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Post by Riina de Bastille on Dec 5, 2019 16:45:12 GMT
WORD COUNT: 1019
TAGGED:
TAGGED: Fluffy
Stealing at the stands was practically an impossibility, Riina concluded, as she watched over the marketplace at the promenade of the Wharf. Being that Riina was entirely new to this area, it significantly limited her abilities to do what she wanted to do. Escaping once enforcers got onto ones tail, finding safe havens where they'd not be looking for a long while, even knowing the quirks, interests and demeanors of the stands that she would be stealing from. None of these tidbits of information were at her disposal, meaning that the successrate of distracting and looting someones coin was rather low. On top of that, should she be caught in the middle of doing these shenanigans, the risk of getting caught was exceedingly high. Lastly, Riina also had no allies to lean upon should outcomes come to worst. Therefore, the girl had chosen the safest option that she could think of. Honest work. Arriving at the docks earlier in the day, she had been inquiring a little back and forth to get herself sorted into some simple manual labor. It had taken quite a bit of searching to get something sorted, but eventually an older fisherman with a crooked back, causing him significant distress, had offered her a short term job. Unfortunately, after their last fishing trip, they had a crew member turn up sick. Given that they had just gotten back, they also had heavy boxes to move. The old man had tossed her a little bit of coin to assist him, and so, Riina was hauling the cargo to the specified place in the promenade. It had been several trips and she was finally starting to get a bit of an understanding of the promenade's layout. Naturally, at this point, the thought of stealing just a singular fish from one of the crates had crossed her mind a few times. For now, however, the girl had decided to keep things simple. Just do the job, maybe earn some respect and go from there. Though, for Riina, of course things could not just be simple.
While hauling the third box of fish - which was heavy enough that Riina was panting and stumbling as she started reaching the end of the delivery, her arms feeling like noodles - an unmistakable sound reached the feline ears. Atop of her head, the cat ears turned in the direction of the oncoming sound, pointing directly at a staircase leading to a higher elevation. Due to the crate of fish in her arms, she somewhat struggled to turn her head to understand what was going on. The sound however, she could identify. Someone was running, hurriedly, with quick and agile steps. It rounded the staircase in hurried steps, then a brief splits second moment of silence, before the weight of the crate became too much for Riina to handle. Falling over with a loud, surprised yelp, Riina had inadvertedly been the unwilling roadblock for a small afflicted boy. Running from something, he had set off from the bottom of the staircase, leaping directly into Riina. The girl, having fallen over, had somehow managed to keep the crate of fish from spilling out all over the marketplace floor. A few individuals turned their heads to look. Some laughed under hushed breath...
The sound which followed, Riina knew quite well as well. The clunking of heavy leather boots. Hurried steps as well, yet more relaxed, as if catching up wasn't as important as getting away had been for the youngster. Still on the ground, Riina was making all sorts of groaning noises, trying to comprehend what was going on. Except, even before the commotion started, she had a fairly good idea. The weight lifted slightly from her. "Caught you this time. Filth." A brunt, male voice resounded from deep within a chest. Riina, still somewhat under the box, was hidden from view from this enforcer quite well. Perhaps that is why he decided to thank the kitten for her contribution in the matter of this capture. "Good work, citizen. Commendable effort in stopping the rascal." All the while trying to explain himself, Riina could also hear the unmistakable notion of struggling and fighting from a kid that absolutely did not want to be grabbed in this notion. "Come by the enforcers office to report any damage done to your goods. For now, I'm bringing the kid in."
With that, almost as quickly as the situation had broken out, it had come to an end. The heavy boots clunked against the stone tiles as he walked away, continuously calling the kid filth and trash while restraining him. Riina, exceedingly shocked and a little lost since everything had taken place in less than fourty seconds, managed to get the crate off of herself. Panting a couple of times, there were a few whispers around the stalls at the marketplace. Almost as if the civilians were worried. Not for the enforcer, but for what he would do to the kid. Scratching the back of her head, this truly wasn't Riina's issue to deal with in any capacity. Getting involved in such nonsense would only delay her from coming home on time. Getting involved would likely also mean choosing the wrong side of the law, which certainly wasn't going to help any either. So Riina simply accepted being knocked to the ground, brushed herself off, staggered around a bit, before returning to her work. Placing the third crate with the others and slowly making her way back to the waterside...
...Thats when she heard an odd sound. Not to say that the audio track of the Wharf was anything like Fumehat, not at all. This, however, sounded like a desperate whimpering. Like the kind of sound you'd hear from a dog that had accepted it's fate. Like something being stretched far too thin, yet the pull didn't cease. Intellect told Riina to leave it alone. Instinct told her to inspect a little closer. Unfortunately for Riina, she was more instinctual than intellectual at certain points in time...
The Wharf was a different kind of place from somewhere like Vantalux. It was a simpler place with simpler folk. One would assume that their crime rate was lower and that the police presence would be more lax. For the most part, that would be a correct assumption...except for one particular Enforcer. Godfrey had been transferred to The Wharf a month ago after an altercation involving police brutality. Of course the complaint was filed by an Afflicted, so the station took it with a grain of salt. But it was a stain that would not be tolerated on their pristine city, so the burly blonde haired man was shipped out on the first train to The Wharf.
Upon arriving, he had built up quite the reputation for himself among the vendors and fishers as a hard ass...but most notably as someone who would lose control at the drop of a hat. He hassled vendors for free food, harassed children when they were at play, and worst of all he was known for his brutality. No one dared to cross this man's path out of fear for their safety, whispering in hushed tones when he was near. His eyes were wide and bulging at all times, a sickly green hue in comparison to his pale yellow skin. Godfrey was always on the lookout for misdeeds, not caring how small of a crime that it could be.
So when he saw a small Afflicted bunny boy with a fish in his grasp running from a vendor at top speed, Godfrey licked his lips hungrily.
"Oh my dear little child...it is time for the hunt to begin. Give me a good run..."
On that particular day, he had gotten into a fight with one of the other Enforcers. She called him out for his behavior, practically insulting his methodology! The rest of her posse agreed with her and they all seemed to gang up on the newbie! It pissed him off and he really needed to let off some steam...and hopefully this little freak would provide. The boy wasn't too quick, not compared to Godfrey, and he was also extremely clumsy. The chase was over before it started as he crashed into some poor girl carrying a crate. What an idiot! He couldn't even give a proper chase! What a pathetic piece of shit.
He thanked the girl for her part with a fake, toothy grin that revealed a set of canines that might have suited a wolf as he departed the scene. Godfrey didn't cuff the boy or even properly escort him. No, he clutched his grip tightly around his bunny ear and crushed them as he dragged the filth along his back away from the market. He wasn't done with the child...not by a long shot. But he was starting to build a reputation, so Godfrey needed to find somewhere dark and secluded. Somewhere that no one would think to look where the man could get as messy as he wanted to.
As the boy screamed, the Enforcer stopped long enough to raise his boot up high and bring it down with enough force to crush the bunny's rib. There was a sickly cracking sound that elicited a pained gasp. Godfrey cackled at that, wondering if one of the ribs had punctured the boy's lung. Hopefully not, since he wanted him alive long enough for it to hurt more. With the screaming reduced to wheezing gasps, Godfrey was able to find a side alley near the waterside. It was dark enough that no one could see down it and out of the way so that no one would even bother coming down this way. It was perfect.
Godfrey picked the boy up by his face and shoved him into the wall, slamming the back of his head against the concrete. "You little shithead! Making me look bad out there! I have a job to do and your screaming made me look like the bad guy! What should I do to make you never steal again? Hm? Nothing? Guess I'll have to get creative then."
