Best Laid Plans (comments okay, as it's finally done)

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Kai
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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Mon May 29, 2006 2:12 am

She sat up and composed herself a little. "Yeah, whatever." She shoo'd him off with both hands. "If you want to talk later, you'll know where to find me."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Mon May 29, 2006 2:17 am

He sighed. "I suppose I will..."

He turned to his bedroom, waved, and quietly entered in...


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Mon May 29, 2006 3:06 am

Shakti lay awake on the couch for hours. She'd intended to sleep. At least a little. A token effort at least. No luck. There was a cricket outside the window. Down the street someone had a frog in his garden. A cat walked past the window at towards midnight.

She couldn't take it anymore. She changed into clothing more suitable for public wear and refolded the blankets on the couch. She set them next to the pillows so that her brother wouldn't have to deal with a mess the next morning. She went to the door as quietly as she could, carrying her backpack so she could be sure to have her field notes on hand.

She walked down the street a ways, searching the surrounding areas for Guards on patrol. Eventually she found one. He was probably in his late twenties, very tall and well-muscled. "Well, you'll do," she said to herself. She waved him down and waited until he was within speaking range. "Hi. Been looking for a Guard and I was hoping you could help me with something. You have a moment? It's about that murder a short while ago. The Gilleyin case?"

Shakti had his attention. "Yes, ma'am? Do you know something?" he asked.

"You bet I do," she said with a smile. "In fact, I bet I know more than anyone investigating it. I hear you have a few suspects, but top of the list is a horrible old bitch named Shakti." She waved. "That's me. Now here's why I need you, my good representative of the official authorities."

He tensed a little, unsure of where she could be going with this, but willing to hear her out for now. "You're aware I'm under obligation to apprehend you, ma'am."

"Oh, yes, yes. I'm actually already under arrest. Highguard Cardinal has me under house arrest, and I promise you I've been very good up until now. Haven't left the premises once since he took me there. Here's the tricky thing. I think I should be more arrested than I already am."

Now the man was just confused. "So you're turning yourself in, then. Why didn't you just do that from the start?"

She waved her hands dismissively, as if his question was so irrelevant as to be utterly beneath her consideration. "The problem is... Highguard Cardinal... isn't thinking. If you were him, would you let a suspected murderer into your home with such a young wife? She is young. And in such a vulnerable position, just having given birth to his baby boy today. Ask yourself if you really think I can be trusted with their safety."

At his hesitation she smiled encouragingly. "Go on. If I'm capable of murdering a man in cold blood, imagine what could happen if a murderer were left with a frail, exhausted woman and her newborn baby." Her tone turned icy and cruel. "Think about it. I won't be held responsible for their safety."

The Guard scowled. "Are you threatening the Highguard's family?"

"I'm not threatening anyone. I'd never dream of it. Merely pointing out possibilities the good-hearted Highguard hadn't considered. But you take me seriously. Don't you."

What else could he do? Something was obviously wrong with this situation, but based on the information he had, there was no option but to deal with the suspect as he'd been taught. His scowl deepened. "If you wanted 'more arrested,' you've got it. At least until we can assess the threat, if any, that you pose to Cardinal."

Shakti grinned coldly. "Good." She held out her hands so that he could restrain her in whatever way seemed appropriate to him. "Give a lady an escort?"

The Guard bound her wrists and walked behind her to the guard station. All the while he was made visibly uncomfortable by the casual chatter his charge continued to toss over her shoulder to him. Most of it he didn't bother to answer. He found her a cell in the Guards' station, but the magic-shielded cells were currently either occupied or having their wards renewed. He settled for a pair of magic-suppressing bracers that often served as a substitute.

So, Shakti was left in her prison cell with only her field notes. "Excuse me, sir?" She called out. "A quill, please? I need to write." The guard walked back with a quill and ink, since there was little enough damage she could do to herself or anyone else with those. "Thank you," she said. She set up a corner of her cell for the purposes of writing.

Then, she finally managed to fall asleep.

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=kai@rpgww60462>Kai</A]&nbsp; Image at: 5/29/06 3:08

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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:20 am

Cardinal awoke, knowing what had happened.

He checked the time. The sun had not yet risen, nor had his bride, or child. Perfect. He kissed her lightly on the forehead, and snuck out of his bed. And quickly, he struck out a note letting his wife know where he was, in case she woke before he returned.

