Post by Cadence on Nov 18, 2009 11:03:48 GMT -5
(( SO this is totally the lead-up to the Cadence Joins the Kamil roleplay, cross-posted from my blog on WRA.net. DURHUR ENJOY IF YOU CAN BEAR IT ))
It was dusk by the time she found it. The shopkeeper had nearly turned her away, but when she explained her purpose, the old man grudgingly let her in.
"Been here near on two weeks," he groused, shaking his head. "Said he'd pay me within three days, though I'm half-expectin' I'll never see that damn coin." Cadence pursed her lips, following him through the shop. He led her to a thick door, and unlatched it, then huffed a bit as he forced it open. The stairwell beyond was dark, but at the base of it there was a small sliver of light near the floor.
"Well, he's down there. Tell 'im the rent is OVERDUE," the shopkeep shouted, cupping his mouth with one hand. When there was no response, he snorted, then stood aside for her to pass.
The door slammed shut only moments after Cadence began descending the stairs. It jarred her, and she was forced to move slowly, feeling each step with her foot gingerly for purchase. She clenched her jaw as she palmed the dirty wall with her hand; for a moment, she almost prayed it wouldn't be her brother she found in the room below. She convinced herself it would be funny, to step in and see some other poor soul hiding out. Relieving.
She shook the thought from her head as she neared the last step. She could see shadowy movement now in the light that spilled from the crack between the door and the ground in front of her. The scuffling behind the door reminded her of something ugly - a rodent or roach scuttling in the darkness. This, too, she forced from her mind, and then knocked soundly on the dusty wood.
"Who's there?!" There was a thump at the other side of the door punctuating the frantic response. It was certainly a man's voice, though it cracked painfully with distress.
She steeled herself, speaking loudly to answer through the door. "Cadence Greystone. I'm looking for -"
She was interrupted by the door swinging open. There, framed in what little candlelight he had managed to procure for his hide-out, was a tall, lanky man, with dirty blond hair and blue eyes. These ideal features were marred by deep bruises; one circled his right eye entirely, swollen half-shut. His nose appeared to be broken, and an ugly purple mark trailed down his chest, obscured partially by his ratty shirt. He was, in short, a total mess.
"Cadence?" That same voice cracked. Her brother stared down at her for a few moments in stunned silence.
She frowned, brow immediately knitting together. "Erik, what happened to y-"
Before she could finish, he was down on his knees, clutching at her sleeves with dirtied, skeletal hands. "Cade, please," he simpered, his grip finding her wrists. "Cade, you're the smart one. You can get me out of this - I know you can." The desperation in his voice made her skin crawl. She had seen Erikson get into trouble before, but this was something far more serious.
She reeled back, even as he pulled her down, whispering urgently. "They're gonna come for me, Cade - they want gold, I don't have it - they're gonna come for me and I'm gonna die!"
"Wh- Erik, calm down. Get off the floor - what are you talking about?" Cadence stared at him, and the longer she looked, the more she felt sick. Was this really her brother?
She tried to pull away, but he just followed her, crawling and clutching and crowing about bailing him out. "You're so much stronger - please, Cade! I can't do this alone!"
The childhood nickname stirred no nostalgia in her heart. It felt more like a knife in her back each time he said it, until finally she had to shove him away.
"Just - just shut up!" she cried, her voice shrill. It sounded strange and separate and not at all natural. Erikson stared up at her from the floor, a pitiful mockery of the man she'd hoped to find when she came back to Stormwind. He was broken and bitter and she couldn't bear to look at him any more. Cadence shook his hands off roughly, backing up into the wall of the stairwell. She looked past him, into the dirty hovel of a room. It was lit poorly, but she could see a small pallet, a pile of unclean clothing, and what looked to be the remains of a loaf of bread. "Erik, you have to tell me what's going-"
Again she was interrupted, but this time it was by heavy footfalls at the top of the stairs. Erik jumped to his feet and grabbed his sister by the wrist, dragging her into his room. "Shh!" he hissed, pulling her clear of the door before closing it tightly. A rickety chair was placed under the knob as an attempt to bar anyone else from entering.
Cadence stood there, stunned into silence at his behavior. She didn't have to wait long for an explanation.
Erikson turned to face her, finally, hands outstretched as he spoke. He looked like a beggar, and his tone wasn't to the contrary. "Cade," he started, "I.. I got involved in some .. some bad business. Made a few deals I couldn't.. I owe money to a real nasty group, Cade." As he spoke, she couldn't help but think of what she'd rather be hearing.
Cade, I missed you.
Cade, what are you doing here?
Cade, I'm so glad to see you.
"Cade, I need coin. A lot of it."
"Just.. just let me think," she muttered, taking a few steps away. There wasn't much space in the dingy cellar room, but she put as much of it as possible between them. "How much do you owe?"
