A tense atmosphere.

It seems you've chosen a bad time. The place is quiet, but not the good kind of quiet. There's an edge of danger in the atmosphere, and you feel eyes landing on you when you walk through the door, like you've intruded on something you shouldn't be involved in.

The first thing you notice is a tiefling woman in the center of the room, a short woman with a light build, bright red skin, yellow pupil-less eyes, and back length loose black hair. A pair of slightly asymmetrical dark red horns emerge from her skull, and a red devil's tail can be seen swishing behind her. She's wrapped up in studded leather armor with crossed curved scimitars over her back, leaving little to the imagination. A wide smile is a plastered on her face, highlighted by the glossy black lipstick she wears.

Standing barely a foot away from her is a built human man, fully a head and a half taller than the tiefling before him, wearing armor of shadowed plates under thick leather, hiding who knows how much weaponry under his coat. Around the perimeter of the room, a number of men and women of various races are positioned poised to strike, ready to jump into action at a moments notice. From their body language, you surmise they're with the human, preparing to act if the tiefling does anything out of line.

The leader turns to look at you for a moment, before turning back to the tiefling and speaking with a low, dangerous tone.

"This your merc, bitch? Think some uptown whore's gonna stop us from bringing you in?"

The tiefling looks at you around the shoulder of the man in front of her, and winks at you. You have no idea how to interpret whatever signal it is she's sending.

You're about five feet from the closest henchman. Close enough that taking direct action might be dangerous, if you're not careful. The atmosphere is on the verge of ****, but you think some smart words in the next few seconds might defuse the situation, if chosen carefully. Or at least, they might get you an edge.