The Ashlanders - Chapter 6: The Blind Man's Last Gambit (Closed, Started)

[Fappy]

Elizabeth stared out across the rolling ashlands as Eddie divulged all he knew of her fiance.

... And whatever Monroe did to him was big. And I could tell he hated every one of us in the room 'cause of our occupation. But that ain't uncommon."

She didn't reply, not right away. What could she really say, after all? He was to be her husband. Could she really do anything to change that? Her family had bred her for this... she'd spent her whole life preparing for this.

And for what?

Elizabeth rested her forehead on her finger tips and sighed, "What can I do? I don't have a choice in whether or not I wed him... I can't simply disobey the will of my family. That's not how we nobles work."

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"Honestly, she was fine until the aftermath of that fucken train job. Or at least, none of us had any inkling she were losing her grip before then. I reckon she's losing care for her ideals, to be honest. And her sending Sprout and Lil away makes me think there ain't gonna be an Iron Maiden gang for much longer. Honestly, we all been missing you lately, man. I reckon it'd do her some good to have our second best black crew member back."

Ruffles could see it as plain as day. Bennie wasn't a hard man to read once you got to know him. He was worried... more than that, he was hurting. Though he could have guessed it, it was clear now Bennie hadn't stopped thinking about Pixie after all these years. Bennie nodded, "If we survive this," He took another drag. "I'll come back with y'all, see if I can get her head sorted. Doubt she'll be thrilled to see me, but... it's been four years. Things change. Maybe..." His mind seemed to trail off as he spoke, staring into space as he absentmindedly took another drag.

Shaking himself from his trance, Bennie placed a hand on Ruffles' shoulder, "I don't know what it's been like these last few years, but please Jake, don' lose hope. She's the toughest ***** in the planet... there's no way in hell she'll ever let us down." Bennie said, forcing a smile.

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"Ice Queen's gonna burn your ass Randy."

Randy chuckled, "Her ass'll be Dio's within the week, I assure you."

The men booed as the revolver clicked and Rodrigo handed it to Silo, "Now, w---"

"When are you going to ask us real questions?!" Silo spat. "You already know all this shit. We're here for Randy's head and butt fuckles here gave you our numbers last night. Do you even fucking know what questions to ask?!"

There was a long, painful silence as Rodrigo stared at him with a blank expression. Suddenly, Rodrigo burst out into hysterical laughter, "You're right! He's right!" He shouted, looking around the room at his men. "We have been askin' you bullshit, haven't we?" He pried the revolver from Silo's hand and opened the chamber to reveal a red shell. "Fake bullet." The room erupted in laughter. "We like prolonging the show. Get's my boys riled up, but y'all wanna cut it short? That's fine by me."

Producing a real bullet from his pocket he slid it into the chamber, slapped it in and spun it. Handing it back to Silo he grinned, "Now, tell me. What is the Gjallarhorn Protocol?"

Silo's eyes went wide and without hesitation, he pointed the revolver at Aesop's head and pulled the trigger. He was greeted with another dull click and sighed with relief as he slammed the revolver on the table.

Randy grinned, "Not sure the other one would even know the answer to that question."

Rodrigo laughed, "That can be his question! Yes or no: do you know what we're talking about?"

Silo shook his head at Aesop. This was something only he knew... and he needed Aesop to kill him.

********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"... Don't forget who you're dealing with, lad. Then again, I was naked at the time..."

Tsubaki shook her head, "A body like yours entices little more than common whores and wenches."

Skinner furrowed his brow and laughed, "You seem like a tight group."

"You could say that." Tsubaki shrugged as she sipped her hot chocolate. "They're all excellent soldiers. On the battlefield, they have no equals. Other than in a fight, however, well..." She glanced over at Bryan and Asad. "They're manchildren."

********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Pixie remained silent as the Gentleman tried to weasel his way onto the elevator. Eventually their guardian angle sent for them, however. After the long, silent elevator ride, Pixie was delighted to see Amy. Sort of.

"Our host is asleep... I suspect he will not be waking for some time. Even so, I suggest we move with haste."

Pixie put her hands on her hips and chuckled, "An' I suspect he gone in' had 'imself a good ol' time, didn' he? Did ya' do that thing with yer..." Noticing the impatient look on the Gentleman's face, she rolled her eyes. "Oh, fine. Let's fuckn' get this done. Lead the way."

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"Y-Yes I did." Hannibal said bluntly before adjusting his seating position, he looked a little uncomfortable. "I know you just wanted to help me I just... I can't say what happened. I wish I could tell someone but I can't..." A annoyed sounding huff came from Viola in response to that, this was starting to become a problem.

"If he at least gave me a bloody reason as to why he won't tell me, then I wouldn't mind so much." Viola told herself as the food arrived, regaining her composure briefly as the waitress dispensed a customary smile in-between handing the plates of food over, setting aside of pot of coffee and a mug for Viola and a glass of water for Hannibal before heading off to take the order from another customer.

At the moment, she didn't feel like saying anything to him, all she wanted to do for now was enjoy the pancakes. It appeared the pancakes came with a small jug of syrup; she poured some of it on the top, watching it flow down the stack whilst pouring her self some coffee from the pot. Taking a sip, she found it to be a little bitter for her liking, and so looked around for some sugar, finding some in the form of little packets on the table. One of these was usually enough to take the edge, and she found herself proven right, it tasted perfectly.

Viola now thought it was time to try out the pancakes, hadn't had any in a long while. Cut off a chuck with a fork, she noticed they had a niece beige colour and looked rather light and fluffy. Taking a bite, she found them to be rather delicious, the added syrup giving them that sweetness. Looking over at Hannibal, Viola noticed he was gorging himself silly on them, butter and grease running down his fingers.

"You should probably take it slowly with those. Don't want to give yourself indigestion." She remarked nonchalantly, not directly looking at Hannibal as she took a sip of her coffee.

 

[ProtoChimp]

Aesop groaned at the bullshit display Santiago had been putting on, and feeling like a traitor for having given up their numbers. 'Oh fucking jesus why did I do that they can prepare now? There was no damn point me and Silo WILL die here we will WE WILL WE WILL! What was the point finding out he's alive if I screw over the only people who care about me. Who took me in, they'll hate me forever and I deserve it. I deserve to die! And even if they already hated me for being a shit all the time they deserve better than me.'

