Rogus
Thief
Arrogance is a virtue.
Posts: 178
Profession: Stealing yo' gold
Guild: SS
Affinity: Fire
OoC Alias: Gus
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Post by Rogus on Oct 29, 2014 16:07:27 GMT -6
((OOC: I figure since I've been the hold up in this thread I should post a summary of the support Dayan and Rogus were planned to have, and not force the main thread to wait for us to finish, if this is a problem just let me know and I'll take the post down.))
Rogus hung from a wooden rack, held by rough, tightly tied rope on his wrists. He was in a large, dark tent surrounded by three Ilian soldiers, one of whom had just finished punching the thief in the gut for the fifth time.
"Tell us who you are!" The tallest of the three barked.
I told you... I'm a thief... Rogus gasped for air between his words and was promptly struck in the gut again.
"A Thief bearing the mark of the Lycian League branded on his shoulder, carrying the symbol of the Ruinz Bandits in his belt." The man laughed, "By far the most interesting thief I've come by if its true."
I aim to please... Rogus flashed a coy grin before getting a right hook to the jaw. He shook his head and spat out some blood before looking back up at the three.
"We found you in the grass just outside our camp--"
I recall shouting to your men for some help. One of the two other soldiers reeled back to strike the thief for the umpteenth time, but his superior stopped him with a hand to the chest.
"Yes, it was very foolish of you." He seemed to scold Rogus.
I never claimed to be smart. Rogus replied sarcastically, gaining another blow each from the two soldiers. Rogus stiffened as he took the blows, and became completely limp after a brief moment. His head hung low and he spat another bit of blood onto the dirt floor. The display made the interrogator grin.
"Ready to explain why you came here, why you're branded, and why you hold the symbol of a bandit officer?"
Yeah... Rogus replied in a hushed, defeated tone. He'd been formulating a decent enough story during the past few minutes, hopefully it would be good enough for the soldiers to hold off his execution for a little while longer.
The thief had infiltrated the camp along with the enigmatic medicine man, "Doc", in order to lace the camps drinking supply with enough sleck root. Getting in had been relatively easy, but the two men had separated to accomplish their individual tasks; Rogus was to poison the wyverns that were stabled inside the camps perimeter, Doc to poison any water source the soldiers in the road-block were using. Rogus took about ten minutes to work his way to the stable unnoticed, and successfully tainted the beasts' trough. He got just outside the camp when he looked back to see if Doc was done as well, and saw the man about to be cornered by two men walking the camps interior. It was no fault of the Doc's, just rotten luck. If Rogus didn't do something quickly Doc would be caught, and their mission would fail. So to the end of preventing such an outcome he stood up and called for help, hunched over to appear haggard, a task he didn't require too much effort in accomplishing. It may have been foolish, but Doc managed to slip away unseen.
Now the thief was being tortured, how kind these soldiers were.
I was hiding... In the mountains a little ways north some bandits were using... a cave to hide out in... I was on a path near it, lost... saw a man toting an axe and decided to follow him. I found their camp, and knowing bandits thought their loot cache would be close by... He paused to get a few more breaths in.
"You're very stupid." The man commented, amused.
I prefer the term reckless... Rogus chuckled and then went into a fit of coughing. This caused all three men to crack a smile. I snuck past their look out, he was drunk, out cold... I didn't get very far, found that crest and thought it'd be a nice trophy and the ruffians found me right after... Chased me for awhile, I didn't stop running for a second until I came across this camp... I hid in the grass, figured the men chasing me wouldn't follow since soldiers were close by... I called for help when i figured if you all found me I'd get strung up.
A few tense moments passed as the soldiers looked at each other and then back to the man. Rogus hoped they'd buy it, otherwise he'd have to pray that a vicious beating was all the men would give him.
"And what of your brand, thief?" The lead soldier finally asked.
Rogus held back a smile and a sigh of relief when the man continued the interrogation. They'd bought his story for now. He opened his mouth to answer, but the sound of hooves and wooden wheels in the distance interrupted him. He looked up and nodded toward the camps exit.
Sounds like visitors... He said gruffly, the soldiers turning to the tent's flap in response. Before they could say anything more a fourth soldier pulled back the flap.
"A caravan sir. We need some help in case its trouble, a few of the men seem to have caught illness..." The man spoke sheepishly, and with good reason. His reward for being a dutiful soldier was a sharp blow to the face from the lead soldier, and being yelled at for interrupting. The man quickly scampered away when the yelling stopped, apologies spewing from his mouth. The commanding soldier turned back to Rogus.
