Hazel's quiet time was rudely interrupted by a hand clamping down on her arm and hauling her to her feet. Before she could get out so much as a, "Hey!" she was spun around to face the hand's owner. A human, male, with an untidy mess of brown hair. He looked like he'd been living rough for the past few days, judging by the quality of his clothing. He must have been one of the many that had come into Wreathwood that day. A couple of equally badly dressed Basitin stood behind the man, both male as well. All three had the same leer on their faces as they looked down at her.
Hazel flinched at both the looks they were giving her and the smell coming from the guy. Had he not kept hold of her arm, she would have taken a couple of steps back.
"Well now, ain't you the sweetest thing I seen in a long time," the human drawled, extending the 'o' in 'long' for effect. "Tell me, young missie, wha's yer name?" His breath, too, was something that Hazel did not wish to encounter a second time. Clearly this man had no decent sense of hygiene. Hazel did not answer the man, instead thinking over how to send him and his fellows away. That depended on what he wanted from her. Money, probably.
"Didja not hear me or somethin', girl? I said, wha's yer name?" the man repeated, tightening his grip on Hazel's arm. An involuntary hiss of pain left the mage's lips as he took a tighter hold. Before she could answer, one of the Basitin took a small step forward and said something. Hazel didn't catch all the words... something about not hurting her. There was more to it that she didn't quite get, but that alone scared her. It meant they wanted a bit more than money... the man's actions probably indicated he might get a bit more violent.
Hazel didn't want that. So she began to reach out to the docklands around her, knowing that the location and the mana within was key to fueling her spells. She wanted to put some distance between this foul man and herself, and her magic would help with that. To buy herself a little more time, she asked, "What do you want?" Despite her precise articulation of every word, she hoped she sounded meek or subservient. It would put her assailants at ease, rendering them unprepared for her spell.
"Well, now, tha's nice and simple, missie. A few coins, maybe some of what's in that bag o' yours, and we'll go our separate ways. O' course, if'n you don't want to give us some o' your gold... well, this can go one of two ways," the man answered in a thinly veiled threat. Hazel briefly glanced around the docks: there was no-one in sight who looked like they were paying attention. Her distraction had worked: she could feel the mana concentrated around her, just waiting to be unleashed.
"You should have just asked. If money's all you want... you had better come and get it, then," she answered, punctuating the 'get it' with a flick of her hands. Instantly the man was pushed away from her by an unseen force, colliding with the Basitin behind him and leaving them in a heap. Hazel snatched her pack up from where it lay on the ground and placed it behind her as her three assailants got to their feet, angered by her trick.
"So, ya might be a tricky little mage, then. But'cha can't take all three of us, I bet," the man snarled, backed up by two identical growls of agreement.
"Be silent," Hazel retorted as she performed another small gesture. This time she raised the man a few feet into the air, channelling her concentration into keeping him spreadeagled and immobile. "Do not struggle. You will only make things worse for yourself," she added, hoping to scare him into compliance. With luck, this display of power would be enough to keep the others at bay. It seemed to work, as the unaffected Basitin were looking up at their trapped cohort. He was presumably the leader of their little band.
"A'right, a'right! We'll not bother you no more! Just lemme go," the guy pleaded. Thankfully he had taken Hazel's advice to heart, possibly afraid of her because she was a mage. If he had tried to resist, he could have succeeded and then she would have a much bigger problem on her hands. Not wishing to just take his word for it, Hazel raised the man a bit higher into the air with an upward movement of one hand. Instantly he began to babble. "Come on! Please! Lemme go! We'll find someplace else to be! Don' hurt me, miss!"
Hazel's eyes narrowed. Still highly suspicious of the unkempt trio, she lowered the man back to about six feet in the air and let him go. He fell, landing a little harder than she expected, but he got to his feet without any trouble. As soon as he was back on his feet the trio ran. Hazel didn't move until they were out of her sight, at which point she breathed a sigh of relief, let go of the mana she still had available and sat down to catch her breath for a little while.
She resolved to find somewhere else to be soon. Going back to the inn, perhaps her room rather than the communal areas... Hazel felt that she needed to take the morning to more or less get over that. It wasn't often that she had had to deal with people like them, and when she did it was not a particularly enjoyable experience.
