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PostPosted: May 7th, 2010, 5:49 pm 
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Now she was accompanied by at least a trio of armed men, Adrianna was, if possible, even more unnerved than she had been when she was walking alone.

The houses and buildings around them seemed to draw together in some kind of self defense; the structures - built tall, their ancestors had said, to conserve as much space as possible to house as many as possible after the great catastrophe that had driven them to seek underground refuge - were imposing at such a late hour and seemed to lean down over the filthy, winding streets and watch all who passed by.

Once in company again, Adrianna found it easy enough to replace her authoritative façade. The Wardens were chosen because they were by nature ruthless, reasonably loyal and had either military or weapons training - this encompassing anything from six months to six minutes of training - not because they had any particular gift of intelligence. For this reason, she felt that the irritation and rage she had conjured to cover her fear and uncertainty was a safe enough mask to be wearing. She had no doubt that the Governor has spies everywhere: she had herself, for a time, been one of them. She also knew that, firstly, the smooth indifference she affected in his presence was a lie rather than an absence of feeling and, secondly, that there was precious little that would avoid his notice anyway.

After all of this, she'd have to report back to him, either in writing or in person. Abruptly she felt herself doubting her ability to lie convincingly.

Seconds and minutes went by and Adrianna's thoughts raced as she stalked shadows, flinched at loud noises and occasionally issued a hushed order. Each command was obeyed without question, for all knew who she worked for and all knew what awaited them should they show the least bit of insubordination. No-one fancied that fate.

“Alright,” Adrianna announced to the men dotted around the darkness, “Fall back. We'll resume the search in the morning after I've submitted my report to the Governor. You.” she jabbed a finger in the direction of the head of the patrol, singling him out for the second time that night.

“You will arrange a search party and contact me as soon as it is assembled. If not, you'll face consequences you don't want to consider.”

“Hey!” he called back as she turned away. “Why are we suddenly taking orders from you? Our orders come directly from the Wardens' Guild, you know that.” his tone was resentful, his expression tinged with a savage kind of spite. “I'm not running your errands for you.”

With a calm manner that Adrianna herself was impressed with, she revolved slowly on the spot to face the man, boredom etched in her expression. She raised the arm holding her weapon so with was pointed squarely at the centre of his chest. The Warden raised a defensive hand and took a hasty step backwards.

“If my life will be made easier by your second in command taking over,” she told him, “then so be it.”

One blast from the stunner wouldn't cause permanent damage, but he'd be knocked out for several hours. Explaining that kind of thing to his superiors was not a task he wanted to undertake so, with both hands raised in a submissive gesture and a murmured apology, he accepted his new instructions and set about re-grouping his men.

The somewhat preoccupied Adrianna walked again with a weapon at her side, wondering what kind of person it was grappling with her conscience. Certainly, day by day, she was becoming increasingly like those she served and losing herself, bit by bit...

<center>- - -</center>

[s][Cameron coming veeeeeeeeeery soon. Veryvery soon.][/s]

[Ta-dah! :teehee:]

Garnet had just taken Cameron's hand when the steady rhythm of continuous footfalls reached them. He'd been about to say something about the places he'd seen at the edges of the city - there wasn't much, but he had come across his fair share of unusual items - and make some kind of quip about his colleagues.

At the voices, distinctly orders being thrown at those of inferior rank, Cameron froze. There wasn't as such a curfew around here but being out too late at night was commonly seen to be suspicious. People like Adrianna with demanding jobs that the government itself needed doing were fine; the only thing they had to worry about was the occasional incident with the locals who could be, at times, ridiculously antagonistic.

At the same time his heart started to race, he felt Garnet grip his hand tighter. Turning his head towards her again, he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile and held on just as tightly as she was to show he would definitely not be letting go.

“Yes,” he agreed after a pause. “Question is, what are the doing?”

It was practically impossible for him to imagine Garnet breaking a law, even the inane ones the politicians had cooked up to keep everyone under their control, and therefore he immediately dismissed the idea. If they weren't here for one of them, who the hell were they after? No-one was around at this time...

Wild rumours told of midnight arrests, violence and secret, authorized weaponry spread like fire through the population. Many people had disappeared with little clue to where they'd gone; no-one had been able to pin-point the cause of it but everyone thought the same thing: they were too audacious with their opinions. They'd become a liability. The government had gotten rid of them.

The light-hearted, jokey manner Cameron had adopted since his reunion with both his sister and his closest friend had evaporated and all that was left behind was the sick feeling of perpetual anxiety. He had no reason to be afraid for himself; he could quite easily make up a legit-sounding reason why he was out so late - the first convincing one that sprang to mind was something about needing Adrianna immediately for personal reasons. Garnet was supposed to be leaving for home, but the meandering route they had been taking wouldn't be accepted as proof of her innocence. He found it almost impossible to extinguish the fear he felt for her safety. There was no-where to hide out here and if they ran they'd be chased. The safest thing he could thing of was staying put, and that sounded feeble to his own mind.

The noises were getting disturbingly close. Cameron pulled Garnet to the side of the street where they wouldn't be out of sight but would, instead, be out of the way of anyone who went past.

Sure enough, a few seconds later about a dozen Wardens came into view, weapons raised, scouting the area. The worried look Cameron gave Garnet wasn't easy to miss; he was hoping his decision to stay put was the right one.

Mutters among the Wardens' ranks were inaudible, just a quiet buzz in the night air. What seemed to be the leader, at least of this little task force, moved forward with his gun pointed low enough to not be an outright threat but high enough that it suggested he'd have no problem using it.

“Name?” he demanded.

Lost for words, Cameron simply stared at the man in utter incredulity. After a moment he managed to answer the man with a hasty “Hart, Cameron” before he looked down at Garnet.

“Name?” he repeated, face blank and somewhat intimidating.

The others, Cameron noticed, had checked the perimeter and all except three - two lookouts down the end of the street from which they had appeared and the man talking to Garnet and Cameron - were advancing, weapons raised, down the street where, a short walk away, Adrianna's and Cameron's house stood empty, waiting for at least one of its occupants to return.

The warmth he'd felt during his conversation with Garnet was gone, replaced by a penetrating ice that chilled him to the bone: helplessness.

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PostPosted: May 8th, 2010, 11:41 am 
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As the footsteps passed away and the sound of voices diminished, Dylan took a relieved breath. He let his head fall back against the cold concrete and took in, with eyes closed, all the sounds of the night. The creaking of a shuttter, the soft babbling of the river, faint voices in the distance. Usually he enjoyed being out in the night, when the rest of the world seemed to be asleep but now there seemed to be a sort of tension in the air, which made the night gloomy. As if the world was holding its breath..

Although the parting footsteps at first had been perceived as a moment of relief, Dylan now started to think of other possible scenarios. The Wardens probably only searched the streets or would check on his aqcuintances. Those were the usual spots for refugees to hide.. All he hoped for was that they would not be blamed when they could not find him..

What if they had not found him by dawn?

He couldn't stay in his current hidingplace nor would it be inconspicuous to walk the streets during daytime as long as he was wanted. He would have to find a better place, perhaps in the suburbs, where he could get some food and have a few hours of sleep perhaps. If by then he had not been discovered yet, he would show a glimpse of himself to the Wardens.

The doctor opened his eyes again and his dark eyes scanned his surrounding. All was clear. He went with his hand through short black hair. All he could do now was to wait until dawn. So Dylan sat back and tried to make himself as comfortable as he could. He remained silent and made no move, watching over his hidingplace, like a statue, until the night was out.

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PostPosted: May 8th, 2010, 1:45 pm 
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Garnet stared, astonished, at the warden who demanded her name; there was no pretending that he wasn’t holding a gun, and that it imposed an implicit threat if either she or Cameron failed to follow proceedings correctly. Trying to hold onto her calm, Garnet took a short intake of breath, and then replied, in a perfectly steady voice, “Smith, Garnet.”

Cameron still held her hand, and she held on tightly, trying desperately to push back her sense of panic. The stone-faced warden looked her over swiftly, and narrowed his gaze, as if thinking something over. He took a step forward towards Garnet, his weapon still lowered slightly; even if he had not raised it yet, the situation did not look good.