The Enforcer pressed his boot heavily on the boy's chest and grabbed a firm hold on one of his floppy ears. The foot pressed down and the giant fist yanked in unison. His grin stretched maniacally into a sadistic one as he growled from deep in his chest. Sinew popped and flesh tore as the boy tried to scream out in agony, but Godfrey shoved his hand over his mouth to squelch any resistance. The ear tore and blood squirted from the wound, leaking all over the boy's head. In a last ditch effort for survival, he bit the Enforcer's hand just as the ear was violently torn off!
Godfrey released the child and both screamed out in pain. The boy slid to the ground in misery, blood following him in a stain along the wall. Godfrey roared in fury while holding the bloody ear and started kicking the bunny sporadically. The face, the chest, and crushing his feet with his boot in reckless fury.
"Freak! How dare you bite me! I'm gonna kill you, you hear me!? KILL YOU!"
Post by Riina de Bastille on Dec 6, 2019 3:56:03 GMT
WORD COUNT: 1008
TAGGED:
TAGGED: Fluffy
Approaching the noise quietly, on tippy toes, soon the horrible noises of bones cracking reached her ears. The scream that should've lift the kids lips was nothing more than raspy squeaking, the weight from the enforcer's boots on his back making screaming impossible, as hardly any air left his lungs. The kid's face was already red, on the verge of turning purple from the pressure. From there, it'd only be a brief few moments before the bunny afflicted would start turning blue. Then, something snapped. First, Riina was certain that it was the boy's ear snapping, the enforcer tossing it away like some trash. Yet, the actual snap was something which happened deep inside of herself. A restraint that was shattered, broken. A respect for human life as above animals that had been stolen away by the actions she was witnessing. Something Riina had been raised with inside a castle's walls, no longer applying when it came to surviving out here. Taking a few steps backwards, staggering as if in physical pain, she could feel her own heart hammering away, a hand risen to hold over her own ribcage as if she was afraid of her heart's pounding shattering through her own body at any moment. A desperate attempt to keep the emotion locked inside. It ended in failure; As the enforcer began spouting more of his anti afflicted bullshit, being bitten by the kid who was taking any chance at survival, Riina could almost see herself there on the ground underneath those boots. The enforcer was shrieking in pain, freaking out, exclaiming how he was going to kill the kid, stomping away on him, intending to stomp him to death, Riina heard a second snap...
The girl's amber eyes gained a golden glow as she began running straight forwards. The girl's canines seemed sharpened, her nails seeming more like claws. Like a cat hunting down prey, her tail was kept horizontally and low, slightly adjusting from side to side to keep her balance intact as she stayed low. The girl's movements almost turned her whole body into a tiger's bite. Leaping up, the girl was putting her full body weight into this pounce as well. Hands shot underneath the enforcer's head, functioning as the tiger's lower jaw, grasping the opposite side of his head and clamping down on his throat. Out of the corner of his eyes, he may have briefly, before the assault crashed into him, been able to see the killing intent in those amber eyes. Clasping around him to keep him in place for the upper jaw to deliver the finishing blow. The upper jaw was comprised of Riina's knee coming crashing down at full speed. Pulling with her hands, she sent his jaw straight at herself, while sending her knee straight down. Impacting straight where the jawline meets the skull. The sound wasn't much unlike what Riina had heard a few moments ago as the kid's ribs had broken. However, this is not where it stopped. Having clasped onto him, as he began falling sideways, Riina released her arms from the side of his head. Knee still in place, his head smashed into the stone below, with her full weight still in place, causing yet another crack. The impact alone was enough to knock the wind from his lungs, causing several spittles of blood and teeth to come chipping out from between his lips.
The girl threw the bunny a singular look. A look that told him to get up and get out of there. Without looking to see if the bunny kid actually reacted, Riina's arm cocked back, before torpedoing down into the enforcers face. There was no aiming for weak points. There was no method to the madness. It was simply punch after punch after punch raining down onto his stupid, disgusting smug face. At first, each punch hit directly into soft, mush skin. Soon, however, it felt more to Riina like punching directly into a mushy red mixture. As if someone had replaced the sand inside a punching bag with berries that squished underneath every punch. Keeping this assault up, Riina did not relent for even a moment. Not until she had completely exhausted herself, her arms shaking from lactic acid. Shaking from the weight of what she had just done. Sitting on the enforcer, all Riina could really make out below was a pool of blood. Whether he was alive or not was anyone's guess... Almost as if to say that she didn't regret it, even if her arms were hurting from unleashing everything she had, the girl gave the enforcer a singular slap to the side of his head. Before getting up from her prey and turning around to leave, Riina reached out to pick up the bunny ear inbetween her fingers. Perhaps if she was lucky, she could do something before reattaching it became impossible. Then, Riina turned. Perhaps turning to face the music that she had likely deafened out in her rage. Even if someone had been screaming right behind her, the world had been grey and silent. All focussed on the piece of shit on the ground behind her. Just how many had come to see what the commotion was about?... How many moments had it been since the bunny boy ran off, blood splurting onto his face from the broken off ear?...
Blood was dripping from her knuckles together with pieces of skin and flesh. Eyes were wild, untamed, and she was breathing heavily and deeply. Riina must've looked absolutely terrifying in these moments. Yet there was a tranquil calm about her in this moment. Head lowered slightly, she was prepared to face the consequences of her actions. Even if the consequences likely weren't going to be pretty. At least, no matter what happened, Riina knew that she'd go away with her head held high. Knowing that the mess on the ground behind her was the closest to justice she had been in years...
Hold no soul above the law. Suffer not the abuser. Forgive not the traitor. Show no mercy, give no quarter, and protect the people with every ounce of strength in my body. I am a vessel of the law, a weapon of justice, only when I am beaten, bloodied, and broken may we at last rest.
Oath of the Inquisiton
The rain had been falling in sheets a few days prior to the incident at the Wharf. Catherine had settled into her desk, gratefully taking a cup of tea from one of her juniors. Her office was small, spartan with only a few items of decoration to even hint at the fact that it housed Enforcers. Frankly, most people would think that the place was more just the den of a private investigator or some tough on their luck clerk without a patron to fall back on. Yet her case, in most people's opinions, was far worse. After all, who wanted to be the person who's job it was to enforce the enforcers? Yet here she was, tea in one hand and a neat stack of papers in the other. She sipped, camomile, a good choice.
"Sansa? What am I looking at here?" Catherine called, setting down the mug and flipping through the paper. The notes were disjointed and written in a court clerks shorthand-difficult to decipher.
Sansa, one of the juniors at the office who was still in training to join the inquisition looked up from her own work. She had been busily filing reports that Catherine had made the previous day and had to tear herself away from the mentally draining process of sorting documents. She squinted, adjusting her glasses while Catherine held up the document for her to look at from afar. She mouthed the first few lines to herself before nodding. "That's a request for a follow-up interview, Inquisitor," The young woman said, looking back at her papers.
"Parties involved?" Catherine really didn't want to have to sit there and translate the damn thing.
"Just one, an Enforcer Godfrey out of Vantalux. He'd been accused of abusing an Afflicted some time back, but the documentation had been quashed apparently by the station he worked at. According to the official paperwork, it had been rediscovered during an audit and submitted to your office," Sansa said, her fox-ears twitching this way and that.
Catherine rubbed her chin; "Where is Godfrey now?"
