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| Bed and Breakfast; [P]EKO! Eko! eko! eko... | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Thu Aug 22, 2013 1:51 pm (815 Views) | |
| Lady Eko | Mon Aug 26, 2013 8:59 pm Post #16 |
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Eko looked outside through the barred window as she listened to Rurik's breakdown, features tensed in thought. Her eyes came back to him when his head dipped, peripherals picking up the sudden movement out of reflex. This man was different from the Rurik she'd met in the warehouse. How come? Ah, but the pieces were starting to fit together. This man's story, while more disjointed than Mr. Byers', touched on the same sequence of events. Like Mr. Byers, he'd immediately realized his mistake when forced to perform a simple task: to explain what had happened. It forced them to reconcile their beliefs with objective reality -- two things that were totally in conflict right now. She stood from her chair. "Mr. Rurik, imagine for a second that you've just been stabbed without warning. Run through the stomach by a longsword. Very painful. Whose fault is this injury? In your last minutes, would you curse yourself and think about nothing but your regrets -- something like 'I am so slow, since I couldn't dodge it' or maybe 'I am so weak, since I couldn't overpower my enemy?' But that begs a really important question: was your death really your fault? Why are you blaming yourself when it was your murderer who made the decision to run you through in the first place?" "This city gets a reputation for being very violent. I think that looking at Balefire's violence puts too much focus on force, which is already visible enough. There's another kind of weapon that many people use here, and it's much more insidious than force. Want to guess what it is?" Eko's eyes reflected her intense interest. She knew from experience that leading him to the point she was about to reach would be more persuasive than just telling him that he wasn't a fool. It didn't have the same impact. "Manipulation. It's not much different from force, but it hides itself better. More options, too. You were the victim of a scam that can affect anyone. You started out with a small job from Fortread, right? It was a modest request, short shift with decent pay. Easy to accept. Then the requests after that weren't much worse, either. After all, you had to pay off your debt, and you'd already struck up a friendly relationship with your new boss." Her words took her wandering feet up to the window. Eko leaned her shoulder against the iron bars, keeping her hands in her pockets. The stars weren't out tonight. They almost never were. "But Fortread was a greedy bastard. He made the scam more evil, more inescapable so that he'd have cheap, loyal, passive labor for as long as he wanted, and without attracting law enforcement attention like slaves would. He kept you guys off-balance and confused. Cutting down sleep, food, and water, such simple things, and that's like torture. No one can keep a critical mind like that. Then he could pile on his ridiculous false debts and keep you hooked." It dawned on her: the reason why Rurik had attacked them all instead of meekly complying like the rest of them. His body and mind, running on autopilot, just saw Eko's forces as enemies. Maybe even enemies to what he assumed was his only way to pay off his debt. She was banking on this educated guess, because Eko found herself walking up to him, kneeling down to eye level, offering a tiny, reassuring smile. "You weren't a fool. You were a victim. People aren't fools when they have moments of weakness or desperation. It's the vultures who decide to prey on people, ones that can pinpoint those exact moments of weakness and exploit them, like the murderer with the sword. If anything, it's the Aune black market who are the fools. Not only have they made enemies of me, but now they've made me very angry." |
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| Bloodknight | Mon Aug 26, 2013 9:23 pm Post #17 |
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Rurik watched Eko as she talked through the gaps in his fingers, the unintentional tears beginning to dry up. She was right, up to a point, and it wasn't the point that his reaction to being run through the gut with a sword would likely be to turn around and bash the head of the man that did it. He was responsible for his actions. He couldn't escape that, but there were exceptions. There had to be in law. Killing a man was wrong, yes, but what if that man killed was attempting to kill his murderer? Breaking property was wrong, but what if it was done in order to save another? The punishments of murder and vandalism shouldn't fall on such acts as harshly, if at all. And the methods Fortread used on him, on all of them - starvation, isolation from the outside world, excess physical exertion, dehydration - they were all methods of torture, made even worse because the victims forced many of the punishments on themselves. He hadn't been the only one forgoing meals, he knew. He couldn't control these circumstances. He couldn't control the actions of an amoral man harming others. He could accept this was not the worst thing he'd done in his life. He could start the work of forgiving himself. His lineage, however, forced a higher standard upon himself, even if it went unrecognized here. Forgiveness did not equal absolution. And, as Eko knelt and held out a hand to him, he agreed whomever did this had made an enemy, no matter how weak and impotent he stood now. "And I," he said to her declaration of anger, not taking her hand but not drawing away from it. He realized the glare he'd been giving, a combination of narrowed eyes and near snarling scowl, and forced both away from his face. "And...ah," he said, turning his eyes away again from Eko. "I thank you. For you save me. And the other workers, yes? And..." his stomach still roiled thinking of that building and its stock, but he had to know of its fate. "What of...the place? Where we are rescue? My thoughts blur from there to here." Edited by Bloodknight, Tue Aug 27, 2013 3:03 am.
