• Solo • Kill Them With Kindness

Andráska kills a woman and child for the better good.

5th of Saun 716

The capital city of the of Rynmere, here is seated the only King in Idalos.
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Andráska Venora
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Kill Them With Kindness

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"My two natures had memory in common."
5th of Saun, 716 Arc
  • Patrols were slow, as usual, with András only stopping a few beggars and chatting with them. After a while, and some jokes, he sent them on their way, apologizing that some of the shopkeepers were dicks and needed to worry about doing their job. Surprisingly, these interactions went pretty well, and they relocated. One beggar in particular, who held a little girl in her arms apologized profusely and by the make and color of her clothes, Andras realized that she must not have been homeless for long. They were dirty and banged up, but the elements hadn't quite done a number on her yet.

    The woman was young, not much older than Andras himself, and her child must have only been a few arcs old. Their hair was dark, whether by dirt or natural color, he couldn't tell. She flinched when he moved beside her and held the girl protectively against her. Whoever had she encountered before hadn't had such a gentle hand. Neither would look him in the eye, "Hey," he muttered, his jovial mood fading to something more serious, "Look at me," he crouched in front of where the mother was scrambling to grab the meager belongings they had. Copies of the Gazette were strewn across the cold cobblestone, and she hesitated. She was afraid.

    "Let me see your face," he repeated, softer. The woman bit her lip and took a shaky breath, turning. András didn't know what to say. He sat stunned, and the beggar grabbed the hand of her daughter and started to stand. Her voice was thick and stuffy.

    "Forgive us. We didn't mean anything. We're sorry, we-"

    Andras reached out, grabbing her arm, "Stop." The word came out stronger than it should have and the woman whimpered, flinching as if prepared to take a blow. Immediately releasing her, the noble began reaching into his pocket, still staring intently at the woman. "Why haven't you been to a medic?"

    Her face, which had been lovely with doll eyes and full lips, was shattered. Her nose, was jagged and crooked, blackened at the base and healed sideways. When she looked up at him, Andras saw that one of her teeth had been knocked clean from her mouth. Another one was broken and painful looking. She shrugged, obviously scared to say, but her fingers absentmindedly touched the ring finger of her left hand, "Please..." The wail scared the child who started to cry.

    Andras lowered his voice, stepping close and bending his neck to try and look in her eyes, "Did your husband do this?" he whispered, slowly, very slowly, lifting her chin to look at him. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she nodded quickly, taking a step back. Anger began to boil within him and he pulled three coins from his pocket. He was guessing she hadn't sought out medical aid for fear of her husband finding her. She couldn't go home. So she had begun hiding in the streets, thinking it was safer. What had he done to her?

    "Take this," Andráska's voice took on an uncharacteristic authority, leaving no room for debate or denial, "You take this. You buy something to eat and a place to stay for a few nights to recover. Then, seek out the a surgeon at this address," he recalled where is brother lived and repeated the street number, "You tell him his brother sent you and I accept the charges. He might be able to fix your face, but I don't know." He shook his head at the nasty healing that had already occurred on the woman's face. He was no expert, but he assumed it would need to be rebroken and set correctly. It would hurt, but she would be able to breath better, "What's your name?"

    The woman was shocked, mesmerized by the kindness of a knight. She had not known a gentle hand in a long time, he realized, and she reached out to take the gold nel, staring at in awe. "Anna Hastings," she muttered, "And this is Diana."

    András nodded, smiling at the little girl who had finally pulled away from her mother's neck long enough to peek at him, "Beautiful names for beautiful ladies" he said gallantly, bowing deeply as if greeting women at court, "Unfortunately, I must implore you seek new ones," the serious edge of his tone came back, "Head to Sabaissant. There, I want you to find the head maid, or chef of the fort. Tell them you were sent by Andráska Venora and you need work. You'll be safe there."

    Before she could deny or draw attention, András reached out and kissed her hand, "I'll handle the rest," he promised, and began to walk away.
Last edited by Andráska Venora on Sun Sep 11, 2016 11:16 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 821
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Andráska Venora
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Kill Them With Kindness

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"My two natures had memory in common."
12th of Saun, 716 Arc
  • The rest of his shift was difficult to enjoy. The heat continued to bear down on him, only getting hotter and more irritating. Anger at the man who had hurt those women made it nigh impossible for the young noble to stay focused. He made his rotations on the streets, but might as well not have been there. As a knight, he was now a protector of the realm, but how could you keep people safe? He could barely wake up in time for his shift and now he helped dictate the lives of others? It was like being home all over again. Responsibility.

    When he made his last round of the morning, András didn't wait long for the next knight to relieve him. He started to head to the Gazette, walking in full armor and sliding into a chair. In front of him was a desk and a stack of blank papers. A quill waited to be picked up and finally, he settled in, lifting it up and dipping it in the vial of ink. His hand hovered over the paper, as words floated inside his mind.

