A young woman was just entering a small town as the sun began to set, another day of travel coming to a close. She rode in a wooden wagon being led by a giant Clydesdale, furs and supplies covering the whole back of the wagon. She pulled the horse to a stop in front of the local stables. Most people rode in cars and bikes, but she enjoyed the sight seeing from her wagon. It was quiet and peaceful, and she could take her time. Once the wagon had stopped she hopped off the wagon and moved over to her horse.
She detached him from the wagon and gave him a pat on the neck before leading him over to the stables, "Alright Hermes, you behave yourself in here and I'll buy you a bag of carrots." she told the horse.
The stable master greeted them in front of the stables, "What can I do fer ya miss?" he asked, looking up at the giant Clydesdale.
"I need a place to keep my horse for the night and some of the day tomorrow, do you have room? I'm willing to pay anything." she said, looking at the Stable master.
He gave her a nod, and then approached Hermes "It'll be 20 gold for the night, and then 10 gold to keep him here till noon." he said. The woman nodded and reached into her coin pouch pulling out thirty gold. She then handed him the reins and gave Hermes another pat, "Be good." she warned him.
After pulling all of her supplies and furs from her wagon, and getting a room at the local inn, she made her way down to the local tavern. One inside she took a seat at the bar and ordered some food and ale. She ran a hand through her brown hair, glancing around the tavern as she waited. Her hazel eyes looked a bit tired, but still held a mischievous glint to them. The tavern was quiet for the most part, and there were only a few inside that were keeping to themselves.";
She detached him from the wagon and gave him a pat on the neck before leading him over to the stables, "Alright Hermes, you behave yourself in here and I'll buy you a bag of carrots." she told the horse.
The stable master greeted them in front of the stables, "What can I do fer ya miss?" he asked, looking up at the giant Clydesdale.
"I need a place to keep my horse for the night and some of the day tomorrow, do you have room? I'm willing to pay anything." she said, looking at the Stable master.
He gave her a nod, and then approached Hermes "It'll be 20 gold for the night, and then 10 gold to keep him here till noon." he said. The woman nodded and reached into her coin pouch pulling out thirty gold. She then handed him the reins and gave Hermes another pat, "Be good." she warned him.
After pulling all of her supplies and furs from her wagon, and getting a room at the local inn, she made her way down to the local tavern. One inside she took a seat at the bar and ordered some food and ale. She ran a hand through her brown hair, glancing around the tavern as she waited. Her hazel eyes looked a bit tired, but still held a mischievous glint to them. The tavern was quiet for the most part, and there were only a few inside that were keeping to themselves.";
A young man would sit alone in the back of the tavern after working a half day in Shafter's Coal Mine. They had been told to leave early because of some sort of an incident, but Cid could give two shits less, he got a day's pay for just barely half a day's work. He would order a meal and sit at the back, it was cool and dark, which was fine with him, working in the dark will do that to you. Cid liked the dark and being underground. He was a bit of a cave dweller like that. He would be part of the way through his Rueben when a young woman would walk in. Cid paid no mind other than to notice that there was another person in the Tavern. Cid would continue eating his sandwich when a couple of knuckleheads from the mine, Joey, Joshua, and Joel, the brother's dumb as Cid referred to them. Cid would sip on his water and watch the dumbasses walk up to the new person in the bar. "This should be entertaining...", Cid was sure that the owner of the bar would throw them out if they caused any issues. Cid watched hoping the entertainment would follow.
The bartender brought her food and ale, setting them down in front of her. She laid out the coins for it and then dug into the food, not noticing the three approaching her. The food was pretty good for being tavern food, and the ale was fresh and cold. A perfect way to end a day in her mind.
"Hey there toots." came a voice from behind her, and then she was surrounded by three males.
Here we go again... she thought, glancing at all three of them not amused.
"Couldn't help but notice your new in town, and for such a fine lady as yourself being alone in a town like this can be quite scary." one of the other males said as he sat down next to her.
She almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation, "Trust me, I'm not scared in the slightest. Though if I was you, I might be. Is there anything else I can do for you? Otherwise I would like to enjoy my meal in peace and quiet if you don't mind." she warned, looking at all three of them blankly.
The male on her right chuckled, "I like a feisty woman." he said his arm coming around her.
Oh hell no.
Within the blink of an eye she was up out of her seat. The arm that had been put around her was now twisted behind his back, and if she moved it any further it would probably break. "Didn't your mother ever teach you manners? You don't just touch a woman you don't know like that, got it? Now you and your friends can go right back to where you came from, or next time I'll break your arm and more." she said coldly, letting the guy go and shoving him forward. She had to be assertive like this often due to being a woman, otherwise she'd get taken advantage of.
"Hey there toots." came a voice from behind her, and then she was surrounded by three males.
Here we go again... she thought, glancing at all three of them not amused.
"Couldn't help but notice your new in town, and for such a fine lady as yourself being alone in a town like this can be quite scary." one of the other males said as he sat down next to her.
She almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation, "Trust me, I'm not scared in the slightest. Though if I was you, I might be. Is there anything else I can do for you? Otherwise I would like to enjoy my meal in peace and quiet if you don't mind." she warned, looking at all three of them blankly.
The male on her right chuckled, "I like a feisty woman." he said his arm coming around her.
Oh hell no.
Within the blink of an eye she was up out of her seat. The arm that had been put around her was now twisted behind his back, and if she moved it any further it would probably break. "Didn't your mother ever teach you manners? You don't just touch a woman you don't know like that, got it? Now you and your friends can go right back to where you came from, or next time I'll break your arm and more." she said coldly, letting the guy go and shoving him forward. She had to be assertive like this often due to being a woman, otherwise she'd get taken advantage of.
Cid would let out a serious cackle at the dumbasses. "HA! You guys better hurry up 'for she kicks your ass." The Brothers Dumb look over at Cid after being made look like fools, "Hey fucker, you'd best not be talking about us!" Joel, the oldest would say.
"You bet your ass I'm talking about you, do I need to whip your ass to remind you of the time when I put Joshua and yourself in the hospital?"
"There's three of us and one of you." Joel would scoff.
"Yeah, sides, we're packing heat!" Joey, the youngest, would reveal hidden in the front of his jeans a small, very small, caliber weapon.
"He's the thing boys, weapons don't scare me..." Cid would bounce across the room to right in front of Joey, "...and even if they did, you couldn't pull the trigger fast enough." Cid would remove the weapon from Joey's jeans, empty the gun and tap him in the head with the unloaded weapon. "Go home boys." he would kick the bullets across the bar, "'for somebody puts you in the ground." he would calmly say as the boys had a brief, but weak stare down with him. Joshua would look around, "C'mon boys we'll get him later." they would walk out the door and do so very quietly.
"You bet your ass I'm talking about you, do I need to whip your ass to remind you of the time when I put Joshua and yourself in the hospital?"
"There's three of us and one of you." Joel would scoff.
"Yeah, sides, we're packing heat!" Joey, the youngest, would reveal hidden in the front of his jeans a small, very small, caliber weapon.
"He's the thing boys, weapons don't scare me..." Cid would bounce across the room to right in front of Joey, "...and even if they did, you couldn't pull the trigger fast enough." Cid would remove the weapon from Joey's jeans, empty the gun and tap him in the head with the unloaded weapon. "Go home boys." he would kick the bullets across the bar, "'for somebody puts you in the ground." he would calmly say as the boys had a brief, but weak stare down with him. Joshua would look around, "C'mon boys we'll get him later." they would walk out the door and do so very quietly.