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| Lady Eko | Mon Aug 26, 2013 10:49 pm Post #18 |
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Before Eko could answer there was a loud knock on the door. The girl straightened to her full height and glared at the doorknob. "Can it wait?" "You have a guest." It was Mohdu's voice. "A Ms. Weber, representing the Brown & Boone Shipping Company." The girl paused. Any hint of emotion she'd picked up from her conversation with Rurik was wiped clean in one conscious-looking breath. "I see. Come in, Ms. Weber." Mohdu sputtered from behind the door. "Wait. In here? Can't you--" He was interrupted by Eko opening the door. Mohdu stood a little flustered, but a few feet back was the person of interest. This 'Ms. Weber' was a professional-looking courier in clean, practical clothes. A satchel was slung over her shoulders. "Come in, Ms. Weber. Join this conversation I'm having with Rurik here." This was not what she had expected. Unwilling to let herself get thrown off-balance that easily, Weber stepped inside and the door closed behind them. Eko introduced the courier to Rurik as a matter of course, then gestured her to the rocking chair on the other corner. She herself opted to stand, keeping her hands resting in the pockets of her nice jacket. Even when standing she wasn't much taller than the hulking Rurik on the bed. Weber eyed Rurik warily, but kept most of her attention on Eko. "We were just talking about my raid of the warehouse at Aune." "How topical," the woman quipped. "That's exactly why I'm here." Eko smiled thinly. "You're a brave woman, walking in here with that kind of attitude. Are you new to this job?" That left her unamused. "You only talk like that because you think you have the upper hand. Tens of thousands of gold in damages and you gained nothing. Might have even cost you with all those fancy explosives you used. They see past your bluff." "If I was bluffing, I would have just sent some cheeky courier to threaten your bosses." Eko's eyes narrowed. "You have no idea who my real bosses are. And they're angry. That leads me to the message they told me to pass on." "Let's hear it." Weber cleared her throat and recited. "Eko Kinslayer, the wreckage of Aune's warehouse is an offense to the highest stations of Balefire. The damage you've done in this raid surpassed the petty theatrics you're known for and have actively damaged the economy of this city. I can no longer tolerate such a threat's existence. This message is not a request, nor an ultimatum, but a statement of objective fact: you and everything you have touched will be reduced to nothing." |
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| Bloodknight | Mon Aug 26, 2013 11:12 pm Post #19 |
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Rurik kept quiet as the woman spoke of her employer's outrage in the warehouse's destruction. At least he knew now of it and its content's fate, and he watched the Ms. Weber over folded hands, biting his tongue all the while. Letting anger rule should not be his way. A sword could arc and cut as it will, but a shield worked best when placed in the proper place at the proper time, not swinging wildly hoping to stop a strike. This did not mean he couldn't be angry. He could be enraged. The point was to control it, hold on to it, and use it like a fine tool. He was far from a master of such wording, even in his native language, but his own anger at Ms. Weber's apparent callousness helped him form his words. "If the wealth of the city is build on the dead," Rurik said softly, as calmly as he could, but underlined with thick iron and steel, "It is best the city rest with the dead, yes?" He kept his gaze on Ms. Weber, forcing himself to meet her eyes, letting his anger fuel his courage even as he felt nausea at the imaginingsof who wished for such a delivery as one that came from that warehouse as well as where it came from. "Ms. Weber, if you count the wealth of the warehouse in metal circles and not other things, then you work in no knowledge or you are one of 'not able to stop' evil." He wished he knew another word, thinking it hyperbole, but once he spoke it, he didn't regret his limited vocabulary. Evil. That was the only term for anyone who accepted the work in that warehouse, and all the work before or after. "You know, inside the warehouse, what goods it was, Ms. Weber?" he asked, remaining rock still on his bed. "You are to know, I think, if you have argue with the destruction of it." Edited by Bloodknight, Tue Aug 27, 2013 3:05 am.
