Closed A Sick Man's Game (Kelski)

[Neras Frostfawn]

Whatever Jaren's guard gave Kelski, it hit her fast and hard. The drug seemed to put her into a euphoric state to where she had no clue where she didn't recognize her own home. Neras would definitely need to buy some of this drug from the old man because he could use it in the future. It was a bad thing to think, but in his line of work, they would definitely be a useful tool in the future. When he was finished tying her to the table, he could tell the woman was completely out of it. The longer he talked to Darvin, and the stupid look on his face, the rogue wondered if he was hitting his own stockpile of liquid happiness too. The old guard did have a good suggestion about using Jaren's personal stash of booze to sterile the instruments, and he suggested using her jewel equipment to bowl water. Surprising, he was quite helpful in his state. Neras looked at Darvin and said with a smile, “Don't get to wasted Old Man. I don't need you hurling up all over the floor...” Neras knew that he was in a bad situation with Jaren Joander, but if he could get good with his guard than maybe he could gain a ally in the future. The old man seemed like he must have seen some shyte in his days, and he could use some advice to get ahead in the organization. The rogue saw the old man as a opportunity, so he would just test the waters with him. He figured if he started joking with him than they can get to talking later. Walking over to the small forge, the rogue saw some wood in a holder on the floor, so he put kindling into the forge, found a piece of paper rubbish in the waste bin, and placed it on top and under the kindling. Looking around for the flint and steel, he struck the flint on the steel and the sparks lit the paper rubbish on fire. He blew onto the paper till it caught on fire. He waited till the kindling started on fire to put on of the logs on it. He waited a few minutes for his fire to catch than he placed another log onto the fire. Nodding, the rogue figured it was safe to leave Kelski with the old man, so he left the room and walked over to Jaren bar. He looked at the alcohol and saw that he had quite a array alcohol. He figured the cheep shyte was on the bottom shelf, so he grabbed one of the clear alcohol bottles and two glass tumblers. Walking back to the room, he placing pouring the clear alcohol into both of the tumblers. He grabbed the bowl of ornaments and let them soak into the alcohol. When he returned, he poured some of the water into the cleanest crucible and placed it on the forge to boil after flatting the coils. Kelski seemed like she wanted to talk to him, so he walked over to her and looked down at her pretty face. She confessed that she was sorry, warned him doing things for Jaren, and about how she wants to fly, but the piercings will stop her from flying. Guilt started to wash over his face as he looked at the kelvic woman, he reached down brushed a piece of hair from his forehead and said gently, “You don't have to be sorry. You are the victim here. I should be apologizing for my comments earlier. I was wrong in telling you that you should become one of us because yes, we are ugly, and you are not, and I am jealous that you can stay true to yourself in all this ugliness.” Bending down, he whispered in her ear, so Darvin could not hear, “These ornaments are only temporary, and they can always be taken out of your body. You need to be strong and keep hope alive to endure these shackles. I believe one day. You will fly again, and I hope one day that I will get to see you spread your wings and take flight.” Standing up from her, Neras wanted to slap the old man after what he said to the frightened kelvic, but he buried his feelings deep in his stomach as he put the instruments into the boiling water. He poured some cold water into another clean crucible. He only left them in the hot water before he used a tongues to take them out of the boiling water. Without looking at her, he asked out loud to Kelski, “How you feeling, Kelski? Do you feel comfortable?” He was checking if the effects of the drugs were wearing off on the poor slave girl. When the instruments were cool enough he placed them in the other tumbler with the alcohol, he grabbed the straight needled poker and the round nose ring. Leaning over staring into dark greenish brown eyes, he ordered Darvin without looking at him, “Time to make yourself useful Old Man. Hold her head.” Placing the sharp needle on one nostril, he said to her softly, “If you don't believe anything from me, believe me that I don't want to do this to you.” He slowly slid the needle through the center of her nose from the right to left. Carefully, he pulled it out, and he placed it in the tumble with the alcohol. He quickly placed the wet ring to the newly made bloody hole and slipped the ring ornament through it.