"So, Highguard, who's the little fellow?"

"Juan Goffredo Ovidio Domingo Messiah. My newborn son. And keep your voice down. He's still sleeping..."

The child was shown off, and the guard responded in a whisper. "Oh, he's lovely, sir. What does he weigh?"

"Just over half stone."

"Excellent, just excellent," he grinned. "So, what are you doing here, so early?"

"I hear you took in a prisoner late last night... a suspect in the Gilleyin case?"

"Ah yes... she was being held at your house, wasn't she? Why'd she turn herself in?"

"That's why I'm here. Ask her some questions. Came over as quickly as I could, obviously."

"Alright. Well, I... this is unusual, sir. I don't know if I should..."

He raised his hand. "I'll take care of anyone coming down on you. Just send your superior to me."

The guard shrugged. "Well, alright, sir. Try not to take too long..."

Cardinal nodded, and was allowed in the incarceration area. He walked past the cells, most of them empty. Luckily, it was so early that any criminals inside were asleep.

He arrived at his sister's, and with a knock on the bars, said, "Hi."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Thu Jun 01, 2006 1:20 am

Shakti groaned and rolled over, turning her back to her visitor. "Go away," she mumbled. She looked reproachfully over her shoulder at Cardinal. When he didn't do as ordered, she sighed and sat up.

She cracked her fingers and rubbed her wrists where she'd slept on the magic-suppressing bracers. She spared them a short glance. They were vastly less restrictive than the iron shackles she'd known before, and looked a little different. Just the same, anything metal clamped around one's wrists tends to fall rather neatly into that category. Shakti put her hands in her lap underneath the blanket to keep them out of sight.

The rest of the cell looked...actually pretty homey. She'd set up her writing corner, she was curled up in bed... ignoring the bars the scene had all the trappings of a private residence being intruded upon by impertinent neighbors.

"What? What? I finally get to sleep after walking all the way here in the middle of the night and now you want something. Spit it out."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Thu Jun 01, 2006 1:27 am

"Shh."

That part was quick and decisive.

"He's still asleep. And, I was just making sure you were here. No guarantee you'd be HERE, right?"

He patted, quieted Juan a bit. "Anyways, that was about it. I'll be around later for more questions, alright? There's something I want to try..."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Thu Jun 01, 2006 1:35 am

She shook her head. "No. No questions. Go away. People are going to figure out who I am, and then you'll be fucked. You will be, your family will be, and it won't do anyone any good."

She sighed. "I didn't want to have to do this. But go home and don't come back. If you come back here wanting my help with this little mission of yours... If I have to prove to you that you aren't helping me, I will. Don't push me."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Thu Jun 01, 2006 1:38 am

Cardinal sighed, patting his baby again.

"This little fellow will know you, Es. Mark my words."

He left without saying anything else, making sure that her cell was on the outskirts of the building.


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Thu Jun 01, 2006 2:07 am

With a disdainful groan to herself, Shakti pulled the blanket back over her head and went to sleep. If anyone wanted her for something, the cell basically only had three walls. Let them take the trouble of waking her up. She didn't have to wait up for them. She was tired, and courtesy be damned.


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Thu Jun 08, 2006 6:54 pm

Some hours later, after he had been with his wife and son for a good long while, Cardinal returned to the jailhouse. To its exterior, in particular.

Before entering, he grabbed the guard at the front, telling him that "he'd be useful and it'd only be for a moment". He got up to the outside of his sister's cell, and told the guard to stand behind him.

"Uh... what for, sir?" the guard inquired.

"In advancement of the case, I..."

He gulped.

"Am about to hurt myself VERY badly..."

He breathed deep, and reached out to the walls, slightly feeling out the aura of his sister.

"Be sure to catch me, Guardsman..."

And try not to think about the potential to fry your brains, Salvador...

He invoked his power, and began to peer into the future of his ill-fated sister. But, as the gaze of his vision looked ahead, he forced it to look behind, to the past...

And that was something it was not intended to do...


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Thu Jun 08, 2006 7:34 pm

For a split second his vision simply went dark, quickly returning to normal. As the spell took hold, the image of the attending guardsman was replaced by blurry and indistinct shadows. The world around Cardinal flickered back into place again, but this time a dull ache began to sink into the base of his skull. The pain began to throb in rhythm with Cardinal's heart, growing a little more intense, a little more difficult to ignore, a little bit closer to intolerable...