His response was little more than a whimpered, "Too much." At her sigh, he continued shakily, "..more than I can pay. More than mother or fa-"
"Stop. Right there." She clenched her teeth, folding her arms. "We're not involving
them, so don't even think about it."
His response sounded more like the brother she'd known - a bit sarcastic, with just a hint of the petulant tone of a child. "No, really? Why do you think I haven't already run home to them? I'm not a total backbirth." He walked over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Besides, I wouldn't want them.. getting .. hurt."
Her mind immediately snapped back to what she'd heard in the Slaughtered Lamb, just a few nights ago.
"It's the Kamil, isn't it?"
It was Erikson's turn to reel back from his sister, shock on his face. "How did y-"
So, it was Cadence's turn to interrupt him. "I can't beli- have you been taking their -!" She raised both hands in the air, spinning to face him violently. "ERIKSON JAMES GREYSTONE, HOW COULD YOU BE THIS STUPID?!"
The stale air rang for a few moments with her outburst, the accusation hanging over both siblings' heads. Erikson was staring at her like a hurt puppy - one who knew it had done the wrong thing.
She should leave him to face the consequences.
This was his mistake.
It's his own fault.
He was her brother.
Cadence turned away from him again, pulling her arms tight across her stomach.
".. they're going to come for you here? Are you certain of what they intend to do?" Her voice was quiet again, her throat tight.
".. yes. They're going to kill me. They said so. I.. I thought you were one of them, at the door."
She shut her eyes, and for the first time in years, made a decision without giving it thorough thought.
"You're going to leave. You're going to go home, right now. I'm going to give you coin, and you're going to spend it on traveling supplies and a horse and nothing else."
"Cade-"
"I'm going to stay here and deal with them." She ignored him, looking around the room now for anything he might need. A small blade on the floor next to the pallet. She picked it up and grabbed his hand, forcing the hilt into his palm. "You're NOT going to tell Father, or Mother, what happened here. You got into a brawl and were sent home. I stayed to lend my aid to the Cathedral before heading back to the front lines up North."
"Cadence!"
"You're going to tell Father that, although you failed your training here, you want to train with the guards of the Night Watch. After that, you are going to train with the guards of the Night Watch." Finally, she looked at him, her green eyes locking with his blue eyes. There was no room for argument, as far as she was concerned. "Do you understand me?"
Her brother stood there, knife in hand, staring at his sister hopelessly. "I.. yeah. Yeah."
When he had gone, she pulled the rickety chair that he had blocked the door with to the center of the room, dusted it off, and sat down.
It was going to be a long night.
It was dusk by the time she found it. The shopkeeper had nearly turned her away, but when she explained her purpose, the old man grudgingly let her in.
"Been here near on two weeks," he groused, shaking his head. "Said he'd pay me within three days, though I'm half-expectin' I'll never see that damn coin." Cadence pursed her lips, following him through the shop. He led her to a thick door, and unlatched it, then huffed a bit as he forced it open. The stairwell beyond was dark, but at the base of it there was a small sliver of light near the floor.
"Well, he's down there. Tell 'im the rent is OVERDUE," the shopkeep shouted, cupping his mouth with one hand. When there was no response, he snorted, then stood aside for her to pass.
The door slammed shut only moments after Cadence began descending the stairs. It jarred her, and she was forced to move slowly, feeling each step with her foot gingerly for purchase. She clenched her jaw as she palmed the dirty wall with her hand; for a moment, she almost prayed it wouldn't be her brother she found in the room below. She convinced herself it would be funny, to step in and see some other poor soul hiding out. Relieving.
She shook the thought from her head as she neared the last step. She could see shadowy movement now in the light that spilled from the crack between the door and the ground in front of her. The scuffling behind the door reminded her of something ugly - a rodent or roach scuttling in the darkness. This, too, she forced from her mind, and then knocked soundly on the dusty wood.
"Who's there?!" There was a thump at the other side of the door punctuating the frantic response. It was certainly a man's voice, though it cracked painfully with distress.
She steeled herself, speaking loudly to answer through the door. "Cadence Greystone. I'm looking for -"
She was interrupted by the door swinging open. There, framed in what little candlelight he had managed to procure for his hide-out, was a tall, lanky man, with dirty blond hair and blue eyes. These ideal features were marred by deep bruises; one circled his right eye entirely, swollen half-shut. His nose appeared to be broken, and an ugly purple mark trailed down his chest, obscured partially by his ratty shirt. He was, in short, a total mess.
"Cadence?" That same voice cracked. Her brother stared down at her for a few moments in stunned silence.
She frowned, brow immediately knitting together. "Erik, what happened to y-"
Before she could finish, he was down on his knees, clutching at her sleeves with dirtied, skeletal hands. "Cade, please," he simpered, his grip finding her wrists. "Cade, you're the smart one. You can get me out of this - I know you can." The desperation in his voice made her skin crawl. She had seen Erikson get into trouble before, but this was something far more serious.
