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

[ProtoChimp]

"I know I would,"

"Yeah... me too probably." Aesop muttered.

"Y'all partying without me, I see. What's the occasion?"

"Tell the pretty girl what we're up to, fucko."

"Its been a year this week since I signed up. Where my beard didn't reach down to mu chin!" He raised his awful joint to the air. "Where y'all had to kick my ass whenever I stole booze, and where Ruffles nearly drowned me in Valhalla. I think that was the day I realised it was either drunken pain or sober... um, sober non pai-I suck at sentences." He took in another long pull as his joint nearly fell apart. "Cam are you good at rolling? Ruffles usually does these for me."
=======================================================
Alex was sitting in her office. Everything was a mess, still after this time, the police station was the last priority, the first being keeping those taking advantage of the chaos in line. So many had been thrown into cells that they were damn near overflowing. Alex sat slumped in the chair in her office, resisting the temptation of the liquor in her drawer, when a knock came at her door.

"Yes?" she said, sounding tired and impatient.

"Sheriff?" came the familiar voice of one of her officers. "Mr Ruben is here. He wants to talk to you."

'Shit.' She did not want to deal with this right now.

"Of course, let him in." She tried to sound confident. Truth was she didn't want to deal with this man. Not out of fear, or hatred, she just knew how desperately awkward this conversation would be.

The officer opened the door and allowed the man with a cane to enter. He was Hispanic, his face wrinkled, his eyes tired, his hair black but fading to grey. He stood as upright as possible, but with a limp as he moved forward with his cane. Despite his skin making him look old and tired, his clothes were pristine, no dirt or dust caking his brown suit, Alex knew Mr Ruben to always try his best to look as dignified as possible.

"Please, sit down sir." She said.

"Thank you, but you don't need to call me that Alex." He spoke with a raspy voice as he sat in the chair on the opposite side of the desk.

"Of course, Julio." She replied after some hesitation. Julio and his wife were the only people that could have this affect on her at this point. She had to tell some people of the missing or found dead bodies, but this one instance was unique. "How is your throat?"

"I can talk, I'm grateful for that." His throat was bruised and discoloured.

"That's good. And your wife?"

He held a long pause, looking down at the ground for a while. "She still hasn't woken up. The doctors said she was fine but until I can talk to her I have to disagree."

"I see." She said, she hated making small talk but if she could hold off the inevitable question as long as possible she would. "Are they taking good care of her?"

"Alex, can we please stop stalling. I know this is awkward but I need to know." He coughed more and more, wincing as the rest of his body racked with pain. Alex quickly handed him a water bottle which he refused for as long as possible before she forced it into his hand. He smiled as he reluctantly drank it. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." It was wrong to hold it off for any longer, she needed to be blunt, and the less he spoke the better for his throat. "I didn't see him, but one of the maidens told me he was alive. A man named Bennie."

Julio held tightly onto the armchair so tight, that even in his weakened state he could damn near crush it to splinters. "Was he... did her hurt him?" He stared her in the face.

Alex forced herself to keep his gaze despite wanting to avoid it as much as possible. "Yes, but he was okay." She responded quickly. "Austin injured him, I was told, but I was also told that he would recover quickly."

"So... so that's why he didn't come to see us?" Julio asked.

Alex thought back to what she had told that maiden, Bennie, that he should stop him from leaving the ship. She hoped it wasn't necessary, that Aesop was too injured to leave, she had her reasons for stopping him. Whether or not they were reasonable she didn't know. "Yes. I have to assume that is why. He is apparently sober now, I don't think he would have missed the opportunity to see you or your wife."

"I see." Julio finally smiled. "Naheed would do anything to see him again, as would I. Still, I can't possibly imagine a worse kind of reunion. Perhaps it was for the best, perhaps we will see him again soon. When he's better." He didn't know why he was speaking out loud, only that he was trying to convince himself more than anyone.

"I'm sure he'll come home when he's able." She offered an awkward smile. The tension in the room was so uncomfortable she thanked God when he eventually stood up.

"I should get back to Naheed. I've been playing her favourite music every day since the battle ended."

"That's nice." Her awkward small talk continued as she helped him up, him valiantly refusing her help as he made his way to the door, which she opened much to his chagrin. "I'll come visit you when this mess is taken care of."

"There's no need, we can't have those men running around like they own the place." They shared a fake chuckle. "Take care Alex."

"You too Julio." She closed the door as he left before resting her forehead against the door. That's it, she was having at least one drink tonight.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Lilith smiled, waving the boy away. As he turned out of the corridor, she took a sip of whisky.

"You want to talk about it?"

Shaking her head, the woman leaned head her back, blowing smoke towards the ceiling. "I know what you're gonna say." She blinked slowly, the cigarette hanging loosely from her lips. "And I agree. We are stretched too thin, sending a group to Frostfall would be stupid, we don't know what the situation is like up there, a bunch of Maidens showing up isn't going to help matters if it's hostile, it might be why Florian hasn't got in contact yet." She looked up at the ceiling for a few moments, her eyes losing focus.

"I dunno Bennie, I just..." She clenched her jaw. "With Merry leaving, this whole Elizabeth thing, and Cranston and the other Maidens." She turned her head slightly to look up at the man. "I feel so useless."

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

"He-hey! Hey, waiter! Over here! Please, thank you!"

"Oh Jesus." Asad lowered his head as he gripped the sides of his brow. Taking a breath he regained his composure. "That isn't a waiter, my Lady, just..." he shook his head slightly as he racked his brain. "Here." He quickly grabbed the bottle of wine and topped up the girl's glass. "Have some more wine." Hopefully that would placate the girl for now. Last thing he wanted was a loud drunk disturbing the other customers, word would surely get back to HQ. He could see the headlines in the local paper already.