Then, with a feeling like a railroad spike being shoved through his eye socket into the back of his skull, Cardinal made his connection.

At first there were no distinct forms. Everything seemed to be moving so fast that the best Cardinal could glimpse was a blurred afterimage, a suggestion of light or movement. The garbled noises of an argument began to filter through. There were two voices, but he couldn't hear either one clearly. At least one was female, but maybe it wasn't Shakti.

The images began to overlay, sometimes causing even more abstraction, but more often giving Cardinal a clearer view of what was going on. The yelling continued, but it may as well have been a hundred goblins and harpies murdering each other for all the sense it made to Cardinal. There was a man and a woman, definitely. She also definitely wasn't his sister. For one thing, she was blonde. For another, Cardinal saw the man hitting her across the side of her head with... something. It was hard to tell.

The noise continued and the next brief image was of the woman knocking a block of kitchen knives onto the floor. That at least was familiar. He'd seen it on the floor of Darrik Gilleyin's house.

Silence. The pain from earlier began to return, bleeding into the edges of Cardinal's awareness as he tried to keep a hold on his magic, on his vision of the past. It felt like a huge black horse was galloping across his brain, pulling up divots in the soft, bloodied flesh. The horse rode past and the sound of its hooves was momentarily muffled as the vision solidified itself once more.

There was a light, and for a moment it seemed blindingly intense. The image dimmed and Cardinal could see the woman standing in a doorway covered in blood and tears, shivering in the dark. He saw her step straight into his sister's arms. The image took on an impossible sharpness, a clarity and level of detail that seemed completely unreal.

The silence cleared away and he heard his sister's voice. "Sh... Sandy, it's okay. Come on. Come inside. It's going--" Her sentence was interrupted by the return of that dissonant screaming and the image faded, leaving Cardinal looking into darkness as the pain in his head returned to bring him back to his own agony-filled reality.

Sandy. Her name was Sandy. And she was involved somehow with Shakti. Odds were ten to one that whoever she was, she was a whore and connected somehow to Jeri's house, the Villa Pascha.

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=kai@rpgww60462>Kai</A]&nbsp; Image at: 6/8/06 20:52

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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Thu Jun 08, 2006 7:53 pm

"Dk-dGAAH!" Cardinal fell backwards, hard, into the guardsman. For some reason, the guard had zoned out, and both were caught unawares by the Highguard's sudden rear momentum, and simultaneously landed on the ground, in a painful pile.

"Ow... ow, ow, ow..."

"Did... oh that's going to hurt in the morning... did you see anything, sir?"

Cardinal, painfully, stood up from the wreckage. "No, sadly. A brainsplitting headache for nothing. Oh well. Guess I'll have to do things the old fashioned way."

"Argh... alright, sir. Perhaps next time?"

"Perhaps. ... and the prisoner doesn't find out I was here, alright?" The guard nodded.

Cardinal nodded in turn, and headed home, planning to make a trip later...

To the Villa Pascha.

(You may want to do a Sandy preview post, as Card's a-comin'.)



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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:00 pm

Since arriving at Jeri's house, Cassandra had earned her keep by spending each day washing bedding and clothes for the ladies who worked there. She had nowhere else to go, especially not now. When Shakti had left with her brother it was clear. There really was no turning back.

She sighed and pulled an armful of wet sheets from the basin of hot water. Shakti was really going to do this, wasn't she? Sandy still had her doubts about letting it happen. If she respected her friend's wishes, Sandy could move past this whole mess. If she deviated, she would condemn herself but what was condemnation from others if she kept her self-respect?

She laughed. A streetwalker hoping for self-respect. Planning on it, even, she thought. I'm an idiot.


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Fri Jun 09, 2006 1:03 am

"And you're SURE this will work?" Cardinal said warily.

"Yes, yes, yes... three hours, at least."

The little alchemist was like a normal man if dried in the sun for months. He bounced about his laboratory in the castle, rebounding from shelf to desk to chair and back again. His eyes were wild.

"And I won't look OR sound anything like me?"

"Mmhm! Guaranteeeeeeeeed. If it wears off early, you can take my last tooth! Heh heh!"

