Clash of the K's (Konrad)

by **Kiera** on September 13th, 2016, 9:32 am

⚜ Kiera ⚜

Kiera had hoped that all she had to do was deliver the tray and leave but that did not seem to be the case. She swallowed the spit in her mouth and merely peered wide-eyed at the two men. One of which she learned was named Eyes. If it had been any other person or day, she would have questioned the name. Who on earth named their child that, no matter how much they hated it?

The glasses and bottles would only rattle harder against each other as she was prompted to stay there while the other played with the item on the tray. It was like he was not allowing her to move away on purpose. He could have just taken the item and let her be. As scared as she was, Kiera also felt a tad annoyed at that. She could appreciate someone doing their job but she could not stand the monopolization of it to bother another.

Brown eyes began to narrow even slightly as the story was told. Nothing made sense at the moment and fear was beginning to ebb as huffiness settled in. What was this person even going on about? The story eventually became that much clearer as the ice clinked against the glass it was dropped against. Poisoned? Did this guard seriously think she was going to poison whoever he was posted for?

The blonde did not know whether to laugh or not. This was utterly ridiculous. Her eyes trailed back to the glass that was being sloshed and then at the scarred face of the man who held it. The story was coming to a close and she could literally feel herself quake, but this time it not in fear.

She held ram rock still as she was approached, with everything coming into place, she felt less worried oddly enough. The mixed blood was a frank girl and for someone to think of her as conniving enough to slink around like so only to poison, someone, it was laughable notion. It was even made even funnier at the thought of actual killing. She had no issue with whoever was behind that door and she would never ever just poison someone for fun.

“I can’t believe you think I’m going to poison someone…” The words were mumbled.

“Sure.” The single word was spoken louder. She did not bother to contain the huff that parted her lips as she reached for the glass after shrugging. The words that accompanied the offering of the glass only made her roll her eyes. With much more steel than earlier, the blonde-haired teen brought the glass to her lips then chugged. The alcohol burned as it slid down her throat. Her face wrinkled and she coughed slightly. She hated the taste of rum. Petite fingers placed the cup back onto the tray with a light tap. She looked up at Eyes and then the man that tested her. She rubbed the remnant of the liquor off her lips with the back of her palm before speaking up. Voice much steadier than it had been earlier.

The truth was out, the man knew. So now Kiera was simply going to make her bed and lie in it. There was no use for lies here anyways. It would only waste air.

“Happy now? I admit that I am nosy, so ye, you caught me. It’s not everyday people have secret meetings in this hotel.” She gestured towards the both of them as she took a single cautionary step back and rocked on her heels slightly. “But you guys aren’t the most…subtle.” Subtle would probably be not rolling in with two scary looking guards. She sucked in a breath and hoped that it was not going to be her last. “I’m not dead yet…so am I free to go?”

by **Konrad Venger** on September 13th, 2016, 11:56 am

“I can’t believe you think I’m going to poison someone…”

Shhhk... another inch. Konrad's arm tensed as he prepared to swing the blade out in a flat arc at that pretty, unblemished throat. Anyone with a brain could tell you that there was only one route that would satisfy him: drink the rum. Anything else would only heighten his suspicion; any attempt to talk your way out, well, that was little better than running.

If Konrad's face was a mask before, it became a shroud in that moment. Drained and primed to-

“Sure.”

Well... okay, then.

In the time it took the glass to go from full (well, occupied) to empty, Konrad could see the difference come over the girl... and, in his own way, marvel at it. There was no tremble in her hand when she placed the glass back on the tray; no liquid fear in her eyes when she stared back at Konrad. He even felt a smile crinkle his lips (on one side, anyway) and started to loosen his grip on-

“Happy now? I admit that I am nosy, so ye, you caught me. It’s not everyday people have secret meetings in this hotel.”

Oh... you just had to go and ruin it.

“But you guys aren’t the most…subtle.”

As Kiera took a step back, Konrad's left hand moved just slightly. A quick twitch of his fingers, and Three Eyes saw it. A great benefit of working together for almost twenty years: sometimes you didn't even need language to communicate. The shorter, stockier ganger moved round Kiera's side, staying in her periphery but clearly there to mind her exit.

“I’m not dead yet…so am I free to go?”