[Kelski]

Darvin grinned. “Hurling on the floor is a waste of good booze, son.” He said with a toothy grin, his whiskers parting a bit. The big guard was powerful, even though he hid his strength behind an overgrown beard and long roguish hair. Said hair was caught back in a ponytail and his beard had what he considered quite a fetching braid in it. Several glass beads he’d acquired from Kelski dangled where it was tied off. All and all, Darvin looked like he was headed out to hit the town. His linen shirt was open at the throat and halfway down to his navel, revealing his ripped chest, even for someone of his age. There was a great deal of white in his beard, most of his deep mahogany locks having gone grey a long time before.

The older man paced the length of the table, watching Neras get going on the project. Darvin immediately grabbed up the bottle Neras abandoned after pouring two tumblers and tsked a bit. “His good stuff. He won’t be happy.” He said, then took a pull on the bottle as he leaned a hip against the worktable where the Kelvic was stretched out. “You’re racking up the shytehouse score with Jaren, you know that right?” He said, chuckling slightly, taking another long pull from the bottle.

He listened to Neras comfort the girl and shook his head. “Don’t give her false hope. She’s nothing in the scheme of things here. And she doesn’t have the training to be anything more. Words won’t keep her alive. If you want her alive, teach her strength, not coddler her with reassurances you can’t follow through with. In this city, the only strength is through your wits and your blades.” Darvin said, walking around the table to get a better look at what Neras was doing.

He watched with interest as Neras carefully purified everything before working on the girl’s flesh. “Do you have any artistic capabilities? The Sun’s Birth could use a good tattooist. They generally handle things like piercings too. Good money in that, Neras, especially down by the docks. I could supply you with good drugs for it too, so no one ever gets anything but a high from your work. You should start sketching. You have a steady hand.” He added, complimenting the boy in his round-about way. He was actually learning something as the boy worked on the Kelvic, who was lying still and floating, her eyes glazed. She’d long since ceased talking, and he reached out to give her a pat.

“She’s a good girl. Better than Jaren deserves. I’m surprised he picked her up. He usually surrounds himself with whores.” He added, touching the girls hair once more. Darvin seemed to have a thing for it, which became evident when he wasn’t paying attention to Neras and had took perhaps one too many pulls on the bottle… which was now almost empty.

Darvin was a high functioning drunk though. He seemed to get nicer with more booze in him and definitely more talkative. “Yea… you’re gonna get a shytestorm from Jaren when he sees that vase broken. It was one of his favorites. And if he seems the bruises on her back that it is going to leave, you’ll have it worse. I suggest doing a very good job with this.” He added, gesturing down at the Kelvic.

Then he reached into the pocket of his leather pants and pulled out a folded parchment. It had another diagram on it. “Jaren thinks ahead. He plans for all scenarios. That’s what makes him good at being what he excels at; lazy.” Darvin said, unfolding the paper and smoothing it out. “He had me hold onto this in case she misbehaved. It’s more piercings. He didn’t think you had the sack for it though so he told me to do it if you couldn’t.” He added, leaving the diagram on the far side of the table and reaching out to hold Kelski’s head.

The Kelvic was unresponsive now, her lips parted and her breathing shallow. A trickle of drool slipped from the corner of her mouth and her pale steel grey eyes stared at something unseen to the two men at the level of the ceiling.

Darvin snorted when Kelski didn’t answer Neras’ question. “She’s petching comfortable, boy. I’m just that good at what I cook up. Besides, I’ve tested it on her before. She’ll be out a good bell or two… a lot longer than you need to get all this done plus the new ones.” He said, watching Neras do the nose piercing. “Very pretty. Jaren will like it a lot once it heals and he can get her to make some gemstones to hang from it.” He said, taking another pull at the bottle while Neras worked on more piercings. It was vaguely disturbing to him that he wanted his Kelvic hung with so much metal, but she wasn’t his business, not really.

When Neras was done with the nose ring, he released the girls head. She wasn’t going anywhere anyhow.