"I will be back to finish our... meeting. Hurn, stay with him, he's a shifty bugger."
I shall await your gallant return, milord! Rogus replied bitterly. He was granted yet another blow to the jaw for his jest, but this time he felt no anger. He knew who had just arrived, and took comfort that he'd never have to see the man again.
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Post by Charlotte on Oct 29, 2014 20:04:07 GMT -6
[OOC: Dayan and Cen, feel free to join back in if you want, but for now, Rogus, you and I should alternate to keep the thread moving.]
Feet pounding against the ground, Charlotte moved quickly as she formulated her next steps. The rebels all knew their goal was to incapacitate anyone who hadn’t already been put out of action by the poison Doc and Rogus had planted during their mission, and they had already started off strong. After sliding behind the lead cart and turning to look back at the initial encounter, she was happy to see the three men who had greeted Charlotte were now on the ground and lifeless after the men from the lead cart had quickly disposed of them in their surprise. Good. Three less soldiers to deal with inside, she thought, pulling a scarf from her belt and beginning to wrap it around her head, tucking her hair inside
However, there was no time to stall, and as they were instructed, the twenty or so men made their way into the camp, splitting off into the pre-determined groups: the largest group handling the men who would inevitably try to stop them from entering; the second group targeting the men who appeared to be wyvern riders, based on proximity to the stables and gear; and the final group as back up to respond to the stables if the second wasn’t able to eradicate the wyvern riders as a thread. All the while, the cart drivers and designated caravan guards stood back with wagons, ready at a moment’s notice to load up and drive through the camp once it had been cleared out.
Charlotte, on the other hand, had other plans. She wasn’t willing to spare any of the men to rescue Rogus, instead assigning herself the task. With the threat of the twenty rebels tearing through their already weakened force, the blond hoped she would find Rogus unguarded, allowing her to quickly loose him and get back to the action. Of course, there was no guarantee of that, but even if a guard or two stayed with the tent, Charlotte was confident she could handle them and still get Rogus out.
So once she saw the men clash with what soldiers had been ready for a fight, Charlotte took off, sprinting towards a spattering of four tents that were off to the right of the road, her gut leading her to choose to search those rather than the handful of other tents that were to the left, along with the makeshift stables for the wyverns. While donning her usual travelling leathers, the black scarf she now wore covered her bright hair while also allowing her to cover her face. She was doing her best to slip past the main engagement unnoticed, which appeared to be successful as she leapt behind one of the tents closer to her. She could hear the all-too familiar sounds of steel clashing and angry shouts fill the air. It even sounded like at least one of the wyverns had woken, a pained roar piercing the once silent night, causing a shiver to pass through the consultant. She hoped the strain in its voice was from the poison Doc and Rogus had given it and did her best to ignore it as she returned her focus to the task at hand.
After laying flat on her belly and lifting the bottom of the first tent conspicuously, Charlotte saw nothing but a few cots and a table, so she was certain Rogus wouldn’t be inside. Rising to a crouch and confirming that the coast was clear, Charlotte darted to the next tent past a precarious line of weapons leaned against the tent, following a similar procedure to check as she had for the first tent. But again, no Rogus to be seen. She frowned, wondering if she had picked the wrong side to check as she slinked to the back of the third tent, again dropping to her belly and carefully lifting the bottom to peer inside.
Instantly Charlotte could smell a musky mixture of sweat and blood. Narrowing her eyes, she could see a wooden rack only 5 or so feet in front of her, with none other than Rogus bound and hanging from it. There was merely one candle lit in the tent, but it gave enough light for the blonde to see that the Illian’s had not been kind to him. Charlotte also noted another man in the tent as well, one of the soldiers, though it appeared he was currently peeking out of the tent’s entrance, trying to grab a glance outside at all of the commotion. A bored man on guard duty, almost too good to be true!
But she needed him out of the tent long enough to get Rogus untied, so Charlotte rolled to her side, looking back to one of the other tents where she’d seen the awkwardly placed line of swords and lances. Reaching into a pouch on her leg as she sat up, she pulled out a handful of small, metal caltrops. It was a longshot, but Charlotte readied her throw, knowing that with the right aim and force behind it….
