Her question stung a little, he knew bringing the hammer was a blatant attempt at intimidating anyone who might decide that their trade was indeed a fair one. His hammer had nearly as much reputation as he did, and with the two of them together, well, the arena goer's definitely knew he wasn't here to play around. That much information would have been valuable to anyone here, especially someone who used it to make money off of bets. In the right hands, like Neris', it wasn't a rare occasion for them to walk out with enough money for three days food.<br/><br/>"Issi, whoever has your book probably isn't going to be all that willing to trade it back to you for that necklace, and if anything happens because of Carmine..." The thought sat solemnly in the air for a moment before he continued, "This hammer is my reassurance nothing is going to happen." The smile he gave was a rather weak one, but shouldering his hammer's familiar weight did it's part. "You know how much people want that book, it's just as valuable as my hammer, so why not bring it right?"<br/><br/>The young lady had actually made quite the name for herself her as well, and he knew it because she used his reputation to goad others into fighting him, and reaping the benefits when he won. She had quite the mind for picking out weaknesses and it made fighting quite a bit easier for him. He wasn't invulnerable by any means, but being able to pick and choose who he fought, it made losing a rare anomaly. It also helped him realize his own weaknesses as well. Although he'd never explicitly gone through her book, he could only imagine there was a page in there with his own information.<br/><br/>Some one who had something other in mind than just earning enough to eat that night would then pose a problem. They'd be betting all around the board, making more money than they deserved. And they'd be able to bet against him, something that didn't happen often. Unfortunately as it was, keeping his title in good standing was almost mandated, lest he become disgraced again, this time by a crowd much more aggressive than the Church.