Norin had heard of the northern orc tribes but he'd never met any of them. They were said to be a stoic, independent people who kept to themselves. It was a good thing too because if they decided to march south and wage war on the other races, their bows would decimate armies before their enemies even saw them. He eyed the weapon on her back, especially the thickness of its limbs and doubted even the burliest among the well fed Black Company mercenaries would be able to draw it.<br/><br/>Norin couldn't help the scoff that left his lips as she wondered at the motivations behind racial prejudice. "People love to hate. Anything different is wrong. And two things that are different being mixed together seems to be the ultimate transgression," he said as he drank again, adjusting his belt. Two axes hung from it, one with a long, sloping blade that was large enough in relation to the handle to almost be considered a cleaver. The other had a small head with a pointed back like a tomahawk. At his feet sat a pair of saddlebags with the rest of his possessions and third ax was lashed to one of them, much longer with a double broad head in the angular design of dwarven craftsmanship. Norin knew he was a peculiar half elf. With his slender build, one wouldn't guess he could be proficient with an ax but his teacher had been a blacksmith who had once fought in the southern wars for territory among the lower baronies. The barons were poor and half their soldiers were armed with farm tools. Norin's teacher had wielded a wood cutting ax and had developed quite a proficiency, passing the knowledge along to the young half-elf who had adapted it into almost a dance.<br/><br/>Norin forgot his distaste for people for a moment as she explained about her situation. He hadn't been aware that northern orcs didn't have warbands. He supposed such structures weren't exclusive to orcs. The Black Company mercs almost acted like a warband. Thus, it stood to reason that not all orcs shared the same customs. It was somewhat like a family but without any blood relation. The warband commanded loyalty even against one's own kin if their motives weren't aligned. It was all about the collective. But northern orcs seemed more solitary from the little he knew so perhaps it made sense that such a group mentality wasn't present in their culture. Still, it was intriguing.<br/><br/>"I don't need anyone," he said simply as she asked about whether or not he was traveling with anyone. Sure, he'd met others he didn't find to be unfriendly, even worked with them. He'd had a few invites to join up with smaller mercenary groups but he'd always preferred the life of a solitary wanderer. Sometimes he took on traveling companions but they often parted ways eventually.<br/><br/>"Looking for work?" He asked as he tapped the bar, getting the barkeep's attention for another drink. He was certainly packing it away and so far wasn't showing much signs of inebriation. "Or just someone warm to sleep with tonight?" Now that he knew she wasn't tethered, he didn't feel it was necessary to mask his motives and he wasn't one to try and seduce a woman. He made it plain to see what he wanted and he found that most people respected that on some level. He never led anyone on, even though he certainly could with a face like his. Not even the shallow scar over his eye took away from his roguish good looks and that usually opened a lot of doors despite the prejudice some people had for half-bloods.