The long walk.

[Mikhail]

Outside the tavern walls he was walking with the pair of gaurds, no need for futher words, it was obvious that he was going to the gaol and he wasn't going to fight it at all, his charges were already set forth, and surely the degree would send him there.


They needed no chains or restraint as he walked, he was even nice enough to hold up his ungaurded hand for the men set in the clear off by the militia positioned to watch Starka as he was brought in, least the men that brought him in were slain unlessly; Mikhail went on his own accord and he would prove that as he walked with the men: now was not the time for violence.


Into the building there was no doubt he was put into a cell, and sitting on the benched slab with a huff, he'd wait until some word came of either question or word of release; either way he was just sitting, and weaponless ... and how he sat was the oddest of it all, it was statuesque and spined; eyes forward.

[Pipkin]

Whispers of gossip traveled quicker than diease in a town like Myrken. Some folks living in the area learned to ignore them..to tune the nonsense news out..but others found great use in the gossip of commoners.

It didn't take much for Elil to come to the Gaol to see a vistor. She was..a town hero of sorts. Even if few really came to recognize her.

Others, had seen her help with the various town disasters that plague Myrken from time to time..be them fires, zombie armies, giant one-eyed monsters bursting from the ground, or homicidal Dark Elves.

Regardless, the man behind bars may find himself faced with an odd visitor. One who he would not call friend, but, perhaps, more of an annoyance to his job.

Quiet as a mouse, she'd come to his cell, and simply stood there, watching him, until he came to notice the girl. When and if he does glance upwards, the first thing he'd notice is the smile on her scarred face.

[Mikhail]

Eyes lifted up finally after a moment, as if staring into the darkness past the woman, who's body he did not recognize, he was always sure of all he noticed and yet this one was ... odd. Brow irises focused on the japanese woman with a narrow, how she has treated him he thought she came to mock him, at first atleast, and surprisingly his voice rolled in a curious accent, spiting at her in a native tongue; all of them no longer spared by his ire. "Nani?"



That head tilted with his query, those locks of rusty unrule folding over the half of a seasoned face as that single arm easily rested on a crooked knee in his gargoyle-like regard of the situation.

[Pipkin]

"Ah. Very good. You know language, ne?"

Hands were behind her back, the stance very neutral. That friendly smile..also never left her face through the time she spoke. No mockery. Not yet, anyway.

"I hear guard say bring new person here. I find out is worker at tavern..veeery surprised see you."

Head cocked slightly to the side, causing some of her dirty black hair to fall over that scarred face of hers.

"No think you able cause much harm to anyone. How you end up here, ne?"

Then, her hands came from behind her back. There was something held in her left, which appeared to be none other than a moist-looking leather pouch. Perhaps having been the bladder of an animal at one time. A..wine bag, of sorts.

"I bring you water..."

[Mikhail]

He was watching the wineskin for a time before looking up at her, it was a very odd sort of affairs wasn't it? That woman was more disrespectful to him then most, and yet here she was ... he assumed that it would appear that demeanor was not the true act of the mind. "You're one to talk." He'd comment as he just sat there for now, he wasn't making a move just yet, that stubbled chin rose futher in pride even as that regard of his butchered language was all but lost in his imprisonment, it might disarm the woman into questioning him on that matter, true warriors could see past the facade; warriors bred to kill; she like the swordswoman was not saved from his open eyes; she claims stupidity in that moment, but she knew the first moment she saw him did she not? One-arm drunk indeed.



"Is your curiosity all that brings you tea-woman?" He questioned with a roll of his shoulders, bone snapping and cracked, replacing finally from activity last night ... whatever it was.

[Pipkin]

"Iie."

She answered him curtly, in her own language. Even if he was incapable of understanding that one word, the tone in which she spoke it did well enough to give meaning to it: Negative.

"Is part of why I come. Other is no so much curious."