Bulls-eye! As soon as the caltrops left her hand, she knew they would hit, and her ears were met with the satisfying sound of the weapons clattering to the ground and causing a general ruckus. Charlotte quickly dropped to the ground again, lifting the bottom enough to see the guard’s feet walking out through the opened front tent flap. Perfect.
Charlotte lifted the bottom of the tent just enough to allow herself to roll under the canvas and into the tent. Jumping up, she quickly moved over to Rogus. She stayed behind him, her lithe fingers drawing her iron dagger as she moved close to him. Without warning, Charlotte quickly began working to loose Rogus’ hands from the tightly-bound hemp ropes that were holding him up.
“Well you got yourself into quite a bind, didn’t you?” The blonde whispered sardonically, her lips close to his ear as she continued working her way through the rough rope. The blade wasn’t the sharpest, unfortunately, but she worked as fast as she could, knowing the guard wouldn’t be away for long.
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Rogus
Thief
Arrogance is a virtue.
Posts: 178
Profession: Stealing yo' gold
Guild: SS
Affinity: Fire
OoC Alias: Gus
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Post by Rogus on Oct 29, 2014 21:47:22 GMT -6
Its more of a jam, really. Rogus grinned, it was good to hear a friendly, albeit scornful voice. Her warm breath tickled his ear as she spoke, and though he pretty much hurt all over the feeling revived what little energy he had. He was pretty battered from all the punches, and sported a few nice sized bruises on his jaw, a couple cuts too. All in all he wasn't in too bad a shape considering Rogus was lucky he hadn't been executed on the spot. Charlotte had cut through one of the bindings to where Rogus's weight was enough to handle the rest and the rope snapped. The thief was quick enough to put his bare feet on the dirt floor before it did, otherwise he probably would have dislocated his other wrist from falling. That said, he wasn't entirely sturdy.
They took my things. Dagger, boots... another item important to me. Don't know where. The time for jokes had past, much to Rogus's dismay; he had been formulating a knight in shining armor joke. It was a painful, and dreadfully slow process to cut the second rope, Charlotte's dagger was dull, and he knew she would do anything but kill the guard if the soldier came back before she finished. He tried to help it along by pulling his wrist down, causing him to bite his lip in order to stop from gasping in pain. Rogus kept his ears open for any footsteps but the sounds of combat pretty much made that impossible. Finally, the rope snapped and released Rogus's wrist, he sighed with relief and turned to his savior.
Charlie, may I borrow that? He pointed at the knife after putting a hand on her shoulder for support. He'd thank her later, but there wasn't much time for niceties. Just until I get mine back... Rogus left out his intention to jam the blade into the guard's neck when he returned.
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Post by Charlotte on Oct 30, 2014 17:30:38 GMT -6
While still miffed with the man over being captured, Charlotte felt a wave of relief wash over her as Rogus joked with her. He might have looked bloodied and bruised all over at that moment, but at least he still had his sense of humor. She chuckled, a bit of the tension that had been building in her leaving her as she continued sawing away at the rope.
Charlotte hadn’t expected the first rope to snap so quickly; she tried to wrap her left arm around his torso to slow the rapid drop, but lucky for her Rogus wasn’t completely down for the count. “Sorry,” she muttered, before raising her left hand back to hold his arms steady as she quickly got to work on the second rope. The time they had was quickly ticking away, so she knew she needed to move as fast as she could. Rogus mumbled something about the soldiers having taken his things from him, and Charlotte couldn’t help but spy around the room as she sawed, seeing that clearly his things weren’t in here.
“We’ll… find everything… before we leave, don’t worry,” she assured him, noticing the drop in his voice. “The camp’s not… that big – ah, damn it!” Charlotte cursed, her breaths labored and voice strained and frustrated. She needed a new knife.
Finally, after much too long, the rope snapped, and not wasting any time, Rogus turned to face her. After pulling down the scarf to reveal her face, Charlotte offered Rogus the handle of the dull blade.
“Hell, you can keep this useless thing,” she said, a grin tugging at the corner of her lip as she handed it off to her companion. She weaved her arm around Rogus’, placing her hand on his shoulder to offer more support for him. She knew he would never say it out loud, but she could tell he was going to be weak on his feet. His torso exposed, she could see bright purple bruises forming where the soldiers had undoubtedly been beating him, and his face was similarly colored and swelling too.
