The woman refused to take his hand, her mouth pinned in a flat, angry line. She slid off of the horse on her own, arms crossed over her chest. Her clothing was strange, not the type most women would wear. She wore a pair of men's breeches, altered to fit her body, and a man's shirt as well, also altered, and was not wearing a skirt, nor a corset.
The Golden Hunter rolled his eyes before turning back to the two men. "We are going to buy a room. You are going to move out of the way, or you are going to get hurt."
"I'd like to see you try to move us," the man called Bunny sneered.
"If you say so." The Golden Hunter turned to his horse, voice no longer calm and friendly. "I haven't been here long enough. It seems like you've forgotten who is the most powerful here. I need to change that." He suddenly whipped toward them, moving almost faster than the eye could see, and threw three daggers, one after the other, at the two men. Two of the daggers stabbed into Bunny's shirt and pinned him to the wall of the inn, while the third landed centimeters from his head.
He turned back to the woman. "Come, my lady." He turned to the stable boy. "Take care of my horse." He grabbed the bags from the horse and started into the tavern.
Arin's eyes narrowed a little bit, and she clenched her jaw slightly as she followed him inside. What other choice did she have? She knew she couldn't run away, so all she could do was follow.
"I was amazing, wasn't I?" Kade asked, an amused smile curling his lips. "I'm super amazing." He hadn't been to the town in a while, and they had forgotten who was in charge.
She rolled her eyes slightly. "Conceited, more like." She replied. "And proud. And narcissistic. And an asshole." She glared at him through narrowed eyes, shaking her head a little bit.
"Those are some of my qualities, yes," he conceded, "but you forgot amazing, powerful, a genius, clever, and incredibly attractive, too." He counted them off on his fingers as he said them.
She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Narcissistic." she said. "Those others are just your demented mind's imagination."
"My imagination is perfectly fine, thank you," he mock sniffed. "Anyway, we should get a room. Do you prefer a seperate bed, or would you like to share one? Body heat and all." He wiggled his eyebrows.
"No, your imagination is overblown." she retorted, then glared at him at the suggestion. "Separate beds, asshole. If you want someone to share body heat with, I'm sure there are plenty of women you can pay for that. Or men, if you prefer that."
“I could make do with either,” Kade mused, pretending to consider the possibility. “Although there are few women in this town, and the smugglers here all hate me. So I guess I’ll have to go lonely tonight. What a shame.”
"Oh, poor you." she mocked, crossing her arms and not lightening her glare. "You'll have to sleep all alone."
“I know!” He said dramatically, flinging his hands in the air. “I can’t stand it! How will I ever survive?” He smirked at her as he opened the door to the tavern. “Keep quiet and submissive. You already stand out enough as it is, being a girl, but if you make yourself more noticeable, there will be trouble later on.”
She frowned a little bit. "That sounds like the opposite of me." she growled under her breath, crossing her arms again. She had no idea how she was supposed to be less noticeable, being a girl dressed in men's clothing, but she supposed she'd be quiet. For now.
"Good girl."
Kade walked into the tavern, his entire posture and attitude conveying respect and fear. He smirked at several men, who glared back at him, but did nothing. The entire room was silent, watching the two as they entered. Walking over to the bar, Kade threw a few gold coins on the counter. "I need a room. Two seperate beds. One of your best."
The bartender/inkeeper, a greasy man who looked like he was missing many good meals, smiled. "Of course, young master. For you and your… companion." His gaze slid over to Arin, and he leered at her, showing several missing teeth.
Arin's fists clenched at the way the man was looking at her, and she lifted her chin a little bit, but remained quiet. She hated the way some of these men were watching her.
Kade sent her a warning look, but did nothing else. "Yes. For both of us." He leaned forward, over the counter. He spoke quietly, but with the silent room, his words, dark and dangerous, were heard throughout the tavern, by every single person. "And if anyone, anyone comes into my rooms, or treats this young lady rudely, or does anything that she does not like, they will pay. I will give you to her, to do what she wants with you, and then I will pick up what is left of you and burn it. Got it?" He smiled. "Good. Now, my room, please."
After he had spoken, the men in the room looked at Arin with new interest, and was it fright in their eyes? Nothing spoke to these men more than strength, and if the strongest among them said she was someone to look out for, then they would have to be wary.
Arin narrowed her eyes just a little bit at Kade's words, not sure why he was saying this. It seemed laughable to her that he might be doing this to protect her, but then again…then again, he was supposed to be bringing her back to the "king", the usurper, and Jacos wouldn't want spoiled goods.
They were led up a dirty, creaking staircase. The entire place smelled, and was dim and dirty. It wasn't a well-kept place. The barkeeper stopped in front of a door, bowing. "Sir," he said greasily.
Kade ignored him and shoved the door open. The room wasn't very clean, but there were two beds, and a chest in the corner, and a small, curtained off area. "That's the place to relieve yourself," the bartender said. Kade grimaced. It smelled terrible.
Arin made a slight face, but otherwise didn't react to the smell. Once the bartender was gone, she went to the window and opened it to try and get some fresh air.
"We need candles or flowers or something that smells better in here." He grimaced and made a face. "Honestly, I don't see how this is one of the best rooms. I shudder to see the other rooms if that's the case."
She shrugged a little bit. "Well. I guess we'll see." she replied, looking around the room, lips pinched in a thin line, disgusted by the smell.
He shook his head. "Well, I'm off to do business. You can come, if you want, or stay here in this smelly room, or try to escape and fail. Your choice."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Obviously I'm not staying in this disgusting place." she retorted, shaking her head at him.
"Well, you can try to escape, or you can follow me. Your choice." Kade tossed his bags on the bed, rifling through them to find his gear.
She sighed softly. Trying to escape would be good, but…but. She didn't know how to manage that. How to far away before he could find her.