The Ashes Fell Like Snow - {ZabetTheRabbit & Lady Sabine}

[Lady Sabine]

There was something to be said for working alone, the peace of prowling the rooftops, ducking behind a wall when a Watchman passed his light down her alley, relying on her own skill and daring. The gang hated it, of course, but they were always protective of her, of their mother. It was a name Anna had earned, true enough, but not one she always chose to embrace. She was young still; there were some nights she just had to get away from the responsibility and hassle of leadership. Smoke would be fine without her for one night, just one night, time enough for her to stretch her legs and feel useful again. Sending out other people to do the dirty work just didn't sit right with Anna some days.


Soft black boots and gloves helped her grip as she dangled off the roof, using a length of wire to fiddle with the window latch. If she fell two stories to the muddy alley below that could spell her doom, but she didn't fall. She never fell. After a few more moment's determined poking and prodding the latch popped open and she pulled the window open, swinging herself sinuously into the darkened shop before closing the window behind her. Easy as pie; second story windows were never half so well locked down as first.


Small feet moved silently across the floorboards as she made her way downstairs to her real prize: a safe, cold metal and so wide that she could not reach across it with both arms. Of course, Anna was a slight woman, hardly over five feet, but the safe was large by anyone's measure. Kneeling beside it, she pressed her ear to the surface beside the lock and began to slowly, carefully, turn the dial. It was a skill she'd picked up years ago working with Velvet, a now-defunct ring of cat burglars who had picked her up as a child and given her the skills to serve them well. There she probably would still be, she reflected as the first tumbler slid into position with a soft click, if they had treated her well. Instead here she was, running a gang of her own while Velvet had fallen by-the-by years ago.


Short and lithe, with wide hips and thighs on an otherwise delicate build, Anna had proven herself time and time again over the years to be an excellent burglar. With absolutely no fear of heights and more dexterous than any street rat had a right to be, this was far from the first time she'd emptied a safe. Now, though, the money wasn't going to line rich pockets, it was going to do some real good. With the gold and diamonds that were supposed to be within, she could feed the orphans for a month and still have money left over for some pistols. Or she could get a new storefront, start laundering money through it and providing services to those under Smoke's protection. Or she could bribe a local precinct and take over a new neighborhood entirely- no, no, not that. Bribes had the nasty habit of backfiring on the briber when the money ran out, and this money would run out sooner than she would like. It always did.


Everyone ran out. There was no accountability in this city, no reliability, no safety net. She had learned that the hard way as a girl, when her father had caught the plague controlling a riot. That Hellfire had burned through the family's reserve of cash, and after taking her father it had taken her mother and sister both. Anna didn't even know where they were buried, if they were buried at all. The hospital had been quick to kick her out, charity or no, once her family had moved on. Her teeth grit at the memory and she focused her attention back on the job at hand, the job that could prevent her story from being repeated. Everyone needed help sometimes... and if Smoke was the only way to provide that help, so be it.


The second tumbler clicked and her fingers began the third rotation just as the front windows of the jewelry store were suddenly lit. Anna swore softly, fingers flying as the sound of voices floated in. City Watch, she could tell that much- how had they known? Had the window been wired with a silent alarm? Another soft curse escaped her lips as the voices grew louder, closer, their lights sweeping over the front of the business as they searched for any signs of disturbance. The third tumbler suddenly clicked, but distracted as she was Anna moved just two numbers past it, then heard the sound of keys in the front door's lock.


Another curse, longer and more colorful than the others, escaped her lips as she scrambled away from the safe, running for the back room where she recalled seeing a window. This, she realized, was the exact reason the others hadn't wanted her to take the risk in the first place.

