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 » Wed Jun 21, 2006 7:21 pm

"It's more than keeping me out of jail. It's keeping me out of sight. There are risks I'm not willing to take anymore. I owe money and favors to people who wouldn't think twice about hurting me or finding a way to get rid of my child to get what they want, especially if they knew that the baby was the reason I skipped out."

"...But yeah. If you can do something..." Sandy shook her head. "You know, I don't want to see her go down for this either. You're not the only one who cares about what happens to her. Just because she doesn't care... doesn't mean we don't."


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

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Fri Jun 23, 2006 1:05 am

"Thank you. A thousand times thank you. You've given my son an aunt."

He gave her a slip of paper. "My card. If you need anything at all, please contact me. And since I assume you'll be going back to the house, WHEN I need you, I shall contact you there."

He looked at Jeri, ever so slightly. "Hopefully without much trouble...

"I should go. My wife is worried sick." He rose. "I will talk to you soon."


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

Unread postby Kai » Fri Jun 23, 2006 1:15 am

Sandy took the card. "All right. I'll be there." She also glanced over to Jeri. "And don't be too hard on Jeri. She knows you're okay. She was just respecting my wishes. It ought to be easier to get hold of me now."

Sandy stood as well and put her hands in her pockets. "So, if nothing changes, you'll be able to find me in the usual place. Also... don't tell her we talked. I'll be in touch with her, so... let me tell her, okay?"


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

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Fri Jun 23, 2006 1:22 am

"Of course." He bowed, low. "Till we meet again."

And, as he walked away, he thought to himself, Now... I just need to figure out HOW to pull this legal magic off...


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

Unread postby Kai » Fri Jun 23, 2006 1:50 am

The two sides parted ways as Cardinal went back toward his part of town, and Sandy went back to Jeri.

"So," Jeri asked. "Did you figure anything out?"

"I don't know what he's planning, but I guess he has something in mind. I just hope he knows what he's doing."

Jeri tilted her head. "Do you think he does?"

Sandy shrugged. "If they're anything alike...he'll find a way. If he wants it, he'll make it happen."

Jeri nodded. With that, the two women headed back to the Villa Pascha, Jeri's stiletto heels clicking on the paved road all the way back.


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

Unread postby Archmage144 » Sun Jun 25, 2006 1:39 pm

Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked.

"Not now, Precious!" On one end of a long scroll tube was a blue-haired man dressed in dark clothing, and on the other end was a large, black dog. The two were clearly engaged in some sort of impromptu tug-of-war, much to the dog's delight and the master's chagrin. "Believe it or not, I'm trying to do some work here!" The man struggled against the dog's powerful grip for a moment longer before muttering some indistinct words under his breath. At the completion of his mumbling, the dog found himself suddenly impacted by an unseen force, his jaw pried open and his body pitched off his four legs into the air. Moments later, the animal landed safely in a doggy bed shoved into the corner of the room, resulting in a softened thud. More startled than wounded, the dog barked again before curling up on a large pillow.

"Thank you. Sorry about that, but I don't have time to play right now." General Hakaril Silvar popped off the end of the scroll tube and dumped its parchment contents onto his desk, shoving aside several layers of other papers, glass tubes, corks, bags of catnip, and other miscellaneous items. An archaelogist could probably conduct a very interesting study by examining the strata on Hakaril's desk; there were at least as many layers of garbage piled up as there were in most historical dig sites, and some of the objects lying around in his office were at least as old.

Hakaril unfurled the scrolls and began to skim their contents. Reviewing reports from the city Guard was one of his least favorite duties, and he typically endeavored to finish it quickly so that he could move on to more interesting things. Most of the reports were tragically uninteresting.

"Pickpocket arrested on 7th street...slum drunk incarcerated after attempted arson...local mage questioned regarding protection racket...how the hell can the guards stand to do their jobs when even reading about them bores me to tears?" Hakaril sighed. This mundane bullshit was the kind of thing he wished he could pawn off on somebody else. Unfortunately, he had a responsibility to at least review reports, even those outside of his department.

"Responsibility" also happened to be one of General Silvar's least favorite words.

The General yawned as he came to the bottom of the list. "Oh, a murder. How fascinating. One less taxpayer to throw money into the royal coffers...wait, WHAT!?" Nearly dropping the parchment from shock, Hakaril traced a line under the entry with his finger. "Suspect in custody after cooperation with authorities...currently being investigated by..." The mage blinked, then abruptly cast the parchment to his desk as he stormed out of the room with his face twisted into an expression of disbelief.

Precious uttered a confused whimper at his master's sudden change of behavior as the door slammed shut.

Minutes later, Hakaril was standing outside Shakti's cell and staring at her as if she had suddenly started spewing pudding out of her ears. The guards had been roughly dismissed, run out of the room by a shouting General who was clearly not in the best of moods. As none of his subordinates were interested in testing the General's bluff about cleaning cell block H, any possible pairs of unwanted ears were long gone.

Hakaril stammered momentarily and pointed a finger at Shakti accusatorily. "You...you...what the fuck did you DO?" <p>
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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Sun Jun 25, 2006 10:57 pm

Shakti, after finally dragging herself out of bed, had rolled straight off onto the floor. She'd twisted her hair up behind her head, pinning it with a pencil and felt no more effort was necessary to prepare for her day. After all, everything was working out more or less as she'd expected. What was there to worry about?

By the time Hakaril found his way to her cell, she was paused over a manuscript with her quill pen still in hand. She listened to his question with her head titled attentively. "Huh? Oh. I should have figured you'd eventually hear about it. Sorry. Didn't mean to involve you. Oh!" She tossed her quill down as she remembered something tremendously important.

