Your character has just arrived in a swampy, dim town. As they look around, their gaze is met with shacks and cabins. It smells of rotted wood and wet moss. They duck and step into a tattered tent, illuminated by a series of candles suspended in the air. At the back of the tent, an old hag raises her head, “What brings you to this dingy town? She begins, then pauses to study your face—”Ah, it’s you. I’ve been expecting you. Sit,” she gestures at a cushion, “Tell me your story.”
((How do you respond?))
Observing the strange hag with sharp eyes, the untrusting woman's gaze remained attentive. Her hazel stare barely seemed to linger with proper regard on the older woman, constantly eyeing between the candles in the air as her fingers twitched by her side, hovering near a pouch that were unfastened and empty for a few seconds before finally seeming to grow still upon being recognised.
"...Expectin'?" The word left her lips, a knife-like cut to her tone. She came off as all too cautionary, her demeanour seeming to grow rigid. A tension came over her as she gazed back over her shoulder momentarily, gaze squinting through the way she had come from moments ago - before returning to the hag.
Playing off the tension by shrugging, the blonde woman reluctantly opted to set herself into a cushion with that. Slumping down heftily, she clicked her tongue, never quite seeming to find any proper comfort in her posture with the stiffness that seized up her shoulders - yet words did flow regardless. "I'm not lookin' for any trouble here." Firm a statement, as she leaned forward the tiniest bit. Bearing her gaze with as much sharpness as she could unto the hag, venomously, she continued. "...Pretty sure you don't want any either if you know who I am."
With the near-threat having left her and her overtly harsh presence established thoroughly, the blonde woman finally shook her head.
"Anyway." She continued, waving one hand dismissively and fairly carelessly, "What's there to tell, if you already know who I am? Not a lot've good, m'afraid. A whole lot've trouble. It's followed me for way too long, see? Had to fight tooth and nail to get by for a long, long time, ever since I was a little gal. Done a whole lot that would get me tossed in a dungeon." Heavy, the words left her with an air of subtle exhaustion etched into each enunciated syllable, the slight twitching of her irises evident as her gaze lingered upon the hag. "Honestly? I dunno why you'd be expectin' someone like me. I can't see any good reason for it, though."
As her words left her, her fingers discretely had shifted to her thigh. No further movement was made, the tension all too present on her features - but those fingers twitched the tiniest bit. Deadly intent in her eyes. "...Ya wanna tell me why you knew I'd be coming? Gonna try and put me down for good?"
The teetering of time continued to pass, however - and for whatever reason, the blonde's shoulders slowly untensed as the one opposite of her seemed to show no actual hostile intent. Her eyes remained sharply attentive, though her demeanour shifted to something slightly less frigid, as she moved to reach within her vest. "Eh... Fine. I'll bite." The words still sounded apprehensive, as she pulled out what appeared to be some sort of flask, which she popped open with her teeth. A chug taken. "You prob'ly already know it. But the name's Cosette - and I'll tell ya somethin'. It wasn't always like this." She explained, a strange solemnness to her voice as her irises seemed to soften the tiniest bit.
"Just had some shitty luck in life, I guess. Grew up in a pretty no-name settlement. Ma was nice, at least. Old man was always gettin' wasted for as long as I can remember, though. Once ma got sick too it was pretty much dog eat dog, did what I had to to get us by. Fell in with some shitty groups of people, got backstabbed plenty. Took from plenty." Her words hollowed out some more, looking upon the flickering flame of one of the candles, "Killed a few, too." Her dextrous fingers whisked the concealed dagger from her side with that, twirling it skilfully in her grasp, "Right now. I'm just trying to leave that behind me. Move on. Been aimin' for that for years, but shit always catches back up to me." Those cold eyes set back upon the hag. Burning with further intensity. "All I want is a new start. Master the flute like ma wanted. Make somethin' of my life that isn't just hurtin' other people so I don't get hurt. I'm tired of it."
A scoff left her lips as she sneered, securing her grasp tighter on that dagger's handle, "So... That good enough for ya?"

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