 

[Zeer]

Why did Derek always get the graveyard shift? Many people claimed he was Captain Harris' favorite cadet. If that was true then either they or Harris had a strange definition of "favorite". No matter how far ahead in the month he signed up for patrol, no matter how few demerits he got, he always, always, got the most graveyard shifts. He sighed as he walked down another dark street, sometimes he wished he hadn't become a guard. He quickly shook that thought away though. He was a watchman, his father had been a watchman, and his grandfather had been a watchman. He even had that "classic" watchman build. Tall and broad shouldered, face like a hawk. He was born to be a Watchman, he had to remember that.


He walked down a broad street, Merchant's Lane, home of the city's richest shops and shopkeeps. There would probably be another man on watch here tonight, guarding one of the richer shops. Anderson's Jewls or the City Bank maybe. He shivered involuntarily as he passed by a burned down building, and not just from the could. A case of Hellfire, a scared mob...chaos. Death. Always death. Derrek knew well that Hellfire could do more then kill a person. It could ruin the lives of their family, their friends... just like that time so long ago. An old friend, he remembered. Her father, her mother, her sister dead. Then she went missing. His father had tried to find her, she had been the daughter of a now deceased friend. A Watchman as well. But he never could find her. She was probably dead for all he knew.


Derek rubbed his hands together as he peered into a shop window. A bookstore, one he knew well. He would always stop by here when he could save up enough. He was taken from his thoughts by a shout further down the road. He quickly ran down the street, all senses alert now. He stopped in front of Anderson's Jewls, and the guard who was stationed there. The guard didn't wait for Derek to speak.


"Saw a damn thief in there trying to get into the safe. I scared 'em off though. No worries."


"And you didn't chase after him?" Derek yelled. He didn't wait for the guard's reply, but was already off and around the street corner. As he turned he saw a shadow flit across the rooftops. Derek cursed, he hated it when they used the rooftops. With a resigned sigh, Derek sped up a little. With this route the thief was probably headed for Ashwater, but there was a rather large park between the two areas. The thief would have to get to the ground there. That's where he'd get him.

 

[Lady Sabine]

The park was an obstacle, but in all truth the streets themselves were barrier enough. Jumping the wide gap was a risk she didn't fancy taking, and it was just as easy to dart across in a still moment, in the darkness where the street lamps didn't reach. She cleared the first block using a balcony, but the second one she turned instead to the gutter.


Light as she was, it was easy enough to shove her fingers between it and the wall, her feet scrabbling for hold against the brick walls as she made her way down slowly, carefully. However, no care in the world could save her when the metal screamed and gave, pitching her out from the wall. She reached out with fingers and toes, but she was too far out and too far up, still almost two stories off the ground, which she hit hard, the gutter clattering down next to her.


Thankful for her heavy thighs and rear, which had taken the worst of it, Anna lay on the ground for a long minute, the wind knocked out of her and everything numb... until it flared into pain. Nothing was broken, she hoped, but she would be feeling that in the morning. Slowly she rose to her feet, testing each limb to make sure everything worked. Good thing no one saw, she thought. That was embarrassing enough without an audience.

 

[Zeer]

Ouch, Derrek thought, that's got to hurt. He had been afraid he would loose the would-be thief, but for once the city's poor degraded infrastructure had helped him out. The thief had been climbing the wall when the metal underneath him had given, it was almost funny. He thanked any potential deity out there for dropping the thief practically in his lap.


Loosing no time, Derrek pulled out his cuffs and ran towards the thief. Time to catch a thief, he thought. Hope he doesn't have a weapon.





"City Watch!" he yelled, "Hand's up!"

 

[Lady Sabine]

Of course someone saw. Anna pulled a knife out of its sheath on her thigh, the blade hardly longer than her hand, more useful for prying stuck latches or cutting purses than fighting with. And of course it's a Watchman.


"In your dreams," She shot back, holding it up so that it's sharp light caught the edge. "You're out of your depth, kid. Run home to mama and you wont get hurt." Her voice as low in pitch, husky, but still not terribly intimidating. It was hard to intimidate anyone standing only as tall as a teenager and having just fallen off a building besides, but that wouldn't stop her from trying. At this distance her short legs made it unlikely she could outrun him at all, much the less after a fall, so fighting was her best resort. The thought of actually using the knife made her heart race, but in the low light she prayed the officer wouldn't be able to discern the fear on her face.

