New Babbage rain is grey. The precipitation collects the soot particles from the air and returns them back down to the city they originated from. A common expression heard throughout the city after a storm is “I need to wash the rain off”, and standing around during a downpour is an extremely uncommon habit. Dr Berithos had good reason to be wary when he saw a large figure standing in the rain at the bottom of the stairs near the Gangplank.
He recognized the figure at once as Blackrain, Underby’s hired goon. Hastening his pace, he lowered the brim of his hat some, and tried to make his way past quickly. At this time of night, he was the last person Berithos wanted to meet at the edge of a dark alley.
As he passed the hulking figure, it spoke. “Whatch ya don’t trip none goin’ up them stairs in yer dark glasses, doc. That’d be a right shame.”
“Stay away from me, Blackrain.” he said, in a low growl.
Bib moved forward from where he had been leaning. Grey rain dripped from the long lank hair hanging in his face. “You givin’ me orders now? Ya think fit t’tell me what t’do an what not t’do?” He had moved slightly in front of the doctor as he said these words.
“You and I have no business together.”
“Givin’ me orders ain’t bizness? Cause it sure sounds like bizness ta me.”
Berithos pivoted, and walked around the wall of a man.
“Don’tcha dare walk away when I’m talkin atcha…” the figure growled as it grabbed the back of the doctor’s coat and swung him into a brick wall. Stars exploded in the doctor’s vision, and his dark-smoked spectacles skittered away in the rainy gloom. Either the giant didn’t notice his strange eyes, or simply didn’t care. He lifted the doctor up and sunk huge meaty fists into his midsection repeatedly, grunting with satisfaction as each punch went home. Berithos slumped to the ground, half conscious, and was rewarded for the effort with a volley of bootings to the midsection.
Dr Berithos laid against the bottom of the wall, and some cold distant part of his mind clinically diagnosed himself with at least a few broken ribs, and based on his breathing, possibly a collapsed lung. To be honest, he was a little disappointed with Blackrain’s performance. This was little more than an average sized man could accomplish.
Bib loomed over him, rain falling down from him onto the doctor. Berithos opened his eyes, and croaked out: “You… missed a… spot.”
Bib’s large boot came down swiftly onto the doctor’s right hand, and twisted savagely. The pain was instantaneous, and must have caused him to blackout momentarily as the next thing he knew Bib was down on all fours and had him by the hair on the back of his head, growling into his face: “I hope yer fond o’ Mizz Star, doc, cause yer gonner be her personal guard from now on… cause I swear, iffin she so much as slips an’ falls on a cobble stone, I come after you. Hear me? An, believe me, doc… they won’t find a single piece of ya.”
Bib let his head go and wiped his hands on his pant legs with distaste, then disappeared into the grey rain.
Yeah, it doesn’t take place at the Bucket, but the name is in the title. Oh well.
Feeze ugh nhaaa zeely tetten ugh errr nghhh ahhh!
((Translation: Even through this horrible pain, I can say that was finely written!))
Star rode with her head ducked low against the rain, guiding Samwise at a plodding pace up Prince Dakkar Boulevard. At the Hyde Street stairs he balked suddenly, squatting on his heels and tossing his head. She bent low over his neck, murmuring to him, “Easy Sam,” and, once he had quieted, turned and peered through the fug into the alley. Just beneath the steps she could see a shoe attached to a leg.
“Again?” She sighed, slipping from the saddle and approaching cautiously. She actually didn’t recognize Berithos at first. She stared down at him for a long moment, not quite certain if he was breathing and thinking about how strange it was that Bib, when she had passed him in port a few moments before, had not tipped his hat to her but had hidden his hand and called out an unusually jovial, “Hello Miz Star!” She bent, reaching toward his neck for a pulse and he rolled one strange eye open at her. She jumped back. He groaned.
“Yeah,” She looked around, the rain had driven everyone indoors, there was no one to see anything she did, “Yeah, you can just lay there for a while. I’ll send help along after I have a nice cup of tea.” The odd yellow eye slid heavily shut. She returned to Samwise and mounted, riding him into the mews.
She helped Wash unsaddle him and rub him down, taking her time. She watched Samwise drink for a long while and then, with a wave, headed up Three Kings Alley. She knocked at Phaedra’s door, she heard a violin screech to a halt. Phaedra opened the door with the instrument still in her hand.
“Doctor Berithos seems to have been injured and left beneath the Hyde stairs, you might want to see to him.” Phaedra’s eyes narrowed at Star, Star shrugged and crossed to her apartment, not waiting to see what the woman did.
Kaylee didn’t look-up from her workbench, speaking down into the reality enforcer she was fiddling with,”Just so you know, someone beat-up that doctor who probably took a shot at you and left him in your alley.”
“Yep, I found him.” Star swung the kettle over the fire, “Did you hear it happen?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you do anything to stop it?”
“Nope.”
Star stood for a moment, listening to the water heat, “Could you have stopped it?”
“Yep,” Kaylee ran a hand across her forehead, “This arm isn’t for show, you know. But why would I bother?”
“Indeed. I knocked on Phaedra’s door, I think that’s about the end of my charity for that man.”
“More than I did.” Kaylee replied, turning back to her work. Star shrugged and made herself a cup of tea, “I need a bath.”