“Occupation?” The man’s voice was cold and held no trace of feeling. His job entailed, amongst other things, questioning those in suspicious circumstances. Garnet paused slightly, taken by surprise; what possible use could that information be? The warden, impatient, raised his gun ever so slightly; and within a second his gestured had the desired effect, for Garnet quickly mustered her composure again.

“Book keeper,” she said. Only Cameron could have known, in that moment, that fear had begun to creep up on her. The warden’s hostile gaze did not swerve as he nodded shortly.
“One of the worms from the library,” he said. There was a trace of distaste in his tone this time. He gave a sharp laugh. “Just last week we pulled one of your lot out of their little cells. Charged with putting together banned books. Would you know anything about that?”
Immediately, Garnet shook her head. She was not associated with any of her fellow book keepers in the library; they were kept apart in separate parts of the building, and were not allowed to socialize with one another. The very idea of any of them having met each other was ridiculous; it was an impossibility.
“No, no, I assure you,” she said, her grip on Cameron’s hand growing even tighter. “I only mend the books that are sent to me. No others.”
“Are you quite sure?” the warden raised his gun higher. He took another swift step towards Garnet, a horrible smile creeping up on his features. He was pointing the weapon directly at Garnet now; there was no mistaking the threat.
“Absolutely,” Garnet stammered, managing somehow to look the man straight in the eye.

What would have happened next, if one of the other wardens had not walked up towards his colleague, remained horribly unclear. The man lowered his gun, looking annoyed.
“Come on, we’ve got to move on,” the other warden said, sounding off-hand and casual in a way that seemed quite sinister, considering his occupation. “There are other streets other than this that need searching.”
“I’ve got someone to question here.”
“Who?”
“Book keeper.”
“Wasting your time. Nothing more than a bunch of bores. No offence.” He nodded to Garnet, who’s eyes were wide with fear. “Come on, you heard what Scarlett said.”
At the mention of Adrianna’s nickname the warden cursed and lowered his gun. He glared at Garnet and stepped back, without an apology for troubling her. The two wardens moved off, joining their colleagues who were searching the street.

As soon as they were a clear distance away, Garnet felt her knees shake with shock, and she held on tight to Cameron’s hand, unsure of her own balance. When she spoke, her voice was brimming with distress as well as relief. “I thought he would kill me. I honestly thought he would kill me.”
Acute in her mind were the still vivid memories of her parents being dragged from their house by armed wardens, screaming. She had thought that the same fate awaited her.
The first place she had gone that night, desperate for help, had been the Hart’s house, in floods of angry, hysterical tears, yelling for someone to help her. Cameron and Adrianna had come to the door, and she had had to tell them that her parents were as good as dead.

