View Full Version : Every Dog Has His Day (Tentative Solo)
"How long have I been out here...?" asked the white-haired gentlemen to his reflection upon the frozen pond.
"Too long," the reflection replied, an echo of memories passed and buried nightmares.
The chilled winter wind howled menacingly through the barren branches of the surrounding woods. Their dead limbs swayed and whipped as newborn powder danced through the carnage. This frozen waste once knew the feeling of warm sunlight but now, it would never see green leaves or flowing water in its streams and ponds.
"You've let yourself become weak, vulnerable, and succumb to the will of others," the reflection continued, an icy finger pointed at its own chest.
Lye's hand moved to his beating heart. For as foul a man as he was, it still beat with life. He felt something else, however, each beat felt choked - stifled. His heart pained as it pumped, but had grown so accustomed to this agony that Lye could only feel it when focused.
"I made a gamble," the assassin spoke in clouds of hot breath.
"And you lost. Do you know why?"
The question stung deep. It begged an answer to the question he struggled with since the beginning of this madness - since the day fate stole his wife and child. Even before then, at the edges of his blurred memories, the death of his foster parents and an icy cold shore of black sand. His origin? The memory was too diluted and fogged to recall clearly. Along the line of his past, madness gripped him tightly. Every instance he tried to find companionship, comradery, or trust, misfortune fell upon him. It felt as though some higher power waited for these moments to insert just the right amount of malice to collapse all the good in his life.
Lye took a deep breath of the biting Salvic air. He knew the answer, always did. Accepting the answer proved more difficult. No matter how twisted and foul one becomes, a small portion will always yearn to seek another. That small portion had a name - humanity.
"I do," Lye replied to his shattered self. He stood and glared to the reflection upon the ice. It returned the fowl expression with a grimace.
"Then you know what it is that has to be done," it whispered to him.
The assassin responded by clasping the clothes above his heart. His response was silent, but resolute and with a glimmer of ill intentions, his reflection faded beneath a wave of windswept powder.
Lye turned to the porcelain expanse, visually cracked by the undead remnants of a lush, forgotten wood, and marched into the snowy haze.
This season, the Salvic winter proved especially harsh. The Seventh Sanctum of the Crimson Hands, full of the land's hardest men and women, remained indoors and safe from the lethal temperatures. Were it not for a magically enchanted fur hugging his form, Lye would have succumbed to the frost hours ago. Currently, he trudged through the thick blanket of powder and the Hand's shroud of Black Mist. Only those familiar with the way could navigate the treacherous path. In the near distance, he saw the faint flicker of a watchtower's flame. A dozen more steps and his hands fell on the gates to the Sanctum.
Through the winds, the shrill song of a snow lark reached his ears. Lye responded with the call of a Fallieni sand diver finch. Moments later, the looming doors cracked and groaned open.
Home.
Or at least, the closest he could come to it.
As Lye walked toward the Grand Hall at the base of the mountain, he noted the warm firelight flickering through the cracks in the wooden huts and longhouses. Between the buildings, footprints hid under inches of virgin snow and barely visible. Muffled shouts of drunken ruffians came from the mess hall - a sign that they passed the time with alcohol and fist fights. Before, their pale Tyrant would make an example of them and force them to work in the harsh climate. Now, the Tyrant silently continued past them, emerald eyes fixated on a place of memory where two specific men would likely be playing cards.
Lye shoved open the doors of the Grand Hall. Heat rushed out from the interior as wisps of cold and frost spun inward to purchase claim on new territory. Two men grunted feverishly to shut the doors as their leader passed. With a loud slam and the unforgettable sound of a reinforced beam locking them in, the two men welcomed him. Lye waved a hand and gave them his back as he pressed on.
"I'll raise," Diggs called to his emotionless rival across the table. From a pile of gold coin, he pushed a stack of ten toward the center where it clattered into a pile.
His opponent, a much larger man with stern features but an unreadable expression, lifted the corner of his cards to reveal two aces for the umpteenth time. He rubbed his course, unshaven chin and reviewed the four cards on the table cautiously.
Ace of Hearts, King of Hearts, Queen of Hearts, and Jack of Hearts.
