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Mishka regarded Fuji thoughtfully. It was readily, and abundantly, apparent by now that this man was, for whatever reason, concerned for Havala's well being, at least physically. A perfectionist even, it seemed. He liked that. He felt better about her coming here without him. A man that was concerned with appearances to such a degree wouldn't be inclined to damage her. He also found the man's 'compassion' convenient, a rather useful tool. "I couldn't tell you, but if you don't pay her, she'll have more than one little bruise to worry about." He said, nonchalant. The man struck him as a little possessive too though. That could work to Mishka's advantage, if he was careful, but it could turn into a problem too. "I tell you what, let's forget how insanely long her visits are. You can pay per night, and for a little extra you can keep her the rest of the day to... learn about plants." He said unable to keep a small amount of disdain from his voice. Learn about plants? What the hell was that all about? He suspected some sort of drug use, but he wasn't going to say anything. The man was enough trouble as is, why open that door too? He could tackle the problem later. In the meantime, she was already late getting home, the best thing was to make it look like an extended engagement. "I'll come by to collect her later, no harm done."

Big Cat

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Fuji made no movement, his eye color didnt change, and he waited. When the man didnt ask anymore questions he leaned back in his chair and gestured to the man. "The ball is in your court. I'm waiting for your question good sir." He wasn't going to be used, and he certainly wasn't going to pay too keep being friends with her. So far, in his head, this was going about how he thought it would. Already he had information he hadnt before. Havala had said she had simply hurt herself, but when he had asked who hurt her, the man said he could not reveal the name.

He wondered how much this Mishka knew about what happened here between them, and if he knew anything at all about Fujiwara's plans.
Mishka rolled his eyes. Questions questions! He was becoming impatient with all of this. And what was with the title? 'Good sir'? Really? He looked away, schooling his face into an expression of cold impatience to cover how uncomfortable it made him to be called something like that. "I don't care what you did with her, I don't care what you want with her. All I am interested in is returning her in one piece, with what's due. Coming with me is the easy way, not the only way. If I return empty handed, you should go say goodbye to your pretty bit of entertainment because she will simply be pluck from where ever you have her squirreled away and there's nothing you can do about it. If you let that happen, you probably won't see her again because she won't be able to walk anymore. So just make everyone's life a little easier, and hand her over." This man was aggravating as hell! Why couldn't he just settle up and let her go already? Damn he was pain in the a**! He'd never had a more stubborn client to deal with. It was absolutely absurd. The fact was, as his words implied, he had no idea what did or didn't go on here, only that she was here. He'd had his assumptions but was prepared to discard them because the details weren't important to him. He had no knowledge of any plans or friendships or anything.

Big Cat

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Fujiwara gave a big, kittenish grin, the man was becoming irritated, he could almost smell it in the air. Plucked away? Not possible, his room was so heavily guarded by wards, that no magic-user could even think about disarming them without an alert being sent straight into his brain. If, by some miracle on their part, they did they would soon find themselves with someone else to deal with.

"I can see you must be on some kind of schedule. So instead of being the cocky, arrogant, a*****e I usually am with people I dont like, I am going to send you on your way with a little something to give to your... higher-up, as I assume you are just an in-between man. Dont ask questions and the like."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a moderate-sized, filled coin-purse. Setting it down in the middle of the table, the coins in question were not ones seen often these days. In fact, the gold was more pure, and the coins heavier by several grams. The conversion rate was simple, and nothing to sneeze at. one of these coins was worth nearly 10,000 gold. The bag held fifty.

"I have several mountains more of these coins. You take these back to your higher-up. You tell it Havala's not going anywhere until whoever this person is comes to me itself, and we make a deal. In other words, I want to buy her freedom from whoever rents her out, as you obviously do."

It was then that he simply couldnt take it anymore, and his eyes flashed scarlet. "Now I suggest you get the hell out of my bar." At this his bare arms and hands erupted with fur, his fingernails elongating into thick, dark claws, his hand becoming giant paws. "Before I shred you into ribbons and deliver you back myself."
Mishka kept up his appearances, his generally bad attitude and the glare that came with it, but once again his inner thoughts were much different. He was surprised by the way this was going, considering how it had started. He was shocked at the amount of gold suggested by the sound of it hitting the table alone, and downright confused and startled by the words that followed. He eyed man, then the money, the man again as he turned things over in his mind. This was different. Very different. It changed things. This would take some careful handling but it just might be the best thing that had ever happened to him.

In a reflexive response to the sudden intensity and change, Mishka's own appearance changed. It was so similar it was ironic, as coarse brown fur erupted from his skin, his nails became curved, black claws, and his teeth began to lengthen into dangerous looking points. He stood, glaring with eyes gone black for just a moment before closing them and wrestling his inner bear back down. When he opened them again they were his usual hazel green and everything about him was back to normal. "Think of a good reason they will understand," he said expressionlessly. fighting the urge to say a whole lot more that the man didn't need to know right now. He took the bag then, turned and walked away thanking God things had ended when and how they had. He'd had clients refuse to pay before, but not like this. This was different. Maybe a good different.