Blinking, Garnet tried her best to banish the memory. She stood still beside Cameron, silent and shaken.

~~~

(EDIT:
Introducing Allegra!)

A tall, slim woman swathed in a fur shrug walked along the corridor leading to the Governor’s office, the heels on her stilettos tapping as she went. She looked impossibly elegant, strolling along in a cloud of rose water essence perfume; under her shrug she wore a long, grey silk dress, and she carried a matching grey clutch bag. Her blonde hair almost reached her shoulders in gentle waves, clouding about her elegant features, which were settled into a confident smile. But it was not only her appearance which spoke of elegance; it was her very air. She wore gracefulness like she wore her perfume.

Throwing a small glance over her shoulder as she reached the door, her smile widened, knowing that the corridor was completely empty. She knew instinctively that the room behind the door was also empty; whenever the Governor was near she could sense his presence instantly. Somehow, whenever he was around, the air went cold and chilly… struggling to conceal a laugh, the woman opened the door, walked in and closed it smartly behind her.

Yes, the room was empty. Lucius wasn’t here. Running her gaze over the room, the woman’s grey-blue eyes narrowed with scorn. The neatness of this place was impeccable, not a paper out of place, not a drawer left open. The chair was pushed in neatly behind the desk. Shaking her head, Allegra Nylander opened her clutch bag, putting it on the desk and rifling around for her cigarette holder, cigarettes and lighter. Within a few moments she was spouting spirals of silvery smoke, clasping the cigarette holder loosely in “that languid, lazy way” – to quote the exact words of her brother. He hated her smoking, particularly in his office. She would make sure to leave behind a cloud of smoke just to annoy him.

She blew another ring of smoke and perched on her brother’s desk, picking up a paper from one of the neat piles. Glancing at it, she sighed with irritation; nothing of importance, just something ordinary and hum-drum. Why didn’t he leave anything interesting around?

Pushing it aside, she idly picked up a fountain pen. She remembered when she’d been ten and Lucius had been thirteen, their parents had given her a fountain pen for her birthday – then the next day she had found it with it’s nib bent. There’d been no question as to who’d done it. All their lives Lucius and Allegra had been making misery for each other; their childhood rivalry had never gone away.
Nothing had changed. From the moment Lucius had become Governor he’d made sure that Allegra would never have a rank of her own, never be anything more than his sister. She paid him back every day by outshining him on public occasions, making his colleagues her best of friends, and of course, making trouble for him behind his back.

Smiling, Allegra placed the pen back on the desk and tapped cigarette ash on top of the neat stack of papers. The funny thing was, he could do nothing about it. He’d always hold back from doing her any real harm because she was his sister. And he kept with that most ancient of strategies; keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Allegra laughed out loud just thinking of it.

He didn’t know her favourite strategy. Smile, and the whole world smiles with you.

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PostPosted: May 14th, 2010, 5:11 am 
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[Okay guys, sorry I didn't get to this sooner D:]

The night wrapped everything in threatening shadows and intimidating silence; barely anything could be heard save the two Wardens' steady, rhythmic breathing. Nothing disturbed the night, not even a suspicious whisper: they'd been looking for what felt like hours and not seen a single sign of the criminal's passing.

they didn't even know who he was, but it didn't matter to them. All they needed was to obey orders, drag him into the Governor's custody and get back to their duty. This was nothing but a minor hiccup in an otherwise perfectly uneventful night. If anything, the two resented the guy running away because he'd interrupted their otherwise quiet shift.

The bridge the stood on was old, one of the first things that had been built when their ancestors had sought refuge down here: it was unpainted, not in the least elaborate, and demonstrated perfectly how life was in the beginning: it wasn't there to look good, it was there to do make life easier. If it wasn't useful or wasn't working correctly, it was taken to pieces and either fixed or reused for something else. It wasn't perfect but it was adequate enough, and they made do.

Seconds ticked by, and the light cast by the leading Warden flickered from left to right and back again slowly, hypnotically, searching for something, anything that would make this search worthwhile.

The wooden walkway of the bridge had been nibbled at by time, leaving dents and holes and cracks all over the place. One misplaced step on the Warden's part meant he tripped and was flung forwards; instinctively he let go of both his weapon and torch so he could break his fall with his hands. As he landed, unscathed, he watched his torch roll sideways towards the gap between the walkway itself and the rails that stopped everyone from falling into the edge of the churning, man-made river below.

Cursing wildly, the man stood, casting around for his weapon, this time; this, too, seemed to have been flung downwards with his torch. The latter was easy enough to locate, as it was lighting up part of the bridge's structure. It illuminated the shoddy repair work that had been done recently, the dark, rushing blue water and everything inbetween.

<center>- - -</center>

The Government Tower was an imposing building, set into the cave wall; it could be seen from anywhere in the city - except, perhaps, the outer edges - and was easily the most impressive structure there; not that there was much competition.

It was though by the general public that some of the most secret rooms were carved out of the rock of the cave wall: it'd give the Tower extra space, cost much less then putting in the foundations for an extension to the existing building and it would be almost soundproof - the Governors' secrets would be kept that way.

One of the few who knew this was not indeed a fallacy was Adrianna; she herself had seen a limited number of the passages that had been carved in the stone, leading from room to room full of secrets and lies. The most important meetings, gatherings and interrogations were held here, and each party left through a different door. In meetings, this was supposed to let each man retain an unearned sense of dignity and pride; in the case of prisoners, this was supposed to confuse and unnerve them.

The entrance of the Tower was humble enough: it was the public face, and the leading powers of this once great civilisation were clever enough to realise that yes, they were cheating the people and that parading the fact in front of them was not a good idea.

Adrianna entered after flashing her ID badge at the security guard and crossed the hall to the stairs. Of course, the nobility had no intention of walking up a ridiculous amount of stairs: they'd installed what passed for an elevator on the second floor of the building, allowing them - and a few, select minions - to travel upwards at a reasonable speed.

With every step, Adrianna felt her nerves increase tenfold. It was doubtful the Governor would be in his office at this time, but he had a habit of surprising her when she least expected it - tests, she presumed, to make sure she was, firstly, kept on her toes, and secondly, still the kind of person he could make use of. Lucius Nylander often remarked upon the uselessness of humanity's weaker souls; he had no need for them and so they were irrelevant. This, while considered outright cruelty by some, was mostly an opinion from an objective and calculating personality distorted almost beyond humanity itself. His very presence was enough to inspire fear in Adrianna, who had been around him enough to be able to say she was "used" to him. The though of walking into his office unannounced at this time was terrifying, but she knew all to well that cowardice would earn more punishment than boldness.

Oh, he had her trained so well.

The elevator door opened to reveal a luxury corridor: the walls were wood-panelled and varnished to perfection; deep red drapes hung from the ceiling every so often, introducing colour and 'warmth' to the place; portraits hung on the wall, decades perhaps centuries old, depicting places none had ever seen before, the most remarkable being the vast, pale blue sky.

Walking swiftly, Adrianna passed several doors. Each was heavy, a couple of inches thick, equipped with some of the best locks money could buy and adorned with name plates inlaid with an ore similar to gold. The shining metal glowed in the dim electric light, spelling names out countless Governors, high-ranking leaders and the Director of the Wardens' Guild. Anyone in this city who was of consequence had an office up here: anyone who didn't was either unimportant or far too ambitious for their own good.

Here, too, if you knew where to look, were tunnels carved out of the stone walls the Tower itself had been built against. The general public thought of these only as speculation, but Adrianna had seen a limited number of these passages herself: dark, silent and unending. They lead to rooms where secret meetings were held, whether that be the interrogation of a prisoner or a discussion between the Governors themselves; either way, the thick walls and floor ensured that anything that went on in those rooms was kept very, very secret.

“Governor Nylander” was etched into the plaque on the next door, she knew, and sure enough, as she got closer, carefully embossed letters shone and glinted at her, twinkling for attention that she denied. She didn't need a reminder of who could be waiting on the other side of that door.

Instead of knocking as she would've done in daylight hours, Adrianna gently pushed open the door with only the sound of the lock clicking disturbing the silence. As she stepped inside, the lights revealed not the figure she'd expected, but one close enough to it: both the woman before her and the Governor shared the same facial structure, and there was the same look of cool intelligence in the eyes; even if she hadn't known already, Adrianna would have guessed that the two were related, there was no mistaking them.

Frozen in the doorway, green eyes surveying the room quickly - cloud of white smoke, shuffled papers; even if she wasn't there the Governor made sure his office was kept almost ridiculously tidy - Adrianna found herself feeling under dressed and inferior in the presence of such a dominating character. As yet, she hadn't changed from the simple clothes she'd been wearing since early the previous morning; underneath her eyes there were the faintest traces of purple that reappeared whenever she hadn't slept enough or whenever she hadn't time to cover it up; he hair fell a little haphazardly around her face and her pale cheeks were tinged with pink.

Automatically she opened her mouth to murmur a soft apology, but when she felt the silence stretch she remained quiet: she and Allegra, though they met infrequently, shared no bond of friendship. Lucius's sometimes interfering sister caused more hassle for both Adrianna and the Governor; the former frequently wondered if there was something askew with the typical brother-sister relationship here.

Although, she mused, it must have been educational to have grown up with someone like the Governor. It did make you wonder, though... what kind of person was Allegra?

<center>- - -</center>

- ETA:

The Warden's disapproval of the pair of them was so tangible Cameron could taste it. His own emotions were wavering between fear and rage: fear for Garnet's safety, and beyond that, his own. Rage tore through him because this shouldn't have been allowed to happen, the Government should not have been able to unite and rule over a vulnerable people. Decades ago they had been leaders, willing to help, assist and guide; now they were dictators, arrogant, aloof and proud. From up in their Tower they could watch their people, those lower beings, and sneer at them; they'd feel no sorrow or guilt if any single one of them died, and everyone down in the city knew it. They were all expendable, Cameron mused, feeling his blood turn back from fire to ice.

Garnet appeared to be holding up better than he was, although he suspected she was putting on a brave face. He also suspected that this wouldn't affect the Warden in the slightest, as he no doubt dealt with the defiant, the indifferent and the insufferable every day of his life.

If he interfered, he'd be dragged off, he knew: he'd heard enough of Adrianna's stories to be familiar with the consequences of interrupting ‘protocol’. The only connection to Garnet that remained was the hand with which she held on tightly to him. I won't let go, he promised mutely.

The man's weapon inched upwards slightly and Cameron had to resist the urge to knock it away. he knew the Warden would have no trouble firing and saying that they were being difficult; the only people who'd listen to the wild accusations and stories were the rumour-mongers and the crazies with conspiracies who were both, in general, shunned by a society trying to stay on the Government's good side.

As Garnet answered the man's second question, their futures seemed to be getting dimmer. Every second they stood here the more likely it was that they'd be incarcerated for an indeterminable period of time in a squalor unfit for words.

Accusations. Cameron felt his icy blood thaw as his rage flared again.The man's laughter was harsh and cruel, but he made no attempt to disguise it in the otherwise silent night. He'd wake up the nearby inhabitant of houses, but everyone knew that no-one dared watch at the window for fear of discovery. It wasn't their business, so they would stay out of it.

Garnet's hand held onto Cameron's so hard he was sure she would cut off his circulation soon; however this fact was soon forgotten when the Warden, with that lazy expression the powerful employ when dealing with the ‘weak’, raised his gun to point directly at Garnet's sure-to-be-hyperactive heart. She hadn't done anything except deny unofficial charges: technically, she was well within her rights to protest her innocence. Technicalities down here, though, were irrelevant. If they didn't figure out a way to get away from these two then they'd both be dead...

“Come on,” another Warden called over, “we've gotta move on.”

With those words, something seemed to knock Cameron's thoughts back on track again. When the first Warden had confronted the two of them, then singled Garnet out, it had thrown a metaporical spanner into the works and Cameron had been unable to process anything but the short, sharp questions and garnet's single syllable answers. Now, he felt himself already planning different routes of escape for if they needed to run; he saw the darkened streets like he'd never been away and was already mentally tracking a long, circuitous path back to his house, one place where the Wardens had no right to be unless then had solid, official charges. His planning was needless, but in those few minutes it gave him something to think about, something to hope for.

“Come on, you heard what Scarlett said.”

Something about that sentence irritated the Warden, but he obeyed, albeit reluctantly. He withdraw, turned his weapon in the direct of the path ahead and moved on, taking point and comfortably letting his two companions watch his back.

As soon as the three characters were out of visual range and earshot, Cameron turned to Garnet, resting his free hand on her shoulder and watching her silently. There was nothing he could say that would make anything better, but he hoped that just by being there he could lend some kind of comfort to her.

“It's alright though, now. They're gone. It's okay.”

Inadequate as his reassurances were, they were the best he could give Garnet at that moment. She seemed dazed, unresponsive; the hand that held onto him was shaking, either in absolute terror, an attempt to regain control of her emotions or a little of both. He didn't know which it was and, at that moment, he didn't care. Gently, he pulled her close and embraced her, trying to block out the memory of casual threats and idle insults. Cameron felt his heartbeat begin to slow, felt himself returning to his usual, calm self and wondered if that was because of the absence of danger or because garnet was still with him.

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Last edited by Darkheart on May 15th, 2010, 5:37 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: May 14th, 2010, 10:09 am 
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Dylan opened his eyes and with a jerk he sat up. Shaking his head to cast away the drowsiness he tried to recollect what happened. He dozed off, for how long he did not know. He scolded at himself for being so negligent but his mental reprimand was interrupted as he heard faint voices. Dylan's heartbeat missed a beat when he suddenly heard a pair footsteps and cracking of the wood, right above him.
The light of the torches, which the Wardens carried, reflected faintly on the river.

Dylan stared up at the bottom of the bridge, holding his breath. By the flickering light of the torches he was able to follow the movements of the Wardens. A curse suddenly sounded in the quiet night, followed by a loud thud. Dylan watched how a torch landed on the rocky surface closeby and there was clattering sound of metal hitting the stone.

Dylan remained silent and did not move as the sounds died away in the night. The torch shed warm light over the rocks and the foundations of the bridge. Dylan's belt buckle glinstered and in the pool of light he discovered, by the glimmer of the metal, the object which had fallen down.. the weapon of the Warden.

In a split second, the doctor decided what to do. His safe hidingplace would surely be jeopardized if one of the Wardens was to retrieve his weapon. But he wasn't going to stay in this secluded place with two Wardens. Many rumours of the Wardens cruelty passed around, and Dylan didn't plan to find out whether the gossips were true.
More curses were uttered, and Dylan took this opportunity of disturbed silence to stretch out and take the weapon.
The Warden would first have to descend a rocky slope before Dylan would be discovered..

With his back against the concrete, Dylan tried once more to remain calm, but he was almost sure that the loud thumping of his heart would betray him even before the Warden could see him. A pair of footsteps came closer.. Would the other follow him? Or would his friend remain on the bridge? The footsteps became louder.. Would he now become one of them by attacking another human being? Did he have a coice? The Warden could now appear any moment..

It was then that the Doctor jumped in the light and with one move of the weapon he stunned the Warden. The fellow's scream and the sound of his body crashing on the rocks seemed like an explosion of sound in the silence which could hardly be missed. Dylan cast the weapon in the river and then started running. He climbed the slope on the other side of the bridge, crossed the street and sprinted into an alley. In the blinding darkness he tried to find his way through the dark streets.
He did not know how long he ran, or who was following him, or where he was at the moment. He ran for seconds, minutes, thought to him it seemed ages.

Once, Dylan look back over his shoulder. It was a big mistake. At the same moment the nose of his shoe got stuck behind a loose tile, he tripped and fell, stretched, on the street. Air was pressed from his lungs as he fell. Blood trickled from his nose as he tried to scramble to his feet again. But Dylan realised it was too late: footsteps approached, shouts and orders were heard nearby. He could not escape this time..

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Children, rejoice, rejoice..

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PostPosted: May 15th, 2010, 7:24 am 
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Garnet was still shaking as Cameron embraced her. She closed her eyes, trying to get rid of the memory of the warden’s gun pointed at her, the casual cruelty which had scared her out of her wits. It was all too much at once, and she didn’t know how to summon her usual calmness back to her. She felt tears spill from her eyes, and, dismayed, she raised her head to wipe them from her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, her voice slightly thick. “It… it just brought it all back. Everything.”

She could see her mother and father now, being dragged from the house that night. Hear their desperate voices, and the harsh laughs of the wardens. It was all too acute, too vivid, too close. She didn’t want to remember it. But just then, in those moments, she had believed that she would join her parents in death. Share their fate.

Garnet took a deep breath and then cleared her throat. Looking up at Cameron, she attempted a smile. “Look, don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll be fine, in a while.” She didn’t know who she was trying to convince; probably herself. She hardly ever cried. It was such a useless misery, and it solved nothing. She brushed at her damp eyes with a shaking hand and glanced at her feet. She didn’t like to cry in front of Cameron, in case he thought her weak, too easily upset. But she knew him too well to be able to hold back her emotion.

“Do you remember that night?” she asked him suddenly, looking up. “When it happened? I came to see you and Adrianna. You both must have thought I had run utterly mad, hammering on your door and screaming like a banshee. But it was the first place I thought to go.” She paused. Somehow she had thought that seeing her friends would make everything right. But it could never have been made right. She remembered sobbing into Adrianna’s shoulder helplessly – they’d been so close back then. The years of their close friendship, when they had told each other everything and shared all their secrets, seemed a long way away now. They both led very different lives these days.

Closing her eyes and ducking her head, a frown furrowed Garnet’s brow. “I’m sorry. You don’t want to hear all this.” Her voice was slightly muffled, as she tried not to cry.

