Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree

It was on the low end of what he generally accepted for his work, but it was clear that Ash was -- somehow -- unfamiliar with Pratik's reputation, and he'd rather take a slight pay cut than have to repeat this process all over again with Loquitur.

"That's acceptable." Pratik inclined his head, thankful, yet again, that he didn't have to haggle pointlessly to get a fair price for his services. If it ended up being more trouble than it was worth for that price, he could always re-negotiate later, after he'd proven his worth. "If I leave soon -- and if my horse was properly cared for after he was taken from me last night -- I can get to the reeve's territory by tonight."

He glanced at Sera briefly, but she didn't seem overwhelmed. It was always so hard to tell whether men wanted to discuss business in the presence of women or not. But, surely Ash had expected to talk business when he'd brought her along to breakfast. Pratik looked back at his host.

"I assume each pod will have a commander and an assistant commander. Depending on the weather and how quickly I can make the trip today, I should be able to take out both of the officers in at least four of the pods, possibly up to all six that are currently stationed, and then get to the township to warn the reeve of the incoming attack."

Pratik glanced down at his plate again, but thought better of eating just then.

"It will take the men time to reorganize themselves once their commanders are no longer present to give them orders on when and how to strike, which should give your man an advantage -- as well as the forewarning that I'll take to him. There's not really anything I can do about the four pods that will be advancing tomorrow, but I presume the Reeve will have an adequate number of men to defend himself?"

Pratik didn't wait for an answer.

"And then I will stay in the township until I have enough information to let you know how it all went." He picked up one of the berries and rolled it between his fingers, eyes locked with Ash. "And that will be all. I don't fight in bloodbaths, and have no intention of stepping in once the southern troops get there and the battle begins. My skills are in discretion, not carnage."

"As are mine." Not entirely a truth, but Gaius wasn't picky about that kind of thing. He set down his fork and leaned forward slightly, looking Pratik in the eyes. "I expect updates as often as possible," he said. "Is there anything else you require for this?" He was going out on a limb, he knew that. Hiring a mercenary wasn't usually his first choice, but from the sound of it this man was competent and liable to switch sides at the drop of a hat. Gaius needed Pratik on his side, and there was no doubt the mercenary would look to Tomhas if his services were rejected here. This was a safeguard, and that was all.

"Rations," Pratik responded, maintaining eye contact. "I'm nearly out of food and my water skins need to be refilled. As well as a letter instructing your reeve to house and feed me once I'm there."

Pratik hesitated thinking through what all he would need. It was a simple enough task, slipping into a camp while most everyone would be asleep -- slitting two throats -- and slipping out again. But, there was always the possibility of the soldiers rousing and him having to fight while outnumbered. And he might need to repeat it six times. So, may as well be as well-equipped as possible.

"I'll also take my clappers, for both pieces of information I gave you last night, and half of the services from today. You may pay me the rest once I finish the job and return here." Pratik popped the berry in his mouth and sat back. "Besides that, all I want are two additional belts of throwing knives. I already have everything else that I'll need."

"All of that can be easily arranged." Gaius also leaned back, pushing his plate away. Sera never took her gaze from her food, but she delivered a nasty little prod to his side, and he grimaced visibly, pulling it back toward him. "From where do you hail, Master Chrenko?"

Pratik silently watched the interaction between them, but didn't comment, and looked down at his plate as if he hadn't seen it at all. So, Ash had a habit of eating little, did he?

Pratik slowly chewed his bite of fish as Ash finally asked the inevitable question. One of the questions that he loathed most of all, and yet, was asked most frequently.

"I never stay in one place for long," Pratik answered, skirting the question. People always seemed to think that they could get some sort of reading on him if only he would tell them what village he was born in. "I consider my home to be on the back of my horse, wherever he might find himself."

"I didn't ask where you live," Gaius pointed out. "Nor did I ask about where your home was. I asked where you were from." He hated eating in front of guests; he hated eating in general, but in front of guests it was worse. Especially when those guests were potential enemies. Tomhas, thankfully, already know about that particular issue so that piece of information was useless to Pratik unless he took it elsewhere, in which case Gaius would simply find out who he took it to and dispatch them or smooth it over.
Sera hadn't meant to poke him hard, he was sure. She was usually careful about that in front of visitors, but that had been a serious misstep.

Pratik was silent another moment, torn between being glad for Ash's persistence and annoyed by it. On the one hand, it was nice to be reassured, yet again, that he wasn't employed by a fool. On the other, it was nice when his nonanswers were accepted.

"The East," he answered, deciding to tell the truth. It hardly hurt to tell Ash that much. He was nearly certain that no one in any of the villages he'd been passed around in would remember him -- a little street urchin that ran his mouth too much -- nearly two decades later. Plus, he spent most of his time in the South, now. "In one of those little nothing-villages that gets passed back and forth between Lords so frequently that it seems to be owned by everyone and no one at all, all at once."

"A war-torn Realm producing a mercenary," Gaius mused. "Quite poetic. I have a few investments down that way, but I'm afraid I never took the time to become completely fluent in the language." He cut off a much larger sliver of fish this time and ate it, chewing rapidly. His throat constricted slightly but he managed to choke this one down.
"Tell me," he said when he swallowed, "how you came to enter this line of work."

Pratik's cheek twitched slightly. It was hardly his fault where he'd been born. And, it wasn't like boys with a stable, loving home chose to go into such violent career paths. Maybe in another lifetime he'd been a baker or a merchant. But that's not what fate had for him this time around.

His earliest memories were working for a cruel barkeep who reminded him daily that he was an orphan and that he should be grateful that he had a place to sleep at all, even if that place was in the stables. He shouted a lot and hit him some, but, all in all, he'd been too young to really remember much about him. He couldn't even remember the man's name.

