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 Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 2:20 pm
- Writ - Keeya knew that name, and it seemed odd to her. How much had he changed from that cold winter night where he had been one of the first truly friendly face I had met outside of Anubis himself? How much of that was real?She sighed, eyes lowering to her bowl as she started to pick at the noodles, though squishy food, meat, and red sauce wasnt a good meal to eat while talking about someone being murdered in cold blood. She took a bite and quickly found the flavor was enough to get that mental image out of her head and she quickly shoveled another mouthful in, incase she say something stupid.
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 2:38 pm
He almost didn’t notice as the bowl clicked against the coffee table-- he was too immersed in convincing his beer that his face didn’t look like he was about to cry.
“It’s been a little over a week.”
But Fish continued, and the frown slowly turned into a snarl.
“We don’t do anything. I already dealt with him once since then-- I just have to finish the job.”
He didn’t want Fish to think he had failed--But to tell them that Anubis had interfered with the game? That didn’t seem like a pleasant option either. The man shrugged his shoulders, pushing his wounded back deeper into the sofa with a small wince-- he didn’t want to be having this conversation-- it’d have been better if they didn’t even come.
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 2:50 pm
Sprawling more comfortably on his chair, he let his tail curl over to swish silently against the floor. Almost tempted to kick Ciro with his foot, he insistently pushed the bowl towards him.
"V'hich you von't be able to do until you eat and heal, Gimpy." He scoffed. Really, he was just trying to distract Ciro. Whenever the man got that angry, things tended to start burning.
And he just arranged the furniture the way he liked it.
Seeing Keeya so enthusiastically eating his food, he grinned wider.
"Does ee't taste alright? My sister likes ee't well enough, but she can not exactly tell me ee't tastes bad either." Sydni also, possibly, had a black hole in her stomach - it seemed she ate everything and anything Vale would ever feed to her.
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 6:07 pm
Fish winced. He had seen Writ the day before yesterday. Writ had killed Echo in cold blood a week ago and the day before yesterday he had spoken to Fish like nothing had happened.
Fish felt the bile rising in his throat. He set the bowl down on the table and pushed it away. "Son of a b***h," he swore. If he had known what Writ had done, if he had known what kind of danger he was in, would he have let Writ get away? It pained him to think about that.
"What stopped you?" asked Fish. "You've been talking about killing Writ for two years now. If you had him in your grasp, why didn't you kill him?"
More than anything, he felt stupid and betrayed. He had helped Writ so much. When Writ was living on the streets, he'd given him food and let him use his shower. They'd shared information. The most vulnerable he'd ever been in the Game was with Writ.
He'd been duped.
Fish slammed a fist down on the table. The bowls clattered. <********," he declared.
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 6:53 pm
"I's quite good. S'From scratch or jar?" Keeya licked her lips, then jumped as Fish cried out, emerald eyes wide and framed in white as she looked over at the more experienced boy she had become friends with.
She settled back, thinking things over, "Ciro.. This may be something sensitive to ask, but... How exactly did you find out it was Writ that killed her?" As someone who spent a lot of time listening to people, just outside the conversation, overlooked by the older croud and part of the scenery, she's knew that every story had many sides, and to each person it was "the truth", even if each tale was different. One had to gather all the facts before acting, and acting on the first story you heard often led to making things worse.
First impressions aren't always right.
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 7:18 pm
Without speaking, Ciro scooted the bowl back towards Vale-- now was a time for talking, not for eating. The questions were coming at him now-- one after the other. He knew he’d have to answer them-- as much has he wished he didn’t have to.
“Anubis decided to show up. He yelled at us, and then Writ was gone. He can’t be dead-- if he was, Anubis wouldn’t have needed to drag him away.”
The bottle dipped once more onto his lips-- more a distraction than for actual thirst. There was no rational reason--unless the game was fixed-- for Anubis to save the man. It just made no sense.
Then came the time to address Keeya’s question, as unreasonably reasonable as it was.
“I can see things-- things that have happened or things that are happening, by touch. Be it a person or an object or whatever-- if I touch it, I can learn what has happened to that thing. It’s a power my God gave me, to help me learn the truth for judging or some bullshit like that.”
He swirled the bottle once more, giving a quick glance to each of his guests’ faces.
“Anyway…” His voice was getting hoarse-- so he cleared it, “Anubis showed up then, too. He’s the one who took me to her. And that’s when I saw it. Her corpse was there, mutilated.”
His eyes were now plastered to the desk across the room, staring through it to the contents inside of the first drawer.
“I saw it from three different sources… One of them I took with me. But I saw the attack. I saw the creature that did it. It was like a dog-- I could tell that much. That’s when I took the guess that that b*****d could turn into a coyote, like his god. I watched it over and over again-- I knew it was a coyote, or a wolf, or something like that.”
Another swirl of the beer bottle discerned that he had finished his allotted beer for the day-- damn. But today was special-- there were guests, they were talking, he’d allow himself another. In his short intermission, Ciro crossed the small room to the fridge, sure to throw the old bottle in the trash (If that kid complained about the recycling again, he was going to fry him), and grabbed at the fridge.