~~~

Allegra looked up as the door opened to reveal Adrianna – Lucius’s loyal “assistant”. Although Allegra’s cool expression did not change, she could not help but feel a slight distaste for the girl. She had never liked her, for the simple reason that she worked for her brother. Allegra despised anyone who obeyed Lucius, and Adrianna fitted the bill perfectly on that matter. Slipping down gracefully from her perch on the desk, Allegra picked up a small pot containing some pens and tipped them on the desk, stubbing out her cigarette in it.

She imagined Lucius’s expression when he came in and saw his desk in it’s current state of disarray. He’d be irritated, no doubt; ever since he was a child he had loved to keep his possessions in neat order. Allegra let the silence stretch out a little longer. There was no harm in letting Adrianna experience a little uneasiness. She took the chance to light up another cigarette.

“No doubt you’re wondering where my dear brother is,” she finally said, placing her lighter back inside her clutch bag. A small smile broke out across her lips; less an expression of friendliness than one of polite disdain. “My guess is he’s out with some of his chums. You know how Lucius loves socializing.”

Though the tone of her voice was friendly, she was obviously being sarcastic. Lucius wasn’t exactly a social butterfly, unlike Allegra, who took every opportunity to make everyone her friend, particularly if they were of high standing in the community. This was one of her traits that Lucius particularly hated. Allegra inhaled on her cigarette and, when she spoke again, she blew out a cloud of silver smoke.

“Was there something you wanted to speak to him of? Something of importance, no doubt. It always is.” Her voice was crisp but slightly leisurely, as if she had time to kill. And in truth, she did, for Lucius had left her to be idle for a very long time. He had never realised that this was a big mistake; if he had given her a job of her own, she would have been no trouble to him, but as it was, he was paranoid, and so had left her with nothing to do but cause problems for him at every opportunity.

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PostPosted: May 15th, 2010, 10:48 am 
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As one Warden carefully picked his way down the rocky bank, the other kept a look out from his slightly higher vantage point. Neither were expecting trouble - not in this part of town, at least - nor were they preparing too much for it. Very few people acted against the Wardens and their leading authority: they were the line that divided the Government and the people, a line that was rarely crossed. Anyone who did was either doing so on orders or was protesting; the former would be casually ignored, the latter would be silenced, by violent means if necessary.

All irritation, the Warden wandered over to where his torch had fallen, propped up at an odd angle by a few pebbles, extending an arm to retrieve the item so he could begin looking for his weapon, when he felt a slight sting about his left shoulder before everything went cold, numb, then black. Before blacking out he voiced a loud cry of surprise and pain, before that too quietened and the night, for a second, returned to its eerie peacefulness.

The second Warden jumped at the sudden noise; it took him a minute to get his bearings again and realise that the suspect they'd been out looking for was beneath them - hiding in the edge of the river. Water left no tracks, they wouldn't have found him had his colleague not dropped his torch...

“Hey! Hey, you there, halt!” the loud command filled the night as the Warden, leaving his companion sprawled across the rocky ground, eyes closed, for some other soul to find, pursued the doctor, weapon raised, mind dead set on catching his target.

More angered shouts followed in the next minutes as the doctor crossed the bank and turned sharply into an alleyway: the Warden called for back-up using his small, hand-held radio but no-one arrived quick enough. If he'd been quicker, if he'd suspected, if his companion hadn't been dawdling...

The doctor slipped. There was a clearly audible thud as he hit the floor, had the air forced from his lungs and was then choking to breathe properly. Slowly, the Warden crept up on him from behind, unseen. When he was sure the doctor was no longer armed, he announced his arrival in a manner typical of Wardens: he started gloating.

“Though you could get away, did ya?” he laughed, but the night drowned out the black humour and only left room for bitterness. “There ain't no gettin' away. Not down here. I suspect you'll learn that soon enough.”

Making sure the Dylan made no move for his weapon, the Warden reached again for the radio he carried. Into it he started barking directions, orders, and a question more than a few others were asking: why the hell wasn't Adrianna on the radio yet?