“I think this is a bit excessive, personally. A nice set of earrings, and maybe a ring through her eyebrow might have been enough. I know Jaren’s a little enamored with a new whore over at his favorite establishment whose got a lot of piercings, so I suspect he’s trying to model that. But the man doesn’t know limits. Everything he does is overkill.” Darvin said, picking up a set of four of the rings in Neras’ tray and then one of the needles that made the initial holes. “Her punishment is four more piercings… it could have been worse.” The older guard said, walking down the length of the Kelvic with one of the needles he’d dipped in alcohol. He unfastened the belt on her robe and parted it, revealing the rest of her torso, and pushing it to expose her breasts.

“Gods curse it…. “ Darvin said, grinning up at Neras. “Every time I see her without clothes I get rock hard, even at my age.” He laughed, and ran a rough hand down Kelski’s torso, like he was petting a favorite dog. “I assume you want me to do these four… now that I’ve watched you… I ain’t boiling things, but the alcohol will do well enough.” He said, his big dark hand a sharp contrast to Kelski’s nearly white flesh. He hadn’t showed Neras the diagram, specifically, but from where Neras stood he could see a whole-body outline and X’s marking four spots.

“Lad, I have some advice for you to survive Jaren. You have to understand how he thinks. He’s lazy, boy… so incredibly lazy. You know since The Sun’s Birth has had Jaren in charge of a few things, we’ve lost territory? You know why? Jaren was responsible to watch over it and didn’t want the hassle. That’s why that whole gated community is gone now. And what was he rewarded with? Same pay, same status, and all he has to do is manage The Barracks. Now he wanders around here like he’s some sort of King and we jump to do his bidding. All he has to do is have someone nail a board here and there to replace a rotting wall, and his daddy is puffed up proud.” Darvin said, as he reached out, setting the rings in the hollow of Kelski’s breastbone and ran a thumb around her navel. He pinched the skin of her indented belly button and shoved the big needle through it. Laying the needle aside, he ran a ring through it and fastened it. Stepping back, he surveyed the single drop of blood and laughed.

“This ain’t hard. Maybe I’ll go into business for myself.” He added, retrieving the needle, leaving the rings where they were, and wandering over to dip it into the alcohol again. He returned and before Neras could say anything, he had one of the Kelvic’s nipples pulled taught and was running the needle through. He did them both then with a wicked grin on his face he looked at Kelski and asked… “Should Darvin kiss them better? Oh yea… yea? Well, since you insist…” The Guard said and bent down, nuzzling first one then the other with a rolling laugh. Teeth flashed and to the right of her left breast, he sank his teeth deep into her flesh, leaving a mark. “Don’t worry little bird, its just my trademark that Darvin was here…” He said, taking another pull from the bottle.

There was one ring left. Darvin hoped Neras had been busy while he had been, otherwise this was going to take all day. “So Neras, heed me well. Jaren won’t let you live if you get in the way of his laziness. I’m serious about that. You do for him so he has to do as little as possible, and he’ll shower you with favors and you’ll rise in the ranks quickly.” The older man said as he pushed open Kelski’s legs. He was fiddling with the hood of flesh concealing her sex for a moment and then seemed to nod. He tipped the bottle he’d brought with him over the flesh, holding the needle in the stream of red port and nodded to himself before skewering the flesh there too. He stayed away from anything too sensitive, threading the ring through excess skin and nothing more. He grinned up at Neras. “I bet she tastes mighty nice all dripping with this port.” He said, brandishing the bottle slightly and laughing. “Think Jaren uses her?” He asked, having himself a good look at Kelski’s flesh. He moved closer, bringing his hand up the inside of her thigh. He parted her now slightly bleeding flesh once more and slipped a long digit slowly and gently inside.

A grin split his lips. “Ain’t what I thought.” He said, using his free hand to take another pull from the bottle. He was lingering a little longer inside the Kelvic than a cursory exam merited. “She’s known men alright. But not for a while. Tight as a boy’s ass.” He said, sliding his thick-knuckled finger out of her, then gave her white thigh a sort of playful pat. “Jaren ain’t doing shit, but we could and he’d never know.” He said with a grin and saluted Neras.