"Silvar! You bastard! You said that I could borrow your notes from that thing! You remember when we went to that place because there was stuff there and then you sent people to that plane to do that mission? You said I could borrow your notes. You do have notes, don't you? If you don't I'm just going to have to interrogate you until I'm satisfied. Otherwise, you'll have to write your own report and I won't get to see it until it's done, which is just boring."

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=kai@rpgww60462>Kai</A]&nbsp; Image at: 6/25/06 23:02

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

Unread postby Archmage144 » Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:08 pm

Hakaril's jaw nearly scraped the stone floor. "You want to interrogate me? Which one of us is behind bars, Shakti?" The General quickly attempted to regain his composure and smacked himself in the face. "Goddamnit, you're not getting off that easy. I want some sort of explanation as to why you're in here!"

The mage rubbed his eyes and sighed heavily. "And don't think," he added, "that you think I mean 'what crime did you commit.' I want to know why you got caught. More accurately, why you turned yourself in. You killing someone really doesn't surprise me, but what the fuck compelled you to haul your own ass to prison? And what the hell is Cardinal doing investigating his own sister's involvement in a murder?" Hakaril cleared his throat and scratched at his neck. "Seriously, this is ridiculous."

Momentarily distracted, Hakaril appeared to be staring off into the distance, but before Shakti could speak, he snapped his fingers and nodded. "Yeah, I've got those notes. But you're going to answer my questions first. Like I said. Which one of us is in a jail cell, hm?" <p>
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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby Kai » Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:17 pm

Shakti rolled her eyes. "I don't know what my brother is doing investigating this. I told him not to, and in fact the only reason I came here was to cover his ass after he pulled the whole "house arrest" thing. I'm glad someone else realizes there's an obvious conflict of interest, because he sure doesn't. He has no idea what he's doing."

She curled up on the floor of her cell, still sitting in front of her book. She folded her arms on top of her knees and looked up at Hakaril. "I don't know what he thinks he's doing, Silvar. Being a dumbfuck if you ask me."


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

Unread postby Archmage144 » Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:35 pm

Hakaril shrugged. "You must realize that I got that impression. From what I understand about the relationship you have with your brother, he tends not to know what he's doing, and the whole deal with that wife of his reinforces my information."

"I don't know why you want to cool your heels in jail, but you must have a reason, and I'm honestly not sure I want to know what it is. If you decide you need to get out, and you haven't been sentenced yet, I'll arrange a parole for you. On the other hand, if you want to be here for reasons I can't quite comprehend, I'll give you those notes so you can write my report on Regulus...in your cell."

The General stepped back and surveyed the woman's current living conditions. "The least I can do is have you transferred to a nicer cell, or something. I can assign a guard to be your personal waiter with regard to food and other necessaries so that you won't have to eat the shit they feed regular prisoners. Whatever you want, the kitchen can send it up to you. Until you're legally convicted, they're likely to be fine with that sort of thing, since you're being...cooperative. Odd as it may be. In any event, I'll get you those notes."

As he turned to leave, Hakaril stopped for a moment and placed a hand on the brim of his hat. "Oh, and one more thing. Would you like me to keep an eye on your brother for you? I'm concerned that he's going to try something stupid, like attempting to break you out of prison when you clearly want to be here. I don't believe it's common knowledge that you're related, but if the Guard at large discovers that your brother was investigating your crime, they're going to question the whole deal. I'd hate to see him lose his credibility or his position because he thought he needed to save you. The justice system here is a bit more reasonable than that in some other countries, after all. It's not as though you're going to be burned at the stake tomorrow morning, even if you're convicted."


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

Unread postby Kai » Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:49 pm

Shakti didn't comment on any of Hakaril's offers or statements for a moment. She just... curled up a little more tightly. "That's a weird comment. He didn't tell--- never mind. I don't even want to know what you guys talk about."

She shook her head quickly, jolting herself out of the brief emotional jag that had put her better judgement on hold. "Maybe... If you could... keep an eye on him. He has very poor judgement when it comes to these things. I guess I can't force him to keep his distance, but... I would consider it a personal favor if you made sure he didn't fuck himself over trying to help me. Because he will. He isn't thinking."

"As for the rest.... I don't need special meals or cells or anything. I figure I might as well get acclimated to the way things actually work, rather than accept all sorts of special treatment for whatever reason."


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

Unread postby Archmage144 » Mon Jun 26, 2006 12:02 am

"Even if you get convicted, I can still see to it that you aren't treated like a common criminal," noted Hakaril offhandedly. "Again, the only reason I'm not bailing you out myself is that I get the impression that you want to be here. The least I can do is make sure you're comfortable instead of miserable. I'll insist that the kitchen send you up some decent food, if nothing else. Trust me, you really don't want to try to live on that awful shit that they feed real convicts."

"As for your brother, I'll see what I can do. Knowing him, he thinks he's being heroic and he's actually walking all over your judgment. I'll be honest and say that I didn't really follow his activities until you showed up, but from what I understood, his record was relatively good and he didn't display the level of air-headedness that he does now. I seriously think that gypsy wife of his is poisoning him or something. She struck me as a real con artist." Hakaril turned around and saluted Shakti informally, a limp-wristed gesture that barely involved tapping his own eyebrow.

"Stay out of trouble, and I'll try to keep your brother out of trouble." With that, General Silvar departed from the cell block, a thoughtful expression in his eyes as he casually saluted the guards on his way down the hall. The two soldiers on duty saluted back with considerably more discipline in their gesture.

