Bountiful Hunting

In which Raphael the Bounty Hunter finds Rioko the thief! This is an OOC story. The person who runs Rioko wanted something bad to happen to her, thus this resulted! Enjoy! :D

The village had no name, or at least no name discernible by civilized tongues. The sign post out front had only an odd scrawling of markings to identify it. Located in the heart of the swamp most of the buildings were shanty structures. The villagers themselves were a mix of rats and lizards and other swamp fairing beasts with the occasional toad and frog.

In the middle of the village, along the green moss filled river, there was a set of docks and a makeshift village square. A bar had been set up here and the grungy looking beasts that ran it catered to the tables left out in the open in the square.

Kicking her feet onto a table the vixen leans back in her stool, resting her back against the bounty board behind her. Above Rioko a wanted poster with her face hangs, although after a few weeks of swamp food she is starting to look decidedly more pear shaped these days.

Picking her teeth clean with a toothpick the fox rubs at her swollen stomach and sighs in great contentment

Someone who is not like the rest of the local swamp residents saunters his way towards the bar, his machete swinging at his side. Raphael the ferret bounty hunter has arrived. Despite the humid heat of the swamp, he wears a long black coat and an otter fur scarf around his neck. A blood encrusted bandanna is tied tightly around his upper right arm and a second bandanna covers his left eye. His steel tipped boots click ominously across the dock as he makes his way to a table and slumps down into a seat, calling out in a rough voice, "Oy, waiter!"

A green scaled beasty lizard dressed in a soiled apron pokes his head out the of the kitchen behind the bar. The lizard seems to be carrying a bottle of wine. "Give me a moment." The lizard weaves his way around the bar with a limp to his gait. He moves away from the bar to the table the pleasantly plump vixen is at, refilling her wooden mug before returning to the bar. "Sup mate. What kin I do fer ya?"

Raphael's eye follows the lizard unblinkingly until, that is, he catches sight of Rioko and the dear little poster behind her. As the lizard makes his way towards him, Raphael keeps his eye trained on the fox and once the lizard is close enough to hear him he mutters, "Oy, who's the vixen? 'As she been here awhile?" For the moment, a drink is forgotten.

The lizard seems to pause, then looks over at the vixen with a wide toothed smile, "Dat would bea Rioko. She strolled in he-are a few weeks ago." The vixen behind them lets out a belch as she drinks her wine. She was a grey fox with an orange underbelly. Her clothing, if it could be called that, consisted of tan cloth wrappings around her chest and a leather sash about her waist. "She came in from some city somewheres, tips nice but runs up a tab, I can tell you that!" The lizard then gives the ferret a coy look, "Why you be askin?"

Raphael contemplatively rubs his chin, "Ach, don't you worry 'bout that, scaley." He pushes his chair away from the table, "And I'll take an ale." With that he stands and starts to walk towards Rioko's table, the clicking of his boots lend warning to his approach. All the while he keeps his eye locked on the fox and her poster. The only thing to stop his stoic walk is when he runs into another table and curses quietly, holding his hip in pain. The rest of the walk is more of a shuffling limp, but he gets there eventually, "Oy, so I 'ear from scaley that you're runnin' up quite a tab around these parts. That's dangerous business, you know." He winces internally. Is that was bounty hunters are supposed to say to possible targets? Ah, blast, it is now.

The vixen was drifting into a deep nap when the ferret crashes into the table. She raises an eyebrow as he staggers along. When he get's close Rioko flicks the toothpick away from herself. "I imagine it is." She replies with a smile. "People here are kind, after a fashion. Old scaley over yonder made it very clear that he was okay in letting me run up the tab, provided he can eat me afterward if I don't pay up eventually." The fox laughs, kicking her feet off the table she leans forward with a smile on her snout. Resting her head on both paws with her elbows on the table the fox says, "I still can't tell if he was joking. How can I help you Mr...?"

"Raphael" The ferret grunts as he flops down into the chair across from the vixen, "And you're Riosomethin', if scales is a reputable source. Listen, I'm just going to cut to the chase. You have a self portrait right behind you and it's kind of hard to avoid seeing. I happen to be a beast who can help you." He coughs innocently into his paw. Yes, he'll help her. Help her into jail!