"Transferred to the Wharf, ma'am," She said, frowning; "I wonder who was really being punished there,"
Catherine got to her feet and folded the documents neatly, stuffing them into a leather envelope before grabbing her badge of office and making for the lockers in the rear of the room. "Best not to think about it Sansa. Let Senior Officer DuCasta know that I won't be attending this week's seminar," Catherine said, unbuttoning her dress tunic and reaching for the gambeson that hung at the center of her locker.
Sansa groaned; "You're going now?"
Catherine gave her a sharp look; "He's been there too long already, unchecked," Her eyes fell to her hands; "What could he have done in the meantime? I need to look into it. I'll make it up to you when I get back,"
Sansa kept quiet after that while Catherine changed in the threadbare room, putting on her armor and slipping Ignis into it's scabbard. She only stopped to say a brief prayer before heading out the door and wishing her junior farewell. She had no idea how bad it was going to be, how could she have? She had faith in most enforcers to do their duty well, it was the hunters like that damn Yazmyn that always gave her trouble. Vagrants were the worst offenders since they felt a certain level of immunity because of their lack of formal base of operations and oversight. But a corrupt enforcer? That meant influence, friendships cultivated to use to protect oneself when under scrutiny, which meant a higher risk factor for violence. That meant a potential body count.
Catherine's metal-clad heels clacked against the cobblestones between her and the train station.
She had to hurry.
It was several days later and Catherine had yet to catch up with Enforcer Godfrey. The man had made himself very difficult to track down as soon as she had arrived in the city a day or so before. His patrols were conveniently scheduled and his movements were erratic and punctuated with gaps in exactly where he was located. To make matters worse, the station had been less than helpful with finding him. Apparently they didn't take to kindly to the inquisition just showing up like that. Catherine couldn't care less about their opinion of her. The government had given her a job and she intended to carry it out whether or not the enforcers of the Wharf liked it or not. Their buddy was going to show himself-eventually.
Her investigation into his behaviors lead her into the mercantile areas of the Wharf. She listened to rumors and spoke with the shop keepers. Some were totally unrelated to the man, others were obvious hyperbole. References to some new noble house in the area trying to make things better for the afflicted and some anti-afflicted groups gaining traction along the docks. Some of the vendors spoke of Godfrey as if he had a demon in him that he let out on occasion. Others said he would go out of his way to brutalize anyone who crossed him wrong. He was described as the green-eyed devil of the Wharf. These stories, though, were very rare. Most people refused to even acknowledge that the man existed. They were afraid.
That was all Catherine needed. She would go over every detail with the man, carefully, thoroughly, and without a shred of reservation about his health and security. She had license to interrogate and unlike other members of the inquisition, she had no qualms about exercising that license. Unfortunately, all this required finding the monster that was terrorizing the Wharf and bring him in. Catherine called in anyone who would listen to her, asking to be alerted the moment he was seen. She patrolled the streets on her own, a gleaming knight in armor marching among fishermen and civilians. She cut quite a message to the Wharf. The Government was paying attention.
It was just as she was growing more and more frustrated that a group of enforcers confronted Catherine at the corner of one of the shopping strips. Finally, she got proper testimony. A female enforcer told her everything that they'd seen and had even confronted him on it just a few hours before. He had slipped away from them but they knew about where he'd be. She just needed to track him down there. Grateful, Catherine made her way down to the vendor's row and the clusters of buildings and alleys there.
That was when she heard the crying, and the screaming. That was when her heart leaped into her throat. That didn't sound like a grown man.
Her hand on her weapon she charged toward the line of shops, warehouses, and docks. Her eyes taking everything in as fast as her brain could process it. She saw a small figure dart out of a growing crowd; red... asymmetrical... Catherine froze and slid to a halt, kneeling and catching the fleeing boy. His ear. Oh by the Gods his ear! He struggled and screamed pitifuflly, his face discolored and his body covered in blood and bruises. She squeezed him tight, looking this way and that for anyone who would be willing to help. Most of the folk that stood by were unafflicted and looked away from the disfigured bunny boy. Catherine's face grew dark and she let out a sigh, taking a deep breath and letting a flow of electricity out of her fingertips.
The boy siezed once, and fell limp in her arms. She scooped him up and rested his bleeding head against her chest before bringing his face up to her ear. Breathing. Good. She held him close and walked to the only shopkeeper that appeared to show any interest and put him in her arms. "Watch him, please. If you know anyone that can provide him medical attention, bring them here. I'll be back for him," She said. The woman nodded hurriedly, cradling the disfigured child. Catherine drew Ignis and approached the crowd. "OUT OF MY WAY! GOVERNMENT ENFORCER REPORTING! BY CENTRAL LAW IF YOU INTERFERE WITH THIS ENFORCER YOU TOO WILL BE SUBJECT TO ARREST. MOVE!" She bellowed.
Her eyes were glowing, lightning was crackling from her body, no one dared get even close to her. She marched through the parting crowd and into the alley.
There was so much blood.
Catherine's jaw tightened when she saw the woman standing over the bloodied, nearly unrecognizable body of Godfrey. She looked at the torn ear in the woman's hand and her hard eyes softened a little. She took a breath and sheathed her weapon.
"Did he deserve it?' She asked, walking towards her. "He'll be okay. I found him running out. He'll get medical attention..." She tried to assure the woman, inching a little closer. She could make out more features now. The woman had a vel affliction that altered her body, she appeared cat-like, almost feral. Even then, the savagry that she saw on display said that the woman may not be in right enough of a mindset to properly surrender. Catherine took a deep breath and held out a hand to the woman's face. "It's over. It's over. I can see that you acted for the boy. But... You know I have to bring you in, right?"
Catherine took a deep breath. Please, please just consent. She didn't want to have to draw her sword again. But if it came to it; she would do so without hesitation, she would show no mercy, she would give no quarter. She made an oath after all.
Post by Riina de Bastille on Dec 6, 2019 12:19:56 GMT
WORD COUNT: 1039
TAGGED:
TAGGED: Fluffy
Expanding and lowering, the girl's chest was a clear indication that she was in shock. Fingers shaking uncontrollably, the buildup and exertion she had gone through was clearly visible as well. Riina was visibly sweating as the enforcer came close, and would've likely flown directly at her face if she had had any energy left to fight with. Now exhaustion was the only thing calming her down, forcibly. If the young female had had any more energy left, it would've probably gone into remodelling that piece of shit's face some more. With the way those watching had parted, the amber eyed feline could only assume that there had been some kind of order for people to stand down. This was the logical thought of reason that slowly snapped her out of her feral like state. Blinking once or twice, even now, noises only arrived to her as drawn out syllables and consonants, hardly understandable. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Riina was attempting to understand what was being asked of her, all the while accidentally smearing blood in her own face. "...Yeah, he deserved it. I don't regret it. Self.. defence?" The girl muttered, still doing her best to collect herself. With the bunny ear, still held lightly in her hand, as if she was cradling a young kitten, Riina was struggling putting words and sentences together. Waving at her own ear, as if to convey expression, the girl managed to stutter something along the lines of.. "Can sew... may fix... medical attention..? Then you can take me in." With that, hopefully the request was clear enough. Riina was, despite what her current visuals may have said, fairly competent at taking care of wounds. On top of that, she had some sewing skills. So while it likely wouldn't save the ear entirely, as long as it was good enough to keep the ear alive and stop the bleeding, hopefully someone more competent could take care of the rest.
