Best to Beat a Tactical Retreat

It was a few days later I found myself still playing the poor beggar for cash.  Unfortunately for me, people in the Red Hand are total dicks especially in war time.  Like every attempt to bat my eyes and claim war veteran status was met with contempt and comments of "Get a real job," and "You people disgust me." I tell you it was enough to have me believe that people genuinely didn't like me (which is nonesense I know). I was sitting outside a bar hoping to help up some aristocratic drunk (and help myself to his pockets) when a Red Hand Judge acosted to me.

"Pavarossi," He sneered, he and I had been playing a game of dumb fool chasing after his better for a couple weeks and I was tiring of his accusation (however true, he had no proof).

"Judge Dolan, how nice of you to swing by and check up on me." He had me by the front of my shirt, I had slipped my left hand down the small of my back where I kept a dagger, I didn't want to have to kill him, but if worst came to worst, I was not going to die on my knees.

"You're filth Pavarossi, you and those like you, what are you even doing out here?" Dolan was a bald man by trade, and had more paunch on him then other judges, it wasn't a surprise to me he wasn't out fighting like the rest, he was probably as useless at that as he was at keeping the peace.

"Watching the night sky, this is the best place in the city to do so." He threw me to the ground at this point, thats the problem with being short its not very difficult to be tossed around. I lost hold of my dagger, but thankfully it didn't come skittering out or I'd have been summarily executed I'm sure for "attacking" a judge.

"I want you out of my city Pavarossi, you are done here and you will not come back or I will see you suffer a fate worse than death, am I clear?" His words were harsh and his tone flared up more than other times.

I stood up and dusted myself off (even though I hadn't gotten any dust on me), "Fine Judge Dolan the service here stinks anyway." I didn't hear his response as I made sure to walk away at an elevated pace, and I was getting tired of the city not being a land of opportunity, if anything it had been the opposite and I had lost more money and time there than I preferred.  So it was under these circumstances I met up with Tripp and heard out his horrible plan and so our journey north began.