“But are you sure you’re OK to walk? These meatheads really did a number to you, Rogus, and – ”
Suddenly, the tent flap whipped open, the guard who had gone to inspect the commotion now staring the two of them dead in the eyes. “HEY!” Charlotte let go of Rogus and tried to rush at the soldier, but the tent was small, so before Charlotte had a chance to strike first, the soldier had lunged at her, hand grasping for her neck. Having taken the blonde by surprise, he made contact, seizing the blonde and throwing her towards the right tent wall as he began drawing his sword. Charlotte gasped, tumbling hard into the canvas wall before hitting the hard dirt floor, the wind knocked out of her.
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Rogus
Thief
Arrogance is a virtue.
Posts: 178
Profession: Stealing yo' gold
Guild: SS
Affinity: Fire
OoC Alias: Gus
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Post by Rogus on Oct 31, 2014 13:12:51 GMT -6
The force generated by Charlotte lunging for the guard sent Rogus stumbling back. The thief, despite his weak knees and fatigued legs, managed to right himself just in time to see the guard catch his companion by the neck. He didn't like that. A familiar wave of anger washed over him as the guard threw the blonde to the ground, and though normally Rogus would suppress his violent temper to avoid any rash action this time he had time for nothing but action. The guard had forgotten all about his prisoner, approaching his new target as he drew a sword; Rogus let his emotion take over. The thief, limping as fast as his unsteady legs would take him approached the guard from behind. Charlotte's knife may have had a dull edge, but it had enough of a point to be an effective stabbing tool.
He practically stumbled into the man, wrapping his right arm around the man's stomach for support. At the same moment Rogus stabbed at the back of the man's neck with his dagger, but an elbow to Rogus's face from the guard made the knife miss. The thief's vision blurred, a bright flash blinding him as the hit connected, but he was tougher than most gave him credit for and held on tightly with his right arm. The thief brought the knife back down after the miss, now relying entirely on the adrenaline keeping him conscious, into the guard's left side, just under the breastplate the man wore. The guard howled in pain and finally managed to shake Rogus off of him with another elbow to the jaw, but not before Rogus managed to stab him two more times. The thief stumbled back into the single table in the tent.
That would have been the end of the thief. The guard could have easily drawn his sword and stabbed Rogus in the chest before the dazed man could recover, but he didn't. Blood gushing from the three holes in his side gut, the guard took two steps toward his prisoner before falling to the dirt. Rogus barely made any movement, holding himself on the table to avoid a fall himself.
Hands off... He said with venom in a voice just above a whisper, spitting a mouthful of blood and a few tooth chips in the guard's general direction.
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Post by Charlotte on Nov 1, 2014 16:42:30 GMT -6
“Ah!” Charlotte yelled as her body flew to the floor. She tried to turn mid-fall so she could lessen the impact but only half-rotated, her left shoulder slamming hard into the floor, her head whipping to the side and colliding with the tough earth quickly after. Dazed for a moment, Charlotte tried to regain her stability, right hand palm down to the floor as she did her best to push herself to her knees. She might have been smart and in good shape, but damn if she didn’t lose it when she didn’t have the one-up on someone in a fight.
But she couldn’t stay down, not when Rogus was as beat-up as he was. As soon as she heard the scuffle behind her, Charlotte scrambled back to her feet, believing the howl of pain was coming from her partner. She barely contained calling out for him, but she was glad she had when she turned to see not Rogus but the Illian soldier collapsing to the ground, his side wounds staining the dirt dark red. Charlotte blinked, impressed that in his current state, Rogus had still been able to dispose of the man so quickly.
The consultant’s gaze shifting from the dying Illian guard to the other thief, she could tell he wouldn’t be able to pull something like that off again, seeing the way his fingers grasped at the table, barely holding himself up. Charlotte rushed over, slipping her hands under his arms and helping him back to his feet before wrapping a supporting arm around his back, doing what little she could to provide support to him.
“Remind me never to pick a fight with you,” Charlotte tried to joke, adjusting her hold on the man while trying not to grip him too tightly. A hot fury was building inside her, upset with the state she had found her companion in. Obviously she knew the Illians weren't on good terms with the rebels, but to treat a suspected rebel like this? That showed desperation to the young woman, as if they were starting to realize they were fighting a losing battle.
