Well, you managed to come down here already,'' she stated before taking in another portion of her breakfast meal.
„I am not mad enough and travel down a mountain at a time where storms usually begin,'' he stated. „I thought you got frozen,'' and glared at her, still mad about the night before.
She huffed „Then don't blame that you are too slow for your own good!'' she huffed loudly while continuing to eat, secretly lying to the Zangoose. She actually had to find shelter in a small cave around half way the way down the mountain. Raven just rolled his eyes and asked for water. It was too early for alcohol. Even if it caused laughter among his peers in the inn.
One of them even came over and challenged him in a brawl, teasing him that the Zangoose would even lose to his old grandma.
Sadly for the challenger, he had more muscles and courage combined than brains and skill... Raven made short work of him to work out his anger. To the Innkeeper he stated, „Put the chair on my bill. Not in the mood to fight over who pays for it as well.''
Laurie continued her breakfast, not really minding one bit of the fight. She was much more concerned with getting food into her stomach and warming herself up some more. Once his meal was served he started eating to get his stomach filled as well and paid for his bill once he was done.
Standing up he went to explore the town to find a reasonable way to continue on his way... but then as he asked around he groaned in frustration, „All paths are blocked by the snowstorm? Was it really that far reaching down?''
„Yes,'' nodded the local expert. „It doesn'T happen often but once it does... all paths are three or four meters under snow and it takes a day or two before it is safe to pass through again.''
Pinching his nose and closing his eyes while taking a very deep breath, he shook his head, „Well... that is... just great,'' and decided to do the safe thing: Ordering a room for the night. Because if word gets around everybody will storm the inn. And he is NOT going to sleep on the streets.
By the time the Zangoose got back to the inn, he couldn't spot the Renamon. He went towards the innkeeper and asked if he had seen her anywhere. The innkeeper replied that she went outside to use the bathroom and also tend to her blades, although that was around the time Raven had left the inn as well. He then asked for the room as he had planned, and discovered that the charge for it was quite expensive compared to regular rents, but since it was the last room available and the town was blocked, he gained some interest with that.
Seeing no other option, Raven agreed to the deal and fished out his coin pouch to pay for the room, dropping the coin on the keeper's hand. On his way outside, he bumped into Laurie once again. Were the fates toying around with him? Why put this honorless Renamon on his way so often?
„Going out already?'' she asked with a toothy smirk and crossed arms on her chest. „Good luck spending the night out there in the cold, this is the only inn in this town and I got the last available room when I arrived?''
„You can drop your teasing, you know? I just paid the keeper for the last room myself,'' the Zangoose countered.
„What!? You're lying! This cannot be true,'' she walked towards the counter, her feet stomping the wooden floor. „Hey, you! What's up with what he said? I thought I had rented your last available room.''
The innkeeper then scratched his temple with a finger, „Oh, right! You had asked for the room as well. Oh, I'm so sorry, good people, I am so forgetful these last couple of days with so many people coming in and out,'' he smirked, and the two Adventurers realized his game. He lied about the room so that he would get double income from a single rent. Smart move. Dishonest, but smart.
„Great, just great. I'm not sharing a room with this guy. I take my rent out. Give me my coins back,'' she demanded.
„Sorry dearie, but we work with a no return policy in this inn.''
„What!?'' she exclaimed, her fist clenching hard as she got angrier.
„Calm down. It won't help if you to piss up here and now,''Raven tried to calm her down, knowing well that a fight against the innkeeper will end only with the guards throwing her into a cell. Not that he minded that, but he worried what could be damaged as well.
„And in doubt we can confirm if the rumors of fleas, mites and other little bugs biting into your skin populating the rooms in the thousands are true,'' he stated loud enough that everybody could hear it... and they started mumbling among each other. And voices were getting louder that some people are thinking about demanding that their rooms get cleaned to ensure those nasties are not in their rooms.
Which would end up in a lot of cost and work for the innkeeper. Causing him to turn slowly white from the realization, while Raven just gave a small grin. The keeper lifted his hands to calm down the other customers, „Ha ha, that was a good one, my friend!'' he called up loudly, „My rooms are in the best possible quality, nobody's got to worry about any of it!'' the customers seemed to calm down and the keeper whispered to Raven, „Fine, half the price, for both of you. But you'll be sharing the room anyway.''