<center>- - -</center>

Suddenly awkward when she'd found the room occupied, Adrianna had faltered. Recovering from her immediate surprise, she swiftly closed the door and feigned her usual indifference. Such a mask was plain and a little feeble compared to the mask Allegra conjured most days to cover her dislike of her brother, but for Adrianna simplicity served her better.

The silence was awkward beyond belief but she didn't break it; it was the generally accepted 'rule' that the superior in rank or social status either spoke first or ordered an underling to speak. This was a rule Adrianna abided by automatically, more for politeness than for fear of punishment. No matter the hostile demeanour of the Wardens or the pompous aloofness of the Governors; she, at least, abided by the widely accepted social etiquette.

Still, when Allegra finally broke the silence a large part of Adrianna wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. Had she simply walked out of the room without acknowledging Adrianna's presence would've been an insult that most of the higher ranking officials wouldn't let pass them by. For all her faults, Adrianna had something not many of her rank did: she possessed humility in a good enough quantity that it allowed her to get through her days without feeling slighted at being treated like a servant.

Allegra was one of those people nobility or high ranks followed because she was an icon: she was popular, fashionable and had more personality than all the Governors added together. She was known as much for her fashion sense and smoking as for her attitude towards social gatherings and people in general.

“Well,” she started, uncertain, “yes. Have you seen him?” her question hung in the air and she almost immediately regretted asking it. Now, if Allegra did know her brother's whereabouts, Adrianna would be obliged to visit him, and, if she didn't, Allegra would no doubt view this as suspicious.

The answer was quite obviously soaked in sarcasm, and so Adrianna didn't reply to it. Fuel on the fire, as it were.

With every second that ticked by, Adrianna could feel that familiar knot in her chest tighten slightly. Every now and again, she caught herself wishing she was back outside the Tower, wandering the streets with the ranks of searching Wardens. Anything to escape the deafening silence.

“Was there something you wanted to speak to him of?”

The question was carefully worded and cleverly innocuous, but Adrianna was wary of giving away information she wasn't clear to divulge. Allegra was the Governor's sister: however, Lucius had made it impossible for her to hold a rank or title. Her fame came, firstly, from her brothers success and, secondly, from her flamboyant nature.

“Yes,” Adrianna answered softly. “I guessed that he'd need my report as soon as I was able to give it. If he's not here I should probably go...”

There she trailed off, hesitant. She was uncomfortable giving details, especially as no-one had, as of yet, informed her as to how high this investigation was classified. Of course she could estimate or hazard a guess - and she'd fall pretty close, if things followed their usual path - but this was a little more sensitive than that now that she was personally involved. If anyone who wasn't supposed to got word of what she was doing, she herself would be in a cell before she could cry for help.

There was a high pitched beeping and Adrianna jumped. Realising she'd left her radio on, she tuned the volume dial down to a more acceptable level and left it there. The next time she face Allegra, a little more blood that usual coloured her cheeks and she carried herself as a well-meaning minor who had just been shown up in public.

Adrianna knew Allegra enough to know what to expect and what not to; she ought to anticipate amusement, but she shouldn't look for surprise, for she'd find none. Allegra kept a mask of casual elegance around herself at all times and Adrianna knew she would never see further than that.

<center>- - -</center>

Cameron, in all his years, had only ever seen one thing that had affected Garnet as much as this, and that was the covered up ‘disappearance’ of her parents. Hysterical and stressed to a point where emotional pain had almost become physical pain, she'd almost broken their door down in an effort to find some kind of sanctuary. Back then, she'd been as he saw her now: her personal barriers that protected her from people like her supervisors had been broken down, shattered, and for one terrible moment Garnet had felt as completely exposed and vulnerable as a person can be.

Her muffled apology made him laugh, gently, softly, in what he hoped was a reassuring way.

“I don't know why you're apologising,” he told her. “you didn't deserve any of that.”

Garnet seemed to be having difficulty hiding from past ghosts, the most notable of which being the nights her parents were abducted in front of her eyes in the night. It wasn't something a grown person should have had to witness, let alone a young teen. Try as he might Cameron couldn't be the shield against what Garnet was facing; all he could do was stand by the sidelines and kick himself for not finding an opportunity to act.

“Of course I remember,” he blinked, startled by the sudden question. “How could I forget?”

By that, of course, he meant ‘How could I forget the night the closest friend I ever had turned up distraught and traumatized?’

“I didn't think you were nuts,” he told her, forgetting himself for a minute and slipping into his old casual, joking manner accidentally. It was the little lie that had caught his attention: his and Adrianna's house hadn't been the first place she'd thought to go, it had been the only place she could go. The only places she'd loved back then was the school where her parents had taught, her own home and the Harts' house; when her parents had been forcibly removed from the picture the only place left had been that that contained Adrianna, Cameron and the precious few childhood memories she could look back on without once again feeling as thought part of her own soul had been torn away.

He could see it before his own eyes, now: Adrianna fetching candles, blankets, lighting the small fire; sitting with Garnet until ‘daybreak’, even if it was just in silence, so she'd know they were there. There wasn't a way he could convey the deep, thorough sadness he'd felt when he'd seen her so disarmed.

“Hey, Garnet,” he lifted her head so he could look her in the eye and smiled at her. “I'm here for you. Alright?”

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PostPosted: May 15th, 2010, 12:12 pm 
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Still panting for breath, Dylan remained on te floor. The palms of his hands, with which he'd tried to break his fall, stung. But he did not dare to move, not even to wipe the blood from under his nose. The Warden's sneer echoed in his head but Dylan was aware that there was only one voice yet. One Warden had managed to follow him, but others would surely come..

As he lay there, at that moment, with his face on the concrete, the thought he feared the most loomed in his head. The woman had only toyed with him. He had served as amusement. How she must have laughed when he had thought that she would help him. She must have gloated over the easiness to win his trust.

Pull yourself together! a voice spoke in his head. Dylan closed his eyes and tried to empty his mind of any thought.There was no use in expecting the worst. He had act carefully now and not abandon hope. No, doing that would mean to betray himself. Dylan was a man of faith. There was always hope..
As long no one else had joined the other Warden, he had to keep talking to this man, distracting him. Dylan felt like a defenseless prey as the Warden circled around him like a predator. Who knew what this man was able to do?

"I pity you," the doctor spoke, lifting his head somewhat from the ground as he tried to look up at the Warden. The Warden seemed like a young lad, alot younger than he, himself, was. But Dylan realised it was the youth, who were the most dangerous; fanatics. They were easy manipulated and willing to fight for the Government's cause. The high officials knew this also, and trained these youngsters to keep order and setting horrible examples.

"I pity you that you have to follow those orders. Arresting innocent and harmless people.." Dylan's voice was filled with some sort of authority, and a kind of passion. He did believe in what he said, and now things couldn't get any worse, he might as well speak his mind. "Do you not follow your conscious? How do you sleep at night?"


[Edit: What I wanted to ask since Alegra was introduced: where does she stand on the line of "good" & "evil"? ]

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PostPosted: May 15th, 2010, 12:58 pm 
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In the darkness, the sprawled-out shape of the doctor was easy to miss; the Warden himself might've thought the doctor dead had it not been so obvious he was breathing. His aim was steady and he didn't hesitate, didn't falter. He knew what he was doing, he was confident, and he took pride in his work. It was frustrating that it was taking this long for backup to arrive, and even more irritating that the one supposedly coordinating the search - the same one who had called it off not long ago, with orders to resume in the morning - hadn't checked in yet.

The satisfaction he felt at winning this little battle, this chase, was endless. He felt powerful and authoritative when it wasn't his right to feel either. When the doctor had fallen, he'd stood tall and could, now, hear the praise he'd earn from his superiors for bringing in such a wrongdoer. And his prisoner wasn't even struggling! Surely he'd earn a promotion for his heroic actions.

The man was bleeding, he saw; must've collided with the hard, rough floor and split his lip or something similar. The pathetic being on the floor before him didn't even move to wipe the scarlet liquid from his face. Had he no pride?

“I pity you.”
The words came from the man on the floor, but they weren't broken words; they were held together by a steel-strong strength that made the Warden scowl. Hope. It did terrible things to a man.