"Excellent." He shook the vial. "... and one other thing...

"I'll need some clothes. Mine are too distinctive."

The little man, paused, and looked over Cardinal a bit more.

From behind.

From the sides.

And finally said, "... kay."

---

A tiny man, with one tooth, and some wellpressed red clothes (and is that an annoyed look on his face?) approached the desk of the Villa Pascha.

"I'd like Sandy, please."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Sat Jun 10, 2006 2:17 am

Jeri looked up from her ledger at the front desk. What the hell did this woman do in her free time? Did she have free time? She exhaled slowly in mild annoyance and tapped her pen on the ledger.

"We don't have anyone named Sandy here. The only Sandy I know was a streetwalker, but as far as I know, she's no longer in business." Streetwalkers were generally unlicensed, and therefore didn't have the legal or physical protection of a house. Brothel madames like Jeri provided an extra measure of security in that they were responsible for the safety and health of their employees.

Cardinal knew that Sandy had been here, and no one came through these doors that Jeri didn't know about. In fact, there were rumors that Jeri had magical means of knowing everything that took place in her house, down to names of customers, how long they were here and what they did within these walls. She was a damned good liar, but Cardinal knew better.

"Can I get someone else for you, sir?" Jeri continued. "I haven't seen you here before, and..." She flipped through a few pages in her appointment book. "Lisa's available. If you've never been here before, she's a lovely young lady, and she might be just what you need to make you feel welcome."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Sat Jun 10, 2006 9:39 am

Crap.

"... Sandy or nothing, miss. Any idea where she might be?"


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Sat Jun 10, 2006 11:49 am

Jeri sighed. "Sir, I've told you. Sandy is not available. If that is all you want from her, I've already informed you that she is not employed here. If you want something else, I feel it is my responsibility to inform you that coming to this house looking for trouble is absolutely not welcome. I run a safe establishment, and I won't have anyone under my roof endangered, whether they work here or not. I've told you that we're more than happy to see to whatever you may need. We take pride in offering the absolute best services possible, and that includes making sure someone is always available to take care of you."

Jeri stood behind her desk. "If you are a customer, I will ensure that your visit is worth your while. If you are here to cause problems for anyone living here... you'll wish that our regular guard hadn't left us this morning. Making trouble usually meant dealing with her, but anyone I believe to be a danger to my house will learn why I have never had a problem in this house and never will."

She sat back down. "With that in mind, would it be possible for you to look into one of our other ladies? I assure you we hold to the highest standards here and you would certainly be satisfied with your visit."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Sat Jun 10, 2006 12:07 pm

Double crap.

"Oh th-"

A brainstorm emerged from his head. He sent up a small prayer, hoping Farida would NEVER find out.

"Who do you recommend?"


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Sat Jun 10, 2006 12:17 pm

"As I said, Lisa is available and she's a very open-minded young lady. She'll be supportive no matter what brings you here, and a lot of new customers have found she gave them an excellent introduction to our house."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Sat Jun 10, 2006 12:20 pm

"Alrighty. That would be... excellent." His voice cracked a bit.

I'm going to hell, I'm going to hell, I'm going to hell...


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:40 am

Jeri smiled and opened a side-drawer in her desk. She put her hand down in the drawer and said, "Lisa." She looked up again. "Sir, she'll be out in just a moment. Before she arrives, I would like you to know that we do keep records of transactions, but that they are completely confidential. The only people who will know what goes on within these walls are Lisa, you, and ...myself, for the sake of safety and billing purposes. She should be down in a moment."

A few seconds later, the door to the dining area opened up and a woman, presumably Lisa, entered the main foyer. She was rather tanned, possibly darker-skinned than Cardinal himself normally was. She also had very long brown hair, flowing freely down her back. She was wearing a burgundy velvet dress, but basically no jewelry. She smiled warmly when she saw Cardinal's --rather unattractive-- form. "My name is Lisa. Come on, I'll show you upstairs."

She turned her back and looked at him over her shoulder, tossing him another smile. With that, she led him upstairs... to her room.... to the room of a whore... Cardinal was right. It's probably better that Farida not know about this.

Her room was furnished more or less exactly like Shakti's, which meant that it kind of looked like Cardinal and a whore were standing in his sister's room.

