[The Pig's Foot] Hangman

[Rafael Colebourne]

Date: 2nd of Spring 515AV

He stared blankly at his own hands. Gods knew how many seasons ago it had been that Razkar had cut off his pinkie when he’d tried to rob the savage Myrian. That encounter had taught him several things. First: Razkar wasn’t as mad as he seemed. Second: stealing was a bad idea. And so he had taken to working at the gallows, helped lifted the poor sods sentenced to death from their beds, helped tightened the rope around their necks. It hadn’t earned him much. Enough to sustain himself, but not a copper worth of profit.

Sitting at the edge of the gallows, he watched as the filth of Sunberth milled about. Thieves, beggars, villains all, not a right soul between them. Who will be next, he wondered. Who will be next to dance in front of a baying crowd.

News had spread like wildfire throughout the city. Four accounts of rape, seven stabbings, and a whole host of other small crimes. At first he’d thought the rumors had been about the same people. One rape or stabbing wasn’t so unusual. But he’d been wrong. One of the rapists had made the unfortunate mistake of petching the daughter of some gang leader. He hadn’t even bothered to hear out from which gang. It was best not to get involved in such matters.

He glanced over his shoulder. Within a few bells the bastard would dangle underneath the noose. Hopping off the edge, he mingled with the crowd. He wore his usual attire today: a simple tunic, black pants, and his mother’s red scarf. It was too warm for a scarf really, but he couldn’t leave the thing at home and risk it being stolen.

Lost in his thoughts, his feet steered him towards the Pig’s Foot where he ordered a pitcher of ale. It was not something he did often, but he’d found today to be a particular depressing sort of day. Hanging a man, no matter his crimes, was never fun. Obviously he wouldn’t have to do it alone, he was hardly the strongest around. In fact, all he did was make the knots and drag the defiled bodies to the heap once the crowd had stripped them bare.

Glancing over the rim of his mug he spotted an unusual sight. A girl with fiercely blonde hair, not two tables removed from him. She didn’t look like the type to sit in a tavern in the middle of the day. Then again, he supposed he didn’t look the type either. Stormy grey eyes remained fixed on her as he tried to assess if she was lost, vulnerable, and in need of help, or if she was in fact putting up

[Julia Tristal]

Julia had been sitting for most of the day in the tavern. She had been told by her friend Logan that he was leaving, they had spent not a lot of time together, but she did enjoy his company and she did like him a lot.

She gave a small sigh, and looked down into her mug of ale, or should we say her empty mug, she had only drunk one, but she didn't feel buzzed, just sad. She will miss Logan, but now was not the time for wallowing in sadness, she was young and full of life, so she should be enjoying it, not sitting around in a bar, feeling sorry for herself. There was plenty of time for that when or if she gets to fifty.

She looked up and noticed a young boy staring at her. She gave a half-hearted smile and got up from the table and moved towards the boy. She needed some company right now, and this one looked nice enough.

She sat down across from him and brushed back a strand of her hair. "Hello, I couldn't help but notice you were staring at me." She gave a half-baked smile and looked at his red scarf. "Don't you think it's a bit warm for a scarf? My name is Julia by the way."

[Rafael Colebourne]

Rafael nearly choked on his drink when he saw her stand up. She had seen him staring. Now that she stood at full height he could clearly see she was not nearly as helpless as he'd thought. Far from it in fact. If it hadn't been for her disarming smile he would've thought she'd taken offense.

Turned out she had seen him staring. Putting down his mug to the table, he looked her over. She couldn't be much older than himself. "My scarf?" he mumbled, looking confused. "Oh, right," he returned her smile. "Well yes, it's a bit warm, but it's my mother's you see. Or was rather. I like to keep it with me, wouldn't want to lose it for all the money in the world."

Resting his hands on the table, he narrowed his eyes slightly at Julia. He'd be a fool to trust any new stranger, and he questioned why she had come over to him. Mere hospitality was rarely a valid reason in Sunberth. "I'm Rafael," he extended his four-fingered right hand to her, confident she would take it.

"I don't mean to be rude," he continued in a whisper, "but unless you're armed, I wouldn't go sitting alone in a tavern. You look like easy prey." It wasn't until he'd spoken those words that he let go of her hand, should she have accepted his. He leaned back. Coming from outside the stench of sweat, and alcohol, and dried-up blood from the latest brawl lingered heavy in the air. "Are you a visitor, or do you live in Sunberth?" he inquired cautiously.