Big Cat

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As he walked away the fur receded back into his skin, his paws returning to normal. He hadn't expected the man to change as well, but that was nothing he couldn't have handled, he figured. Taking his seat once more he looked back out the window, replaying the conversation in his head, noting the details of the face, and the body language of this Mishka. He was not all that he appeared, and he was rather in control of himself, though that only lasted about as long as he himself had.

It was reactionary.

The calm voice of Nekal whispered through the room a moment. He simply nodded, he had caused that reaction, a defensive one, this man assumed things were going to go bad, and he may have been trying for this exact scenario. none-the-less. If this was a trap, or some plan he was going a long with unknowingly, again he did not care. He was confident he would overcome it, one way or another.
Havala was up not long after. She wasn't one to sleep terribly long at any one point either, though certainly more than it seemed Fuji did. She got up, a little disoriented at first, and dressed quickly. Wrapping herself up in a throw she found on one of the couches - and hoping he wouldn't mind that she took it without asking - she headed quietly for the bar. She wasn't sure what to do with herself. She'd never stayed out in the community during day hours. She always had other things to do. It was a little surreal, but it was nice to see a friend first thing when she got up and she smiled a bit at the sight of him... though... he seemed a little off somehow. "Fuji?" she asked just a little hesitantly. She could see tension in him and it worried her. She hoped nothing bad had happened!

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His ears perked at his name, he had been so consumed in his own thoughts he hadn't heard her enter the room, nor had he noticed her scent as it wafted through. Turning his head to see her, he smiled, his eyes a lively green as they so often were. "Well now, you're up a little earlier than I expected! How did you sleep?" He figured he'd make her some breakfast and possibly some tea, unless she'd like something else. He absolutely didnt mind what she had lifted from his room to wear, and was going to suggest that if she were too find clothes to her liking, that she might fee free to wear them.
Havala stopped and blinked at him. She honestly couldn't say she'd ever heard that before. Was it something to apologize for? Maybe he'd wanted some more time alone... "I slept very well, thank you." she smiled as she thought of how amazingly comfortable his bed was, but then she looked down as she recalled the words that preceded her nap. "I was very bold to speak to you as I did. I only meant to... Please forgive me." she started to explain herself, that she'd meant to do something 'nice' for him, but he didn't want to hear excuses, she was sure, so she abandoned it to simply apologize. Who was to say he would be interested in her anyway? Maybe it was an insult just to think he would be. That was kind of a humiliating thought. She decided not to dwell on it.

She frowned slightly as she drew nearer and looked around as if expecting to see someone. But there was no one else around. She had thought she'd smelled something familiar, but maybe not. Maybe she was just imagining things. What could possibly be here that was at all familiar except as belonging here?

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As she apologized he shook his head before standing up and crossing the room to the bar. "Dont worry about it. Were from two different realms of living in a way. I have always done things for myself, so I dont mind doing them I get restless if I let others do everything." He smiled at her from across the bar now and set down a glass, filling it with his sweet raspberry lemonade before pulling down another glass. "Havala, I have a question for you. If, in a hypothetical sense, you were able to stay here without having to leave except for when you wanted to, would you?" it was a strange thing to ask he knew, and a strange way to phrase it, but he was not one to simply blurt out things like. 'if I could make it happen, would you stay with me?'
His answer was not at all what she was expecting and, in fact, confused her a little... until she remember the rest of the conversation. She just returned his smile as she joined him at the bar. Her smile slowly faded as she listened to his question. Like so much else since coming here, she didn't know what to make of it. Was this some sort of trick question? Did he want something from her? All he had to do was ask. "That is... a very nice idea," she said sadly, fidgeting with the edge of her blanket and staring down at the bar. It was a very nice idea indeed, if only it were even remotely likely to happen. "It's not possible, but even so, I would never want to be a burden. I think, if you'll pardon me saying, that it's best not to dwell on hopes that can't come true." she told him. To her surprise, she found herself fighting off tears that threatened to come and make a mess of things. Why did he have to suggest such a wonderful idea? It was heartbreaking to think about. "If there is anything you want, anything I can do for you, you need only ask. Whatever it is, it is gladly yours." she added, trying to smile again and being only half successful.