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| Lady Eko | Wed Sep 11, 2013 10:38 pm Post #20 |
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Eko had a very quiet, gentle laugh. Ms. Weber wrinkled her brow and was quick to speak over the sound. "Know your place, laborer. It's your boss's job to think." Her laugh faded to the faintest hint of a bemused grin. "Is that so?" She made it sound like the courier had just given her information. "You sure like to read into things." Rurik, unperturbed by Weber's previous response, continued by asking if the messenger knew anything about what kind of product was actually being pushed. "Yeah, sure. Lots of people in this world have medical issues. We ship to doctors all over Imythess who use those parts to either save lives or make people's lives better." "Ah, yes, I know of the deadly 'I don't have lungs that can let me breathe fire' disease." Eko shook her head. "Don't even bother, Rurik. Once evil buries itself in ideology, it doesn't listen." Weber scoffed. "What a hypocrite..." They locked eyes for a couple tense seconds. Then, Eko said out of the blue: "You think you're on a suicide mission, don't you?" "What?" For the first time since the beginning of their conversation, Eko removed her hands from the pockets of her jacket. As her right hand slid out, it was shown to be clutching a rather large knife, a sheathe that was concealed through a hole in her jacket's pocket lining. Ms. Weber started to her feet, clutching the strap of her satchel. It had been several seconds since Eko last said anything, so the courier nervously added, "How the hell did you jump to that conclusion?" "This isn't how business usually goes... it's always so sterile. The messenger walks in, relays the message, takes a response and leaves. You've tried harder to intimidate me than anything. Not even shown an urge to leave after you relayed the message, and didn't expect a reply. And you're awfully rude." Eko flipped her double-edged knife into an inverted grip, an expert motion she'd probably performed a million times. "That or you're not a messenger in the first place." Eko glanced purposefully at Rurik as she passed him, closing the distance between herself and Ms. Weber. She stepped back to compensate, but quickly reached the outer wall of the room. Her expression took on an audacious grin, but her stance gave a different impression. "Do you really want to die? You're trembling." She cocked her head. "What's in that satchel, anyway? Looks heavier than papers..." No more snide comments. Her hand shot to the satchel's flap. Eko was faster. The building reverberated with the sheer force of Eko's forearm pushing Weber's upper body against the wall. There was a sharp, fast ripping sound in the blur of movement as Eko cut the strap with her knife. She pushed on Weber with her other hand to get back, grabbed the satchel and ran away. "Hold her!" Weber started to chase out of reflex. Eko tore open the door to their prison slash inn room and could be heard pounding up the steps. She kicked open the roof access door and, as fast and as far as she could, hurled the satchel into the vacant lot, her property just behind Mohdu's that was slated for future expansions. Eko clapped her hands against her ears and braced herself. Upon impact, everything became light and fire. The shockwave was powerful enough to hit Eko even from this distance, and the light would have been more than bright enough to fill up Rurik's barred window. The interior of Mohdu's became chaotic. Thugs rushed into Rurik's room to check and see if she was there. A commotion could be heard outside when people collected around a returning Eko, demanding to know what had just happened. She wiped the sweat off her brow, walked past them, reentered the room and calmly shut the door. Her death grip on her knife finally became conscious, so she put it away. Eko's face was stony, maybe dangerously so, as she stepped up toward them both. "There was no collateral damage. But there's still a chance to fulfill your suicide mission..." She cracked her knuckles in careful sequence, eyes almost as wide as they could go. |
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| Bloodknight | Fri Sep 13, 2013 1:33 am Post #21 |
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Rurik shot to his feet for the first time since his nap when weapons became part of the equation. He kept listening to the exchange, but kept his eye on the knife. Eko shifted its grip for a downward plunge, a move far too smooth and unthinking for it to be unpracticed. "Eko..." he said slowly, raising his hands. He gasped when she suddenly lunged toward the woman, his own body and mind too sluggish to stop what he feared were Ms. Weber's last moments. When Eko pulled away, however, there was no blood, only the severed straps of her satchel that now sat in the running Eko's hands. "Hold her," Eko shouted. Rurik's arms wrapped around the perusing Ms. Weber. He stared out the door, where several others in the hallway either tracked Eko's progress or stared in to see the tall prisoner with a flailing woman in his arms. "Ah...Eko ask me?" he gave as a reason he held her; he ignored Ms. Weber kicks and screams turning into bites on his arm. She'd likely be scratching if her own arms were pinned to her side. A dazzling light filled the room. Rurik reflexively ducked around his