She looked at the four males, and pushed her mouth to the side. This was no longer her problem as far as she was concerned, though she was thankful she wasn't the only one who found them rude. She sat back down at the bar, resuming eating her meal in quiet. She had to admit the guy was pretty talented and moved fast. She had to guess he was as fast as her if not more. She glanced over her shoulder at him as she took a drink of her ale. You always met interesting people when you were a traveler like herself.
Cid would glance over to the woman at the bar, only for a moment, then would return to his seat, when he turned his back he would collapse the spear he'd managed to hide from the morons. He could've impaled two of them and used the shoulder of the shortest to break the neck of the tallest, but he liked his new town... though life was interesting when he traveled more. He was only 26, but he'd seen a few days of glory. He would think back to a different time. Seeing the world from the few of a plane, though he hadn't been anywhere since he crashed The Tiny Bronco. His plane was out of fuel, and had millions of Gil in damages. The only way that Cid could possibly come up to that money if he could find Materia or a shit ton of cash laying on the ground with his name on it... The first was considerably more likely, as rare as Materia is today...
When Torrance was done with her meal she stood from her stool at the bar, glancing at the guy who had intervened and giving him a slight nod of thanks. The sun had finally set, and when she walked outside it was now dark. A few lights lit the streets, and she headed back towards the inn.
When she got to the inn she noticed the three men from the tavern were hanging around outside the inn, she grimaced slightly hoping they wouldn't try anything again. They all looked up when she approached and they all seemed to smirk at the fact that she was alone. They swarmed her, the three of them surrounding her.
She narrowed her eyes at them, continuing to walk towards the inn as they started bothering her once again.
"Hey, you think you are all big now?" One of the brothers she had threaten to break his arm said, looking disgruntled for being made a fool by a woman.
Torrance didn't say a word, continuing to walk to the inn. She felt a hand firmly grab her shoulder and her eyebrow twitched as she grabbed the hand and then twisted it. One of the other brothers came from behind her and grabbed her, trying to pull her off the other one. She slammed her head backwards into his face and kicked the third as he came running up. "I suggest you quit now, and go home." she warned one last time.
When she got to the inn she noticed the three men from the tavern were hanging around outside the inn, she grimaced slightly hoping they wouldn't try anything again. They all looked up when she approached and they all seemed to smirk at the fact that she was alone. They swarmed her, the three of them surrounding her.
She narrowed her eyes at them, continuing to walk towards the inn as they started bothering her once again.
"Hey, you think you are all big now?" One of the brothers she had threaten to break his arm said, looking disgruntled for being made a fool by a woman.
Torrance didn't say a word, continuing to walk to the inn. She felt a hand firmly grab her shoulder and her eyebrow twitched as she grabbed the hand and then twisted it. One of the other brothers came from behind her and grabbed her, trying to pull her off the other one. She slammed her head backwards into his face and kicked the third as he came running up. "I suggest you quit now, and go home." she warned one last time.
Cid would finish his meal and head out the door soon after the woman, just as a coincidence merely. He was headed home where he could get some sleep and wonder if he was working tomorrow. He would step out the doors to look down the street to see the inn, the lights were dim, but on, he could see some sort of struggle, he just happened to notice one of them woman. He would begin his walk towards the men. "Hey boys, really a woman? Do you think three versus one is really fair?" he would laugh at the pussies trying to beat a woman. He would hope to piss them off just enough they would want to attack him first. Cid was too far away to make a dash at them, they could kill the woman before he got there, "I mean think about it, you have a pecker hanging between the hairs on your sack right? Why would you want to mess with a woman? That seems... well it seems like you boys don't know a whole lot better..." he would extend the spear behind is back, it would be hard to see, he was getting closer, but wasn't all the way there.
One of the three decided to act as Cid came up, pulling out a knife and lunging at her. She easily dodged it, and slammed her fist into his wrist, feeling it snap from the force of it. The knife fell to the ground and Torrance elbowed the guy in the face, he fell to the ground crying out in pain as he clutched his wrists. The other two backed away from her as she turned to them, she ran at them only to have them stumble and run away from her. She bent down picking up the knife and walked over to the one she had just broken the wrist of. She knelt down, holding the knife to his throat. "I could just let you bleed out right here, no one would stop me." she threatened narrowing her eyes.