"Gjallarhorn Protocol?"

Aesop was snapped out of his own self pity as he saw Silo once again lose all hope but it wasn't just that there was... something more than fear. His eyes then widened at the willingness Silo had to kill Aesop. Aesop at least felt bad about killing Silo, but Aesop's feelings here weren't personal or about his own loneliness or feelings. Silo didn't want to kill him because he didn't like him, he was so willing to kill him for a duty. A reason. Something bigger than both of them that Santiago could not, could never know about.

"Not sure the other one would even know the answer to that question."

"That can be his question! Yes or no: do you know what we're talking about?"

Silo shook his head and... 'Jesus no... fuck...' It wasn't that he wanted to kill Aesop, he just wanted his 'turn' over so Aesop could fire the gun. Silo wanted... he needed... 'I need to kill him.' Aesop had his jaw notably lower than it should have been. He picked up the revolver, only breaking eye contact with Silo for a second before gazing back up into his eyes. 'Its my duty to...'

*Click*

He put the gun down without moving his face at all. No flinch, no reaction, nothing. If he could make a proper thought process he would wish he didn't look so shocked. He didn't know whether he would have reacted even if he had killed Silo at that point. The horrible build up to the murder and the actual murder. Two stages that he couldn't get away from. This build up was hell but it wouldn't last long. Murdering Silo would follow him the rest of his life.
=======================================
"Don't want to give yourself indigestion."

"What's indigestion?" He asked after gulping down his food. He licked the grease and butter from his finger, although it had now made its way down to his forearms and he found himself licking all the way up to his elbows, and when he couldn't lick his elbows he was forced to use a napkin, and even tried to lick the butter from the napkin.

He thought it a good idea to slow down, drinking some water to let his food go down easier. He sighed satisfied at the prospect of food. However Viola did not seem pleased with Hannibal. He thought it best to speak up although he still felt goose pimples along his skin as he thought back to... even for a second it was...

"I'm ashamed to talk about it. Its just a bad memory."

'Just? Just a bad memory? What happened to you was psychologically scarring and you use the word "Just?" They forced you against your will to do things... FUCKED UP THINGS KID! Hannibal you can't just fucking act like nothing happened. For crying out loud they fucking mol-'

Hannibal began a long series of blinking as he left his trance, staring straight down onto his plate the whole time. The voice in his head was not his own, but of someone who he wish he could be. Someone he honestly wish he was instead. He wasn't just stronger, but he had a better handle of his emotions, he had less trauma, and when people tried to hurt him he hurt them back before he had the chance. He hoped he was still alive- he probably was considering his strength and courage.

"Um, honestly I have spent too much time thinking and talking about it I'd rather just move on. What-what are we going to do after breakfast?"

 

[The Funslinger]

"What can I do? I don't have a choice in whether or not I wed him... I can't simply disobey the will of my family. That's not how we nobles work."

There it was. Underneath all the denial and desire to do the 'right' thing, she really didn't want to marry Dio. She was probably more well aware of the kind of person Dio was than she would otherwise admit.

"Well it seems to me," he said slowly, "that that all depends on why you want to obey the will of your parents. If it's because you're scared of what Dio would do if you were to seen to back out on an agreement, then I get it. Although as I said, I don't think that'll really matter. His attention's elsewhere. But if it's because you feel like your parents get to live your life for you, then that's total bullshit. Just because they made you doesn't mean they control you."

Changing the Crawler's gear, he carried on. "Y'know I was kind of aware of your sister marrying him back in the day, right? It just seems like the reason he's marrying you is as some kinda consolation prize because your sister was killed, and that's fucked up. You can't live your life being someone's backup plan, being some kinda shadow of another person or you're pretty much doomed to fuck up and hate yourself for fucking up. And if that's 'how Nobles work' and if that's the will of your family, then Nobles are idiots and your family is wrong."

With that, he fell silent, aware that he had run off at the mouth more than he intended.

===============================================

"I don't know what it's been like these last few years, but please Jake, don' lose hope. She's the toughest ***** in the planet... there's no way in hell she'll ever let us down."

"Yeah..." Ruffles replied. There was a silence that hung in the air for nearly a minute, and then, "I feel like I could be doing more. Not for the Maidens, I mean. For my family. Whatever work I was doing, I always sent as much carbon as I could back home. My brothers are all laborers and shit, and my sisters are married to laborers or they have some kinda little trade. And they all pitch in helping look after Grandma. When I joined the Maiden, it was me being selfish. The money I send is much less consistent, and sometimes I have to wait to send it and all that crap. All this shit with the crew recently just reminds me. Makes me question all the reasons I did decide that it was right to join. But of course I ain't leaving. You guys are like my family too, and..." he sighed, "I dunno, man. Just ties me in knots. So yeah, I hope she don't let us down, or else I don't know what the fuck to do."

==============================================

"A body like yours entices little more than common whores and wenches."

Bryan gave a roar of laughter. "All the whores and wenches, Commander! The bonny lasses come from all over t'see me with my shirt off. And somewhere out there's the lass for me, 'cause I'm a romantic at heart, so I am!"

 

[Ruedyn]

Boomhower Group

"This should do the trick. Carmine said we're to shadow you, but if we're not in position when you get caught you'll be on your own."

"Thank you kindly." Vergil said politely, taking the map and checking around landmarks he knew, making sure it was valid. He nodded after a moment as the woman ushered them in, whispering something in his ear.

"You sure you're up to this?"

"You're the third to ask that. Yes, I am sure. I've stuff like this before, it's fine." Vergil offered her a reassuring smile as they entered, and went to different ends of the room, flanking Bennie and Ruffles.

Warren left to enter the building first, it was kind of clear he was psyching himself up. He got to kill a few the other day, but more out of reaction, and he was still holding himself back. He'd soul searched, he'd beaten a man without killing him... and they had taken something close to a friend. He had every justification to just let loose. And damn did he want to do just that, drown the bandit family in gunfire, let the rivers of red run tonight!

Vergil stuck around, eavesdropping on their small conversation. Sounded like reinforcement of what he knew of the two, still. Background was always nice. Still, he needed a map and a head start for this job, to make sure he could be as meticulous as he pleased.