His gaze moved up to a confidently smirking Diggs.
"Wouldn't have a ten of hearts would you?" Hedge plainly asked. Diggs removed his glassed and folded them into the collar of his shirt.
"Depends, would you believe me if I said yes or no? That's the game, my friend. You tell me what I have under here," Diggs replied with his arms folded across his chest.
Hedge leaned back in his rickety wooden chair and it groaned under his weight. He eyed the cards. Any heart suit could beat three of a kind with a flush. Even a ten of a different suit would put him out over a few hundred gold. Now, if it were another suit card, only the royal flush could take out that kind of full house. Hedge didn't care for the numbers and math like Diggs did, he used his gut to weigh the scales.
And he felt confident.
"All in," Hedge finally called as he pushed the last of his gold into the center. Diggs furrowed a brow and struggled to find the words.
"Statistically, there is no way that --"
"Yeah, yeah, specs... just burn one and flip the river."
Diggs shook his head and retrieved his glasses from his neck. He wanted to see the winning hand clearly, no mistakes. Both men fell silent as he burnt the first card off the stack. Slowly, almost painfully, Diggs laid the final card down. His finger slid around the edge and began to lift it with a smirk. Hedge leaned inward in anticipation.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
Both men jumped and shot their glance at the door.
"We're in the middle of a game, for fuck's sake!" Hedge roared.
"It's Lye," the door replied.
Only one other phrase could have impacted the two men more, but they had already come to terms with her absence. Diggs scurried from his seat, and made way for the door.
"What're you doing?!" Hedge asked in a harsh whisper.
"Opening the door!" Diggs quipped in an equally subtle tone.
"We don't even like the guy! He's a prick, and he's probably the reason why Madi--"
The handle turned and door opened, staggering Diggs against one of the many bookshelves.
"Hello, sir!" Hedge awkwardly transitioned with an equally unwieldly smile.
Lye shut the door behind him and slid the locking bolt into place. Diggs gathered himself and adjusted his disheveled glasses back into place with a scowl.
"No need to pretend," Lye stated. He meandered to the table at the center of the room and grabbed a chair. Compared to the other's it wore a thin coat of dust and neglect.
"No that's--!" Diggs started as the intruder to their game seated himself.
"Madison's?" Lye finished for him. Meanwhile, Hedge shot daggers his way and unceremoniously clenched his hands together upon the table.
"To what do we owe this... pleasure?" Hedge added with a dripping sarcasm and disdain.
"I'm looking for your comrade. Word is, she hasn't been around for some time." As the assassin spoke, he eyed the cards on the table. In front of him were two, face down and untouched.
"You should fucking know! You put her in that--!"
"Hedge!" Diggs shouted, strikingly loud and commanding for a man of his stature. Hedge slammed his fist on the table and shot out of his seat. He cocked his elbow for a right cross, but paused at the sharp sting under his neck.
Lye remained seated, stoic and expressionless while his cursed tanto pressed against Hedge's throat. No hand held the blade in place, but a keen eye could notice the wisps of dark magic licking off its possessed surface.
"Woah woah woah!" Diggs stuttered, hands out in front of him as though he was talking down a rabid beast. "No need for violence! We get it, and we're outclassed. We just want finish this game in peace. Right, Hedge?"
If there existed a specific look which could set a person aflame, it would be the one Hedge displayed. However, the fire in his eyes cooled, and he lowered his fist. Lye waved his fingers, and his blade returned to its sheath. Diggs exhaled in relief.
"Now, where were we?" Lye chimed. Hedge padded at his neck and dabbed away the bead of blood which had welled from the weapon's tip.
Lye lifted the edge of the two cards meant for the woman he was looking for. Hedge tensed, and grit his teeth. In response, Lye met eyes with him and spread a grin.
"Last we heard, Madison was taken as a prisoner by Eiskalt's forces," Diggs added. He took his seat and gestured with an open palm to his college - a sign to keep his temper lest he lose his head. Literally.
"I see," was all their tyrannical leader offered while peaked at the cards in his hands. "Why am I just learning about this now? I would figure the two of you would have brought this up sooner."
