Closed Break, then Enter (Johdin)

[Anona]

Break, then Enter
4th of Spring, 514 AV
The Late Hours
Anona's Apartment

It wasn't much, his small apartment, but it was unequivocally his, and that sense of possession was worth more to him than he liked to admit. The single room held only his rickety bed, an old, dilapidated wardrobe that was empty save for his single outfit, a small wooden table and chair, and a chamber pot in the far corner. He'd long ago positioned his bed so that the light from his solitary window fell directly across where he rested his head, so as to more easily wake up when he was required to. As he dragged himself into bed, bones aching and sore from the day's chores, he collapsed onto the thin mattress with a deep sigh. Already he felt the day's worries slipping out of his body.

Whenever night inevitably fell like a curtain over the endless sky, Anona always felt a likewise inevitable surge of relief. In the dark, he was shrouded in shadow, and safe from prying eyes; when the light of day fell beyond the horizon, the streets and canals were emptier, and he could appreciate Ravok's beauty more freely.

And it was beautiful, truly. The buildings, tall and imposing and-- towards the center-- elegant, never failed to strike Anona as being truly magnificent. In the night, the lights dotted through the cities glowed small and steady, lighting a path through the dark. In the late hours, when the city was blue and the black lake glittered with starlight, the ravosalas that glided through the canals and cast their flickering light all across the city's walls seemed ethereal. It was this respect and love for the night that had always allowed Anona to feel secure in his home. James often made derisive comments about the docks, and while he could concede to his insults to some extent, Anona had never truly felt unsafe when he shut himself in his room for the night.

But that wasn't to say that he was naive.

Anona's eyes snapped open, staring into the dark.

There was a noise, he was sure of it.

He kept his eyes open and focused on breathing as quietly as possible, ears straining to hear whatever that noise had been, should it sound off again.

[Johdin]

Johdin pulled his cloak tightly around himself as he prowled the halls of the Apartment building. It was late and the halls were dark. Just the way he likes them. He stayed low to the ground. His feet falling, heel, then toe to avoid unnecessary noise. He passed door after door. Occasionally, he would see the flicker of a fire inside. Well, that's no good. He thought. He was happy that he had the presence of mind to avoid rooms next to those as well. Johdin was good, but not over confident. Should he make too much noise in the dark rooms, it could potentially alert those still awake. Like a snake, Johdin slithered through the corridors unseen and silent. For him, he was at home. The darkness was his greatest friend and ally here. After a few doors of seeing nothing, Johdin found himself at the end of the corridor. The gentle blue light of the moon seeped into the hallway through the window next to him while started for the door. First, he tested the handle. A gentle jiggle to see if it was unlocked. Which, it was. But this was nothing for him. He produced a pair of lock picks from his pocket. In no time at all, the door was unlocked. Johdin couldn't help but think about how cheap these locks must be. With a brief glance down the hallway, Johdin slowly opened the door and went in, closing the door quietly behind him.

[Anona]

When the doorknob rattled once more-- and he could certainly tell now that it was the doorknob-- Anona slipped out of bed as quietly as he could make himself. His bare feet slid along the cold wooden floor as he frantically looked around the dark room for any sort of defense. There was a strange rattling noise coming from the opposite side of his door. His heart pounded in his ears, his limbs shook with fright, and he realized that there was nothing here to defend himself with. His mind raced, imagining all kinds of horrors that might be lurking on the other side of the thin slab of wood.

Nothing. He had nothing. He hardly had any possessions at all, let alone any weapons to speak of. There wasn't even a small candle he could use to bludgeon the intruder. Thinking only of self-preservation, Anona stepped lightly to his wardrobe, flung the door open, and crammed himself inside. He curled up on the floor, cramped uncomfortably close to the back wall of the wardrobe. He was swallowed by darkness. Because the wardrobe door latched on the outside, there was no way to close it completely. One of his garments, he couldn't tell which, brushed his forehead, and another lay against the tops of his knees. At his feet sat his coinpurse, though he didn't dare to pick it up for fear of shifting the mizas inside and drawing attention to himself. Perhaps if the intruder discovered him-- and that was a thought that made his heart flutter like a caged beast in his ribs-- he could beat them off with it.

He listened over the blood rushing in his ears and his own ragged breathing.