    He started to write, "Tragically, two bodies were discovered today, with cause of death inconclusive. The first victim, a young woman, identified as Anna Hastings," Andras sighed, his hand still moving carefully across the page, "Was found beaten in an alleyway, clutching a child, assumed to be her daughter, Diana Hastings."

    "The two sustained excessive head trauma and a number of injuries that knights believe to have been inflicted before their time of death. Due to the heat of the season, and gruesome nature of their passing, authorities have been forced to speed up the process of arrangements, apprehending the bodies and preparing them for cremation after proper investigation.

    Authorities are horrified by this incident, claiming this tragedy could have been avoided had proper procedures been taken. It was discovered that both women had disappeared from their homes weeks prior, but had not been reported as missing persons by members of the family. Anna is survived by her husband, and prime suspect, ____ Hastings, who is believed to have known about their disappearance but made no move to seek aid in their safe return. Investigations will continue thusly, and a memorial for both victims will be released at a later date."

    Andráska reread the article several times, editing as he saw fit. He would need more information on the Hastings family, maybe even an address. That should all be fairly easy to obtain in the city records, but what troubled him most was the act of actually staging a murder. Surely his superiors would ask questions if no guards reported finding any bodies, and surely the family (if Anna had any decent relatives left), would want a funeral procession. Should he contact them and let them know the truth? Or would Anna and Diana be safer if they stayed dead?

    He groaned in frustration. See? Responsibility.

    Another part of him - the one that craved justice imagined scrapping the story, finding out the man's address and paying him a little visit. If this unknown abuser wanted to hit on women... no, not just a woman, but helpless, broken women like Anna, who couldn't defend themselves...then he was not a man, but a monster. András stared long and hard at the story as the ink dried, chewing the inside of his lip. He hated this. Why... Why get married if you were going to be a complete asshole? These people weren't noble, they had the freedom to marry for love if they wanted. Did they ever love one another? Was it always an agreement between families?

    He had so many questions, wanting answers to soothe his troubled mind. He had seen Anna. Looked into her eyes and watched fear staring back. She had physically cringed when he reached for her - sobbed. She had been living on the streets needing medical attention just to avoid going back to this man. How could a husband do that to his wife? How could he do that in front of their child?

    The paper crinkled in his clenched fists, and he had to drop it on the desk to keep from tearing it up in disgust. Pushing himself backwards, the legs of his chair scraped brutally across the floor of the office and he started storming for the door. He was done playing good cop. Bad cop got things done.
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Andráska Venora
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Kill Them With Kindness

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"My two natures had memory in common."
12th of Saun, 716 Arc
  • As a journalist, one was expected to do some investigation. As a Knight, one was expected to bring order. And as a Lord, one could do whatever they wanted.

    In fact, once he had gotten his requested city records, Andras wasted no time. He had been able to use his influence to get the information he needed. The husband's first name was Zachary, he was thirty years old and had been born to a decently well off family, same as Anna. Income record had shown that over the course of time, he had been going broke, right up until the point of engagement. András had scoffed when he read it.

    "Pretend you still have money to win the girl, marry her so she can't leave, and beat her until she dies. Inherit everything.." How sickening. By the time the knight reached the Hasting's home, he had a very clear, hate filled picture built in his mind. Greed and abuse were two things the lord loathed, having experienced plenty of that growing up in a household like his. This case felt personal.

    He rapped loudly on the door, noting the silver knocker. It was a bit worn, but looked authentic. This family did have money. Maybe not enough to matter in high society, but food was on the table and their house was big enough. A man opened the door, blonde beard trim with a bit of a pudge hanging over the waistband of his trousers. 'Good. No servants.'

    "Zach Hastings?" András' expression was humorless and he pushed himself past the older man, and stepped into the foyer.

    "Y-yes? Wait! Who the hell are you?"

    Andras turned sharply, pointing to the knight insignia on his leather chest piece, and offered a dark smile, "A knight of Rynmere. I'm here to ask you a few questions."

    "Questions? About what?" The man didn't seem thrilled to see him, but Andras couldn't have cared less. He strolled further into the home, admiring some paintings on the wall before disappearing into the next room without a word. When Zachary rushed to see what he was doing, he found the knight lounging on his couch, a notepad in hand, "Excuse me!"

    "Not excused," Andras snapped, with a hint of irritation in his voice. Catching himself, he cleared his throat and smiled again, "How long has your wife been missing, Mr. Hastings?"

    This seemed to stop the man in his tracks and Andras could see him calculating in his head, "What? I-I... She's not missing," he said, going to sit in one of the reading chairs opposite of him. Andras could imagine Anna curled in it, perhaps reading a story to Diana and those simple moments destroyed by sharp words and the harsh hands of her husband. He could hear her pleading... Andras blinked the image away and took a slow breath.