 

[Zeer]

Derrek wasn't taken aback at the thief's attempts to threaten him. Even if her face was obscured by shadow, he cold tell they were scared. Body language was his strong point after all. Just had to diffuse the situation.


"Look, nobody here has to get hurt. Just put the knife down alright?" He said, raising his hands up slightly. Odd though, he thought, she sounds kinda familiar...

 

[Lady Sabine]

She watched him carefully, something in her memory tickling at the sound of his voice, the tone he used. There was something in it comforting, familiar- no, that was just her imagination. This one was far too young to be a Watchman she remembered from her childhood, and ever since the only ones she had met had been in situations like this.


"Damn straight no one has to get hurt," She replied, feeling a little more confident and sidestepping slowly away from him. "Turn around. Walk away. Easy."

 

[Zeer]

Derrek watched as the thief started moving, carefully noting her actions and movements. He in turn started to move slowly forward, each step carefully placed. This was a delicate situation, one wrong move could end up with him or her dead. He didn't want to hurt or kill the thief, but if she attacked he would defend himself.


"You're not getting out of this that easily, thief." Derrek said, "You're trapped. Your back's to the wall and your probably injured somewhere. Just come with me peacefully and we can work this out at the Watch House. You know that old saying, 'Thieves always get caught between a Wall and the Watch'." Actually, he doubted that a thief would know that saying. He'd only ever heard his father and a few of his father's friends use it. Oh well, what did it matter if a thief knew it or not?

 

[Lady Sabine]

Their movement was a slow, carefully choreographed dance. At this distance they were safe, evenly matched, but a step too close or too far could end with disaster. She knew that she could not hesitate but to use her knife if he came any closer, and knew that he would surely take her down if she got any further.


Yet his words struck something inside her- words her father had traded with an old friend, words they had chided their children with when they were caught filching cookies. "Then you certainly know the other saying," She returned, the knife lowering by a few inches, but still high enough she could lash out with it and give him a nasty slice. "The one that goes 'cornered dogs bite quicker'."


Her boot came down on a loose cobble just then, and her leg buckled, sending her stumbling against the wall with a sharp cry of pain that probably ruined any chance she'd had at intimidating him.

 

[Zeer]

He had been taken aback a bit by her response, one that his father and his friend next door had often said as a response to the first saying. He would have been surprised if she had just known the first saying, but knowing its response? He was brought back to reality by the thief falling against the wall. He cursed at himself internally, The Captain would chew him out if he knew Derek had let his guard down in front of a thief like that. He moved quickly over to the thief.


"Look's like you won't be biting anyone-" He stopped. He was closer to her now, could see her face more clearly. It was so familiar...


Then it clicked. The voice, the saying, everything. Gods above, he thought.


"Anna?" he asked.

 

[Lady Sabine]

She raised the knife quickly, still grimacing in pain but unwilling to say die. Giving up would feel like betraying her values, her people, everything she held dear- and then he spoke, and she glared at him. "How the..." The curse died on her lips as she took a second glance, the pieces all falling into place. The sayings, something in his tone as he said her name, and his face. Oh gods above, his face. Older and tougher now, not the little boy she had once known... but the same somehow.


"Derek," She replied, glancing between him and the knife in her hand before she lowered it, not quite trusting enough to sheathe it entirely. "Following the family tradition, I see."

 

[Zeer]

Derek was speechless for a moment, taking the the time to gather his wits back together. After all these years of thinking she was dead, here she stood. Anna, dear childhood friend Anna. Slowly he put away his cuffs.


"Yeah, I guess I am... Couldn't say the same for you though..." He brushed his hair back with his hands, trying to think this through, "How're you-where have you-" He took a breath, collecting his thoughts, "I've got... a lot of questions to ask, and I'm sure you do to, but" He looked around the park, "I don't think this is the place to do this."