"I dunno, man. Just ties me in knots. So yeah, I hope she don't let us down, or else I don't know what the fuck to do."

Vergil cleared his throat, and addressed the two; "If nothing else, you can come work with me. Or ply that massive brain of yours in a trade... Prostitution is and always will be a thing." Vergil shrugged, looking at the door. He wanted to get going soon...
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tobin

"I said it was my treat, and I me-"

The Dwarf smiled, holding in his laughter. That was certainly up there on best belches, though Tobin had to admit Ogre beat her in that regard. And everyone else, especially in stench... why the hell were they friends...

"Yes, well, quite, I said I would pay, and I jolly well aim to."

"I have a steady paying job is all, but if you insist!" Tobin smiled, ringing his finger around the glass a few times. He remembered the guy he was supposed to be guarding could make music out of it... he was likely getting shot up or set on fire or some shit. Seemed about right.

"... You're still hungry, aren't you?" He asked after a moment, sporting his usual wry smile.

 

[Fappy]

"... And if that's 'how Nobles work' and if that's the will of your family, then Nobles are idiots and your family is wrong."

It was clear Eddie had strong opinions about the nobility. In truth, it seemed everyone she'd come across this past week had. It came as no surprise, of course. While she was raised to appreciate her station--if not think herself above others because of it--she couldn't shake the sense that there was more they could do. Elizabeth wasn't stupid. She understood how the carbon economy was rigged and that nobles used others, namely bandits and mercenaries, to get at each other. She could see the truth behind their self-righteous grins.

She understood all of this, yet she still felt this overwhelming sense of superiority. There was a small part of her that wanted to dismiss everything Eddie said, not because of the content of his words, but because of who he was. He wasn't highborn. He had no title, nor station or name. He was an outcast. No, even worse, a man cast out from a band of outcasts. To someone like her, his opinion was worth less than dirt. He was scum.

He was right though... or at least, Elizabeth wished she could take his words to heart.

Enough of this!

Elizabeth was troubled enough already. Now was not the time to question her ideals. No, she'd have to change the subject... get Eddie talking about something else, "What will you do once I am returned to Boomhower? Will you go after the Captain?"

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"I dunno, man. Just ties me in knots. So yeah, I hope she don't let us down, or else I don't know what the fuck to do."

"I hear ya', man," Bennie said as he put out his cigarette. The three they were waiting on appeared shortly after.

"If nothing else, you can come work with me. Or ply that massive brain of yours in a trade... Prostitution is and always will be a thing."

Bennie laughed, "The day Ruffles starts workin' corners is the day I become an astrophysicist. Think you've got our dossiers mix up there, kid." Bennie turned to face the new arrivals. Now that the five of them had gathered, it was time to head out. "Let's not waste anymore time."

They split up: Bennie and Cameron cut through the poorest district, "The Boro", while Ruffles and Warren made their way through the alleyways of midtown. Vergil was on his own, making it up as he went by following the map. Soon enough they'd found themselves within a few blocks of Bandito HQ; a large, luxurious mansion that sat on the edge of Boomhower's most dangerous district.

By this point the kid should have been close and Ruffles and Warren would be setting up the radio equipment on a nearby roof. Inconspicuously, Bennie hid himself in an alley and fingered his radio, "Y'all in position?"

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

The cheers of the crowd intensified as Rodrigo took the revolver and failed to spin the chamber. Someone would die within the next four questions. After placing it in front of Silo, he hesitated for a moment. If he fired the gun and killed Aesop... it was all over. They'd torture him night and day until he gave up the information they wanted. But if he died... they'd never get the information. Aesop didn't have what they want, despite being easier to break.

There was no easy way out. There was no choice. He had to pull the trigger and pray that it didn't fire. That was all he could do, "Same question."

Silo pulled the trigger. Another dull click. The crowd booed and Silo winced. As the pistol slid across the table to Aesop he knew it... somehow... somehow he just knew this was it. This was the end of the line. Picking up the pistol, Silo saw the hesitation in Aesop's eyes. Silo whispered, "Do it."

 

[The Funslinger]

Eddie noticed the condescending look flit across her features and then be stifled, but chose not to comment. He was used to it, after all.

"What will you do once I am returned to Boomhower? Will you go after the Captain?"

"I don't know. Maybe. First I need to go and find my dumb ass of a partner and figure out how the cable I used to climb onto the ship snapped. Then maybe I will. Although to be honest, this job brings me closer than I'd like to Wilkes-Vines. And it's hard enough staying off of his radar when I was his general who had a metal boned and plated left hand, and now I'm a well known bounty hunter with the exact same hand. If I'm smart, I ought to drop this job before it gets me killed."

=============================================

"Y'all in position?"

"This is Black Magic to Dark Chocolate. We are in position and read you loud and clear, over," replied Ruffles satirically. Despite being crouched on the rooftop, he was virtually hopping with anticipation.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"I'm ashamed to talk about it. It's just a bad memory." Hannibal remarked, soliciting another annoyed sounding huff from Viola as she continued to eat her breakfast, which was doing a decent enough job of preventing her from snapping. She noticed that Hannibal was now blinking rather rapidly, and then stared blankly at the empty breakfast plate.

"Um, honestly I have spent too much time thinking and talking about it I'd rather just move on. What-what are we going to do after breakfast?" Hannibal then asked after coming back to reality from wherever it is his mind had wondered to.

"Well first off Hannibal, your going to get yourself cleaned up, again; you look like a right mess with all those grease marks on your clothes, told you to take it slowly. Then after that I have to investigate a lead I picked up late last night regarding the job I am currently working on. If you would like to tag along, then the invitation is there, your choice." Viola said in a rather frank and straightforward manner as she finished up her pancakes, and was working towards finishing the coffee.

 

[Terratina.]

"...Well, I mean... I don' reckon you'd believe a tale like that, but... You know, anyway, I s'pose I should leave y'all to it. Don' wanna overstay my welcome 'er anythin'. I did rob ya' after all."

Three words escaped Maria's lips.

"Is she hurt?"

She tapped the medic armband.

