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 Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 2:43 pm
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When they reached the villa, Alistair had no time for rest. He marched into the house and headed straight for the room of the manor, Alessandra, one of the few loyal maids that stayed, chasing after him to comfort him. "Everything will be alright young lord. I assure you that we will return to our normal l-"
"Alessandra." Alistair didn't want comfort. He wanted Nico to come back. He sighed as he looked out of the grand window with massive crimson curtains pulled to the side and secured by golden curtain hooks. "I understand that you are quite familiar with the city. Am I correct?" The brunette peered down. "Yes m'lord, this is true." She said in a timid voice. Alistair figured. God knew how many times his father had sent her to settle his shadier matters. "I need a favor from you. I need you to tell me where I can find a hired hand."
Alistair could hear a deep breath of exasperation come from Alessandra, her timid sweet tone exchanged with a far more serious tone, one that the blonde had never heard from her. "I do not advise this m'lord. Nothing good ever comes from dealings with bandits and mercenaries. You must be sure you wish to follow through with this."
"I will not ask again Alessandra." Alistair said without a moment of hesitation. There was a moment of silence before the brunette girl spoke again. "I know of a few bands of mercenaries that can do what you are asking for, m'lord, but there is one in particular that has a reputation for having a high success rate. I do warn you though, they will require a hefty price from you. I recommend requesting a woman who goes by the name if Kaitlin. She is quite accurate." Alistair could feel the look of worry on the back of his head. "I ask that you send me in your stead. It would be dangerous for you, young lord."
"Thank you Alessandra, but I shall be going alone." The blonde said, dismissing the maid. To say he didn't hold much trust in anyone other than Nico was an understatement. "Oh, and Alessandra? I believe that it goes without saying that my parents are not to hear if this. Understood?" With a small nod, Alessandra left the room, leaving Alistair to his thoughts.
-
As the male in the chair spoke, Kress's gaze seemed to dart back and forth between the two, and he also noted that his superior's patience was growing thinner with every minute. That guy must have a death wish. Kress very well knew that his boss wasn't the type of man to wait for an answer to his questions. The mercenary smirked a smirk of irritation. "Funny, I don't remember you having a choice. You'd do we'll to remember your situation boy. You're a long way from home, and the only thing standing between you and that ruthless b*****d is me. Now, lets try this again. Give me your name, or find yourself floating down the river. It's your pick, but make it quick. I have no use for hostages I'm not gaining anything from."
((OOC: Sounds like a plan ^.^))
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 3:01 pm
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Nicodemus ground his teeth, his hands twisting both in agitation and the desire to get out of the ropes. "I . . ." he hesitated. He didn't want to die . . . but he didn't want to betray his master either . . . but was giving his name a betrayal? He was a slave, odds were they'd kill him anyways, he wasn't of any use to them. He hung his head, his hands clenching. "My name is Nicodemus." he mumbled, feeling rather ashamed of himself.
Kaitlyn decided to head out for a drink. It was a shame that she could only go to the shady pubs, but she couldn't exactly show her face at a respectable institution. After all, she was a mercenary. And the shadier joints were cheaper anyways. Of course, she got what she paid for, but she'd rather have the money to buy her way out of a situation if the need arose. She had noticed when Kress, more commonly known among the mercenaries as 'Crow' had come back to the base, toting another person along with him. "Kidnappings aren't really your style Crow . . ." he murmured, a bit of a smile on her face as she shook her head. She really hadn't pegged him as the type of guy to have the patience to go through with a kidnapping.
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 3:44 pm
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Alistair snuck out of his house under the shade of the night, being careful not to alert anyone of his leaving. He pulled on a few rags given to him by Alessandra, so he wouldn't be a walking target when he walked into the shady pub that he was alerted was the mercenary's usual 'spot'. He pulled over the brown hood of a cloak that he had grabbed, and took a horse of his family's along with some stolen gold that he was sure his parents wouldn't miss and a necklace with his family's crest on it in case he needed it for proof.
Alistair walked into town, leaving his horse on the outskirts, following a series of directions given to him by Alessandra on how to get to the pub. His brown boots made a series of turns down shady alleyways littered with bandits and streetwalkers. Alistair kept his attention straight, his blade and revolver brushing against his hip. The blonde crept through the door, sitting a few stools away from a sandy haired girl sipping on a drink. He glanced up at the bartender, who was pouring a drink for a burly guy far down the line. When he approached Alistair and asked what he wanted, Alistair laid down five gold coins. "Information. I need to find a woman that goes by the name of Kaitlin."
