By this point Tev and Rolf have quietly and wisely taken their leave. Tenber tucked his thumbs into his belt, looking Ix as square in the eye as he can, given their height differences. "<strong>I hired you lot to keep goblins and such off my caravan. Ain't been no banditry. Not even the <em>smell</em> of them. All you bunch have done, I coulda hired a couple wainwrights and mulekickers instead, and paid half of what you just got, for the whole way. You,"</strong>he pointed a stubby finger at the cat-woman<strong>"didn't even do <em>that</em> much. Didn't see you out there in the mud and muck heaving a wagon along like these other folk did. Too scared of getting your paws dirty, I imagine?"</strong><br/><br/>As far as Kayanna and Silaqui can tell? Tenber is being honest. Stingy, perhaps, but he seems certain he's being fair. he's also<em>incredibly</em>irritated. Which is saying something, considering that irritable is Tenber's version of happy most of the time. he once got so angry at a recalcitrant donkey that a drover had to physically stop him from making good on a promise to turn the creature into stew. and that was a good day.<br/><br/><strong>"Aye, they'll know me as a merchant what doesn't jack up the prices of his goods so he can pay people he doesn't need to pay, more than they're worth."</strong>he snapped at the elf.<strong>"You want wages for the half of the ride you won't be takin'? That wobbly-chinned lump of an ogre-spawn is probably in the town hall sniffing it right now."</strong>With a hearty snort through his scarred nose, he returns his thumbs to his belt, hitching up his trousers just a bit. Turning, he follows Gerion out, snarling under his breath about taxes, tabaxi, and elves what talk too goddamned much.<br/><br/>The two hired swords who had accompanied tenber in had nothing to say, and instead, decided it was as good a time as any to reduce the innkeeper's ale stock by a mug or two.<br/><br/>Outside, the sergeant - Devlin Danberry by name - was talking ot the other five of his company as Gerion approached. he raised a hand, waving him over.<strong> "Gerion, good. Are Hamish and Arne still in there? Listen, here's what-"</strong><em>KLONG!</em>Gerion's helmet smashes sergeant Danberry in the face, catching him completely by surprise, and knocking him back several feet, staggering. Gerion got another kick in, before being met in turn by the sergeant's mailed fist smashing square into his face... and the fight was on!<br/><br/>At least, until the two were pulled apart by the others of the company, and two of the town guards. Two soldiers in kit hammering away with fist and foot wouldn't do much lasting damage, except for blows to the face - Gerion's face has several new cuts and shallow gouges from the scalloped steel guards on the sergeant's knuckles, but between the helmet to the face and Gerion's own gauntlets, Danberry seems to have gotten the worst of it, and is in no condition to say anything particularly useful.<br/><br/>Having witnessed this display, Tenber stayed in the doorway of the tavern, grimacing through his wiry whiskers. When Gerion approached, the dwarf tensed, ready for a fight himself. For a good long time, he glowered at the half-orc, before relaxing.<strong>"Y'just beat the shit put of a man who forfeited his own pay to make sure the rest o'ye had plenty to go around. And now ye're costin' me to medick his dumb arse."</strong>He snorts, and spits past Gerion into the mud of the street.<strong>"Cat's lucky to have gotten anything t'all, cept a bill for shedding all over my wagon. But, don't let it ever be said Tenber Halfaxe is entirely unreasonable."</strong>he fishes around in his jacket, producing another pouch, counting out and passing the coins over with a disgusted snort, then shoves past, adding "orcs bandits what fuck stumps in the woods" to his litany of muttered indignities.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">Tenber was actually shaken enough that his math was bad. Ix's total comes out to 17 gold and some spare copper now. </div></div>