What was she getting at? She couldn't openly admit to the man that in her own, sick little way she respected him. Elil was a strange woman. The people she treated the worst, were often the ones she liked the most. Replacement for the absense of Pritchard, perhaps? Or maybe just the aching of a lonely heart due to lack of companions.

"I know why you here, I find out how much cost to get you out again. I...no so much like having to get own drink."

She had to justify it to him in such a way..as not to appear soft, after all. Smile never faultered as she held the damp wineskin out to the jailed man.

[Mikhail]

"Omoshiroi" He'd smirk then, it was the first sign of emotion the woman had seen, too bad it not a word of a better term when he spoke it, it was obvious he couldn't hold a true conversation with her in such a dialect, but then again it wasn't a 'western' language like he'd had tried with the gaurdsman, it was simple words; words ment to show her that he tried to respect her kind as best he could, and he did -- his own trainer was taught in such ways of the eastern arts, after all, the slaughter he was being held for was not that of a simple barbarian shown in his own heritage ... it spoke of many styles and ways; versitility.


He was though offering her enough respect to stand hismelf in the cell, his towering hieght of 6 and a half threatening to scrape against the cell ceiling as he stalked towards her, that waterskin offered was almost a snatched in a way that would try and strike fear in her, he was after all a caged animal ... and those proved less then pleasant in truth. Though as that single hand took it it was graced behind his hip and he was bowing down a bit to offer her the proper respect of honor to her, eyes never wavering as he did. With this he sat cross-legged on the floor to take a drink ... who was serving who now?

"I must stay here until they release me, aikurushii, please let it stay that way, aye?" A word never used by a man in her country unless in private, to secretly tell her, it held much respect dispite the regard, and it was obvious that he was serious on his words of the matter, it -had- to be this way, to prove a point, surely she would respect that.

[Pipkin]

She did not so much as flinch as the skin is snatched from her hand. Though considerably shorter than the man, the woman of 4'9" held herself with utmost confidence. She had no fear of his actions, because she saw nothing remotely agressive about them.

Once hands were free of their burden, they slid behind her back to rest. Interesting how he spoke to her. He used her words as if he knew the language, but did not attempt to speak to her in it.

"You guilty of something?"

It was a question she had to ask. Still, she was unsure of the entire event that had the man here..but his wish to remain behind bars struck up a new curiosity. Could it be that a crippled, grizzled western man understands the concept of honor?

No, he certainly wouldn't be the first. Elil's smile spread to show a glimpse of tooth.

[Mikhail]

"Only by what I am accused of, that is all. Am I guilty for protecting that tavern from harm, yes I am; am I guilty for letting a tortured woman extract revenge? Yes I am; other then that?" He smirked again, it was a bitter one that seemed to hold some agression atleast, and that agression was for more then just the gaurd, it was for the situation, a situation that the motly lot was left to defend against, those people who were invovled even as it was obvious that Mikhail would tell Kilborn and the Captain it was all him; all of it.


"I am guilty for going without a fight it would seem, not many people were happy I did." He would confess for a moment as he sat infront of the woman from behind the bars, as if they were speaking her culture; her land - not this one. "But, what choice did I have? I wish not to shed blood, and resisting would have been that, more blood."

[Pipkin]

"Someone fight, and you do nothing?"

She seemed almost confused, as if his string of words spoken in angry passion were too much for her to soak in all at one time.

Elil glanced behind her, making sure the floor beneith her was...reasonably clean of filth so that she might sit down cross-legged. Arms rest upon her knees, and her chin upon her arms. Looks..like she may be spending some time with the prisoner, until someone tells her to leave, that is.

"I..no see how that problem with guard. Why you arrest? Something you no say?"

[Mikhail]

He was lifting that armless shoulder at her in her query, perhaps he didn't understand it completely at first but then he would gander a guess in response. "I saw a woman harmed, one of my known patrons and so I lashed out on her captors; only I did not have the mercy they had on her, I made sure they were all dead." It was a mostly honest statement in truth, even if details were lost in the chaos of it all, -he- took the blame that night, and even though they tried to charge others he was here and here for a reason, he would take their place of this matter, dispite what was seen, dispite knowledge lacked.

