On the road

We thankfully make it out of Bragar without issue, once on the road we head south following the main trail. I try to make conversation but get mostly dismissive answers if any at all, it was clear Quinara had no interest in making conversation so I quickly fall silent. We make good progress for our first full day and set up camp, "do you need any help with the fire?" I ask meekly as Quinara stacks the logs and tinder, "no." She replies curtly and quickly, we fall into to an uncomfortable silence "I'm really sorr-", "shut up runt." The uncomfortable silence returns, broken only by the crackling of an emerging campfire.

We eat in silence around the campfire for the most part, I ask a couple of questions getting one word answers only. I couldn't go on like this us not talking for an entire journey but I didn't have the guts to keep trying, I can only hope she decides to stop being mad at me at some point.

A week passes of the same treatment, Quinara completely closing herself off from me, and it was driving me insane. It finally comes to a head when we camp that night, I had tried to be apologetic, I had tried to gently coax her into conversation but none of that had worked it was clear I needed to get a reaction out of her. I steady my breath as she sets up the campfire, mentally pushing down all the fear every part of me was screaming that this was a bad idea that would get me killed just to try and get a conversation with an orc. "You know, I think I was right about you" I say my voice cracking as I said it out of fear, Quinara stops what she's doing and turns her head almost as if she wasn't sure she heard me correctly. I almost wither into silence at her gaze but against my better judgement I press on "I mean in the time I've known you all you've done is hurt people for your own financial gain" I state, now I didn't believe what I was saying deep down but I didn't need to believe it I needed her to believe it. "What did you just say?" She growls, "I said that I was right, Orc's are savage monsters or at least you are. All you have done is just for my gold and you don't care about who you hurt ACCK" I'm cut off as she wraps her hand around my throat and pushes me back against the nearest tree. She tears my sword off my belt and casts it aside, not that it would have made a difference if I tried to fight her I would lose. "Fuck you runt, if I just wanted the gold I could kill you now and take it. In fact give me one reason why I shouldn't" She snarls her face inches from mine her warm breath cascading on my face, I could feel myself getting lightheaded as her hand grips my neck that little bit harder "because you would prove me right" I **** out.

Her hand is removed from my neck and I fall to my knees sucking in breath, Quinara glares down at me, despite my diminished facilities I knew I had to move quick. "you can make your own way to where ever you're goi-" "I knew you wouldn't do it" I say cutting her off before she finished. This throws her off balance "what?" I take some more deep breaths and stand, "I knew you wouldn't kill me" this causes her to get defensive "I could have, I've killed before" she snorts. "I don't doubt you, but I knew you wouldn't kill me" I say honestly surprising myself with the confidence I was able to muster, "and why's that runt?" This was honestly more conversation than the past week combined "because I don't think you want to kill." I state firmly holding her gaze despite my fears, I see something in her eyes a small shift a slight hint of vulnerability before it closes off again "you don't believe that" she says dismissing my statement "you're just trying to get under my skin". "Well I didn't at first, but I've had a lot of time to think this past week and a lot to think about. Like Barcus, you had him literally in your grasp and you didn't kill him. In fact it would have made less problems for you if you did, no witness to tell the lord about the orc I'm traveling with" I explain, "you've got it wrong someone would have told the city watch" she says giving a weak excuse. "See I thought that too at first but we left the city immediately, like the city watch wouldn't have time to mobilise and are a bunch of city watch going to hunt you down in the same way that Barcus will?" I ask stating an obvious truth. For the first time ever I see Quinara look like she wasn't in control her eyes darting between holding my gaze and avoiding it as I could see her struggle to find an excuse for this. "I didn't think of that" Quinara lies, "bullshit, you're smarter than that and we both know it", she scans my eyes searching for any deception but comes up short. "Y-you really believe that don't you?" Quinara stammers, STAMMERS! I couldn't believe it this terrifying woman who seemed invulnerable in every way had actually stammered like she was unsure of herself, "I do, you're smart enough to have figured this out way before me and you still didn't kill him" I answer honestly.

She stares at me in stunned silence for a second, before she finally lets her guard down just a tiny bit "ok I don't like killing if it's unnecessary" she admits almost shamefully, "you're right". "Actually I'm wrong, I've been wrong all this time about orcs... About you and it took some time for me to figure it out" I say hoping that this would be the apology that she would accept, "well you have always been slow Runt" she jokes back. I grin from ear to ear, sure it was an insult but to me all I heard was "apology accepted", she turns away and resumes starting the fire. "So what did you want to say? I think it was 'you can make your own way' I didn't catch the rest" I lightly tease back, she scowls as she bites back whatever word she wanted to say "fuck you". "So just to be clear should I leave?" "No!" she answers a little too quickly "I mean no, you shouldn't. I mean you wouldn't last a day without me and I've been paid upfront" she says covering for her eagerness to keep me around. "Yeah you're right" I say plainly, I didn't want to push my luck by trying to coax out anything further as I think I had used up all my luck for tonight already. The rest of the night passes uneventfully and soon I'm lying in my bedroll, reflecting on this journey and the orc who had made me realise that orcs aren't actually something to fear.