This is more than a little weird, mused the General. It's like she knows she's innocent, but doesn't mind being guilty. She's hiding something, but it's none of my business. I just have to make sure her brother doesn't decide to make it my business...


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

Unread postby Kai » Mon Jun 26, 2006 12:08 am

Shakti watched Hakaril leave and then closed her book over her pen. It was bad for the quill, but it wasn't in her nature to be careful of the softer, delicate things in life.

She sighed, a sound of profound relief. "Thanks, Silvar," she whispered to herself.


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

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Mon Jun 26, 2006 12:18 am

Today, if you wanted to find Cardinal, he'd be in his office at the castle. When he arrived, he raided the library on law books (especially the ones on the criminal code), and once he hit his office, he began poring through every volume.

It was feverish. He, to start, had to FAMILIARIZE himself a lot more with the code of laws in the land, taking notes on everything pertinent. It's not that he was completely ignorant of it before, it's just that for the most part, he never encountered a law that didn't exist, in SOME form, in Spain. He then had to make sure of EVERY law that might, just MIGHT, get you off for murder, and they just seemed to be scattered, throughout every book, between every volume.

Esperanza... Cassandra... MYSELF... there's... there MUST be some combination of laws to keep us all out of hot water...

His elbow knocked over the bowl of soup that he'd gotten from Farida, and onto one of the last books he hadn't gotten to.

"Argh..." It was going to be a looooong day.


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

Unread postby Archmage144 » Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:11 pm

A voice from Cardinal's office doorway responded suddenly with a disapproving chitter. "Tsk tsk, Cardinal. Those books are expensive, and that soup is probably too good to feed to unappreciative paper. That's a lose-lose situation." The owner of the voice, as if it were not immediately apparent, became more clear as General Silvar came into view out of the corner of Cardinal's eye. He circled around and leaned over the star mage's shoulder, peering down at his current choice of reading material. "Law books? Are you trying to commit boredom-related suicide? I wasn't aware work was so stressful of late that you felt the need to take your own life."

Hakaril quickly circled around to the other side of the table, flicking his wrist and snapping his fingers at the soiled book. The spilled soup evaporated almost instantaneously, leaving the legal materials as good as new.

"A handy cantrip, that. I taught it to the librarian so that he would have an easier time dealing with ink spills. Unfortunately, it leaves you without soup, but putting it back in the bowl would've been beyond me. Perhaps I should save you the trouble of boring yourself to death and have the goblins send you up another batch, this one with extra arsenic, hmm?"

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=archmage144>Archmage144</A]&nbsp; Image at: 6/26/06 20:20

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

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:27 pm

"... oh. Thank you, General. That's 50 gil saved."

He picked up the book, and handed it to Hakaril.

Putting his nose back in his own book, he said, "Can you look up the articles on exoneration? I just want to have a back door unless my plan doesn't work..."


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

Unread postby Archmage144 » Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:36 pm

"Plan? If I were you, I'd make your plan 'save yourself the trouble and hire a lawyer.' What'd you do, cheat on your taxes? Planning on going to debtor's prison when Chancellor Vince finds out? Did you steal cookies from the royal cookie jar?" Hakaril smirked and continued to hover over Cardinal's desk. "I've been involved in a legal case or two, but that was just improvisation. I haven't got a license to practice law, but then, I always thought requiring a license to practice something was silly."

"That trial," noted Hakaril distantly, as if it had simply been something he'd read about in a book, "was rigged, anyway."

"In any event," continued the General as he apparently came back into focus, "the easiest way to get off is to not commit a crime, don't you think? Although my wife might have a different opinion about the easiest method of accomplishing that particular goal..." <p>
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Re: Some fic that will get a title when we finish...

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:43 pm

"I'm not going to commit a crime. I'm going to stay well within the bounds of law, General," the starmage stated matter-of-factly. "If I wasn't, would I have all these damn books? Mm?"

He clapped the book closed, and looked at the General. "I'll assume you know exactly what I'm thinking of doing, and yet, I have to assume you think I'm going to attempt some foolish rescue mission. Do I garner so little credit? I'm a THINKER first, sir. Unless your incredibly reasonable society decides to turn to a totalitarian state sometime between now and Shakti's trial, I intend to find a legal way out for her.

"... not disappointed, are you?"


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

Unread postby Archmage144 » Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:59 pm

"No, not disappointed," replied Hakaril with a shrug. "However, before you start making grand plans and poring over law texts in hopes that you'll get your sister off the hook, there are a few things you might want to know about her incarceration." The mage paused and placed his hand on his chin. "At the very least, it seems as though she wants to be in prison."

Hakaril began to pace back and forth in front of Cardinal's desk, gesturing frequently with his hands as if to spirit his words to Cardinal's ears with greater swiftness. "Your sister isn't stupid. I know her too well for that. What surprised me was not that she might be guilty of a crime, but that she would get caught. And even more suspicious is the fact that she turned herself in. No, Shakti is in prison for a reason, and if you spend your time trying to prove her innocence now, you'll probably erode whatever plan she has."

"Getting her out of prison," commented the General, "is the easy part, even if she's convicted. As nice as it would be to have her be my transcription secretary, I'd rather she do it from an office instead of a jail cell. Caging her up here permanently would be a mistake. I also have little reason to believe that she would kill someone who didn't deserve it somehow." He paused briefly and furrowed his brow. "She might kick someone's ass without a lot of provocation, but I don't think lethal force is quite as satisfying when it comes to teaching certain types of lessons."