“You about done? I did all your hard work south of the boarder here.” He asked then laughed, suddenly paying attention to what Neras was doing at Kelski’s head and mentally comparing it to what Jaren’s diagram had said. “We really need to plan what we are going to do to negate Jaren’s wrath at you for breaking his vase. I have some ideas if you want to hear them.” Darvin said with a grin, doing the unthinkable. He brought his finger up to his mouth and ran his tongue down it, grinning slightly. It was the same finger he’d used to violate the Kelvic.

Kelski hadn't even flinched the whole time, her eyes still staring vacantly at the ceiling and her lips slightly parted in a slight grin of the completely and utterly wasted.

[Neras Frostfawn]

Neras listened to everything that the old man told him before he held Kelski's head. It was sound advive, but he decided to let the old man share his wisdom before he interrupted him. Picking up another ring out of the alcohol, Neras grinned at the old man when he made the snarky comment of wasting good boozes on the floor. He looked at the man who clearly older than him three times over. However, he didn't look like he was giving into his old age. To Neras, he was physically fit man who looked like he could break the youth in half if he gave the old man to much sass. He wasn't going too, but it would be insanely stupid of him to do it, but he wasn't going to be a doormat either. He noticed in his short time in the Sun Births that being in a gang isn't just abilities.

Also it the ability to keep up appearances and a persona. To Neras, the old man might be a lush, but he had the appearance of a seasoned gang member. When the old man said something about his standing with Jaren, Neras said simply, “I wasn't expecting my first task in our gang was to “pretty up” his favorite pet. I think her pretty face and my inexperience with slaves got the better of me. I mean petch if she was free! I would be the first person in line to ask her to dance.” Neras lets out a deep breath and said with a nod, “I am fully aware of the shyte that I am stepping in with the Marshal, but I will not be a door mat for him to walk on either. I will accept my punishment and wear it with pride. I just need to learn to play the game better...”

Dipping the metal needle part of the tool in the alcohol to sanitize it, he better down and gently pushed the needle through her left nostril. Pulling it out, he guided the ring through the hole. He heard what the old man said about not giving her false hope and teach her strength. He was trying to do it when he tried to convince her to adapt to her new surroundings. Standing up, he tipped the tip of the tool in the hot water and said to old man, “Before the girl ran, I told her that she needed to adapt and embrace the life in Sunberth if she was going to survive.” Taking the tool out of the hot water, he put into the cup of alcohol and continued, “She called me ugly like everyone else in the city. It kind of ticked me off a bite. Anyways, you or I could teach her physically strength to protect herself, but she need to hold onto a little flame of hope otherwise we could find her face down on the floor with her wrists split open. I am sure you don't want to be the man cleaning up that mess.”

Picking up a his tool, Neras lifted her upper lip and noticed the inside of her mouth was completely black. He never seen anything like it before. She was definitely not human, but he had to admit to himself that he didn't care. He would still dance with her. Lifting her lip, he pushed the sharp tip of the needle through the black tissue underneath her lip till it emerged through the center of her lip underneath the nose. When he mentioned that he had artistic ability, and he could make money at the docks doing piercings and tattoos. Pulling out the sharp tool, He smiled slightly to himself and said with a nod, “My mother said that her family had blood of artists running through their veins, so maybe one day I should explore it...” When he suggested that he could supply the drugs. He chuckled to himself and said, “Yes, I will try it one day. My mother never had the money to by me much of anything. Let alone art supplies. Maybe if I make some money here. I could supplies for sketching.” Looking at the old man, he asked with a serious look on his face, “By the way, you seem to make pretty good drugs. Why aren't you a benefactor for the Sun Births? Your drugs will fetch a lot of coin in the street. You could make a small fortune in no time. It a better gig than babysitting a delinquent and a slave.”