Lisa gave him another friendly smile and sat down on her bed. She patted the covers next to her, inviting him to sit as well. "Why don't you have a seat, and we can talk about what brings you here today."

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=kai@rpgww60462>Kai</A]&nbsp; Image at: 6/13/06 11:54

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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:59 pm

The "ugly old fella" sighed, and pulled a vial out of his pocket.

"What brings me..." He drank.

"... is a woman..." He sat.

"Named Sandy." He was himself.

"And Jeri's stonewalling me, Lisa. Know anything?"


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:33 am

Lisa stared at him in astonishment and inched away from him before she got hold of herself. Her eyes darted to the door as if she was tempted to leave right there. With a low hiss of frustration she turned to address Cardinal instead.

"I don't know where you heard about Sandy, since I know very well Shakti didn't send you after her. What are you doing here? Why can't you just leave her alone!"


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Wed Jun 14, 2006 6:44 pm

"Because I refuse to abandon my sister, alright? She's casting herself on the fire for this woman, and at LEAST I have to know WHY."

He looked Lisa right in the eye. "From what I know, I may be able to get BOTH of them off the hook. But I can't do it if I'm so in the dark about the details.

"Please. I'm begging you. Help me save her. To save them BOTH."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Thu Jun 15, 2006 3:04 am

Lisa's expression moved from completely unconvinced, to mostly unconvinced, and then straight on to indecision. She frowned to herself and her first couple of attempts to speak were unsuccessful.

"I don't..." She sighed. "I-I don't know everything. She's here, though. Sandy. She's trying to lay low after what happened with Darrik. The most I can tell you is that he... wanted what she wasn't selling anymore. It... it wasn't pretty." She threw up a hand as if to stop him from commenting just yet. "Don't get me wrong. We've all seen this before. It's just... Shakti... we had no idea it would go this far."

Lisa ran a hand through her hair uneasily. "Problems like these... don't usually end up being... solved. That's all she wants, your sister. As far as we know, her way is the only way to do it."

She looked over to Cardinal out of the corner of her eye. "Don't get me wrong. I'm sure your intentions are good and all, at least from what I've heard. But... licensed or not, this occupation doesn't come with much legal pull. If something happens, we can't rely on guardsmen--" She spat the word out in disgust. "-- to protect us. All we have is Jeri, and all Sandy has right now... is probably sitting in one of your cells, doing the best she can."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Thu Jun 15, 2006 8:22 am

"Please. Do me a favour. STOP thinking of me as a 'guardsman'. I could care less if I'm fired for this. I'm doing this because my sister's sacrificing herself for this woman, and while that's incredibly noble, there is another way. A way that's legal, effective, and DOESN'T require an innocent person going to jail.

"That INCLUDES Cassandra."

He sighed, and started fishing in his pocket. "Listen. I should go." He pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil, and began to write. "I will be at this address tomorrow, at the time on here. Ask her to meet me. I will see if I can help her, if she's willing.

"One Messiah can get her off a murder charge. With two of them? She could probably get a medal from the King himself."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Thu Jun 15, 2006 3:10 pm

Lisa sighed. "I can't speak for her, but I'll let her know."

She took the piece of paper and closed it in her fist. She sighed again. "Well, go ahead." Lisa looked up at him and spoke in a remarkable imitation of a classic crowd-control guardsman. "Nothing to see here." She smiled dryly. "No guarantees, but I'll tell her what you said."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Thu Jun 15, 2006 5:55 pm

"Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. You may have saved my sister."

He handed her a pouch. "There. Twice what would be your normal rate, more or less. Don't spend it all in one place."

He walked to the second floor window, and opened it. "See you soon."

He leapt, rolling once before coming to a stop. He stood, waved one last time to Lisa, and walked away, till he was sure she wasn't watching.

Then, he started limping.


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Thu Jun 15, 2006 8:44 pm

Lisa watched him go, and then stared down at the pouch on her bed. Picking it up in one hand, she closed her window with the other. She headed into the front room and laid the money down on Jeri's desk. The madame didn't look up from her ledger. "What did you tell him?" Jeri asked.

"It was Cardinal," Lisa said.

"What did you tell him?"

"Nothing he... didn't already know."

Jeri turned to pick up the pouch, pouring the contents onto her desk. She counted through the coins with one finger, sliding the majority back into the pouch. "Here you are. Bonus calculated as usual."