-
When he heard the name the male gave, Kress's entire body stiffened. It's not possible. He thought as his eyes widened as he stared at the male. The face he couldn't place, it very well may have been... There's no way. Kress could barely contain himself. There couldn't be any mistake. Kress couldn't mistaken his brother's face no matter how old he had gotten. There were a thousand different emotions running through him, though they were instantly quashed by one simple thought. But what if it's not him?
Doing what he could to conceal his shock, Kress put on a face of nonchalance before his superior spoke again. "Nicodemus huh? Well, I suppose if we can't get a ransom from you we can just sell you. Crow, watch over the hostage." He said as he turned to leave. "And count yourself lucky that all of your successes vastly outweigh your mistakes."
When the man left the room, Kress locked the door to ensure no one else entered unannounced and turned back to the male sitting in the chair, unable to say one word. What would he say? If this was who he thought he was, how would he talk to him? How would he explain how they managed to get here after 12 years? How would he explain all of the things he's done just to find his little brother? His eyes still couldn't believe that the one glaring back at him was possibly his little brother. Kress's hard gaze softened drastically as he looked at the other, swallowing hard before he spoke in a weak voice he wouldn't dare let anyone else hear. "N-Nico?" He said, unsure of himself for the first time in years.
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 7:13 pm
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Alistair's grey gaze stared hard at the man that was at the bar, who was ready to swipe the gold off of the counter at any moment. That was, before the sandy-haired woman he noted from before placed a solid hand over the money, blocking the bartender's ability to collect his earnings. Alistair raised an eyebrow at the woman. Who was she? And why would she involve herself in his affairs? Unless she had an idea of who he was talking about.
Alistair paused for a second, unwilling to give his business away to a stranger, but judging by the look in her eyes and the pistol in her possession, his life very well may depend on his answer. His dull grey gaze shot the woman a serious look. "I have a job I would like carried out." He said, awaiting a response from the woman.
-
Kress could have swore that he had stopped breathing. Since he joined the mercenaries, the only other people to know his name were his superiors and Kaitlin. The words out of his mouth were proof. This was Nico. Kress immediately unsheathed his onyx blade and cut the ropes loose, hugging his brother with nearly every ounce of his strength before stopping almost abruptly after making a realization. Before this moment, he had kidnapped him, tied him to a chair, and threatened to kill him.
Kress softened his grip before hesitating to let go, though doing so slowly. He regained his composure before looking down, furrowing his eyebrows. A part of him was angry for his actions, and another part of him was disappointed that his brother had to see this part of him, what he had become. A cold hearted mercenary that made a living off of taking lives. He was probably scared. His loving gaze went slightly dull out of fear of what he would think. 12 years was a long time, and Kress had changed extremely. He looked to the floor out of shame. "I never thought I'd see you again." He said softly.
((OOC: The feels ;.; ))
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 8:40 pm
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Alistair's eyebrow twitched in the slightest as the woman pocketed the coins. He assumed that she was Kaitlin. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that you are the woman that I have been looking for." The blonde ordered drinks, figuring he needed one too for what he was doing. Drinking away his foolishness was all he could do to follow through with this. "I need you to find a man named Nico and bring him to me. If you accept, I will set up a rendezvous point. I am willing to pay you triple your normal rate, if you are successful. To make sure I don't squander on the gold, you can hold him until you receive payment." Alistair set a bag of gold coins on the counter. "This is what you would receive in advance. The man that took him had a crow tattooed on his left shoulder, though that is just about the only thing I remember about him. So, are you in?" Alistair realized that he may have been in way over his head, but he was currently out of options.
-
Kress's gaze hardened at Nico's question. What had happened to him exactly? As far as Nico remembered, Kress was simply a boy with a hot temper and ambitions that were too big for someone like him to grasp. Those times seemed like sweet memories in the back of a bitter mind. He had spent his past years as a cold blooded killer, spilling his fair share of bloodshed for coin. Even in retrospect of his past, what he had done... No. What he had BEEN doing was nothing short of awful, and he knew that.