"So. I don't know what kind of favor you think you're doing her, but she doesn't want you to do it. Not much of a favor then, is it?" Hakaril smirked at Cardinal for a second before snatching one of his books off the table. "No matter what you find in here," he said, gesturing to the leatherbound tome, "you're not doing her any good if this isn't what she wants. She must have some reason for doing what she did, and you need to find out what that is before you start planning to show everyone the meaning of Doman justice. Innocent until proven guilty is all well and good, but what about those who admit guilt because they think it will somehow create less of a problem for those around them?"

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=archmage144>Archmage144</A]&nbsp; Image at: 6/26/06 21:02

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

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:09 pm

"I know that. I know ALL of that, Hakaril," he said, dropping the formal titles, for now. "I've known her for her whole life. You think I wouldn't be able to figure out the SECOND I knew she was involved that she wasn't guilty, or at least WANTED to be caught?

"My sister... has problems, Hakaril. Problems you're OBVIOUSLY not aware of. And most of the time, you'd never know, for the most part. But this... what she's done... it's a slipup. It's a mistake. She made a bad choice, and she's, for SOME reason, deciding to stick with it. I know she won't ACCEPT help, so it's being given to her. Simple as that."

He sighed. "Are you going to look in that book or not, sir?"


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*sneeze*

Unread postby Kai » Tue Jun 27, 2006 9:30 pm

Shakti sniffed, squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and sneezed.

All that running around in my pajamas. Maybe I caught a cold.


Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=kai@rpgww60462>Kai</A]&nbsp; Image at: 6/27/06 21:32

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

Unread postby Archmage144 » Tue Jun 27, 2006 9:47 pm

The General blinked. "Problems? Your sister? Is that so?" There was a pause as Hakaril appeared to be considering the words of his hair-color companion. "So what you're saying is that you always know what's best for your sister better than she does, hm?"

"I don't know what your entire history with her is, but she clearly doesn't think you have her best interests at heart right now. If you want to get her out of prison, fine. But I predict that unless you try a little harder to understand her motivations for being there in the first place as opposed to simply writing it off as a mistake that she's going to resent you for it, and maybe even work against you. How can a jury come to a conclusion of 'not guilty' when all the evidence points to the opposite and the defendant has put in a guilty plea? Whether justice is served or not is not measured by whether or not the guilty are convicted and the innocent are freed; it's measured by whether or not the system works, and the system is not on Shakti's side as far as the basic principles go." Having finished his tirade, Hakaril leaned in toward Cardinal and peered at him in a scrutinizing manner.

"What are your motivations, Cardinal? You want to 'save' your sister, but she's clearly doing this for a reason. I don't know what that reason is, and from what I understand, you don't know either. You may think you have better judgment than she does, but she clearly has reasons to think otherwise. I don't know what those are, either, but she doesn't seem to trust you to make choices for her."

The mage resumed his standing posture and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Whatever you decide to do, she isn't going to be thrown on the rack or interrogated with hot thumbscrews or anything. She can 'rot' in prison until she decides it's safe to come out. Maybe she's hiding from someone? She's much safer here than she is anywhere else. So before you go on a sibling-saving crusade, just stop and think for a moment about how urgent 'freeing' her really is."

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=archmage144>Archmage144</A]&nbsp; Image at: 6/27/06 21:51

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

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Tue Jun 27, 2006 10:09 pm

Cardinal was fuming.

"Listen, GENERAL, you have known my sister for a few months. I have known her my ENTIRE life, so don't you DARE presume that you know what's best for her! Don't you DARE presume you know what's best for ME! I was there when she was born! I was there when she took first communion! I... "

He stopped, for a brief moment.

"I have been there for almost every crucial moment in her life. I know her, better than you, better than anyone here, and some days, better than myself, and that YOU would assume otherwise is preposterous."

He walked over to his coat rack, and retrieved his signature red cloak. "And by the way, I know the WHOLE situation. The ENTIRETY of it. Basically, I solved the case. I know all the players, the motivations, and my sister's involvement. What YOU will know about it, we shall see. It'll all be in my report.

"Probably."

He put a few books under his arm. "And... I think I have my legal answer. But, I think I need the fresh air of the park to finalize my thoughts.

"Goodbye, General. Don't forget to lock the door on your way out." And with that, Cardinal left his office.


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

Unread postby Kai » Tue Jun 27, 2006 10:18 pm

Cardinal, as he was leaving his doorway, slammed directly into someone who was apparently in a bit of a hurry. His first impression was that it was a woman, and as she spun backward from the impact he recognized her.

It was Lisa, the lady with whom he'd made an appointment earlier. She appeared to be in somewhat of a panic. First of all, she was barefoot, secondly, she was out of breath. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, someone else's blood was sprayed along her shoulder and neck.

She stepped away from him and her back thudded against the wall. "Cardinal. You have to come back. I don't think Jeri can handle them all. I don't know where they all came from."


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

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Tue Jun 27, 2006 10:30 pm

Cardinal's eyes went wide, and the books he held were soon flung back onto the desk in exchange for his rapier.

Before the general could even blink, he said, "Trouble at Shakti's bordello. Follow if you wish."

He didn't care either way. Trouble at Jeri's meant someone was trying to get to Cassandra, and that COULD NOT happen. Not if his idea was going to work.

Not if Shakti was going to have any hope.


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

Unread postby Archmage144 » Tue Jun 27, 2006 10:42 pm

The first thought that ran through Hakaril's head in response to the bloody woman and Cardinal's curt invitation was simply Shakti owns a bordello now?

The second thought was that there was clearly something wrong, and that whatever it was, it had less to do with Shakti's entrepreneurship in the sex business and more to do with some sort of violent crime. A sane leader in Hakaril's position would have gone to gather a contingent of guardsmen to investigate in the event that there really were serious trouble.