"Jeri," Lisa began. "Are you angry with me?"

"No. I trust you. He asked you to deliver a message?"

"...Yes." Lisa had long ago given up questioning how Jeri knew what went on within these walls. It wasn't generally a subject that was open for clarification.

"Then I suggest you get on with it," Jeri instructed. The madame's intense focus on her ledger told Lisa that she was effectively dismissed to continue her obligations.

Lisa found Sandy sitting on the edge of the washtub while a load of clothes was soaking. "Hey, Sandy. Something came for you." She held out the note.

Sandy took it, flicking a wary glance over to the door. She scanned its contents. "What's this all about?"

"Her brother came here."

"What's he like?"

"Pretty much like she said he was. He wants to talk to you. I think it'll be okay." Lisa answered.

"You do, do you. Well... What does Jeri think?"

"She won't say anything."

"I see," Sandy replied. "I don't like travelling alone. Any chance of Jeri going with me?"

"I think she'd be okay with that." Lisa answered with a nod.

...

It was a restless night for Sandy--and for Jeri as well, though she'd never admit it. Sandy wasn't supposed to be out by herself, and Jeri had informally taken responsibility for her. There was probably little chance of Cardinal allowing any harm to come to Sandy while she was with him, but there was the problem of getting her there.

Lisa temporarily closed the Villa Pascha after Jeri and Sandy left the next morning. Sandy was dressed in plain-looking khakis and a white oversized shirt. Jeri, by contrast, was in a well-tailored impeccably-pressed black business suit, her blonde hair pulled back severely behind her head. Many of the alleys they passed on their way to Cardinal's chosen meeting place were inhabited by people who knew Sandy much more intimately than she might have preferred. One solid, cold look from Jeri was enough to keep them back in the shadows where they belonged.

After a short walk, the two women reached what could be called the informal border between "legitimate" and "illegitimate" Doman business areas. Jeri hung back to allow Sandy a respectful degree of privacy.


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:14 pm

The red-jacketed man came out from behind a fence on the "respectable" side of things. He expected Sandy, but quirked at the sight of Jeri. He waved nervously, and approached Sandy with caution.

"Hello, Cassandra. It's nice to finally meet you." He extended his hand in greeting. "I'm Cardinal."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:38 pm

Jeri nodded from her position far behind Sandy on the "illegitmate" end of the lot. She raised a hand in greeting.

Sandy tossed a nervous glance over her shoulder, reassuring herself that Jeri was still there. When it became obvious that Jeri wasn't going anywhere, she turned back to Cardinal. She took his hand. "Hey. You already know me, I guess. You seem to be going to a lot of trouble getting hold of me."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:44 pm

He shook her hand, not vigorously, but not weakly either. "You're a hard person to get a hold of. Probably thanks to all the people that care about you."

He gestured to a nearby bench. "Sit?"


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:53 pm

Her eyes left his only briefly to glance over to the bench. She was a little jumpy, wasn't she? She started over slowly, watching him the whole time. It wasn't precisely clear what she was suspicious of, if anything, but while she'd agreed to meet him she didn't seem to trust him entirely.

"Cut the foreplay," she said with a grim smile as she sat down. "Tell me what you want."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Fri Jun 16, 2006 3:13 pm

"The whole story," he replied, instantly all business. "From beginning to end. How this situation came to be, the... act, what happened afterwards, everything. Down to the last minute detail."

Hopefully this won't require any spin.


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Sat Jun 17, 2006 2:32 am

Sandy pulled a pen from behind her ear and tapped in on her palm nervously. As she thought about what she was going to say, it seemed to Cardinal that he'd seen her before. Maybe she had been in Jeri's house before, when he was there looking for his sister. The pen kept tapping. Tap-tap-tap.... tap-tap-tap-tap... until she twitched her hand and the pen fell to the ground. She crouched down to retrieve it and when she looked up at him, Cardinal realized where he'd seen her.

On his way out of the Villa Pascha with his sister, they'd passed a few ladies in the dining room, some just relaxing, and one in particular on their way out who was bent over doing laundry. This was the same angle of reference he'd had before, and it was definitely her.

She sat back on the bench next to him with her pen in hand. Tap-tap-tap-tap.

