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Fury walked over to Thud, who at this point was flat on the ground, legs spread and his stones looking to almost be throbbing with pain. His dark brown coat was covered in thumb sized spots of white all over, his eyes half closed looked dark and somewhat glassy with pain. He spoke to her as she approached, "Come to finish me off?" From the tone she wasn't sure if he was worried or hopeful, his tail lay limply in the dirt next to him.

"I came with a peace offering." She held up the sack, "Shaved ice to chill your abused flesh with. Should reduce swelling, allowing things to heal faster."

He winced and asked, "It will?" He reached down but stopped short of touching his balls.

"Yes, it will still hurt, but it should help. No hard feelings?" She asked of him.

He gave her a dirty look, "Ask again after they stop hurting." He paused and managed an almost honest sounding, "Thank you." She watched him wince and heard a soft short whine as he put the ice to his abused stones.

"Well can I at least ask you as one fighter to another what you do for a daily job?" She asked him with perked ears and tail confidently held up.

He sighed. "I keep the peace at a tavern but most of my money comes from the ten day fights not the peacekeeping. Not a job I think Greenglass will give you."

"Why not?" Fury asked of Thud.

Closing his eyes and setting his head back down on the ground, "You're a woman. It will not matter how well you can fight, he will think being a woman and a desirable one at that you will be the cause of more fights than you break up. You might be able to serve drinks but it wouldn't earn much. At least not unless you sell more than drinks if you catch my meaning."

"I see. Any idea where a woman fighter can get employment?" She chose to ignore his last point, she didn't think he meant it in a unkind way.

He shook his head, eyes closed. "It's not easy in these parts for a woman to get a start in such things. I have heard it is different in the lands across the sea. I can tell you how to find Greenglass, he might have more thoughts on a job. I would also be grateful if you could tell him I will not be in tonight."

She glanced down at the hand holding the ice to his crotch. She chose not to say she was sorry for it. "Well it's a place to start it sounds like and I would be grateful."

He spent a few minutes describing how to get to the place. Due to a lack of organized streets it wasn't going to be quick and simple to find.

Just after she thanked him and started to turn to go Thud said softly, "Wait. Please I have a favor to ask of you. A real favor, not the simple things we have spoken of"

Turning back to him Fury cocked her head inquisitively.

Thud sighed, "My brother will not take my defeat well and he may do something stupid. If he does," Thud paused and took a deep breath, "He is all the family I have left. He is too much like our father but even so I would not see him dead. Please do not kill him if you have any choice in the mater. If he does something contact me. I'll work something out with you if I can to make up for what ever stupid stunt he pulls."

She spent long moments looking at him and thinking. He sounded honestly worried and that implied a great deal, Thud did not strike her as one to worry needlessly. She took a deep breath before saying. "If it is an option I promise not to kill him until I have at least have spoken with you."

She turned and left without another word looking for the Tavern this Greenglass ran.

Finding the tavern took longer than she would have liked. Thud's directions in one spot required a hight advantage she just didn't have. She finally had to ask directions from a few people. There were a few males that eyed her in a way that said they would like to do things to her but the busy streets keep any of them from acting.

In the end finding it was easy as the guy running it had put green glass in all his windows. The tavern was one of the few well constructed buildings she had seen so far. The bottom floor was brick of a dark reddish color. Above that was solid wooden construction with a second floor. The windows were mosaics of green glass in different colors held together with heavy brass work, they were quite beautiful to look at. The wooden parts of the building were fancy in how the boards had been put together, forming diamond shapes. Each diamond piece of wood was stained slightly differently. The building had a certain majesty to it and was well maintained.

There were other buildings of solid construction but this one looked to be part of the edge of an area where there was more money and planning involved. It was clearly a better part of town than she had been in before. The streets were cleaner in front of the tavern and looked to be that way up and down the street as well. The street itself looked to be cobbled in river stone, with trees planted down the center of the street to provide shade. In retrospect this was a much better part of town.

She stepped through the open doors to the tavern, the floors were well polished lacquered wood with wood shavings spread on them. The wood shavings gave better footing but the floor was still slightly slippery. The main room had a green cast to it from the sunlight coming through the windows. There was more light coming from oil burning chandeliers, giving the place a soft but well lit feel. Tables were heavy wooden construction with only around twenty of them. The chairs were of the same style, with nothing fancy to them except some upholstery to provide some cushioning. The walls were decorated with old weapons and pieces of armor. A bar, with stools, stretched across the back wall; it's highly polished golden surface spotless.

