The Kithariani who walked into the dimly lit tavern was an entirely different creature than the one that had escaped the Baron. Long, ice blue hair was bound with a simple leather thong, with a few wisps escaping to hang at the sides of her face, and a strand or two to get into her eyes. Her lean form was now basically whipcord and muscle over bone from a hard campaign that she had just gotten out of, and her diamond white skin, what was visible of it at least, glistened slightly in the faint light. Eyes of a pale, leaf green color were hard as marble and sharp as a well-honed blade as she swept them over the gathering of mostly males, then picked herself out a table to one side where none were.

Her clothing showed hard use, the silver shirt and pants were dirty and very worn, while the jacket was scarred badly from various weapons, and even scorched in one corner where a mage had decided to try to cook her and learned the folly of attempting to burn one of the phoenix souled.

It's a damned good thing I know the owner of this tavern, and that she's honest enough to keep a spare change of clothing around for me. I don't think this set is ever going to be wearable again.

This was her weathering place, where she stayed at between jobs, no matter how far away the jobs took her, this was always where she returned. For one thing, it was one of the only places she had found that boasted a female innkeeper. Add in the honesty and decent prices, not to mention separate bathing areas for females and males, and it was a luxury to one like Kit.

"Hey, Kithari," A young girl smiled at her as she set a mug and a plate full of steaming slabs of meat and thick pieces of bread dripping with butter, "Keep says it looks like you need feeding, so she's intending to feed you up."

Kit laughed, "I guess I do need some feeding up, thank Keep for me, would you? Oh, and ask her if she could get my spare clothes and stuff sent up to my usual room."

The girl nodded, "Keep said you say that, and she has a message for you herself, says that there's another woman you just might be interested in meeting. A Mage-lady, seems rather interested in meeting you."

She raised an eyebrow, finishing the movement she had started before by shoving several pieces of the meat into her mouth, then chewed and swallowed quickly, "Mmm... heaven, the first real food I've tasted in months. As for that mage-lady though, she can wait until I'm finished. She's waited however long to find me, she can just wait a while longer."

A silver laugh came from one side, its pure tones sure to turn heads, male and female alike.

Kit, though, wasn't amused. Half rising out of her chair, she took in the silk clothing of the one who stood a little distance away, then, her face a mask of stony calm, she reseated herself and began to eat once again.

"What, no hospitality for a simple mage?" The woman asked, as she glided into Kit's view once more, and then settled without asking in a seat across from Kit.

"Unless I misread you," Kit growled as she swallowed a mouthful of bread, "You are not simple anything. And I am tired of mages thinking that a fighter is an unending resource that will never run out of stamina and endurance, and must live to serve only that mage, no matter where their loyalties really lay."

The mage let out a silver peal of laughter again, and then spread her arms a bit, her palms upraised, "Believe me, I am not like that, especially not having to deal with several incidents where it was only my body guard who stood between me and death... or worse fates."

Kit narrowed her eyes, but barely paid any attention to the mage after she had finished speaking except to watch her covertly to make sure she wasn't another hireling of the Baron who wished her back in his holding. What she really wanted right now was to finish this lovely meal and then take a nice long soak.

Well, half of her wish was coming true, at least. With slight reluctance to be ending her meal, she wiped up the last of the gravy and juices with the last of the bread, then shoved it into her mouth and swallowed quickly, licking her fingers of every trace of the meal, then settled back and watched the mage from beneath hooded eyes.

"So then, why have you come searching for me, mage-lady?"

"Please, please, the name is Anissaria, not mage-lady."

Kit snorted slightly, then smiled up at the girl who came to take away her plate and the empty mug, flipping a coin up at the girl who deftly caught it with a return smile then slipped off. "Yeah, and my name's Kithariani, or whatever shortening of it you seem to prefer, I've heard pretty much all of them."

"Isn't that a bit, trusting? To give me your name like that?"

She shrugged, "The way I figure, there's nothing you could learn from my name that you can't learn from simple gossip. Besides, mage-lady, you just gave me yours."