 

[Lady Sabine]

When the cuffs went away, so did her knife. It would seem that he valued their old friendship more than the current law- a priority she was happy to share. Perhaps her luck wasn't completely awful after all.


"It would be best to find somewhere more... private," Anna agreed, glancing around uncertainly. "I don't know any places close to here, though. Not exactly my part of town, and this late most doors are locked tight."

 

[Zeer]

"Well..." Derrek thought for a moment, "For me I can see three possible choices. First is my apartment, its small but private. But it is near the Watch House. Second there's a bar near here, I know the owner and he owes me a few favors. Thirdly there's a nook in one of the nearby parks, but I don't remember if there's a patrol there tonight. I'll leave it up to you where you want to go." While Anna thought about it, Derrek took the time to calm himself down. By now his surprise had started to settle into worry, but for now he'd wait until this was all over to think about it.

 

[Lady Sabine]

The park was the smart choice; if she needed to run a better location couldn't be asked for. Yet the thought of staying outside in the cool, damp night air was hardly appealing even without being sore from a fall. The bar, on the other hand, was far too public- she didn't want anyone to know her face, not around here. That left only his apartment, which posed risks and worries of its own, especially being close to the watch house. And yet... it was the friendly option. The one that showed the most mutual trust. She somehow didn't picture him inviting her in and then turning her over to the Watch anyway.


"Then let's make it your place," She decided, daring a brief smile. "Fewer eyes is always better. We have a lot of catching up to do..." Stepping forwards cautiously, the light spilling in from the alley caught her fully, showing the ragged state of her dark clothing, the grim on her face, but also the humor on her lips and in her eyes, which were so dark it was hard to tell where the pupil ended and iris began. There was something more than humor in her, though- there was hope. She looked at the world like it was about to change and make everything right again.

 

[Zeer]

"Alright then,"Derrek said, "This way. If anyone asks we can say I'm showing you the way to an inn or something. Though I doubt that anyone's going to be stopping us." He gestured toward the street and led the way foreword. As he walked he felt...something. He couldn't quite describe it. A turning point, maybe? Whatever it was, it was important. That much he knew.


It wasn't to long a walk, only 10 minutes at the most. The walk had been a quiet one, both thinking in silence under the twinkling night sky. They stopped briefly in front of his apartment building.


"23 Dawn St., New Day Apartments. In case you were wondering." he said, opening the door. His apartment was on the first floor, so they got in quickly. Derrek turned on the lamps, illuminating his home. It was a small, two room apartment. The "Main Room", where they were now, was quite the mess. Books, papers, and other assorted odds and ends lay scattered through the room. A half-eaten sandwich from his lunch lay on the table.


"Sorry for the mess," Derrek said, "I've had a lot of late patrols. You can clear a seat if you want. Then we can start...catching up."

 

[Lady Sabine]

"Catching up sounds good," Anna replied absently, for lack of anything better to say. The past few minutes had passed like a blur as memories half-forgotten surfaced again, sharp enough to make her smile and then to make her sad. How things had changed! How he had changed... and yet, how similar he still was. How he still valued their friendship, at least enough for this. That much was a miracle.


Limping slightly as the pain of her fall set in, the young woman moved a pile of papers and a few other objects from a chair, sinking down into it gratefully. The apartment was small, and perhaps meager compared to the wealthy districts, but compared to Ashwater it was almost a palace, with everything clean and warm and bright. The sight of the sandwich, even half-eaten, made her stomach rumble. Anna couldn't remember the last time she had eaten fresh bread or meat trusted enough not to boil first.


"How is your family?" She asked after settling in, glad that he no longer lived with them. Facing his parents as a criminal would almost be as bad as facing her own.

 

[Zeer]

Derrek frowned a little when he saw Anna limping. But he quickly hid it when she sat down, taking a seat for himself. He sighed a little when he asked about his family.