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He listened to what she had to say, nodded, and downed his drink. his eyes were a strange purple color when his head came back down with the glass. He gave her a sad smile, he supposed he should just say it, then. "What I want is a lot of things, one of which you just said could not be possible. I wish to teach you all that I can. I wish to travel, with you no less, and show you sights you have never seen. I wish for you too stay here, with me, and never have to worry about your... school." He sighed then and refilled his glass. "If you say it is not possible then I suppose the Mishka fellow who was just here was only humoring me when I told him I wanted to buy your freedom, and that I was plenty wealthy enough to do it."

Havala could scarcely believe her ears and it showed in the way she watched him as he spoke. Did he really want all that? There must be something else, it couldn't possibly be as simple... as oddly one sided as that. She didn't understand how any of this was supposed to benefit him even in the slightest, and smiled uncertainly. Again a part of her wondered if this were some sort of trick. Maybe he thought he had to entice her to something he wanted. "You are strangely kind," she said quietly, afraid to think that it just might be true just the way he said it, no catches. "Your generosity is... beyond my understanding," she admitted with an almost-laugh under her breath as she looked away again. It made her nervous that he wouldn't say what he was after even after she made it clear he could tell her. It wasn't that she would be less willing to give him what he wanted, it was just that she wasn't terribly fond of surprises.

Her head came up suddenly at the mention of the man from earlier. "Mishka was here?" she asked in shock and then took a step back, a hand to her mouth as she chewed one of her carefully manicured nails. He was here! He was here? How had he found her? She'd been so careful, or thought she had been. "You... you really told him that? What did he say about me?" she asked in a combination of disbelief and anxiety. What had Mishka told him? Oh she was mortified to think what Fuji might know about her now. Maybe that was why he wanted her to stay - to bring a little business here. It hadn't escaped her notice how few customers he had, though she couldn't imagine why. Then again, if he was as wealthy as he'd just said, he would have no need to use her that way. "Mishka does not jest, if he said he can do it, he can do it." She said then, allowing herself at least a small measure of hope.

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"A lot of people have told me that." He said in response when she had called him strangely kind. It was his nature though, after all the trouble he had caused over the years, even if he wasnt in control, he just wanted to use his knowledge, his power, to help the people. Still those purple eyes never wavered, and as she became nervous over this man he just shrugged. "He made threats, told me I owed for your services, which, admittedly, confused me. I sat him down, we talked, he got irritated and threatened that if I did not pay you would be spirited away and then i'd never see you...again." His last words paused as he looked to her, an almost mournful look on his face.

He sighed and drank another glass before continuing. "I am not one who easily opens himself to the world anymore. I have done that many a times, and it just ended in disaster. So, since I much rather you here. With me. I gave him a hefty lump sum of gold to be on his way, too tell his higher up that if it ever wanted to know peace from me, it better come here itself and negotiate and talk with me about buying your freedom." He scratched the back of his head nervously, as e had done so often in the past, his eyes changing to their normal green. "I never would have expected that it would be so complicated to have a woman stay here, in my tavern, and be free to do as she pleases. When she pleased. To-" he cut himself short and shook his head. What was he doing!? Was he about to ask her to really stay with him, as a couple?

He had been down that road several times and it always ended in blood and tears. He knew better damn it!
Fuji's answer to what he'd said was disappointingly -or perhaps mercifully- vague. 'Services,' she told herself, could mean a lot of things. She looked up at him, sure she had mistaken the sound of his voice and surer still that she was misinterpreting his expression when he related the latter part of Mishka's message. If only she knew what the colors meant. They were a lovely shade of purple at the moment but that didn't seem to mean anything pleasant right now. "They have a way of doing that," she said almost offhandedly. She didn't like to think about it. It was a very unpleasant experience that she'd had the misfortune of experiencing a few times and that was a few times too many, thank you very much. "I'm sorry he hassled you. I'll talk to him, it won't happen again." she promised. The way she spoke it almost sounded as though she was the one with the authority between the two of them, certainly she took responsibility anyway, and in spite of her obvious initial anxiety, she didn't seem afraid of him now. It was strange to say the least.

She smiled then, in spite of herself. She couldn't help it. He seemed to have a way to just make things seem better, to make her feel important somehow. "Then I am honored," she said with a curtsy, though it was somewhat less elegant being wrapped up in a blanket. She had no way of know just how much he had opened up to her, or even if he really had at all, but from where she was standing, he seemed to have flung the front door open and invited her in himself. With tea too. She had to cover her mouth to stifle the laughter that tried to accompany that unbidden little image and cleared her throat quietly as she recomposed herself before things got out of hand. She sighed as her smile became sad. "They will never come in person. It is best to work through Mishka. He is the only one of his kind. They won't kill him so easily when he speaks for you." She said, awash with guilt just for suggesting a way to accomplish this. It felt like she might as well be stealing from him herself. She looked away then as her guilt gave way to shame, "I don't mean to cause trouble," she murmured, "Please forgive me. I will see that you are repaid."

((Sorry for the delay))

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