<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff">“I don’t know where the fuck you are getting ‘exile’ from. My father asked for a retirement from your father’s pitiful military. He was granted a governorship of this very land,”</span>Maleki said, having none of Aleksandra’s retaliation, even if part of him noticed it was out of the norm.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff"> “If you want to bring <i>that</i> feud into this, we can talk about how your family looked the other way when one of the nobles decided to rape some of our staff. Or we can talk about how your family allowed a relative of theirs to ruin our economy. Or we can talk about the green-gold banners that began kicking in every door on their way to our estate. But if you would rather stay on fucking topic for once in your gods damned life instead of bringing up your family, maybe we can get somewhere.” </span>Maleki was tired and frustrated in more ways than one. The fact that he was picking at the pieces of his life now instead of just waking up after having too much to drink was a factor in this outburst. Aleksandra could rot teeth just by being near her when she spoke, but for Maleki those same words only soured for him.<br/><br/>As Aleksandra spun around and marched away, Maleki followed, staying silent until they burst into her tent.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff">“What do you think I was doing?” </span>Maleki retorted.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff">“I have been trapped with an enchanting princess, a hag in disguise, and a boy who’s too young to know better. So what better thing to do than find someone else to stay with for a while? Hell, I wouldn’t even mind if it ended at drinks. That would be a couple hours I would get to myself that was like what my life <i>used</i> to be.” </span>Maleki closed the distance a bit between him and Aleksandra, eyes glowering with anger.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff"> “But no, you had to show up and stand in between me and some semblance of control over my own life.”</span>Maleki’s hands ran through his own hair before he spun away and walked a fair distance away from Aleksandra inside the tent. Once he seemed to reach a predetermined spot, he turned back around.<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff">“I am regretting not just wandering off into the Flats when you started to talk business on my behalf. Barnstorm <i>was</i> a regular employer, but because of you and that old hag, my reputation has been shattered with him. And it's only a matter of time before he starts talking to other caravan masters about me. I would have rather hunted Wargs for pelts than let you speak for me. Which, by the way, I am going to have to go do again. Because someone had to stall me long enough I couldn’t take the position I wanted in the caravan, and I ended up getting shot because of that,” </span>Maleki said, fire and venom mixing together in every word that exited his mouth.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff">“Either this is the hell I’ve earned, or the crone outside has a princess on strings, and is looking for a lord to make her dance with. Neither of those work for me.”</span>