After that tackle, she could honestly believe anything about that wild girl. Especially if it involved violence. That's what bandits did anyway, hit and run or rape and pillage. But she couldn't imagine this little kid doing stuff like that. Nevertheless, Maria felt she needed to get back in business - the Carbon pile was looking a little small, after all. Not that she would actually charge for people who had paid already. Still, it presented a good opportunity to focus on her work, if the answer was a "yes". That would be good, something else to focus on instead of MIA Micky.

***​

"All the whores and wenches, Commander! The bonny lasses come from all over t'see me with my shirt off. And somewhere out there's the lass for me, 'cause I'm a romantic at heart, so I am!"

That was strike three. Jun shot Bryan a look and then settled over in a corner, keen on enjoying what remained of his hot chocolate. The guy really seemed to, to put it bluntly, think with his dick. Well, he didn't really have to concern himself with what the hot-blood Irish hound barked about. Still, at least he had the time to settle his thoughts. The icy air kept him on edge, that was good for the mission, however, the warm hot chocolate melted that. Oh well, the temperature wasn't going to change anytime soon anyway. He could count on Frostfall staying frosty, unlike his fellow squad members.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

The three of them crossed the gigantic living area to where another elevator lay in wait. From the bedroom Sirus could be heard snoring as the doors slid open to take the thieves down to where their prize awaited them.

"Our intelligence informs us that there are no personnel inside the vault." The Gentleman announced, producing two tight rolls of cloth from the inside pockets of his dinner jacket. "The risk of leaks would be too great, and so the sorting and transport processes are completely mechanised. However, in the event that I am wrong, I'd like this to be done as bloodlessly as possible. Better for us all if nobody even knows a theft has taken place until we're well clear of this business."

Handing one of the rolls to Meredith, The Gentleman unravelled his to reveal a black balaclava, which he affixed over his already altered features. It wouldn't do to be recognised if any part of their heist was seen or captured on tape. If the trail went back to Boomhower, his contacts there would be in jeopardy.

The last five buttons on the elevator's console led to floors that were not listed on the building schematics, and could not be reached by any other means; and their journey took the three of them right to the bottom. After the lengthy ride down, the doors opened to reveal the entrance to the vault right in front of them, quite possibly the most impressive lock The Gentleman had ever see throughout his industrious career. Over four feet thick of reinforced steel, with thirty two bolts around it circumference, each as thick as a man's arm to keep it in place. A few feet in front of the door, they passed under an array of nodes that would have deployed the energy barrier before Meredith had knocked out the circuit. Mounted on the wall adjacent to the door was another console, with a keypad and a protruding dish-like attachment.

Without hesitating, Amy strolled over to the console and draw from within the folds of her dress a Q-tip, which she swabbed over the surface, to be met with an affirmative beeping noise and a flashing green light. As the Gentleman took her place and punched in the pass code, she gave Meredith a mischievous 'Are you sure you want to know?' look.

Once the Gentleman had done his part, the bolts began to move with the mixture of a hydraulic hiss and the screech of metal sliding over metal, before the door itself swung open with a clang that, even this far down, The Gentleman was surprised didn't wake half of the dome.

"This is as far as I go. Have fun." Amy announced, before turning back down the hallway towards the elevator.

Stepping through the threshold, the remaining pair found themselves in a hall three times the size of the one in which the party had been held. With column upon column of high shelves stacked full of unmarked crates, adjacent to the waiting tramlines at the far end.

"The last stop before the end of the line." Gents whispered with something that was akin to awe. "An Immeasurable amount of carbon, siphoned, collated, sorted and stamped; ready to mingle with legal tender. The combined assets of the ten wealthiest noble families on the Rock couldn't equal the amount of raw wealth that is locked away in this one room. A small portion of this could buy a ten thousand armies, could bribe every judge and councillor from here to Frostfall, could build and arm a fleet of five hundred ships."

He turned and looked at her. Even through the balaclava, and the layers of prosthetics beneath it, it was possibly to see pure, child-like glee etched into every line of his face.

"Shall we?"

 

[ProtoChimp]

Aesop's mouth dried up and his heart was a million miles an hour, his hands... steady. Unshaking. Why did his hands not shake when the rest of him was freaking out? Was it because it was the right thing to happen to him after all the pain he has caused? To Alex? To his old friends in Yuteni? To the Maidens in fucking up so much? To squealing on his comrades? To disgracing himself and Silo? To his parents who raised him better than the god damn drunk he became? 'Because I deserve to die for the piece of shit I am?'

*Click*

'DAMMIT WHY DIDN'T I DIE?!' His eyes widened even further. 'I... I actually thought that... I actually want to die?...'

He picked up the gun as his jaw hung low. His heart rate slowing down before immediately speeding back up. Aesop was cold, yet hot. Sweating yet it felt freezing against his skin, his arms felt limp yet he had full control. He thought he was having a heart attack. Panting hard his breathes became restless as the desperate words reached his ears.

"Do it."

His expression went blank and he could have sword in that moment, he was dead.

===============================================
10 years ago.

"Come on son drink up." Spoke a 22 year old man as he patted the teenager on the back.

The fourteen year old downed half of his beer, making it fizz up in the neck of the bottle and spill all over his chest when he put it back down. "Ah fucken' Christ!" said the boy.

The man laughed. "Calm down Sillah, take it slower. Fuck it I'll get you a pint, that you can drink easier." The man signalled to the barman to come since the bar was mainly dead. "'Nother one, but in a pint if you please."

"Please Peter, call me Aesop." Said the boy, his face looking incredibly unstable.

The man chuckled, but stopped once he saw his friend in distress. "Alright, Aesop. Listen I know what its like. The first time I killed a guy my brain went all "goo-ey" too. Its just something you get used to. I know you're young but son we're cops its what we do."

"No man its not that. I..." Aesop sighed as he took another sip of his drink, trying not to spill it on himself. "Its that when I shot him I... I didn't care. It felt like it didn't matter." Aesop sped up his words. "Is like when I pulled the trigger and watches his brains splat all over the place and I thought, "eh, fuck it, doesn't matter." Knaa'mean?"

Peter sighed and kept drinking. "Yeah. Yeah I know what you mean. I always feel like that now. Believe me Aesop that's a good thing."