"Didn't see the need to inform someone as tactless as you," Hedge spat. He slammed his hand atop Madison's cards and Lye pulled away just in time. "If it weren't for the bullshit you pulled on that piece of shit island, she'd be sitting where you are right now!"
Lye scowled, but admired Hedge's tenacity and persistence. The man did not exhibit fear even after the realization he could have been killed only moments ago. This time, Diggs didn't interject. He paused with an open mouth, but sealed his lips and opted for a nod of agreement.
"You didn't think to send someone else? Surely while I was her plaything for a year, she must have made good with some of the men."
"Madison isn't the social type," Diggs began. "You should know at least that much."
"Besides, after what you made her do, they probably lopped her head off, ripped out her guts, and fashioned a float out of her remains to parade around town."
"Jesus, Hedge. That's our Madison," Diggs scolded.
"What?" Hedge shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms like a defiant teenager. "Can't blame them though, that's what I'd do after something like that. Face it, she's most likely dead."
Diggs sighed deeply at the words. It was a sign of both defeat and mourning.
"It's true. Those people wanted blood. They wanted your head," Diggs pointed toward Lye, "but they'd just as easily settle for anyone you commanded."
Lye remained silent and watched as the two hung their heads at the thought. Diggs showed more emotion in his face and posture, whereas Hedge softened his seething hatred for just a moment. It was enough of a sign for Lye to tell he too was in pain. The assassin pressed two fingers to his lips in contemplation.
"Hmm..." Lye uttered, breaking the silence. He then tapped his two fingers atop Madison's cards.
"You see, I know for a fact she's not dead."
Both men shot him confused looks. Lye held up a finger to them, then began to unclasp his leather curiass. He moved it aside and exposed enough of his chest to reveal a wicked scar over his chest. Near the jagged edges of the regrown flesh, an unnatural black and green stretched out like vines upon a wall.
"Your companion and that half demon were kind enough to leave me a gift. She called them briarthorns, and I feel them every time my heart beats." He let the cloth loose and began to reattach his armor. "She made it known that should I kill her or she were to die, she would not go alone."
Diggs moved his puzzled gaze to Hedge and Lye noticed that flicker of hope take seed in their eyes.
"So you see," Lye continued. "Madison is not dead, and it is my intention to find her and get her out of harm's way."
"Hedge..." Diggs muttered.
"I know, I know." Hedge turned to their silver-haired guest. "But what I don't get is why you're here asking us. You have a network of spies, those damned birds, and who knows what other tricks to get this information."
Lye smiled and snapped his fingers at Hedge.
"Hah, you see? You are smarter than you look."
Hedge lowered his brows and flared his nostrils. Diggs silently struggled to hold back a laugh.
"I don't do these things for free, and I aim to propose an ultimatum when I find her. These things in my chest? I want them gone. I doubt she'd simply undo it from the kindness of her heart. In fact, she would likely force me to help her in exchange for letting me live. So, I need leverage to... help persuade her."
Hedge leapt from his seat again, anger fresh on his brow.
"And you think we'll help you?! No way! Not in this lifetime! Might as well kill me now for all I care!" Hedge spouted, arms waiving like a gorilla prepared to attack.
Lye remained seated, calm, and drew a long breath of the stale air. Diggs quietly observed, switching his gaze between the two and the locked door behind Lye.
"I could..." the assassin stated plainly.
"Then do it, coward!" Hedge spat. His anger quickly faded and skin prickled when the assassin shot him a sinister glare. In it, Hedge saw the look so many men, women, and children witness during their final breaths.
Fortunately for him, Lye remained still.
"Hedge," Diggs cooed, "take it easy. Let's at least hear him out."
"Yeah..." Hedge took two paces back, and opted to prop his weight against one of the dusty bookshelves instead of sitting at the table. "Yeah, sure."
"So, what do you need from us?" Diggs asked with a finger pressed against the bridge of his glasses. Hedge turned his head away from the conversation as though it were taboo. To them, it was.
"Information about the Briarhearts. What makes them tick, how one becomes one, etcetera. She wasn't always like this, was she?" Lye asked, keeping a firm eye on the larger of her two lackeys. He expected another outburst.