While Hakaril was arguably a sane leader, he had his own mindset about these things, and as far as his logic went, any man who had to stoop to beating on whores to find a victory couldn't be much of a man at all.

"I disintegrated Tiamat," muttered the General. "I can handle a few slum hoods. I'm coming with you if only because this seems like it'll elucidate Shakti's reasons for doing what she's doing. The connection between her incarceration and whatever's going on is far too clear to me." Hakaril cracked his knuckles and adjusted his hat before chasing after the rapidly departing Cardinal.

Despite the fact that Hakaril had resolved the majority of his anger management issues some time previously, his favorite part of being law enforcement was still the fact that he didn't have to rely on claims that he was a "vigilante with a positive impact on the world." If he thought someone was breaking the law and he wanted to kick their ass, the only excuse he needed was that they started it. Not a fan of totalitarian brutality, Hakaril tended not to abuse that priveledge. Generally speaking, someone else did start the fights. Violent criminals tended to be good at that.

But no matter who started the fight, Hakaril was always more than happy to finish it.

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=archmage144>Archmage144</A]&nbsp; Image at: 6/27/06 22:43

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

Unread postby Kai » Wed Jun 28, 2006 2:36 am

As the two officers headed out to investigate the problem, Lisa simply sat on the floor outside Cardinal's office, exhausted. She'd done all she could by this point anyway. She was a prostitute, not a warrior, and she knew it.

Cardinal and Hakaril raced toward Jeri's house, finding no one along the way who dared to interfere with what must be important "hurrying through the streets" business.

As the shadows were deepening beneath the eaves and awnings of nearby buildings, they reached their destination. The red-light district, for where it was in Doma, was actually a fairly prosperous and well-maintained area. An elegant house with impeccable landscaping, the Villa Pascha was no exception.

From the outside of the house, there was little indication of the violent altercation that must be taking place inside. A few of the side windows were broken open, and every several seconds an agitated voice, either male of female, would filter out to Hakaril and Cardinal.

The front door was closed, but it wasn't locked. Someone had left it unlocked, and the odds are good it wasn't Jeri trying to attract customers.


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

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Wed Jun 28, 2006 9:28 am

As they approached the scene, Cardinal quipped, "I sincerely hope the tales you spin of your competence are quite well deserved, General. Sounds like 'fun' in there."

His sword was unsheathed as he approached the doorway. He peeked around the corner, and assessed the scene.

One man was old. VERY old. But what he was ... of course. Jeri. She must have gone to work on him. There was another in the room, at full youth, acting as a sentry.

Cardinal snapped his fingers.

The younger man may have noticed the snap, if it weren't for his eyelids getting so droopy. He blinked, trying to shake it off, but, seconds later, he dropped to his knees and passed out.

The "old" man quirked. "What on..." he croaked, and looked to the door. Well, he would have, were not the guard of a rapier headed straight for his face.

The old fella lost a tooth.

"Well," Cardinal said to Hakaril, dusting off his guard, "after you, sir."

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=kingofdoma>KingOfDoma</A]&nbsp; Image at: 6/28/06 18:24

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

Unread postby Kai » Wed Jun 28, 2006 4:00 pm

Shakti sat in her cell, flipping through her notes. She was having one hell of a time finding the conversation in which one of her informants had mentioned her Nekonian contacts. It was too damned interesting to leave out of the finished work, but Shakti had no idea how she was going to work it in. Of course, this was a moot point if she couldn't even find the notes to begin with.

She was disturbed by a guard knocking on her bars. "What do you want?" she asked, irritated at his bad timing.

Another guard turned the corner to stand in front of her cell as the first answered. "You are to be transferred to a magic-shielded cell for long-term containment. Leave your things, we will retrieve them later."

"Huh. I see. Well, fine. But if you fuck up my notes you'll wish you'd taken today off."

"I bet," the second guard answered dryly. They unlocked her cell and motioned that she step out. As soon as she was near the doorway, they each grabbed one of her arms and dragged her roughly into the hallway.

With a guard on each side, Shakti turned to the one on her right. She was tall enough to look him in the eye, and took advantage of it. "You're not real guardsmen, are you?"

He smirked. "Does it matter?"

While she could hardly escape from the both of them, her observational training paid off in an amusing fashion. "It sure does," she answered. "Your hat is crooked and doesn't match your belt. Your shoes are non-regulation. I can't believe no one has noticed. You look like an idiot. At least to me."

"Shut up," he said, delivering her a sound blow into her back with one elbow. It took the wind out of her and transformed her laughter into weak wheezing noises for a moment as her other escort took her out of the building.

The first guard stayed behind briefly to straighten his hat.


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

Unread postby Archmage144 » Wed Jun 28, 2006 11:49 pm

"I think I can handle a few of them myself without a lot of fuss," noted Hakaril with a shrug and a grin as he tapped the unconscious old man on the ground with one of his feet. "These two sure as hell didn't take much effort. Just a bunch of thugs."

"You go upstairs and sort out whatever's going on up there. I'll clear out whoever's on this floor and meet you when I'm finished. If you get done before I do, we'll regroup here at the front desk." The mage moved toward the door to the main room and raised a hand. He suddenly hesitated and frowned.

Excess property damage, in this case, means I'll have to answer to Jeri. Not worth it. Let's try...a less destructive approach.

In an unprecedented display of subtlety, the General reached out with one hand to grab the doorknob. It turned without protest.