The scent of beer and other intoxicating drinks floated through the air even over the scent of the wood shavings. The room smelled of good food, good drink and a lot of people. Faintly under all that though she could smell puked up beer and food, one spot even smelled of piss though that was faintest of all.

Behind the bar stood a well built but clearly older Ferox. His coat was brindled rust red and white. One of his eyes was a soft brown color, the other was a green glass orb, the scar above his eye giving a clue to how it had been lost. He wore an apron and was cleaning and putting away large heavy glass bowls. Looking up as she approached he asked, "You looking for a room ma'am? Bar isn't open till dusk."

She flicked her tail in the negative even as she asked, "Greenglass by any chance?"

"Eye ma'am that's me. What brings you to my door, ma'am?" Greenglass asked.

Fury smiled slightly, not showing any teeth. "I am hoping to find a job. But before that I need to let you know that Thud will not be in tonight. He's going to be tender for a few days."

"Oh? Some one beat Thud did they? What was he like?" Greenglass asked.

"Well I'll let you judge what I am like. He did send me to you, but said he didn't think you would employ me for peace keeping. My primary skills are in fighting." Fury wondered idly how he would take that.

"A wee woman like you beat Thud in a pit fight?!? I would have paid to see that." He paused his nose working, as he eyed her. "Now a small woman like you wants to be a peacekeeper in a tavern like this?" He shook his head, "I don't know that the drinkers would take you seriously. You might have more luck with the sailors than the locals, but we don't get many sailors here. Worse, your scent is the kind of thing that will give a drunk idea's rather than make their stones try to crawl up in their bellies and hide at the thought of taking you on. Now if you wanted to serve drinks that you could do and do well on tips I think. Though you would be pawed at a lot."

"That doesn't sound appealing. Also from what I gather the serving women sell themselves as well. I would be happy to serve from behind the bar though." She paused to think and Greenglass spoke up.

"I am not really in need of bartenders. Yes," he sighed, "many of the servers take men upstairs and get paid for sex. It's optional and happens less than you would think here though. Now down at the docks that would be common. Can you cook or bake? My person who handles all that is getting long in the tooth."

She thought about that for a moment. Thankfully there was no pain, but nothing about cooking came to mind. Did that mean she didn't know how to cook? Best to say she didn't, "No, I haven't learned to cook, but I could learn if it came with some pay. I need to make enough to at least feed myself and one other."

Greenglass rubbed the top of his muzzle with a thumb pad in thought, "Well we could at least see you went home with food for you and another while you train. But it would have to be a full day's work here you understand? Also we would have to talk to Ironrod about it."

Fury flicked her tell in agreement. "Could we talk to Ironrod now?"

Flicking his tail in agreement, he motioned her to a door. It was off to one side of the bar and she followed as he walked through the door. They stepped through to the kitchen a single large room. One wall was large cast iron stoves, with a large counter on the opposite wall. The smells in the kitchen were enough to make Fury have to work not to drool. She hadn't noticed how hungry she was until just now. She also realized air flow in here drew air out from the main room to keep the scents from getting into it. Seemed like a poor sales plan to her but maybe they had some way around it.

A woman was needing some kind of dark heavy looking dough at the counter. She was on the heavy set side, possibly the most overweight Ferox she had seen. This wasn't to say she was massive though, at a guess she was at about half again the weight of someone her size might normally be. She was the first truly overweight Ferox she had seen though. She made a mental note to look into that, was it the area she was in or something else? Other than that she was a mix of brown and black, with her age showing clearly in grey around the muzzle, and loose skin. Her eyes were clear, yet the way she moved spoke of joints that were stiff and likely causing some pain.

She looked up at them and sighed. "Greenglass, you're not in the habit of bringing hungry waifs into my kitchen. Getting soft in your old age?"

Greenglass paused and looked back at her then sighed himself. "I'm sorry Ironrod, she was asking for a job and I didn't notice. This is," he paused and gave a huff of annoyance. "My manners today have deserted me. What was your name ma'am?"

Chuffing in amusement she answered, "I am Fury, a pleasure to meet you both."

Shaking her head Ironrod said, "Well she's polite enough. Can you cook, young lady?"

Flicking her tail in the negative she also spoke up, "I am willing to learn though."

Ironrod stepped past Greenglass who was holding his tongue for the moment and looked her over. Without asking she reached out and took one of Fury's hands and examined it. "Interesting hands. You haven't done much of anything according to your hands," she said as she examined Fury's palm and finger pads. Turning the hand over she examined the knuckles and snorted, "Well you've been in a fight at the least. Will you bring trouble into the kitchen?"