'Drunk noble causes ruckus at high class establishment. 12 Dead'. Some would say he was exaggerating, but he wasn't the kind of man to rule out possibilities. Elizabeth may very well be a violent drunk.

 

[Terratina.]

The party was slowly dying down, though now only the embers remain. Astor allowed himself to truly relax; he had all he needed according to his dear uncle: good drink, good women and good times, or whatever it was. Well, he hadn't even gotten around to the drink yet. Time to fix that. Lapping up abandoned bits of drink was rather demeaning but no one seemed to want to serve the boy a little bit of tipple. It really didn't match up to the vintages back home, however that was to be expected from leftovers, let alone brews with no pedigree whatsoever. Still, one thing was for sure: the alcoholic proof of the damn things almost resembled that of pure ethanol - at least to Astor it did. The result was a sleeping little topless Casonova.

***​

That was... something. Though, on second thought, it could have gone worse. Maria yawned as she left the room and came across Bennie and Lilith. If it weren't for the thumping in her head, she would've joined in with the heavy talk. At the moment, she needed to clear her head. A shower would do just the trick...

 

[Fappy]

"Cam are you good at rolling? Ruffles usually does these for me."

Cam laughed, "Oh God, you're helpless!" She quickly shuffled over to his side, took the joint from his hand and snubbed it in a nearby ashtray. "Watch closely now." She instructed as she dropped down to her knees and went to work rolling what he had left in the baggie.

Pixie took a swig of her whiskey and waved it around by the neck of the bottle, "What'll it be tonight, darlin'? Booze 'er blunts?"

"Booooze," Cam cooed. "Definitely could use a few drinks."

"Well, I don't reckon it'll be too hard ta' catch up. Aesop's already in fuckin' la-la land but I'm still comfortably tipsy." She grinned and flopped onto her back once more.

Cam glanced up and scoffed, "Put some pants on, girl."

"Fuck you, *****." Pixie chirped.

Cam looked to Aesop. She was almost done with the joint, "So, what should we get you for your Maiden birthday?"

"Blowjob," Pixie chuckled before adding, "Not it."

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

"I feel so useless."

Bennie pursed his lips. He knew all too well what this girl meant. He could emphasize more than she knew. Even still, he had to bring her in line. He needed her on his side, "I know what you mean, Lily... believe me, I do. But..." He sighed and looked straight ahead and the featureless bulkhead before him. "Have I ever told you about my sister? She died when I was about your age. Maybe a little younger."

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

"Have some more wine."

"Why thank you, my dear," She cooed as she leaned forward to retrieve her glass and laughed. "'My dear', Christ, I must sound so pretentious! All these other snobby, stuck up high-borns?" With her glass in her hand she pointed around the room at the other customers. "They talk like that because it makes them feel intelligent. Superior." She scoffed and looked at Asad before taking a large sip of her wine. "I used to be just like them. I used to feel that way about commoners, whether I'd have liked to admit it or not. I was a brat. Probably still am."

She threw the rest of her wine back in one fluid motion before clumsy slamming the glass back on the table, "Nobles. 'Milk drinkers'. We live up in our towers and know nothing of reality. Of real people." Crossing her arms over her chest, she leaned forward, across the table. "You're real, Major. The Maidens are real. What am I? What is Basilio? We're just like you, we just shit in more expensive toilets." Her serious demeanor shattered in that moment as she started cracking up and snorting once more.

 

[Dogmatic99]

So the card game had died off kinda quickly but that was okay, gave people more reason for people to party and get talking. This was how you got to know who someone really was, when the booze had cut their brakes and you got a glimpse at their true face. Not Gale though, cus her face was feeling numb and tingly in a nice way. Such was the crunk. The gown up bandits were busy laughing among themselves while the junior bandits were apparently getting naked and doin' the do.

Not even a full week in and their room was turning into a den of vice. Probably a good thing to be known for early on. Bandits were supposed to be wild and care free and taking what they wanted, right? NO! What if they wanted to take Allie or Gale?! Allie was way to young for gettin' taken and no way was Gale gunna be puttin' up with none of that guff.

"Don't worry, Foxy. I wont let them take you." Gale sprawled sideways along her bunk mattress, her free hand flopping onto Allie's shoulder while the other desperately struggled to keep her bottle upright. "You're my travel wife now..." She sleepily whispered through all the talk and laughter.
===================================================================================

["This is, like, the weirdest date ever."] Alexi smirked, holding his arms tight across his chest as he strolled down the quiet night street.

["Not a date."] Erik grumbled. ["I just don't trust you not to snark off at the wrong people before I can lock you inside."] Yes he was walking a younger man home, what of it?

["***** please! I could take any of your little punks before they even got near me."]

["Yeah right, you've been out of the game too long. How you've lasted this long wearing makeup I'll never know."] Erik scoffed and the two of them fell into silence as they walked along towards Alexi's apartment.

["Did you ever think it would end up like this?"] Alexi asked, a little awkwardly, just wanting to break the quiet.

["What? That I'd end up being an unpaid sheriff? Hell no."] They were making it sound like the world was ending and maybe for some of the hussars it was.

The war was over and their greatest enemy defeated but they hadn't found the grand ending they'd been expecting. The suns kept rising and falling and they were left with a city to clean up. No one wanted to be the first to pick up a broom. Erik had known going in that all their grand speeches about overthrowing their oppressors had been a pile of shit, it was a rally cry, something to pull out extra hands and carbon from those who couldn't spare it.