Hakaril blinked as he surveyed the scene. Several girls had been restrained or knocked to the floor, and Jeri seemed to be dealing with a pair of assailants that were having a remarkable amount of trouble mostly because they were moving at about half her speed. A few less occupied thugs turned to see who was brave (or stupid) enough to simply waltz through the door. There was a bit of tension as Hakaril's cocky grin was met by the stares of feral but not terribly brilliant eyes. There was a definite violence, a certain intent to kill, but there was also a clear lack of the analysis of an intelligent predator. Hakaril noted that it was something like having a staring contest with a group of mentally handicapped wolves.

Rather than speak, the General simply offered a casual wave.


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

Unread postby Kai » Wed Jun 28, 2006 11:54 pm

In the room were lots of people! Some that Hakaril could assume were no threat to him, and some that could plainly be classified as enemies. In the far right corner of the room, close to a dozen women were standing behind two men with swords who were presumably there to keep the ladies from escaping. Two other men were engaged in combat with the madame of this particular brothel.

Jeri herself was giving them a good bit of trouble. The movements of her two assailants were sluggish and compared to them, her own movements were a blur. To a mage familiar with time magic --Hakaril for example-- it was fairly obvious that not only had Jeri hasted herself, she had slowed the two men as well. Every time one reached to take hold of her, she slipped out of the way without a whole lot of effort.

The two men split up to flank her, and despite the fact that one was behind her, she ignored him for the moment to concentrate on the man in front of her. She reached out and placed her hands on the sides of his face.

"Gods of fate...link us in time... bind his life, his future, to mine!" Jeri finished the chant as the man behind her drew a knife and thrust it deep into Jeri's lower back. As she fell to her knees, blood sprayed from the other man's back, the man she'd cast a spell on. He hit the floor, and Jeri remained crouched on her knees between the two of them, gritting her teeth in pain but apparently still solidly in the land of the living.


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

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Thu Jun 29, 2006 12:15 am

"Upstairs. Good ide-"

Cardinal's brain clicked. "... Sandy!" With that he rushed up the stairs, booking it to her room.

As he ran down the hall, he hit his head. "Estúpido, Salvador. Muy estúpido... should have thought of that before, or at least WHEN I got here... if she's dead..."

He got angrier than he realized he would.

"Las cabezas rodarán."

He burst through the door, his blade entering first. "Who wishes to be first?", said he, eyes burning...


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

Unread postby Kai » Thu Jun 29, 2006 12:19 am

Shakti continued on through the streets with her "guard" escort, trying to take note of where they were headed.

Magic-shielded cell. Heh.

Near as she could tell, they were headed deeper into the slums than even Shakti was accustomed to visiting. The area was broken down, and had quite likely never recovered from the state Doma had been languishing in thirty years ago.

Well. This is a hell of a nice place to die. I should probably do something about that. I don't think me dying is going to help any.

"So," she began. "Is there a reason it takes two men to transport a mage who's had her powers suppressed? Or is it just because your boss doesn't trust either of you to do it by himself?"

"That's enough. You want to know, you can ask him when we get back." He grinned harshly at no one in particular. "I'm sure he'll be wanting to talk to you anyway."

Oh, cute, she thought.

Shakti and her escorts came to a stop. They were right where Shakti had expected them to be: in front of an old abandoned warehouse. "Honestly, you guys. You don't live here, right? Tell me this is just where you bring your buddies to hang out. You shouldn't even be bringing women here. Makes a bad impression."

One man, sporting a now-perfectly-aligned hat, did what he'd been wishing to do for several minutes and clapped a hand over her mouth. His friend opened the door, and Shakti's eyes widened as she saw a group of over two dozen men waiting inside.

Well I will be dipped in shit. Look at 'em all. All this just to get hold of Sandy? What the hell did she do?

----------------

When Cardinal entered the room he found that it was furnished as Lisa and Shakti's rooms had been. The whole place was apparently carefully standardized. One man was standing in front of the bed facing the doorway, while the other was holding Sandy against the wall. He was whispering in her ear when Cardinal entered. When Sandy saw who was at the door, she attempted to break away from her captor, but he grabbed her and dragged her back again.

Seeing Cardinal's blade drawn, the man nearest the door raised his weapon, apparently ready to take the highguard up on his offer.


Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=kai@rpgww60462>Kai</A]&nbsp; Image at: 6/29/06 0:44

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

Unread postby Archmage144 » Thu Jun 29, 2006 1:07 am

One of Hakaril's eyebrows shot up in response to all the thugs staring at him. He glanced over toward a young woman who had been bound, gagged, stripped, and knocked unconscious before being thrown to the floor in a crumpled heap.

"The ropes and gag are pretty kinky, but the stabbing is even worse. While I'm not so sure about the knife stuff, you guys know you could've gotten the bondage play for a nominal fee, right?"

The man who had just shoved his blade through Jeri's back shoved his heel into her scapula, pressing the brothel owner to the carpeted floor. He stepped over her body toward Hakaril and indelicately crushed the elbow joint of his fallen companion with a heavy booted foot. He was bigger than the rest of his allies, dressed in worn but still once-fashionable clothing, but neither hygiene nor sharp thinking seemed to be among his list of assets. There was a muffled whimper from the man beneath his feet, but it went ignored, apparently written off as a death rattle. Hakaril guessed that this was an accurate analysis.

"I dunno who you are, buddy, but you screwed up big time poking your face in here!" growled the enormous thug as he took a few more steps toward the General. "Stupid pretty boy thinks he can be a hero, huh? How about I give you a couple more scars!?" The brute lunged toward Hakaril, knife first. One of the thug's scrawnier subordinates snickered a little.

