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"Your brother?" Hedra asks Grace. "Then you have been passing the grain you stole from the wagon to him? Why so much, though?"

[OOC]@ Jen - did you intend for Carith to go out, or to walk to a position along the perimeter closest to the newcomer? [/OOC]

(OOC: The latter, but lets go with what we have, Callan can deal with it right?)

"He is traveling with me, yes." Carith responds quietly, one hand rests on the haft of her axe. "And you must be the Bandits I have heard so much about."

She makes no move to attack, her eyes briefly glance at Wolf lying on the ground, "Why do you want him?" She asks with a wicked glint in her eye.

[OOC] Well, he'll have to, won't he, if you're going out anyway?
But Callan would have stopped her immediately because:
A - Just like Hedra, you are putting yourself at risk and we do not have the resources to rescue you AND protect the caravan, so you'll have to get back in on your own
B - By going out there, you are giving up the advantage we might gain by bringing the enemy in close, away from his support.
C - A berserker might not be the ideal candidate for negotiating with a hostile stranger.

And I should have known not to trust Iggy to bag Grace's head. Next time I'll do it myself.
[/OOC]

(Ooc: Trust me!)

Wolf lays very still and does nothing that would draw attention to himself.

If he had to run, he wouldn't get very far. The headache and hunger had sapped his strength and being kicked had not helped.

Grace's sneer becomes almost feral as she spits her reply at Hedra, "You think it's just the two of us?" Malicious glee is evident in her eyes.

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The man and wolf stare at Carith, evidently waiting for her to make a move. When none is made he raises one hand to his shoulder and drops it in a forward motion as if beckoning someone forward. His face devoid of emotion, he takes a leap backward and draws a long, thin blade.

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"INCOMING!" Callan yells at the top of his lungs. Everyone dives for cover or raises makeshift shields as a volley of crude arrows streak through the air from the darkness beyond.

"No, but there should be a better way of getting food than to steal it from others who might then starve" Hedra says simply before taking cover. She keeps watching Grace, though, to make sure the young woman doesn't try to escape.

"If that is how you wish it." She takes a single step back, swinging the Dwaven axe is a wide arc, "You might have heard of me." She grins.

(Ooc: Overconfident anyone?)

"Frak this!" Callan growls. "Bastard doesn't know how to behave in a parley, then he's got a rude surprise coming.
Callan says, using his sergeant voice: "Inky, get your arse back in here, now! Chanter, bring the girl forward, but do NOT untie her."

Then, to the stranger: "Listen up, tall, dark and stupid: you want the girl, you make nice. And you have your men stand down. Otherwise, I have no problem taking a finger off her for every one of my people who get hurt, capisce?"

"You going to do what the Man says? Or do you want her in little pieces?" She grins, axe in hand. "He is unstable, whereas I am just itching to kick your butt." She looks at the fallen Wolf. "He is coming with me."

Hedra is loath to take orders, but so far, Callan has proven that he knows what he's doing. So she motions for Grace to stand up, takes her by one arm, and marches her over to Callan. "Seems you will be reunited with your brother, then. Out there thieving and starving, instead of a respectable life as a caravan helper" she tells her.

The man stands immobile, stonily staring at Carith. He seems to be working out the details of his plan, revising them, and scrapping them, only to start over again. Finally, he replies, "The girl is of no concern to me. Is this man a concern to you?" He points to tip of his blade at Wolf and immediately his canine companion wraps his jaws around the fallen man's throat. Wolf panics as he realizes what is taking place. For a moment, everyone holds their breath, only to realize that the wolf-dog has the mage in a choke hold. He will not bite down until his master instructs him to.

"Sorcerers are not a common thing these days, even novice ones such as this," he says glancing at Wolf "or even the girl you now hold. It would be a shame to lose talent such as they share."

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Grace complies with Hedra's movements, but shies away from Callan as much as possible. (Which is not easy to do when you are held in the grip of a Dwarf!) She fidgets with the hem of her apron and begins to wring her fingers awkwardly at the attention that is being given to her.

ooc: can Hedra and Grace hear what the man is saying, or is it for Carith's ears only?

[[OOC: All can hear]]