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 Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 8:22 pm
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Kaitlyn smirked. "Oh relax, I'm not here to hurt him if that's what you're worried about." she said, waving a dismissive hand. "No. Just curious. I mean, this was your first kidnapping mission right? I thought I'd take you out for a drink to drown your sorrows but . . . maybe it'd be better served in celebration." she said, with a glance to Nicodemus. "Or maybe not at all. I mean, little Nico here won't be allowed to leave until Boss man gets money for him, huh." she said, wrinkling her nose as though her whole plan for the night had been messed up. "Hm . . . maybe you could go out and get drinks for us, huh Crow? Get a drink for your baby brother and celebrate your reunion!" she said, walking over to Nicodemus and slinging an arm over the kid's shoulder.
Nicodemus found himself hunching over from the sudden embrace Kaitlyn pulled him into and he smiled at Kress uncertainly. His brother didn't seem to trust this woman, but she seemed like a nice enough person. "I-I don't mind if you don't." he said, shrugging a bit.
Kaitlyn smiled. "Then it's settled! Drinks on Crow!" she cheered, laughing a bit as she gave Nicodemus a friendly noogie. The kid seemed a bit too trusting for a slave. Especially since he didn't seem to flinch at her every touch, the way Kress had when he first arrived. Even a friendly pat on the shoulder had nearly gotten her arm ripped off.
Nicodemus couldn't help but laugh a bit as Kaitlyn noogied him and he wormed his way out of her grip. He looked at his brother with a smile. Maybe Kress wasn't as bad off as he had originally thought. Not trapped here working against his will . . . but maybe he had found another family? Whatever the case, for the moment, he was happy to be with his brother. And a celebration did seem to be in order.
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Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 10:43 am
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Kress watched the woman carefully as she slung an arm over Nico's shoulder like they had been long time pals and clicked his tongue. He was still frigid, his gaze at Kaitlyn still icy, but the moment he looked at his brother, his features softened once again. It appeared he wanted a drink too. Kress sighed, realizing that he wasn't going to win this argument. Besides, he could trust Kaitlyn for a little while...Right?
Kress relaxed his grip on his blade before turning around. "Fine, I'll go and get your damn drinks, but Kaitlyn," Kress looked back, a gaze of death shooting to Kaitlyn. "If anything at all happens to him, I swear that I will hunt you down and chain you to the bottom of the river alive." The crow said menacingly. He liked Kaitlyn, probably more than he would admit, but his brother was his world and he had just gotten him back, if only for a little while. With that, Kress walked out of the room, leaving the two to get some alcohol.
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Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 1:06 pm
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Kaitlyn just rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know better than to get on your bad side Crow." she teased him, not worried by his threat. She wasn't intending on hurting Nicodemus, so she didn't see the need to worry about it. Once Kress left the room, she waited a couple of seconds so that he wouldn't hear what was going on before she got up and locked the door. Oh she'd open it for Kress, but he'd have to knock. Anyone else . . . unless it was someone who directly affected her paycheck, they weren't coming in. She then turned to Nicodemus. "So, you wouldn't happen to know a rich guy named Alistair, would you?" she asked, her arms crossed with a smirk on her face.
Nicodemus's eyes widened at the mention of Alistair. "You know Alistair?!" he asked. "How is he?! He didn't get hurt from the fire did he?! He's safe?!" he asked worriedly.
Kaitlyn laughed. "Relax, your dear master is fine. In fact, he's the one that hired me to get you back for him." she said, pulling out one of the gold coins that she had gotten from when Alistair had been asking for information about her and spinning it casually in her fingers.
"He . . . he did?" Nicodemus asked, seeming unable to believe that his master would spend the money to get him back. Yes, he'd been treated well as a slave since he was put on the market, but even being treated like a valuable object still made him feel . . . less than a person, and not worth fussing over. So hearing that Alistair was willing to pay someone to get him back . . . he smiled a bit before blinking as Kaitlyn's hand waved over his face.
"Wake up kid. I got plans I need to discuss with you." she said, seeing that he had been pulled from whatever place in his mind he had gone to. "Now, I'm thinking I can get you outta here by tomorrow and then you'll be reunited with your dear master tomorrow night." she said, before looking at the door. "But, and I don't normally do this but I'm sort of a friend of your brother, I'll give you the choice of whether you want to go or not." she said, wincing a bit at the thought of losing so much money.
