|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 4:23 pm
Sir Tristan. They spent a lot of time debating where to put him, but decided that one was the worst. Is there anything worse than a knight stripped of his title? They strip him of all his finery, too, you know, in front of everyone -- it's a degrading ritual, particularly when the Warden oversees it. But I suppose we haven't seen the Warden in a while. Or anyone.
She left a line's space, for a proper paragraph break.
I do want you to get out. Other than the fact that no one deserves to be imprisoned here, I'd like to haunt something other than this dank hallway. So would Marc and Gervasius and the rest, I imagine. And who knows, maybe our souls will find someplace elsewhere. I should like to see Galahad again -- just once.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 4:29 pm
"Go and stand by the axe marking," he ordered Nemesis, and when she moved away he scratched on the wood for quite a long time.
we will break down 1 door. Who was in the adultery cell He hesitated with the sharp pebble that was becoming less and less sharp -- Charonite was probably going to need another -- before he scratched: Galahad was your son without needing to make it a question-mark. With an air of finality, he added a full stop instead.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 4:31 pm
She waited.
Nemesis really had no idea why she was listening to Charonite. In actuality, while she seemed intent on being a bother, she still did listen to him when he said something. She was trusting him in this, because she knew (but wasn't ready to admit it) that she wouldn't have been able to do this alone. Charonite was probably one of the last people she should trust, but Nemesis was going to thoroughly screw those sorts of thoughts. She'd trust who she damned well wanted to trust in this place.
"I think you just don't want me to see what you're writing," she announced, even as she obediently moved to stand at the cell with the axe marking. She folded one arm over the other, curiously watching the man scrawl over the door.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 4:36 pm
Elaine wrote furiously, without the neat composure that had previously characterized her script:
Galahad is my son.
A long pause.
The adulterer was the only one of us who went free before all of this.
She seemed unwilling to say more. Nevertheless, a body was visible through the bars of his cell -- though on second glance it was clearly a guard, though stripped of his armor and weaponry, and, it looked like, much of his clothing. Now that was curious.
You'd best be certain of finding something useful before you trouble yourself breaking down a door, I should think. I'd be looking for something that would help you get through this one. Though I can't say I know what a prisoner could bring into prison with him that could get you into a door but not through an iron prison door.
Well. There are a lot of things, really. But not many that could get past search, I imagine.
Even so.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 4:50 pm
Charonite turned away and back to Nemesis, dropping the far-blunter stone on the ground now as he looked at the sailor senshi. "We're breaking down a door," he said. "If you put all your weight like this -- "
He was already marching over to her, impatiently lifting up her arm, adjusting it in alignment with her collarbone. "You probably won't fracture your shoulder," he said frankly. 'Probably' in relation to 'fracture' wasn't something anybody ever wanted to hear, though he was already loosening his arm out and splaying his fingers in preparation. "If I'm wrong, we won't be able to try again for some hours. If you're not injured. Agreed?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 4:56 pm
It didn't seem likely to her that they would be able to break down a door. Sure, there was a little rust and what seemed to be some weakened points on some of the doors... She blinked, thinking Charonite had definitely forgotten the idea of personal space as he lifted her arm. But, she listened to him anyways, allowing him to show her what was the best way to keep her from hurting herself.
"Probably?" she asked in a way that made it clear that she would enjoy not fracturing her shoulder. Nemesis wasn't exactly fond of this plan, but she was going to go along with it. If Charonite could do it himself, he probably would have. The idea of walking around with a fractured shoulder was still not pleasant, but she would take the risk. "Agreed. I hope we're picking the right door to try and break in." God, if she injured herself breaking down the wrong door, they would be stuck here for...
s**t, she didn't even want to think about that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 5:07 pm
"Stand in front of the coinpurse door," said the General-King.
He seemed completely convinced, but you'd seem convinced if you were a leader and wanted somebody else to do something, wouldn't you? He was standing with her, still cracking his knuckles and taking gauge of it. "Check it high," he said. "On my count. Three -- two -- one."