[Julia Tristal]

She gave a tiny smile, trust was hard to find in Sunberth and it was even harder to maintain and much much easier to lose. She saw that he was missing a finger when he extended his hand and she gave a curious look.

"Seems like you put your hand in the wrong pocket." She said and grabbed his hand in a shake. He leaned in and whispered to her.

"I don't mean to be rude, but unless you're armed, I wouldn't go sitting alone in a tavern. You look like easy prey.Are you a visitor, or do you live in Sunberth?"

She smiled and pulled out a concealed dagger from her sleeve. It was hollow on the inside so the blade was hidden and it simply looked like a small box for putting a smokes in or other small items.

"Oh, don't be silly. I've lived here for a long time, I know the basics of Sunberth and the some of the more secret things from time to time. So... Ummm... Sorry about bringing up your scarf and mother, I didn't mean to pry. Family is important, some are important and try to raise you right, most would probably sell you as soon as you can walk." She said and let go of his hand.

"Rafael is a pretty cool name, though I don't think it suits you though. You look too... innocent for that? I dunno, I'm not good with names and even worse with judging character." She gave a warm smile and blinked slowly. "Ummm... What about you? You seem alone and like you said... kinda dumb to be alone without a weapon."

[Rafael Colebourne]

“Good guess,” he held out his hand in front of him. “He was a complete savage, the one that cut my finger off I mean.” Inquisitive eyes bore into Julia. She was observant for sure, perhaps a little too observant. “I think I got lucky actually, he could’ve killed me.” He chuckled and glanced around. “Sometimes I don’t even know why I am still alive. All those stabbings. I heard about seven different ones today,” he shook his head.

Julia, in a display of trust, or perhaps intimidation showcased her hidden weapon. He gave an approving nod. “Quite clever,” he whispered. Within the privacy of his mind he wondered how good she was with her weapons. It was hard to gauge. On the one hand she seemed confident, at ease in her surroundings. That didn’t mean she knew how to fight though.

“You couldn’t have known,” he shrugged. “My Father is out there, somewhere on the sea. My mum, I honestly don’t know.” Perhaps it was the warmth of her smile that soothed him but he found it surprisingly easy to speak openly with Julia. “You can’t really call it a family…do you have any siblings?”

Sipping his drink he arched an eyebrow at her. “I can’t decide yet if your name fits you.” He shot a piercing stare at her, an idea bubbled up in the back of his mind. “No one here is innocent,” he said darkly as he leaned forward. “If I could, I would have left this place long ago, but travelling is dangerous and expensive, and I wouldn’t know where I would go.”

He paused for a moment, inviting silence for company. “I am not unarmed,” he grinned. “I’ve got my fists, my charm, and now I’ve got you…oh no, I am plenty protected.”

Encouraged by the contents of his drink he continued. “Hey, if you know a job that pays more than dragging people to the gallows, I am all ears.” He pressed his fingertips together and smiled. “Still got nine chances left, if you know what I mean.”

[Julia Tristal]

“You can’t really call it a family…do you have any siblings?”

She paused a bit, thinking about her lost brother. "I do have a brother, but I never met him. I think he's in Syliras, but a lot can happen in seventeen years I think. He could have left there or he could have found a new family. He was lost when he was just a baby when my mother and father were moving to Syliras before I was born. I don't know much about the details but I would think having a brother might have made life easier here." She said openly, she had never found a reason to lie before, even when she's stealing, if it was obvious she would just tell the truth, she was never much of a fibber.

“If I could, I would have left this place long ago, but travelling is dangerous and expensive, and I wouldn’t know where I would go.”

She gave curious look towards Rafael, and then she frowned, remembering why she came here in the first place. "Traveling is all fine if you really want to leave, but... if there was someone here that you'd miss, or miss you, would you still go?" She asked before looking up and brushing off her comment. "N-Nevermind, I was just being hypothetical."

She placed her arms on the table, trying to relax a bit, and waited for him to reply. He seemed to have taken a small liking to the sudden silence that enveloped them.

She was about to order a drink, but then Rafael started talking again. “Hey, if you know a job that pays more than dragging people to the gallows, I am all ears. Still got nine chances left, if you know what I mean.”

"Hmm... Not really... Unless... You want to work for my mother as a courier..." She leaned in closer to him, making sure no one might accidentally hear them. "Or join my gang... Well, not really my gang, but my friend's gang." She said and pulled away, trying to read his response. Making a gang here in Sunberth is as hard as trying to take down one of the big three gangs.