“Pity me? Why?” scorn was evident in his tone, and he asked the question as if he didn't care what the answer might be. This Warden's love for domination and power was overshadowed by his self-importance and disregard for anything others said. The meant nothing to him.

“I pity you that you have to follow those order. Arresting innocent and harmless people...” the doctor trailed off, unperturbed by his captor's snide words.

“You'd call yourself harmless? We wouldn't be bringing you in if you weren't a threat!” he was half-yelling to the surroundings now, caught up in his I'm-doing-what-I-know-is-right way of thinking and showed no signs of stopping.

“I'll tell you what makes me sleep well at night,” he spat bitterly on the floor. “Knowing criminals like you are behind bars and well away from the rest of us.”

The radio crackled slightly then, and a voice came through. They were a couple of streets away, gaining on his position and still awaiting reports from tonight's ‘leader’.

“We read you. Two minutes out. Standing orders apply: hold him, do not proceed without authorisation.”

The Warden felt cheated, and was about to protest when the radio went off again, this time with a different - and annoyed - yet still familiar voice. Half of the transmission was missing, as if part of the signal had gotten lost.

“... should have radioed me sooner. Bring him to the Tower, fifth floor. I'll deal with him there and have your new orders waiting. Adrianna out.”

<center>- - -</center>

[I've actually just realised that we've not seen Allegra's bio. Goldy, can you edit it into the first post? :teehee:
@ Will: I'm pretty sure she's a good guy. She's out to make trouble for the bad guys, at the very least. :P]

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PostPosted: May 15th, 2010, 1:08 pm 
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(Allegra is definitely one of the good guys! :-D Here’s her bio…

Name: Allegra Nylander
Age: 30
Appearance: http://www.cateblanchettfan.com/photos/ ... p?album=52
http://www.cateblanchettfan.com/photos/ ... p?album=77
Rank: Allegra is allowed no rank, due to the wishes of her older brother, Lucius. Since she is close to him and his work, he is paranoid that if allocated a job, she might reveal the secrets of the government. This has caused a rift between brother and sister and allowed a long, bitter resentment to build up on Allegra’s side, although they both behave with crisp politeness to one another in public.
Affiliation: The Rebels
Personality: Allegra is confident and at ease in the company of others; she is something of a social butterfly, and enjoys making new acquaintances. Her brother despises this trait of hers, but she pays no heed to his disapproval. Being allowed very little say in her own life, Allegra takes every opportunity to go behind Lucius’s back to do what she pleases. This has caused trouble for her before but she has only gone unpunished due to the fact that Lucius would never be able to harm her without guilt, and Allegra takes full advantage of Lucius’s inability to kill his own sister.
History: Allegra grew up in a fairly well-off household with her older brother; she never knew what her parents’ rank was, but she could be sure that they held important positions in the government. Her education and upbringing was handed over to a governess, and Allegra spent most of her free time with her brother, though they fought regularly and made each other’s lives a complete misery. During her teenage years Allegra grew incredibly bored and wished to leave the luxurious confines of her home and do something useful with her life; however, this was not allowed. As the years went by, Allegra watched her brother Lucius gain standing in their society, and when he became governor, she was sure that he would let her be given something to do, for although they argued, they were still close. However, Lucius was of the same opinion of their parents, who were now dead. He assumed authority over his sister and stipulated that since she was close to the government by relation, she could not be trusted not to give away matters of importance and secrecy. His distrust in her infuriated Allegra, and her childhood irritation with him turned into absolute hatred. Since then, she has supported the rebel movement that seeks to overthrow the government, and will snatch any opportunity that she finds that will allow her to betray Lucius.
Misc Notes: Allegra dislikes Adrianna for the simple fact that she works for Lucius.

~~~

“I guessed that he'd need my report as soon as I was able to give it. If he's not here I should probably go...”

Unintentionally, Adrianna’s words had caught Allegra’s interest. She might have said something in reply, but when the high pitched beeping of Adrianna’s radio filled the room, Allegra simply smiled in an indulgent manner and drew on her cigarette again. She watched as Adrianna turned the volume dial down, and her smile widened. She reached out to pick up another paper from the neat pile on the desk, and used it to stub out her cigarette.

“Now.” She threw the paper aside carelessly, and it fluttered to the floor. She didn’t appear to even notice. Her smile widened, and she skirted round the desk to sit in the governor’s seat. She smoothed her dress and leaned back in an unhurried manner. “That’s better – it’s nice to take the weight off your feet.”

If Lucius were to walk in that very moment, seeing his sister looking comfortable in his chair at his desk, he would be furious with her. Perhaps that was why she had done it; maybe, behind that pleasant mask, she hoped he’d walk in and have to bite back whatever cutting insult he might have made if not for Adrianna’s presence.

“Why don’t you give me the report and I’ll let Lucius have it when I see him?” Allegra suggested. The way she said it, it sounded so reasonable, as if nothing could be more sensible. Allegra had a way of winning people round, persuading them to do as she wished. She overturned most of Lucius’s orders in the same way. When he had stipulated a month or so ago that he did not require her presence at an official gathering, she had parried his order by stating her desire to see one of her brother’s colleagues who had been ill, who she “so doted on”.

“I find dear Lucius has been rather rushed off his feet lately,” Allegra continued. Her tone seemed filled with concern. “I tell him time and time again, he needs to take a break; but he is so devoted to his station. I daresay you share the same vigour for your profession.”

There was a little sting, there. Both Allegra and Adrianna knew what the governor’s job entailed; though no poison slipped into Allegra’s voice – she was that most skilled of actresses – the hint to more than a little distaste for Adrianna’s job was there. But a smile was on her face, and she leaned across the desk in a friendly, inviting manner. “Now, that report,” she said.

She raised her eyebrows as Adrianna spoke into her radio, issuing an order. Since Lucius seemed missing, she wondered how exactly Adrianna would deal with whoever it was she wanted sent to the Tower.

“Now there’s that dedication,” she remarked dryly, with a smile. “So admirably committed.”

~~~

Garnet listened to Cameron’s words, feeling strangely comforted just by the sound of his voice. Already, the feeling of growing panic was slowly disintegrating, to be replaced by tranquility. Nobody else could comfort her in the way Cameron did; their long, steady friendship had always been something Garnet could reach out to, that could make things seem better. Sometimes he didn’t even need to try to make her feel better; he could just be there.

In the time he’d been gone, it’d been the simple matter of his presence that had bothered Garnet the most. Small, simple things that had tugged at Garnet’s heart and made her miss him even more; the way he smiled or suddenly made a joke, interrupting a solemn moment and making her laugh.

As he lifted her head, she smiled. It was only a small smile, but a real smile all the same. Her eyes were still damp, but no new tears flowed to the surface. She wiped at her cheeks and took a small breath. She paused slightly, wanting to say something.

“You’re my best friend, Cameron,” she said finally. Her voice was very quiet. “The best friend I’ve ever had or ever will. I know you’re here for me.” Her smile widened just a little bit. “I’m here for you. You do know that, don’t you?”

She didn’t want the support he gave her to be just one-sided; if he helped her, she wanted to help him. Garnet wanted him to know that if he had any troubles, he could share them with her.

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PostPosted: May 15th, 2010, 2:10 pm 
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[ Eep! I absolutely love this RPG! I'm off for tonight.. but I wonder Darky, shall I start my next post in the Tower? ;)

And Cate fits so amazingly for Allegra! She's awesome! :happy: ]

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PostPosted: May 15th, 2010, 3:24 pm 
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[Sounds good to me! :teehee:]

Adrianna almost flinched away from the interest that Allegra displayed in her work. The woman knew this data was all protected and that Adrianna wasn't of high enough rank to give away anything without applying for permission. Something cold ran down her spine at the very idea of disobeying orders in such a way.

The beeping from her radio quietened and then stopped completely. In the silence that, once again, settled over the two women, Adrianna found herself lost for words; she had nothing in particular to say to Lucius's sister, especially if her intentions were to poke and pry into the business of her brother. Her appearance made Adrianna unbalanced.

Allegra, all grace and poise, let a sheet of paper fall to the floor. In the centre of the small, neat handwriting - Adrianna's notes for the Governor, no doubt - there was a small ‘o’-shaped burn which made a few words in a couple of lines of text unreadable. Adrianna silently reminded herself to replace those notes before she got the blame for Allegra's actions

“...it's nice to take the weight off your feet.”