'This was never supposed to be our fight.'

But Erik'd be lying if he said he wasn't up for it. Open battle gave a rush that the sneaking and backroom dealings of the family fights had given him. The kid would have loved it, sick little fucker. Erik couldn't help but give a weary smile as he shook his head.

["You guys do at least have a plan though, right? Like this is just teething pains, great change with the appearance of chaos that's how the saying goes or something right?"]

["Sure..."] That was Vasa's way. Erik had never known him not to have a plan or a scheme on the back burner. Problem was, Erik wasn't privy to that so much these days.

Alexi gave an unconvinced grunt. If there was a plan he wouldn't be seeing its upside any time soon. The Bejics were looking after their own first and their own were still fighting over the spoils. No one was left who cared about the little people who couldn't fight. Trouble with the WV was still causing a stir and there were rumors on the wind of them going into another damn war. It was like they couldn't go five minutes! Looked like the only ones who wanted to focus on the home front were Erik and some shady nut job who'd been playing vigilante.

["Did you here about what happened at Angel Row?"] Alexi asked, since his mind was back on the subject.

["Who hasn't? Some freak coming along and cutting down the north's biggest public work of art, who's even got time for that shit?"] Erik made like it wasn't a big deal but the truth was people were stumped over this one. Pulling a stunt like this was sticking a finger to the family in a big way. Weirdest thing was what they did with the bodies.

They buried them in neat little rows, like real graves and all, friends and family placed together and pieces of the crosses chopped up and used as markers. They hadn't stopped there either. Erik had heard a bunch of idle gossip that credited some masked stranger with fucking with street level thugs and smaller crews were apparently blaming him for snatching their carbon or drug stashes.

'And then there's these.' Erik grimaced as they passed one of a bunch of graffiti tags that had sprung up over the last few days. Most just looked crude upside down triangles. Alexi made a comment about one of them looking like a vagina, classy guy that he was.

["Y'know if you tilt your head that one looks almost like a... a fang or a claw or something."] Wasn't like it mattered anyway. Whoever it was would be a flash in the pan, stabbed in an alley by the end of the month.

The pair made their way on, finally reaching the tenement building that Alexi called home. He fumbled with his keys for a minute before rattling them in the lock and giving the door a shove with his shoulder.

["Thanks for the walk back."] He turned to Erik just before crossing the threshold. ["And for the assist earlier."]

["No problem."] Erik shrugged.

["You want a coffee or something?"] They just kind of looked at each other for a moment. Both sharing a knowing, smug, smirk.

["Sure."]

High above them across the street a lonely soul kept a quiet watch, his collar turned up against the usual cold. "Just rub it in why don't you?" Florian grumbled to himself as he saw the two of them head inside. It was good to see someone was looking after Erik at least. Didn't help his own frustrations and jealousies much though. Looked like it was time to call it a night, he had to check in with Irena anyway. He wasn't getting near Alexi tonight.

Spoiler: Erik Ablev

Name - Erik Ablev
Gender - Male
Age - 57

Profession - Bandit captain

Appearance - Erik is a pale tower, at full height he's a few inches short of seven feet and is built like an old tiger. Time and age may have robbed him of his glorious muscle definition but the power is still there.

With his perpetually scruffy short hair and neatly groomed beard, all of which has turned snow white, Erik could have the appearance of some little girl's favorite lumbering grandfather. If it wasn't for the bags under his eyes and his nose that's been broken so many times over the years he's just given up. When people see Erik they often assume he's the dumb bruiser that smarter bosses drag out when they want someone broken, they do so at their own risk.

Personality - Erik is old school Frostfall down to his core. he doesn't care for long bouts of smack talk and has been fighting for so long that threats and smack talk bore him. A real man talks with his actions and needs little else.

He wasn't always like this though. There was a time once that Erik would have savored a good debate, but what's the point of it in this day and age?

His respect is something that must be earned the old fashioned way, which has put him at loggerheads with a few of the younger generations of the family but Erik's set in his ways and is yet to find someone he's willing to change for who's still among the living. He's lost a lot of people over the course of his violent career, only the family has remained constant and he holds it higher than anything else.

He takes great pride in his personal discipline and that which he instills in those under his command, though recently he's been finding it easier than usual to lose himself to the red mist.

Biography - People often forget that Erik wasn't born into the bandit trade or dragged into it young. He did well in school, a real bookworm with a sparkling young mind and a love of the intricate ins and outs of the various legal systems that flowed through each dome. He even accepted an academic scholarship to one of the finest law schools on all the rock in Calico (Go Sabres!).

He even made a good go of it. Living a nice, comfortable, safe, LEGAL, little life all of his own. He felt proud of himself. He even rocked the university wrestling team and set a new weight lifting record. His size and threatening accent were enough to cut an imposing figure in the courtroom. It was all going great until one fateful holiday when he went back to his native Frostfall to say his last goodbyes.

It was here that he met and quickly fell under the sway of a young Vasa Bejic. Vasa span Erik all kinds of tales about his dreams for the dome and what he thought it could become. The two of them became fast friends and Vasa showed Erik a side of his mother dome he had never dared enter before. It was like a whole new world. It didn't come without a price though, before he knew it Erik had discovered the thrilling world of a bandit consigliere, where the carbon was great, the cases were challenging and the clients were always grateful. Soon enough he was hooked.

His slide into the more violent side of things wasn't some great story. Look at Erik, look at Frostfall, those two were a match made in heaven. One was never shy about fighting and the other was never shy about sending fights other people's way. Over time Erik rose through the ranks, he became Vasa's right hand man and was taken with him when old man Bejic died and Vasa took control of the family.