The earliest truly clear memory was when the village first got sieged -- when he was seven -- and the new reeve decided to shuffle villagers to ensure there'd be no rebellion. They'd even shuffled children between villages and households so that parents wouldn't be tempted to flee.

Of course, he doubted the barkeeper even remembered him. Which was just as well. Pratik found that he had a great aptitude for theft, and it wasn't so hard to keep himself alive on apples and rolls: quick, witty, bratty.

Then, when he was eight, a new village. When he was nine, a new township -- and entirely new way of having to about things. Actually having to think about where would be safe to sleep. Running from soldiers when he was caught stealing, rather than simply being chased by angry merchants. But it seemed like each time he was uprooted, he found himself more comfortable with not having roots anywhere at all.

"When I was eleven, I caught a soldier raping a girl who looked no older than I was myself. I killed him." Pratik smirked mirthlessly. "And so began my life on the run."

(Note: While I'm not sure about much in the Eastern Realm, I do know their government is set up differently from the Northern Realm. No Reeves or Counts, for sure)

Sera twitched slightly. Gaius's eyes flicked toward her for a split second, then went back to Pratik. "An honorable thing to do," he said gravely. "War isn't pretty to begin with, but I've never understood why libido should factor into raids at all. Citizens are still people; they have every right to have their dignity preserved. War is meant to be fought on a battlefield between the sides that started it, not brought upon their unfortunate subjects."
That being said, Gaius was not above setting aside those citizens' rights to win this war. If a few villages needed to be burned or slaughtered to get Tomhas to back down, he would do it. Tomhas was a clever, stubborn man, but his heart was too big for his own good.

(ahh, okay, I wasn't sure so I decided to wing it xD)

Pratik caught a glimpse of interaction between the two at his words, but he didn't have time to consider what it meant before Ash began speaking again. He found himself strangely tense as he waited to hear what the reaction would be. He didn't frequently tell the truth when it came to his past. He had as many names and backstories as any other mercenary did. But Ash seemed to be smart, so there was no point in risking his trust by telling needless falsehoods. For all he knew, Ash had already sent people to verify Pratik's identity and reputation.

He was a bit surprised when he found himself in full agreement with Ash. War wasn't meant to spill over to peasants. He'd seen too many mothers wailing as their children were snatched from them -- spent too many cold nights alone on the streets of a township he didn't know how to navigate.

"I agree," Pratik answered. It was becoming increasingly apparent that the lord wasn't interested in a second helping, so Pratik served himself a bit more to satiate the hollowness in his stomach. "I don't like when people bully people who are weaker than them, for no reason other than the fact that they can."

Pratik had a fleeting moment of stark clarity as he sat across from Ash. Usually, he viewed himself as equal to any other person he met. He was no better than the cripple begging on a street corner, and he was no worse than any king. A man that was to be respected, and who would give respect to those he met.

Discussions like these were a swift reminder that they had the power to uproot peoples' lives if they wanted to -- and he was a weapon that could be rented until enough people had died to suit his employer. And that he needed to not insult noblemen when he was speaking to a nobleman.

"War is sometimes an unfortunate necessity," Pratik said. "Abuse and rape never are. Those are choices made by cruel men, and are not something I can -- or will ever -- abide."

Gaius nodded fervently. "The weak always rise up in the end and their oppressors are sorry for it every time. I see to it my men are the cream of the crop, but even so some slip by me." He fidgeted with his fork thoughtfully. "There was one man a few years ago who raped a widow. I didn't find out until she discovered she was pregnant and went to the reeve for recompense. He didn't wish to punish one of my officers, so he wrote directly to me to seek guidance." Gaius smiled grimly. "I came to the village and asked the widow what she would have me do with the perpetrator. He's no longer equipped to do anyone any sort of harm. She's a creative woman." The last he had seen of the sergeant, he'd been spitting blood as one of Gaius's captains tossed his tongue next to the rest of him.
Gaius would have liked to do the same to his cousin, honestly, but that problem had been time-sensitive.
"You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders," he said after a moment. "I think I'll look forward to working with you, Master Chrenko."

Pratik smirked. He would forever find a grim satisfaction in hearing of rapists who got exactly what they deserved. He sobered as Ash continued.

"And I you, Lord Ash." Pratik inclined his head, thankful he could say that honestly. He'd never feel comfortable when he was around a man who'd hire a mercenary -- he knew as well as the next man that he was just as likely to end up with a knife in his own back as he was to be hired to stick one in someone else's back -- but he felt a certain measure of relief in verifying that this man seemed to still be in possession of his humanity. "It seems that we are agreed in all the matters that are particularly important to me. I'm glad to see it."

Gaius nodded, glancing down at his plate. "We will find you a room in the barracks. I apologize for not being hospitable enough to let you into my home; one cannot be too careful. I'm sure you understand." He took a final bite; he couldn't do anymore. The berries sat untouched beside the fish.
"I must tend to other matters now, but you will be shown to a more accommodating chamber and be given what you need for this current job." Gaius rose, and Sera rose with him, giving his plate a critical look.

"Of course." Pratik respectfully stood. The guards tensed. Pratik glanced at them before looking back at Ash and bowing slightly. "Thank you."

Pratik didn't blame him. In fact, this was yet another mark in Ash's favor. He shouldn't let Pratik into his home -- Pratik certainly wouldn't, if the positions were reversed. You'd have to be a complete fool to welcome a mercenary into your home. He doubted Ash planned to let Pratik anywhere close to his spymasters or his family.

"May I ask how long this will continue?" Pratik sent a pointed glance towards the guards who were both still on high-alert. "I, of course, understand the precaution when I'm with your lordship, but I must admit, I'm beginning to feel a bit babysat."