And both of them made the few running steps to batter the door with their bodies. What he hadn't mentioned was that breaking down a door with yourself was excruciatingly painful, and the rusted iron took off the first few layers of your epidermis as well as providing incredible bruises for later. But it was enough: the door crumpled, slid.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 5:11 pm
Inside was the desiccated corpse of what had to have been a rather thin man to begin with, as his dirty clothing still seemed to fit him fairly well. He was relatively ungruesome, as the corpses went.
He also appeared to be wearing oddly thick boots.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 5:16 pm
Nemesis expected it to hurt, she just hadn't expected it to hurt as much as it was. She had moved to stand in front of the coinpurse door, her gaze flickering to Charonite to posture herself the way he had. She had seen this done once or twice in a movie, but that hardly meant that the way they had done it was correct. It was better to do as Charonite suggested.
On Charonite's count, she threw her weight into the rusted door and gritted her teeth against the pain that Charonite had conveniently forgotten to tell her about. She pushed through it, and the door was pushed free. "******** hell," she panted, rubbing at the bare skin of her arm, which was reddened and would very likely be bruised later.
What was worse than having her skin scrapped off and her shoulder aching like a b***h, was getting to investigate another cell with a body. "Must have been awfully cold down here," she said pointedly, gesturing to the thick boots, which she really did not think past a second about.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 5:30 pm
Charonite was already kneeling down and easing the boots off the dead man's feet, trying to examine them as he went. "The man," he said, "was a thief." (And so was the General-King -- he was stealing a dead man's boots!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 6:09 pm
In doing so one of his fingers hit a latch in the heel, and the heel part of the sole dropped open like a panel in a jewelry box: revealing a set of silver lockpicks, unrusted, still gleaming.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 6:16 pm
The lockpicks poured into his palm like fine jewels. Charonite closed his fingers around them and exhaled, just once, standing away from the putrefying corpse and ducking his way out of the cell again. He gave Nemesis a once-over as though making sure nothing was broken, maimed or dislocated beyond repair, but then it was to the keyhole on the door.
In actuality, the General-King wasn't very talented with lockpicks. He was a number of things that made up for this deficiency: patient, determined, and extremely interested in getting out of the room. The click! when the lock finally gave was like a parade of trumpets.
Instead of opening it immediately, he was crouching down to get another rock. Nemesis didn't have to be psychic to figure out what was happening next --
is there anything we can do for you and, after a moment, Elaine.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 6:26 pm
She couldn't believe it - well, she could, but it was absolutely astounding to her to see the lockpicks fall into Charonite's open palm. She released a heavy sigh, leaning briefly against the wall as she felt a wave of relief hit her. They were going to be free of this place, though where they were going now, she had no clue. She was just happy that they would be able to leave this room.
Nemesis followed him back to the door, displaying an uncanny amount of patience as he picked the lock. Hell, she didn't even make a sound until that soft 'click', didn't even protest as Charonite stalled on opening the door to write to the ghost inhabiting this place. They had gotten it unlocked, that was all that mattered. She could wait a few moments for Charonite to have a final conversation with his new 'doorfriend'. "Thank god," she breathed, absently rubbing at her aching shoulder. She was bruised, but certainly in working order, and if she had seriously hurt herself, she would have been happy still, so long as they got out of the room.
"Thank god for thieves."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 6:48 pm
Elaine hesitated for a moment or two.
Give Galahad my love, if you see him.
Then:
Goodbye, Charonite. Godspeed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 23, 2010 6:51 pm
He did not say goodbye to Elaine of Astolat. He just touched the place where her words formed, briefly, and when Charonite looked at Nemesis there was a faint relieved smile about his mouth. It was the first one she had seen in the dungeon. He was not a smiley man.
"Thank god for thieves," he agreed, and with a savage yank tugged the door open and to freedom.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