At this point, it must've also become apparent to Catherine and the gathering exactly how poor Riina was. The clothes that adorned her body, aside from being smeared in blood not belonging to her, was best describable as rags. Half of it seemed to be an old dress that she had once grown out of. A dress which had belonged to a young girl once upon a time, many years ago. The dress was torn so many times that it consisted more of makeshift patches than actual dress, hiding that it had once been a noble girl's dress. It had been cut open somewhere on the backside, to allow Riina to sew it together with a larger dress, creating something that she could actually wear. Struggling with money, she had constantly reused the few things she had, repeatedly, even if it meant walking in a children's dress as a young adult. Or well, parts of it at least. The two dresses had even been cut in zigzag to let Riina have more surface area to sew together, so that it wouldn't come undone as easily, preventing damaging the cloth that she had further. Along this sewing lining were several patches as well, likely sewn on with the same purpose. To keep this rags of a dress from falling apart. Riina was also incredibly thin and small. It would be hard to deduce her age from simple features, simply because she could be anywhere between fourteen and twenty five. Filthy, unkempt, covered in blood. Lastly, on her feet she wore what was essentially a piece of tree-bark. A few holes had been cut into the bark to allow her to tie them around her feet with string for a very makeshift pair of sandals. Just good enough to keep her from stepping into sharp objects and getting cut. The girl was a survivalist, doing everything it takes to survive. It was spelled all over her expression. Riina had entered this battle because it was a question of survival. A battle that, instinctively, only one person was to get out of alive.
"...Did I kill him?" Riina then asked, clearly unhinged, voice trembling. There was a longing sense of hope in her words, as if she had wanted him to actually perish from her assault. Without waiting for a proper answer, Riina began stepping forwards. Struggling to keep standing, the exhaustion and starvation was starting to hit her badly. "...Show boy, please. I help." It may have also been obvious, that the only reason Riina managed to keep standing currently, was because she had purpose. The pain, the fear, the adrenaline, the hatred, the anger, the injustice. All of these things allowed her to keep on her legs, rather than fall over like a limp noodle. Riina still had an ear to re-attach. Riina still had a boy that she had put her neck out for, suffering. It was written all over those amber eyes. That the judgement would come for her for what she had done. That attacking an enforcer openly like this, likely wasn't going to let her get off free. So, at the very least, she wanted to make things right before she'd be the enforcer's plaything for the next couple of months, provided Godfrey survived. In the case that he had actually died, the chances of getting off on self-defence seemed rather slim. Society didn't usually have a thing for her kind. Unfortunately.
Riina's feralness was dying down, as the golden hue disappeared from her amber eyes. The shaking of her hands slowly stopped, as her body began relaxing again. Riina was not going to run from this situation. Too starved, too hungry, too exhausted. They'd catch her in a heartbeat and it would only make things worse for herself. Not to mention, even if she ran, she'd have nowhere to go. The only thing she could hope for, was that the plea of defending herself from a cruel enforcer was enough to get her a more lenient punishment. Taking a few more steps, she hoped someone would show her the way to the kid. The bunny ear still carefully cradled in her grasp.
Everything happened so fast for the kid that his mind could hardly comprehend what was happening in the darkness of the alley. He exhaled sharply, feeling the pain of something digging into his side to cut off his circulation. Blood leaked down to drip into his left eye and forced him to shut in painfully, which made it difficult to see the shadowy figure that flew in like an avenging angel to save him from certain death. He shakily looked up to see her gaze at him...and he knew that she was there to save him. He ran from the fight as best he could on one hobbled leg to the light of the Wharf's open street which blinded him painfully as he tumbled out of control through the crowd.
Someone had scooped him up with care and...it was all he needed. The embrace felt safe and warm...it was enough for his fragile mind to give in and finally breath a sigh of relief. Safety at last...The crowd glanced at the Enforcer in shock, whispering in hushed tones of fear and terror. This level of brutality was not common place and the amount of blood that poured from the youth made even the most hardened fisher turn their heads in disgust or anguish. No one stepped forward to care for the child as Catherine left him to rush into the alley way...they simply stared in disbelief, unsure of what to do with him.
"Where are the Enforcers?" One whispered. "Who could do such a thing?" Said another. "It's an Afflicted, but still..."
Within minutes, the other Enforcers were on the scene with one of the onlookers in tow. The head Enforcer on duty, Elena, braked in front of the bleeding child and her mouth hung agape. Emerald eyes blinked in wide eyed terror...who would do such a thing? Just as she was about to step forward to check for a pulse, a figure emerged from the alleyway near the waterside.
It was a young Afflicted, blood dripping carelessly in droplets on her path from battered knuckles. She was ragged and unkempt with a seemingly dead look upon her face that made Elena seize up with grief. Few words were spoken as everyone looked on at the spectacle of the small girl, clutching a bleeding bunny ear in one tight hand, approaching the dying victim of brutality.
No one interfered. No one spoke. The once thin crowd on the bare street was now packed with onlookers who all had their eyes on Riina. Vendors ceased hocking their wares, traders set their goods down to watch, and most importantly...many of the vagrant Afflicted watched the kindness of one of their own as Riina sewed the ear back onto the child with the utmost care.
Elena ordered her men to secure the scene while she approached the entrance to the alleyway where she met up with Catherine. She gave a straight salute to her fellow officer and then looked on to see the bloodied mess that was Godfrey. Elena cursed under her breath, somehow already knowing that he was involved in this.
"What a pig...I somehow knew he was responsible for this. This is going to be so much damned paperwork to deal with."
She snapped her fingers and one of the Enforcers approached next to her. "Kowalski, get his feet. We'll drag him back...he doesn't deserve any better. Trying to beat a pair of innocent Afflicted...I saw this coming and yet..."
Elena turned her head away, groaning in anger at her own ineptitude. She looked back out at the crowd and then to Catherine with tears welling up in her eyes. "That girl looks like she's ready to pass out. Officer, could you escort her back to the station along with the other child? We have medical staff on hand that can assist...I appreciate it."
The two each took one foot of the large, hefty man and began to drag him out. In the open light it was revealed to the crowd how severely he had taken a beating. To any who had seen Godfrey's face, they would not recognize him at all. Several teeth were missing from his sickly blackened face, his lips were cut up with small shards of the teeth embedded sharply into the bluish flesh. His eye was caved in on one side and bulging awkwardly on the other while the rest of his face had several lacerations that bleed profusely all over to make him look like raw, meaty flesh rather than a person. The only tell tale sign that he still lived was the sharp and sickly gasping noises that seemed more like desperate and gasping chokes for air than normal breathing.
Though no one would care if his breathing would cease at that very moment. Nearly everyone seemed to be present to look on at the tyrannical Enforcer being dragged away by his superior in disgrace, right past the beaten bunny boy and the girl who had taken the time to help him. Everyone saw. Everyone knew.
As he lay there with tears pouring down his eyes, fighting to catch his breath in sharp gasps, the bunny blinked in sorrow and confusion up at Riina. His mind still not fully registering the situation...hadn't his ear been torn off? What was she-?
"D-Don't try...fix me..." He cried softly. "Am not broken...am not...I...cold."
Suddenly, his hand shook as he reached up to touch Riina's face. His whole body convulsed, eyes bulging in shock, and his chest heaving up and down in fear as he gasped desperately.
"Help HELP! I-I-Can't...CAN'T! HRrrrrkrk..."
Blood spewed from his mouth as he convulsed. The internal bleeding from his broken ribs were filling up his lungs and, as Riina held him, the bunny boy clutched her tightly as blood gurgled in his throat...
And he breathed his last breath.
As Elena dragged Godfrey along, the man coughed up a bit of blood and smirked at the scene. "Heh heh...said I'd kill the little freak. Ole Godfrey never goes back on his word, you damn cat."