"'Secret'?" Konrad said with a smile that never reached his eyes. "Who said it wuz 'secret', girl? You're the only one saying that..."

The temperature in the hallways dropped a few degrees. One of Three Eyes' hand vanished into the folds of his coat and gripped a handle with an eight-inch serrated blade at the other end. Konrad's emerged from his back... and rested nearly a foot of curved, gleaming steel on Kiera's shoulder.

But it did not move.

"Kon? Kill girl?"

The paused stretched out even longer, washing over the mutilated killer and the young maid like the mangled, water Fratava Three Eyes growled in. "Wait. Want sure."

Two directions again. Two options and a single choice, as always. Konrad was a killer, but he was not an indiscriminate one: you wanted his blade to serve, you paid for it. If it came your way, you'd earned it, either through getting in his or being the subject of his employers. But despite the cemetery of corpses he'd made in his life, rarely had Konrad spilled blood just for the sake of it.

What was the point, after all?

"No. Girl not bad. Not... ah... wrong looking." Gods but he was out of practice with that language. It was a hellish mix, anyway. Mostly Fratava with a hefty amount of Sunberth backslang thrown in to bridge the gaps that linguistic knowledge presented. But it was enough to have Three Eyes relax slightly. "Youse got sand, girl."

The kukri patted her shoulder, and then with a swing and slide of his arm, went back home behind his back.

"But y'need to know when t'keep yer mouth shut." He straightened up and his smile swelled to a sneer. "An' pick yer fights."

"-after the wedding, we'll revisit that. Ah, there we are!"

As if on cue the door opened again and Ivan's wonderfully oblivious face greeted the sight of two grown men apparently menacing a little girl. If she had been a Dynast, he may even have been concerned. But since she wasn't, the only thing he noticed was the booze, and-

"Oh, ice! Wonderful touch, er... Eyes, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir!" Three Eyes said with a deplorably fake smile, handing over the tray and everything on it to the Dynast. "Thought youse an' the lady might wan' yer drinks cold on a hot night."

"How very thoughtful," came the lilting feminine reply from inside, Kiera apparently consigned to being an "unsung hero" in this tale. "Ivan, can we...?"

Konrad's jaw twitched involuntarily as a name was said out loud. Damn. The meeting wasn't exactly secret, but it wasn't one where the participants were meant to be known to any and all.

"And the change?"

Three Eyes expression went from cheery to crestfallen as he realized his undue credit was about to be withdrawn. Konrad waited for the girl to hand over the remainder of the money she'd been given, save for a shiny silver miza that Ivan left her as a "consideration". Konrad reached over and lifted the untasted bottle from the tray.

"Something wrong with that one, Venger?"

"Seal's broken, boss. Better not to risk it."

"Ah..." The Dynast actually seemed to be weighing the possibility. As if the risk of an agonizing death puking his lungs up along with blood and bile was worth it, as long as he got a decent sozzle first. Finally he just waved the situation away. "As you wish, Venger. Better safe than the other, hmm?"

"Aye, boss."

The Dynast vanished again and Konrad turned his attention back to the girl. He shoved the bottle into her hands and nodded to the end of the hallway.

"Now you can go."

OOCI wanted to move this along a bit, but if I went too far and you want some back and forth with the Dynast, let me know and I'll trim it back. ;-)

by **Kiera** on September 14th, 2016, 12:25 am

⚜ Kiera ⚜

Every earthly curse that Kiera knew coursed through her head as she was accosted. Tiny body squirmed in her spot as she cursed her brain and mouth. Of course, she would get in trouble for being lippy, what on earth was she expecting even? She should have known better. Mentally she swore to herself, to be more competent and mindful should she survive. The terrified girl could only glare at the two of them as they spoke to each other. Her usually apt mind was not giving her options at the moment. Her tongue would fail her as words escaped her. Flight or fight was slowly ebbing away into the mindset of ‘fight’. Running was not an option and fighting well…it as a slim chance of success but it was a chance nonetheless. Before she could do anything even rasher, though, the weapon was removed from her neck.

Fear and a fire that came with the urge and instinct to just survive kept her hazel eyes bright. Oh, that lesson she would take to heart. She had seen her mouth do its damage once before. The first time, was a mistake, this time –the second time –was on her. There would not be a third time. Fate might not be particularly kind to her the next time around. Testing fate was also not in her survival plans. And because of that, she kept her mouth sealed as Eyes took claim over her idea. Life mattered a bit more over her tiny pride of work ethics. That did not keep her cheeks from puffing, though.