With his unique skill set Erik played a huge part in preparing Vasa's only child, Florian, to take his father's place and to complete their year spanning plan to supplant the nobility. Then Florian died and the gloves came off. The attack that claimed his life would change everything. He had already lost friends, lovers, and now the boy he helped raise. And now there's less and less worth fighting for these days it seems.

Notes - Erik has always been pretty open about his homosexuality. Frostfall's never been welcoming to the gay minority and its criminal element even less so. Other Hussars made it very tough for Erik when he first joined up, one of them even called him out because of it.

Then Erik broke both their arms and people learned to shut up about it.

 

[ProtoChimp]

"Well, I don't reckon it'll be too hard ta' catch up. Aesop's already in fuckin' la-la land but I'm still comfortably tipsy."

Aesop leaned out of his chair and lightly shoved Pixie's face before falling back into his seat. "Just cos I know how to get crunk quick byatch."

"So, what should we get you for your Maiden birthday?"

"Blowjob, Not it."

Aesop laughed. "What? After that talk about liking hairy dudes?" He turned to Cameron and pointed his thumb at Pixie. "You belie' this *****? And tell you what, my present can be a joint that doesn't fall apart at my fingers." He said as if trying to dodge the question. Aesop wasn't a very good flirter and he'd prefer banter, at least there he would be less likely to say something weird, which was increasingly likely considering his year long dry spell.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Amy watched Sprout leave keenly. It was clear from his body language that he was down on something, and she decided to make her move. After waiting an astute amount of time, she disentangled herself from Jesse (whom she'd been getting to know better than the other boy knew over the last hour) and followed.

Bennie and Lilith were talking in the hall. While Amy might have on a different occasion been tempted to eavesdrop, she didn't want to waste time. She slipped by while the other two were occupied, and found Sprout sprawled out on the bed in his room.

"Axel..." she said, leaning with arms folded against the doorway "Is there a problem?" This time, her tone was more affronted than sympathetic.

Sprout didn't answer right away. He simply remained with his face in the pillow for awhile before turning his head to the side to see Amy, "I dunno." He sighed.

Don' puss' out. Gotta be straight with 'er.

Rolling onto his side, he pointed to chair next to his bed, "You can' sit down if you wan'. Makin' me nervious standin' there like that." He chuckled.

Amy did just that. Walking into the room proper, she closed the door behind her, before perching herself on the end of the bed.

"Well?" she pressed him, "Spit it out."

Sprout could bring himself to look her in the eye. Thankfully, however, he didn't draw it out, "Look... I don' really know what kinda relationship you had with Ma', but... seein' you like that with him..." He forced his eyes shut and shook his head. "No, it doesn' matter that it's him, specifically. Look, you can' expect me ta' jus' roll with it when yer all over other people like that. I didn' get the impression y'all were broken up, so what is it? Some kinda open relationship or somethin'?" He couldn't help but frown.

"And what were we being like, exactly?" Amy retorted. "So, he's a flirt. I'm a whore. You don't think I know how to handle somebody like him?"

Amy looked away, her arms folded.

"Oh, and Pixie and I are over, just for the record. I think when somebody decides to flee halfway across the continent at a moments notice, the message is pretty damn clear. Maybe flirting with Jesse allows me to forget that and actually enjoy myself?" She looked back at him, something softer just starting to creep into her voice, barely noticeable "What's it to you, anyway?"

He shrugged, "I care about my Ma'. I want to protect her." He looked her in the eye. "Jus' 'cause she ran off to Feroxi doesn' mean she's broken it off with you, ya' know. I mean, she's still my Ma', no matter where she is. She's doin' important work. She's... doin' what she feels she has to." He sighed. "Did she actually tell you it was over?"

"If she didn't end it, I just did." Amy replied, haughtily. "Look... I appreciate your concern, for the both of us, but I don't buy your interpretation of her intentions, and the longer she's been gone the clearer I can see that she never gave a damn about me!"

She bowed her head again, gripping the edge of the bed in frustration.

"I don't want to talk about Pixie anymore, okay?" she said "And I don't think you do either." she looked across to him. "If that was all this was about, I wouldn't have had to tease it out of you. You're too... honest, for that; and your just about the only person on this ship who doesn't look down their nose at me for one reason or another. Your my only friend. So, I'm gonna stay sitting here until I find out why your really pissed at me."

Sprout furrowed his brow. Was he really pissed? He didn't think so.

Pulling himself up into a sitting position, he buried his hands under crossed legs, "Look, I ain't mad at you, I was jus'... confused is all. It was awkward seein' you like that. I mean, as much as you don' wanna talk about 'er, it's kinda hard to avoid at this point. I'm 'er son, Amy, an' if yer mad at her that's fine, but I ain't gonna stop bein' her son so you can feel better."

He studied the back of her head for a short while before patting the bed in front of him, "Hey, come on. Turn around. Look at me. I'm not mad at you."

Amy turned around and looked at him. They were very close now.

"What do you want me to look like?" she asked, quietly.

Sprout cocked an eyebrow, "Look like? What do ya' mean?"

"You said you didn't like seeing me like that." Amy replied, huskily. "Well? What do you want from me?"

"Oh," Sprout muttered. "I-I dunno. I reckon I shouldn' be tellin' you how ta' act. I mean, that's yer deal. I was jus'... uncomfortable I guess. Though, if you an' Ma' ar' through I..." He scratched the back of his neck, nerviously. "I'll get over it, don' worry."

Amy had to work hard not to sigh in frustration. If he mentioned Pixie one more time...