Elena glared down at Godfrey with a snarl on her face and, raising her fist, slammed it straight across his jaw to knock him out. Looking at Catherine, she barked an order. "Officer! Get this girl to the station! I'll handle the clean up here while Kowalski takes Godfrey away for murder! Move it, Enforcers!"
She was visibly sweating. Just how much had she put her body through? The Vel was not something one abused, heavens, it was not something one even toyed with without experience. She clearly knew how to access her abilities but not how to use them. That was a problem. Her eyes spoke volumes, open hostility brought on by the effects of her powers-open hostility that was beginning to fade in the face of the great equalizer: physical limitations. In the end, biology won out no matter how great a vel power was. Catherine felt the electricity build beneath her skin, eager to lash out and stun the woman into passivity; she really could have too, but it would have been cruel and unwise. After all, she seemed to be starting to get her head together.
Self defense?
Catherine laughed gently; "I'm afraid self defense is not an argument you'll be able to use in this city," She said. She wasn't wrong. A vel user assaulting a non-afflicted in such a way was... difficult to defend. The extenuating circumstances were extreme. She was fortunate that there was at least one qualified witness who would vouch for her-Catherine. She hadn't seen the fight itself but she knew the circumstances well enough. All that mental gymnastics notwithstanding, the law was the law. The immediate perception was that the woman was holding the horrifically removed ear of another Vel user in one hand and was covered in the blood of a non-afflicted who lay near death on the ground.
Catherine's lip twitched when the woman tried to express herself again. She glanced over her shoulder at the entrance to the alley. The crowd was larger now, her own arrival had spurned increased interest. She shook her head though, turning back to look the girl square in the eye; "You know I can't let you do that. You are going to the station to be cleaned up, processed, and interred until an investigation is completed. That is the law. I will find someone to treat the boy on your behalf. Give me the ... ear," Catherine insisted. It was sad to say that the likelihood of the ear being attached minimally, if at all, was unlikely at best. The boy's injuries were horrific to begin with.
Catherine didn't move from her spot. She wasn't going to allow the young woman to pass her by, she would leave in cuffs one way or another. She was not going to step forward and agitate her either, it did no one any good if she was hurt or even killed trying to escape from Catherine. Especially since at her heart, Catherine didn't believe she was guilty of any real crime. There were judges in the inquisition that would be able to spin this the right way. That wasn't her job though. Catherine took a breath and squeezed the pommel of her sword, a bit of electrical runoff burning into the blade to charge it in case it was needed. She pointed at the ground between them. "Stand down. Get on your knees. Release the ear. I'll take you in, that's an order,"
The girl took a few steps forward instead, begging to see the child. She wasn't listening. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping her starved, weak, destitute body moving. Catherine's teeth gritted harder as she resisted the urge to stun the girl right then and there. She was not a healthy, combative, dangerous adversary like Yazmyn often was when she had to stun the stupid girl and bring her in. No. This was an injured, unhealthy, desperate girl with some talent for using her Vel powers. The girl hadn't defended herself. She'd protected the boy and reacted in a natural and healthy way to the absolute savagery of the disgusting lump of a man that lay on the ground behind her. Catherine cleared her throat, she was getting too close, she would have to-
Another Enforcer entered the Alley. Catherine's heart stopped. Would this secondary presence stoke a fight or flight instinct? She scowled, her eyes going wide until the woman gave her a crisp salute. Catherine's hand relaxed on the pommel of her weapon and responded with her own salute. She watched the woman turn to look at the body and when she spoke, Catherine relaxed completely. "Yes, it will," Catherine said shortly, nodding to the broken man on the ground. Godfrey was starting to come to, and the local enforcer was taking over the situation. That was fine. Catherine's job was to ensure the proper processing of the criminal complaint. As long as the crime was only assault it would be straight forward. Catherine put a gentle hand on Riina's arm and began to escort her out.
Then she heard a small, struggling voice. The boy. She turned so sharply she didn't even notice that Riina was no longer in her grip. The girl was cradling the child. Catherine's eyes went wider, and wider, and wider.
Catherine had come here on routine business. She'd come here as an officer of the inquisition, a representative, a paper pusher.
As the boy breathed his last breath, Catherine's role changed.
Catherine was now the Inquisitor. The only body she answered to? The central government office.
Catherine's eyes flared to life and light, a green forest caught flame as the red-orange flakes in those green orbs blazed with a holy fury. Her armor almost seemed to gleam when she turned to look at Godfrey as he spoke. Her nose wrinkled and her mouth crashed into a frown of barely repressed rage. Her jaw was clenching and unclenching, her heart pounded and lightning crackled around her feet and knuckles. Several officers stepped back. She barely heard as Enforcer Elena spoke, instead, her own voice crackled out over everyone else present. At last. The kindly officer who had come to soothe Riina fell away, and Inquisitor Catherine Haust stood in her place.
"This is now an Inquisition Matter, Enforcer. Godfrey will be transported to a hospital to receive treatment. He will be tried, he will be punished until both the state and the Inquisitor overseeing him are satisfied, and then he will be executed. His punishment will be painful. It will be severe. And it will be merciless, just as how he treated the boy. Get him to a hospital. NOW. He is mine." Catherine said savagely, her blazing eyes turning to Elena. She permitted no protest, no argument. Instead she grabbed Riina by the arm and began to march.
"Have the extradition papers for Godfrey readied for me to bring back to Vantalux. I will take the girl back for processing and try to make arrangements for her as you've requested.
She left without another word. Rage in her eyes and a blaze in her heart. The other enforcers knew better than anyone, that the Inquisition was capable of far more vicious punishments on lawbreakers than the Enforcers were willing to perform. She'd played her card and exposed herself here as an Inquisitor. There was no going back now. For the time being she would do what she could for the girl. Tragically, now that this was a murder, her actions to protect the boy were even more justified. Catherine could write a memo of recommendation to the local judge and have her crimes written off in favor of probation under a local aristocrat of some kind. She'd work for a while before being let off the hook. It was better than hard time, she didn't deserve that.
Catherine moved with all haste, through the streets as the thoughts burned through her mind. All those plans, considerations, aching bouts of rage and grief. All the while her face remained stony, and only the faintest welling of tears could be seen. She kept it together, she had to.
Post by Riina de Bastille on Dec 8, 2019 18:45:19 GMT
WORD COUNT: 1105
TAGGED:
TAGGED: Fluffy
The brunette was barring her way. The lips were moving, but as before, it all only half registered to the feline. It was as if the words she spoke weren't possible to understand. In these moments, Riina was a mixture between human and feline. All the logical processes of being human had been set aside for the instinctual principles of being a cat. There was a wounded friend, and Riina absolutely needed to lick his wounds. The amber eyes looked at Catherine with a clear lack of understanding. Words weren't spoken, but Riina's entire expression was asking the question. Why are you in my way? Due to the complete lack of hostility from Catherine, Riina was equally as passive. Standing there, watching her lips, not reacting to a single word that was said. Sort of just stuck there not understanding. The girl wouldn't even react to Catherine gently grabbing around her wrist. The balance was soon broken however, as another enforcer arrived to take the attention off of Riina. It was as if everything had fallen into place for the other woman, letting Riina quietly swoop around her and to the bunny's side. In the cloth at her wrists, Riina had a singular needle. Always there, because she had nowhere else to store it. Picking it out, cleaning it off as best she could, she sat with the boy. The amber eyes looking into his, once again without saying a word...
