In which ends of tethers are discovered…

Kira’s dark, lustful gaze ran hot over Atrocious, but Atrocious was rendered immune to its charms by a growing anger rooted in the realization that she had been very close to being sold like a pig.

“One moment please.” Atrocious held up a finger at Kira, turned on her heel and marched back towards the witch’s cottage with determination written all over her face. The warrior watched her go with something of a smirk, then followed at a distance.

Atrocious stormed through the forest, bounded over the garden fence and kicked the wooden cottage door open with enough force to shatter the lock. Without waiting to see if she was in trouble, she stepped inside the cottage fuming with barely controllable fury. “You.” She pointed a shaky finger at Ayla. “You were going to SELL me!”

She’d half feared that she’d walk in on Ayla fucking her latest guest, but she’d interrupted nothing but a scene of quiet domesticity. Ayla was in the middle of composing a letter, her quill dipped in a small bottle of ink as she sat at the table. Nami was curled up on the bed, apparently asleep. She barely moved when Atrocious stormed in. She opened one eye and, apparently deciding that the shouting and noise had nothing to do with her, shut it again.

“Not now,” Ayla waved Atrocious away, dismissing her anger out of hand.

“You are a devious, horrible woman,” Atrocious declared. “Why I outghta…” She did not finish her sentence, electing not to give Ayla warning. Instead she clutched her fingers into a fist and brought it crashing down into Ayla’s jaw. The witch went sprawling, knocking over the ink which cascaded up into the air in a fountain of black liquid and fell back to the table, spoiling everything it touched. Ayla’s chair tipped over and the witch herself crashed onto the floor, completely insensate. A loud screeching noise filled the air. Fearing she might be next for a knuckle sandwhich, Nami yowled at the scene unfolding before her, hissed at Atrocious and skedaddled out of the cottage with a curious four legged gait.

“Woah kitty,” Kira’s deep voice came from the garden as Nami sped by her in a panic. “Woah girl,” she echoed herself when she made it to the doorway and saw the scene inside the cottage. “Did you kill her?”

Atrocious stood over Ayla’s unconscious body, breathing heavily. “I don’t know.”

Kira knelt beside Ayla and pressed two fingers to the witch’s neck. “She’ll be fine,” she said. “Still has a pulse.” Her gaze flicked back up to Atrocious. “You’re lucky.”

“I’m lucky? She’s lucky. She tried to sell me,” Atrocious said, her pretty eyes still filled with rage as the warrior stood and turned to face her. “You asked me a question in the woods. You wanted to know why you shouldn’t just take me for your own,” she snarled up at Kira. “Here’s why. I’ll destroy you if you so much as lay a finger on me, that’s why.”

For a long moment, Kira searched Atrocious’ gaze, her own handsome face drawn and closed to scrutiny. Then she smiled with a warm grin that made her freckles get all close and snuggly with one another. She clapped Atrocious on the shoulder and gave her a piece of advice. “You might be angry, but saying things like that to the wrong person is likely to get you hacked to pieces, girl. I’ll let it slide this time, but mind yourself in the future.”

Turning away from Atrocious, Kira scooped Ayla up and deposited the witch gently on her own bed. She was very still, her face pale, her golden hair knocked loose from its bindings by the blow. In spite of the trauma she looked very beautiful indeed. Atrocious felt inexplicably guilty as she watched the warrior attend to Ayla with tender care, rousing her slowly back to the world of the living with some salts that she took from one of her many pockets.

After a few minutes, Ayla groaned and slowly opened her eyes. “What happened?” She mumbled through a very swollen jaw.

“You got what you deserved for once, that’s what happened,’ Kira replied dryly, pressing Ayla back down onto the bed when she tried to rise up. “Stay still, you’re going to have a pretty bad headache.”