BANG!
Aygul’s amber eyes flew open and let in the brilliant light of midmorning before snapping back straight away. Pain radiated deep into his skull instantly, his head was heavier than a crate of iron ingots and his skin was clammy. His lower back hurt where his internal organs protested last night’s abuse and – SMASH. Quite suddenly the locked door was bust open sending splinters everywhere. Aygul should have been awake in that moment, alert and primed; he had served his time in the Golden Lion’s personal guard until last week! Instead, the former solider tried to leap out of bed, lost his balance and ended up in a heap of sheets on the floor.
Not that he was there for long. The inn door hadn’t suddenly burst open of its own accord. It had been barged right out of its frame by the largest miner Aygul had ever seen. His eyes were black, his beard wild and his face feral. “She is my wife!” The miner roared as he grabbed at the sheets, punching and kicking at the lumpy bits.
Aygul slipped out of the sheets and slid under the bed, he rolled the other side and managed to get to his feet before the angry miner even realised he was attacking the bedclothes alone. “I didn’t know! She said she was-” Aygul paused his explanation to duck an empty bottle aimed at his head; it smashed into a million pieces on the wall behind him. Only this latest noise caused the miners wife to stir from her drunken slumber, immediately she started screaming. Aygul was unsure who she was screaming at, but used the moment to his advantage. He leapt onto the bed in a curiously graceful move and pounced at the enraged miner’s torso. The force knocked him back; the miner smashed his head on the wall and slumped to the floor unconscious. The woman stopped screaming, but her eyes locked on Aygul. “Is he dead?” She asked quietly. Aygul moved towards the motionless miner and placed two fingers on his throat. “You’ve killed him!” She shrieked loud as a banshee.
“He’s fine, his heart still beats.” Aygul tried to make himself heard, but the woman had started screaming a nonstop chorus of - Murder! Guards! Kill him! Aygul didn’t hang around to plead his case; instead he slipped on his boots and tunic. Luckily he’d been too drunk to remove his trousers last night. “Please be quiet.” He pleaded with the woman, who had now started clinging to her husband. Aygul heard the guards pounding up the taverns wooden staircase, their weapons and armour clattering. Quickly he fastened his scimitar around his waist, threw his quiver and bow over his shoulder and looked towards the window. The guards were rushing down the corridor as he picked up the dressing table stool. He threw it through the window as the guards burst into the room. “Sorry about the mess!” He threw a full bottle of wine at the group of men; it smashed on a metal shield and covered them in glass and booze. The distraction was all Aygul had needed, he’d jumped out of the window, scurried down the side of the building and disappeared down a busy street before they even had chance to understand what had happened.
Aygul split away from the main street and disappeared into an alley, it didn’t take him long to lose the guards with his head start. He passed through the market and picked himself up a long blue sash which he wrapped around his body and head. It covered his torso, provided him with a hood from the sun and hid his weapons discreetly. The garment was tied in the way all of the Golden Lion’s guard had been taught to tie their robes.

Hood up, Aygul sat in the market on a bench watching the world go by. He had recently earned his freedom from the king’s honour guard, and so far spending his last wage packet in the local bars had been all he could think of doing. 

Business had been good in Mamlak, and Orabela was rather pleased with herself.  It was her second city on a rather long list of places to see in the world, though she wasn't quite done here yet.  There were still a couple of bars that she hadn't gotten to try yet, and the dwarf was sure that there was more booze to be tried.  But first, she needed a bath.  Making weapons here was sweaty work.  Though very rewarding so far.  Once that was done, she finished cleaning up her work area.  Being neat and organized made things ever so much easier.  Leaving most of her tools in the safety of the room she had rented, Orabela set out to find whatever the next adventure was.  Her golden braids were neat and clean, and some of the natives of this place seemed fascinated by it.  She had noticed the use of gold throughout the architecture, but there was also the title of the ruler here.  so it did make enough sense.

The streets were a bit busy, being that it was midmorning, and Orabela was enjoying watching all the people.  There were a great many of them about, and she didn't feel out of place here.  Not like Egjora, where she'd felt like an outsider with a close eye on her at all times.  This place felt quite a bit more welcoming.  She'd even seen the odd orc and elf about, trading their own goods.  But her morning reverie was soon disrupted by a collision that she didn't even see coming.  Throwing a punch that didn't quite connect to the stranger clad in some kind of blue cloth, Orabela's sunny visage shifted suddenly.  It seemed the man had gotten up from his bench and walked into her without even looking.