"A good thing?" Aesop shouted at his older friend. "I'm a fucking monster man! I-"

Peter interrupted him loudly. "Look you feel bad that you felt nothing, so technically you're feeling something right?" Aesop was silent, the wheels turning in his head as he considered the words of his closest friend. "Aesop," he spoke softer now, "people feel differently when they kill people. Take Alex for example. I fucking swear she enjoys it. But that doesn't make her a monster. She channels it, she directs it. Hell she's a mother fucking super cop."

Aesop sighed as he took in his words. "I dunno. Maybe." His drink had came and he immediately set off to finish half of it in one go.

"Woah woah hey there son don't set off too fast you'll fuck yourself up." Peter said pulling away his pint a few inches like a parent might to a baby's bottle.

"Fuck off Peter, and stop calling me son its weird you aren't my dad. Hell my dad's an asshole-" Aesop was once again cut off.

"Hey! You're father works hard for you alright! His back is fucked but he still works his ass off for you and your mom so you can keep eating." Peter looked legitimately disappointed in Aesop.

Aesop didn't really know how to react to Peter behaving like that, but he responded like a scolded child. "I'm sorry Pete. You're right... I'm an asshole to him."

Peter sighed once again, swigging his beer until there was nothing less. "Now, now you aren't. You're just stressed out. And sorry about always calling you son. Alex being pregnant is fucking with my head man."

Aesop smiled and punched his friend softly in the elbow. "Seriously? Fuck dude you act like a dad to everyone, even those poor fucks you used to bully love you around here. Trust me that kid is gonna be glad to have you as a dad."

"Maybe... maybe... thanks man. You're my best pal you know that right?"

"Yeah. And you're mine." Both of them clanked their glasses together as Aesop finished his drink and filled the pint glass with the beer from the bottle. "Any idea what you're gonna call the kid?"

"I dunno." Spoke Peter. "I keep thinking boring names like "Nick" and "Daniel". Alex keeps coming up with these fucking awesome sounding names like "Troy" and "Eli", way better than anything I could come up with."

"Awesome?" Aesop asked. "Are you sure you don't mean cuntish? What's wrong with "Nick" and "Daniel"? They're actual real people names."

"Nah man you don't get me. She has imagination. Hell she came up with the best name the other day." He paused to sip his new drink the bartender had given him. "Austin. That's a fucking great name. That's better than my name. Who wants to be called Peter? Austin is a kick ass name."

Aesop laughed at his friend's quips. "Its better than Sillah."

"And Sillah's better than Aesop." Smirked Peter.

"Fuck off man I like it. Except I can actually call myself Aesop, what are you gonna do, name yourself after your kid?"

"Fuck it maybe I will." Both men laughed and kept drinking.

==================================================================
Aesop's eyes snapped back up to meet Silo's. He still didn't shake, but his heart rate had slowed down, his temperature became easier to control and feeling came back to his arms. He thought back to the advice that the man who at one point was his closest friend. The very same man who went on to murder almost every other friend Aesop had, going on to become a vindictave evil cult leader. 'Thinking of his advice? You really have lost it Aesop... he's not wrong though. What is killing? Hell you're first kill was trying to kidnap someone? You killed like fifty fucking Banditos yesterday. And Silo... he needs to die. He wants it, think about that. Focus on that man. He's dying for a cause, and if he believe in it so much he is willing to die, then its something you can believe in too.'

"I'm sorry Silo." Aesop said, so calm it was creepy, his eyes looking cold and dead like a corpse. "If I had just saved us two bullets, then you wouldn't have gone through all of this torture... by a bunch of faggots who get their rocks off like this cos they have tiny pricks. I won't talk I swear on your life, I'm sorry."

*BANG*

==================================================================

"then the invitation is there, your choice."

"S-Sure!" he said possibly too excited. "I don't have anything else I could be doing other than running... and thats a bad idea right?" Hannibal said, referring back to what she had told him the night before. He could learn-maybe a little slowly but he could learn. He managed to make a small bomb in the matter of a few days... even if it was faulty.

Aaaaand just like that he was sad again thinking about him being responsible for blowing up a bunch of gangsters. Wonderful.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Lilith placed her napkin down on the table before pouring herself another cup of tea.

"I have a steady paying job is all, but if you insist!"

Smiling wryly, she decided it was best to keep the case full of carbon that was stashed under her mattress a secret.

"I'm fine for money, but thank you for the thought." She replied, holding her cup in both hands as she raised it to her lips. A few moments passed, Lilith kept her eyes on the market behind Tobin. Her and Sprout were still wanted criminals, and it wasn't impossible that she could get recognised, even in such a quaint setting.

"... You're still hungry, aren't you?"


The dwarf broke the silence, a smirk on his face. Lilith glanced down into her cup for a moment, deciding it would be best if she contemplated his question for a moment.

Raising her eyes, she smiled slightly, "Just a little bit, but I'll manage until lunch time."


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

As Asad started for the back room, he slowed slightly as the commander spoke of their prowess, smiling slightly at the 'sort of' compliment.

"They're manchildren."

Asad raised a hand over above his shoulder, waving it slightly as he walked away. "Don't lump me in with O'Lafferty, commander, a man could take insult to such an accusation." He chuckled slightly as he left them to their drinks.


Heading into the back room, or what would be their command centre for the next few days, Asad set his drink down and began organising the room, arranging chairs, setting up equipment, typical braindead busywork.

'Hope we get this one finished quickly, I've got a bad feeling about this.'

He furrowed his brow, as he raised the cup of hot chocolate to his lips.

Asad's gut was trying to tell him something, something he could usually fathom. Not this time. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed as he began setting up further equipment.

 

[The Funslinger]

"Don't lump me in with O'Lafferty, commander, a man could take insult to such an accusation."

"That's downright treachery, that is," Bryan called after Asad as he left, grinning at his back. "Of with yeh, ya beige fucker!"

With Asad gone, he chuckled to himself. "That were the comedy stylings o' me best friend, such as he is, ladies and gents. Anyway, Commander, it's just occurred to me, in the interest o' keeping a low profile, I'd do well to stay away from Frostfall's Abbey."

 

[Fappy]

"... this job brings me closer than I'd like to Wilkes-Vines. And it's hard enough staying off of his radar when I was his general who had a metal boned and plated left hand, and now I'm a well known bounty hunter with the exact same hand. If I'm smart, I ought to drop this job before it gets me killed."