The fox glances behind her at the poster, 'Wanted: Rioko Grey Fox. Wanted for Murder, Larson, Jaywalking.' The reward for her hide was high, the reward for just her hide was higher. "Ah, yes...I always hate those things. They never do the eyes right." The fox laughs, if a bit nervously. Resting her paws on the table the fox replies, "I came down here waiting for a beast to smuggle me out to greener pastures...he...well, he got taken by the tribe of feral shrews in the area and was never heard from again." Rioko leans backward, tail brushing against the halberd resting against the bounty board. The long pole arm was made just for her shorter stature, with a curved blade at the end. "And prey tell how are you going to help a beast like me? Better question is why?"

Raphael stretches and cracks his knuckles behind his head, "What'd you say if /I/ offered to take you to those greener pastures? I have a few connections here an' there. I could get you as far as Redwall, in return for for a free sword.” He pauses as he notices the fox’s choice of weapon, “Or whatever that is, in this case. You see, I’m a….” He stops, suddenly realizing he never fleshed out his story. He panics for a moment, then blurts, “Traveling singer.” Yeah, that’s right. A singer. “The roads are dangerous these days and to tell you the truth,” He leans over the table and whispers, “I don’t know how to fight. This machete.” He gestures to his hip, “It’s useless in my paws! And this eyepatch.” He peels back the cloth over his left eye, revealing a perfectly fine eyeball, “Completely fake. I only do this to keep bandit’s away. So whadda you say? Will you help someone in need?”

The fox bites at her lip, looking the fearsome 'singer' up and down. Who was this odd ferret? Really? Did he have an angle? Was he really crazy enough to hire a known criminal as a bodyguard? And was he really asking for her halberd? Her precious halberd? A weapon was more than just a club to beat off bandits. That was an extension of your arm, an extension of your very essence. It was a part of your life.

"It's called a halberd honey, and you don't get one until after you get me out of this dump." Rioko stands up, offering to shake his paw, "But you got yourself a deal Raphael." She glances over the ferret once again, "Now pray tell WHY a traveling singer needs protection? And where you planning to go?"

Raphael lets out a quiet sigh of relief as he grabs the vixen's paw in a firm hand shake, "Oy, tis good to be workin' with you, Riosomethin-or-other!" He stands as well, "I was thinkin' we'd head south, though we'll 'ave to be careful 'bout which places we stop for your sake. Speakin' of which, wherea'bouts /should/ we avoid, given your rather shady activities?" As tactfully as he can he skips over the questions of why he needs protection. Now to figure out who he needs to take the vixen to in order to get paid!

"South?" The fox rubs at her chin, "I stole some food from traveling merchants down south, but not too many of the tribes would know me. They are too small to have anything worth robbing." The fox nods her head to the side, "Well, that's not quite true. See, I stole some gold from this warlord to the west. He wants my hide in the most literal sense of the word. Big horde down south, mostly rats and swamp critters. Oh well, they are not important so long as we stay FAR away from them." She was actually starting to feel a little relieved. She could finally leave these swamps. Then afterward stab the ferret and pay him nothing. All was working out after all!

The thoughts are mutual, though in the Raphael's case they're visa versa, "West you say? Righto, we won't go west." At least not right away. First he'll have to put on the act of getting lost and hopefully disorient the vixen, /then/ head west, "When'll you be ready to go? I'm happy to head out by evenin' today, iffin you have things you need to gather up." He grins, the very picture of accommodation

The fox grins widely as she leans closer to whisper, "I don't actually have any money to pay any of the people I owe it to here...so...the sooner the better, yah?" Still smiling The fox moves away from the table, she waves to the bar keep. "Hey! Buddy! I found a job! I'll get your money by tomorrow, m'kay?" The lizard gives her a thumbs up sign then returns to work. The fox gives the ferret a thumbs up sign, "Anytime...like NOW."

Raphael grins conspiratorially and steps away from the table, "Now works quite well for me." He starts to head towards the exit of the town, not realizing he never actually got his ale. Which is unfortunate, judging by how badly he's going to need a drink after all this is over.

Thanks for reading!