Anissari shook her head, amused at this barbarian who sat across from her, "Which you didn't use."

Kit smiled, "All I said was that you gave me your name, not that I'd use it." She thanked the girl with a nod as she sipped at the new mug that had been brought, "So, why have you come searching for me, since you didn't answer before."

"I believe that we are... most similar, Kithariani. Similar enough that becoming partners would be a good move for both of us."

Kit looked closely at the woman across from her, noting the fine black and gold silks that covered her body, although her outfit wasn't the typical mage robes, being instead baggy breeches and a shirt. Pale amber skin and glossy, raven wing black hair, combined with eyes sparkling a deep emerald green, marked her as of the blood of one of the last so called civilized countries before the wild northlands began.

"I don't see what you mean, mage-lady. You are of civilized lands, whereas me, I'm from the untamed northern wastes. A simple barbarian with little between my head except killing and eating."

"Excuse me if I don't believe your statement about you being a simple barbarian," Anissari returned with an amused smile, her emerald eyes sparkling with laughter, "Not if even half the stories about you are correct."

"But, as I was saying," Anissari continued after sipping at a mug that had appeared at her elbow, "We have both had... hmm... experiences with Baron Foraldenter, and have both left him on rather short notice. Although you seem to have left him with a more lasting problem than the one I gave him."

Kit snorted, "You could say that. So, you're another of his former slaves?"

The mage nodded, "Indeed, a little while before you came I was captured, in fact, it was your appearance that allowed me to escape. What I'm saying though, is that we should become partners. I... couldn't really face my old bodyguard after what had happened... and he understood. But I've never been very at ease with any others that I've found possible."

"Because they're males."

"Yes, or females that I wouldn't trust with a clipped penny, let alone my own safety."

"So your saying that, just because of our past, I should become your bodyguard and go wherever you want like a trained dog."

The mage shook her head, raven hair flying as she did, "No no no, I'm a mage, yes, but not one in any real employ."

"A merc mage? Rare to hear of them."

"I don't feel safe being the mage of some lord or baron," her lips compressed into a grimace, "But on the other hand, not as much happened to me as to you, so..."

"So you can deal with males, where I can't, and so get us some jobs that I would have otherwise passed on. And therefore get more money to tide over the lean times."

"Well, do we have a deal?"

Kit sighed, closing her eyes tiredly, "For now, mage-lady, I believe we do. But just for the time it takes for me to recover some and find another job and to finish it. Past that, we shall see."

"Please, please, call me Anissari, or Sari, if you wish, not mage-lady."

She smiled, sipping from her mug, "I believe I have told you before, mage-lady, I never said I'd use your name. This barbarian is but a simple creature, mage-lady, and names are beyond the grasp of one so simple."

Sari burst into laughter as, amused, Kit took another sip at her mug, then drained it and rose.

"Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get clean then change into some clean clothes."

With nothing more than that, Kit turned and strode off, taking the stairs up three at a time with ease.

Anissari rose and settled down at the bar, still sipping at her mug and considering the deal she had just struck... and whom she struck it with.

"Well, how'd it go?" The innkeeper asked as she came over to Sari, cleaning the bar with a rag as she did.

"I don't know whether to be apprehensive or jumping for joy." Sari muttered just loud enough for the innkeeper to hear. "She doesn't call me by name, but she accepted my offer, until the first job is finished, that is."

The 'keep raised an eyebrow, then responded, "Don't you know? Typical practice of mercs is to team up with a temp partner for one job, then, if they don't feel like they want to work together again, they split with no hard feelings. As for her not calling you by your name, she hasn't called any prospective partners by name ever. I wouldn't worry about it."

Anissari sighed, running a hand through her short, thick black hair, "How can Kitharinani stand having long hair, or even get away with it as a fighter?"

The keep shook her head, "No clue, friend, but I guess she just survives."

She snorted, closing her eyes, "A final question, how long is she going to take to rest up?"

"What, Kit? Two days or so, maybe a few more, considering how hard her last job was."

Sari blinked, stunned by how quickly Kit would recover from what looked, to her, like starvation coupled with endless hard work.

