<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ccff">For all that he was drunk, Tomasin was still a large man. His meaty fingers dug into the tender flesh of her pale throat until her mouth gaped open and her eyes popped. Her fingers lifted frantically, scraping at his hand, even drawing blood, right before the blunt force of his hand caused her to drop her own back down to her side. He would have gone in for another if not for the stranger that appeared in the tent, causing him to release her so that she fell to the ground.<br/>
<br/>
Her ears were ringing with the sound of the slap resonating. Even though her body tumbled to the side, driven by the impact of Tomasin’s backhanded swipe, the rest of her did not immediately register just what had happened. Her veil had toppled off, crumpled on the dirt floor of the tent underneath her assailant’s foot as he swayed back and forth over her while she struggled to focus. The pain came after her hearing returned, a sharp sting that was overwhelmed by an aching, painful throb that centered in her jaw.<br/>
<br/>
It took her a moment longer to realize that another man had entered her tent, not as tall or large as her swarthy assailant, and with a strange accent paired with his threat that seemed to boom inside the tent. But perhaps that was the shock that caused everything to feel so amplified. Dark, luminous eyes, wide as saucers, peered up at the scene unfolding once she had pulled herself back up into a crouch. Then, pushing off with her hands, she scrambled up to her feet and backed away, hand cradling the aching side of her face.<br/>
<br/>
Tomasin’s frozen state when the blade sliced through his tunic did not last long. In his drunken state, he was swaying, head tossing back and forth as he tried to get a good look at the man behind him. He was not, however, stupid enough to try and swivel around right away. “Go wank off, cur. This is none of your business. This is my woman. I claimed her tonight, promised I would let her taste a mouthful of my dick. She wants it, I know she does, just look at her…” he slurred, grinning, his head tossing itself back in Clio’s direction as his hand dove down to grab himself by the crotch, lifting the bulge hidden by his trousers so that she could see the outline of his soft cock.<br/>
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As for the girl, her eyes only flinched at the lewd inference, but she did nothing to cause a further reaction from the drunkard. Her eyes slid from Tomasin to the stranger, then back to her would be rapist in the tent.<br/>
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“Tomasin,” she warned, her voice surprisingly steady, almost melodic. “You will do as this kind gentleman says and leave this tent. Do not give me cause to involve your mother in this, or your brothers beside.”<br/>
<br/>
This time, Tomasin’s face transformed into a snarl as rage crept into his countenance. He lunged, seeming to forget that there was a man who had his rapier was still present with them. “You’re just a fairy slut. Bad luck to my family. You shouldn’t even be here-- it’s bad luck. The rest of them, you put them under some foul spell, fairy slut, they can’t see it, but you’re going to ruin us all--”<br/>
<br/>
“Stop,” she cut him off suddenly, her expression shifting to guilty fear as she shot the stranger a wide eyed look. Instinctively, however, she backed herself far enough that her back pressed against the thick fabric of her tent once the man started for her again. “Tomasin, stop!” The girl named Clio shrieked at him.</span>