"No, but she has been as long as we've known her." Diggs fiddled with one of the gold pieces scattered on the table. "On some of those late nights, drowning the memories of Eiskalt," he looked up to Lye as if to make clear where the blame lied, "she'd talk about an old bookstore. She also mentioned a girl, I forget her name--"
"Nell," Hedge added, but maintained his attention on the dark and dusty corner of the room.
"Yes, Nell." Diggs nodded. "After the Red Forest, we couldn't mention that name. She made it very clear when she returned."
"Interesting... Tell me more about her being a Briarheart," Lye commanded to avoid an unneeded trip down memory lane.
"Not much to tell you really. She's part plant. Poisons, including alcohol, have no affect on her. You know what she can do based on Eiskalt. She's pretty much the thing of nightmares in children's fables." Diggs paused to correct himself. "Well, except we know Madison the person, not the Briarheart."
"All very nice and sentimental," Lye stated flatly, "but I want to know if she's ever looked for a cure."
Hedge finally turned back to the conversation. "A cure?"
"No, not that she's told to us," Diggs added. "I think she likes the security of all that raw power."
"Why do you want a cure?" Hedge approached them and placed his hands on the table. His eyes narrowed on their unwelcome guest.
Much like a game of poker, Lye met Hedge's glare with a flat, stoic face.
"Madison taught me a few things in that cellar," the assassin's tone venomous but soft. "If you seek to eliminate a problem, you destroy it at the source."
"So you are going to kill her..." Hedge muttered with teeth bared.
"Madison is not the problem." He did not waver under Hedge's threatening demeanor. "But her current affliction that has given her these powers is."
"I see," Diggs added. Hedge turned to him. Diggs set down the coin in his hand and stood from his chair. "I don't have anything that can help you, but I can show you where she may have kept some answers."
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Diggs?!"
"Maddy's out there, in some prison, likely being tortured or worse!" Diggs snapped "If he wants to strip her of her powers and bring her back, fine by me! I liked her better when she could have a drink and actually enjoy it!"
"Why him? He's the reason she's in that mess!"
"Who else would you send?" Lye inquired.
"I would send--! I would..." Hedge stammered.
"Would you go?" Lye asked.
Hedge paused, then firmed his resolve.
"Yeah, I would!" he shouted.
"Why haven't you?"
Hedge grew quiet.
"Do you have experience getting through a fortified location unseen?"
No answer.
"How about killing an armed and fully trained guardsman?"
"I could..." Hedge wavered.
"What about those ice slinging Icebreakers? Think you could stand your ground with one of them?"
The words sunk into Hedge's stubborn skull. Still, his persistence defied the truth.
"I'd send that needle toothed bastard," Hedge settled on, confidently.
"Aurelianus?" Lye let out a hearty laugh. He slapped his knee for an added effect. "You honestly believe that man would risk his life for someone else? For anyone else?"
Hedge opened his mouth to respond, but hung on the words.
"Don't get me wrong," Lye continued, "the man has his talents, but I'm afraid you overestimate his loyalty. He's an asset to the Crimson Hands out of convenience, not obligation or moral standing. He'd sooner sell your soul to man-loving Incubus than spring you from some prison for the sake helping."
"What about the faun?" Hedge grasped at straws. Meanwhile, Diggs committed his attention to one of the many bookshelves covering the perimeter of the room. He fingered through the books, looking for something in particular.
"Really?" Lye asked with amusement crested on his lips. "You'd send a furry concubine with a pet fox to a hostile nation? One that prides herself on her boat of slutty, battered feminist whores? Your hatred for me is something of legend. It's commendable."
Before Hedge could make another desperate suggestion, Diggs pulled the spine of a rather inconspicuous book. The sound of metal grinding on stone and rattling of chain filled the room. Lye tilted his head to look past the larger of the two men and caught a glimpse of the book's title:
A Layman's Guide of 'When to Fuck Off' by Madison Freebird.
"How poetic," Lye mumbled.
"Fine," Hedge surrendered. "But if anything happens to Maddy by your hands..."
"Really? You'll what?" Lye mocked as he tapped a finger to his own neck where Hedge would recall a certain blade just minutes ago. The brute of a man instinctively touched his throat and opted to leave the sentence unfinished.