"I don't know how much of this is actually going to mean anything to you, since I don't get the vibe you're familiar with... well, with the kind of relationship Darrik and I had before he died. He was one of my clients. Not the best one, but then again hardly the worst." Her hand drifted of its own volition up to the side of her head where Darrik had hit her. "Hardly the worst."

"I didn't have it so bad, you know. As streetwalkers go... things could have been worse. It's not a life that most of us have the luxury of walking away from the same way you or Darrik or somebody else could just quit. There are... demands placed on you, demands that are... difficult to leave behind."

Tap-tap-tap-tap. "It's funny. You know, I always thought that I'd walk away from it all, leave it all behind for the right guy. Someday someone decent would come along and I wouldn't have to rely on the integrity of curb-crawling johns." She shrugged. "Eventually you stop waiting. You realize it just isn't happening, and you deal with what you've got simply because it's what you've decided to do."

She laughed, but there was more bitterness in the dry sound than mirth. "You don't want to hear all that. You want to hear about Darrik." Tap-tap-tap.

"Darrik knew that I was giving it up. He knew what my other clients knew, and he knew why. He didn't care. The problem with johns is that they're used to being able to buy anything. Stop selling it? Some of them will try to take it anyway, especially when the only other option is to not get what they want." Tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.

"Darrik was one of the latter. I'm sure if you ask his wife she's noticed the same thing, but he didn't like the idea of ...of me quitting. Probably a control thing. It's easy to see us as a commodity for some people, and you should have seen his face. It was like I'd taken away his front door or lost him his job. All he lost was a whore, but he freaked."

"He freaked and got violent. Not the first time, but that's an occupational hazard I'd learned to deal with. This time... I have more to consider than my own well-being, and yeah. You could say that I killed him."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Sat Jun 17, 2006 10:55 pm

Cardinal's lips moved in an orbit all their own, pursed and mulling emotion. His forehead hit his hand.

"So... you're telling me it was self defense? Like I had always THOUGHT it was? You DO know that's a GREAT defense for murder, right? AND that there's a good chance you'd be BELIEVED on your word?"

The eye not concealed by his fingers looked at her. "We could have avoided ALL of this if you'd just come forward. Or at least to ME."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Sun Jun 18, 2006 2:16 am

"Oh, sure. Sure I could just be open about everything. Sure I could just make a huge public mess of the fact that I'm trying to start over. It's not you I'm afraid of, not the Doman Guard. Do you think I've ever answered to you people? I left behind some heavy obligations. Do you think any of the people trying to find me answer to you?"

A rant was coming. Cardinal could smell it on the air.

"I'm so tired of being told by everyone else that they have the solution, that they can or could have fixed my life for me, like I can't be trusted with it. You know, maybe that's right. Maybe I can't be trusted. But I'm not just making choices for myself anymore. I'm not just risking myself anymore." She scowled darkly at him. "I'm pregnant, Cardinal. I'll agree that Shakti's plan is extreme and under most circumstances I'd have never let her go through with it because my safety just isn't that important. The fact remains, it's the only option I have to minimize the risk to ...to whoever's child this is that I'm carrying."

...And what an informative rant it was.


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Mon Jun 19, 2006 6:25 pm

Cardinal nearly fell off the bench.

"You're PREGNANT... well that IS a wrinkle... Well I DO appreciate the situation... my wife just gave birth YESTERDAY... uh..."

He paused.

"Wait, two questions... why didn't you think your condition would profit you? I'd think a court would be more lenient on a woman with child. And second, are you CERTAIN you have no clue who the father is? None at all?"


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Wed Jun 21, 2006 6:37 pm

She raised an eyebrow at Cardinal's question. "And how am I supposed to know that? At the risk of being a little bit crass, do you have any idea how many people I slept with in the weeks when I could have conceived?" She shook her head. "First of all, no I don't know. Secondly, I don't think it's as important as you do. No matter who it is, the father is one of my clients. I'll let you imagine for yourself what kinds of fathers you think most of them would be."


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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Wed Jun 21, 2006 7:05 pm

"Fine, fine..."

He sighed. "One other thing... you said you'd have never allowed this under any other circumstances. If I could tell you about, find out about, conceive of SOME WAY to make sure you never see a jail cell that DOESN'T involve my sister being incarcerated for the remainder of her life, would you do it? Would you help me?"


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