Only after the beer had been opened and the man was back in his seat did he continue.
“I confirmed it when I fought him-- he turned into a coyote, like I thought. Not once did he deny it, either. He was trying to provoke me. One thing after another--”
His attention focused on Fish completely, digging for some understanding that the kids wouldn’t know.
“He brought up Crow, too--he wasn’t playing around. He really wanted to finish it.”
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:42 pm
"Scratch," he replied. He was far too cheap to buy the sauce with how often he used marinara. It was practically a staple for them by now - he might as well have the tomatoes delivered weekly. At Fish's outburst and Keeya's startled reaction, he was surprised - was she really that nervous?
Maybe it was just that he was used to Ciro's yelling and swearing. The other guy didn't look like the kind to get angry that often, so it might be surprising for her.
He sighed through his nose. The "big kids" were talking, and he'd quickly lost track of the conversation. He'd heard the facts before - the details, the who's and the why's and the I can't believe it's didn't interest him so much. Besides, he wasn't involved in any of that. Stretching, he slid back off the chair, stalking back to the marinara mess left behind in the pot and starting to wash it all off.
It was pretty cut and dry to him, actually. All Ciro had to do was finish the job.
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:54 pm
Fish tapped thoughtfully on the shaft of the trident. "So that's it, then," he said, a bit drained. The color had gone out of his face as Ciro had spoken. If three witnesses had told him so, there wasn't much else to discuss. Writ had killed Echo.
"Writ made the first move," he said, shifting uncomfortably. He remembered some of what Writ had told him, about how he couldn't understand why Fish was still allied with Ciro. At the time he had been a bit regretful, but now he was just angry. Writ had played him for a fool and he had taken the bait at every turn.
"The only thing left to do is destroy Writ," he continued. His throat was going dry. It was a hard call to make, but it was the only option. "Things are about to get a lot more dangerous around here."
Well, he had wished for action during all those quiet months.
Be careful what you wish for applied, of course. Because now he had it, and it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. He leaned back, resting the trident against the floor, and murmured, "I can't believe I was so stupid."
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Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:54 pm
Keeya, however, wasn't too certain, and bit her lip in silence; Maybe Ciro was right -- maybe this large canine was Writ, and maybe he was trying to goad Ciro into attacking him while still younger.
...However....
One had to think of the sources. While three things said it was a canine, more wolf or Coyote then dog, Keeya knew two things about mythology and fantasy -- which now seemed to be very much a reality now that she was among others who have 'magic' powers blessed upon them like in ancient legends and tales that where such common fodder for the plays back in the theater-- that were quite common: 1) There were shapeshifters out the ying-yang when it came to anything even remotely related to gods, and 2) Most of these shapeshifters had some sort of Wolf, Fox, Jackle, or Coyote type form in the manor.
Some other things seemed rather.. Odd, to her. If this had something to do with the game and was a struggle for power between the two, why would Anubis have a reason to stop Ciro from getting a Victory?
Finally, she had heard of of the battle where a man with horns and fire had attacked a native American man in the actors favorite coffee shop -- burst right through the window right after he was told by the shapeshifter (who keeya could know identify as Writ) told him to move.
In that instance, Ciro was the agressor, and already certain that it was Writ. However, he was now using the fact he shapeshifted as proof. But, Coyote and Fox type spirits and gods in legends around the world were known for their trickery, and poor at admiting they hadn't a clue of what was going on.
And, if someone thinks you did something that horrible, there's no way you'd be able to convince them you didn't, so you'd have to fight your way out of the situation, or trick your way out by playing along, depending on what was going on. And if you didnt know, you may very well end up trying to do both.
However.... Ciro could be right
Looking down at her now empty bowl of noodles, she looked up at Vale Slowly, obviously still deep in thought, her eyes tight and green eyes unfocused and distant, "Mmn? Oh!" She shook her head, smiling meekly, her voice quiet, as not to disturb the other two, older players, "It tastes better then my Aunt makes... She gets hers from a can. Tastes more like can then tomatos.."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 9:53 am
Ciro’s thoughts were not so verbose, nor were they as convoluted.
He knew the facts-- a canine with a grudge killed Echo: Writ is a canine with a grudge.
Whatever the reports might have said-- they were irrelevant. Of course Ciro would seem like an aggressor after his woman was killed: the reports had only seen one part of a whole. They had not seen when Writ assaulted a feverish newbie Ciro in an allyway, nor when Writ had taken Crow from under Ciro's nose. Even should he initiate the first move against another player, was that so bad?
All in all, her logic ignored the violent truth to the game while hiding behind it’s rules to prove a man
innocent based upon her assumptions-- a crime equal of judging a man guilty.
“Look, Fish.” Turning on his seat, his arm laid against the back of the sofa as he looked back to his maid-- “You too, Vale. I know this is some big deal-- It’s my big deal. But I think we oughta use this--”
The atmosphere had grown intense suddenly, as if something large was impending.
“We might as well just go all out. Pick off that b*****d and all the new brats that joined. It’s not like they stand a chance anyway-- we’d just be picking the weeds to make it easier for the real players to play.”
