“Not that I’ve seen.”
“—and I can fight.”
“You’ll never win against the likes of me.”
Ben cocked his head at that.
“Wanna bet?”
Zai snorted his disbelief and looked away dismissively.
“Come on, what will it take?” the young man persisted.
“Let’s step outside for a few so I can demonstrate. How about, if I’m able to knock you down within five moves, you have to admit I can hold my own and let me tag along with you for a while. I can be a strength, not a weakness.”
Zai continued to ignore him, chugging down more of his mead.
“I can tell you’re on some kind of mission,” Ben said quietly.
At this, Zai turned sharply to face him once more, narrowing his eyes.
Ben nodded at his own assessment.
“You’re not just traveling through, are you? You’re taking a risk by being here. I see the way you watch everything and everyone around you, as if you’re braced for attack any second. The way you move with deliberation, as if you’re deciding where to go, what to do, rather than moving smoothly as if you’ve been here many times before, which means that you’re maybe as new to this area as I am. How am I doing so far?”
Zai didn’t know exactly what he was asking, but he was paying attention now. He gestured for Ben to go on.
“You’re here for a purpose. Likely a dangerous purpose. And you’re alone. Even while eating and drinking, you never took off your cowl. You never reveal your face. You don’t want to be recognized any more than I want to draw attention to myself.”
He paused for effect and added: “We can work together.”
Despite himself, Zai grew thoughtful.
Ben cocked his head a little, scanning what little he could see of Zai’s face in the shadows of his cowl.
“You’re tired. You’ve traveled far. Your clothes are covered with a thick layer of dust. It must be exhausting to always have to watch your back, trusting no one. Coming into a place you’re not supposed to be.”
His eyes suddenly lit as he thought of something else.
“Those men called you Master Hunter, and you do look like a hunter with your leathers and weapons, but you don’t seem to own the title, even though you didn’t correct their assumption. You flinched when they called you that. Why, I wonder.”
Gods’ balls! Who was this human?
Zai was astounded by his insightful observations and pointed assessment.
It was all true, everything Ben said. And now the human had made him think. Made him actually contemplate his suggestion to team up.
But first, a test had to be conducted, per the human’s own suggestion.
“Get up,” Zai ordered, standing to his full height.
Ben did so, regarding him warily.
“Are we gonna do this then? If I knock you down within five moves, I get to come with you?”
Zai bared his teeth in a half-grin, half-snarl.
“And if you can’t, I get dessert,” he said.