Racket from the hidden door came to a halt and Diggs turned to the quarreling duo.
"This way," he coaxed with a gesture of his hand.
Lye lifted from his seat and followed Madison's colleague through the opening. Hedge took the rear, but didn't hide his dissatisfaction from his expression.
"This is Madison's lab," Diggs stated stretching his arms wide. "It's been quite a while since she left, and she only worked with a trusted few. Whatever it is you're looking for, it would be here."
"Thank you."
Lye swept his eyes over the room. Some part of him felt the scene to be familiar, and his mind hearkened to Aurelianus' "fun room" at his House of Sin. Mechanical contraptions of indiscernible make and function laid about the room. Some stood perched on tables, lifelessly watching over petri dishes filled with strange and unnatural growths. Others whirred quietly against walls or corners, tending to test tubes, burners, and beakers lashed to their arms. Under specialized light of various hues grew several floral abominations, some with teeth and others with bright, glowing colors. A faint haze hung in the room, but unlike that of a damp cellar, Lye could taste an earthy but bitter note in the air.
"I've only been in here a few times," Diggs continued. "I'm not familiar with some of the newer projects... like that." He pointed toward an undulating column of mass encased in glass which seemed to blink back at them. "However, I do know that Madison preferred a private workplace back there."
Diggs motioned to the far back corner of the room. In comparison, it seemed like the location for all the lab's trash and failed projects. Papers stuck out of cabinets and stood in structurally weak piles along the wall. Diagrams and symbols were haphazardly scrawled across a movable chalkboard wedged between more unusual machines and glass vessels. Somewhere between research facility and greenhouse, Lye took his first glimpse into the mind of Madison Freebird.
"I'll start there." The assassin began toward what he could only describe as the madwoman's "nest". "You two are free to return to your game."
"Nope. No, sir," Hedge barked as he hustled to match Lye's pace. "Diggs might be fine with it, but I'm not giving you free reign over Madison's things."
"Understandable," Lye replied.
When they arrived at Madison's private work space, it only became more clear how chaotic her methods were. While from a distance it looked like unorganized madness, Lye noticed the precise care given to the location of everything. Tools, while scattered about, were clearly labeled and seated with purpose. The glassware showed no signs of dirt or grime. Each note on the scattered pieces of paper were elegantly written, dated, and notated in a separate column. Among it all, Lye focused specifically on two rows of notebooks neatly filed in a shelf above her desk.
"Wow," Hedge remarked. "She really lets herself go in here."
"Organized chaos," Diggs corrected with a studious nudge of his glasses.
Lye slid his finger along the spines and found three toward the very end, out of place from the rest. Unlike the others, these showed yellowing on the pages - a sign of age or use over a prolonged period of time. The assassin plucked all three from the shelf and made himself home on Madison's chair.
Lye crossed one leg over the other and nested the books on the fold of his knee. He lifted one and cracked it open. The pages naturally opened to the most recent entry and one that showed signs of a long night of writing. He began to skim it over, tracing the clean writing with a gloved finger.
"What do you have there?" Hedge leaned toward to get a glimpse.
"You know, she seems fond of your humor. Hedge is it?" Lye asked, looking up from the pages with a grin.
"Is that--?!" Diggs exclaimed with wide eyes. He ran behind the chair, carefully avoiding scattered projects which may or may not bite, sting, or spit at him. Hedge held a similar bug-eyed expression.
"Her personal thoughts? Seems so. Here's that name, Nell." Lye stuck his finger against the page.
"No, no, no, no!" Diggs chanted as he reached for the books. The assassin held up an arm and it proved more of enough of an obstacle to stop Diggs' lack of physical strength. Hedge, on the other hand, plucked the two off the assassin's knee.
"Not these." Hedge eyed the one in Lye's hand while Diggs desperately attempted to rid it from his possession.
"Madison will kill us!" Diggs spouted.
"Hard to do from half the world away," Lye corrected with eyes locked on the pages despite Diggs' intervention.
"Hand it over." Hedge held out his empty palm.
