Blackmail! part 4
[Daniel(#7705)]
The Chief directs the shorter of the two constables with him, pointing at Aleswyn. "Gappy" nods, and rushes over to her, hunching over to look at her, "You alright Miz?" Then he sees the knife, and he backs up a step. "Drop the dagger, Miz."
At the same time, the other constable is directed toward Pierce. This constable, a bit taller, though by no means a large man, approaches Pierce with his sword held with point to the ground. "Mr. Rushlight. You'll come with me back to the headquarters. Agreed?"
Chief Thistlewool watches the second constable approach Pierce, then hears the word "dagger," at which point his head pivots back toward Aleswyn. For a moment, he thinks he is reliving history. His eyes widen at the sight of the blade.
[Alesywn(#21413)]
Still a bit dazed, Alesywn doesn't quite understand Gappy's order to drop the dagger. She blinks a few times, staring up, and though she doesn't hold the dagger quite as tightly as she had before, it is still in her hand. When she opens her mouth to answer Gappy, nothing comes out. Wincing, she swallows hard and tries once again. This time the words are uttered, but her voice is rough and hoarse. Quite the way one might expect of someone who'd just been strangled. "I . . . think? I am . . . alright." The dagger falls out of her grip as she takes that hand to rub her bruised throat.
[Pierce(#32225)]
Silence. The Blacksmith does not respond directly to the constable's query, but instead turns his head slightly, giving him a half a view of the prostrate woman. He frowns slightly as he hears her reply but otherwise no discernable recognition is registered. Pierce's eyes, fixed with a far-away stare are framed within a worried visage that slowly turns towards the constable. His voice is devoid of the power and emotion he carried but moments before. He parrots incomprehensibly the words back to the shorter man, including, and more understandly the "Agreed."
[Daniel(#7705)]
The constable with Pierce nods in response, "Good. Come along then." He sheathes his sword, and holds his hands on his belt, waiting for Pierce to step with him in the direction of the headquarters. At the same time, "Gappy" sees the blade fall, and the woman's choking, and lowers to a knee beside her. He seems still to be looking for signs of serious injury. "You . . . you breathin' now? You need a healer?"
The chief's eyes turn to Pierce as he agrees to the demand, and his eyes relax slightly, before turning back to Aleswyn. He watches passively for a long moment, then speaks. "Help Ms. . . . Aleswyn to the headquarters once she can walk." He has apparently formed a conclusion already as to whether she is seriously hurt. With that, the Chief turns, and starts off in the direction of the headquarters himself, walking ahead of the other two constables. He does not wait to see whether Aleswyn will follow voluntarily.
[Alesywn(#21413)]
A small crowd had gathered to watch the ruckus, as today's scene was quite out of the ordinary for Bree. And of course, the small crowd had gathered even more spectators, so that by the time Alesywn has managed to sit upright with Gappy's assistance, whispered murmurings are being bruited about. Finally, and again with Gappy's assistance, Alesywn stands to shaky feet. Her dagger remains on the ground where it had fallen from her grip, though she doesn't appear to have noticed it. With a raspy voice, Alesywn nods to Gappy and says only, "I . . . can . . . walk." Though as shaky as she appears, that could be doubtable.
[Pierce(#32225)]
The blacksmith stands there dumbly, unmoved.
[Daniel(#7705)]
The constable comes to a stop as he sees the smith not moving. A deepening frown. "Mr. Rushlight. Come along now. You know you'll be treated fairly. Just need to ask the usualy questions, and sort out what happened here." Mr. Rushlight is now quite familiar to the breeguards. Chief Thistlewool has disappeared from view, and Gappy is now leading Aleswyn toward the headquarters, eyeing Pierce as he does so somewhat warily.
[Pierce(#32225)]
The second address seems to do the trick. Almost as if he was asleep, Pierce looks around and shakes himself slightly. With complete compliance, he falls in line behind the guard. A low rumble moves through the crowd though the common questions are "They're lettin' him walk by himself?" and "They should kill 'em now!" The man winces as a tomato hits him in the back, but he doesn't even turn to see it's source. His gaze is still glassy and his eyes are slightly red and puffy.
[Alesywn(#21413)]
Indeed she /was/ shaky, for Alesywn has managed to take no more than a couple steps before she has to stop again. She reaches out to grab hold of Gappy, whether or not he likes her hand on his arm, and takes a few breaths. Silently, she nods her head and starts to walk again, following after the Chief and Pierce.
The Bree Guard House
The Bree constabulary is simple, like the rest of town. Made up of a few rooms which are all reachable from this main hallway, the building's interior is constructed of a light, smooth wood, with paneling on the walls and wood planks on the floor. The ceiling is tall, and high enough to be out of range of people heads, torches are hanging on the walls with metal brackets, no doubt made by the town's metalsmiths. The ceiling comes to a peak, where at one end of the building there is a small hole to allow smoke to exit the building.
