They got inside. There were three men inside.<br/><strong>"Are you sure that's the one, elder sis? Nice body...you probably had fun binding her!",</strong>the youngest one smiled. He was dressed like an Easterner as well, and from his clothes, a trader. In fact, she knew him from the caravan...though he'd been wearing the simple clothing of a guard, there. And there was no mention of him and the Eastern girl being siblings.<strong><br/>"She's totally the one! And no, I didn't have time, younger bro!",</strong>the girl snapped.<br/><strong>"Such a waste",</strong>he chuckled.<strong>"But she can still be useful, that's for sure!"<br/>"She'd better be",</strong>the old one said wearily. This one was in his sixties, from the looks of it, and dressed like a priest. Of what faith, she couldn't tell.<strong>"But that's for the bagatyr here to decide. Would she be adequate as payment?"<br/>"She would do",</strong>the man, visibly unpertrubed, only spared Ashley a glance. This one was dressed as an warrior, though she couldn't determine his heritage by a simple glance. Maybe it was mixed.<strong>"And what about the formalities?"<br/>"Tomorrow morning, I'd go to the court, and depose your complaint myself. She'd be sued for reneging on a deal for which she'd been paid, attacking you with intent to kill, and spilling blood",</strong>the older man said.<strong>"The mayor is my old friend, and you're going to swear on the veracity of said story. So will I, as well. No doubt she'd have no means of paying off the amend - Vera here should take care of so much - and not having relatives in the city, she'd be turned over to you as payment - if you chose to accept her."</strong><br/>The two siblings nodded, and Ashley's fate was sealed.<br/>The warrior leaned back.<br/><strong>"I'm still wondering, though. You want to pay my price to take on your task; it's clear why you are in this. I'm getting the girl. What do these two get?"<br/></strong>The old man looked at the girl. She nodded in agreement.<br/><strong>"They're paying off their own debt to me, and avenging their relative, who was murdered by members of her family",</strong>he explained.<strong>"Blood vengeance is a code they live by..."<br/>"It's the code",</strong>the girl spoke evenly.<br/><strong>"No, sis. The code is much more varied",</strong>the young man said with a sigh.<strong>"There's hospitality, forgiveness, honesty, and so much more...sometimes I have a feeling you're forgetting those."<br/>"And yet, blood is only washed by blood, and that's the code",</strong>she replied evenly.<strong>"Or enslavement could also do. Out of respect for our benefactor, it shall do it in her case as well. And it's better for her that way, after all."</strong>