Walk on the Dark Side

[Asa]

Asa Clarke

Asa watched the exchange silently, speaking after Grey was out of the door.

"You know, some of Sacramento's Deputies might not appreciate that -- especially former."

Cozette

Cozette half smiled at the man, her first thought still being what Lioni would think of him. She came from around the bar, wearing thigh high boots complemented by a long Versailles-style coat.

"If you please," she gestured at Max to follow with just a hint of French accent.

She led the way to the back, past the usual play rooms, to another locked door which opened to a small, furnished room. Cozette turned up the dimmer, revealing a young woman asleep in the bed.

Handing over to Fractured from here.

[Fractured]

A wide-eyed young blonde, currently convalescing underneath cool sheets, turns away from the TiVo'd soap opera to see the pretty lady and the awkward looking man. The damage Set's snake-brood did to her legs has healed, and her mind has likewise proved resilient...

She nods to Cozette and says, "Hello, sir," to Max. The young woman sits up and puts the deck of cards on the bedtray aside. "I'm Gwen. They said you were coming to talk to me about the..." Her voice gets quiet and her eyes dart about the room before she whispes, "the snakes."

[Max Heinz]

*Well... she wasn't a gibbering mass of flesh curled into a fetal position, so that was good. Max nods to Cozette.* Thank you, I'll take things from here. *He walks across the room, pulling out a pair of glasses, pen, and notepad before setting down at the foot of the bed.*

Hello Gwen, I'm... well, it's not important who I am. All that's important right now is you. Why don't we start by going over how you got down there in the first place?

[Victoria Stamford]

Victoria winced at the words stung her. "You're right. I'm sorry Prince Clarke. There are some good ones out there and there are many former deputies that were more than capable. It was not my intent to insult them or yourself in that statement."

The Harpy hopped up and sat down on the padded table. "That was one hell of a punch to do damage like that."

[West]

"Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to spank you," Asa said with a wink and a smile.

He nodded at the next bit, turning serious. "Yes... and his blood tastes... unusual. We shouldn't see him around here again, but I'd like to know if you do."

Asa moved over to the sitting Harpy, and put an arm around her, giving her a companionable hug. "Thanks for Amber Hills. I'll make sure the Deputies are doing their jobs so you don't have to. Otherwise, if you're doing their job, it's only fair if they do yours -- and honestly, no one needs to see Max Heinz in leather and lace flogging people."

[Victoria Stamford]

Chuckling, Victoria smiled at the Asa's response. "That isn't an entirely unpleasant prospect you know," she jokingly replied.

When he got serious she did too, and nodded in understanding at his instructions. "I understand."

As he approached and after he put an arm around her, Victoria put an arm around him returning the guesture with a smile. She had grown to appreciate the friendly banter and the fact that there was at least something there between them, even though it would never be more than their friendship. Yet, she held no illusions of true friendship, their kind never shared such things as kine did, but perhaps it was a kindred spirit of sorts.

When she pictured his statement in her mind she burst into laughter. "Oh that would be disturbing I think," she finally said after getting her laughter undercontrol. Then she turned to the Prince and smiled. "Asa, I don't mind helping out now and then. I know those with my ability are in fairly short supply. It was a little more exciting than I thought it would be, but I have a long way to go before I can rival most of the warriors of the domain."

[Fractured]

Gwen nods. "My friends went to this club downtown after work, you know? Reverence. And I went out to catch a cab, but it was late, and I didn't see any, so I walked a little further down the block, and stepped off the sidewalk..." She looks as though she's about to cry. "I felt them grab my ankle and my head hit the ground, and I blacked out."

Finally, the waterworks come. "I w-w-was down there for a w-w-week!" she wails, wrapping her arms around the Deputy. "W-w-what they did...the little snake man told them, and they did it, they did..." She tries to compose herself and fails. "I thought they said they were going to eat me!" After a moment, she manages, "The little one, he said it was moving day, and they could get new toys...at the farm."

[Max Heinz]

*In his decades of existence, Max had been called many things. Some profane, some lies, most behind his back. But in all those years, "huggable" had never been one of them. So he was more than a little surprised when the blond woman lunges at him. She narrowly avoids receiving a punch to the face, Max holding back his hand; looking down as she begins to cry with a rather confused look on his face.

He puts the notepad and pen down, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and hugging her softly.* Gwen, please calm yourself. That's why you're here, so we can keep you safe. But the more information you can give me, the easier it will be to capture the people that did this to you.

You said you stepped off the sidewalk and the grabbed you. Through a sewer grate? What exactly did they do to you? Was it acid, fire?

[West]

Asa shifted, lightly running a nail down the spine of her back.

"Perhaps Twist or Mr. Von Schusten can assist you with that. I'm afraid my martial prowess is limited to the whip," he said with a smile, pressing his nail in deeper as his fingers reached the small of her back.

"I do mean it, though, and after losing one family member, I would be quite put out to lose another."