A roar sounded from outside; the blonde felt sick to her stomach instantly, as it sounded just like a wyvern who was awake and pissed. “We need to move,” she quickly said, ushering Rogus alongside her and leading him out of the tent. Even in the dark torch-lit night, Charlotte could see one of the stabled wyvern across the camp thrashing wildly. She didn’t want to know if the thing was still tied up or not, so she moved them towards the one tent Charlotte hadn’t investigated while looking for Rogus. Flinging the tent flap open, she saw a few chairs, cots, and a table with a few burlap knapsacks on it, as well as what Charlotte thought looked like a certain pair of familiar boots.
“Come on,” the woman urged her companion, moving him over to one of the chairs and doing her best to sit him down for a few seconds. Charlotte darted to the table, tossing the boots back to Rogus. “Get those back on,” she instructed him before doing her best to tear through the knapsacks to find the rest of Rogus’s things. She was all business now, the urgency of the situation weighing down on her and keeping her from participating in their usual banter.
After opening three or so bags that were full of nothing but dirty underclothes, Charlotte was relieved when she saw what appeared to be the man’s things, including what appeared to be his trusty, albeit damp and dirty, red cloak. Tying the bag up again and slinging it over her shoulder, Charlotte moved back to Rogus, hurriedly helping him to his feet again and assuming her role as his support. She would have liked to move at a more considerate pace, as she was sure the man was still in pain seeing as fresh blood still trickled out of the corner of his mouth and his face was so bruised and swollen. But she knew they needed to leave, and fast; if any of the soldiers found them again, they’d likely be dead meat.
“Alright, back to the carts,” Charlotte said, knowing the carts still sitting outside of the camp would be the safest place for the battered man. Leading them out of the tent, Charlotte weaved them towards the outskirts of the blockade, moving them as carefully as they could so as not to attract any attention.
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Rogus
Thief
Arrogance is a virtue.
Posts: 178
Profession: Stealing yo' gold
Guild: SS
Affinity: Fire
OoC Alias: Gus
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Post by Rogus on Nov 4, 2014 1:52:08 GMT -6
Rogus was a prideful man. Needless to say, Charlotte's assistance made him feel babied. It wasn't as if he could do much about it, however, he had to admit he was too weak to get very far on his own. The fact he'd been able to kill the Ilian was attributed to luck in his own mind, but he'd never admit it, especially since it made his getting captured a little less embarrassing. The blonde's attempt at a joke made the man smile, had he impressed her? Knowing his partner, he doubted it. Rogus bet she was still pretty put off that he'd been captured in the first place. Hopefully his explanation of the matter would clear that little problem up, but that would have to wait. He was struggling just to match Charlotte's pace, talking beyond a single word answer was stretching it. Rogus could tell from the way her voice shook ever so slightly that she was furious about something, he knew she was worried, why she was angry at anything but him he couldn't quite place; though, he suspected the sight of the Ilian's handiwork caused it.
Just hours ago the two had danced, laughed, and sang together like old lovers. Quite a lot of other things happened during their time at the tavern, mostly positive things too; it only made sense to have the tables completely flip. Fate was fickle like that, if one believed in such things. The night had progressed from one of the best to one of the worst in very little time. Just a month ago, Rogus would have been beside himself with frustration, but in that short time something in him had forced a change. Sure, he was still angry and frustrated, but was not blinded by his emotion. He pushed his pride aside and trusted his partner to lead the way. It could have just been his exhaustion, or pain that kept the the thief from protesting or attempting to walk without any help, but it was much more likely the man had finally realized a need for change and had acted on it. He wasn't quite a reformed man, but at least Rogus showed signs of growth. He wasn't quite sure if he was happy about that just yet. After all, besides his wish to realize his ambition, this change had grown out of one person's influence; namely Charlotte's.
Rogus shook his head, realizing he'd been reflecting a bit too heavily; probably not the smartest move in the middle of the current situation.
"Get those back on," He heard Charlotte order, looking up just in time to duck under a boot. Rogus looked back up to see his partner tearing through the tent they were now sheltered in. The look of determination on her face was clear, right now she was all work and no play.
Right... Right, sorry. He muttered as he retrieved the two boots she had thrown him, recognizing them as his own trusty pair. Rogus slipped his feet into them, and only had a brief second more to catch his breath in the seat he occupied before Charlie helped him up and led them on what seemed like a blistering pace to the carts. She was carrying a new knapsack now, and Rogus wondered if his things could be inside. It was likely, but the woman didn't tell him anything more than her intended destination. He hoped his Ruinz badge was not among the items in the bag if they were indeed his things. The blonde seemed to be doing an excellent job of avoiding any confrontations, at least, most of the fighting seemed to be behind them at this point anyway.