"Sprout..." she said "I don't want you to just 'get over it'. I want to know what you want. I care about what you want." She leaned closer, slowly. "There doesn't have to be anyone in this room but you and me."

Sprout searched her eyes. It was weird, really. Here she was, a beautiful girl roughly his age and he acted so... natural around her. He displayed none of the awkward flirting or inappropriate joking he'd always fallen back on when dealing with members of the opposite sex. Sure, he was attracted to her. Any man would be. But somehow she was different. Not like Lilith, nor any other woman he'd encountered before.

What did he want? From her or what? He wasn't sure.

He suddenly realized he'd been blatantly staring at her for way too long and looked away awkwardly, "I-I... what I want? I dunno..." He forced himself to look at her again. "I jus' want everyone to be happy I guess. Everyone's been through so much lately, you an' me included. It's okay if you wanna flirt with Jesse or whatever... fuck, I'm sayin' the opposite of what you want aren't I?" He chuckled. "What do I specifically want? Man, I 'ave no clue."

Amy gently reach over and touched his face, her finger tips brushing down his jawline as she brought him back round to face her. They were now no more than a couple of inches apart.

"Maybe I can help with that."

Their lips touched only for a second, less than a kiss. They brushed against each other, and Amy stopped for a long moment, as if waiting to be pushed away, before she leaned forward again and kissed him fully. Stillness at first, before both parties sunk into it. Amy felt the rush, as she ran her hand through his hair, round to the back of his neck, pulling him closer.

'Careful! Remember, he has to come to you if you want to take him away from them.'

Amy couldn't say how long the kiss lasted exactly, but when they broke apart, Amy panted slowly, her eyes closed as she fought to regain her composure.

"I... I should go." she whispered, turning away from him and getting to her feet. When she got to the door, she paused, her hand resting on the handle. "Goodnight."

She stepped outside, shutting the door behind her before leaning back against it. For w while she just stared at the ceiling, her chest rising and falling as she caught her breath.

Sprout had no idea what had just happened. At first he thought she was just teasing. He'd gotten used to that treatment with Lilith, but he never expected her to actually follow through with it. He didn't struggle, push her away or protest in anyway. Was he too shocked or was it something else...?

Well, he'd never actually kissed a girl like that before, so maybe it was just that.

This is wrong...

As soon as his senses had returned to him, that was all he could think. He barely registered that she'd spoken to him and left the room.

He just sat there for awhile, breathing heavily. Trying to make sense of what he was thinking. What he was feeling.

It was like a war in his head: one part of him was jumping in joy while the other was burying its head in the sand... utterly ashamed. And then it happened. He lurched forward, clutching his stomach and mouth. He had come to a full understanding. He knew what just happened.

He knew what it meant.

Leaping off the bed, he stumbled into the bathroom and dropped to his knees in front of the toilet. After dry heaving for a minute, it was clear he wasn't actually going to vomit, but it didn't stop his stomach from churning.

He felt nauseous. He felt... wrong.

Resting his forehead against the toilet seat, he sighed and squeezed his eye lids shut, "Fuckin' shit, Ma'... God dammit, what the fuck's goin' on!?"

His first kiss was supposed to be this grand, amazing thing! Instead, he just felt dirty.

He felt like he'd betrayed the most important person in his life.

Then again, there certainly was something 'amazing' about it.

Sprout leaned against the wall and allowed himself a small, desperate laugh.

No wonder you couldn' resist her. God fuckin' damn...

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Allie had learned a very important lesson about the night's festivities. Being the only sober person in a room was one half hilarious, and the other half an intriguing learning experience. Nana drank, but then again, nana always drank. Gin, all day, everyday. Too bad none of the Maidens drank old lady drink, Allie could mix up a fantastic G&T.

Taking a swig from her bottle of soda, she leaned back against the side of the bunkbed, he legs crossed beneath her.

"Don't worry, Foxy. I wont let them take you."

Gale's hand slumped over her shoulder, grasping clumsily at her face. "Gerrof, ye bampot!" The girl laughed, crying out as one of Gale's fingers poked her in the eye.

"You're my travel wife now..."

"I dinnae ken what that is." Allie finally managed to grab the older girl's hand, raising it, she placed it on top of her head. "What kind of benefits do I get?" Drunk Gale was the best Gale.

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

"Have I ever told you about my sister? She died when I was about your age. Maybe a little younger."

Lilith's face softened. She had heard from Pixie about Bennie's sister, about what the Wilkes-Vines did to her. Smiling sadly, the girl pulled her knees to her chest, resting the side of her head on her knees, she tapped the floor next to her. "Tell me about her."

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

Asad's eyes widened slightly as the girl tossed back the wine like it was water.

'I have made a grievous error in judgement.'

"You're real, Major. The Maidens are real. What am I? What is Basilio? We're just like you, we just shit in more expensive toilets."

The Major ran a hand over his stubbled head. "That's all very enlightening, truly it is." The man smirked sarcastically. It appeared the girl was drunk enough to slip right back into political prose.

'Where the hell is that food?'

The pair were getting a few disapproving looks from neighbouring tables. Locking eyes with a particularly disgruntled gentleman, Asad smiled nervously, shrugging his shoulders slightly. The man turned up his nose and returned to his meal.

"Err, so, Elizabeth, what would you be doing then." The Major had to find a way to keep the girl distracted. "If you weren't in the situation you are now, where would you be?"

 

[Fappy]

"You belie' this *****? And tell you what, my present can be a joint that doesn't fall apart at my fingers."

Cam had just finished rolling it for him the moment he mentioned it. Smiling, she handed it to him, "Well then, happy birthday."