He glances over to Laurie and stated „I think we can arrange for that... somehow'' and holds his hand out so he gets his part of the cash back. The innkeeper was handing the coins out, doing the same for Laurie. Both put their cash into their bags and Raven turns to Laurie „INto the room to discuss the conditions?''
She narrows her eyes „And how do I know that it isn't a trick?''
„I didn't break the code last night.'' was his simple statement as he turned away to walk towards the room.
The Renamon let out a long sigh and closed her eyes, finding no arguments to counter that short and yet solid statement, "Fine, you got a point," and she turned around and headed towards the corridor that led to the rooms.
As they got there, Raven unlocked the door and walked in, examining the room?s contents and checking the bed's size as well as crouching to check the floor regarding how comfortable it would be for either of them to sleep there.
"Very cold..." he muttered and got up. "I would suggest we share the bed. Each under our own cloaks. Maybe not as comfortable as if it had a blanket and a bit tight on the bed itself, but we should be able to fit in and have a somewhat peaceful night without either of us catching a cold."
"And you?re not concerned I might stab you or something?" the Renamon asked with a scoff, taking her pack off to relax her shoulders a bit
"If I end up dead, how quick would there be bounty on your head?" he asked her simply, indirectly pointing out that if she does stab him, she only stabs herself in the leg as an indirect course.
"Why?s that? Are you a famous guy around this region or something?" the Renamon asked and went to check how comfortable the bed was. Having slept in a cave the previous night, she could use a good, soft bed on this upcoming one.
"No, but stabbing me here is murder. Which ALWAYS has a bounty if the culprit is running," explained Raven simply while putting his stuff off and took off his arm, causing Laurie to stare at him in disbelief as she saw that his entire arm was fake.
She scoffed at his statement, but her ears perked up in surprise when she saw the Zangoose removing his arm, "What the...!? Are you a cyborg?"
"Only that arm," he stated and put his member on the table and removed a toolkit from his bag, working on some maintenance he could do one handed.
Laurie just eyed him for a few moments, asserting the situation to make sure she was delusional. Afterwards, she laid herself on the bed and looked up to the ceiling.
Raven worked on his arm for nearly an hour before he was finished and put his arm back in its place, moving it test wise and frowned upon hearing some clanking noises that weren't there before, "Need to see Opal soon for maintenance..."
By then, the Renamon took a deep sigh and sat up on the bed, bringing her legs off the bed and turning towards the Zangoose, "Listen, I?m... I?m sorry about yesterday. About everything that happened at that temple..."
"Let me guess," he stated. "High stress and high distrust towards others?" and glanced back at her. "I came out of nowhere, had, in a way, the same target and you were backstabbed before?"
"Am I that easy to read?" she commented with a defeated smile. "But yeah, you got about that right. I had to run away from my home. Nobody trusted or even liked me, for that matter. I?ve been out in the wild since I was 10."
Raven raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Really? If it was because of your color then they are idiots. It's quite an interesting mix you got on yourself. And there are worse colorations. I've seen one of your species who was pink with green dots," he shook his head. "I am honestly surprised that you survived that long if you had nobody to take care of you."
"No, it?s not about my color," the Renamon stated, lifting a leg on the bed and hugging it close to her body, getting into a defensive posture, her eyes fixed on the wooden floor, which indicated it was a delicate subject of her past. "It?s about something else, but I don’t want to talk about it right now."
Understanding that, Raven dropped the subject and walked over, sitting down on his side of the bed... his back towards hers. "Well... at least you know how to take a punch. Metal fist on skull? Usually breaks the latter in the normal cases. I respect you on that."
"Thanks, I suppose. And I apologize for kicking you in the balls. I know it?s not a fair way to fight, but I just had to buy the time to get out," the Renamon stated out loud.
The Zangoose glanced backwards at her, "I take you picked up that job out of desperation, like most of us, and never got trained in the code?"
"Yeah, I was running out of coins, and all that I learned was by myself," Laurie stated with honesty in her voice.
"That is something we got the time to fix. And doing it in a proper training plan. The code self is not that long," chuckled Raven, in an attempt to bring the Renamon's mood up. He then turned himself more over the bed, "Also I was more mad that you broke the code than the hit itself. That was a pragmatic move. But the Hunter code says that once you give your word you keep it, due to keeping your credibility."
The Renamon frowned to that, "Listen, I already apologized. I never said I would be joining or code, group, whatever it is, just like that, alright? I had never heard about it until last night. You can’t just expect me to be on board just because you?re telling me to."
