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Finn wasn't the best negotiator.

Even after going straight and getting a respectable job the city guard still looked at him funny. Several didn't actually believe he would stay with his brother for long and more looked at him like a feral beast than a mage's apprentice. He worked hard in the stables during the day, spent his afternoons studying as best he could, and went home absolutely spent. It was a different sort of exhaustion than what he'd faced on the streets, but Finn was mostly satisfied with it. It felt good to have a meal set for him, a steady roof over his head and to have a clean scalp.

Still, the peace never lasted for long. He'd been walking home from his lessons when something snatched his arm, wrenched it behind his back and slammed his face against the nearest wall. Finn felt his nose break with a hard crunch and the beast inside him cried out. He heard his staff clammer to the ground before another set of hands picked it up.

"Cough it up, Finn, we know you took it!"

"Took what?" It was hard to speak with his face pressed up against the stone and his broken nose giving his voice a thick warble. He managed to turn his head to the side, giving him a look at the Oban guards who harassed him.

"Like you don't know. Garva's missing some high quality tintural meat and we all know you'll take anything that isn't nailed down."

"I wasn't even in the market-!" He grunted as his arm was wrenched further up his back. Anymore pressure and it was going to pop out of socket or break.

"Search him; he's gotta have it somewhere if he hasn't eaten it already. Useless rat'll eat anything even if it's raw and rotten."

"Wassat?" One of the guards - the one who was searching Finn, not the one holding him pinned - paused long enough to look. "I don't see any respectable folk do you, Dairyn?"

"Nah. Only thing I see is a pest." He gave a sharp tug and Finn knew the moment his arm was pulled out of socket. When it happened he let out a string of curses so vile that even a sailor would weep and the guard just gave a laugh. Because of their laughter they failed to notice the smoke coming out of Finn's mouth with every curse. It was like little wisps of fire was budding up on his tongue in response to the pain and sheer rage boiling in his blood.

He was dwarfed by the larger Obans, but that didn't matter; as soon as he was free he would kill them.

"Listen, ma'am; if you're so keen on protectin' respectable folk them maybe you ought not be in this part of town. What say you go on home and forget what you saw? Not much need to tell the Captain about this."

Of course she would leave him; Finn didn't expect any less from Obans. He didn't have a clear view of her, but he could make out her skin and knew her to be one of their ilk. She would start out brave, even kind, then as soon as he snarled she'd back off.

The smirk started to shift into a scowl on Dairyn's face. For the time being Finn 'feigned' giving in by slouching forward onto the wall. That and the distraction caused the guard's hold to loosen which gave Finn an idea. A terrible idea, but...

Dairyn motioned with a nod of his head and the other guard started to get closer to her. He 'casually' put his hand on the hilt of his sword and gave it a good tap. "Mind your business. You're too pretty to scar up."

"Doesn't mean you can't bruise her. A few missing teeth might keep her quiet." Dairyn threatened. Just a little...more...there! When Dairyn's attention was completely taken by her, Finn whipped around like a keldari. First he bit the man on the arm, causing him to cry out with surprise and once he'd completely let go Finn used his good arm to send a spray of fire toward Dairyn.

"I'll cut you up so bad no one'll even recognize you." The rush of heat behind him might have drawn his full attention if it weren't for the knife in his thigh. He cried out and reached for the hilt, temporarily too stunned out of surprise to do much.

Dairyn faired little better. The fire burned his arm, but not so bad that he wouldn't heal. Still, it was enough now to bring the man to his knees and Finn might have finished the job if she hadn't been pushing for him to run.

Nodding, he started to move away, but instead dipped down to pick up his staff in his good hand. Having the dislocated arm hanging at his side while he ran felt like murder, but Finn didn't see another option. He made it as far as the intersection before stopping to look around, trying his best to figure out his next move. Or their next move.

It didn't take any convincing for Finn to follow her. As much as he genuinely didn't like Obans, she'd already helped him out of a bind and he wasn't in a position to forget that. Beyond that there was the obvious signs of hybridity, but that didn't mean much to him. Oban blood was as strong and proud as it was toxic; whatever it was in her that made those eyes green wouldn't be enough to fight the flame.

He just had to be careful.

When he thought they were far enough away to be 'safe' he turned toward her. "Why did you help me?"

Finn hadn't picked up much from his brother's stories from work, but he knew that a dislocated anything shouldn't be moved around as much as he had. He'd likely already weakened the area around it and from his own personal experiences getting it to go back in once the swelling had taken over would be worse than just getting it over with.

The yaeli took his chance to really look at her. He could pop the limb back into place himself, he'd done it before, but it was harder that way. Still, no matter how much Tacrith tried to civilize his brother Finn remained wary in a way that border lined feral. What if he got close and she stabbed him with another knife? I'll just melt her if she does. And she likely knew that.

So...Finn relented. He leaned his staff against the exterior of the closest building and came closer. His right shoulder drooped, the arm hanging at an odd angle, but he didn't so much as touch it. "Wouldn't do any good. As soon as they find out it's me that reported them I'd just get brought in anyway. The city guard isn't very fond of me."

Finn gave a small nod. "I worked in The Pit for a long time after coming to this country. A lot of guards lost money when I won." Her reaction to his former workplace would tell him a lot. The Pit was infamous in Sulburi's underground as an illegal fighting ring where magic was absolutely prohibited. It was raw strength which meant that Finn had been at a major disadvantage from day one. Still, he was here so that meant something.

"Just get it over with." Sharp words aside, Finn angled himself to make it easier for her to have access and waited. His heartrate sped up in anticipation giving his limbs a little tremor especially once her hands found him. He was glad she didn't try to placate him further; if she had he might have found a reason to leave or pull back. Still, it didn't make it hurt any less and when she did it he had to bite down on the cloth of his forearm to keep from screaming a curse.

When he looked up she had already stepped back and Finn gave his shoulder a tentative shrug. It was still incredibly sore, but at least it wasn't moving the wrong ways now. "Thanks...for everything."

"Trust me; I'm not worried about blades." He reached up to tug at the collar of his tunic and showed a plethora of scars along his collarbone. There were many more he could show, but all Finn wanted to do was make something perfectly clear. He wasn't someone to be messed with, and obviously she wasn't either, so as long as they both behaved they would be fine.

"I wouldn't mind the escort, though. I've been trying to keep my head down, but they don't make it easy." He looked back toward the way they'd come with a grimace. "There's a clinic two blocks down; that's where I'm going." Tac wasn't going to be happy when he learned about Finn's adventure, but maybe this time it wouldn't lead to the city guard being on their doorstep.