(Viola & Lady Sabine) Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

[Lady Sabine]

There was something to be said for being alone. The gang hated it, of course, but they were protective of her, of their mother. It was a name Anna had earned, true enough, but not one she always chose to embrace. At just two-and-twenty, there were some nights she just had to get away from the responsibility and hassle of upper management. 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 wasn't Anna's style.


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.


Booted feet moved silently across the floorboards as she made her way downstairs to her real prize: a safe, black and so wide that she could not reach across it with both arms. Of course, Anna was a small woman, hardly over five feet, but the safe was large by anyone's measure. Kneeling beside it, she pressed her ear to the cold metal 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 slim, with wide hips 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 uncanny gymnastic ability, 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.


The second tumbler clicked and her fingers began the third rotation just as the front windows of the jewelry store were illuminated suddenly and brightly. 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 turns past it, then heard the sound of keys in the front door.


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.

 

[Viola]

Viola looked around the damp environment set around the shop and muttered hatefully under her breath, "This damn weather.." When it wasn't hail, it was rain. When it wasn't rain, it was chilling winds. The whole city was washed in a tone of beige as depressed as the society that surrounded it. As soon as everyone saw City Watch in numbers, they scampered, afraid of the punishment that possibly fell upon them, wondering if they were next.


The door swiftly opened as they poured in, eager to arrest whatever perpetrator was behind this offense. As the noises filled the air with various vulgar sentences littering her ears, she noticed the safe almost to completion of entry. She crouched and inspected the safe with curiosity, with a dim glimpse of confusion occupying her thoughts, "Looks odd. Why didn't they finish?". She smirked weakly and got up, moving to the doors and edging past her colleagues with a stick-thin body, where only her outfit touching the others, and a soft voice that only communicated in whispers, rarely moving towards a firm shout.


As the handle clicked and she surveyed her surroundings, she let out a cold breath and saw the murky chairs and walls, covered in a drab pattern on plaid. "Maybe this is a bad idea.." leaving her fellow men and trailing for a clue on her own but she preferred the thrill of solo work more than team. Always a lone wolf and treading softly through a team, with only her thoughts, she could focus and not bother with an argument of brute strength over smarts.


Vi' saw the window, and something clicked in her mind, as she reached her hand out for an attempt at moving, she retracted and mused for a second, "I could get backup..". Looking back and hearing commotions, she turned to the window again, checked her prize pistols, "Punch" and "Judy" and smiled,"..But it's not as fun.". She skimpily moved towards the window and looked past it, seeing a trash-filled alley and a trace of footsteps.


Climbing out of the window, Vi' followed her slim clues and prodded along the path.

 

[Lady Sabine]

Anna was just a brief flash of fabric rounding a corner, her footsteps squelching softly in the mud and debris as she ran, still alert for any signs of pursuit. She hadn't managed to close the window behind her; it was only a matter of time before someone figured out where she had gone. Yet another piece of bad luck in one of the unluckiest jobs she'd ever taken. Sure, Anna had been caught before, but not in years. Last time she had been only a teenager, let off with a warning that if it ever happened again, she'd be losing a hand- or worse.


Speed was not her strong point and as she darted through the alley she kept a weather eye on the surrounding walls, hoping for something like- like that gutter, right there! Breathing a quiet sigh of relief Anna wedged her fingers between it and the wall, pulling herself up one careful handhold at a time, boots scrabbling against the brick wall worn smooth by rain. The building was two stories tall, not a big problem for one like her, but it was also old and in poor repair. Some ways off the ground she heard the scream of strained metal giving way and watched in helpless horror as the gutter popped away from the wall, hanging on for only a brief moment before it gave way and sent them both plummeting loudly to the ground.


She hit the alley hard, gutter coming down on top of her. Was it loud enough to be heard from the shop? She knew that she had better be gone before anyone came to investigate, but stunned as she was by the sudden fall it was all Anna could do to roll over and woozily climb to her feet, hoping she hadn't broken anything.

 

[Viola]

Viola followed the footsteps engrossed in the mud and rubbed her arms as chills ran through her skin, the winds piercing her figure and mist escaping from her mouth. As she further followed the path, she sympathized for the householders and their way of living. Seeing the broken-down houses made her feel a sense of dread for the folk around here.


Suddenly, she flinched in her daydream thoughts as she heard a clashing of corrugated panels and rushed to where she thought the explosion of sound had originated and her running had been replaced with slight stealth, hand slowly moving to her left thigh where Punch had resided. Tip-toeing through the mud, she closed her eyes and began to calm as her heart raced with tension.


She peeked around the corner and saw the scrap heap. As her eyes glanced around the fallen metal and bricks, she saw a glimpse of a shadow behind it. Pulling Punch out, she aimed it at her possible target and raised her voice from a whisper to a dull roar. "Halt! Who's there?"

 

[Lady Sabine]

Anna considered a dozen smartass answers, but bit them all back at the glint of cold steel. She would take her chances against a Watchman with only his billy club, but bullets were where she drew the line. Desperately the young woman glanced from side to side, hoping some third option would present it self, but none was readily apparent.