"It provides easier access to jobs and multiple ways to turn in for the reward," listed Raven off. "And it?s more of a suggestion to you, " he then took off his boots and laid down. "And they can help you get around."
Laurie thought about it for a moment, letting go of her leg and leaning herself back a bit, supporting her weight with her hands behind on the bed, "You?re not just saying that to make me join this code of yours, are you?"
"Stating the buffs," the Zangoose mused with a chuckle. "Your face is too pretty to have you risk passing off the wrong hunter. Or not having the option to request help if something turns to be too big for a single person," he chuckles once more.
"Are you flirting with me?" she asked in confusion, having turned her face to look at his.
"Well, if telling the truth is flirting now," was Raven's winking answer. "You do have neat loons so I bet many guys flirted with you... and some didn’t bother doing so, skipping to the `next step'. Which they probably regretted, given your fighting and fierce soul."
"Consider yourself lucky. Those who tried before ended up with at least their fingers broken," Laurie replied dryly, indicating she wasn’t fancy of being flirted with just like that.
"To which I felt it was confirmed information," mused Raven simply and looked up at the ceiling while weighing his options for the time until the passage out of town was open again.
"So... what happens now?" the Renamon asked, out of ideas on what to do or say.
Raven shrugged his shoulders, "Not a clue. Unless you got any bright ideas, all we can do is nap, do whatever hobbies we have, get a lover for the time being, or find small time jobs around here."
"I suppose I?ll go for the first option after all," Laurie replied, laying herself on the bed to rest her body some more.
As Raven had no other idea he closed his eye to take his own suggestion and start taking a nap. He at least planned on it... though he was not aware what was coming up soon.
Laurie eventually fell into a deeper sleep state, where she started seeing her recurrent nightmare. She started sweating and squirming herself around. The sound of it pulled Raven out of his nap... and he saw her predicament. He got a clue what might be up due to the context he knew about her, so he scooped over a little and pulled her into an embrace. Her head against his chest, so that she would hear his heartbeat in her sleep.
Not that it mattered much in her current condition. The Zangoose eventually felt something wet on his chest, and realized it was tears that were coming out of Laurie?s tightly shut eyes. The Renamon would also mutter, "I didn't do it... I didn’t do it..." several times, to which Raven started putting the pieces together. She was blamed for a crime. A terrible one at that if she had to run from home. He kept his hold on her as he had no other idea how to handle her nightmare situation right now.
Laurie continued sobbing and muttering the same phrase over and over, her entire body trembling and her fur roughening up as the fear she felt got stronger. He patted her back and tried to give her comfort but felt that he was not having much luck at the very moment... which disheartened him sadly.
Sighing loudly, he stroked her head slowly and wondered if a healer should take a look at her. Laurie's body started jerking harder, as if she was trying to break free from the Zangoose?s arms. Her muttering was getting louder and faster, "I didn’t do it... I didn’t do it. I didn’t do it! I didn’t do it!"
Narrowing his eyes, Raven instead went for holding her shoulders and shook her body, "Wake up! Wake up, Laurie!"
However, the Renamon didn’t wake up, she started shouting out loud, "I didn’t do it", crying her eyes out.
As this was getting too much for Raven, he let go of her and got off the bed to search for his water bag. It should be hanging from his travel back, hanging from a small hook for easy reach while traveling.
The moment he had his back turned to the bed, he heard a loud thud, causing to look back and the Zangoose saw the Renamon had fallen from the bed, hugging herself hard with her knees brought up close to her chest as well.
Seeing that, he took a deep breath and walked over, carefully picking her up and laying her on the center of the bed, covering her body with the blanket and keeping watch on her... maintaining her in place whenever she risked falling off until she would wake up.
It took almost five minutes for Laurie to slowly return back to a regular sleep state. Afterwards, Raven went back to his own nap, even though he did not have as much space as before. All the while he started snuggling the beige furred Renamon, without really realizing it.
Despite the shouting, nobody showed up in the room to see what was going on, probably because of the display the two mercenaries put up previously.
Another hour went by before Raven would start waking up, finding Laurie had shifted herself in her now calm sleep, so her face was close to his, as they were facing each other. Admitting to himself she really had a pretty face, he couldn't help but raise his regular hand and slowly stroke over Laurie's cheek while looking over her sleeping eyes. A shame that she was so haunted by her past that it painted stains of tears on her face.