Nicodemus frowned. "Of course I wanna go!" he said, not needing a moments thought for that answer.
Kaitlyn smirked a bit. "Hm, interesting. So loyal to your master. Though to be fair, with what he's paying me to get you back, that loyalty doesn't seem to be misplaced . . . Still, so quick to abandon your big brother right after your reunion." she murmured.
Nicodemus's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Th-that's not it at all!" he said. "I-I mean . . ." he sighed, running a hand through his hair as he leaned against the nearby wall, only to slide down it to sit on the floor. "I want Kress to come with me. But he won't leave here. He said he won't go back, and I . . . I don't want to stay here. No offense, but I don't think I could be a mercenary." he said, feeling a little bit lost. "And . . . and Kress knows where to find me now so . . . It won't be that bad right?" he asked, looking up at Kaitlyn, looking rather vulnerable, and it suddenly struck Kaitlyn at just how young the boys were when they were separated.
She sat down next to Nicodemus, a hand on his shoulder. "I can tell you right now. Kress does not want to lose you again. I'm not looking forward to the confrontation that will come after I take you back, but let's not think of such things right now. Tomorrow, I'll get myself assigned to guard you, and during my shift, I'll smuggle you out." she said, her smirk back in place. "Now, tell me your story. Kress told me his, I think it's only fair to know both parts." she said, just waiting for Kress to return at this point while Nicodemus launched into the story of having just been sold to his first master and how scared he was, not only having his brother stripped from him, but his freedom as well.
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Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 12:11 pm
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Upon leaving the building, Kress took a trip to the marketplace to grab the alcohol. As he crowded through the mass of busy merchants and house maids, he spotted what he wanted, a purchased it as fast as possible so he could make it back. Kress once again weaved through the crowd, doing what he could to keep his eyes away from the slaves, a few with the same collars he had when he was a child. His grip on the liquor tightened. He was waiting for the day that he would finally assassinate the head of the house of Vermillion. Kress shook his thoughts away, speeding up his pace.
When he reached the building, the man once again walked down the numerous pathways to reach the underground. He looked at the wooden door for a moment, pausing to wonder what he'd find. He was skeptical of what happened between the two while he was away. The crow sighed as he banged heavily on the door. "Kaitlyn." He said in a minimal amount of words, just enough to alert the two that it was him.
((OOC: I'm sorry chibi, I might be busy for a few days -.-; , but I will do what I can to post! ^.^))
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 4:26 pm
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Kress peered at the panicked look on Kaitlyn's face as she opened the door in a hurried manner. He chuckled slightly. He no doubt would have drank the bottle out of spite if she hadn't let him in, but the crow knew better than to get between the woman and her booze. "It always works." He said before looking down at the bottle and opening it, chugging it down in front of her out of revenge for locking him out. "It seemed only right that I get the first drink." He said before handing it to Kaitlyn, implying that she see for herself if the quality of booze Kress got was 'adequate.' Kress sighed as he sat along the wall, already getting slightly buzzed from the concoction. Despite his hard exterior, Kress was quite the lightweight when it came to drinking, which is why he hardly ever did it.
He put his head to the wall. When the merchant said that stuff was strong, they weren't kidding. Kress could feel his senses dull in the slightest before he began to speak. "So, I see that my brother isn't in pieces. Good job Kaitlyn!" The male said, being uncharacteristically chipper in his slightly drunken state. "Thanks for taking care of him. You're so kind. I knew that I liked you for some reason, though that temper of yours threw me off sometimes. And you're extremely skilled! Probably one of the few people who's actually a match for me. And beautiful. It's amazing that you don't have a lover yet."
((OOC: ooo, swimming is always fun. >.<))
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 3:38 am
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((Yes it is. ^-^))
Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow at Kress and smiled a bit as he started babbling on about how she was beautiful and deadly talented. She took a swig of the alcohol, coughing a bit. "You sure you didn't decide to hold out on us and drink before coming back here?" she asked. "But by all means, please continue. My ego likes it. Anyways, I don't have a lover yet, because no guy can handle me. And anyone who's caught my eye has been a bit too busy to really hold my attention." she teased the other, winking at him before she handed the bottle over to Nicodemus. "This stuff's pretty strong kid, you sure you can handle it?" she asked.