Hakaril calmly raised his left hand, exposing the flat of his palm to the charging adversary as though he intended to deflect the blade with the fleshy part of his hand. As the thug closed in, a sudden burst of sound erupted into the room like a localized sonic boom. The air rippled distinctly, like the ripples visible on a hot summer day, and a colorful pyrotechnic display erupted from the assailant's body in the form of a shower of multicolored sparks. The force of whatever energy had struck the thug threw him backwards across the room, slamming his body into the dining table and leaving him lying in a crumpled heap admist broken wood and torn cloth. The flunkies had stopped laughing.

Hakaril's gaze slowly turned toward the two standing hoods.

"You two are just a couple of punks. Your boss clearly wasn't very bright, mostly because he didn't recognize me on sight. But no big deal, right? You guys are so tough that you can beat up a bunch of women! You can take me!"

The two men pointed their swords at the General. One of them spat on the floor and waved the end of his weapon menacingly. "There're two of us and one of you! Get him!" Without further ado, the duo charged recklessly toward the mage with a mad fury in their eyes.

"Good point," mused Hakaril. "Not fair, is it?" With a sweep of his hand, a sword-shaped plane of tangible light formed in the air. Using his other hand, he drew his sword from his belt just in time to parry one of the incoming strikes--and his newly created blade of energy parried the other. Hakaril sidestepped, trying to separate the two thugs so that he could deal with them individually. The greasy-haired man whose sword had been deflected by Hakaril's sudden conjuration recoiled as the blade shoved back against his metal sword with a surprising amount of force. As Hakaril held back the first man with a few skillful parries, he mentally commanded the brilliant blade to move so that it was both flanking his current opponent and interposed between the two foes. He could see everything happening in real time on the astral as his will dragged the currents of energy forming his improvised weapon through the fabric of reality.

A sudden, sharp pain brought the General back to focusing on the material world. A misjudged angle had compromised his parrying, and the thug's sword had managed to tag Hakaril's upper arm, drawing blood and rendering his weapon hand almost completely useless. His adversary grinned.

"You haven't got enough teeth to kill me," mocked Hakaril as the blade of light swung around in a wide arc, decapitating the thug before he could raise his sword for a follow-up strike. Gripping his sword's hilt as tightly as he could muster to prevent himself from dropping it, Hakaril flashed a grin at the one enemy who remained standing. The confidence had been wiped from his enemy's face, evidently siphoned away by Hakaril's immense ego. Even with a wounded arm, it was apparent that this battle was a mismatch.

"You're lucky" commented Hakaril, "because you're the last one standing, and that means you get to live." The thug breathed heavily, as though somewhat relieved. "Oh. Wait." Hakaril scratched the back of his neck and frowned. "Cardinal left that guy in the front hallway alive. I don't need to keep you for interrogation." Eyes widening, the thug glanced nervously between the nearest outside window, Hakaril, and the doorway. Opting for the most likely chance of survival, the man turned around and started to dash toward the window, ditching his sword to avoid having to deal with the extra weight. As he leaped toward the opening, an invisible force yanked him roughly backward, slamming the thug against the floor with a harsh thud.

"Oh, I'm sorry," added Hakaril apologetically. "Was that noise your back?" The mage flashed a dark smile. It was clear that some sadistic part of his mind was enjoying this immensely. As the thug opened his mouth to beg for mercy, Hakaril gestured slightly with his free hand and yet another unseen force shoved his jaw shut, clamping them down on the man's tongue. Hakaril scratched at his head again, then paused to tally something up on the fingers of his free hand.

"I think that's enough payback for what you've done here. Besides, your partner stabbed that woman, and I can't let her lay on the floor and die while I torture you, as much fun as it could hypothetically be. I'm not really a sadist, you know," continued Hakaril as he circled around to stare down at the thug. "I worked all those issues out a long time ago. I don't really hate people who break the law, either, because that'd be hypocritical of me." Hakaril sneered a little and knelt down next to his fallen enemy.

"I just don't like people who mess with my friends," the mage concluded as he rested the blade of his sword across the man's neck. The thug struggled madly, eyes widening as he fought the inevitable, but no amount of force he could manage would will his limbs to move.

There was the sound of steel slicing flesh and a final gasp followed by silence.

Hakaril rose, sheathing his sword and shaking his right arm with a grimace on his face as he strode toward Jeri's fallen body. He stared at her for a moment. She seemed familiar, yet he did not recognize her. It was like looking at someone's daughter and seeing her mother's features. The mage sighed heavily and made some hand gestures, calling long strips of cloth into material existence from energy and ether.

"Man, I suck at this. If you die on me, Shakti's going to be pissed..."


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

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Thu Jun 29, 2006 1:17 am

No time for fancy stuff.

Cardinal, almost too fast to see, quickly struck away the weapon, and elbowed his opponent in the face, throwing him off balance. He followed with another fist, effectively knocking the fellow out. Another quick kick to his face assured it.

His weapon now pointed at Sandy's captor. "Let her go, or die."

He relented for that foolish split second, and Cardinal lunged, stabbing his sword into the thug's left side, if only the tip.

"six more inches and you're dead. LET HER GO!"

He relented, releasing Sandy from his grip.

"Now... time to talk. Who are you working for?"

The thug spat on the floor. "Now THAT you can kill me for."

"Hard way. FINE," and in a second, the thug's mind was breached, torn into, the secrets within being attacked and collected at whim. His name, his home, who he worked for, what they did, criminally and non-criminally, why they were...

Why they were here.

A diversion!

"Curses."

The man dropped, clutching his head, a searing migraine his reward for his compliance (or lack thereof). Cardinal then turned his attention to Sandy, examining her, seeing if she was alright. "Sandy! Did they hurt you!"