"Well, Ma and Da are both dead. Died...three years ago. Buried in the Watchmen Grave, next to-" he coughed a little, stopping himself. No need to tell her they were buried next to her parents. "Anyways. Samuel, you know, my little brother? He's gone off to seek his fortune. Didn't want to be, "he gestured at himself, "part of the family businesses." He brushed his hair back, considering. What question should he ask? He wanted to know so much, but he didn't want to scare off Anna before he had a chance to ask them...


"Alright," he said, "My turn. What happened, all those years ago? Da tried to find you, but you had disappeared. We all thought you were, well, dead."

 

[Lady Sabine]

Next to her parents. The words weren't spoken, but Anna heard them clearly. She knew. Or, rather, she hoped. There had been no funeral, no way to know for sure if either of the graves was filled, much the less with the right body.


Anna sighed and rubbed her forehead, trying to put the story in order. She had never told it to anyone before, not in its entirety, and thinking of where to stop was damning. "Well... you remember the outbreak that week before I left, right?" She asked, images of it coming dimly to her mind. "Quarantined the harbor, so no food came in and people started rioting. Stopping those riots, that's where Papa caught it. They sent him to a hospital, down in Red Pines across the river, but said that now he wasn't a guard anymore and we couldn't live there anymore, with the other Watch families. Mama found a place and moved most of our stuff there, but she spent all her time in the hospital. They were still rioting when he died a fortnight later, so she paid the undertaker at the hospital to bury him... they had paid for their graves years ago, side by side, we just had to pay for someone to take him. More likely they just burned his with all the rest, but you know my mama, and she had to do it.


"Not much money left after that, and no food to buy it with, so we just sat in the flat for a week, watching the smoke rise over the city and the mobs run by... when the food ran out, Mama went to buy some more, and mailed a letter to your folks- guess it never went through. I think she caught the plague there, in that market. We slept in the hospital with her... she only lasted three days." Anna's throat tightened for a moment, but she squeezed her fists sharply and swallowed her sorrows. It was a trick she'd gotten good at over the years.


"Someone stole her purse. Probably one of the nurses. Then my sister started coughing... you remember Kim, always so skinny and delicate. Said we'd need to pay for her to get in, so I ran back to the flat, but the landlord had already evicted us and cleared out our stuff. I searched the hospital all day looking for Kim, but when night came they cleared everyone out who didn't have a room. Someone stole my shoes that night, while I was sleeping, and the shopkeep whose stoop I'd slept on dumped his mopwater on me when he caught me that morning, so when I got back to the hospital they turned me out, said there were no beggars allowed. Red Pines wasn't the nicest of neighborhoods, but they wouldn't let me cross the bridge back into yours. Some of the other kids said there was a church in Ashwater that would give out bread to us kids, so I followed them over there... I got bread, but I had to trade my nice factory-made dress for a scratchy old wool thing.


"By then none of the Watchmen would let me into a better neighborhood, so I tried to sneak over at night. Got booted out four times before I made it back to your apartment... fifth time I got caught by the same Watchman a second time, so he gave me a beating when he booted me to help my memory." She rubbed her cheek as though remembering an old pain. "I kept hoping I'd see your father, or someone else who knew me beneath the grime, but I gave up after a few weeks. If I wanted to beg and rummage through the scrap heaps enough to feed myself for the day, I couldn't waste hours trying to sneak back without getting caught."


Anna almost told him everything there, the first crimes, the first gang, the first blue-eyed snake who'd convinced her she was someone special, Penelope... but there was too much shame in that, and she'd spoken too long already. The words had just poured out like pus from an old wound, and she was suddenly embarrassed to have emptied it all on him.


"I'm sorry to hear about your parents," She finished lamely, shaking her head. "Didn't mean to go on so long about me. Hadn't told that story in... well, hadn't ever told it, I suppose."