"Not intentionally," Fury answered honestly.

There was another snort, "Honest at least. You'll not be replacing me I think, still an extra set of willing hands would be of help. You and Greenglass can work out how much you will be paid later, once I have seen you work. Go over to the sinks, and wash your hands well in the hot water and get them really clean. Then rejoin me over here." Ironrod looked to Greenglass, "What are you still doing here? Lazing about? Don't you have bowls to polish or something?"

Greenglass chuffed in amusement, "Well then. Let me know how things turn out."

She spent hours cutting up meat. Sliced into thin strips and diced into cubes mostly. She also got to cut up some veggies, though not many. She helped get loaves of heavy bread out of ovens and sliced it into slabs. There were seasonings to be ground up in a mortar and pestle. All the while Ironrod talked to her about ways to prepare food and feeding her bits here and there. It wasn't long before she was well fed that morning and things rolled on into evening before she knew it.

She and Greenglass agreed that any day she helped out in the kitchen for a full day that she could get food for two in exchange. She could take a day off on a given day so long as she gave advanced warning the day before. For at least the short term it was a good deal, but Greenglass and Ironrod both seemed to think she wouldn't be with them too long. Fury wondered a bit about why but chose to shrug it off a something that at worst could be worried about later.

Fury got back to Glade's shack with the shadows growing long. Ironrod even more than Greenglass had not wanted her on the streets after nightfall without someone to walk with her. It drove home that this city had real issues, with the safety of lone women. She walked along wondering what had possessed the High Lord who ruled the region to let things get into such a state.

No one tried anything at least with her in the light of day although she found the idea of someone trying to force her almost desirable. She would be more willing to injure such a person. It was a bloody thought and not one she was sure she was comfortable with. It was one thing to be unbothered by violence but another to crave it. People who grew to crave violence too much were as dangerous as men ambushing women at night in their own way.

She slipped into Glade's shack carrying a wax cloth bundled cold meal, a big one at that. Stepping into what was the main room and the one she had awoken in and looked about. Glade was sitting next to a bed, the man who had been brought in that morning sleeping on a pallet similar to the one she slept on. Except his pallet had cleaner furs and more padding, it looked like. Glade looked up and she could see he was exhausted. "Ah your back. Did your day go well?"

She could see he was examining her long coat and the basket she had in hand. She waved the basket at him, "Got a coat, coins and food. As days go it has been a good one." She brought the basket over to him and set it next to him. "Eat, I am not hungry just now. I swear that the cook wanted me to try a sample of everything we were making."

Glade chuckled softly, "A horrible fate to be sure. It smells wonderful." He paused and sighed, "But you went and fought didn't you?"

Flicking her tail indifferently she settled on her pallet, "It's what I know best so far."

Glade opened the bundle and eyed one of the large sandwiches. "I know you don't want to hear it but I don't want it to be you on that table. You seem like a nice young woman. You keep fighting and you're going to end up with more than a minor slice in the side."

"It is the price of being a warrior Glade. Why does it bother you so?" She asked reasonably, as she stretched out her shoulders.

"I have seen too many young people end up crippled or dead to want to see one willingly walking into danger." His voice was sad, "I cleaned you up and patched you up. You have been kind to me in turn." He paused before going on, "It is something I would miss if you were killed."

Looking at him thoughtfully she answered him with a question. "You believe it would be better if I didn't fight?"

The answer she got was a simple one, "Yes."

She flicked her tail in a negative. "Victims do not fight. I will not be anyone's willing victim." Not again at least if she had any say in it. She was pretty sure she had been in the past.

He flicked his own tail in a negative way. "I am not asking you to be a victim. I just wish you would not seek out fights."

"Ah well, when I find a way to make more than food to bring home each day I will take it. So unless you have something other than the ten day fights for me to bring in enough coin to improve our money situation it is what I am going to go with." Fury looked at him, "I will try not to end up on your table, you have my word. But first and foremost I think I am a warrior, and fighting is a part of being that."

Shaking his head as if to dislodge a fly he grumbled, "People never plan to be on my table at the end of a day." He paused and listened, they could both hear a polite light knock from the front. Glade looked back to her, "Ah that's Flameborn. He had hopped to spend some time with you tonight. Why not take some of this food and spend the evening with someone your own age, instead of an old man who is a stick in the mud." He chuffed with laughter. "I will keep my worries to myself for now."

She took the bundle he had made without her notice as they argued, "Well then, old man," she told him cheekily, "Stay safe."