Kress's grip tightened, his throat drying up on him. "I was desperate Nico. I was running out of time and options." The raven haired male's mind raced back to the numerous jobs he had spent looking over the face of every slave he could find, not finding his brother amongst a single one. Tch. Figures I'd find him under these circumstances. He thought to himself, before finally taking a moment to look at his younger brother. The one he had dedicated everything to finding. He looked him over, noting that he was in slight disarray, but he seemed to be doing well for himself, though he disagreed with the fact that he was simply some noble's watchdog.
Kress smiled a genuine smile for what seemed like a split second. It was foreign to his features, something that no one had seen in ages. His smile soon turned into a frown, noting his brother's unease. It was to be expected. He was silent. He was a mercenary, and he had done horrible things. Not to mention that it was something he'd grown so used to that he treated it like some normal everyday occurrence. He couldn't deny it no matter how much he wanted to. Kress kept a straight face, though his hands began to tremble once more. His face went from a doting brother and returned to that of the merciless soldier he had become. "I had done some pretty horrible things in the past 12 years that we had been apart, Nico. I'm just sorry that you had to find out about it this way." Kress apologized, though he knew that he didn't deserve his brother's forgiveness for this.
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Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 8:58 am
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Alistair looked up at Kaitlin before taking a sip of his drink. "Is Nico short for something? Yes, his real name is Nicodemus." He said, simply assuming that it was information that she needed to know to carry out her job. When the question of what Nico was to him came up, Alistair paused for a second. "To everyone in my household, he's just another slave not worth the effort but..." Alistair tightened his grip on his glass. "He's much more than that. He's very precious to me, and I'd give all of my riches before I'd see him hurt. I'm going to find him no matter what, and whoever did this is going to pay dearly." Alistair looked up at Kaitlin with his dull gaze. "That is why I came to you. Are you willing to help me?"
-
Kress listened to his brother's words. The truth was, Kress had stopped looking for his brother the day Kaitlin told him that he may no longer even be in the city. He figured it to be futile, that he was just reaping with no reward. He looked at his brother, his features turning cold when he began to speak of leaving to serve the young lord that he had hoped to kidnap. Kress snatched away from his brother's hand, the bitterness of his years as a slave resurfacing.
"I am NEVER going back." Kress said, putting extra emphasis on 'never'. His anger began to well up like the beginning of a storm, just like it did when he was a mere child. "How can you be so loyal to them?! They are the reason that the village is gone! They are the reason that we were separated in the first place! They are the reason that I'm like this and you're in the situation that you're in!" Kress continued on his tangent. "Yet, even after your freedom, you're still willing to go back and be some young lord's watchdog?! Do you really choose them over-"
Kress cut himself off before realizing what he was about to say. A part of him knew the answer. His brother had never changed. He had a steadfast loyalty that never waived, except for now, when it had to. He looked down, crushed. Kress didn't want Nico to say it. He didn't want an answer to the one question that's been on his mind since he found out that the one standing before him was his brother.
"What is he to you?" He asked, doing what he could to avoid the question - Do you pick them over me, Nico? Kress's features was the epitome of a look of defeat. After all of this time, to have it end up like this... He was hurt, but he refused to mope like a lost little puppy. That wasn't who he was anymore, and he did what he could to keep a solid demeanor. He couldn't, however, manage to make this reunion a happy one.
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Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 1:45 pm
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Kaitlyn smirked a bit, "I'll get him. If I'm lucky, you might have your dear little Nico back by tomorrow night." she bragged. Depending if Kress gave her trouble or not basically. "So, have your money ready." she said, picking up the bag of gold that was the advance payment. She then walked out of the bar, planning on heading back to the mercenary headquarters. Odds were, that's where Nicodemus was. And she needed to come up with the best way of getting him out of there.
Nicodemus stiffened and blushed a bit at the question of what Alistair was to him. "He's . . . my best friend. The only friend I've made in twelve years." he said softly. "And he's not the reason for any of this." he added, his features hardening a bit into a glare. "I could have run with the rest of the slaves but I didn't. He's not a bad person Kress!" he said, starting to get a bit worked up. "Because of him I have a place to call home for the first time since mom died!" he exclaimed. "I'm not loyal to him because I'm a slave and it's my job to be. Hell, he's the only one who hasn't treated me like I'm some possession! I'm loyal because he's my friend and I'd die for him!" He was rather red in the face after his last declaration, whether it was from embarrassment or frustration, Nicodemus didn't know, but he did try and reign in his emotions. He didn't want to lose his older brother again . . . not now.
