Figuring out a plan

I wake up late, the past few nights of sleeping rough while in imminent danger having taken it out of me but I'm thankful for this night of more comfort and safety than I really deserved. "Quinara?" I say aloud, I get no response likely she had already left for whatever business she had to attend to. Now with the space to myself I pull out my map and begin working out what routes I should take and where exactly I should even go.

It's not long into my planning when I hear the sound of heavy footsteps ascending the stairs, my heart skips a beat "this is early. Surely this isn't Quinara" I think panicking, what someone saw us last night and waited till she left. In a frenzy I scan the room for something I could use to defend myself, Quinara had left her war hammer but there was no way I could lift that. As the footsteps get ever closer I realise I had to try, I rush to it grabbing the handle firmly and putting all my strength into lifting it, the war hammer barely budges.

Quinara enters the room "contact was a no show and the job is dead in the wate-" she freezes as she sees a very panicked me trying to lift her war hammer. I would breath a sigh of relief but I am reminded she told me not to touch her stuff, so I can't rest easy, I study her shocked expression looking for any sign of rage. "hurk hurk" she lets out a guttural chuckle before breaking into a laugh, doubling over "did you seriously think, hahahaa" she says unable to even get her point across because she's laughing too hard at my attempt to lift her weapon. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon, I needed to defend myself" I shamefully whimper explaining my thought process, this causes her to laugh even harder "gods... I'm amazed you even made it this far" she says her breath heaving from laughing.

Once Quinara had gotten her laughter under control, I inquire as to why she was back so soon "you said about a contact?" Quinara grunts "mercenary work, some high roller had a few people who hadn't paid up money he won fair and square so I was set to give them a visit but the guy ghosted apparently one of the guys who owed him threatened him and he skipped town", she slumps into a chair "this is what I get for not asking for money up front." My ears prick at hearing she was both a mercenary and out of work, "you looking for work?" Instantly she knows where I'm going "oh no, fuck no. No offense but you're basically useless it would be like guarding a child, I'd have to babysit you constantly. I would need a lot and I mean A LOT of money to even consider it, and that's money you don't have runt" She says unaware that I had lied to her last night. I open my bag and kick it over allowing a plethora of shiny gold coins to spill onto the floor "would this be enough to make you consider it?"

Her eyes go wide as saucers as she takes in the spill of gold coins, not coppers or silvers, all gold coins there was more on the floor than she got paid for her last 2 jobs combined and assuming that my bag contained more this was a serious payday for her. "I thought you said you didn't have any money Runt" she says in disbelief, "yeah well it's not a good idea to let just anyone know about this". My heart is in my throat, if she wanted to she could easily take this money after all what could I do to stop her, I was putting my faith in an orcs morals to not screw me over for her benefit.

"Ok you've got my attention runt let me hear this plan of yours" she says, I nod in approval pull my map out. "So I was thinking of going south, the elven kingdoms, probably holding up in Demeria or another elven city. There I'm outside of Lord Baxter's legal reach and I should be safe from bounty hunters" I say giving her my plan. Quinara scoffs "what makes you think you'd be safe there?" "Well the elves aren't beholden to demands from human lords so-" "and you think the elves would what protect you if your lord comes knocking, they wouldn't dare risk war for one human" She says cutting me off. As much as I hated to admit it she had a fair point, there wasn't much reason for the elves to protect me if it came to it, "ok so do you have a better plan?" I ask curious to hear what her plan for my safety was, "Avoid big cities, you want to start a new life in a small town. You will avoid more bounty hunters that way and you need to be somewhere they wouldn't want to visit, what about here?" She says pointing at the south east of the map to the mountain-lands controlled by Orcs, "b-but that's Orc territory!" I stammer, "yeah your human lord wouldn't dare set foot there" she says, "yeah that's because orcs are savage monst..." I begin parroting the lessons I had been taught about orcs before realising the company I was currently keeping. "I-I'm sorry I didn't mean t-" "finish the sentence orcs are savage what?" She says cutting off my apology her yellow eyes glaring at me "I didn't" "FINISH. THE. SENTENCE." I crumble under her gaze "orcs are savage monsters" I squeak, "that's what I thought. That's what you think of me runt?" Her gaze unwavering "n-no" "oh so I guess you're talking about some other orc then huh, how many orcs do you know?" I consider lying but in my state I knew she would figure me out "j-just you". "So if you don't know any other orcs then I guess you mean me" she snaps, "I didn't mean you" I whimper, "leave. I don't want to see you again" she states leaving no room for argument.

I quickly grab my bag yanking it up, stuffing all my things back into it, well all my things except for the coins that spilled on the floor. "You still got coins to pack runt" she says dismissively at me seeing me not pick up the coins, "k-keep em, as payment for the room" I say as I finish gathering my things. Now if a tavern charged that many coins for a room it would be outright robbery and no self respecting person would pay that but I felt that I owed her she had saved my life and given me a room, plus I didn't anticipate I would live to spend all my coins without her help anyway.