Pixie scoffed, "You fuck up! Christ, you can' do anythin' right, I swear! I set you up ta' get laid an' you totally tank it!" Pixie sighed. "When was the last fuckin' time you got yer dick wet anyhow, Aesop?"

Getting to her feet, Pixie moved her leg so that Cam could plop down on the other end of the couch. Pixie rested her legs across Cam lap and passed her the bottle of whiskey, "Yeah, when was the last time?" Cam couldn't help but grin.

Poor guy. These women were relentless.

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

"If you weren't in the situation you are now, where would you be?"

Elizabeth put a finger to her chin and pondered the question. She really had no idea. She'd spoken of it earlier in the night already.

She didn't know what she should be doing or where she should be doing it. So much ambition. So much purpose.

But so little direction.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth was far too inebriated to get that sentiment across. No, such perplexing introspection could not be adequately explained after so many drinks.

The young noble shrugged, "Not here, that's for sure!" She laughed. "I mean, the food's taking forever! A-and, you know, this whole stupid-shitty Basilip situation is so... dreadful! But, um, uh..." She gave him a cheeky grin. "You're okay though. I'm at least glad you're here." She stuck her tongue out and pawed at her wine glass. "I want more, but I know I shouldn't. It just makes me sooooo happy! Last time I got like this I grab someone's boobs! Or did they grab mine?! I can't remember..."

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

Bennie took notice of her request and slid down again the wall beside her. He rested the inside of his elbow on one knee and stretched the other leg out.

"Tell me about her."

He smiled, "She was the kindest woman I ever knew. So strong and smart, yet she was as delicate as a flower when she needed to be. Nothing like Pixie, really." He laughed. "Her name was Mercedes. Mercedes Carmine. She was older than me. More experienced than me. She taught me everything my father couldn't."

He took one, deep sigh before continuing. Clearly, it wasn't easy for him to talk about this, "One night we find out that she'd been taken by one of Wilkes-Vines' top dogs. I was about to take a big-ass group to go across town and kick in the front door, but my father ordered me to stay. He told me they were trying to bait us. I almost did it anyway. I almost disobeyed him. But in the end, I didn't and Mercedes was killed." He bowed his head. "That same night we caught on to their movements and found a huge cell poised to overrun our territory. They had tried to draw us out using my sister. If that had happened... far more innocents would have died."

He looked to Lilith. There was a distant look in his eyes, "We took our vengeance that night. Wiped them all out. Payton's lapdog, the one who killed Mercedes? He got away in the end. But I..." He clenched his jaw and broke eye contact. "I righted that wrong." After a long pause he looked at Lilith once more. "Sometimes all we can do is wait and hope. If we're lucky, things work out. If not... well, you can always avenge them. I know that's not what you want to hear, but that's the reality of the situation. I need you, Lilith. I need you here. You understand that, right?" It was clear from his defeated expression that he didn't like what he was telling her. That he wished he could let her go.

 

[ProtoChimp]

"Erm." Aesop tried not to let his eyes travel too much or sink too far into his seat, lest he seem too bashful. "I uh... I don't remember. I've never had sex sober. And the last time I was drunk was," through his hairy face they could see he was blushing, "about a year ago.

In the same breath he used to finish his sentence he put the joint in his mouth, lit it, and took as long of a toke as he could handle until he couldn't inhale anymore, held it in as long as he could until he needed to exhale, and damn near filled the entire room with smoke. Hopefully it would camouflage his brightly blushing face.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"You're okay though. I'm at least glad you're here."

Asad furrowed his brow slightly. Did she even know what she wanted? Of course she didn't want to be in this situation, but then where else would she be? Back with her family, whittling the days away in luxury, attending formal functions, small political councils? Would she rather be with the Maidens? The thought of the girl as a bandit brought a small smile to his lips.

"I want more, but I know I shouldn't. It just makes me sooooo happy! Last time I got like this I grab someone's boobs! Or did they grab mine?! I can't remember..."

The Major raised an eyebrow, but despite the less than suitable dinner table conversation, Elizabeth had certainly let her hair down, she at least deserved that much after the last few weeks. Glancing at the bottle of wine, Asad sighed as he pulled it from the bucket. No point in letting it go to waste, the girl was already wrecked anyway, one more glass wasn't going to make a difference. Emptying the bottle into Elizabeth's glass, Asad tapped the table to get the girl's attention. "Take. Your. Time." He said slowly.

The man was starting to think he couldn't do anything with a woman without her getting trashed. A smile curled his lips as he thought of Tsubaki.

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

"I need you, Lilith. I need you here. You understand that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I understand." The girl stuck out her tongue slightly, before her expression softened sympathetically. Florian's situation was different though, they didn't know he was in danger, they didn't know anything, that was the worst part. Looking at Bennie, she opened her mouth to speak, pausing for a moment as she gathered her thoughts.

"Do you... Do you wish you had gone? Ignored your dad's orders and tried anyway? Even if it meant hurting more people in the long run?"

 

[Fappy]

"I uh... I don't remember. I've never had sex sober. And the last time I was drunk was..."

Pixie and Cam exchanged surprised looks.

"... about a year ago."

"A full year!? Seriously!?" Cam was flabbergasted.

Pixie couldn't help but laugh, "He's practically a virgin!"

Cam pursed her lips, "Aw, come on! Do you think that's a bit harsh?"

"No way, this ***** can take it," She pointed to the whiskey bottle. "Catch up to me, hoe!"

"Fiiiine." Cam relented and started downing the liquor straight from the bottle.

Pixie looked to Aesop and winked, "I'm gonna get yer *****-ass laid tonight."