Picking up the to metal stud, Neras pushed the sharp end through the hole and placed the backer over the end of sharp end of the stud. He listened to old man talk about Kelski that Jaren normally surrounded himself with whores. The delinquent looked at the drugged slave girl, and the very thought of Jaren touching her made him angry, but he hide the anger behind a croaked smile. The delinquent decided to be blunt, “Do you really think that she will be safe for long with a face like hers? These decorations are a prelude to the dick. It will just a matter of time even if he afraid of her black tissues.” Looking at the old man, Neras knew that he was in trouble, so he just let it fly, “I am sure the marshal didn't get where he was by his father alone. I am sure, he intelligent, but he must be complete petching moron to think his dick will fall if he lays with her. Hopefully for her sake, he never realizes his idiocy was a mistake.”

The old man started warning him again that he was in a world of trouble from the pompous arsehole. Neras was already aware of the laundry list of crimes that he committed against the rich bastard. When he told him that Jaren planned ahead for Kelski misbehavior, he frowned to himself as he picked up the tool The delinquent said with a nod, “I understand what you are saying. He didn't get to position by being careless or stupid...” Picking up the diagram, he wrinkled his forehead at the piercing in her tender regions, and he said with a shake of his head, “This just proves my point that he will petch her sooner than later. Nobody jewels up a crotch if they don't want somebody to see it. He was right. I have to much of a moral code to do it...”

He shook his head and tossed the paper on the table by the graying old man in disgust. He knew that he had to much respect for woman to pierce her genitals without permission, but the old man was content with staying on Jaren's good side, so he would do it without a second thought. Neras decided to joke, “We both know Jaren will not be dishing out the punishment for me, so when you dish out the punishment, could you stay away from my man parts. I would do the same for you if it ever came to it. It request ask out of respect for another fellow Dragoon...”

Neras smiled at the old man when he cursed the gods about fighting back the urge to be excited looking at her naked body. He focused on his project because he promised her that he would not violate her dignity. Besides if she asked him who pierced her crotch, he would just say the perverted old man. As he put the needle into Kelski right earlobe and pulled it out. He placed the metal stud into it and placed the backing onto it. Rising the tool in the alcohol, he looked at the slaves pretty face and placement of the first stud. He brushed back her black hair to see her left earlobe. Finding the right stop, he gently plunged the needle into her ear and removing the tool. He put the other stud through the bloody hole.

Neras listened to old man as he gave him advice about Jaren and the part that he played into the downfall of gated community the Sun Births. His mother Aleria wanted him to join them from the time that she brought him to Proving Grounds years earlier. She believed that they could make this city into a better place for her and her son, but as Kelski said everything good dies on this corpse of city. He joined them because his mercenary band was killed months before. He needed a home to eat and sleep peacefully for the night. His mother dream of joining the Sun Birth was shattered by a lazy good fore-nothing. It was poetic in a cruel sort of way. He listened to old man warn him about Jaren, and he listened intently because he was the Marshal that he would ultimately take orders from. The boy washed off his tool and said to Darvin, “When I was a boy, my mother took me to the Proving Ground. She wanted to show me the Knights of Sunberth as she called Sun Births before your order fell.” Picking up his tool, he walked over to kelvic gently grabbed hold of her ear and slowly plunged the needle into her delicate skin. He said without looking at him, “A lot of the normal Dusters in Sunberth believed in your gangs intentions to help the city. My mother was one of them. I could have joined any of the three gangs, but I choose to join you because she always wanted me to be apart of something greater than myself. Now I know Kelski was right...”

Delicately sliding the stud through the cartridge, Neras was silent as he repeated the procedure on the other ear. He put the stud in the upper ear. The boy watched from the corner of his eye the old pervert molest the helpless slave. He knew that he wasn't in the position to stop him, so he looked at her face and said quietly to her, “I not sure if you can hear me. Don't let this city quench your fire. Hold onto it. Nurture it. It will help you survive. Like it helped me...” When he asked Neras if he wanted too have a go with Kelski, he hid his disgust with a smile, “It ain't my style, Old man. If I want a woman, I would ask her to dance, or I would pay for a whore. Besides, her new rings would tear the shit out of your old wrinkled cock..I wouldn't try it..”

Neras had two more rings left, so he grabbed the right ear again, moved the needle up the soft lobe till it met the cartilage, and plunged the needle into her soft tissue. He pulled it out and quickly put a metal stud into the hole. He repeated the procedure on the left ear. When he was done, Neras looked for some clean rags, and he dipped the rags into the hot water. He handed one to old man and said, “You should clean up your handy work otherwise Jaren will be displeased if she gets sick. By the way, what is your name?”