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Post by Charlotte on Nov 5, 2014 12:51:48 GMT -6
Charlotte was honestly surprised that Rogus hadn’t tried to fight back against her guidance, letting her lead him with absolutely no push back. A good thing, Charlotte thought, since when her nose was to the grindstone as it was right now, the only thing that would result from Rogus fighting against her help would be confrontation. Part of it was about controlling the situation, but a large part of it was simply her need to get them to safety in relatively one piece.
To Rogus, it may have looked like the blonde was in a tizzy, focused only one the goal of getting to the carts, but her mind was wildly abuzz with a myriad of thoughts. Seeing Rogus as he was now not only upset her, but it also confused her. They’d known each other for all of a month, but their time in the tavern together earlier that day felt like a lifetime ago, and Charlotte had been pouring over the clear memories in her mind like delicate artifacts she was trying to understand and decode. They had enjoyed themselves and each other’s company thoroughly, but they’d also been so open with one another – at least, as open as thieves can truly be with one another. But Charlotte still couldn’t understand why Rogus would be so open with her, especially so deliberate as to want to be so open with her. They were partners, sure, but was there budding of something else?
The consultant clenched her eyes shut for a moment, silently telling herself to stop thinking about it for now. There was too much to worry about presently, and she didn’t doubt that the two of them would have to talk after their shipment reached its destination and they had received their pay. Unfortunately for Charlotte, she hadn’t figured out exactly what it was they needed to say.
After what felt like an eternity, they finally arrived at the carts, all of the drivers still ready to move at a moment’s notice save for one, the lead driver Trent, who was jogging up from the back of the caravan line to where Charlotte and Rogus now stood.
“Myscha, you’re back!” Trent exclaimed, clearly out of breath, he looked over to Rogus for a moment as he continued. “Your friend and the doctor’s plan worked; everyone’s doing a sweep of the camp right now, making sure we didn’t miss anyone.
“Any casualites?” Charlotte asked plainly. The men didn’t know, but part of her pay was contingent on at least 80% of them making it out alive.
“Jerry and Garth,” Trent said, his voice noticeably more somber. “Aaron’s hurt pretty bad too, but the doc said he’d do what he could. He’s still talking at least.”
“Good,” the blonde replied, still holding up Rogus awkwardly. “Can you go ahead and make sure the men know what they need to do now? Instruct them exactly as I told you,” she added, making reference to a conversation the two of them had prior to their assault on the blockade. Trent, though looking a bit off-put by her lack of response to his friends dying, nodded and took off towards the camp, leaving Charlotte and Rogus standing next to the lead cart.
Charlotte turned her head slightly so she could look at Rogus. “Do you think you’re OK to climb into one of the carts? I can help.” She wondered if Doc had left any of the salves he had prepared back in his cart before going ahead to help the injured men in the small Illian camp.
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Rogus
Thief
Arrogance is a virtue.
Posts: 178
Profession: Stealing yo' gold
Guild: SS
Affinity: Fire
OoC Alias: Gus
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Post by Rogus on Nov 11, 2014 0:08:31 GMT -6
Rogus couldn't help being a little angry. Sure, Charlotte had gotten them back to the carts safely, and better yet the plan had worked. Two guys died in the fighting but that wasn't a shock or anything. But for Rogus to only receive a simple nod from Trent was so irritating he would have snapped and pounced the poor guy if he wasn't so blasted tired. He felt like he earned a tad bit more than a nod. Trent looked mad at his partner too, probably for acting so callously after hearing two men died. Rogus didn't need to call him a fool for it, a leader should never allow death to affect their decisions or actions, Trent apparently couldn't appreciate that. Rogus, however, could. It took a strong mind and stronger discipline to not bat an eyelash at death. Especially when one was in his partner's position, her decision caused those men to die. The guilt of that fact alone would destroy most people, in the ex-noble's opinion at least. Charlotte hadn't even blinked when she heard the news.