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 10:21 am
Rinsing out the spaghetti pot, he laughed a bit as he scrubbed.
"I ee'magine can does not taste very good. And who knows v'hat they put ee'nto ee't? Better to make ee't yourself and know v'hat you are eating." Vale's advice was pretty wise - unless the canned stuff was from the small producers, chances were that corners had been cut. The meat sauce might be made out of chihuahua for all you know.
One part of him wondered if chihuahua tasted that good.
Oh, jaguar instincts. That was horrifying. He wrinkled his nose.
At Ciro's words, he threw a glance back at the horned godling, giving him a wry look.
"You are a bit slow on the uptake, da?" He set the pot out, upside down, to dry. "V'hile you have been ee'n here being lazy, I already v'ent out and did so."
Turning back around, he crossed his arms, frown back on his face and eyes sharper, filled with a mix of boredom and bloodthirst that all too well reflected the god inside of him.
"That turtle kid. He did not put up much of a fight." The distaste was obvious in his voice. "Down ee'n two hits. Not sure ee'f he survived or not. Too easy, too boring - I didn't have the heart to finish ee't."
Broken ribs might've punctured a lung or something, after all. Vale didn't care to stick around and check to see if internal bleeding had done his job for him.
"Ee't might be more fun to v'ait until they grow once," he suggested, thoughtfully. Maybe something more interesting, along the lines of Quinn. He wanted a good and bloody fight, and it showed in how he spoke and moved now, returning to reclaim his chair.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 3:41 pm
Fish had never been one for rash and heedless violence, but saying so would make him seem weak. He didn't say anything, just glanced reassuringly at Keeya. They were on the right side. It was a lot better to be with Ciro and Vale than against them.
Still, the idea of obliterating the Newbies was tempting. Not knocking Quinn off had been a major mistake, and Shiri had promised to be a nuisance in the future. Fish's only problem was that he tended to talk to them, and then he couldn't bring himself to fight them. Except for Keahi, and that had been a disaster.
Fish was still trying to reconcile the Writ he knew with the Writ that had killed Echo. It was murderously difficult. Prohibitively so. He left the problem alone.
"Ciro," he said, "Anything you need me to do, anything at all, I'll do it."
He felt like he'd been a traitor, even if his crimes were unknown. He needed to prove his loyalty somehow.
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:38 pm
Keeya's heartbeat pounded loudly in her ears -- These men spoke of picking off newbies -- like herself -- before they became a 'problem', and Fish had brought her in saying she had a chance for being strong.
Being strong in competition means possibly being a bigger threat. And really -- while Fish had helped her feel as if she was part of a bigger group, and Vale seemed to be friendly to her, so had Writ.
Who would apparently kill an innocent JUST to get to Ciro. And Ciro had long proved to be perfectly comfortable with hurting anyone -- or at least hobo's -- to get his way.
It was possible she had truly wandered into a lions den and was playing a little mood music on the dinner bell while sitting on a platter smothered in barbeque sause.
Or, in this case, a stomach full of damn good Marinara.
She was thankful for Fishe's reassuring expression, however her jaw was set in a grim line, her throat tight and stomach sour and she looked a little greener then usual. She licked her lips, throat dry and voice cracking slightly as she spoke, "Vale... Could.." She cleared her throat, biting her lip, her voice quiet, "Could I have a small class of water..?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 1:45 pm
“Lazy?” He cracked a grin back at Vale, still turned with his arm along the back of the couch, “Let’s see you beat the s**t out of a one of the first players!”
Good. At least everyone seemed to understand the plan from here on out. Ciro didn’t know when he had become the impromptu leader, but it felt comfortable enough. More importantly, however, he was now able to steer the conversation away from Echo and Writ-- two things he desperately wanted to avoid talking--and thinking-- about.
What Vale said sounded interesting-- waiting for a more interesting fight. It almost reminded him of game hunting, or something like that. Either that, or the six pack of beer he had in the last few hours were starting to perk him up.
“What, man… You gunna keep score or something like that? Whoever has the most kills wins?”
Actually, that idea sounded kinda fun. Nothing got him riled up to fight like a little competition.
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Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 2:03 pm
He barked out a laugh, scoffing and waving Ciro off as he went to get Keeya a drink. "Maybe after you are healed. Otherwise ee't v'ould be like beating up a crippled baby. Keep stealing the alcohol and I just might have to, though."
At this rate he was going to have to lock the fridge. He carefully picked out a clean cup, pouring Keeya a glass of fresh and clean, filtered water and setting it before her. He wouldn't ever give a guest water from the tap.
"Here, Keeya. Fresh and filtered and cold." Maybe it was only Valeriu that was so paranoid about the food and water the government provided. Better to be safe than sorry. At the very least, it tasted better.
He wondered why she'd gone quieter, but put it down to shyness around adults. Or kids who looked like adults.
"And v'hy not?" He asked, settling back into his chair for the last time and giving Ciro a challenging grin, more fangs than smile. "Afraid you v'ill lose? I can understand, you are getting on ee'n years."
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