While Neras cleaned up the blood from Kelski face, he started to feel horrible for what he done to the kelvic. He knew that he didn't have a choice, but she was helpless, and it wasn't a job a former mercenary should do. When he was finished, he listened to the old man talk about getting him out of the punishment. He said with a smile, “Honestly, I will listen to any idea that will save my arse. Besides, you have better things to do than punish a teenager...”

[Kelski]

“That’s where you make your mistake, Jinx…. Is that what you want to be called? Shit… you kids and your pretentious titles.” Darvin said, chuckling as he took another pull of the wine bottle. “You ain’t that much different than her. Shyte, I ain’t either. She wears a collar openly, but we have them on too. They are just invisible and sometimes stifling. Jaren owns us as much as he owns this pretty little thing. He asks us to do something, we do it. And we do it in a way that it just gets taken care of. If something is bothering him or causing him a hassle, we make it go away.” He said, chuckling as he stroked Kelski’s bare thigh and glanced over her body at Neras.

“Take this here Kelvic. The more I know her, the more I see she’s not a little bird, even though that’s what I call her. She has a penchant for raw meat. Do you know she hunts The Barracks and kills rats and mice when she can get a hold of them and eats them raw? That tells me she’s a raptor of some sort. Jaren’s wasting her as an ornament and a jeweler. Sure, she does good jewelry work, but I’m training her to fight. She takes to it like a duck to water. Thing about raptors, if you’ve ever done any falconry, is that they are loyal to those that feed them. Mark my words, she’ll protect him someday when he’s too drunk or high to protect himself. Or maybe she’ll guard his back when he’s caught with his pants down and his staff buried in a pretty whore. Then he’ll want to know how that happened and there I’ll be… stepping forward telling him about how much time I spent training her.” Darvin said, studying Neras.

“If you want to succeed here, Jinx, you need to find that thing you do that makes Jaren look good and fills his pocket with coins. I’ll never be a benefactor. Fact is I do make a great deal of coin selling what I make here. But it doesn’t go into Sun Birth’s pockets. It goes into Jarens. Why do you think I parade this pretty little piece of meat around? It gives me an excuse to make my deliveries. I cook his drugs, sell them, and give him a huge cut of it. He lets me toy with his pet and teach her as I will. As long as his life is easy, Jinx, my life is easy. He gets rich. I get rich. And I’m pretty rich right now. The same thing works for you. Breaking his vase… that’s bad news. But you need to present him with something I know he wants more than that vase and give it to him the moment you tell him about the vase. It won’t get you out of trouble, but it will lesson the blow. It just happens I have something like that… I acquired it as payment for some work I did on the side. It’s a goddess statue…. and it can be yours to use in the way I say use it… in exchange for an unnamed favor sometime in the future. Jaren wants it bad. I was saving it for an emergency since I’ve had it half a season now, but … for you Jinx I’ll go out on a limb. Seems you have just such an emergency and I have several other things that should be coming in soon to replace it.” He said gently, chuckling down as he glanced at Kelski.

Her eyelids were blinking and now that they were both done, she seemed to be slightly coming off the drug. Too quickly, he thought, and decided he might need to cut down on using her for testing. He’d been giving her a lot lately and it wasn’t effecting her as long as it should have.

“I could front you some coin for art supplies, Jinx, if that’s what you want. Tattoo needles and inks too. Seems like Jaren’s got enough of these needles you can probably filtch one or two if you want. That’d not be a favor, that’d just be a loan. You could pay me back with what you make off them. Start with the crew here. The recruits would love to have some tats… you could probably find someone in Tent City to teach you more too.” He suggested. “Then cut some of the profit to Jaren. He’ll give you more time to ink folk or draw… and as long as your lining your pockets, you’ll have less work to do overall here as part of the gang.” Darvin said, then the room got quiet.