"Sure." Lye stopped resisting Diggs, and he began to topple under the change of weight. The assassin swept his hand behind him, snatched him by the collar, and directed him into Hedge and whatever may lie behind the two. All the while, Lye maintained focus on his book.
Diggs crashed into his larger counterpart and the two books he held scattered to the floor. Hedge caught himself on the table behind them just moments shy of going down. At his back blinked the grotesque undulating mass of living tissue to which Diggs was now eye to eye. He let out an inaudible expletive and clawed at Hedge's clothes to gain his bearing. The two fumbled with one another until both stood upright.
"Hmm, interesting..." Lye mumbled. "Did you know about your master's fixation with her?"
Diggs patted down his clothes as though brushing off dust or something much more foul and adjusted his glasses. Hedge made a scramble for the two notebooks on the ground.
"Her?" Diggs asked. He made one final exchange with the strange creature on the table. The thing seemed happy from all the attention, but Diggs could only look at it with increasing disgust.
"Guess not," the assassin commented. Lye slammed the notebook shut and stood while tucking it into his leather curiass.
"You shouldn't be reading those!" Hedge stood up with the other books tucked close to his chest like a school girl.
"You let me in here, this was what I was looking for, and I will be on my way." Lye made for the door.
"Not with that book!" Hedge positioned himself in front of the diary thief. Lye cocked an amused brow and positioned his hand near the hilt of his knives.
"Sir?! Sir?! Master Ulroke, are you in here?!" A muffled voice drifted to the three over the ambient sounds of Madison's Lab.
"Over here," Lye called.
A young girl, no older than her late teens peered into the laboratory. She spotted the object of her search and a pair of innocent yellow eyes widened. She saw Lye wave her over as the large fellow in front of him turned. With a nod, Lady stepped into the room with a pile of parchment clutched to her chest. She couldn't help but catch a glimpse at all the strange objects throughout the room, but maintained a pleasant smile. Both Hedge and Diggs look at her with inquiry and confusion.
"Hello!" she squeaked with a wave to the one in the glasses.
Diggs hesitantly waved back with a cocked brow.
"Bring it here, Isabelle," Lye requested.
With a nod, Lady made her way around the big guy and to her master. With a smile, she held out the papers to Lye to which he snatched them from her grip. The assassin ran his eyes over the message.
Meanwhile, Lady peeked past her master at Diggs and adjusted her frilly Victorian attire at the waist. Very modest, and form fitting, the black and purple dress worked well with her lavender hair. Diggs held eye contact for a moment, but adverted them sheepishly.
"That is all, you are dismissed." Her master waved her off.
"Okay!" Lady replied with a curt bow. She spun on her heels and made way for the exit. She passed Hedge, only coming up to his elbow, and stopped in the doorway. She held the frame and for a brief moment, she paused to catch one more glimpse of Diggs from the corner of her eye. She snuck in another flutter of a wave, then disappeared from view. A soft hummed melody could be heard fading into silence.
"Uh... Who was that?" Hedge asked, dumbfounded by what he just witnessed.
"Isabelle," Lye replied with his focus fixed on the message in his hands. "You could say she's taken over as my personal secretary."
"Secretary? Didn't you kill the last one you had?" Hedge inquired.
"Believe so." The assassin flipped the pages.
"What is a little thing like that doing in a place like this?" Diggs asked from behind.
"Don't let that exterior fool you; she's a succubus. And it seems she's taken a liking to you, Diggs." Lye finished reading and folded the note into the pouch at his back. Diggs grew red in the cheeks. "You done playing bodyguard?"
"What?" A blank expression found Hedge's face.
"Thought so." Lye maneuvered around and into the den where the two had suspended their card game.
"Wait, what was that message?" Diggs inquired, jogging to catch up.
"Ah, yes. You were right, Diggs. Madison was burned at the stake."
"What?! She's dead?!" Hedge exclaimed.
"Well, not after the first attempt. So, they burned her at the stake a second time."
"What?!" Diggs chimed in.
"Seems that didn't work either." Lye clutched at his chest and he new felt the pain of the thorns in each beat. "I can only assume they weren't able to kill all of her."
Lye continued his stride for the door, moving with purpose. Diggs and Hedge joined him in the card room, eager to know more.