Obviously ‘your’ extended only to those of noble birth in the room, as Adrianna was still standing, back straight, eyes watching the room, ears listening intently, with no intention of sitting down in the Governor's office without invitation - even then, she would decline politely.

Oh, the lady looked so smug over there in her brother's high-backed chair, all composure and grace, blonde hair perfectly kept, dress all grey shimmer without a patch or tear. So out of place she would have looked had she been walking through the centre of the city instead of through the Tower.

“Why don’t you give me the report and I’ll let Lucius have it when I see him?”

Allegra flashed a winning smile with her bright, reasonable and gently persuasive tone. Allegra has charm and intelligence going for her; she knew that if she said things in a certain way, presented what she wanted them to do in a suitable manner, that they would all do as she wished and she'd be able to manipulate their actions, to an extent. Adrianna was adamant that she would not fall into this trap, however tempting it was.

“I... I don't-” she was cut off prematurely by Allegra - who else? - continuing her monologue about her brother. This seemed very much to be a one-way conversation; Adrianna said very little, when there was a pause in conversation and when Allegra didn't take the opportunity to immediately interrupt when she inhaled a breath and attempted to exhale her words.

“I find dear Lucius has been rather rushed off his feet lately,” she was the picture of a concerned family member: a slight crease of the brow, enough to let the audience know she was worried, little enough to suggest she was putting on a brave face. Perpetually sceptical, Adrianna found herself unwilling to believe what her eyes told her was there.

“...I daresay you share the same vigour for your profession.”

Was it just her, or did that statement bite?
Something about Allegra was threatening. It might've been her outspoken inclination to social activities, it might've been her manipulative nature hiding behind a brilliantly constructed façade. Either way, something about her made Adrianna feel insecure - at least, more so than usual.

Adrianna had no clue as to where Allegra's bitterness came from, be she knew for certain that she had never slighted, insulted or otherwise harmed the woman.

“Now, that report.”

Those words were almost a command. At once Adrianna could feel herself obeying without thinking, as usual: when a superior gave an order you did as they said or you were punished for your insolence. It was as simple as that.

“That report...” Adrianna trailed off. “...is classified,” she finished after a minute.
“I'm not comfortable giving away information until the Governor himself is notified about the circumstances.”

If asked, she would not agree that loyalty was a quality she possessed in abundance. Obedience, yes; loyalty? Loyalty came from human connection, in her experience, and she could only name a handful of people who fit that description.

Any reply from Allegra was cut short, as was Adrianna's thinking process, as the latter's radio went off again. This time, it was a voice - one of the Wardens from earlier, she guessed - and he sounded plenty peeved.

Momentarily forgetting Allegra was in the room, a businesslike Adrianna lifted the radio up to her face to answer the repetitive hails.

“Hart, come in. Come in, Hart! Darn it.” the voice was crackly and muffled.

“Hart. What is it?”

“You didn't radio back. We waited, but he's been caught.”

“You mean you didn't radio me immediately?” she paused, angry but controlling it; she did not need to get into a rage in the middle of the Governor's office.
“I trust you won't make the same mistake twice. Patch me through to whoever found him.”

“We were out of radio range for a minute there, Hart, we had no way of contacting you.”

“Enough with the excuses, you should have radioed me sooner. Bring him to the Tower, fifth floor. Conscious. I'll deal with him there and have your new orders waiting. Adrianna out.”

Her finger released the button and there were a few seconds of white noise before the radio bleeped and was turned off. She was expecting no other messages now, and if the Wardens tried sending anything, it was their own tough luck.

“Now there’s that dedication,” Allegra said as soon as the radio was hooked back onto Adrianna's belt alongside her borrowed weapon. “So admirably committed.”

She could not stop the blood that rushed to her cheeks at that. So many times she'd convinced herself all her job was was orders, but now she wished she had some way to protest this point, some way to show Allegra, clever as she was, that she was wrong. As she moved to do just this, there was the small click, click of the door being opened and framed perfectly in the doorway, a picture of dark, intimidating strength was the one person you'd expect to find in his office at this time of night.

Lucius Nylander raised a quizzical eyebrow and looked from his gracefully seated sister to the upright, suddenly pale Adrianna.

“So,” he began in a soft voice to match his sister's. “Would anyone like to explain why you decided to hold a party in my office and neglected to mention it to me?”

<center>- - -</center>

As minutes ticked by, Garnet seemed to be able to gain a measure of composure. Tears still fell, but less frequently and in decreased quantities. Noticing this, Cameron felt relief wash through him; for a while, there, he'd though he'd be faced with an inconsolable Garnet he wouldn't be able to save from her own fear. Such a failure would surely haunt him for the rest of his life. A large part of him didn't want to have to deal with that - ever.

The hand of Garnet's that he held was cold, he realised. The Warden, not content with scaring the two of them out of their wits, had done so in a way that he knew would make a lasting impression, in a way that would make Garnet especially glance behind her whenever she ventured outside the comfort of her own home.

If Adrianna had told them what she'd done that evening, Garnet wouldn't have felt safe at home, either.

It felt like years since they'd been so close, in both senses; he'd been physically as far away from the city as it was possible to get - the furthest edges, where the Government were enlisting people to go about expanding the city. So much had needed to be done, it had driven thoughts of even Adrianna out of him mind during work hours, so his often sleepless nights were those when he thought longingly of home and the people came with it.

Now he was back, it was as if he'd never left. It felt strange to simply slip back into his old routine - he had work to do here, of course, but it wasn't pressing and he could use a little down-time - with barely a difference. Everything was exactly as he'd left it. The lack of change felt eerie.

As he looked her in the eye, she smiled. Another wave of relief crashed through him, and this time he was almost positive that it was evident on his face. Garnet didn't seem to notice at that moment. With every second that passed she was regaining more of herself, slipping back into her personality and, exceedingly slowly, quietening her fears. Cameron himself inhaled the cool ‘night’ air to soothe himself before smiling again at his friend.

“You’re my best friend, Cameron, the best friend I’ve ever had or ever will. I know you’re here for me.”

Cameron gave a short, soft laugh. “That's a relief. Also, I won't have to repeat myself.” his joke felt feeble, but part of it rang true. Garnet was a good listener, always had been.

“I’m here for you. You do know that, don’t you?”

That made him smile.

“Of course I do,” he told her quietly. “But for not, I'm not the one who matters.”

Garnet had, through her job, learned to try and please her superiors. It wasn't an easy life, Cameron knew this from experience, and he wanted to prove to her that sometimes she mattered. Especially to him. So much.

“Come on,” he said after a short pause. “My house is two minutes away, and after being away so long I want to catch up on everything I've missed.”

At that point he gave her a direct look, as if singling her out in reference to his statement. So far he hadn't told her, not explicitly, that she was by far one of the things had had missed most about his patchwork life.

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Last edited by Darkheart on May 19th, 2010, 4:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: May 16th, 2010, 9:06 am 
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Dylan looked up as the young Warden spoke with scorn and contempt, disbelief and pity written on his face. He could not understand how this boy could feel so much hatred against someone he did not know. Hatred against an enemy, imagined by the Government.

We read you. Two minutes out. Standing orders apply: hold him, do not proceed without authorisation.


Realising that the Warden was not permitted to do anything but wait, Dylan slowly scrambled to his feet. With his sleeve he wiped the blood from his face, staining his white shirt. He stood there calmly, watching the young lad in the eye, when the second message was radioed. The voice was cracky, as if the connection was very weak, which made the message almost inaudible.

"You think you have it all do you?" the doctor spoke quietly. "But I tell you now.. you're making a mistake." Anger once again appeared on the Warden's face and Dylan watched how the man lifted his weapon. For a few seconds nothing seemed to happen as the two man stood opposite of each other. The Warden, with his weapon prepared to strike, yet hesitating and Dylan, just waiting.

Then the Warden struck. Dylan felt a sharp pain in the head and then, there was only darkness...