With her elbow hanging out the window, Elizabeth rested her cheek on her fist as Eddie explained his situation. It seemed the both of them were at the mercy of powerful men, "Yes, perhaps you should. Pixie's..." What? What was Pixie? Had she just caught herself attempting to protect that... witch?! "Uh, w-what I mean to say is: I wouldn't mess with her. She's ruthless and unpredictable."

Elizabeth sighed in frustration. She still had no clue what her story was or why she was so concerned for Elizabeth's "safety".

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"This is Black Magic to Dark Chocolate. We are in position and read you loud and clear, over..."

Bennie sighed and barked back into the radio, ignoring Ruffles stupid jokes, "Hey kid, what's your status?"

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"Is she hurt?"

Sprout shrugged, "Well, um... I mean, she's well enough, I think. I reckon she's stuff'n 'er face right 'bout now at any rate! Though..." His eyes lingered on her sash. Was she some kind of doctor? "I s'pose it wouldn' hurt ta' 'ave 'er looked at." He gave her a knowing grin. "I don' reckon ya' know any... discreet doctors 'round here, do ya'? We got carbon."

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"That were the comedy stylings o' me best friend, such as he is, ladies and gents. Anyway, Commander, it's just occurred to me, in the interest o' keeping a low profile, I'd do well to stay away from Frostfall's Abbey."

Tsubaki saw the glow in Skinner's eye before he could speak, "No." She stated, nearly slamming her mug on the counter. "Please, don't humor him."

Skinner smiled and shook his head. He didn't take orders from her, "I'm sorry ma'am, but the abbey? I have to hear this one!"

Finishing her drink, Tsubaki hopped off her stool and headed into the backroom, "Have fun." Glancing over at Jun before disappearing through the door she added. "You too." Jun was too easy to annoy, she just couldn't help herself.

Closing the door behind her, Tsubaki leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "What's wrong, Harel?" She asked as she watched him work. There was something on his mind. Something distracting him. "And don't give me that 'it's just the cold' shit. Speak freely."

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Pixie adjusted her stance as the Gentleman accessed the panel, meeting Amy's gaze with smile on her face. She'd done what she had to... nothing more.

"This is as far as I go. Have fun."

Pixie blew her a kiss as they passed her by, "You know I will, sweetheart. I'll tell ya' all 'bout it durin' the after party." She whispered, her words dripping with innuendo.

Pixie pulled the balaclava over her head and knelt down to remove her heels. At this rate she'd be more effective going barefoot. Stepping through the threshold, Pixie was awe struck by what she saw. So. Much. Money. Though she'd hardly had the attention span to listen to his ramblings, she could tell the Gentleman was excited as well. He was like a kid in a candy shop.

"Shall we?"

Pixie gave a mocking curtsy, "Of course, my Lawd." Taking another cursory glance around the room, Pixie laughed. "Reckon yer ol' flabby bones 'er gonna be able ta' lift these crates, Gents? I don' wan' ya' ta' throw yer' back 'er nothin'!" Excited, Pixie slapped her palms together and rubbed them vigorously before running to the nearest crate. Lifting it off the stack took every ounce of strength she had. The Gentleman was surprised she'd been able to lift it at all.

Panting heavily, Pixie doubled over and laughed, "'Reckon we should use the dollies, eh?" And with that, the two went to work loading up the tram. It was exhausting work, even with the dollies, but Pixie couldn't be happier doing it. Not only was she hauling around fat stack of carbon with her name of it, but she was stealing it right under the nose of that dimwitted, noble-loving scum!

Lost in her own world, she almost didn't notice the surprise guest who'd crept around the side of the tram. He was armed, "GENTS!"

Spoiler: Classy...

Garbed in a black jacket and balaclava, the man leveled his submachine gun and began firing at Pixie from no more than two meters away. Instinctively, Pixie threw the dollie forward, allowing the crates full of carbon to tumble onto the floor between them. The crates managed to catch most of the bullets as she dropped into a crouch, drawing and firing the snubnose revolver from out of her purse in one fluid motion. The rounds pierced through the man's chest, dropping him to the floor like a sack of meat.

Behind.

Sensing another behind her, she dropped into a roll as a barrage of bullets embedded themselves into the steel floor. Coming out of the roll, she sprang to her feet and scooped up the submachine gun, leveling and returning fire on the new arrival. Hiding against the bulkhead on the opposite side of the tram, one bullet managed to find it's mark in his shoulder before she ran the clip dry. As he dropped to the floor, she closed the gap in a flash, placing the barrel of her revolver at his temple before squeezing the trigger. Blood splattered all across the floor and the mist created from the pointblank impact covered the length of Pixie's forearm.

Her lips curled into a cruel grin as she heard the footfalls of more men approaching from the tunnel. Were they Sirus' goons? No, they were disguising their faces. They were rival thieves, here for the same reason. While Pixie and Gents had entered through the front door these men had seen fit to come through the back. Unfortunate timing... for them.

Reloading the machinegun with a fresh clip from the man she'd just killed, she crouched down behind the back of the tram, removed her balaclava and began spraying into the tunnel. The men scrambled for cover and returned fire. Barking over the gunfire, Pixie laughed, "YOU GOOD, GENTS?!"

This was great. This was exactly what Pixie needed. Good ol' senseless violence. For every drop of blood she spilled she felt lighter. More attune to her surroundings. More at piece with her thoughts. More alive.

The shrieks of her enemies as hot lead pierced their flesh! The smell of gunpowder and blood filling the air! That's what it was all about!

Lost in a frenzy while holding the enemy at bay, Pixie almost hadn't noticed another who'd managed to take cover on the side of the tram near her first kill. Thinking himself hidden, he slowly made his way around the tram only to be pulled around the corner suddenly. Grabbing him by the collar, Pixie let the machinegun hang by its strap and pulled the man in close before jamming the palm of her other hand against the base of his nose. The force of the impact shattered the cartilage connecting his nose to his skull and shot a sharp, jagged piece through his frontal lobe.

Blood poured through his nostril and down Pixie's arm before she dropped his lifeless form and took cover behind the tram. They were closing in now.