After a few moments she lifted her hands into air, grimacing at it strained something in her shoulder that hadn't been sore five minutes ago. "No one," She called back. "As in, you ain't going to shoot no one. I was just walkin'."


She didn't expect it to work, of course, but what was the point in not trying? A vague chance was better than none at all.

 

[Viola]

The response raised nothing but a mere chuckle out of Viola, who seemed like this was her lucky break. Edging closer towards the figure, she readied Judy in case of a petty excuse of an escape. Trying to keep one eye on her, she looks around the area, Looking at the aftermath and the footprints from the crime scene leading to here, she thanks the heavens for an easy arrest.


She finishes her outlook on the situation, locking her eyes back on the suspect, "So, you're telling me this just fell?" replying with the utmost confidence, "Looks like you're just unlucky."

 

[Lady Sabine]

Anna laughed, a humorless sound. "Aye, unlucky, that's the gist of it," She agreed, eyes trained on the guns, barely even noticing the person holding them. Her arms lowered as her mind worked quickly, wondering how best to get herself out of this situation. There was a dagger against her thigh, sheathe almost invisible against the dark fabric, but she wasn't much of a fighter even without her adversary having firearms. Talking her way out of it wasn't likely, but it was worth a shot. Perhaps a bribe? She had little enough coin on her, but sometimes it didn't take much.


"But I think my luck might be taking a turn for the better, running into a fine officer like yourself," She added cautiously. "Out here to preserve the peace you are, I reckon."

 

[Viola]

The thoughts of firing a warning shot to try and make the female stop her wisecracks filled her collective thoughts, but at the same time, the cons outweighed the pros. It was a silent night and a bullet ricocheting at an alley would bring more than just one person to attention, so Viola cocked back the gun to attempt to show a sense of intimidation. "I'm sure you can preserve the peace with the rest of the officers down the station."


Putting Judy away, she reached for her cuffs and smiled with delight. A promotion or bonus was in some sort of order and she needed the extra edge for the following months.

 

[Lady Sabine]

Anna frowned when she cocked the gun, shifting her weight onto her toes as she readied herself to sprint at the first sign that the Watchman intended to use it. It wouldn't be the first time one of them had opted to shoot instead of fill out the paperwork and the hassle of making a real arrest.


When the cuffs came out she relaxed, but only slightly. "Why trouble the other officers?" The woman asked, giving her a suggestive smile. "You found footprints in the mud that have already been washed away in the rain and found little old me almost hit by a falling gutter; that's no crime. I'd be happy to give a donation, to the precinct mind you, to thank you for all the good work you've done here this evening..."

 

[Viola]

Vi' sighed at the sweet-talking and waved Punch at her, hoping for the suspect's eyes to meet hers. "I'm one of peace, so please come with me so we can end this debate." Today was a difficult day, and the harsh weather wasn't helping the intensity.


Opening the cuffs, her breathing slowed to calm Vi's situation, and slowly got within touching distance, moving the cuffs in front of Punch and pulling the pistol back, "I promise there'll be no hassle."

 

[Lady Sabine]

As the officer drew closer, close enough that Anna could have reached out and touched her, something familiar about her features struck the thief. A face from a dream, almost, a half-forgotten memory faded with time.


"No hassle," She repeated softly, distracted, trying to place this woman. Not from the slums, not from a prior arrest... a charity, maybe? But yet no, not that. The face was too familiar. "None. You don't have to arrest me. You know me," Anna murmured, a vague memory surfacing. The woman's face, her voice, teased at Anna's mind, drawing a dozen people to mind and discarding them all. Unless... no. No, not her.

 

[Viola]

Vi' scoffed at the thought of remembrance, as if this was another smart-ass ploy trying to raise a mere intention of escape, but at the same time, something clicked in place in her brain. Something about her voice raised a small memory from her life.


Sighing, she placed Punch back to her thigh and slightly titled the cuffs away from the suspect. "I don't have time for games but I'll allow you to try and prove your thought of us once being friends.." Smirking slightly, she continued, "..Hell, maybe even colleagues and the times hit you hard." Moving into the basking moonlight, she waved her hands at the suspect and raised her voice, "Lets see our perpetrator." Her happy-go-lucky face of happiness turning into a fake smile filled with nervous disposition.

 

[Lady Sabine]

Her. Recognition struck Anna like a bullet, and when she too stepped out into the glowing moonlight it was with a stricken expression on her face, one of remembrance and regrets. Was this where she should be? Was this the life that should have been hers? Or was the Watchwoman the wrong one, and Anna's path true?


"Vi," The thief breathed, then shook her head. "It is you, isn't it? After all these years?"

 

[Viola]

Falling back slightly and attempting to string words together, Vi' looked back in belief and dropped her handcuffs in shock. "A-Anne." Soon, it all came back. Every moment, soaked with a sense of happiness and remorse. Holding back some form of affection, she cleared her throat and tried to talk again. "I.. Well, it's been years."