captive as the concussive explosion reverberated through the building. Rurik hunched, shocked, as it died away and the room filled with men and women with wapons. He looked down at the now still woman in his arms. "You are...to try to kill us?" Eko reentered the room, looking far steadier than one who held death in their hands just moments ago, except for the crazed gleam in her eyes. "There was no collateral damage. But there's still a chance to fulfill your suicide mission..." she said, her knuckles crackling as loudly as the previous explosion in the silence. "Hee, hee!" he shouted, pushing Ms. Weber behind him, placing his own bulk between her and Eko's blade. "Eko! No! You are to stop, to breathe, yes? You are not to..." He paused, his eyes drifting from their glared lock on Eko to the spread fingers of his outstretched hand and the band of white skin on his finger amid the tan. He forced his eyes back to Eko and the crisis at hand. "Wait. You wish to not act fast." Edited by Bloodknight, Fri Sep 13, 2013 4:38 pm.
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| Lady Eko | Fri Sep 13, 2013 9:12 pm Post #22 |
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Eko took a long, deep breath through her nose. Rurik's looming form called to mind last night's debacle. Maybe he himself didn't know it, but he could fight his way out of his "prison" easily if he wanted to. And Eko sure as hell didn't want to fight him again. Her arms went slack and her eyes toned down their murderous quality, replaced with a mixture of confusion and frustration. "I don't know where you're from, but things are different here. This woman just tried to kill dozens of my employees and trusted friends. I've killed for far less. In fact, you're not making any sense -- to you, is the life of one enemy worth the lives of far more, better people?" There was a scratch on the door and some whining that Eko recognized. She opened it, letting a huge black dog enter. Ansha was a friendly dire dog with a big shaggy coat. Eko couldn't help but smile, keeping her free hand on the dog's head to pet her. From her gentle tone it was clear that she was talking to the dog. "It's okay. No need to be worried. I'm right here." Her eyes leveled on Rurik again. "Back away from Ms. Weber. I won't kill her. But do you understand why? She knows things. Things that could let me prevent the deaths of good people in the future. 'Good people' being the important part here." Ansha ambled over to Rurik to greet him, wagging her tail so much her rump started swaying. She tried to lick his hands. "I hate to be dramatic, but this is Balefire for what it really is. Welcome." |
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| Bloodknight | Fri Sep 13, 2013 10:26 pm Post #23 |
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"Why you keep the evil in hold, then?" Rurik said, ignoring the large, shaggy dog for now. Its cold nose pushing against his side made that more difficult. He wished he had his poncho, or at least a shirt. "Evil is not a reason for evil." He straightened, dropping his arm back to his side. Eko'd calmed herself, but this situation was hardly resolved. Somehow, he'd found himself the protector of his attempted murderer. "And Ms. Weber is not the enemy. She is bad, I am bad, too. If you learn not her plan, she is dead, yes? She gain nothing. She is trick to die for the enemy. I am trick to work. Your words to me are for her, too. You harm her not. You learn from her? You ask her." He didn't move, watching Eko and her entourage closely, but he did finally pat the dog on the head, hoping that would stop its constant prodding at his waist with its nose. |
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| Lady Eko | Fri Sep 13, 2013 11:05 pm Post #24 |
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"You and I have very different definitions of evil." The response carried with it a hint of long-term exasperation that belied her young age. She clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, causing Ansha to return to her side where she easily belonged. Eko poked her head out of the prison room again. "I'm switching these guys out. Can one of you stay inside and make sure Ms. Weber doesn't kill herself?" Some muttered responses on the other side of the door. "Thanks. Rurik, follow me." The three of them -- her, Rurik and Ansha -- left the room and weaved through the crowded halls. "Eko! What happened?" Multiple people intercepted her with this very question. Some still had their weapons out. "I neutralized a threat. I'm glad you're concerned, but there's really nothing to be done until we get more information." They took a brief stop into a supply closet where she pulled out the poncho she'd stowed. When she held it up, it was huge and matched Rurik's size. "This yours?" Her small group of followers fully broke up once they reached the stairs to the ground level. The main lobby of Mohdu's Inn and Tavern had a tense atmosphere. The few people that hadn't left were standing, berating the proprietor Mohdu Narang with questions and demands to see Eko. She hadn't realized the situation was so bad out here -- if she had, she wouldn't have wasted her time continuing her interviews. The small, scrawny girl stood at the top of the stairs, cleared her throat, took a deep breath and bellowed out, just loud enough to overpower all the other sounds: "The situation is under control!" Everyone's eyes turned to her. Ansha slipped out of the stairs to snuggle up to Eko's shoulder. She stepped forward to give Rurik some room, too, but otherwise took it upon herself to stare down the entire crowd. That was when the doubt came. "There was an explosion not ten meters from the building, and you expect us to think we're safe? That things are 'under control?'" "How well-protected is this building, anyway?" "You know, I've heard rumors that you're up against not just Lady Nochesce, but multiple Lords of Balefire." "What? No one can survive that. It's just a matter of time." "It's going to turn into a warzone around here..." The dark circles beneath Eko's eyes seemed more pronounced, and her eyes themselves tireder. "Shut up." Mohdu didn't even need to shout; his voice just had a quality that, when growled, made people listen. "Here's some hard thinking for you guys. Maybe that explosion outside the building means that, I don't know, it didn't explode inside the building, and no one died?" "It's okay, Mohdu." Eko had walked past the crowd to take a seat at the bar. "You guys can leave if you want. I don't blame you. It really isn't safe in my territory anymore. And I don't want anyone supporting me who doesn't believe I can succeed." She didn't face the crowd, but a few did seem genuinely guilty about what they were going to do. They trickled out. After some silence, the four of them sat in an eerily empty lobby. Eko's face looked typical. Unreadable. "I thought I heard your voice crack. I'm a little surprised..." Mohdu set down a pint of beer in front of her. She could tell things were bad when he gave her alcohol without any kind of father-like protest. He looked concerned, and his tone shifted to match. "Hey, kiddo. You okay? Seriously?" "Take his order." Eko stared into the murky orange of her glass. The corners of Mohdu's lips pressed down, but he obliged and replaced his genuine expression with a mask of amiability. "What can I get for you, friend? I take it you're not so deadly after all, seeing as the young lady's let you walk around free? Hah, maybe she even convinced you to work for her." |
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| Bloodknight | Fri Sep 13, 2013 11:46 pm Post #25 |
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Rurik didn't wish to leave Ms. Weber alone considering the earlier threats, but the tension felt broken. For now, at least, Eko would leave Ms. Weber guarded but unharmed. People swarmed the hallways in confusion and panic, clamoring around Eko for answers to the earlier explosion. She did her best to calm them as she wove through the crowd to another room, where she pulled out a large bundle of worn woven cloth. Unfolding it revealed thick stripes of sunkissed colors. "This yours?" she asked, handing it to him. "Ah! Thank you," he said, pulling the poncho over his head. The huge cloth served to cover and warm him, reaching down to almost his knees. He'd feared it'd been lost in the rubble of the warehouse. It'd be an impossibility to replace this. He glanced down at his hands, seeing them both bear the white stripe on his ring finger. It wasn't the only thing he couldn't replace, but it was a small thing that helped warm him beyond the woven wool. The main room of the inn was utter pandemonium as people shouted for answers. Eko tried and failed to appease and calm them, finally telling them that, if they felt unsafe, they were free to leave. A few moments later, Rurik sat alone in the room with Eko, the dog, and another man. The quiet still felt full of the dying echoes of the once populous place. The man, the Mohdu mentioned before, brought Eko a drink and soft words of comfort. "Take his order," was all Eko said. She kept her blank face on the beer. The man frowned, but replaced it with the visage of the amiable innkeeper for Rurik's benefit. "What can I get for you, friend? I take it you're not so deadly after all, seeing as the young lady's let you walk around free? Hah, maybe she even convinced you to work for her." "Ah hahaha, I guess not..." Rurik faux chuckled. He was "deadly"? He might have been big, but he couldn't think of anything he could have done to actually be thought of as murderous. He didn't look that scary, did he? "You are Mohdu, yes? I am Rurik. I eat what you have. I care not what it is." His small smile for Mohdu turned to concern as he looked at Eko, surmising what he could from what he'd seen. "I see it is...word..." he paused, attempting to think of a good phrase in Common for this situation. "....jumble....here. I know not the politics and workings of Balefire, but you are in them, yes?" He continued on, his hands folded on the table, wanting to share what he guessed to spare Eko at least some of the explanation. Eko could correct what was wrong. "You are small, but you grow. You hold friends, but you hold enemies. You against lords, I hear, so ones with power. You act with no law, I say I think, but you act with rules. You are strong, but you are not steady. This I see. "Our enemy is strong, to convince Ms. Weber to die for them," he continued. "You hold a name so Ms. Weber is convince to die to kill you. I am to help you, I need to know more." He lapsed into silence, his fingers brushing against the bands of white, and waited for Eko to speak. Edited by Bloodknight, Sat Sep 14, 2013 1:37 am.