Click.

The doorknob turning, an otherwise quiet sound, seemed louder and more ominous than the cry of thunder.

The door opened.

The door closed.

He squeezed his eyes shut.

[Johdin]

His eyes, already accustomed to the dark, looked around the room slowly. He took in every detail he could. A window. That could be a possible escape route. A chair and table. Nothing there.He paced about the room, standing at his height. He slid his hand across the table as he walked. Then his eyes alighted on the bed. The covers were thrown about, as if someone was in a hurry. Or maybe, this rooms inhabitant is lazy? This sentiment Johdin could perfectly understand. But still, the possibility of someone being in here set him on high alert. A brief look around the room again revealed the only possible hiding spot. The wardrobe. Johdins heart began to pound loudly in his ears. Should this person be armed, he would have no chance of defending himself. Johdin slid around to the window. A rush of cold air filled the room as he opened it. If he was going to risk opening that wardrobe, we would have an escape route. His heart beat harder and faster as he inched toward the wardrobe. He braced himself, ready to run, with his hood pulled to hide his identity. Slowly, he reached out toward the door. The few seconds it took to grasp the handle felt like days. He wasn't sure if he was ready for what may be inside. Johdin inhaled deeply. Why am I doing this?! he thought. If I split now, I could find a truly empty room. Or at least one where the person is sleeping. Why risk this?! Then, his stomach growled. And he remembered. He was here. Now. And he needs the money. So he can eat. To survive. And with that in mind, he yanked the wardrobe door open.

[Anona]

Anona kept his head tucked in between his knees, trembling in the wardrobe while the intruder slipped around in his room. As whenever else he was in danger, his thoughts went to the Defiler, and he begged him silently to get through this in one piece. The act had never failed him before, but now, curled in his wardrobe and heart pounding, it brought him no solace. This wasn't because he doubted Rhysol, but that he doubted that the Defiler would even acknowledge his cry for help, cowering as he was at the slightest hint of danger.

In his current state, strung-out and frightened, it seemed to be an utter certainty, rather than speculation, that Rhysol would be disgusted with him for behaving so childishly. The knowledge that he'd disappointed the one who he'd always known watched over him with his city was like a jolt of lightning through his system. He was behaving like a little fool.

He would not cower in the dark while some thieving rat took what belonged to him.

Though still frightened, this new-found resolution steadied Anona's racing pulse and calmed his bones. He stilled, and listened while the thief walked around in his room, every creak of the floorboards shooting possessive anger through his veins. The footsteps moved closer, and closer, and stopped just in front of the wardrobe. Anona strained his ears, and could almost swear he could hear the burglar's own breathing.

He braced himself as well as he could in the small space.

When the wardrobe door was yanked open unceremoniously, Anona pushed forward as hard as he could. His coinpurse forgotten in his fresh anger, he balled his hands into fists and swung them wildly, with no finesse, determined to drive off the thief with the bruising they deserved.

[Johdin]

Johdin had no idea what hit him. Literally. In the dark, everything became a blur. He had opened the door of the wardrobe and was immediately tackled into the ground and bombarded with pain from every conceivable angle. Instinctively, his hands came up to cover his face. His eyes closed tight as he grimaced in pain from the invisible assailant. His mind raced. This is bad! I have to get out of here! I have to escape! But how!? These same thoughts circled in mind for what seemed like bells. But then, as sometimes in situations of great stress, Johdin had a moment of clarity. A new thought came to mind. Why is this person punching? Almost as soon as this question arrived in his mind, he had the answer. It's because he is unarmed. This revelation gave him hope for his situation. After a little while, he noticed a pattern in the blows. Left, right, left, right. Johdin had never been very good in a fight. But he has always been good at coming with escape plans. After a few more blows, he made his move. His arms flew out in front of him, hoping to grab on to this person. Should he take hold of something, anything, he planed to hold him still while he drove his feet into his stomach to push him off of him. Afterward, he would make for the window. OOCJust letting you know, I'm not trying to God post here. I just thought I would let you know what my PC intends to do IF he actually grabs you. If you want something else to happen, that's perfectly fine too. p.s. sorry it took so long to post back lol

[Anona]

oocIt's all good! I know from experience it's sometimes hard to walk the line between telling what your character is trying to do and telling what the other character did. That being said, I didn't think it sounded like godplaying at all.