"Watch where yer goin', ya pillock!  I ain't that short!" she yelled at the stranger.  She had gotten used to being shorter than most people out in the world, but that didn't mean they couldn't keep an eye out under their feet. 

Quite suddenly he was in a heap. Something had collided with his waist and he had gone head over heels. A small hard fist shot out towards his side but it missed in the confusion. Aygul was used to being graceful and well balanced, now he pulled back his hood and cast his amber eyes up at whatever he had hit. A dwarf! And she was shouting abuse at him. Why not? It seemed to be the order of today. Maybe an apology would sort this one out? He didn’t fancy making another run for it. “A thousand apologies Miss.” Aygul said quickly in a friendly tone. He accompanied it with a kind smile.   

“Your hair is bright as the sun.” He remarked with obvious excitement. Aygul had fought golden haired warriors before, but never had he encountered such a bright head of hair in a peaceful time. Aygul got up and dusted himself down. “I’m Aygul.” He put his hand in his fist and gave her a short bow. He pushed a bit of hair out of his face and looked down towards the market. 

“You look a hardy sort of lass; a friend of mine has offered me a contract tracking down some thieves that have been harassing caravans. Help me out and I’ll split the cash with you?” Aygul had no idea why he was suddenly offering this woman a job; he just knew he had a good feeling about her. Besides, the day he was having taking an extra pair of hands out with him had to be the best option. 

Well, at least he was polite about having collided with her.  That much, Orabela wasn't upset about.  And he did apologize, which meant quite a lot to her.  Some people could be so rude.  "Truth be told, I prolly shouldn'ta shouted at ye like that," she admitted, looking just a bit sheepish.  Squinting at him for just a few moments, Orabela figured him to be a guard of some manner, or maybe a former guard.  A troop of guards went running by, seemingly searching for someone.  But the dwarf paid them no mind, and Orabela tilted her head for a moment at the name.  Definitely a native, they had odd sounding names to her dwarvish ears.  "Thank ya!  Me name's Orabela Hammersmash, on accounta me hair.  Means golden in me kin's tongue," she explained, introducing herself in the same sentence.  Her own manner shifted abruptly, just as friendly to Aygul's.  It would be nice to make a new friend. 

Her head tilted to one side as she stared up at the man.  Five minutes ago, she had been looking for her next drink.  And now she was being offered a job of some kind.  And by someone she had only just met.  This place was much more interesting than she had thought.  "jes' what kinda thieves we talkin' about?  I ain't oppose to the idea, but I'm jus wonderin' what'd make ya ask an almost complete stranger ta help ye," she asked, truly curious about his answer. 

Finally, he was out on his own.  Alone, with nothing but one of his father's old swords, a shield, and the clothes on his back.  He knew he was young, and would have to fight for respect.  But respect had to be earned, not given out freely just because his father was someone who was a great warrior.  He would have to prove himself worthy of that respect.

The raven haired youth found himself wandering the streets of Mamlak, he needed a plan to make it in this world of adults.  His plan was very simple, but wouldn't be easy.  He had to find some kind of mercenary work befitting a warrior, make some money, further outfit himself with better equipment, then build his reputation with each success.  But where would there be work?  Was there some kind of adventuring board with quests and stuff he could work on?  Maybe the local tavern would have something.  Except this place had no resemblance to his home town, everything was foreign, and there weren't even traditional horses around.  People who seemed well off had elephants, and there were horse-like creatures with black and white stripes.  He thought he heard them called "zebras."

He overheard a pair of people talking about something about taking out a den of thieves.  One was an older man, and the other was a short dwarven woman.  He'd seen dwarves before, his father dealt with them all the time in his blacksmithing endeavors.  That could be right up his alley.

"Excuse me, sir, miss.  I overheard you talking about some kind of mercenary work, and I would be interested in assisting you.  I know my way around a sword, and I know the ways of fire magic."

He was teenaged, with black, scruffy hair, with a few shocks of red within it.  His eyes were a deep shade of blue, like sapphires.  He wore plain clothes.  He had to gather enough money to get proper armor still.  His father only trusted him with a simple sword before he stepped out into the world.