Nicodemus nodded as he took the bottle, although he seemed unsure of himself. Like Kress, Nicodemus was also a lightweight. However, unlike Kress, Nicodemus had never been allowed to drink any alcohol before so this was an entirely new experience for him and he wasn't quite sure to expect. He took a gulp, like what he had seen Kaitlyn and Kress do and nearly choked on it. God that was vile! People enjoyed drinks like this?! He spat out half of what he had gulped down, and started coughing as the rest went down his throat. He thumped his chest, the feeling of the alcohol going down his esophagus was not a pleasant one.
Kaitlyn quickly snatched the bottle away from Nicodemus as soon as he began choking, eyes wide. "Jeezus kid! Watch it! That's some pretty decent stuff!" she said, holding the bottle close to her.
"Decent?!" Nicodemus questioned as he got his breath back. "That's disgusting!"
Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow. "You want disgusting, try the cheapest beer at the local tavern. That stuff's just piss-water." she said, wrinkling her nose. "This, is a bit more refined." she said, noticing that just from that one swig that the boy had, his cheeks were already turning a bit red from the effects of the alcohol. Then she started putting two and two together. "Have you even had any alcoholic beverage before?" she asked, taking another swig of the drink.
Nicodemus shook his head. "I mean, Alistair said he'd sneak me some wine at some point, but the chance hasn't come up yet . . . slaves aren't supposed to drink anything with alcohol in it. Against their station." he explained. His words, however, were mumbled. Partly from embarrassment, and partly because with not eating since that morning, the alcohol was hitting him pretty hard.
Kaitlyn laughed. "Lightweights, the both of you!" she said, before passing the bottle back to Kress. "Come on. Celebrate! You just witnessed your brother's first drink!" she laughed out, a new plan starting to form in her mind. A drunken Kress would be easy to bypass. A passed out Nicodemus could be easier to transport . . . The kid would have one hell of a hangover, but Alistair didn't really specify that Nicodemus had to be completely well to be returned to him. Hm, maybe she'd be luckier than she had originally thought. She'd just have to keep herself mostly sober. She couldn't help but smirk a bit.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 12:43 pm
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Kress could only smirk as the woman winked at him. He did kind of like her (well, had 'stirrings' for her) ever since he was a child, but he would never admit it, not even drunk. He laughed a rare laugh as he watched his brother. Forget not being able to hold his liquor, he couldn't even keep it down. But then again, he knew that slaves weren't permitted to consume alcohol. Still, seeing his brother get piss drunk was pretty hilarious. It wasn't until he started talking about Alistair again that Kress began to lay down the questions, slightly more curious about the relationship the two had going on.
Kress took another swig of the liquor in his hands before he began to speak. "Alistair this and Alistair that. Again? Really, what is your relationship? I know you're not just his little lap dog. Are you sleeping with him? Is that why you're so loyal to him? What? He isn't forcing anything on you is he?" Kress drank the bottle down to half and sat next to his brother, slinging an arm over his shoulder, his whimsical drunken state disappearing for a split second and replaced with a deadliness that he only showed before a kill. "Because I can take him out for you." Kress said, pulling his blade before drinking a little more and leaning his head against the wall, half tempted to pass out.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 2:11 pm
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Nicodemus shook his head, pushing at his brother a bit as the other pulled his blade. "No, just . . . put that thing away. He's my friend. That's it. We're just . . . just friends." he murmured, seeming rather put out because of this fact. "He treats me like I'm a person. Not a possession. He's the first one to do so since I became a slave." he said, leaning against his brother, blinking back the tiredness that had been caused by the alcohol. "It's like I finally have a place to call home since Mom died . . . and it's cause of him . . ." he whispered, starting to lose the battle against sleep.
Kaitlyn watched the two brothers start to pass out against the wall, she shook her head as Kress pulled his weapon and she quickly snatched it from him. "Give me that before you hurt yourself." she scolded teasingly, setting the blade down on the other side of the room. Disarming a drunk Kress was surprisingly easy.