"Kress . . ." he started over, his voice softer, a bit apologetic. "I am glad we found each other again . . . I just . . . I can't stay here . . . I'm not going to be a mercenary, I can't do it. Please . . . come with me." he said, more hesitant than he'd ever felt before. "Don't make me choose Kress." he said, looking right in his brother's eyes.
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Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 2:56 pm
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Alistair nodded at the woman before watching her leave. It was then that he had silently let out a sight that he seemed to have been holding for quite a bit of time. He did it. He would see Nico again. Tomorrow night. Alistair finished his drink and set two silver coins down on the bar before leaving. As he made it to his horse, he wondered what he would do once Nico was back home. He smiled at the thought of everything returning to normal. He thought of how this whole ordeal would be put behind them and how it would just become another memory to laugh about in the future. He thought of how it was going to go back to being simply their world, where everything was happy and nothing was complicated.
-
Kress looked at his brother, his eyes narrowed. It was obvious. "You hold affections for your young lord, don't you?" Nico was never able to hide anything from Kress. Ever since they were small, he was able to see through him. The raven haired male looked to the side, feeling a bit if betrayal. He really did want to leave. The only unfortunate thing was, if he wanted to leave, Kress wasn't going with him.
"I can't go with you Nico. Even if I had gone with you, I'm not that type of person anymore. This place is my home now, and this is my life. That will not change no matter how many days I spend at that fancy manor of yours." Kress looked into Nico's gaze. He hadn't changed. Not even a little. Kress smiled again, knowing that he couldn't keep that moment of bliss, so he was determined to cherish it. "I'm sorry Nico, but I am not going back."
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Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 5:43 pm
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"Who spat in your liquor Crow?" Kaitlyn asked with a roll of her eyes as she pushed her way into the room. "Heard you botched a kidnapping today." she said before looking at Nicodemus. So, this was Kress's brother. She could see the similarities. They had the same type of face. "And he's not dead or tied up. Anything you want to explain? I mean, the not dead thing I can understand, ransom or some other money-making scheme, but . . . really? Since when do you break protocol?" she said, looking between the two brothers. This was a bit of a difficult room to get into if you couldn't just go through the door. She'd have to search for an alternate entry point, or a weak spot. Or she could convince Kress to leave his brother with her.
Nicodemus was quick to back away from the woman who had just entered. She was a very unwelcome intrusion. "Kress, who-"
"He knows your real name Crow?" Kaitlyn asked, faking her surprise as best she could. She then widened her eyes as if in realization as she looked towards Nicodemus again. "Oh ho! This must be the baby brother you were looking for! Well, proved me wrong, didn't you? And slave to a very wealthy lord? He doesn't quite look the part with those clothes, does he?" she said before going over to Nicodemus and holding out a hand. "You must be little Nico. Sorry if I startled you, but I never believed that Crow would be able to find you. But it seems like he beat the odds. My name is Kaitlyn. I'm the sharpshooter around this place. Eyes like a hawk." she said with a bit of a smirk.
Nicodemus was not sure how to react and in an automatic response, he shook her hand, mumbling his name, blinking in shock. "Er . . . Nice to meet you." he said after shaking himself out of it.
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Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 8:05 pm
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"The same person who happens to piss in yours every other morning." Kress said out of disdain before the sandy haired female pushed through, rubbing in his face about how he completely failed his mission. But it didn't matter. He found someone much more valuable than a trivial target. Kress raised an eyebrow as Kaitlyn quickly put two and two together. She knew that the other male in the room was Nico, and she was getting a little too close for comfort.
Kress walked over to the two who were getting as well acquainted as two could in this situation. He stepped in between Kaitlyn and Nico, gazing a cold look of nonchalance down in the woman's eyes. They were so close that the nearly touched each other, which was good considering the fact that Kaitlyn used ranged weapons. Kress raised his guard, putting a steady hand on his onyx blade. He knew better than to let her pretty face fool him. This woman was just as cold blooded a killer as he was, and as far as skill, she matched Kress with ease. He knew her, knowing that she never intervened on someone else's affairs, let alone his, unless she wanted something. "I'm being serious. What do you want Kaitlyn?" Kress said, awaiting an answer.
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