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| Lady Eko | Sat Sep 14, 2013 2:22 pm Post #26 |
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Mohdu made a confirming noise and jotted some things down to post for the cook in the back room. He returned to listen to the latter half of Rurik's very accurate and even perceptive observations. Eko almost misinterpreted his first one. She was small. And how old was she, anyway? 18, maybe 19 now? So young, too, though on the inside she felt just as old as this grey-bearded man. Eko stared at her tiny hands as she listened. Mohdu stuck around. It might have looked like an intrusion without context, but this man was actually her most trusted information broker and could be of some use in their discussion. Eko's dog curled around her bar stool, resting her head on her paws. When he was done, she reconnected eye contact with him for the first time since the little debacle in this tavern area. "In Balefire I'm what's called a patron. This is not a real government position, but a status I maintain through my own power. I support many people. I have many tools to do this. The two that most people would point out right away are money and force. I support people's businesses with my budget, and I also protect them from enemies. There are always enemies in Balefire, for everyone, you see." Mohdu set down a plate of hearty Balefiren stew to tide Rurik over, and even gave him a larger spoon to accommodate his meaty fingers. "But in my eyes, there's one resource at my disposal that can overwhelm any others. That resource is allies. Some patrons are powerful because they were born into money, or because they're very intimidating. They don't know what real loyalty is, or that it has to be an exchange--" "I hate to interrupt your big speech, but I think he gets that part already." Mohdu grinned sheepishly at her. "He probably wants to know what we're up against." Eko took a long swig from her beer. "...To win at Balefiren politics, you need to be able to tease apart all the invisible strings of loyalty that weave everyone together. That was where I made a mistake. Mistakes are deadly. I surmised someone's true loyalty incorrectly, and as a result provoked one of the worst enemies. Lady Nochesce is the head of a craftsmanship magnate, mostly lanterns. Unlike me, she actually has a seat in the House of Lords, and it's one she makes good use of, unlike most Lords of Balefire. So many factions are not only loyal to her, but dependent on her, and it's hard to tell which is which. The Lords are... very resistant to anyone growing in power as fast as I am. Anyone who risks joining their ranks." "Do you think Weber's working for Nochesce or one of the Nochescen puppet groups?" "I don't know. She mentioned her bosses in the plural. I originally targeted the Brown & Boone Shipping Company because I thought it was connected to Lord Kelok, maybe Lady Pandev since she's known to deal in prosthetics. Either way, I need to scorch the earth of any major Lord presence in the Western Quarter -- the section of the city where we are now, Rurik." Mohdu looked to Rurik. "I think I should make something about this more obvious. Sorry, Eko. Helping us is gonna be quite the risk for you, ah, Rurik is it? Eko is waist-deep in belligerents. I hate to say it, but this war is a war for survival." "It's fine. Rurik, I'm going to place Mohdu's under emergency lockdown soon. It won't be open to the public, and we'll retrofit all the floorspace into barracks and hospitals and fortify the outside. If you want to be a part of this, even just enough to take down Brown & Boone, it has to be your decision." Eko nudged Ansha away so she could slide down from her bar stool, beer finished already. "I know you'd be a valuable ally, but the costs and benefits of this might not be worth it. I can give you enough money to survive in Balefire or pay for transport out of it, but you don't have to fight under my banner in return. Think of it as my apology for getting you caught up in this against your will." |
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| Bloodknight | Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:51 pm Post #27 |