She listened to the two before noticing that Nicodemus was falling asleep on his brother. "So . . . what're ya gonna do? You just got your brother back and he wants to return to this Alistair person." she said, taking the chair that Nicodemus had been tied to when he arrived and placing it across from Kress and sitting on it, rocking on the back legs.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 5:12 pm
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Kress looked over at Nico as he fell asleep on his shoulder. It would remind him of the days that Nico would get worn out after a long day and he would pass out on him under the same old tree that was on the outside of their village. Kress would always have to carry him home. He was such a small thing. It was kinda strange to see him all grown up after that. His gaze softened when he began to speak of how that manor was his new home, and that young lord was his friend, the first one he's had since the raid. He spoke of their mother, and Kress felt a small twinge inside of him. He hadn't spoken if her in years. She was a part of a happier time that he no longer knew. He could only wonder about what she would think of what he's become and about how he failed to protect his little brother from the horrors of the world. Surely she'd be disappointed, she may have even scolded him, but she had so much love in her heart. She didn't deserve what they did to her, and Kress did swear that he would kill the bandits that raided their village if they were still alive. Kress's expression turned slightly dark at the thought.
He turned to Nico, and softened his gaze. He was all he had left. He was all he could salvage from the wreckage of his past, and he was extremely reluctant to let him go again, so when Kaitlyn asked what it was exactly that he was going to do, he didn't know how to answer. "I honestly don't know. I can't keep him here. This is no place for him. Besides, Darius will sell him come the day after tomorrow if I don't do something. We all know that man hates losing money. I hate to admit it, but giving him back to that blue blood p***k might be the best option I have. But..." He looked up at Kaitlyn, giving her a resigned look that expressed all of the long years that he had been waiting for Nico's return. "I can't bring myself to let him go. It's just been too long." He said before sighing and leaning his head back. "Kaitlyn, if you leave with him now, I won't do anything, but in the morning, I may very well be angry." He said, a part of him knowing that Kaitlyn wanted him to get drunk, though he certainly wouldn't remember this epiphany when he woke up. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry ahead of time." He said before passing out on the wall.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 9:21 pm
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Kress smiled a smile that seemed to harbor a melancholy sadness. He grasped the bottle in his hands and drank the last of it before watching Kaitlyn pry his brother away from him once more. He simply sighed before whispering under his breath. "Yeah, just another job." He said as he watched them leave. It was only five minutes later that Kress rose from his spot on the solid floor and left the room, making it down a series of corridors to his own bedroom, where he simply pulled off his shirt and slumped into his bed, falling asleep and trying to shake off meeting his brother.
- T I M E S K I P -
Kress gasped awake as he felt the chill of ice water splash down on him. It was a matter of seconds that his reflexes kicked in, causing him to grab his blade laying daftly on the nightstand and point it directly at the one responsible for waking him up in a crude manner. When he noticed that it was simply just another mercenary he was acquainted with, he lowered his weapon before feeling a pounding ache in head, wondering where exactly it came from. The blue haired mercenary raised both of his hands as Kress gave him a look of blatant hostility. He didn't appreciate it when people entered his room unannounced, and liked having to wake up to a face full of water even less.
"Woah, you look like you've had quite a rough night, Crow. Hope you've sobered up though, the top brass wants to see you." The male named Rin said as he soon left the room, leaving Kress both wet and annoyed. There were some times that he seriously wanted to push Rin in a hole. Now was one of them. With a small nonchalant grunt, Kress got out of his bed and pulled on a shirt, stretching slightly and yawning, even though his intense hangover dampened his morning severely. He got himself some water and headed to the main room, where his superior Darius, was waiting for him with a look of impatience and an empty bottle in his hands. A bottle that Kress specifically remembered buying the previous night for Kaitlyn and Nico.