As one walks along the hallway, the rooms in the building are easily discernible, as each has a label on the door. Immediately inside the entrance, to the left is labeled "The Hard Work Room." Opposite this lies "Chief's Office." Just past that, on the right, and directly across, on the left, are matching jail cells, one labeled "Cell 1" and the other, "Cell 2." Both of these doors have a small rectangular hole cut into it about 5 feet from the floor, and a stepstool sits on the floor in the hallway nearby.
The door to cell number 1 is unlocked and the door to cell number 2 is unlocked.
The hallway ends in another room, the door of which reads, "Barracks." This last door is dusty, and if one were to hear it open, they'd cover their ears for the creaking.
[Daniel(#7705)]
The Chief awaits the followers. He is standing near the space leading back to the cells, facing the doors. The first to enter is of course Pierce and the constable. "Take Mr. Rushlight to Cell 1. It is only until we are ready to question him. Ms. Aleswyn will be placed in the other cell."
[Pierce(#32225)]
Pierce nods sullenly. The constable moves to open the door for the man, but quickly moves out of his way as he approaches. Pierce stops in the doorway. He sighs heavily and looks over his shoulder at the constable before he steps in. Unconsciously, his hand moves to his throat and starts to scratch the fat scar on his neck. He sits down on the flat bed and drops his head into his hands. Though there is no sound, shortly a few drops of water begin to fall from the man's hidden face onto the floor in front of him.
[Alesywn(#21413)]
Bringing up the rear, Alesywn moves along slowly with Gappy, her hand on his arm.
[Daniel(#7705)]
The door is shut and locked on the cell, and the constable stands nearby, awaiting further orders. There is a long moment of utter silence now. Only the chief, the constable, and Pierce in the headquarters at the moment. Chief Thistlewool waits patiently for the door to open again, and when Gappy enters, followed by Aleswyn, the Chief issues his next order. "Escort Ms. Aleswyn into my office." He turns around almost instantly afterward, and walks toward his office, not offering even a brief glance or word in the directon of Pierce.
[Alesywn(#21413)]
The door to the headquarters shuts behind Gappy and Aleswyn, and almost immediately she is ordered into the Chief's office. She glances nervously in the direction of the cell where Pierce sits, waiting, and moves past it to follow the Chief into his office.
[Pierce(#32225)]
After the cell door is shut and locked, a thick quiet floods the room. The sound of heavy boots on large feet scrap briefly across the floor and then all is again still. A minute passes then the silence of the small cage is punctuated with heavy breaths which slowly turn into quiet sobs.
Terminus
The Chief directs the shorter of the two constables with him, pointing at Aleswyn. "Gappy" nods, and rushes over to her, hunching over to look at her, "You alright Miz?" Then he sees the knife, and he backs up a step. "Drop the dagger, Miz."
At the same time, the other constable is directed toward Pierce. This constable, a bit taller, though by no means a large man, approaches Pierce with his sword held with point to the ground. "Mr. Rushlight. You'll come with me back to the headquarters. Agreed?"
Chief Thistlewool watches the second constable approach Pierce, then hears the word "dagger," at which point his head pivots back toward Aleswyn. For a moment, he thinks he is reliving history. His eyes widen at the sight of the blade.
[Alesywn(#21413)]
Still a bit dazed, Alesywn doesn't quite understand Gappy's order to drop the dagger. She blinks a few times, staring up, and though she doesn't hold the dagger quite as tightly as she had before, it is still in her hand. When she opens her mouth to answer Gappy, nothing comes out. Wincing, she swallows hard and tries once again. This time the words are uttered, but her voice is rough and hoarse. Quite the way one might expect of someone who'd just been strangled. "I . . . think? I am . . . alright." The dagger falls out of her grip as she takes that hand to rub her bruised throat.
[Pierce(#32225)]
Silence. The Blacksmith does not respond directly to the constable's query, but instead turns his head slightly, giving him a half a view of the prostrate woman. He frowns slightly as he hears her reply but otherwise no discernable recognition is registered. Pierce's eyes, fixed with a far-away stare are framed within a worried visage that slowly turns towards the constable. His voice is devoid of the power and emotion he carried but moments before. He parrots incomprehensibly the words back to the shorter man, including, and more understandly the "Agreed."
[Daniel(#7705)]
The constable with Pierce nods in response, "Good. Come along then." He sheathes his sword, and holds his hands on his belt, waiting for Pierce to step with him in the direction of the headquarters. At the same time, "Gappy" sees the blade fall, and the woman's choking, and lowers to a knee beside her. He seems still to be looking for signs of serious injury. "You . . . you breathin' now? You need a healer?"
The chief's eyes turn to Pierce as he agrees to the demand, and his eyes relax slightly, before turning back to Aleswyn. He watches passively for a long moment, then speaks. "Help Ms. . . . Aleswyn to the headquarters once she can walk." He has apparently formed a conclusion already as to whether she is seriously hurt. With that, the Chief turns, and starts off in the direction of the headquarters himself, walking ahead of the other two constables. He does not wait to see whether Aleswyn will follow voluntarily.