Laurie slowly started opening her eyes when she felt the stroking on her cheek, her crystal blue eyes looking sparkly to the Zangoose, who had a dry laugh upon realizing this and said softly, "Hi..." as he had no doubt she would try to hurt him now and he was in no mood to harm the furniture of the room in his defense.
But instead of attacking Raven, Laurie just backed off in a quick motion once she realized what was going on, "Did I oversleep?"
"Not really... though you had some sleeping trouble," explained Raven while getting up in a sitting position.
"Oh no," she muttered. "It happened again..." her ears dropped to the sides of her head.
"What was it? Murder of somebody you had an argument with?" he asked.
She took a deep sigh and turned around so she wouldn’t be facing the Zangoose, "My sister..."
"Worst kind of accusation," Raven muttered with a narrowed eye. "No wonder that you had to run," and he looked at her. "Well at least it explains a lot."
"I did not kill Amalia..." she muttered, looking at her own hands, remembering that horrible night in her past.
"I hear no falsehood, so you believe it," assured Raven. "And so either you tell the truth, or you lied to yourself so well that it overwrote the truth," he shrugged his shoulders. "But given how horrified you were and how much it still haunts you, I think it?s the former."
Laurie rubbed her eyes clean of some more tears, taking the time to catch her breath and calm her emotions, "You are the first to say that, Raven."
"You're welcome," was the answer and he went to get his boots. "Want to drink something?"
"I need a moment before I am in contact with the people out there," she stated, which was followed by a shiver down her spine and her eyes clenched shut for a second.
Nodding in understanding, Raven didn't prod further... it was quite much at the moment to work with at once from her point of view after all.
"Could you get me a bowl of water, please? I need to clean my face," requested Laurie, to which the Zangoose went out to fetch it.
While he was out, the Renamon thought to herself if Raven was actually feeling compassion for her or if he was just luring her into a false sense of security, dropping her guard enough to capture her like it happened in the past. She hoped it was the former. His words and actions seemed genuine so far. And he seemed handsome too, she added... to which she blushed and was confused. Where did that thought come from?
Raven soon came back with a bowl of water, and two bottles of ale, "I got a clean towel in my bag... I don’t trust inn issued ones very often," and placed the stuff on the table. "Did you often have trouble with Bounty Hunters?"
"Thank you," the Renamon stated and sat down in front of the bowl, washing her face before replying to Raven?s question. "Everyone?s had trouble with them at one point, right?"
"I talk if you had trouble with free ones or Guild members," the Zangoose clarified to her. "As Guild issued ones will make things difficult," and he took the towel out of his bag and tossed it to her.
She caught it and placed it on the chair for later, "I don’t really know. Whenever I felt I was being chased, I just moved to another location," she stated, picking up her bottle and taking a chug from it before placing it back onto the table.
Raven nodded to that, "I see," and rubbed his chin. "I can check what the case is if you like." and took a swing out of his bottle.
"It?s alright, I made you go through enough trouble already," the Renamon replied and continued cleaning her face.
Nodding, he simply watched her, as he had nothing better to do at this point aside drinking his ale.
Laurie soon finished cleaning her face up, followed by drying her face with the provided towel, and she soon resembled her usual stern expression, "How do I look?"
"You look great," he complimented her while raising his nearly empty bottle towards her. "Ready to go out and kick some butt... if there were currently butts worthy kicking."
"Thanks," the Renamon stated, lifting her almost empty bottle towards his,with a hint of a blush on her cheeks. The Renamon stood up on her feet and went to fetch her weapons and pack.
"So what is your next plan?" Raven asked while he considered his own options as he finished his bottle and put it down next to him.
"Not sure about you, but I think I?ll take the day to rest. It?s not like we can head out of this town anyway," the beige Renamon stated and stretched her right a bit as well as her neck.
Raven shrugged as he headed out of the door, „Then I go see the blacksmith to have my blade checked... forethought is better than hindsight.''
Laurie thought for a second and moved after him, bringing their bottles so the innkeeper wouldn't be missing them, "Do you think I can accompany you?" she asked the Zangoose, but then noticed a Gazimon walking down the corridor they were standing at, and she quickly added. "I mean, I?m going to the blacksmith as well!" she called up with a much more assertive voice.
Raven raised an eyebrow. Asking him before making a statement surprised him a bit. Then he shrugged, "As long as we don’t end up in trouble," he stated simply and started heading off. "Just don’t forget to lock the door."