Neras asked him how long Kelski was safe from Jaren and Darvin shook his head. “Jaren’s not a fool. He doesn’t think that at all. It ain’t the color of her skin, Jinx. It’s that she’s a Kelvic. He’s got a thing against them, I think. I’m not exactly sure, but if you look in her eyes, there’s something unsettling there. Jaren sees it too. And with her training from me, it grows. She’ll snap one of these days and it won’t be pretty, especially if she doesn’t bond. He’s played out a lot of favors with her work this season and I’d give it one more season… maybe sooner if he gets a good offer, and he’ll either free her or sell her. Kelvics are wild sometimes, Jinx… and they can’t be tamed unless they bond. And this one doesn’t like humans enough to bond with any of us. And if they can be tamed, they are as worthless as those lap dogs some women carry around all dressed up. I think Jaren’s spreading the rumors about her because a lot of the gang is stupid. And the last thing he wants adjacent to his chamber is a baby crying night and day. Kelvics catch fast and if he didn’t set her seemingly aside as off limits by a passively stupid rumor, she’d be servicing most of the gang and someone would plant a baby in her belly. Jaren hates kids.” Darvin said matter of fact, knowing that was exactly the problem.

“The decorations aren’t a prelude to his dick. He’s never kept it in his pants a day in his life if he wanted to sample some flesh. He’s just playing dress up with her… and shaking up her comfort. He doesn’t like people too comfortable and she was settling in something fierce. He does things like this to shake people up and set them off normal. He feels people preform better that way.” He added, shrugging his shoulders. “Means her situation is about to change. I don’t know if its for the better or worse, but I imagine he wants his spare room back now that he’s impressed all his arsehole friends as much as he could with her. She’s slowly running out of purpose for him.” He said with a shrug, not knowing what that meant for Kelski, but knowing it definitely couldn’t be good.

When Neras pointed out where the new piercings were, Darvin nodded. “Now you’re getting it. Nobody does anything unless they want someone to see it. Remember what I said. He’s getting ready to move her. You know its sexy as hell to have stones in her navel and at her snatch. He’s increasing her value, Jinx. Why? Because he’s going to move her on. And if I don’t miss my guess, it’s not going to be freedom. It’s going to be her naked on the auction block… or at one of his private parties where he lets people sample the wares before they buy.” Darvin grinned at Neras and went ahead and took a moment to light up a cigar from one of the burning lanterns. “You can’t tell me she doesn’t stand out in a crowd. It’s what he wants… attention and to have the best.” The big Guardian knew Jaren would make money on Kelski. It was just the way the world worked.


Darvin laughed when Neras speculated Darvin would be dishing out his punishment. “Kid, I ain’t one for other guys’ junk. Never have been never will. Besides, if he assigns me to your punishment and isn’t really specific, I can make it easy on you or hard… it just depends on the favors you do for me and what you look the other way too.” He said, running his hand down the Kelvic’s body again. She stirred and lifted her head and Darvin hushed her sternly. She quieted, not quite awake from the drug yet.

“Favors for favors, Jinx. Learn that quick. I do what Jaren wants when he wants it because its good for me. Do what I suggested and it will mellow his wrath. Owing me ain’t as bad as having Jaren pissed at you. Trust me on that one.” He said with a rumbling chuckle and pushed Kelski’s legs back together. He pulled the robe over her and re-belted it. If Neras was very astute, he’d understand that no matter how much Darvin wanted too, he wasn’t going to violate Jaren’s rules… especially not in front of a witness.

When Neras shared his story about The Sun’s Birth and wanting to be involved in something greater than himself, Darvin shook his head. “The lie. You bought in and tasted the great lie. But now that you are among us, you realize something important don’t you? We’re here for selfish reasons. Each and every one of them. Jinx… you are too good for this gang. Your morals are not our morals. How can I tell? If any of the other Guardians were in here fancing up this pretty thing, while she’s stretched out on this table, they’d climb on for a ride. I probably would have too if you weren’t here. Ain’t much to roll her over and leave a load in her sweet….” He rolled Kelski over and traced the line of her hip until his hand caressed her ass. Darvin grinned up at Neras. “But that thought probably leaves you sick, huh Jinx? And why? Because you looked in her eyes and you saw something looking back. Until you understand that each and every person is just a sack of meat that you need to put yourself before… its going to be your greatest weakness in this city.” Darvin said, then got up abruptly.

