Riley slammed her head against the table, her hands going up to cover her ears as the noise began to increase around her. She screwed her eyes shut and held her breath.

It had started with friendly enough conversation. How's the weather, mate? Those boots look nice on yah. Hey, you hear about that ship going 'round? Them girls sure are pretty, huh? Just normal talk around a tavern with a bunch of drunkards. How was she to know that talk was about to be promoted to a debate and then practically shoved out the window for a good tavern brawl?

She had only come in for a good hard drink to help get rid of her pounding headache. It had been a long day and she didn't need any more stupidness. It was hard not to find stupidness though in a bar filled with drunken morons. Exactly how could she think she could avoid stupidness here?

Riley winced as she heard blows land, fist against flesh. It was a sound she probably would never be able to forget. Riley herself wasn't all that good at hand-to-hand combat but she did try a few times. Every time ended badly with her body covered in cuts and bruises that had to be mended carefully later. Her captain had started to advise her against close combat considering the risk that someone would eventually hit the wrong spot and find out her secret. Personally, Riley didn't know what all the fuss was about. So she was built differently. So she was a girl. So what? That didn't mean she couldn't fight. She had tried to argue that the other men wouldn't care if she was a girl or not but her captain outright threatened to beat her senseless himself if she so much as breathed her secret to anyone.

Suffice to say, she never did.

But now, her captain wasn't around. What if she did tell someone? What consequences could there be? For someone way past her adolescent years, she certainly thought like one.

The noise grew louder. It was growing into a roar. She cautiously opened her eyes and looked around. Her table hadn't been touched, miracles upon miracles but everywhere else was a disaster. She cringed at the sight of all the barrels and chairs broken on the floor. Maybe now was a good time to see what she could rummage off the floor. Tactfully, she dropped to the floor underneath her table. There was blood splots all over but she ignored them in favor of the good-sized bag on the other side of the room. What was a little blood on her knees if there was gold to be had?

With a sneaky smile, she started darting acrossing the room between all the fist throwing and the leg kicking. No one bothered to even acknowledge her as she went, too occuppied on whoever it was they were fighting. She ducked suddenly as a man was tossed over her head. There was a loud crunching sound as he landed on one of the tables. She cringed at the noise but kept on going.

Finally, there it was, all by its lonesome self. A perfect opportunity in a mess of chaos. The bag just sat there on the floor, waiting to be held in her hands. Her grin couldn't have gotten any cheekier. She felt that success was at hand! Hastily, she reached her hand and grabbed the bag, intent on breaking into a run and getting the hell out of the tavern before the person who had lost it started to look for it. But as soon as she started to pull on it, another hand wrapped around hers and pulled in the opposite direction. Riley let out a very unhappy groan and pulled back.

Okay, so the bag wasn't completely alone.