* * * * *

With a groan the docotr woke up. After blinking a few times everything became solid again. Dylan set up and a few soft curses escaped his lips as his hand felt the wound on his head, where he'd been struck by the Warden. It was probably a minor wound yet it would inflict a nasty headache.

He glanced around the dark and sober cell. It was small room with a concrete floor, a cold dim light was shed by a small lught bulb which was hanging by a thread from the ceiling. It was clearly not meant for prisoners to stay here for a longer period as there was only a single mattress laying on the ground.

Dylan breathed in the stuffy air and sighed. Things were out of his hands now..

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PostPosted: May 19th, 2010, 12:50 pm 
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Allegra raised her head as the door to the governor’s office clicked softly open, revealing Lucius himself; anyone apart from his sister would have been scared in the following moments of silence. The question he posed to the room was soft-pitched, but threaded with an unspoken menace. Allegra noticed that Adrianna’s skin had blanched with shock.

Allegra was not just “anyone”. She was Lucius’s sister, three years his junior; she had grown up with him. The two siblings had been forced to spend most of their time with each other; they’d learned each other’s weaknesses, their strengths, too. They’d become one another’s closest companions under duress. And now that they were adults posed against each other, they each made fearsome enemies. Lucius in one of his dark moods did not frighten Allegra at all.

Her head tilted ever so slightly, Allegra smiled. It was a wide, natural smile, the kind of smile that dazzled onlookers into silence. All at once, it was doting and amused; put plainly, it was a smile designed especially to infuriate Lucius.

“Come now, brother,” Allegra said, fondly. “Surely you’re not feeling left out, are you?” She shook her head, as if mourning her brother’s lack of trust in her. “I was just having a little chinwag with your assistant. Delightful child.” She reached out and swiftly picked up her clutch bag from the desk. She made no move to rise from Lucius’s seat.

In all honestly, she didn’t care that Lucius had walked in. She knew that there was nothing he could do; he might forbid her a rank, but he could not restrain her. One of her favourite indulgences was taunting Lucius. There was a little clicking noise as Allegra snapped shut her bag. She leaned back in the chair, observing Lucius, who still stood in the doorway.

“Oh!” She gave a little start. “Dear me, I must apologise, Lucius. You must be tired from a hard day’s work, you’ll surely want to sit down. I’m utterly thoughtless, aren’t I?” Taking her time, she pushed back the chair and rose up with perfect poise. She leant down to pat the seat of the chair, directing a sunbeam smile at her brother.

Strolling away from the desk, she cast a small casual glance over her shoulder at the now somewhat untidy desk, the overturned pencil pot, the shuffled papers, and the paper with a cigarette burn on the floor. “Oh,” she added, making a perfect little frown, the very picture of ruefulness, “I’m afraid I might have made a bit of a mess. You know me, dreadfully untidy. Unlike you, Lucius – an example for us all.”

Her stiletto heels tapping on the floor, she sauntered across the room, directly approaching Lucius. No smile could have been more pleasant than the one she gave him. But it crinkled a little into an apparently disapproving frown, and her gaze rested on the lapel of his jacket. With a perfectly manicured hand she brushed a speck of dust off. Her smile lit up again.

“Now, won’t you sit down at last!” she exclaimed. “In fact, brother, I came here to see you for a little chat. But I saw your office was empty and decided to hang around and wait – then who should come in but Adrianna.” Looking over Lucius’s shoulder, Allegra’s grey eyes rested on the young woman in question for a small moment. She had not forgotten how Adrianna had refused to give her that report.

But the moment soon passed, and Allegra moved away to perch on the desk again. She set the pencil pot upright again. All in all, it was a spectacular performance – no one would ever be able to see through the glitter of Allegra’s cheerful veneer. She was a vibrant character to throw her brother utterly into the shade, and they both knew it.

The clutch bag was snapped open again, and Allegra fitted another cigarette into the holder, lighting it up with ease. This was the final flourish that Lucius would hate most. Cigarette smoke. A gust of white smoke drifted from her lips as she smiled.

~~~

Garnet smiled up at Cameron and linked her arm back through his as they set off on the walk towards the Hart’s home. It was a familiar, comforting feeling, knowing she’d soon be back in one of the places of her childhood. Cameron and Adrianna’s home had been like a second home to her, especially after her parents had died. She’d found herself spending more and more time there as the years went on, and it had prevented her grief from utterly taking over. Her friendship with the Harts had meant everything to her.

However, the evening tradition of sitting by the fire and drinking coffee or tea, in deep discussion, had ended when they had all started working. None of them had had any time, especially when Cameron had to leave so often. But now he was back. And he’d told her he wanted to catch up on all that he’d missed.

Had he missed her? The look he’d given her seemed to indicate that. His words, everything he’d said tonight, echoed again and again in Garnet’s mind as they walked in step. It hadn’t been like this for so long. They’d been in different places, away from each other, for such a long time, but now that they were reunited it felt as if nothing had changed. And that was true. The terror of the confrontation with the wardens was slowly fading away, almost into a memory; Garnet was almost beginning to feel light and at her ease again.

As they reached Cameron’s house, the front door carved with the word “Hart”, Garnet stopped and turned towards him.

“I guess we’ve got a lot to talk about.” Her smile was sincere, going right to her eyes, which were lit up with her usual warmth. A whole night’s worth of talking was probably ahead of them. There were huge gaps of time that needed to be filled. “And you know me. I’m good at listening – though this time you’ll have to do your fair share of listening too.”

Garnet probably had just as much to talk about as Cameron did. But it was true what she’d said; she was good at listening. It didn’t signify submissiveness of any sort or a meek nature, but rather, it showed that she had a talent for making people feel at their ease. Anyone who had ever spoken to Garnet knew that, ten seconds into the conversation, Garnet would somehow get them talking about anything and everything.

A lot of time had gone by in the long years of Garnet and Cameron’s friendship, but some things never changed.

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PostPosted: May 30th, 2010, 6:21 pm 
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[ Bumpish :) ]

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PostPosted: May 31st, 2010, 9:12 am 
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[ Sorry for the double post, but I'm going to introduce a new character.. :) ]

A young girl hurried through the dark streets as quick as her pregnant belly allowed her. When she incidentally halted in the light of one of the scarce neonlights, to make up her direction, one could see that she was not much older than twenty-two.Her red, curly hair popped out above the collar of her coat, which she'd put on quickly when she left in a hurry.

Lilly Tash had been at her small house for the entire afternoon and evening, waiting for doctor Whittaker to make his regualr check-up. Housecalls were quite extraordinairy, something other doctors refused to do except in exchange for large sums of money, but the doctor had insisted on visiting Lilly since he thought that the long walks to the hospital were too tiresome for her.

But then, doctor Whittaker seemed to be quite an extraordinairy man. He had offered to be her doctor, even when other hospitals had refused her 'because they would only offer their services to families.' The father had to accompany her..
Single mother were unwanted because it was considered as inappropriate by the government, and the phenomenon was actively discouraged.

Lilly took another break to regain her breath and she set her hands on her hips, arching her back backwards. She'd tried to ignore the aching pain in her side for days, but when the doctor had not showed up that evening she decided that she would visit the hospital herself.

Suddenly, as Lilly was making up her mind where to go, shouts and footsteps sounded in the quiet night. For a moment the blond was taken by fear. The Wardens. The stories that circulated about them used to scare her to death. Now, being alone at street, during nighttime, she didn't even want to imagine what could happen if she encountered them..

When the noises seem to draw closer she attempted to run down the street in the shades of the tall buildings. While Lilly wobbled along, she watched over her shoulder to check if she was followed but then she felt her body hit that of someone else and she could just prevent herself from toppling over. Relief was written on her freckled face as she noticed that the man she ran into, was not a Warden. He seemed to be an ordinairy guy, who was accompanied by a woman, who was looking quite shocked.

"I'm sorry.." she stammered while a red blush crept up her cheeks. One hand rested on her round belly and with the other she leaned against the plastered wall of the house, as she tried to catch her breath again. "The Wardens.." she tried to explain. "They.. they scared me.."

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O children, lift up your voice, lift up your voice,
Children, rejoice, rejoice..

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It doesn't matter you don't believe in God, He believes in you.


Last edited by Will on November 29th, 2010, 8:35 am, edited 1 time in total.

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