The same fevered eyes looking very much akin to an animal frightened to bits, flickered towards the owner of the new voice. Her mouth parted as Kiera exhaled in a strange mix of acceptance and wary relief. It was not as if she trusted this man to keep her head attached to her body but the cut of the tension in the air was quite appreciated. Clenching and unclenching her hands in a vain attempt to still her rabbit like heart, Kiera shakily reached into her apron pocket to empty the asked coins. The silver tip left behind was appreciated with a watery smile that did not quite reach her eyes.

There would be no recognition from blonde teen even as the name registered as something rather familiar. No lines were drawn, though. She was a bit too preoccupied for that at the moment. There was only room for patience and a whole lot of shaking to be had as she quietly held herself together from where she stood. Whatever and whoever Ivan was discussing things with would be lost to her but at this point, she no longer cared. Her curiosity was replaced by a skin itching nastiness. She just wanted to leave, now. She was only far too grateful when the chance was given.

“Eep!” The noise of surprise was torn from her throat as the bottle was shoved into her arms and that was that. It would not take a second ask for her to run back to where she came. The bottle would be quickly stashed before she slunk to the floor behind the floor. “Oi…” The curious bartender’s eyes rove over her form before he resumed his work after nudging her away from the crate of spirits.

It would be there that Kiera stayed until her heart steadied and shakes abated. Only then would she get up.

by **Konrad Venger** on September 14th, 2016, 5:13 am

"'Wrong looking'?"

Konrad bristled a touch underneath his duster. Of course, Three Eyes would remember that, the little sod.

"Didn't know the word fer 'spy'."

"Spy."

"How in the hells do you-"

"Kept my ears open, mate..."

Three Eyes' smug chortle was a small price to pay for keeping him sweet, so Konrad tolerated it with naught but a low growl. He'd found that if you kept a man like Eyes underfoot the whole time, eventually he'd buck, rebel, like any man you thought anything would be better. Unlike other men, that would involve a knife in Konrad's back some lonely night.

Better to give him his moments. Keep him thinking we're equals.

"Wadid y'make a' the girl?"

Konrad closed his eyes for a tick and exhaled deeply. Gods, he wasn't going to shut up. Not until that door opened again. Still, at least he chose an interesting topic. He mused on his answer, ran his mind's eye over the past of the last bell, what he'd seen, what he'd learned, what could be there in the future.

"Got balls fer two, that's fer sure. But she's too new at the game not to think things through, y'know? An' she ain't worked out that she ain't big enough to be a mouthy wee shyke."

"Heh, yeah, I noticed. Thought I'd see blood on yer blade when she talked back."

"Nah," Konrad said, looking around briefly at his sedate and plush surroundings. "Bloody bitch hiding a body in somewhere like this. Jus' attract too mucha' the wrong attention."

"Aye, too true..."

The door opened and Konrad breathed a silent prayer of thanks to whomever would listen. Ivan and his anonymous date were saying their fond farewells, flowery and formal and worth petch-all, as far as Konrad could tell. The Dynasty types had a way of telling someone they were a "bosom comrade" or "almost as kin to me" that really sounded like "I will betray you the moment doing so profits me even minutely". Or just "petch off".

This sounds... a little more sincere.

"You will relay my thoughts to your family, I hope?"

"Of course, Ivan dear," the woman said, proffering her cheek for a polite kiss. Konrad noticed the slight flush in it. Was talking all they'd been up to, or was it just the rum? "And please do the same."

"Oh, I shall. Prosperity for all, my dear. Fare thee well!"

Ivan walked down the hall and out into the foyer with his bodyguards sticking close to him; Three Eyes shadowing his back and Konrad plowing ahead, his height and hat and ruined face clearing the way most effectively. As the trio reached the door, though, Konrad saw a shock of blonde hair near the bar.

Girl and man locked eyes long enough for one to reach up... and touch the brim of his hat, with a smile as sardonic as his ravage face could get.

"Venger? Something wrong?"

"Not at all, boss. Time t'go home, aye?"

by **J'Ak** on August 21st, 2017, 8:34 am

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Closed Clash of the K's (Konrad)