Cid would hear the words of a woman who wasn't to be fucked with. "I'd probably sit and eat some popcorn and watch." Cid would say in jest. Joshua was the one laying on the ground, he was a wimp at heart, if you could find it. "Boy you'd best make sure your brothers' tails stay between their legs..." Cid would now be closer, he would reveal the large spear that he'd been hiding. "Because if they don't, I'll skewer them... and I won't feel a thing about it..." He would touch the tip of his spear and reveal that it cut his finger. Wiping the blood he would then extend his other hand to the woman, "Can I help you up there Miss?" being polite as he could handle.
"I have it handled." she said, standing up and then giving Joshua a good kick before turning away from him. She pocketed the knife, it was now hers, fair and square. She looked towards the blonde man, "Looks like we keep running into each other."
"It appears so ma'am." He would give her the once over, "Name's Cid." he'd say as he put down the spear and collapsed it into a small bar and slid it into his pocket. He would then turn and walk away. He had no reason to speak to the woman much beyond that. If she felt it necessary she'd give him a reason to stay otherwise, he was headed home.
"Torrance." she said as he started to walk away, a slight smile on her lips. She turned back to the inn, "Perhaps we'll run into each other again." she called back to him, going inside the inn.
"Maybe so he'd say." he'd push a grin from his lips. "One can only hope so.", he'd make his way back to his home, only a few doors down from the inn. He would make his way inside to find a note... "Mara?" his stay in girlfriend at the time...
The note would read:
"Fuck You... Prick... Money's gone."
Signed Mara.
Cid would sit down on the bed... blink and think for a moment... "Bitch..." he'd get back up shut off the lights and make his way to the inn, maybe he'd run into Torrance just one more time.
The note would read:
"Fuck You... Prick... Money's gone."
Signed Mara.
Cid would sit down on the bed... blink and think for a moment... "Bitch..." he'd get back up shut off the lights and make his way to the inn, maybe he'd run into Torrance just one more time.
Torrance was enraged, she had gone to check on Hermes only to find her wagon had been vandalized. I bet it was those fucking little punks. she thought as she headed back towards the inn. It would take her a few days to repair the damage that had been done, so she was going to be stuck here for awhile. In a fit of anger she punched the wall to the inn a couple of times, wishing it was the heads of those three losers.
Cid would hear a "Thud" the closer he got to the inn. Seeing the woman punching the inn, he couldn't help but laugh, "What are you doing?" he'd chuckle at the crazed woman. He'd watch her punch the wall seeing that she was likely as angry as himself, so he stepped up next to her and begin punching the wall too, it felt good. He would hit the wall with all his might getting a similar resounding "Thud" that she was getting.
She looked at him as he walked up, "I'm letting out my anger before I kill someone." she growled out slightly, hitting the wall harder. It cracked slightly, but so did her knuckles. She hissed and withdrew her fist, rubbing the raw skin.
Hearing the building "Thud" for the last time, he looked down to see her hand was hurt. "Here, take two of these" it was a couple aspirin, hard to come by in these parts, but he had it from his adventures, "should help you soon, along with a cool rag, I'm sure the inn has somewhere where you can get one." He held back his laughter, he knew she was mad and laughing at her wouldn't get him an answer.
She shook her head, "I'm fine, what is that anyways?" she asked, looking down at the pills. She glanced up at him, "Why were you hitting the wall too?" she asked, raising a brow.
Cid laughed, "It's aspirin, it's made from Willow trees and helps from pain." Cid looked at the wall and back down to his hands which were red, but not broken, "A friend of mine left town today." He would smudge the truth, he didn't really know her yet.