The feel of flesh and bone under his clenched fists was horrifying. Fists flying, heart racing in his chest, he didn't have much time for introspection, but he wondered nonetheless if this was how the slaves in the Pit felt when they fought for their lives.

It was a liberating rush of power and adrenaline, but in the same hand, now that his mind was on the Pit, it was like he was seeing the ends of those matches in flashes: bodies wrestling in the dirt; fingernails raking deep red lines into dirt-caked skin; heaps of flesh and blood left to rot in the sun until it was eventually cleaned before the next match. He couldn't imagine a dead body in his room, and as the intruder didn't seem to fight back, his beating slowed minutely with his hesitation.

Apparently, that was all the opening that the burglar needed; hands grabbed at him, pinning one arm to his side, the other digging into the cloth and skin by his waist. Before he could get over the shock of assault, frozen and with his knuckles practically vibrating with energy, something-- perhaps their knee?-- plowed into his gut. Pain shot through his system, lighting up his abdomen, and he toppled to the side, coughing and gasping.

He clutched his aching stomach with his forearm and attempted to push himself up. There was a dull, pounding ache in his temple, and he realized that on the fall, his head had slammed into the floor. The faint white light coming in from the window illuminated the dark figure that scrambled for the window. Prone on the ground, Anona couldn't muster the energy to even attempt chasing the thief down. If they would leave him be, in peace and safety, then so be it.

[Johdin]

Johdins head throbbed as he stumbled his way to the window. His right hand went to windowsill as he doubled over slightly. His left hand went to his forehead. He could feel some slight bruising already begin on his face and head. This was not the kind of night he hoped for after such a pleasant day he had earlier. Through his hand, his eyes glanced over at the figure that now laid on the floor. He felt bad, realizing that he had just thrown a girl to the ground. The taste of blood in his mouth helped to remind him that, though she was a girl, not to take her lightly. A slight chuckle escaped as he realized he had just been beaten to a pulp by a girl. What a wuss he must be. "You have quite a punch ma'am," he said, his pain obvious in his voice. "I hope I didn't hurt you too much with that kick. But I had to do something..." he trailed off. He felt somewhat awkward talking so casually to someone he just tried to rob. And someone who just beat him relentlessly. Johdin straitened himself out slightly, his right hand going to the arch in his back. I should leave, he thought. But he was in too much pain to jump out a window. So instead, he leaned his back against the wall by the window and watched the girl on the floor. Taking in her every move.

[Anona]

Still clutching his head and gut in pain as the dull throbbing continued, the burglar began to-- to talk? As if they were friends?

Anona stood up, fury etched into his face as he stepped towards the thief. "You've got some petchin' nerve! I'll dump your body- ah!" Pain shot up and down his chest and he doubled over, immobile.

Suddenly, he remembered his eating knife, tucked safely away in his pack underneath his desk. How had he forgotten? It was too far away, now. By the time he'd be able to fish it out from underneath his bed, the burglar could have sliced him open, or escaped.

He braced himself against the oncoming pain and lunged for the thief, hoping to grab purchase of any part of his body he could reach.

[Johdin]

Johdin didn't know what to think of the situation. He was hungry, hurting, and in need of money. But by the look of the room he was in, this girl was in no better position than he was. And that look in her eyes. So fierce. So determined. Like she was prepared to die for what she had. And in seeing this in this girls eyes Johdin knew that he couldn't do this to her. He couldn't take what little she had worked for. Not if she was so willing to fight for it. Johdin had never fought for anything in his life. It wasn't in his nature. If it came down to it, he would rather run and steal something else. Nothing ever really mattered to him because he never really earned it. So, depressed and ashamed, he turned, his hand grasping the side of the windowsill while the opposite foot perched on the edge. His head ducked down when it hit him. Literally. The force of the girl slammed into his side harder than anything else he had felt in his life. He could feel one of his ribs crack as he was slammed into the wall. His eyes closed tight as a gasp escaped. With a pained breath he began to speak quickly. "I give! I give! I will not rob you ma'am. Not tonight. Not ever!" His hands went in front of him in an attempt to protect his face from any further beatings.