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The structure of Balefire's governance began to unfold in Rurik's mind as he sketched out the basic principles. Balefire was very different from Istan. In fact, it felt every place in Imythess operated in its unique way. The nobles of the Hills of Mist paid no heed the rulings of the Sultan of Istan, and the Sultan would factor in the Lords of Balefire as much as one would consider a foreign country. Separate lands acting under one banner, but independent as well. It was an interesting way of conducting matters. To focus on Balefire, Eko's and Mohdu's explanation was likely colored by bias, but the leaders were these Lords, most of which were felt to be useless. Others, like this Lady Nochesce, looked to use their power to gain more strength and influence. The evidence in the noble Lord's ineptitude shone in the existence of self appointed "patrons," acting almost like the feudal rulers of ancient history, holding and protecting a territory through strength of arms. Add into the mix the schemes, deals, and diplomacy of modern politics, and one had a fine meshed mess. Their current situation then, was the instability of the young patron Eko. He didn't know her true age, but he guessed it was barely twenty, if that. The fact she was a patron at so young an age, and without the connection a birth into wealth or influence brought, meant she'd have more than her fair share of foes as well as admirers. For now, her strength was in question by both, and there was no strategic reason for those opposing her to hold back. This was obvious, so why did both Eko and Mohdu continue to explain the dangers of staying to him? He waited for both to finish their explanation, scooping the thick stew into his mouth with a rather hamhanded grip on the spoon, swallowed, then spoke. "I understand not," he said. "You say 'if you want to leave, you leave,' yes? And I stay." He ate another mouthful of stew. "It is good. Thank you, Mohdu," he smiled. Edited by Bloodknight, Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:57 pm.
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| Lady Eko | Sat Sep 14, 2013 6:28 pm Post #28 |
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"Alright." "Speaking of which, Eko, I got some more bad news for you." "Just say it." Mohdu rummaged around under the bar counter on his side, speaking as he went. "Our northwestern safehouse got compromised. You know that guy Beaumont? Mole." Eko stroked the soft fur between Ansha's ears, staring up at the big street map of Balefire that hung on the wall of the tavern area. "I guess Lord Kelok has a brain after all... That's a problem. I'll meet with my strategists after I've interrogated Ms. Weber." She glanced over her shoulder at Rurik. "I think they'll be relieved to have you on our side." With a quick bid for him to enjoy his meal, she was gone. As a way of giving himself something to do while the food finished cooking, Mohdu topped off Rurik's glass. "What happened in there, anyway? Did that messenger try to sneak explosives into the building?" As it turned out, that's exactly what happened. "I don't know how she handles this. But don't worry, she won't hurt Weber. She knows that torture is useless for getting information." Finally the chef called out that the order was up. The proprietor excused himself to grab it. Two plates worth of seasoned pork loin, mashed potatoes with pieces of vegetables mixed in, and a calzone stuffed to the brim with sauces and veggies and pieces of what was likely a very large mushroom. The kitchen had been quick about it because there were no other orders. Mohdu kicked up a chair on his own side, munching on an old sandwich. "You know, you're not bad at all. I heard stories. Apparently none of the warehouse workers fought back during the raid... except one. A huge, seven-foot-tall crazed giant who attacked some people with a mallet. Eko had to collapse a shelf on top of him to stop him. Should've killed him, but it just knocked him out..." He chuckled nervously. "From what I've seen, that couldn'tve been you." |
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| Bloodknight | Sat Sep 14, 2013 9:06 pm Post #29 |
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Rurik half rose from the bar, but politeness held him as Mohdu poured more beer into his glass. "What happened in there, anyway?" he asked. "Did that messenger try to sneak explosives into the building?" "Ah, yes," Rurik said, mentally filing away the likely connection between the word "explosion" and the sound and fury that nearly happened in his face. "In her bag. I, ah..." there was no polite way for him to state he wanted to run upstairs to intervene what he feared would become a session of physical anguish for the mislead Ms. Weber at Eko's hands. She'd proven she played by rules, but what her rules were... "I don't know how she handles this," Mohdu spoke, as though reading Rurik's fears, "but don't worry, she won't hurt Weber. She knows that torture is useless for getting information." "Yes...it is true," Rurik said, settling back on his stool. From what he'd learned, torture was an excellent way to get a confession, but it was no means of extracting actual truth. He still worried, but he forced himself to give Eko a modicum of trust. She'd done the same