But, the "happy" reunion turned into one of slight anger, "What the hell do you think you're doing?! One shot and that would've been it, I mean, come on." Picking up her cuffs, she stuffed them into her belt and looked up in disbelief.

 

[Lady Sabine]

The emotions all roiled within her, happiness and anger, hope and remorse, joy and agony. Oh, if only these were any other circumstances! She felt like a sheep raised among the wolves. No one back home knew that her father had been with the Watch; no one that used to know her knew that she was a criminal.


The anger rose in her, hot and fierce. "What am I doing?" Anna demanded in disbelief, throwing her hands up in frustration. "What are you doing? Back in the Watch? Don't you realize how broken this damned corrupt system is?" But the anger faded as fast as it came and left her feeling confused, empty... but still hopeful. The cuffs had gone away, and there was still time to salvage this.


"Oh, nevermind. This isn't the time or the place to talk about where we've been for the last decade," Anna mentioned, and then smiled at Viola, a genuine expression. "I never stopped wishing that I could go back and be your friend again, though. I just never thought I'd actually get the chance."

 

[Viola]

As fast as the emotions came and go, Judy was pulled out and aimed at Anna, in the heat of the moment, all she wanted at this point was answers, something to calm this ticking bomb of sorts. "Don't make me out to be the one in the wrong! You know it's what our families wanted. Us to be prestigious in our future. Not raggedy thief's with a sense of anarchy and ruggedness."


Biting her tongue on the words she uttered to her, she looked down with a sense of remorse but, like a flash, wiped away the empathy and cocked Judy back, ready to fire. With a million and one questions filling her mind and the only things that wanted to be spoken, no hugs for the memories, no gleeful look backs on the years behind them, just confused anger.


"So, you're behind Smoke?"

 

[Lady Sabine]

And then the gun was back. Anna blanched, then balled her fists again, angry and confused and hurt. Then she cocked it and asked a question that wouldn't have surprised Anna more if it had been asked by the mayor himself.


"Who said anything about Smoke?" She asked, wondering how Viola knew her connection. "How the hell do you get from 'wow, my childhood friend is alive' to 'better shoot her because she's clearly a criminal mastermind' in two seconds?"

 

[Viola]

Pacing back and forth, the train wreck of conflicting issues just kept adding 'til she snapped and dropped Judy on the floor. "I.. We heard the reports it was a girl.. City Watch kept throwing names around, w.. I feel both anger and happiness, what do I choose for you?"


This isn't exactly how Vi's day wanted to end. Seeing one of her closest friends turn out to be a thief of all things, she always thought she'd be a law abiding citizen. Carefully swaying to the wall to lean on it, she grabbed her head and shook maddeningly. "You're lucky you were always a smart one. One move and you could've been 6 feet under."

 

[Lady Sabine]

The gun clattering to the floor relieved her, but still Anna scoffed at her old friend's next words. "Lucky? Smart one?" Anna asked in disbelief. "You got to grow up in comfort and safety, get a good-paying job and a normal life while I scraped by, fighting and stealing for everything I ever had, in the slums. There's nothing lucky or smart about any of that."


She shook her head and bent down to pick up the gun, handing it back to Vi grip-first. "You're going to need this when you show up to the station house after bagging a dangerous criminal," The thief mentioned bitterly.

 

[Viola]

"I didn't mean it like that, I-" before finishing her sentence, Vi' re-evaluated the words Anna uttered to her over and over again, contemplating the arrest. On the pro side, money for the coming months and eviction won't seem as likely, maybe even a little more to polish her pet pistols. But on the con side, it'd be a betrayal to someone who knew the suspect dearly and it would seem like an unforgivable act.


The decision was over and the choice was one she'd believe would ultimately cause an issue sooner in the year. Grabbing the gun, she swooped it up into the moonlit sky and fired six shots, slowly moving it back down in solemn guilt, and moved her eyes back towards Anna. "Run."

 

[Lady Sabine]

There was only a second of hesitation. "This isn't the last time we'll see each other," Anna promised softly, then followed her friend's advice and took off at a sprint, ducking in between buildings until her footsteps faded into the night.


Of course, she didn't run far. Not tired and sore like she was, not with the looming curiosity. Instead she went back to the rooftops, staying low and in the shadows of taller buildings and chimneys, and kept an eye on Viola, sometimes having to cross back down to street level in order to tail her. Back to the scene of the crime, back to the station house... back to her home, Anna a second shadow.


((Gonna go ahead and timeskip. If you had something else in mind, I can rewrite... this just seemed expedient.))


It was a week later when she returned to that house, right before Vi's shift ended, with a bottle of cheap wine in hand and an old scrap of paper with the words "thank you" scribbled on it in charcoal. Prying the window open took longer than expected, and then once inside, she was at a loss for where to leave it. On the table? In the kitchen? Perhaps by her bed? The decision was agonizing.