After Charlie gave the orders to Trent, and the fool scurried away, Rogus examined her for any signs of cracking. She had certainly done this kind of thing before, but he wondered if she was putting on a brave face. Her partner had gotten hurt, two men under her command were killed, and another was badly wounded. She could barely stomach killing even when she wasn't the one doing it, berating Ryuzaki just weeks before for enjoying it so much, how could she be so unaffected by the deaths of Jerry and Garth? Rogus tried to gauge the look in her eye, but his vision was too blurry, and mind too hazy with fatigue to make a guess. He probably didn't disguise his curiosity very well either, but at this point the thief didn't much care. They often made a point of disguising how they felt about certain things in an unceasing contest of wit. They would spend an entire conversation watching the body language and subtle looks of the eye the other gave off, trying to use the information they gathered in this "second conversation" to gain an advantage over the other in some manner. This time, Rogus hadn't bothered trying to hide his inquisitive look, he was either too tired or he just wanted to ask if she was alright without actually asking it.
Rogus had to admit it was a bit of both, he almost never really made any gesture without some degree of thought. Before he knew it, however, she was already talking again; to him this time.
"I can manage. You got... More important things to worry about." At least someone was worried about him. He released his grasp on her shoulder, and gave a weak but playful tug to a bit of her hair. "I'll get out of your hair... for now, Myscha." Rogus offered a grin and limped over to the second cart in the line and grabbed the driver's hand who helped pull him up. He crawled into the front opening of the cart and made a few sacks of food his bed, falling asleep almost immediately.
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Post by Charlotte on Nov 11, 2014 12:47:38 GMT -6
The second Charlotte had looked over to Rogus, she’d seen the curious look in his eyes, though she could also tell it was largely being overshadowed by the general glaze that had come over his features. For the first time, Charlotte could nearly get a perfect read on him in that moment: he was tired, hurting, and… maybe interested in her well-being? She hadn’t been beaten as he had, so she didn’t see the need for that kind of attention right now.
Before she had more time to think about what he could be wondering, he whisked himself away, insisting he would be able to manage. Charlotte knew she had been steering the man an awful lot to get him back to the camp in one piece, so she simply returned an almost sad grin, her features twisting from a moment of pensive wondering. She watched Rogus until he disappeared into the back of the wagon, arms crossed but body ready to jump to his aid if he needed it. But of course, he was Rogus; he didn’t need any at all.
Considering the blonde sent Trent ahead to handle the men who were now doing a sweep of the camp, making sure there were no survivors, there wasn’t much she needed to do besides wait for them to return. Realizing this, Charlotte instantly felt exhaustion weigh down on her, no longer pushed back by the adrenaline of the job. Even as her limbs became heavier, though, she still wondered what Rogus had been concerned about, what he had silently asked her if she was alright about?
Continuing to mull it over, Charlotte walked back to the third cart, ducking in as she looked through the men’s things, looking for the pack that Charlotte hoped would contain the salves or maybe even vulneraries Doc had brought and prepared. As she searched, though, she realized that part of what Rogus had been wondering was likely about her response to some of the men having been killed. Charlotte came off as cold, unfeeling as she simply took the news at face value. In all honesty, she hadn’t known the two so it wasn’t all that personal for her as it likely was for Trent, or any of the other men. The men had known the risks associated with the job, so it didn’t come as a surprise that some died in the fighting.
Still, Charlotte couldn’t help but feel a sense of failure rush over her, so much so that she sat down, her head lightheaded but her body like lead. She always said people were of more use to her alive than dead, and for the most part, she always found it to be true. It didn’t matter if the men would be martyrs to the rebel cause, because whatever potential they may have had was wasted, bleeding out into the Bernese soil. Every single person had their purpose, even if it was as simplistic as existing. Charlotte knew deaths were necessary sometimes, as it was with the Illian troop they had to quell, but it didn’t make it weigh down on her any less.
A heavy sigh finally escaped her, Charlotte realizing she had been holding her breath. She rested her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands, covering her face until she could see nothing but black. Her thoughts were slowing down for the first time in days; she had been so tightly wound trying to make sure everything went to plan. But even though the siege parts would make it to their drop-off point successfully, she felt like nothing had gone to plan at all. People had died. Her rebel “partners” were less than pleased with her. Rogus and her had shared more than she thought she could anymore, but even when she tried to help him, it seemed he had to swoop in to save her.
What was wrong with her? The consultant felt a wave of emotion rush over her, so she put pressure on her closed eyes with her palms until spots formed in the blackness of her vision, trying to will it away. She was just tired, hadn’t had enough time to really think about everything that had occurred and how everything related. When she did have the time, she’d feel better, she was sure of it. For now, she needed to wait out the feeling of being overwhelmed. Like all things, it would pass, and when it did, she’d lead the siege caravan to its final destination.
[End thread]
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