for him when she rescued not only himself but the other workers. Before Rurik could ask more, the man excused himself and returned with a small feast. "This is...for me?" Rurik asked, staring and smelling at more food than he'd seen in one place since, well, since he left home. He thought the stew was his meal, and he'd grown used to small portions foraging on his own. Though it required the clunky silverware that seemed prevalent in Imythess, this was a meal that could actually fill him to the brim. He picked up the fork and used its edge to dig into the odd half circle of pasty, revealing sauce covered vegetables, all of it piping hot and simmering with spices. He carefully retrieved a piece, lifted it to his mouth, and bit down. The taste of it made him dig for more, ignoring the burns that rose and fell in his mouth, his stomach taking over his actions. He paused long enough to realize he was hunched over his plate and inhaling it like some wild beast. "Ah, haha, it is....good," he said, embarrassed, grabbing a napkin to clean his face. "I thank you." With conscious effort, he forced himself to slow down and actually taste the food beyond a few brief moments on his tongue before falling down his gullet. With no one else to serve in the barren taproom, Mohdu retrieved his own chair and settled down across from Rurik, enjoying a sandwich. "You know, you're not bad at all. I heard stories," Mohdu said. Rurik kept chewing, but looked up from his plate. What sort of stories would those be? He hadn't been in Balefire long, and he doubted anyone here would connect him to the escapade in the Hills of Mist. Oh, he hoped that they didn't hear about his debut into Istan from the desert. That would be mortifying. "Apparently none of the warehouse workers fought back during the raid... except one. A huge, seven-foot-tall crazed giant who attacked some people with a mallet. Eko had to collapse a shelf on top of him to stop him. Should've killed him, but it just knocked him out..." Rurik stared, his jaw still. He...attacked someone in the warehouse? With a mallet? He...yes, he did have a mallet, just a small wooden one. He held it when he went to nail shut the box of...the box of - he cringed - nail shut the opened box. But he didn't attack anyone, did he? It was all still such a blur, the moment of revelation and awaking here. "From what I've seen, that couldn't've been you." "I, ah, I am glad to think I am not like that," Rurik said, shuffling the dish of chopped vegetables and pureed tuber about with his fork. He stared at the slabs of seasoned meat, likely pig, and realized they'd be too tough to chop apart with his fork. He couldn't simply lift them up to his mouth either and bite. He'd have to employ both a knife and fork in a delicate, small scale operation to eat it genteelly. He went back to the white mash. "So...you work with Eko long?" Rurik asked, realizing just how lost he was in this new situation. For now, it was better to start with the simpler information. "It is dangerous, yes, to have her home be here?" |
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| Lady Eko | Tue Sep 17, 2013 1:01 am Post #30 |
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Mohdu chuckled nervously as if recalling an embarrassing story. "She saved my life. Up till three years ago me and this business'd been getting jerked around by all kinds of people. To make matters worse, Lord Kelok saw me as a good stepping stone to start pushing into the Western Quarter. His goons raided the place, arrested me for illegal movement of drugs, and threw me in his dungeon. Eko was just sixteen when she helped rescue me, can you believe it?" The man's tone progressively lost its humorous quality. "Not that I knew. She was so tiny, looked half-starved, I thought she was twelve or thirteen." What he described wasn't a rare sight, either. "I mean, it's dangerous to keep holing up here, you're absolutely correct, but it's not like the war is gonna discourage her. This is her home and headquarters now, and no matter what it's much better than how she used to live. She was pretty much a street kid back then. Or at least she thought it was a better idea to hang out in the streets of Balefire than whatever was going on at home." Whatever that situation was, it had to have triggered some of her deepest drives and biggest personality issues -- or at least that was his implication. "She's a good kid, though," Mohdu added after a couple more bites from his sandwich. "Sure makes better conversation than my own daughter." He chuckled at himself. "How about you? You're foreign, yeah? I'm a second-generation immigrant, myself. How far away's your family, girl and all that?" |
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8:19 AM Jul 11