Aygul smiled politely as she apologised for shouting, he didn’t mind really. Least she wasn’t trying to kill him, maybe today was looking up after all. He reached beneath his robe and pulled out a simple leather canteen, he took a quick drink and offered it to Orablea. Water was incredibly important around here, and offering it to a stranger was a good way to cement a friendship. “Orablea Hammersmash.” Aygul repeated it a few times, trying to make it sound right in his native accent, it almost worked by the third time.   “May I touch it?” He smiled and held out his hand. “Your hair?”  

Aygul gestured back to the bench and sat down on it as the troop of guards went past. The missed him, and a wry smile crossed his face. He’d gotten away easily enough. “They’re the simple kind, a fledgling gang, shouldn’t be too many of them there. They’ve been operating for the last few weeks.” He took the canteen back from Orablea and took a quick sip before stashing it away again. “I ask, because I have a good feeling about you and your golden hair.” He smiled a wide grin. “But mostly because I think with the day I am having that a bit of backup would be a grand idea.”  

One of the reasons Aygul had moved back to the bench was because it was in the shade, another was because the guards were looking for him; but mostly it was because he had noticed the young boy listening in on their conversation. “Eavesdropping is rude child.” Aygul said as the boy approached them. “Some places in this city such behaviour will cost you your ears.” Aygul wasn’t lying either, he had chopped them himself on orders before. The Golden Lion was a great king, but he was also incredibly paranoid. 

Aygul supposed most people would assume the boy harmless just looking at him and the sword that hung slightly too long at his side; but he knew better. Aygul himself had been deadly at the boy’s age, but that was due to enforced military training from the age of three. The ex-solider rubbed at the bristly hairs on his chin. “Suppose I believe you are capable, there won’t be much of a pay out.” Aygul wanted to help the boy out; after all they were both starting out in the world of mercenary work. 

OOC:| Cinderella: I have golden curls, people always wanna touch em. 
Kylie: Love the idea of Hiro. 

Accepting the drink of water with a bow of her head, she decided to stick around this one for a bit, could make things very interesting.  Listening to him repeat her name a few times was quite interesting, and Orabela was patient enough to not interrupt him.  People seemed to learn better that way.  "Oh, aye.  Go ahead.  Yer not tha first ta ask that," she said with a chuckle. It was something that had provided her with quite a bit of amusement, though Orabela was rather pleased that Aygul was polite enough to ask without staring and pointing.  Even with the long hours she spent in the forge, the dwarf was vain enough that she took good care of her hair.  After that business had been settled, she nodded. 

"Aye, ya don't want ta go into somethin' unknown by yerself.  That's a good way of gettin' yerself killed pretty quick.  And I ain't too bad with a sword.  And maybe I'll be lucky to ya," she said with a grin.  It seemed a good enough arrangement to her, and Orabela could use some exercise beyond swinging her blacksmithing hammer.  To her, it was settled in her mind, and she knew that her things would be safe in the room she had rented.  Plus she did want to see a bit more of what the area had to offer.  Hunting down bandits seemed like a good excuse. 

Turning her head towards the boy, an eyebrow went up.  He didn't look like a native here either, though he seemed pretty eager.  She fell quiet for a moment, allowing Aygul to have the first say.  His attitude did surprise her just a little, considering how friendly he had been towards her just a moment ago.  "I'm thinkin' another set of eyes wouldn't hurt nothing.  Why not let the boy tag along?  I don't need tha gold, so he can have my share.  'sides, bit o' fire magic could be handy," she said, studying the boy for a moment.  He didn't look like much to her, but she knew appearances could be quite deceiving.

Aygul warned the young hero that easedropping is rude, and could get one's ears cut off.  Ick, this was one of THOSE towns, wasn't it?  The one were the rules were so severe and the punishments were even worse.  He had to watch his step better, he didn't want his adventure to end before it even began.

"Ah, I'm sorry about that, thanks for the warning.  I appreciate it.  Lady Orabela, M'lord, thank you for this opportunity.  My name is Hiro Kouen.  I wish to make a name for myself, and I figure helping taking out a group of no-good thieves would be a good way to start."  He bowed to the couple graciously.  His father always taught him that manners were everything.  "I promise I won't drag you guys down, my father taught me swordmanship and magic, and he's a master in many of the arts of battle; magic and combat included.  I wish to one day be as good as he is.  I'll follow along you two, and try not to get into any trouble.  I'm good at following commands."

The young warrior smiled warmly at his new companions.  He understood that he was wet behind the ears, but these two looked like seasoned warriors, so he could learn a lot by their side.  They also seemed very nice, so that was a bonus.  "So, where do we start?"