Post by qualapec on Apr 12, 2011 22:53:31 GMT -8
Madeline had been asked to close down the Red Ribbon for the night by a very drunk Madame. "She has that tragic look on her face," she told Jason, "best not to argue with her." She smiled. "Go ahead and head home, Jason."
Jason had looked at Madeline. "You'll be all right on your own?"
"I've lived down by the docks my whole life, Jason, I know what to look for. Pickpockets and creepy crawlies are nothing compared to my daily fare."
He growled. "Be careful. 'Kay?"
"Whatever you say, mommy."
He snorted, and left Madeline to lock the doors and windows.
It was 4am by the time she'd locked the front door and started making her way down the waterfront, shoes gently clicking, tail swishing softly as she started fishing around for a cigarette.
The moment Brachen saw her, he realized that Marie would have been about that Queen's age. He couldn't remember where he was or how he'd gotten down the docks - much less why he'd thought to come there, but there he was, and there she was. He followed her, watched her, studied her and the gentle curves of her body.
Madeline heard something behind her.
She whirled around. "Is anybody there?"
Nobody. Just the darkness and the streetlight.
Tossing it up to nerves, she turned and started walking again. The faster she got to her apartment, the better.
Brachen wanted to see her face. Suddenly, he was swept up by the very irrational notion that this was his sister, back from the dead, grown up and living. He'd seen Marie when they lynched him, and she would have looked something like that.
Madeline heard another sound. Distinctive this time, the sound of a shoe scuffling on sidewalk.
Turning, she saw nothing behind her. Frantically, she moved a couple of paces without looking where she was going.
She bumped into a solid mass, warm, immediately cat-like and she turned to look at it. It was a tabby, that much was sure, but it was too dark for her to see much more than a frightening outline in the shadows. It gave the tom an appearance of being more beast than cat.
Madeline did what any queen would do, she screamed.
Brachen knew he'd made a mistake when he saw the queen's face, saw the look of terror in her eyes. "No, be quiet!"
But she didn't quiet down. On instinct, he reached out for her, tried to get a paw around her mouth because she was caterwauling and making a god awful noise that he knew would bring every sailor and officer running. His mind ran through the options. After a short grapple, he got his paw over her mouth.
Madeline was full of terror, was desperate to get away, do anything to survive. When she couldn't run, she chose to fight. The tom's paw found it's way to her mouth, where she bit down and raked her free paw down the side of his face, leaving three long, jagged, bloody scratches.
A lifetime of criminality told Brachen what do to the second her claws scraped his face, left three long, identifying marks.
He drew his favorite knife like an old friend from the place under his coat. The struggle took on a deathly calm as he settled on his objective.
Brachen was working on his survival instincts, honed from years of bladework, as he fisted a paw in her hair...
...and slit the queen's throat.
She crumpled softly to the ground, losing strength in the first few moments.
Brachen held her as she fell, held her as she tried to scream but it came out a whisper, and knew there would be no redemption for this. He'd killed her entirely as himself, in a right and clean mind, only to realize that there was no difference between him and the beast he thought had died in the south. As always, they were one in the same, spawned from survival and adaption. He was the monster. He always had been.
"I'm sorry, Marie," he whispered. "I'm so sorry and I promise I'll make it up to you."
~~~
Justine was the one to tell Grizabella what happened to Madeline, and it was the first time she'd ever seen Jason cry.
((end thread))
Jason had looked at Madeline. "You'll be all right on your own?"
"I've lived down by the docks my whole life, Jason, I know what to look for. Pickpockets and creepy crawlies are nothing compared to my daily fare."
He growled. "Be careful. 'Kay?"
"Whatever you say, mommy."
He snorted, and left Madeline to lock the doors and windows.
It was 4am by the time she'd locked the front door and started making her way down the waterfront, shoes gently clicking, tail swishing softly as she started fishing around for a cigarette.
The moment Brachen saw her, he realized that Marie would have been about that Queen's age. He couldn't remember where he was or how he'd gotten down the docks - much less why he'd thought to come there, but there he was, and there she was. He followed her, watched her, studied her and the gentle curves of her body.
Madeline heard something behind her.
She whirled around. "Is anybody there?"
Nobody. Just the darkness and the streetlight.
Tossing it up to nerves, she turned and started walking again. The faster she got to her apartment, the better.
Brachen wanted to see her face. Suddenly, he was swept up by the very irrational notion that this was his sister, back from the dead, grown up and living. He'd seen Marie when they lynched him, and she would have looked something like that.
Madeline heard another sound. Distinctive this time, the sound of a shoe scuffling on sidewalk.
Turning, she saw nothing behind her. Frantically, she moved a couple of paces without looking where she was going.
She bumped into a solid mass, warm, immediately cat-like and she turned to look at it. It was a tabby, that much was sure, but it was too dark for her to see much more than a frightening outline in the shadows. It gave the tom an appearance of being more beast than cat.
Madeline did what any queen would do, she screamed.
Brachen knew he'd made a mistake when he saw the queen's face, saw the look of terror in her eyes. "No, be quiet!"
But she didn't quiet down. On instinct, he reached out for her, tried to get a paw around her mouth because she was caterwauling and making a god awful noise that he knew would bring every sailor and officer running. His mind ran through the options. After a short grapple, he got his paw over her mouth.
Madeline was full of terror, was desperate to get away, do anything to survive. When she couldn't run, she chose to fight. The tom's paw found it's way to her mouth, where she bit down and raked her free paw down the side of his face, leaving three long, jagged, bloody scratches.
A lifetime of criminality told Brachen what do to the second her claws scraped his face, left three long, identifying marks.
He drew his favorite knife like an old friend from the place under his coat. The struggle took on a deathly calm as he settled on his objective.
Brachen was working on his survival instincts, honed from years of bladework, as he fisted a paw in her hair...
...and slit the queen's throat.
She crumpled softly to the ground, losing strength in the first few moments.
Brachen held her as she fell, held her as she tried to scream but it came out a whisper, and knew there would be no redemption for this. He'd killed her entirely as himself, in a right and clean mind, only to realize that there was no difference between him and the beast he thought had died in the south. As always, they were one in the same, spawned from survival and adaption. He was the monster. He always had been.
"I'm sorry, Marie," he whispered. "I'm so sorry and I promise I'll make it up to you."
~~~
Justine was the one to tell Grizabella what happened to Madeline, and it was the first time she'd ever seen Jason cry.
((end thread))