[Alesywn(#21413)]
A small crowd had gathered to watch the ruckus, as today's scene was quite out of the ordinary for Bree. And of course, the small crowd had gathered even more spectators, so that by the time Alesywn has managed to sit upright with Gappy's assistance, whispered murmurings are being bruited about. Finally, and again with Gappy's assistance, Alesywn stands to shaky feet. Her dagger remains on the ground where it had fallen from her grip, though she doesn't appear to have noticed it. With a raspy voice, Alesywn nods to Gappy and says only, "I . . . can . . . walk." Though as shaky as she appears, that could be doubtable.
[Pierce(#32225)]
The blacksmith stands there dumbly, unmoved.
[Daniel(#7705)]
The constable comes to a stop as he sees the smith not moving. A deepening frown. "Mr. Rushlight. Come along now. You know you'll be treated fairly. Just need to ask the usualy questions, and sort out what happened here." Mr. Rushlight is now quite familiar to the breeguards. Chief Thistlewool has disappeared from view, and Gappy is now leading Aleswyn toward the headquarters, eyeing Pierce as he does so somewhat warily.
[Pierce(#32225)]
The second address seems to do the trick. Almost as if he was asleep, Pierce looks around and shakes himself slightly. With complete compliance, he falls in line behind the guard. A low rumble moves through the crowd though the common questions are "They're lettin' him walk by himself?" and "They should kill 'em now!" The man winces as a tomato hits him in the back, but he doesn't even turn to see it's source. His gaze is still glassy and his eyes are slightly red and puffy.
[Alesywn(#21413)]
Indeed she /was/ shaky, for Alesywn has managed to take no more than a couple steps before she has to stop again. She reaches out to grab hold of Gappy, whether or not he likes her hand on his arm, and takes a few breaths. Silently, she nods her head and starts to walk again, following after the Chief and Pierce.
The Bree Guard House
The Bree constabulary is simple, like the rest of town. Made up of a few rooms which are all reachable from this main hallway, the building's interior is constructed of a light, smooth wood, with paneling on the walls and wood planks on the floor. The ceiling is tall, and high enough to be out of range of people heads, torches are hanging on the walls with metal brackets, no doubt made by the town's metalsmiths. The ceiling comes to a peak, where at one end of the building there is a small hole to allow smoke to exit the building.
As one walks along the hallway, the rooms in the building are easily discernible, as each has a label on the door. Immediately inside the entrance, to the left is labeled "The Hard Work Room." Opposite this lies "Chief's Office." Just past that, on the right, and directly across, on the left, are matching jail cells, one labeled "Cell 1" and the other, "Cell 2." Both of these doors have a small rectangular hole cut into it about 5 feet from the floor, and a stepstool sits on the floor in the hallway nearby.
The door to cell number 1 is unlocked and the door to cell number 2 is unlocked.
The hallway ends in another room, the door of which reads, "Barracks." This last door is dusty, and if one were to hear it open, they'd cover their ears for the creaking.
[Daniel(#7705)]
The Chief awaits the followers. He is standing near the space leading back to the cells, facing the doors. The first to enter is of course Pierce and the constable. "Take Mr. Rushlight to Cell 1. It is only until we are ready to question him. Ms. Aleswyn will be placed in the other cell."
[Pierce(#32225)]
Pierce nods sullenly. The constable moves to open the door for the man, but quickly moves out of his way as he approaches. Pierce stops in the doorway. He sighs heavily and looks over his shoulder at the constable before he steps in. Unconsciously, his hand moves to his throat and starts to scratch the fat scar on his neck. He sits down on the flat bed and drops his head into his hands. Though there is no sound, shortly a few drops of water begin to fall from the man's hidden face onto the floor in front of him.
[Alesywn(#21413)]
Bringing up the rear, Alesywn moves along slowly with Gappy, her hand on his arm.
[Daniel(#7705)]
The door is shut and locked on the cell, and the constable stands nearby, awaiting further orders. There is a long moment of utter silence now. Only the chief, the constable, and Pierce in the headquarters at the moment. Chief Thistlewool waits patiently for the door to open again, and when Gappy enters, followed by Aleswyn, the Chief issues his next order. "Escort Ms. Aleswyn into my office." He turns around almost instantly afterward, and walks toward his office, not offering even a brief glance or word in the directon of Pierce.
[Alesywn(#21413)]
The door to the headquarters shuts behind Gappy and Aleswyn, and almost immediately she is ordered into the Chief's office. She glances nervously in the direction of the cell where Pierce sits, waiting, and moves past it to follow the Chief into his office.
[Pierce(#32225)]
After the cell door is shut and locked, a thick quiet floods the room. The sound of heavy boots on large feet scrap briefly across the floor and then all is again still. A minute passes then the silence of the small cage is punctuated with heavy breaths which slowly turn into quiet sobs.
Terminus
posted by Benny at
6:15 PM
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