"It seems that you had made a mistake Crow." Darius said as he folded his arms over his chest. "Care to explain this." Crow looked at the bottle in slight confusion. What did he need to explain? So he and his brother, along with Kaitlyn, had a bottle. It was nothing that others hadn't done before, though he never cared to do before yesterday. "The hostage is gone Crow. You let him get away." Kress's eyes widened at Darius's words. "Gone?"He said, as he breathed a shaky breath of anguish that Darius seemed to mistaken for fear. "Yes, gone, and its on your head." Kress's surprise turned into a white hot rage bubbling inside of him. Kaitlyn. He thought as he pulled out a mixture of gold and silver coins and handed them to Darius. "What is the extra for?" The man asked with a small hint of bewilderment. Kress simply glared at him, slashing his sharpened blade through the table the two were at, nearly slicing it in half. With that, he set off to find his brother, though he had a feeling that he knew exactly where they were headed. Kress had heard about the noble family he targeted residing in a villa outside of the town, surrounded by wooded area, and so the crow set off to hide at the very edge of town and wait for the two to leave.
-
Alistair couldn't sleep at all the night before. The only thing he could do was lie in his grand bedroom an think of how agonizingly long it was taking to bring Nico back. He wondered what the other had to endure and suffer through. He also wondered if his hired hand was even successful in her efforts to kidnap him. What would happen if she wasn't? Would the man with the crow tattoo kill them? Alistair stared out of the grand window in his room as he noticed the sun lit trail leading to the house. The anticipation was killing him in the worst way. He had the funds ready, it was in three large bags of gold and one bag of silver coins, a portion of it having been paid the night before.
Alistair heard a small knock on the door as he noticed Alessandra walk into the room bringing food for him, though he only ate a little. He didn't mean to starve himself, but he was concerned for Nico's safety and his patience was growing severely thin. The blonde felt a soft hand on his shoulder before he looked up into Alessandra's worrying eyes. There were times that she seemed more like a mother to him than his own mother did. "Don't worry m'lord. They will come. Growing restless isn't going to help you any." Alistair sighed and smiled at the brunette, giving a silent thank you to her as he directed his attention back towards the window, awaiting the arrival of Nico.
((OOC: I hope that you are okay with the time skip, but if not, I can change the post smile ))
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 10:15 pm
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((Time skip is great! I personally hate having to write them, but that was an awesome one! ^-^))
At first light, Kaitlyn woke up and looked over at the still sleeping Nicodemus. She'd gotten some shelter at a small inn, claiming Nicodemus as her cousin to get the one room. "Time to wake up kiddo." she said, shaking Nicodemus awake. The boy groaned and covered his eyes with his arm, no doubt suffering from a hangover. That alcohol was rather strong even if he hadn't imbibed a lot. "Here kid." she said, handing him some bread. "It'll help the headache, but you're gonna have to eat it slowly." Kaitlyn explained.
Nicodemus groaned and slowly began eating before he even started opening his eyes. Once he was able to shake off the sleep, he looked around. This was definitely not where he had fallen asleep last night. "Where are we?" he asked, looking around.
"On our way to take you back to your dear master." Kaitlyn said with a smirk. "Come on. We gotta beat Kress there otherwise I wouldn't have woken you up so early. He's not going to be pleased with me, let me tell you." she said, making a face. That would not be a pleasant confrontation.
Nicodemus sighed. "Yeah. I suppose he wouldn't be. Still . . . I wish he could come with me. He wouldn't be treated poorly . . ." he murmured, hating that he was torn between his best friend and his brother.
Kaitlyn frowned. "I doubt he'd be welcomed with open arms. He did try to kidnap your master after all." she said, packing a bit to last them the trip to Alistair's villa. "We may want to get some sort of transportation . . . you look a bit green around the gills." she said, noticing Nicodemus's pallor as he attempted to get out of bed. "I'll . . . find a wagon we can use . . . or something." she said, frowning a bit. More money spent. Alistair had better make good on his promise to pay her well.
An hour later, a small carriage barreled out of the city, Kaitlyn in the driver's seat, cracking the whip to make the horse run faster. It hadn't cost much. She'd been able to haggle the price down with a bit of . . . persuasion. The knife she kept hidden in her right boot had done the trick well. "How you holding up in there Nico?" she called into the carriage cheerfully. The sound of retching gave her her answer. Well, maybe she was going a bit fast, but she really didn't want to deal with Kress while Nico was still in her care. The good news was, with the pace they were going, they'd reach the villa in a little under an hour. Not that she'd drive straight to the villa. That'd just be stupid. No, she wanted to make sure she got paid well before handing Nico over. Alistair would have to come to her.
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