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

Unread postby Kai » Thu Jun 29, 2006 1:24 am

Sandy shook her head. "Nothing beyond the obvious. We have to go. Is Jeri okay? Where are the others?"

------------------------------

Shakti was thrown bodily into the room, where she was shoved into a wall. A small space cleared around her as the thugs inside hesitated. She had those bracers on, but she was still a mage, wasn't she? Didn't that mean she might still be dangerous?

She took advantage of their uncertainty to appraise the situation. A fight was certainly hopeless in her condition, so that wasn't even worth considering. The space around her narrowed as the hired arms came to feel that they were more or less on familiar territory. Just a woman. Not a big deal. This time would be the same as all the others.

Shakti had no illusions about their intentions, but put the thought out of her mind. Then she paused.
wait, she thought. There's always an advantage to knowing what your enemy plans to do. I just have to find it. Find it, find it.

Then, it occurred to her. Momentarily distracted, she wasn't quite able to dodge when one of them swung out with a length of metal pipe. The weapon scraped against the wall behind her, flipping up to glance off of the side of her head. A fierce and shrill ringing started up in her left ear, but beyond that and a momentary loss of balance, Shakti felt all right. It probably wasn't serious, and if she could just get these bracers off she'd be able to heal herself anyway.

As she stumbled against one of the thugs on her right, she slipped her hand into his belt and found what she'd been looking for. He was armed but not exactly careful, and why should he be? What threat was she? She was just a woman without her magic. He was carrying a long, razor-sharp stiletto blade, and she pulled it out of its sheath at his waist. Folding her hand around it, she bent her wrist back and concealed the blade behind her arm. Satisfied that she'd armed herself well enough for such short notice and such disreputable company, she allowed herself to collapse on the floor in the midst of them.

As the crowd opened again, Shakti could feel a thin stream of blood trickling down the side of her face. A pair of feet emerged, walking through the opening. Excellent. I figured that their leader would get the first turn. From the way they're making way for him, I'm willing to bet I was right.

The feet that showed up shuffled oddly, walking with a pronounced limp. Bad foot. Probably congenital, and yet they're still deferring to him. This means he's better than he looks, and he's used to being underestimated. Luckily, this probably also means he's used to holding back until the time is right to show his enemies the error of their ways. That gives me very little time, but very little time is better than no time at all.

The leader's hand reached down and grabbed the silk folds of her sari, pulling her to her feet. "So," he said. "You're the one trying to keep us from running a secure operation around here. None of this would be happening if you'd just tell Sandy to come back."

She grinned and the blood from her head wound ran down her cheek. "Sandy's none of your business. What do you need her for?"

"Let's just say she knows where a couple of bodies are buried. Although... that's a damn good question. What do we need her for, now that you've come to grace us with your presence?" He grabbed a handful of her purple hair and kissed her roughly on the mouth. She knew her time was running short, and she had to escalate the situation before she could do anything else. She bit him, hard on the lower lip.

He pulled back and wiped his mouth. Finding blood, he brought his hand back and slapped her across the face. "Well, won't we have a wonderful time, then? Gonna give me a run for my money, are you?" He laughed and dragged her back toward his personal chambers. The men left behind hooted and laughed as the door shut behind Shakti.


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

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Thu Jun 29, 2006 2:15 am

"They're downstairs. General Silvar's taking care of their captors, I'm sure. Listen. I'm going to get you out of here as soon as we confirm the location is secure. And when this is all settled and it's time for you to testify, you can come back, and then, you can go again, to wherever you like.

"You'll have your freedom."


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

Unread postby Kai » Thu Jun 29, 2006 9:32 pm

Sandy took a deep breath, and then cut herself short. "So, what do we do? We can't just stay up here. I know General Silvar is down there, and I'm sure he can handle himself, but Jeri's still down there, too. I need to make sure she's okay." She swallowed hard. "This is my fault, and I need to know she's okay."


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

Unread postby KingOfDoma » Thu Jun 29, 2006 9:57 pm

"Then that's where we go."

Cardinal took her hand and began to lead her down to the lobby, but stopped short, at the door.

"Oh. Cannot forget..." He grabbed the doorhandle, and Sandy could see a warm glow emanating from in front of him.

"Ow!" Card backed up, shaking his hand as if burned. "Still haven't mastered that fire magic yet." It was clear to see that the locks had been melted into the frame, making escape impossible, or at least highly difficult.

When they reached the door in which the women were held, Cardinal called ahead. "General? Everything under control in there?"


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

Unread postby Archmage144 » Tue Jul 25, 2006 12:16 am

"That," called back the General as he tied off another set of bandages and cut them with a dagger, "depends entirely on who you ask. My opinion is 'yes.'" Rising to his feet, Hakaril gestured demonstratively at the prone and bloodied gangsters that had busted into the place uninvited. "Ordinarily, I subscribe to the philosophy that the customer is always right, but these guys were neither paying nor terribly well-mannered."

"On the plus side, perhaps somewhat ironically," Hakaril quipped as he surveyed his surroundings with a whimsical look in his eye, "these guys are also never going to get laid again."

Adjusting his hat and wincing slightly as the slash across his arm made its presence noteworthy, the mage gestured toward the fallen brothel owner, frowning slightly. "She's the only one that's really wounded, but I'll be honest with you and say I flunked my first aid course back at the Academy. I made an effort at bandaging her, but she's a little beat up and took a knife to the chest cavity. If you can do anything for her that surpasses my brilliantly advanced technique of 'using cloth pads and pressure to slow bleeding,' I suggest that you do it, or this girl might not live to see any more customers. She's probably got internal injuries."

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=archmage144>Archmage144</A]&nbsp; Image at: 7/25/06 0:17

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