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

"Take. Your. Time."

"Thank youuuuu." Elizabeth cooed. Before she could drink her wine, however, the food has finally arrived.

The feast laid out before them was far more than either of them could be expected to finish. Despite that, Elizabeth went to work scarfing down the ham without delay, "This is soooo gooood! Have you ever eaten like this before, Major?"

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

"Do you... Do you wish you had gone? Ignored your dad's orders and tried anyway? Even if it meant hurting more people in the long run?"

Bennie remained silent for a long while before finally replying, "It doesn't matter what I feel now. What's done is done. My sister's dead and there ain't a damn thing I can do about it." He sighed. "If you don't mind me changing the subject... I have a favor to ask you."

 

[ProtoChimp]

"A full year!? Seriously!?"

'Oh God why Pixie WHY?!' Aesop cringed inwardly.

"He's practically a virgin!"

He was about to protest, but unlike Pixie, Aesop wasn't proud of his voracious sexploitations, with stories that either he can't remember or wished he could apply brain bleach to forget. Perhaps more weed would instead.

"I'm gonna get yer *****-ass laid tonight."

"Wai' wha'?" He answered after yet another long pull.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"This is soooo gooood! Have you ever eaten like this before, Major?"

The Major pondered as he looked down at his meal. "I'm not sure I've ever eaten foam before." He never really 'got' noble cuisine. "Is...is it some kind of sauce? I don't..." He moved his hands clumsily around the various pieces of cutlery.

'Come on Asad, you can do this, remember your training.' As a picture of the restaurant exploding in a fireball of shrapnel and foam filled his mind, the Major glanced up at Elizabeth, chuckling slightly. "Don't they have people at the door to stop the likes of me getting in?" He picked up a random knife and fork and began to sample his meal, his eyes widening as his taste buds exploded.

"I... I think foam is my new favourite food." The look on the man's face was the one of a man who had been forced to question all he thought he knew.



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

"If you don't mind me changing the subject... I have a favor to ask you."

Convinced she wasn't going to get more out of Bennie on the subject, the woman averted her eyes as she blew smoke out the corner of her mouth. "Sure, whatcha need?"

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Wolf's Creek City Center Market. It had certainly grown like all the other things that Viola had seen as she walked along her old stomping grounds, everything had become more developed over the years, whilst still retaining many of the large public green spaces for people to sit and relax at that she had come to love.

Wondering about the marketplace, Viola had seemingly gotten lost, much like her first time to the market years ago. She went with both her parents at the time, her mom Evelyn was there to do some grocery shopping, as for her father Damian; it was one of the few days off that he had as Sheriff, and saw it as a prime opportunity to spend it with family. Viola herself was around six or seven.

She had gotten distracted by a wondering scarf salesman, who was showing off an array of colourful items, enough so that Viola accidentally took a wrong turn. It was a few stalls and a purchased dark red scarf later that Viola didn't realise where she was, or where her parents were for that matter. An hour had passed before she found her dad, suffice to say that she got a stern telling off from both her parents when they reunited.

And now, many years later, Viola had gotten lost again; although this time, given that she was a lot taller now, she actually had an easier time getting round. Eventually though, she found the one stall that she wanted to visit; Mr. Malone's Sweet Emporium. Well, okay the stall wasn't big enough that it would even begin to be that kind of size, but the man had a flare for the dramatic. This was the place where Viola would go to buy the sour candies.

"Seen anything you fancy missy?" Asked the elderly Malone as Viola browsed the various types of candy on sale.

"You haven't got any of those sour candies from Trinsic have you? It's just I can't seem to find them, they were my favorite back when I was a kid you see."

"Huh. Thought I put a fresh jar out the other day. Let have a look behind the counter, may have gotten them mixed up with the mint humbugs, both have the same colour you see, emerald green; though the sour candies do have little sparkly bit in them." Said Malone as he looked through the various jars that were behind him. After a couple minutes searching, he finally found them.

"Here you go miss, now, how many would you be wanting?"

"As many as this can cover." Viola retorted as she pulled out a small, but modestly sized palmful of carbon. Malone was busy counting the pieces, stroking his straggly beard all the same, as he weighed them up on the scales compared to the candy. Letting the scales settle, it came to roughly twenty five pieces.

"Here you go. Hope you have a pleasant day." He finished with a smile.

"Will do." Replied Viola as she popped one in her mouth, with the rest of the bag going into her coat. The moment she turned back to go browsing once more, a man who looked as though was in a hurry came rushing past, almost bumping into Viola, clutching what looked like a lady's handbag. Seconds after that, a rather smartly dressed lady came to a screeching halt, panting heavily, pointing into the direction of the man.

"Someone stop him! He stole my purse!" As some townsfolk cleared the way, others were running in a brief blind panic.

*sigh* Here I thought I was going to get a week off from this kind of stuff.

"Lady, you call the Sheriff's office, I'll go after him, no offence, but you don't look to be in perfect shape for a chase." Said Viola before she gave chase to the robber.

"Thank you." Replied the noble lady with slightly less heavy breath now.

 

[Fappy]

"Wai' wha'?"

Pixie sighed, "Ah forget it. Yer fuckin' useless." She rose just high enough to snatch the whiskey from Cam's hands before dropping back down. She finished off the bottle.

Now she was starting to feel it.

"I'm going to go mix myself something." Cam said as she got to her feet and disappeared into the main room.

"Get me somethin' good too!" Pixie called out to her. She giggled before propping herself up on her elbow. "Hey, Aesop!" She whispered. "Ya' wanna get some pussy tonight or not? I can' make it happen! You jus' gotta stop bein' a *****!"