It was an exaggeration, there were plenty of gangs in Sunberth, but even more are quickly wiped out by the bigger ones if they go out of line, like the Scars, they were going big for a time, until they were run out by an angry mob.

"Hmmm...Now that I've got a good look at you, you are pretty cute by the way. If you want lessons in fighting, I think my da might be able to train you if you're interested, he is quite a good fighter." She looked around and ordered a flagon of ale. "An ale please! Over here."

[Rafael Colebourne]

Somewhere in the corner a man with a scraggly beard and bloodshot eyes was causing a commotion. “Go away! G’way!” he shouted, arms flailing. He looked stupendously drunk, arms flapping about like jelly. Any other day Rafael would have been curious to see how the man’s tirade would end, but not today. Julia had hooked him completely.

A pang shot through him and he grimaced, attempting to hide his pain. She had a brother, and he was alone. At times he wished he had someone too. Not a brother per say, just someone to sit and talk with, someone he could count on. Somewhere, at the very edge of his mind, there was a shimmering hope that Julia wouldn’t discard him as easily as they had met. Resting his chin in his right hand, he listened closely as she relayed her tale to him.

Absent-mindedly he turned his tumbler around and around in his left hand. “There’s no one here I care about really,” he said softly. His eyes shot up and down between the scratched wooden table and her grass-green eyes. There was something about the way she stuttered afterwards that made him reconsider her question. While he knew a variety of people, he doubted any of them would risk life or limb to safe him, should he be assaulted. He had not made much attempt to make friends either. Friends required attachment, attachment made you vulnerable. It was better to lay low.

“To be honest,” he cocked his head at her. “Meeting you has made it a little harder to leave.” There was no wink, no smug smile that followed. It was the plain and simple truth. Couriering interested him little. It was not a well-paid job, and an uncertain one too. Her gang, though he doubted it could be called that, was far more appealing. Still dangerous, but then at least he would have some people looking out for him, and he for them. At least, he imagined it would go that way. He’d never been in a gang before.

One eyebrow shot up as she continued. Cute? he sniggered inwardly. The last person to call him cute had probably been his mum, when he’d been a mewling infant. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure what to say. Luckily the flagon Julia had ordered was just then being plonked down on the table.

“Uh, thanks,” he said scratching the back of his neck. It was hard to tell if he was thanking the barmaid, Julia, or both. “I’d be happy to join your gang Julia,” he breathed, “but I would like to know a bit more first. What are you all about? What are you called? I swear, if it’s a silly name I will not join. I don’t want to get buried and get ‘Member of the Munching Maniacs’ inscribed on my gravestone, thanks.”

He poured her a drink from the flagon and refilled his own cup as well. Soon enough his tumbler was empty again, and he kept repeating the process until his tongue felt swollen and his head both light and heavy at the same time. It became harder and harder to focus on what Julia was saying, but he replied with growing enthusiasm regardless. She has pretty eyes he couldn’t stop himself from thinking.

[Julia Tristal]

“Meeting you has made it a little harder to leave.”

She didn't expect that answer from him. She blushed lightly, only if you were paying attention would you notice the slight pink in her cheeks. Though one could mistake it as the drink taking it's effect. Though she had only drunk one mug and that had been a while ago. "Thanks. That means a lot, actually."

The barmaid had placed her drink down on the table, she would pay later. She looked at the boy and placed her left hand on her mug. She ignored the loud man that was making quite the ruckus in the back. She instead focused on the boy in front of her. She was quite interested about him.

I’d be happy to join your gang Julia, but I would like to know a bit more first. What are you all about? What are you called? I swear, if it’s a silly name I will not join. I don’t want to get buried and get ‘Member of the Munching Maniacs’ inscribed on my gravestone, thanks.”

She giggled sweetly at the mention of that silly name. "Well, you have to meet Tubby and Vince first, and we haven't decided on a name yet, though the top names for now are the 'Marauding Munchables' , 'Preposterous Party of People' , and now 'Munching Maniacs'!" She laughed again and drank a bit of her ale. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Though I do hope you join."

She followed Rafael with his drinking, she felt a bit buzzed now, but she was a bit happier than before. She blabbing on and on about things that didn't really matter, or made much sense, in fact, she found herself staring at Rafael's face at times. She gave a tiny smile and finished her mug of ale. Her face was all red now from the drink and from drinking it too fast.