"Get used to it, Sari, she'll probably expect about the same of you."

With a sigh, she nodded reluctantly, it was only fair to expect that.

I guess...

Kit heaved herself out of the steaming hot spring that served as a bathing area, shaking her head a bit and scattering droplets of water across the room. Snagging up a thick towel as she crossed the room, she started toweling her body dry with rough movements.

Why'd I agree to be partnered with that mage? Did she cast some trust spell over me or something? Gods, after that first mage partner that I had, I thought that I had decided never to take a mage as a partner. They're so... uptight, as if they think that they're so important that everyone should do as they say.

And why do I feel like this one's different?

She snorted and dropped the towel into the bin with the rest of the dirtied ones, then started pulling on clean clothes, enjoying the sensation of actually being really clean for the first time in months.

I think that the next job I take should be something easy... bandit hunting maybe. Not some huge campaign involving armies and bonded companies with a few freelance thrown in for kicks. I hope whoever started that mess has to pay for all the souls of the dead that they made.

Bare feet made little sound on the wooden floorboards as she crossed the hallway to her usual room, but she suddenly froze with her hand on the doorknob as the soft whisking sound of silk on silk came to her ears from behind her.

"Ah... I'm sorry, Kit, did I startle you? I was just trying to find the bathing room."

"It's right across the hall, mage-lady Sari."

"Thanks," she responded with a smile, "I haven't been here before, and there's too many people in the common room for Keep to send someone to show me the way."

Kit shook her head, kind of amused at this small mage, for compared to her six feet of height, Sari's five feet and some inches was short. Then something made her look closely at the mage, and some small signs of weariness and a slim purse that she had missed before became apparent, "Do you already have a room?"

Sari shook her head, "No, I figured that I'd wait to see if there was a reason for me to stay, first."

"My room has two beds, if you want to share," Kit shrugged, "Since we're going to be partners, might as well get used to being together."

"Thanks, Kit. When I'm done cleaning off I'll bring my stuff up."

Well that's definitely odd, a mage offering to carry her own things. I think I just might like this one.

Kit shook her head, sending her drying hair flying a bit, "Your things are down in the stable?"

"Yeah," Sari nodded, "The two saddle packs with the black rune branded into them." She grimaced slightly, "I don't really like proclaiming what and who I am, but I don't have enough to buy plain packs."

"I'll get them, you go clean off."

Turning on her heel before Sari could even say another word, Kit walked off and down the steps towards the stable.

Anissari stepped hesitatingly into the room, relaxing slightly when she saw Kithari relaxing on one bed, and her own saddle packs set at the foot of the second. A glance showed that Kit seemed to have fallen asleep, but as she started to cross the room she noticed that Kit was actually watching her from under almost completely closed eyes.

Mythala! What if she knows that I'm nothing more than a wandering mage down on my luck? Granted, I did voluntarily leave the employ of my lord after that incident, but still...

"So, mage-lady," Kit spoke softly, but her voice carried enough for Sari to hear her, "You never said, what magics do you know?"

She shrugged as she settled down onto her bed, "Little things mainly, some healing, illusion, fire and such. I'm masterclass, though, so..."

"So if you can will it, and find the power, you can figure out most any form of spell, hmm? Good. More than that last mage who tried to be my partner could do." Kit sat up and picked up one of the bags by the side of her bag, "Oh, you were saying that you didn't like proclaiming to everyone who you were, well here, they're kind of worn, but they'll do."

Sari looked up, blinking, just in time to snatch two saddle packs out of the air and look them over. They were, as Kit has said, worn, but they were still in pretty good condition, "Where'd you..."

"Don't worry about it, they're some of my old things. You know how merc companies have wintering over places? This is mine, and Keep's kind enough to hold onto my things when I'm not here. Now, I, at least, am getting some sleep, good night."

With that, Kit burrowed into the sheets and seemed to fall asleep within minutes.

Sari, after staring at Kit for a few seconds, shrugged and followed suit, figuring that the next several days were going to be hard enough without stinting herself of sleep.

She had no idea how right she was.