Then Riina reached out, like a mother cat would reach out for her kitten, drawing the bunny into her embrace. From her chest, a low repeating purr began resonating. A calming, warm and deep tone. The boy was hardly conscious, as she, with an odd expertise for a street rat, began stitching his ear back into place. Criss cross, coupled with some medical knowledge. From what Riina had done, it wouldn't heal on it's own. Riina was not skilled enough to do something like that. However, she could seal the worst of the wound and maybe get a small bit of blood flow into his ear. It should buy him some time to see a proper medic. Someone who could reattach his ear and mend the wound. All Riina could do was buy him some peace and some time. Riina's purr had a naturally low frequency, just as any feline who could purr. A tone which would help regeneration and assist the brain in releasing pain-reducing compounds. For Riina to purr took a good bit of energy, but she did so whenever someone around her needed medical attention. It was in the middle of this process that the boy woke up. His lips moved, yet no words were understood. Riina's eyes widened as his eyes widened. Instinctively, she knew that something was wrong. Gently grasping his jaw, she tilted his head backwards to open his airways. Low, distressed, horrific sounds left Riina as hopelessness settled in. He wasn't breathing properly. Then, the boy spat out blood. It impacted against her cheek, as the arm he had held out grew limp. The panic in his eyes. The fear of knowing, of realizing, that the dark was closing in all around him...
Riina ceased purring, just sitting there, watching him, holding him. It felt like an eternity, yet it also passed immediately, in a cacophony of chaos around her. Catherine's fingers grasped around her arm once again. Being dragged sideways, Riina had no strength to hold onto the boy. He slowly slid out of her arms, dropping to the floor like some kind of puppet. Like some kind of meat bag trash. It didn't even seem like anyone was in a hurry to pick him up or anything. Because, let's be real, which afflicted deserved that kind of respect, especially after passing away?... Reaching an arm out to grab him, Riina couldn't. Riina couldn't reach him anymore. For he was already gone. Stumbling around on her feet, her sense of purpose had vanished. Instinct to keep moving had gone dry. Legs began cramping, as the girl's eyes seemed to slowly return to a more humanoid shape. Doing her best to keep stepping, her world was in complete disarray. Nothing made sense, nothing was as it was meant to be. Godfrey had spoken but the words had escaped her. All she knew was that she had failed in killing him. Failed in protecting the kid. Failed in getting work and food. As her thoughts began taking shape once again, Riina stumbled over a rock, her makeshift sandal on the left food snapping apart. The raven haired female fell forwards, too tired to brace her chest or face from impact if she landed upon the floor of the wharf's trade district. Riina's tank was completely dry, and at this point in time, the girl didn't even care.
Around them, it must've been an odd vision to behold for the citizens. A girl caked in blood of others, being dragged behind an angry looking enforcer with purpose in her steps. It almost certainly looked like Riina had killed someone and was being dragged off for questioning. Either that, or they might've suspected Riina was severely wounded, given her inability to complain or stay on her feet. Either case, Riina didn't say a single word. Something was broken, and it would take some time to repair. Though, somewhere within Riina, it was lodged as another file in the same document.
Another day. Another dead afflicted. Another dramatic viewing by the populace. Tomorrow would be the same. Things would never change. This was a fact that Riina subscribed to. Because in her nineteen years of being alive, this little spiel had played out so many times. The ones who survived were the ones who managed to keep their heads down. To slink into the shadows and learn the harsh lessons without paying too dearly for them. This afflicted bunny had learned a harsh lesson. Yet he had also paid far too dearly for them. He never had a chance to find out how afflicted survived in this world. Like rats in the sewers, only peeking their heads out when food was guaranteed. He had been careless, he had been caught, he had paid the price. Such was the nature of being one of her kind within the cities... With it being nature, how could these facts feel so wrong..? To be slain so mercilessly by those under oath to protect..? Where was the justice in that?!
Riina couldn't even shed a single tear. For she was used to these nightmares.
The street had two bloodied bodies baking in the sunlight, though only one was being lifted up by a pair of officers to be carried away for medical treatment. Only Godfrey received proper attention from the crowd. The onlookers watched the man go to mixed reactions. Some who knew him had a look of disgust while others seemed utterly confused as to how such a large Enforcer could be assaulted in such a manner.
"Did that girl really beat Godfrey? How?"
"No, don't be stupid! It was that big Enforcer girl that done him in! The cat was just another plaything."
So much rumor and speculations were swirling among the masses, but none of them seemed to care about the fate of the bunny. He lay there in an ever growing pool of blood, eyes sightlessly staring up into the sky with his mouth still agape. Ears dipped in red with one sewed together. The only recognition that he received was a couple of kids curiously stepping forward to touch him only for their parents to immediately tug them away.
"Don't touch it! You might catch a disease!"
Godfrey would receive his just deserts, Elena knew this from the tone of the Inquisitor, but she had more pressing matters to attend to. People died all the time, but it was usually through disease or natural causes. The poor were sickly and died on the streets, being collected on a regular basis. Though they were just gross looking bodies...this was a bloody mess. Such brutality was unacceptable to her, especially among her own forces. As she watched the Inquisitor march off with the cat girl in tow, an elderly man stepped up next to her while scratching at his scraggly beard.
"It's a shame. What happened to those kids, I mean."
A rotund bald man waddled his way out of the crowd as it slowly began to disperse, pushing a wheelbarrow with him. There were various bits of animal limbs that were not fit for consumption, mismatched bloody parts that had rotted away into dark meat. Flies buzzed around in troves and maggots were swarming around them. He parked the vehicle near the kid and unceremoniously lifted him up and tossed him on top of the gore, squishing loudly and causing the flies to swarm around.
"Thing is...I knew that kid. Sort of." He voice caught in her throat as she felt bile build up, but luckily the Enforcer kept it down as she spoke. "We'd snag him on almost a weekly basis to the point that we placed bets what he was gonna steal next. It was harmless food supplies that we'd return, but it was my laziness to file paperwork that kept him on the streets. I'm sure he's been doing this to help other kids...and I was the one who assigned Godfrey to patrol this sector today. This is my fault."
The old man nodded, coughing slightly at the wagon that carried the boy away toward the far end of the waterside toward The Depths. Out of sight and out of mind. Already some of the passing fisherman were splashing buckets of sea water to clean up the blood and soon it would appear as if nothing happened. No one would remember the child, but the next day they would be gossiping about an Enforcer being beaten by a lowly Afflicted. How could they be safe when their officers couldn't even handle one mutant?
"That girl..." The old fisherman stated, pointing down the lane toward Catherine and Riina. "She really helped me out today. I was down a man and couldn't get my shipments delivered on time, but she stepped up! Carried crates double her size, mind you! Poor thing didn't even ask for much...I think she's just down on her luck. Maybe...just maybe, you can make things right?"
Elena's emerald eyes glimmered in the sunlight, chest seizing up as she watched the child's corpse being wheeled off. "You're right...yeah. Thanks old timer."
The woman shoved her hat down tight over her straw colored hair and took off in a full sprint, arms pumping as she breathed in controlled bursts to catch up with the Inquisitor. She had let the kid down and his blood was partially on her hands. There was no way that she would let this girl suffer as well because of her incompetence. Elena approached Catherine from the side of the bloodied girl and attempted to veer them off to the side of the street with steel in her eyes.
"Inquisitor, ma'am! A moment of your time, if I may."
She saluted professionally to hide the fact that her lips were quivering. No one liked to deal with her sort, but Elena was on a mission of mercy.
"If I'm being completely honest, this girl did something that none of us could do. She acted in the face of danger to protect an innocent and did you see what she did? This girl healed that boy! We are severely lacking in medical training here in The Promenade, which is a joke considering all of the sick people around the Hamlet."