"I got it," she mumbled, trying to sound all tough and smug for the Gazimon, who walked by them and headed into his own room. The Renamon locked up their door and was about to place the key in her bag, but accidentally dropped it to the floor. She then leaned down to pick it up, and since she wore no clothes at all, she presented the Zangoose with a teasing view of her juicy privates. All of that being unintentional though. Or was it?
Raven blushed at the sight, shaking his head to get the thoughts away, and decided to address this later... though if it turns out as a portion of his mind is hoping for... he would be in for a good time.
He turned around and headed towards the exit and on the way out he asked where the smith's workshop was. After getting some directions from the locals, and returning the ale bottles, the mercenary duo headed towards the smith?s workshop at the outskirts of the town.
There, the Zangoose let Laurie talk first with the smith... to be a gentleman, as both wanted the same thing... maintenance for their weapons.
The Renamon stepped towards the Lucario after looking around the shop from the entrance. She brought out her dagger, "I would like to have this sharpened and reinforced. And also, do you have any good whetstones for sale?"
The Lucario checked the dagger and nodded, "This will take a few hours. As for whetstones... I was supposed to get new ones this week but given the situation..." he shrugged his shoulders. "I have to ration what I have left until further notice."
"Fine, I understand. How much are you charging for one? I need to replace mine," she stated after leaving the dagger with the Lucario smith.
He sighed and looked at her, "I am not going to sell one. Not until I get my next load. The best I can offer is to let you use it for your blade at the price of... let's make it two silver coins per blade."
„One silver,'' stated Raven in return. „And we do the sharpening ourselves.''
„One silver and 90 copper!'' countered the fighting/steel type, looking at Raven, who just grinned. And a bargaining fight started between the two. While Laurie was looking between the two... why did the Zangoose take over the bantering if it was her inquiry regarding the whetstone?
The Renamon lifted a paw to stop their banter after it started getting in her nerves „Hey, hey, how about this, one silver and 60 copper and you shut your mouth?'' the two stared at her in surprise.
„Uhm... bantering is normal in this type of situation?'' replied the smith in his flabbergasted moment. „So somebody just... jump and stop it is... ...'' he was lost for words now. Raven was not even trying to find words for that sudden turn of events.
The Renamon brought her paw to her head, still not feeling fully recovered from her nightmare, „This is my offer. Take it, or give my dagger back and you gain no coins at all.''
„Alright, alright,'' he stated. „But we have to agree on the maintenance price for your dagger as well.''
„Guild price,'' stated Raven simply. „12 silver for a dagger, 20 for a sword,'' and gave him his sword. „Payment once we are back to pick it up. When?''
Thinking for a moment the Lucario mused „Make it this evening or tomorrow morning. Depending on a commission I have to finish first.''
The Renamon fetched out 1 silver coin and 60 copper, placing it over the counter and waited for the whetstone, „It better be a good one.''
„I only get quality ones,'' he huffed and went to the back, placing the weapons among the other items he has to work with today as well grabbing from a small chest one of his whetstones. The Lucario then went back to the duo, „Though I have to ask you to remain in the shop until you are done with it.''
„I keep an eye on her,'' promised Raven. The Lucario looked at Raven and shrugged.
„Not like you would get far with thieving at this moment,'' and went back to his smith workshop. Soon they heard the hammering of metal.
Raven leaned to a wall and mused, „Better start now.''
„This guy is quite the prick,'' she muttered at the Lucario, sitting down on a small bench and started sharpening her blade carefully. She took a good 20 minutes to make sure her weapon was in perfect conditions. She got back up and made some swings to test the edge of the blade. Satisfied with the results, she walked to the counter, placing the whetstone there and calling up to the smith at the back, „Your whetstone is in the counter. We'll come back in the evening!'' and she headed back with Raven towards the inn.
„Got it!'' he called back to them, not stopping with the hammering of the metal he was working at.
Raven wondered to her as they walked „Why did you work on your sword yourself instead of the blacksmith?'' being curious about that aspect.
„The sword belonged to my sister. I never let anyone else besides myself tend to it,'' the Renamon replied dryly.
With that question answered, he offered her a drink, which Laurie accepted gladly. She took a seat on an empty table while Raven went to get the drinks. While he was talking to the bartender, the Renamon heard some chatter between a villager and a couple of other Adventurers nearby... with one keyword, „Lots of gold'', so she perked her ears to listen to that conversation with interest.