"She's still alive?" Hedge asked, shocked.
"Yes, and seemingly they've decided to move her to Terrinore." He placed his hand on the door.
"Terrinore?" Diggs racked his brain to recall hearing that name.
"Its where they send legends, dreams, and nightmares to disappear." Lye opened the door. "This is why no one else will go but me." Before he closed the door behind him, the assassin made a point to look directly at Hedge. He saw that the man understood what Lye's angle had been from the beginning. He saw that Hedge knew he had been played.
"One last thing," Lye paused with only a sliver of the door left open. "I wouldn't count Madison out. Not yet."
And the door shut.
"I fucking hate that man." Hedge rustled his hair in frustration almost as if he were trying to shake the memory right out of his head.
"You didn't get the journal, did you?" Diggs reminded.
"Fuck!" Hedge held out the two he had clutched to his chest. He set them among the neglected books on the closest shelf and reached for the door.
"Don't," Diggs warned. Hedge froze. "Let him have it. If it helps him get Madison home, who cares?"
"I do! That's Maddy's--!"
"Look at it this way. If that's his leverage, and she catches him with it, not only will he have sprung her free at that point, but she'll undoubtedly pry it out of his cold, dead hands." Diggs nudged his glasses again and visually, the tension melted out of Hedge's body.
He turned to his sly colleague with a grin. "Two birds one stone..."
"Precisely." Diggs pulled his chair from the table and took a seat. "So, should we finish this game? One thousand gold on the table..."
"Yeah, sure." Hedge joined his companion and made a questionable expression. "So they tried to burn her at the stake?"
"Twice," Diggs corrected as he reached out to the river card and flipped it.
Ace of spades. Hedge grinned.
"How does someone even survive that? Think she looks the same, or all burnt?"
"Let's see your cards." Diggs avoided the question. He didn't want to think of Maddy like that.
"Four Aces!" Hedge declared, triumphantly flipped his cards, and slammed them down. Diggs stared at his hand, jaw dropped.
"No, no way... It's statistically--"
"Hah Hah! Told you I had a good feeling about it!" Hedge roared. "Too bad for you! You could have used that money to take Isabelle out for a romp in Archen!"
"--the odds are what? One in four thousand?" Diggs muttered, his head clutched between his hands as he watched Hedge rake in all his savings.
"Guts beats brains every time! What'd you have anyway?" Hedge started to stack up the coins in piles of twenty five. Each metallic clink drove the loss home.
Diggs lifelessly flipped his cards, his eyes lost in the distance.
King of Spades & King of Clubs.
"Oh ho ho! I would've beaten you by a hair even if it wasn't the forth ace! What's wrong specs? Wanna go crying to your new girlfriend?" Hedge chuckled again. When he settled, his eyes fell on the two abandoned cards by Madison's seat. "Let's see what Maddy had."
Hedge reached over the table and flipped Madison's cards.
Two of Hearts and Ten of Hearts.
He flopped into his chair, awestruck.
"Are you fucking kidding me..." he sighed, arms limp at his sides. Diggs looked up and spotted her cards. His glasses nearly fell off his nose when the even greater statistical anomaly stared back at him.
"Wouldn't count her out..." Diggs muttered.
The revelation hit Hedge like a truck. He immediately shot a glare at the door.
"You son of a bitch!" he shouted as if Lye were to blame for his loss.
"Looks like we owe Maddy a grand when she gets back," Diggs smugly stated. "Better than watching you blow it cheap booze."
"Shut up specs!"
Philomel
10-24-15, 02:20 AM
Name of Thread: Every Dog Has His Day (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?30102-Every-Dog-Has-His-Day-%28Tentative-Solo%29/page2)
Judgement Type: Workshop Submission (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?30147-Workshop-Every-Dog-Has-His-Day&p=255638#post255638)
Rewards:
Lye (http://www.althanas.com/world/member.php?2900-Lye)receives:
1720 EXP
160 GP
Lady receives: (http://www.althanas.com/world/member.php?17322-Lady)
100 EXP
20 GP
Spoils are approved with no cost with description as follows: "One of Madison's Journals (Approved by Andy/BlackandBlueEyes)."
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