Elena breathed heavily to catch her breath as a single strand of blonde hair fell over her sweating forehead, but she remained resolute in her stance.
"I would like to draft this girl as a stand-in for losing Godfrey, at least for the time being. I will take full responsibility as her handler, she can help teach some of our officers, and we can show the community that we will not tolerate vigilantism by inducting her to commit civic services."
The Enforcer looked down at the down trodden girl, blank stare lost to the world, and with ragged clothes that hid the fact that she was malnourished. How had such a small thing manage to defeat one of the strongest Enforcers on her roster? It made her think...with a bit of training and guidance, perhaps this girl could be molded into a proper Enforcer. A poster child that would also make their unit look far more tolerant in the face of such an incident. It was worth a shot to see just how tough this girl could be.
The raven haired knight kept walking, it was the only way she was going to be able to keep her head. The world had become just one shade darker with the passing of a child. The bystanders made it worse. Cruelty was beyond measure on that warm afternoon while a child lay on the side of the street, dead, dessicated. Catherine's duty was paramount though, the law demanded that the lawbreaker be brought in to face a trial or punishment. Her iron clad heels clicked against the ground while the pained scraping and padding of the girls feet against stone made it clear she was fading fast. Her strength would be gone soon. Catherine stopped when the girl finally stumbled and dropped to a knee, putting one arm under her knees and the other around her back.
"Up you go, then," Catherine said, starting to walk again. She held the cat-girl against her metal plated chest, trying not to think too much about how it looked. The people glared and some even complained. Neither side was happy. The anti-afflicted derided the inquisitor that seemed protective of the 'worthless sack of meat'. While the vel supporters were disgusted by the way the girl had been dragged away and forced to endure the humiliation. Catherine closed her eyes and forced the thoughts out of her head, she did not have the time nor the patience to deal with this now. She had to get back to the stockade so the girl could be given a place to sit and rest. She would deal with any repercussions when the time came.
She had just made another block in her treck back to the station when the Enforcer from before came running up behind her. She stopped when she saw the look of steel in her eyes; how strange. She gave her best salute to cover up her distaste. Catherine raised an eyebrow and turned to face the young woman. "While the Inquisition's mission is holy, my station in the government is the same as yours," She said by way of dismissing the formality. She stood up straight and listened to Elena bring her offer. Catherine's lips formed a thin line while she spoke, the Inquisitor wasn't blind of course, she'd seen the same thing Elena had seen.
She was so resolute, even as she continued talking and Catherine's expression moved from dubious to almost amused. Her thin and harsh expression melted and a soft crinkle came to her eyes. She let the woman speak her peace until nothing was left; her chest rose and fell with the rush and it was clear she had been afraid to stop in case the Inquisitor interrupted her. Instead, Catherine just stood and stared, long enough for Elena to add a plea to the end. Do right? It would have been right to report Godfrey to the Inquisition sooner! It would have been right to make sure men like him never became Enforcers in general. It would have been right... Catherine closed her eyes and steadied her mind. Could have, should have, would have.
She opened her blazing green eyes and looked Elena straight in the face, adjusting her hold on the girl; her smile was soft, maybe even a little sad.
"Enforcer. You and I both know I cannot do that. At the very least she must be put on probation. Even a manifestation of her Vel power is enough to draw sanction-unintended or not. You are right, it isn't fair." She sighed; "But it is the law and it is your duty to uphold that law, no matter what," She smiled at this point; "That doesn't mean nothing can be done. I'll be writing a letter of recommendation to the judge to ask him release her into the custody of a local noble for a brief probation. There are still a few good people in this city. I'll find one. After her probation..." She grinned; "Deputization doesn't sound like a bad idea, I'll give my endorsement if it helps, but we have to follow the correct process. We don't want our leniency to hurt her later, it would be doing more harm than good and shattering a potential trust. Do you understand?" She insisted, holding her ground.
"If you need something right to do in the immediate, Enforcer? Retrieve that boy's body so I can say a prayer as a minister of the Gods and see to his proper burial. It's the least we can do. Start a collection as well for a headstone and see if you can't find out the boy's name," Catherine said gently, pulling Riina close with one arm to free the other. She extended her hand, offering a handshake. "I'm not your enemy, Enforcer, nor am I her's... but I have to do my job."
Catherine took a deep breath and turned with that, holding the girl close again and walking the remaining distance, a weight in her arms, to the stockades. It'd be there that Riina would be kept until she woke while Catherine made arrangements of her own.
Post by Riina de Bastille on Dec 13, 2019 17:21:15 GMT
WORD COUNT: 732
TAGGED:
TAGGED: Fluffy
Riina, on the ground, completely exhausted, wasn't quite sure what to expect. Attempting to apologize, all it ever amounted to was some incoherent mumbling. An arm was lifted. Riina grimaced, making is absolutely clear with an equally as incoherent hissing noise, that laying hands on her without her permission wasn't something she enjoyed much at all. A low grumbling discontent sound left her, like a harrowing low howling. Though, as her strength continued to decline and fade, it was a lot of hissing yet no actual biting. Few moments later, Riina's head tilted against Catherine's chest, as even the discontent noises ceased. Breathing softly, calmly, one may have expected that Riina had simply fallen asleep. The truth however, was that the stress - both mental and physical - head reached a plateau. The girl had passed out, her body demanding time to recuperate. The entire spectacle errupting around her, Riina remained blissfully unaware of. During the remainder of the treck, Riina was like a sleepy kitten. No a sound, not a motion, just lying where she had plopped down as if it was the best place to sleep in the world....
...It was several hours later, when Riina began stirring. Soft groans escaped her lips, as the feline female began sitting up. Back was awfully stiff, as she had been lying on a stone floor. Shivering, the girl also felt rather cold. The room she was in was relatively dark, with a bit of light coming in from a window. The exit was barred, preventing her from leaving the small square that she was placed within. There was a stone bed with a blanket, which she had been lying on when she came to. Aside from that, there was a small table with a chair, upon which a bowl of soup and a slice of bread was waiting for her. Without much hesitation, the kitten got up, waddled over to the table and sat herself down. Smacking her lips a couple of time, hunger didn't allow her much chance to think about what was truly going on. Simply, the girl began stuffing her face with what she had been presented with. The soup seemed to be a simple chicken soup. Considering that she was in the prison, it was surprisingly rich. Lifting the bowl, she tilted her head backwards, drinking and slurping every last drop. A soft burp escaped her, as she let out a long content sigh. From there, the girl slowly got up from the cell's chair.
Walking around the cell, inspecting everything in excruciating detail, Riina was looking for any opportunity to escape. The lock was beyond her ability to pick or break. The stone walls were far more durable than what she had encountered in Fumehat. Even the bars in the window seemed securely tightened, disallowing a sneaky and creative kitten from making her way out. There was nothing in the cell with her that indicated or seemed like a promising way of escape. So, the girl walked to the cell door, trying to peer out."He--" Riina had started calling, when suddenly others in the little stockades began making different noises. Mostly telling her to shut up, as a pair of drunkards who had been in a fight were trying to sleep off their headaches... Dejected, Riina's ears hung forwards against her head depressingly. Stepping back to the little makeshift stone bed, she wrapped herself in the blanket and tried to remain a little comfortable.