It was well late into the afternoon, though Julia could still see some sunlight, so it might still be a little before sundown or during sundown.

[Rafael Colebourne]

Despite the haze that had settled over his mind, Rafael made sure to etch the names Tubby and Vince into his memory. Only just did he manage to keep a mouthful of ale inside his mouth when she started listing of the potential names. “You can’t have a gang without a proper name,” he chuckled. “It’s gotta be something good, something that sticks you know?” For a moment his features darkened, “Scars is available again,” he winked. “But Marauding Munchables is not bad either.” His laughter mingled with hers, though the joke was soon forgotten as time wore on.

It was decidedly getting warmer inside. Wearing a scarf didn’t help. Slowly, the background noises reduced to a muffled mumbling as he downed the last of his ale. He’d long since forgotten whatever they had talked about, but it didn’t matter. Whenever he thought she wouldn’t notice, he would glance at her, trying to burn her soft skin and sweet smile into his memory.

The tingling in his fingers wasn’t entirely unfamiliar, though it was stronger now than ever before. Puffing his cheeks, Rafael smacked a few gold mizas on the table and stood up. Whoever had built the floor had done a terrible job, it was all skewed and hard to stand on. “I am boiling in here, let’s go.” He extended a hand to help her up and was relieved to find that they stood equally tall.

Compared to the stink inside, the outside air was like a blissful breeze on a midsummer’s eve. For a moment he simply stood there, enjoying the weather as the cool washed over him. It had been a long while since he’d felt so happy. Perhaps it was the booze, but when he turned to face Julia he could feel his heart flutter. It didn’t matter they had talked about irrelevant things, what mattered was that she had listened and improved his day.

Smiling, he slung an arm around her shoulder. He hadn’t ever thought himself capable of acting so nonchalantly, but the booze had made him indifferent to feelings of shame or embarrassment. He enjoyed holding her close, his forearm resting in the nape of her neck. Her skin was warm. Not feverishly hot, but a pleasant sun-shine kind of warm. A mischievous smile graced his features.

“I would escort you home, but you’re the one with the daggers, so you can escort me instead.” For a tick he worried she would despise him the moment they would turn into Sunset Quarters. He wasn’t proud of living in a slum, though at least he had a home, and that was more than some could say. Then again, pretty though she was, he doubted she was much better off herself. “You didn’t answer my question though,” he said as he guided her through the streets, “what exactly is it that your gang does? The usual?” He lowered his voice once more, “you don’t want to compete with the big gangs I think, unless you want to end up dead.”

"No offense, but daggers can only do so much," he added softly.

[Julia Tristal]

She was well buzzed now, her vision was a bit blurry, but a little focus helped her vision greatly, she was mostly focusing on Rafael rather than the area around her. He offered a hand to pull her up. "Like a true gentleman~" She said and grabbed his hand and stood up, she felt a bit wobbly and unbalance, but it seemed like her new friend was also shaky.

He placed the gold on the table, which reminded Julia that she needed to pay too, lest she get an earful from the owner again, she can't remember his name though... She was fairly buzzed and she might not even be able to remember her mother's name, which in all honesty, was lost to her right now.

She smiled as the they walked out the tavern, and breathed in the Sunberth musk. Shyke, that was a bad idea She coughed a bit, but felt rather happy to have found a friend, she had needed one, if Rafael wasn't there to meet her, she would most likely have just stayed there all night and wallow in her sadness.

“I would escort you home, but you’re the one with the daggers, so you can escort me instead.”

"Hehe~ Don't worry, I'll keep you safe." She smiled and felt his arm wrap around her shoulder. She was caught off-guard but she rested her head on his shoulder.

“You didn’t answer my question though, what exactly is it that your gang does? The usual? you don’t want to compete with the big gangs I think, unless you want to end up dead.”

She brushed off the slightly dark statement. "Well, we haven't discussed it much, but we've limited it that we would steal and give to the needy, not the poor. There's a difference, the needy need the money to survive, the poor would probably gamble it away. And we're mostly going to focus on stealing thingies, and less on killing thingies." She said in a slight slur, bringing out her sunberthian accent.

"We're going to Sunset Quarters? Do we live close to each other? Let's find out, shall we?" She said and walked with the boy through the streets. She had her hand on her pockets and coin purse.

She leaned in Rafael's ear and whispered. "Keep an eye on your money, two drunk teens are easy prey here. Though I think you would know that~" She said and led the way through the streets and into the slums.