Loretta’s hands released the man’s neck when she heard the ruckus behind her, the shuffling of footsteps and yelling drawing too close for her comfort. Her hands disappeared back into her cloak and she held a simple smile, feigning innocence as the man’s eyes seemed to lose focus though they remained on her. His pupil seemed enlarged, too much so for a well-lit tavern like this one. It was only after the crowd had rushed past him did he begin to tilt and sway, his mind seeming to slowly let go of whatever will it had left to keep him standing.<br/><br/>Her eyes only left this man for a second, following the last fellow out the door. She didn’t recognize his clothing, though she had noticed him earlier at the table with the gambling fighter. There was something about him that seemed familiar, though she couldn’t quite place her finger on why. Her thoughts were interrupted though when her ‘companion’ mumbled something unintelligible and reached out in her direction.<i>Oh right</i>, she thought as she stepped backwards and away from him,<i>I still have to deal with this guy. </i>Dodging his arm didn’t put enough distance between the two of them, because he suddenly lurched forward, all but crashing into Loretta. A scowl crossed her features as she found herself suddenly and deeply annoyed at how all this was for naught. She wasn’t pulling a meal out of their bodies or sealing the fate of their souls, not that they needed much help sinning their way to hell anyways.<br/><br/>“<b>Alright there, fella,</b>” she groaned as she struggled to hold the weight of the heavyset. While he leaned on her though, her free hand fumbled his waist, prodding for anything of use: a blade, some coin, anything. They were too close anyways for someone to notice, she hoped; besides, her owed her one for not giving an apology, if he made it through the night. Her touch was probably too heavy-handed, as there was deep-rooted annoyance at him and the gang he was with.<br/><br/>Rolling him back, she let him drop to the floor with an audible thump, and turned her attention back to the man that was probably the most deserving of her annoyance. He looked crazed, his arms and hands flailing about as he threw literally every bit of himself at the gambler. A sense of pity floated over Loretta for a split second before it was replace by devious intent as she made her way back to the fuming man and the target he’d bloodied. She owed the latter a favor and though she was more than a few steps away from the angry, emboldened man who had been the first to approach her, she had an idea. Her lips rounded into a clear, high-pitched whistle to divide the fuming man’s attention.