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

"I... I think foam is my new favourite food."

Elizabeth washed down a mouthful of meat with some more wine before shooting him a sly grin, "You know, I'd make sure you eat like this every day if you bust me out of this city!" She laughed. "Dio or foam!? Choose!"

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

"Sure, whatcha need?"

"I need another pair of eyes," Bennie began. "I need someone I can trust. Amy's not... happy. She threatened me earlier, said she might manipulate the crew. If you see anything, will you tell me? I would just throw her off the ship now, but Pixie saw something in the girl. She... cared for her." He sighed. "I can't just boot her out the door, can I?"

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"You know, I'd make sure you eat like this every day if you bust me out of this city! Dio or foam!? Choose!"

Shooting the girl a disapproving look, Asad shook his head slightly. "You have to stop saying things like that." He took a bite of what of what he thought was asparagus. "If you can't learn to control your tongue in public, then we won't be doing this again." He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. "If you can't pretend to like the man, then at least act indifferent."

Asad sat back, his brow furrowed. "This isn't a game, Elizabeth, you know that, the last thing you want to do is sway the man against you." He looked at the young woman. "Don't give him a reason to be anything more than apathetic."


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

"I can't just boot her out the door, can I?"

"Ugh, so that's what that was." Lilith shook her head as she leaned back against the wall. "I don't wanna worry ya big guy, but I think she's already started. Wouldn't keep her hands off one the new recruits, that Jesse kid." A bit more handsy with Sprout as well, now that she thought about it.

"She wouldn't though, would she?" She smiled nervously as she looked at Bennie, puffing smoke from her nostrils. The man's expression didn't change. "Christ, she totally is isn't she." Lilith closed her eyes, a weary chuckle escaping her lips. Placing her hand on Bennie's shoulder, Lilith nodded her head. "A'reet, I'll keep an eye out, it's not like she'd come onto me or anything."

At least, she hoped not. The woman grimaced at the thought.

 

[ProtoChimp]

"Ya' wanna get some pussy tonight or not? I can' make it happen! You jus' gotta stop bein' a *****!"

"I er um," Aesop stumbled over his words, partly because he was terrible at any kind of social interaction other than goofing off, partly because of his embarrassment, and of the fact that he was starting to wonder if Ruffles had given him crack because whatever he was smoking was way, way stronger than anything he'd had before.

"Aye Aye Cap'n." He replied, staring at the door.

 

[Fappy]

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at the soldier as he berated her.

Blah, blah, blah...

"Don't give him a reason to be anything more than apathetic."

Elizabeth finished her umpteenth glass of wine and scoffed, "Loooooord, you know how to nag! Is that something you got from your mother or is-at something this woman of yours does?" She placed her wine glass on the table lazily and dropped her fork on the ground. Her eyelids were suddenly beginning to feel heavy. Resting her head against the back of the chair, she started getting cozy. "Thissss chair is not very comfortable. B-but you know, neither i-is that bed Dio has me sleeping in! I bet it'd be better if a certain someone was in it when I got back." She giggled and blushed. "Oh my, listen to m-me!" Her eyes were slowly closing. "S-so hansom... hmmmmm.... y-you're kinda hansom too... I guess... hmmmmm......"

She was falling asleep at the dinner table, right before Asad's eyes.

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

"A'reet, I'll keep an eye out, it's not like she'd come onto me or anything."

Bennie nodded, "Yeah, thanks Lily. You're one of the few I can fully trust right now." He offered her a legitimate grin and shook her shoulder. "We'll keep an open channel with Frostfall for as long as it takes. I don't know Florian, but if he's important to you I'll do whatever I can for him."

The two veteran Maidens looked at one another for a long while before Bennie spoke once more, "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to take the helm again. You know... after what happened last time. But you know, I think I know where I went wrong. And maybe... it's where Pixie went wrong as well." He looked away, nodding to himself. "I should put more faith in you all. You, Sprout, Brock, Jake... any of the newbloods that prove themselves. I can't take this all on my shoulders alone. I can't treat this like I have all of your lives in my hands. I have to share that responsibility with the crew. In the end, we chose this life for ourselves. We're in charge of our own destinies. That's what the Iron Maiden's always been about, after all. I think we have forgotten that somewhere along the way."

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

Pixie rolled her eye as she sat up and watched him struggle to comprehend her command.

"Aye Aye Cap'n."

"Alright, jus' act cool, okay? An' not, 'oh, look how cool I am'. I mean, act cool." She glared at him suspiciously. "You know how to do that, right? Whatever, jus' let her get shit-faced an' she'll do all the work, trust me!"

"TEQUILA!" Cam suddenly shouted as she danced into the room with mixed drinks.

"TEQUILA!" Pixie repeated as she lifted her legs up for Cam to take her seat once more. "Let's get fuckin' dangerous, *****!"

Cam laughed out loud and went to work getting trashed, "Way ahead of you, Captain!" As she did so, Pixie winked at Aesop and shot him a thumbs-up.

 

[The Funslinger]

"I don't wanna worry ya big guy, but I think she's already started. Wouldn't keep her hands off one the new recruits, that Jesse kid."

This, Whiskey heard as she came around the corner. With Maria and Lilith's departures, she had decided the party was going to wind down. By the time she caught up to Lilith, she and Bennie had moved on to some more personal reassurance that Whiskey didn't feel she was familiar enough to take part in. She decided to backtrack a few seconds.

"I know, right?" she said. "flirting with two horny-ass boys in front of each other, like a fifteen year old girl thinking she's being coy, and then letting the pansy one get in nice and close. How much has she even had to drink, huh?"