This was everything Riina hated. Being kept in a small enclosed space. Being robbed of her freedom. Being left in solitude without anyone to speak to. This was the true epitome of punishment. The only thing that seemed to keep her from shrieking out in frustration, crying in desperation or enraging with anger, was the fact that she still had no clue precisely why she was here, what her sentencing was, or what was going to happen after this. Though, judging by the smears of blood all over her attire, she had a few decent guesses. None of them included being let out of there anytime soon. Covering her face with her arms, she bit into her own wrist to induce an amount of pain. Pain was an easier kind of torment for Riina to deal with than this imprisonment. A bit of her own blood dripped down her cheeks.
The sun had already begun setting, bleeding a deep orange hue into the small office room where Elena sat at her cheap wooden desk. Her fellow Enforcers, as well as the rest of the police force, were out in the bullpen hard at work. Meanwhile, the blonde was busy finishing up the backlog of paperwork that was stacked haphazardly in manila folders which she had put off for the day due to the commotion caused by Godfrey. She leaned back in the chair and breathed a sigh when she had reached the file on the Afflicted girl. There was no name, since she had been unconscious for her entire internment in the stockades.
"Well, let's get this done with." She stated to no one in particular.
She filled in the proper papers and pushed the chair back with the edge of her butt, hopping up and leaving her office in papers in hand. The Enforcer passed the others and snapped her fingers once.
"Ramirez, you're with me. Kowalski, you're in charge while I'm gone. Move it!"
The thin dark haired man hopped up expertly and fell in line with Elena without a word, following at a fair distance out of the building. Neither of them spoke for the entire walk to the stockades as the sun had finally gone down and the moon was shining across the ocean, stars sparkling brightly upon the still waters. Ramirez dashed ahead of his superior to grasp the door to the building and opened it briskly, standing at attention as she walked inside with a head tilt to the man.
The officer behind the desk looked up from his papers, almost as high as Elena's own stack, and grinned from behind his bushy mustache.
"Evening, Elena. What do ya have for me today?"
She laid the document in front of him and stood at attention as she narrowed her eyes at the thought of that Enforcer. Elena let her go to take the cat girl to the stockades, but that was as far as she would go. Sure the rabbit didn't deserve what he got, but realistically very few were awarded a proper grave. Let alone a tombstone. The sea or the depths would reclaim their remains to the earth and as for the girl? She'd done Elena a favor by beating the snot out of Godfrey. It was less paperwork than fighting a transfer that would never come. After the mustached officer offered her the draft paper, Elena thanked him and marched around the desk.
Near the other side of the desk was a tanned officer who had his legs kicked up and was leaning back, absorbed in a leather bound book. He tilted his head slightly to Elena, grunted, and reached for his keys gruffly to toss them at the girl. She caught them expertly, accustomed to this routine. Her enforcers were by far the only disciplined squad, as the rest were very easy going for being police officers. The rows of cells were small, dank, and depressing even by prison standards which wasn't by their choice. The place was very old and their government hadn't given any funding for a renovation, so they made do.
Elena clutched her arms and rubbed them, shivering from the unnatural cold in the air. A few drunks who were supposed to be sleeping off their stupors were shouting up a storm, which garnered a very loud "Shut up!" from Elena. Though they returned the bark with words that could make a sailor blush, so she ignored them as she approached the cell she had been looking for. The girl held a hand up for Ramirez to wait outside and unlocked the gate, stepping inside the cat's cell and shutting it behind her.
"Hey there." She greeted, pulling the chair out and dragging it close to the bed to sit down curtly at it's edge. As she did, Elena noted the empty bowl with a small smile. "I'm Ms. Collins...I don't know if you remember me from earlier."
She brushed off her lap and sat up straight as a board to address the girl and held the piece of paper out to her. "I don't know if you can read or not, but this paper allows me the right to deputize you as a temporary Enforcer. You showed that you can hold your own in a fight and we're looking for a good medic. So here's the deal: You scratch my back and I scratch yours. Work for me, help my boys out, and I pay you enough to get out of here. You get paid more depending on how hard you work. You think that soup's good? We've got better grub back at the station...not bad eh?"
Elena tilted her posture ever so slightly as the light outside the cell shone softly in her emerald eyes.
"It's got to beat freezing in this cell, am I right? I might even throw in some crisp, clean clothes if you play nice, Ms..."
Post by Riina de Bastille on Dec 18, 2019 19:45:48 GMT
WORD COUNT: 732
TAGGED:
TAGGED: Fluffy
The quiet feline was lying down onto the unpleasant bed, then getting back up almost immediately to wander around the cell, lying back down, then getting the few blankets on the bed to instead curl herself up in a corner. Frustratedly getting back up again, pacing the cell back and forth, never able to stay in a singular place for more than a couple of minutes. The noise from the other cells only made everything worse. The sense of being locked up almost immediately getting to the girl. The notion that there wasn't even any individual whom she could talk to amplifying this sensation of dread and loneliness ten fold. Eventually, Riina ended up where she had started. On the bed, with the blankets wrapped around her almost creating a small shelter. From the dark, the amber eyes were watching anything that came close to her cell. Right up until the point that an enforcer began locking herself into the same small prison Riina resided in. The woman seemed wholly unconcerned with walking into the den of a wild animal, illiciting a deep, resounding hiss from the little den of blankets, indicating just how threathened and cornered the raven haired feline felt.
Being cornered by the chair moving closer to the bed illicited the second rumbling hiss. Though, with how terribly the girl was already cornered, chances are that regardless of how close Elena got in these moments, all it would ever be was posing and general aggressiveness, rather than any actual biting or clawing. The woman introduced herself in a subtle tone, all the while the amber eyes followed every movement that she did. Twitching sideways whenever her hand moved a little too far or a little too fast. When properly seated and relaxed, Riina slowly began unthawing a little. As the woman began speaking in a very business like tone, the amber eyes opened and closed a couple of times in rapid succession. Startled by this sudden change in demeanor. Riina had expected to be severely punished to the absolute extent of the law. Now, instead, she was effectively being told to shut up and pretend to be a cop for a few days. Food included, clothes possibly included, a trip home included. All because they were down in personnel. To Riina, it honestly sounded like some kind of trap. Get her on the corps, then use some lowlife to shank her to death - it's what would've probably happened in Fumehat - but the difference here was, that if they wanted her executed, they most certainly had a lot simpler way of making it happen, considering how much crime could be pinned on her short time in the Wharf.
The den quietly opened up, cautiously, as Riina shivered in the cold that was let in. The rags on her body barely able to keep her dry if the air had moisture, let alone keep her warm when it was cold. A few short breaths escaped her lips, as she inspected the woman. "Riina. I'm not sure if I ever had a surname or family. Most just call me kitten." Without offering a hand or anything, Riina reached out to grasp the documents with her fingers. Reading it over quickly, Riina just made sure that there was nothing immediately concerning in there. Then turning it to the side, tilting the text sideways and making it unreadable, then nodding again as if she was reading, turning it again. This little routine was done roughly five times before Riina exclaimed, in the most bratty tone that she could muster. "Just as I suspected. This is some kind of text, hieroglyphs I believe. Things are in fact written on here." Never reveal what you know. Never reveal what you can do. It might be what saves your hide someday. So, she handed the paper back to Elena, making sure the text was turned upside down, almost mockingly making it clear that she couldn't read. A tricksy little kitten...
Well this sure as shit escalated quickly. Hardly had me expecting that.
Riina going feral was an interesting read. I'm not exactly sure sewing the ear on would've helped all that much lmao. It's unfortunate what happened to the kid, but, hey, that's the world of Ordus, I guess.
Catherine seemed threatening as fuck. That was fun to read too. It's unfortunate that it feels like it didn't amount to much in regards to what happened to Riina by the end though. Oof.