"Come on! GET FUCKED!" She screamed as she began spraying into the tunnel once more.

 

[The Funslinger]

"Uh, w-what I mean to say is: I wouldn't mess with her. She's ruthless and unpredictable."

Eddie chuckled lightly at the stumble. Maybe the girl had a touch of Stockholm syndrome. In response, he said, "well, ruthless and unpredictable is the usual package for me. And I haven't made up my mind, yet. Thanks for the concern though, it's very touching."

==============================================

"I'm sorry ma'am, but the abbey? I have to hear this one!"

Bryan grinned ingratiatingly and moved to sit across from the barman. "Well, when I were last here, I woke up naked on a transport shuttle just as we were being thrown out. You can imagine my plight. Anyway, after getting into a wee fist fight with a couple o' homeless chaps I can only assume liked what they saw enough to make a move, I find this Abbey. O' course logic dictates that's the easiest solution, with them tending to the needy. So, they give me some ill fittin' clothes from the donations box and a bed for a few days until I can get myself to be moving on, on the condition I let 'em store me swords. No guest o' theirs running armed, y'know?

"Anyway, I'd been there about three days, helping with the cleaning, doing the prerequisite amount o' praying and playing no-stakes poker with the Brothers. A few o' the sisters had been eyeing me fer awhile, now. Just so happens that on the evening o' the third day, I'm finishing up dusting the pews in the main prayer room, and I stand up, and there's a couple of 'em there. Fine couple o' lasses, y'could tell even under the shapeless nun's shifts. Anyway, this young priest comes in about an hour later, hears some noise and opens the door o' the confession booth only to find I've gone and soiled it. As well as the two obliging young nuns. The brothers and some o' the heftier nuns chased me from the premises on pain o' death. Had to sneak back in the middle o' the night to grab me swords."

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"GENTS!"

'Oh bother!'

As the gunman opened fire, The Gentleman spun away behind one of the shelves for cover. Peeking around into the next aisle, he came face to face with another man creeping around, trying to flank the pair. Stepping out gracefully, The Gentleman swept the man's sub-machine gun aside, before stunning him with a three-fingered strike to the throat. Spinning the gaping man around for use as a human shield, the Gentleman drew his own weapon as two more thugs broke from cover at the end of the aisle. Two muted coughs from the suppressed barrel of his pistol, and the two goons crumpled with holes in their heads.

Pretty standard stuff, no need to make a show of it.

"YOU GOOD, GENTS?!"

"Not to worry my dear, all in a day's work." he replied, snapping the neck of his human shield before moving towards where Meredith had taken cover, dropping two more as he went. There were more of them, about a dozen at first glance, coming down the tram tunnels. As Meredith sprayed bullets and expletives both into the tunnel, The Gentleman calmly reached into his front pocket, before removing and affixing his trademark monocle.

"Unfortunately I have no spare for you this time," he told Meredith, while once more taking off his cuff-link. "so I suggest you take cover."

Almost lazily, he flicked the cuff-link over his shoulder into the no-man's land between the two groups. Upon twisting his remaining cuff-link all the lights in the massive vault flickered and died. Everyone's world was plunged into darkness, deep below the ground. Everyone but The Gentleman, for when he twisted the outer frame of the monocle, the vault before him lit up, bathed in a deep green.

Breaking from cover, The Gentleman traced an arc from the tram to the entrance of the tunnel, firing all the time as he flanked the men who had taken cover before it. They died one after the other as shots went through heads, necks and chests. One man tried to break and run back down the tunnel. Two quick shots from the hip , and the man's kneecaps were sent flying out the back of his legs. He fell screaming, until the Gentleman put him out of his misery with a round through the back of the skull.

"Is that all of them? Shame. I was just starting to unwind."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Asad closed his eyes, sighing slightly as he heard the commander enter the room. Her footfalls distinct compared to his heavier comrades.

Tsubaki would know.

She always knew.

"What's wrong, Harel?"

'Called it.' He smirked slightly, furrowing his brow as he turned, his eyes lacking their usual warmth.


"And don't give me that 'it's just the cold' shit. Speak freely."

Crossing his arms across his chest, he leaned against the table he was standing at, a wry smile on his face.

"Well, it is pretty damn cold." He quickly noted the commander's unimpressed reaction, as the veneer of playfulness fell from his expression, his smirk replaced by worried frown.

"I don't like this, Tsubaki." He said softly, using her first name. He furrowed his brow, running a hand through his hair. "I don't like this one bit, you know what I'm like for gut feelings." He lifted is cup from the table, raising it to his mouth. "I have nothing to base it on, but I think something major is gonna go down soon, something we don't want to be a part of."

Placing the cup back on the table, he took a few steps closer Tsubaki, his hands back across his chest. "This won't interfere with my work, I promise you that, just..." He smiled slightly as his mask began to surface again. "Be vigilant."

He knew asking the commander to be vigilant was like asking a bird to fly, but he hoped he managed to get his anxiety across.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"S-Sure!" Hannibal said rather excitedly, a far cry from what he was earlier. "I don't have anything else I could be doing other than running... and thats a bad idea right?"

"Whilst I wouldn't say running would be a bad idea Hannibal, it has the potential to be detrimental to your situation. In any case, you get yourself cleaned up, and I'll wait for you in the lobby. I'll pay for this using our combined funds." Viola said, finally showing a small smile as she finished up her breakfast, downing the remainder of the coffee in one fell swoop. Hannibal returned her smile with a soft albeit awkward one before taking off his small bag full of carbon and leaving it on the table.

Hannibal

"I... t-t-trust you to take what you n-need." He set off towards their room, washing his face and checking it once over. It felt odd looking so clean, although his teeth were still a show. He didn't really know what else he could do by cleaning up other than washing his face, there was no toothbrush he could use and even Hannibal thought it dirty to use another person's toothbrush. Gross. He would buy one later, after remembering he left his pack in the building that had exploded.

Viola

"You can trust me Hannibal? I'm a woman of my word." Viola remarked as she took Hannibal's pouch of Carbon and went up to the counter, where she was greeted by a different waitress from before, but wore a similar outfit.

"Well howdy there, I trust you and your friend enjoyed your meal?"

