Memories of Things We'll Never See ((Feb 1916))

[qualapec]

"It could be about revenge. Those cats I was hired to bump off, some of them had families."

[victoriousscarf]

"Well, that's rather specific," Mac said, much closer to panic that he would like to admit at that point. "Alright, so, cats who want revenge. And if they're sendin' hitters after you, the boss doesn't seem like he'd be listenin' at this point."

[qualapec]

"She was family to him," Brachen walked over to the wall, leaned into it. "He's reacting. Maybe somecat who has his ear?" That was still too big of a number for the time he had. He took a wavering breath. "God, Mac. If they don't get me for the boss's family they'll get me for killing the cats they sent after me. I'm..." he trailed off. He never thought he'd rely so much on the protection of the gang.

[victoriousscarf]

Mac took a shuddering breath, running a paw over his face. "Hell," he said again. "Just..." He certainly had no one's ear, and he was starting to feel helpless in face of the entire situation and it was making his fur stand on end.

[qualapec]

Brachen stumbled over to the couch and sat down, feeling numb. "Mac, I can't..." he steeled himself. "I won't go to prison. I won't let them choose when I die."

[victoriousscarf]

"More worried about you gettin' shot on the street at the moment," Mac said and paled when his own words hit him. "I..." he glanced around, trying to decide whether or not to approach the other.

[qualapec]

Brachen was shuddering. He'd always looked at himself as being on his own. But now he really was on his own...almost, and he didn't know what to do with that. "If they don't get me the cops will. I mean, I always knew murder was a hanging crime but..." but he'd always expected to have the gang at his back, some unspoken rule of society that said what was the blues' was the blues' and what belonged to black hat cats belonged to them. Now he had neither and he was utterly helpless.

[victoriousscarf]

Mac hesitated for another long moment before stepping forward and sitting down on the couch next to the other, wrapping his arms around him. "Hell," he said said, not sure what else he could say.

[qualapec]

Brachen stayed quiet for a long time, taking comfort in the feeling of Mac's arms around him. "I don't believe in Hell."

[victoriousscarf]

Mac leaned his chin on top of the other's shoulder. "It's just a phrase," he murmured.

[qualapec]

Brachen let his head fall to Mac's. "My aunt used to tell me I was going to Hell. She told me that my parents and my little sister were in Hell because they were sinners - she said that's why they died."

[victoriousscarf]

Macavity froze for a long moment, a paw running down Brachen's back. "I, h--" he cut himself off. "Brachen, no, she was a crazy old bitch. I don't care if hell is real or not, but your family isn't there." He swallowed, leaning a little farther against the other. He was fairly sure if there was a hell, he was going to end up there, but the fact that his father certainly was going to comforted him.

[qualapec]

Squeezing his eyes shut, Brachen absorbed those words for what they were. "Thank you." He didn't know if Mac had any idea how much that meant to him. "I guess Hell was invented as a place to scare bad cats like us..." And despite his pagan gods and his offerings to them, he couldn't help but be afraid of the guilty verdict, the idea of having his life be out of is control. "I don't have a whole lot of options, Mac."

[victoriousscarf]

The red tabby swallowed. "No," he murmured. "Everlastin' Cat, what are they even because I'm comin' up blank on any..."

[qualapec]

Brachen listed them off mechanically, "Try to take on the whole gang, turn myself in to protect myself from the gang - but go to the gallows, and...running."