"They killed a young girl aikurushii, ripped her eyes out and left her for dead, and a man, without regard or care. I'd rather see them choke on their own blood then wait for trial and politics to perhaps be freed on whatever reason, reason being -no one- knows who they are, they strike like baka ie ninja, you understand this yes?"

[Pipkin]

The flaring of her nostrils was the only indication that something the man said to her striked up an emotion. However, what that emotion was, exactly, was not portrayed.

"So is you who take revenge, in girl place?"

HE killed two men? That had her intrest. Part of her was actually sorry she hadn't seen it happen..or had been there to participate in her own little way.

"You make sure do in public, ne? Kill them where everyone see? Make bad men show ugly face in death?"

There was more emotion in her voice..almost..a pride in those words. Oh, how she smiled as she spoke them. This man had style..she could see it. Even if his actions were foolish in a way, they screamed of something the typical westerner would not understand.

"But guard no know these men do bad thing..and so here you are. Look like no one really understand what you try to say, kisama."

Kisama. A pet name, because she hadn't actually learned his real one.

[Mikhail]

This is where the little japanjese woman would see the extent of that honor he had, that honor he held and was willing to -die- for without a protest, he even gave his blade to the barmaid before the gaurd came, and went without much of a protest anyways. It wasn't two men in truth, it was more like four himself, two by others, one by the swordswoman and one was kept alive barely by the cook of all people, a cook ... then again four men by a one-armed man, like that made much sense. "It does not matter what I say to them, I tell you because I know you will understand this way, nothing more. it is the way I live, and if I am wrong in this land I am more then willing to hang for it if they see me wrong, -I- know I was not wrong and I will die with my honor, that is all that matters."


He nodded once at her with this, it was more then obvious that the drunkard was more then ready to die, to die for -his- honor, not what was right or wrong. That woman could not have fended off those men, and even as bells rang and another four came, him and others were left to stop them, forget they tried to run in fear when they saw it wasn't simpletons they challenged but war-bred warriors, they should have never came and their blood stained the tavern grounds as a warning to the rest; stay away - stop or .... suffer.

[Pipkin]

"Many say you fool to say thing like you do."

Eyes narrowed, and her head cocked softly. But..there was understanding in her voice. No pity, no remorse. He spoke of a paradigm that she knew all too well. And suffered because of it.

"You no fool, though. Just..in wrong place. Is place like this...you need be careful. Do thing differently. Think differently. Otherwise...you DO hang from neck. You die. No one understand you honor. No one care what you do for good. And then what? You dead. That all. No one learn lesson..because no one understand lesson given. You know?"

Not that she scolded..she just offered him her own jaded point of view. She's lived here for years..in an alien world of bizarre culture that made no sense in her eyes. But..she was finally beginning to get it. To understand the dredful way these people live their lives.

"I understand you."

Long moments had passed before she said that. It was a kind comment, meant to show the man that perhaps, he was not completely alone.

"Is there thing..you want me do for you?"

[Mikhail]

"Call me Mikhail when I get out, and show be some bit of a smile when you do? It really bothered me that day you treated me like dung." For lack of a better word, though he did not hold it against the woman in her regard of the barmaid and then him after, it was assured that is what he would ask of -her-, the only thing he would ask, and she was even graced something of a smile on those stubbled -- seasoned -- features towards her, it was those ale hue eyes that spoke of more the summers, it spoke of a time that would drive shuch honor into a man outside of his heritage ... then again scotish men were not so different in the end, just a lot more stubborn, which is -why- he is here now.


"I will not conform to laws that allow woman to be marred, and girls to be killed ... and men to be slaughtered. I will die, I -will- accept it, aikurushii -- and if I do I hope many more simple men like me rise to this and follow my steps in that way, to protect the weak and innocent; to make what is unjust, just. Law can only make the lines, it cannot make the man."