"Yeah that we did, gave us time to talk as well. Poor kid, from what I can tell, he's been through a lot. Anyway, I hope this is enough to cover the costs." Spoke Viola as she poured out a handful of Carbon pieces from both pouches of roughly equal size. The waitress picked up the pile and placed it on the scales. It took a few moments, but eventually the scales weighed out, and the waitress placed a few small pieces back on the counter.

"There you go miss, here's your change, hope you have a pleasant day. Do dine here again."

"That I will Miss, that I will." Viola said as she gave a tip of her stetson to the waitress as she placed the change into Hannibal's pouch, he was in need of it more that she was. After making sure everything was secure, Viola made her way out of the restaurant, and stood with her back leaned against a wall in the tavern foyer.

Hannibal

Just before leaving the bathroom Hannibal suddenly realised "... my arms are all sticky..." he promptly went back and actually cleaned himself up. "That's what she meant. I need to pay attention more."

Making sure he was all clean he set off outside. He got a polite nod from the waitress but he just awkwardly shuffled out. "Ready to go?" he asked, he had never worked with another person before... well he wasn't sure how much he could actually help.

Viola

Viola looked up and saw Hannibal standing nearby, he looked a lot cleaner than he did earlier, must have put some effort into it.

"Ready to go?"

"I sure am Hannibal. Come on then, let's be off. Stick close to me as we make our way towards the hotel were this next lead of mine is staying, shouldn't be too long a trek. And uh, be careful." Viola said with a smirk as she opened the door of the tavern and out they stepped. Her lead was actually Maria again, as she felt she may have spooked the girl a little last time, and wanted to make amends. This time however, she hoped things would end more successfully.

 

[Fappy]

"... Thanks for the concern though, it's very touching."

Elizabeth wasn't sure whether he was being sarcastic or not, but decided to go along with it anyway, "You're welcome." Bored of the barren landscape, Elizabeth's eyes found their way to her lap. Though it had begun to dry, she was drenched in blood. "D-do you think there's a blanket or something up there I could use?"

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

"... The brothers and some o' the heftier nuns chased me from the premises on pain o' death. Had to sneak back in the middle o' the night to grab me swords."

After a hardy laugh, Skinner poured Bryan another drink, "Well I hope you keep a lower profile this time around. I don't want Vasa's people knocking down my door, you know? Those guys are ruthless."

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Other than rolling her eyes at his little quip, Tsubaki remained still and silent as Asad laid out his concerns. He had good instincts and Tsubaki was right to put her faith in them in the past. But now? How much of this was a fear of Frostfall and Vasa's people? Likely very little. His concerns were likely rooted more in their lack of intel. Samsara had played no role in planting the mole. Moreover, none of them were told what the big picture strategy was.

They were simply following orders. Blindly, some might say. Tsubaki had faith in her lord, however.

"Be vigilant."

Tsubaki cocked an eyebrow, "When am I not, Harel?" Glancing around the room she sighed. "Look, I can finish up in here. Go out there with the others and finish your drink. Have everyone in here and ready for a briefing in ten minutes."

********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Blood dripping down her arms, Pixie shot the Gentleman a wild grin as he took cover beside her.

"Unfortunately I have no spare for you this time... so I suggest you take cover."

"Don' reckon I take kindly to 'suggestions', Gents!" Pixie laughed as the lights went out. Several gasps could be heard among the sporadic gunfire. The Gentleman disappeared shortly after to dispatch the flatfooted combatants leaving Pixie to adjust to her new environment. Hardly able to make out anything other than muzzle flashes, Pixie closed her eye and concentrated.

Gunshots and shrieks echoed all around her, making it difficult to make out what noise was coming from where. Focusing on her immediate surroundings, she could hear heavy breathing and frantic footfalls on the right side of the tram. Exhaling sharply, she opened her eye and jumped to her feet, sprinting around the side of the tram with reckless abandon. The three men she found there had all crouched behind the bulkhead in order to escape the Gentleman's slaughter only to find themselves trapped in Pixie's thirsty maw.

The man in front noticed her first, raising his gun to cut her charge short but was too slow. A faint glimmer of light reflected off the surface of the blade as it pierced the darkness and split his throat in two. The other two panicked, screaming and firing their submachine guns at the space Pixie had occupied moments ago. In the darkness, however, they couldn't keep a bead on their target.

Before they knew it Pixie was upon them, her knife caressing the inside of the second man's stomach. She came in close, her face mere inches from his own to see the life fade from his eyes. The third man saw this and froze. He saw the ecstasy on her face. The empowering joy she felt in taking his comrade's life.

"NO! NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!" The man screamed, firing his weapon. But it was too late. Ducking under its line of fire, Pixie grabbed the barrel of the gun and disarmed the man with ease. As he stumbled forward, the gun still strapped around his shoulder, she brought the stock down on the back of his head sending him crashing to the ground. As he lay there, struggling to get back to his feet she used his own weapon to tear him to shreds.

Soon after, the gunfire died down.

"Is that all of them? Shame. I was just starting to unwind."

Pixie laughed, but before she could respond the lights returned. Scanning the tunnel she could make out one remaining person coming around the bend. He was unarmed. A tall, hansom tan man with slicked back, long, curly black hair, a goatee and black clothing.

No fuckn' way...

"Stop! Don't shoot, I---Meredith?!!?"

Pixie's jaw hung for a moment, "Carlos... I don' believe it..." Signaling to the Gentleman, she shook his head. "Don' shoot, he's a friend."

Carlos Santiago.... no way....

 

[The Funslinger]

"D-do you think there's a blanket or something up there I could use?

"To clean up? No idea," he replied. Fishing around in his breast pocket, Eddie drew out a handkerchief and gave it to her. "Best I can do, sorry." Noticing that pulling out the handkerchief had nudged a small oval shaped locket from under his shirt, he tucked it back hastily and then settled back to driving.

==============================================

"Well I hope you keep a lower profile this time around. I don't want Vasa's people knocking down my door, you know? Those guys are ruthless."

"Oh, I'll do me best, mate. After all, this time it's business, not pleasure," Bryan answered, knocking back the second drink in one swallow.

"Reckon I'll stick to coffee now. Don't reckon our Tsu will be right pleased if I'm a bit foggy."