    Zachary didn't look particularly intimidating, his physique less than noteworthy. "She was found this morning sustaining trauma to the the face and arms. Her nose had been broken and had begun to heal over. If she's not missing, do you know where she might have received these injuries?"

    The man was instantly defensive, a sign of guilt, "What's all this about?" he demanded, gripping his chair and leaning forward, "My wife went to go stay with her mother, I don't know anything about a broken nose." He paused, as if just remembering to ask, "Is she okay?"

    Andras' eyes narrowed, "No." City records had also shown that Anna no longer had a mother. Only a father who worked in Warrick, "And your daughter, is she there as well?"

    "Well, I damn well hope so!"

    The lord kept up his rapid fire questions, the questioning very much feeling like an interrogation, to avoid giving Zach any time to craft better lies, "How long have you been married to Anna, Mr. Hastings?"

    He shifted in his seat, "About two years, give or take."

    "So you know a bit about each other now. I'm sorry to inform you, but I don't believe your wife went to stay with her mother," he said calmly, pulling a pen from his pocket and jotting something down, "Does this surprise you?"

    Zach surely feigned surprised, fumbling with his words and even having the audacity to act like he was betrayed, "What?" he muttered, "Is... Was it another man?" Ha! Was he really going to try and suggest slander to protect himself?

    "Hopefully."

    "Pardon me?"

    "What's Diana's favorite color?" Andras finally had enough, rising to his feet. He ripped free the page from his notebook and tucked the pad away in his back pocket.

    Zach hesitated, and it was then Andras realized the man didn't know something so simplistic about his daughter. He didn't even care about his own child, let alone wife. They were money to him. The husband's eyes darted around, "How do you know my daughter's name? And how... does any of this have to do with Anna?" Andras wanted to point out that as a knight, such information was easy to come by, but instead he handed the sheet of paper to the man.


He watched the man read it. Coward., it said.

When his eyes widened at the message and he opened his mouth to speak, Andráska let his anger be unleashed, and his fist shot forward to collide with the man's nose. Catching a victim off guard was a good strategy and Andras wanted to return the favor for Anna, and put all his power behind the throw, a guttural crack shattering the man's face. Zach howled in pain and another blow found his jaw, blood pouring from his face at an alarming rate. The attack seemed to incapacitate the other male, and Andras gripped his harshly by the shirt and pulled him close.

"Not so fun now, is it?" he whispered, harshly gripping the man's neck to look at him, "Your wife and child are dead. When I leave, you are going to send correspondence to Anna's family, and you are not to touch a single nel of her money." Zach tried to say something, but the sound was clogged by the blood and bone. Andras assumed it was a protest, and he mercilessly dug his thumb nail against the broken nose and squeezed. Zach started to scream and Andras shoved him back into the chair, "You don't hurt the ones you love," he growled, "So now, if I find out you didn't do what I said, or you tell anyone I was here," Andras pulled one of the throwing knives from his belt and pressed it against the man's neck, watching the fear in his eyes, "I will use every resource I have to ruin you. Death will be my blessing."

Pushing himself away from the man, Andras calmly walked to the couch he had been sitting on and used the throw to wipe away the red blood that now coated his fingers. He was shaking from anger and refused to look at the red stained figure hunched over in the seat, "I'll be in touch," and he headed towards the exit, the door slamming shut behind him.
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Kill Them With Kindness

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Andraska


Points!:

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 0/ 5 (solo thread)
Structure: 5/ 5
Knowledge:

Interrogation: Asking direct questions can be the best way to get straight answers.
Interrogation: Quickfire questions to keep your subject off balance
Investigation: City records are useful
Investigation: Dig into the family where you can
Investigation: Questioning about the details
Intimidation: Rank hath its privileges
Intimidation: Surprise attacks
Detection: Small unconscious gestures can lead to answers to questions.
Detection: Facial expressions often reveal thoughts and emotions.
Writing: Obituaries
Writing: Editing
Psychology: The fine line between justice and revenge.
Unarmed Combat: Punch to the nose
Torture: Squeeze the site of injuries
Anna Hastings: Victim of domestic abuse
Diana Hastings: Daughter of Anna

Loot:
please deduct 3gn from your ledger. Thanks.
Fame:
+2 (give a gift - coins), +2 (give a gift - treatment), +2(give a gift - employment) +3 (good deeds x3 whilst caring for the woman and her child)
Magic:
These points may NOT be used for arcana

Overview:

General comments. Wow what a powerful story. Andraska really came into his own in this story and I found it a compelling piece to read. It was like he was saving a part of himself by saving the woman and her child. Great work!
Story A well written and fascinating story - I think Andras remained the 'good guy' here, but it's a slippery slope, isn't it!? Great stuff!
Structure No issues at all.
Please do PM me if you've got any questions
word count: 246
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~~Red in hoof and claw... ~~


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