She reeled back, even as he pulled her down, whispering urgently. "They're gonna come for me, Cade - they want gold, I don't have it - they're gonna come for me and I'm gonna die!"
"Wh- Erik, calm down. Get off the floor - what are you talking about?" Cadence stared at him, and the longer she looked, the more she felt sick. Was this really her brother?
She tried to pull away, but he just followed her, crawling and clutching and crowing about bailing him out. "You're so much stronger - please, Cade! I can't do this alone!"
The childhood nickname stirred no nostalgia in her heart. It felt more like a knife in her back each time he said it, until finally she had to shove him away.
"Just - just shut up!" she cried, her voice shrill. It sounded strange and separate and not at all natural. Erikson stared up at her from the floor, a pitiful mockery of the man she'd hoped to find when she came back to Stormwind. He was broken and bitter and she couldn't bear to look at him any more. Cadence shook his hands off roughly, backing up into the wall of the stairwell. She looked past him, into the dirty hovel of a room. It was lit poorly, but she could see a small pallet, a pile of unclean clothing, and what looked to be the remains of a loaf of bread. "Erik, you have to tell me what's going-"
Again she was interrupted, but this time it was by heavy footfalls at the top of the stairs. Erik jumped to his feet and grabbed his sister by the wrist, dragging her into his room. "Shh!" he hissed, pulling her clear of the door before closing it tightly. A rickety chair was placed under the knob as an attempt to bar anyone else from entering.
Cadence stood there, stunned into silence at his behavior. She didn't have to wait long for an explanation.
Erikson turned to face her, finally, hands outstretched as he spoke. He looked like a beggar, and his tone wasn't to the contrary. "Cade," he started, "I.. I got involved in some .. some bad business. Made a few deals I couldn't.. I owe money to a real nasty group, Cade." As he spoke, she couldn't help but think of what she'd rather be hearing.
Cade, I missed you.
Cade, what are you doing here?
Cade, I'm so glad to see you.
"Cade, I need coin. A lot of it."
"Just.. just let me think," she muttered, taking a few steps away. There wasn't much space in the dingy cellar room, but she put as much of it as possible between them. "How much do you owe?"
His response was little more than a whimpered, "Too much." At her sigh, he continued shakily, "..more than I can pay. More than mother or fa-"
"Stop. Right there." She clenched her teeth, folding her arms. "We're not involving
them, so don't even think about it."
His response sounded more like the brother she'd known - a bit sarcastic, with just a hint of the petulant tone of a child. "No, really? Why do you think I haven't already run home to them? I'm not a total backbirth." He walked over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Besides, I wouldn't want them.. getting .. hurt."
Her mind immediately snapped back to what she'd heard in the Slaughtered Lamb, just a few nights ago.
"It's the Kamil, isn't it?"
It was Erikson's turn to reel back from his sister, shock on his face. "How did y-"
So, it was Cadence's turn to interrupt him. "I can't beli- have you been taking their -!" She raised both hands in the air, spinning to face him violently. "ERIKSON JAMES GREYSTONE, HOW COULD YOU BE THIS STUPID?!"
The stale air rang for a few moments with her outburst, the accusation hanging over both siblings' heads. Erikson was staring at her like a hurt puppy - one who knew it had done the wrong thing.
She should leave him to face the consequences.
This was his mistake.
It's his own fault.
He was her brother.
Cadence turned away from him again, pulling her arms tight across her stomach.
".. they're going to come for you here? Are you certain of what they intend to do?" Her voice was quiet again, her throat tight.
".. yes. They're going to kill me. They said so. I.. I thought you were one of them, at the door."
She shut her eyes, and for the first time in years, made a decision without giving it thorough thought.
"You're going to leave. You're going to go home, right now. I'm going to give you coin, and you're going to spend it on traveling supplies and a horse and nothing else."
"Cade-"
"I'm going to stay here and deal with them." She ignored him, looking around the room now for anything he might need. A small blade on the floor next to the pallet. She picked it up and grabbed his hand, forcing the hilt into his palm. "You're NOT going to tell Father, or Mother, what happened here. You got into a brawl and were sent home. I stayed to lend my aid to the Cathedral before heading back to the front lines up North."
"Cadence!"
"You're going to tell Father that, although you failed your training here, you want to train with the guards of the Night Watch. After that, you are going to train with the guards of the Night Watch." Finally, she looked at him, her green eyes locking with his blue eyes. There was no room for argument, as far as she was concerned. "Do you understand me?"
Her brother stood there, knife in hand, staring at his sister hopelessly. "I.. yeah. Yeah."
When he had gone, she pulled the rickety chair that he had blocked the door with to the center of the room, dusted it off, and sat down.
It was going to be a long night.