“I’ve gotta go take a piss. I’ll be back. But I’ll leave long enough for you to have a little quiet time with her… half a bell should be enough. In fifteen or twenty chimes, she’ll be back around. She’s already coming around now. It’s the only favor I’m doing you for free, Kid. Don’t waste it. And while I’m gone think of the other favors I’ve offered. You really do need help to get off Jaren’s shitlist.” He said with a chuckle and took the hot wet rag Neras gave him. He left it lay on the end of the table. “You clean her up. Ain’t my mission. It’s yours. And if this one gets to fucked up, he won’t give you anything but worse until you make it right with him.” Darvin said, shaking his head slightly.

With that, he turned and departed with a promise to be back in thirty chimes.

[Neras Frostfawn]

Neras really listened to Darvin as he talked about his place in the Sun Birth gang. He agreed that he inadvertently did put a slave collar on himself. As Darvin said it, he would be the man who did all the higher ups dirty work. He would make problems disappear for the people above him. It wasn't just Jaren. It was problems for the whole organization. Jaren was just one of the Marshals, but their were others in the Sun Birth organization too. When Darvin started telling him about Kelski, he was intrigued and rather surprised that she was still hanging on to her animal tendencies and hunting in the barraks. Darvin suspected a raptor of some sort, and he looked at her pretty face and tried to picture her with a beak. He saw a couple hawks around Sunberth in his younger years hunting mice and brats, but he never really got a good look at the birds.

Darvin admitted that he was training Kelski to fight, and Neras wondered if it was a smart idea for him since one day, his star pupil could turn on him. If she was a raptor, she wouldn't bat a eyelash either if she killed him. Especially when she found out about all the abuse that he put here through. However, a part of him wondered if she would care. If he was there to witness it, he will be laughing his head off at the man's arrogance. He did admit that it was blessing that Darvin wanted to teach Kelski to fight because she would be pretty defenseless on the streets of Sunberth if he hadn't taught her. Looking at Kelski for a moment, he wondered if he could do anything to help her. Not out of selfish reasons like Darvin, but he wasn't really good at anything other than fighting and getting into trouble. Maybe if she doesn't hate him after this is all set and done. They could be friends or at the very least acquaintances. He had to admit that she did take it upon herself to not have him pierce her. She was looking after his well being before her own. It was a gesture that he didn't see much in Sunberth.

Jinx looked at Darvin when he admitted that most of the coin that he made off his drugs never went to the Sunberth coffers. It went mostly to him and Jaren. Drugs were a side job for them. He admitted that he was making a lot of money on their side project, and he started to understood that he was less of Jaren's underling and more of partners. It was smart, and he had to admire his business sense. Darvin told him that breaking the vase was huge mistake, but he offered a way to lesson Jaren's wrath for a favor in the future. Looking at Darvin, Neras said with a nod, “I would be a fool not to take your offer, Darvin, so I will accept your help for a favor. However, I just owe you one favor. Don't try to sneak additional conditions on top of it. I might be young, but I am not a dog to warm your feet. Understand.”

When Darvin left the room, Neras grabbed a wash cloth dipped in the warm water and started to wash the blood off of the kelvic's face. When he was finished, he continued to soak the cloth in the warm water, and he started to wash the other parts of her body clean of blood. When he eventually made it to the area that Darvin was working on. He continued washing not letting his eyes linger to long on places on her body the slave wouldn't want his eyes to linger for long. He dried her off and started cleaning up the tools in used to pierce her. When he finished, he corked the bottle of clear alcohol and returned it to the original location that he took the from. Walking outside of the apartment, he cleaned up the shards of broken crystal from the vase that he threw at Kelski. He smiled to himself at the miraculous that he was able to stop her from getting him into more trouble. When Neras was finished straightening up, he untied the restraints on the slave and waited for either Darvin to return or Kelski to come back to her senses.