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Vengeance, Pt. 1: Petty Plot.

Phaedra lay her fingers gently against Giles’s forehead, her brow creased with worry. He would not allow Pip near him, nor allow her to use the talents which she had cultivated so carefully over the years, fearing them in a way that almost gave her pause. She worried he would die of his wounds, but didn’t dare break a promise to him. 

Her kind did not break vows easily. 

“Pip,” She called quietly, he appeared at her side in silence, his wide, dark eyes staring up at her, “Pip, watch him closely. If he seems worse, fetch me immediately, I’ve business to see to.” He nodded and moved to crouch in a corner. 

She hurried across the city to her home, thankful for the heavy night fog that had blown in off the Vernian. She clawed through the jars on her shelves and hunted in the bindings of her books until she found the pouch filled with a silvery, glittering powder.  She dispensed some of it into a vial and tucked the vial into her bodice with a thin smile. Almost as an afterthought she retrieved a twisted, mummified left hand from her trunk and an odd, black match. 

She made her way along the port to ‘Cuffs and stood on the stoop for a long moment, staring into the chilly night fog and attempting to discern any suspicious shapes, but saw none. She bent and, with a pin from her hair, sprung the lock on the door and let herself in, shutting it quietly behind her. Inside it was pitch black and opressively silent. She withdrew the withered hand from her pocket and struck the match, laying the flame against the hand. The thing ignited soundlessly with a pale light.  She held it aloft as she checked the bottles until she found the absinthe she was looking for, thankfully already open. She sat the hand on the bar, the pale flames from the thing clung to her fingers like spiders’ webs and she blew them away in annoyance. 

She uncorked the absinthe and poured the shimmering powder from the vial into it and shook the bottle hard for some minutes, ever-mindful of the sounds of the street beyond. She held it up to the light, watching the liquid settle and seeing if the powder would form a sediment. When it didn’t she lifted the bottle to her lips and took a swig, swishing it around her mouth thoughtfully before swallowing.  She smiled, satisfied that the taste had not been altered, and whispered across the lip of the bottle, “Fancy taking jabs at my husband, Mrs. Melnik? I’m sure this will give yours a turn.” 

She re-corked it and swirled the contents one last time, murmuring over it before replacing it exactly as it had been on the shelf. She picked up the hand, blowing the webbing of flame out that had started to spread across the counter: it left only a faint web of marring on the wood, not easily discerned from the usual scuffs and scratches. At the door she snuffed the hand itself and checked carefully that she hadn’t left behind any of its curious flames. When she was content that the room was as dark as when she had arrived, she let herself out, locking the door behind her.

Phaedra, any concern about her actions already far from her mind, hurried back to Giles. 

((Friction matches were invented in 1826. The more you know!))

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10 Comments

  1. Kristos Sonnerstein Kristos Sonnerstein June 24, 2011

    ::tsks, shaking his head softly:: You know, there are other doctors in town that could tend to his wounds..

  2. Giles Berithos Giles Berithos June 24, 2011

    It’s a comfort to have such a talented lady looking out for me.

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  3. Scottie Melnik Scottie Melnik June 24, 2011

    Scottie strode into ‘Cuffs as the night drew to a close. He didn’t bother to turn on the lights, navigating the small establishment by memory until he reached the counter. Pouring out a glass full of absinthe he swirled it a moment and leaned against some neatly stacked crates. He chuckled to himself thinking about the quack who’d been beaten to a pulp before downing the entire glass. His eyes widened immediately as the contents scorched his mouth, throat, and esophagus. He looked down at the glass accusingly as he choked on the liquid, his body rejecting it before his throat closed. Dropping to his knees he tried to call out, blood spraying from his mouth and running from his nose, “Sky!”

    • Sky Melnik Sky Melnik June 24, 2011

      Hearing her name called out, Sky hopped up from the outdoor bench where she and Scottie had been relaxing. She darted into ‘Cuffs and reached up to light a lamp, saying, “What’s the matt-” Her words ceased as she turned to see the blood and Scottie on the floor. Without hesitation she pulled him up to his feet, muttering, “What the hell…” as blood dripped all over. Scottie’s hands gripped his throat tightly, but he managed to nod in the direction of the absinthe bottle on the floor, which Sky promptly picked up. “Let’s get you upstairs, love,” she grunted as she led him into their home.

      Once Scottie had calmed she helped clean him up and put him to bed. Sky sat on a nearby trunk watching him with a concerned and puzzled look on her face. Her gaze eventually fell on the absinthe bottle on the nightstand. Following a few more moments of thought, she got up and rummaged through the trunk, setting out various flasks and scientific instruments. As the hours passed she kept a close eye on her husband and fiddled with a small makeshift lab on the top of the trunk.

      The following evening when Scottie opened his eyes he saw his disheveled wife sitting in bed, staring darkly at the windowed wall in front of her. He drew a breath and then hissed in pain, immediately remembering what happened the night before. Sky’s attention snapped to him as he moved. In a tired whisper she shared with him what she found. Scottie turned to look into her eyes, which were gray instead of their natural blue. He grasped her hand tightly and gave a nod before closing his eyes again.

  4. Cadmus Lupindo Cadmus Lupindo June 24, 2011

    *Scratches his head*
    A Hand of Glory?

    • Grendel Footman Grendel Footman June 24, 2011

      used as a regular candle stick, I don’t know if it’s over the top, or under the top

  5. Tepic Harlequin Tepic Harlequin June 25, 2011

    blimey….. spiking drinks, an just before the Drinking Festival!

    (( friction matches were a wonderful idea, though at the begining, were apt to explode in the pocket.  Still, haven’t heard anyone using a corpse hand light for a long, long time – that’s true ancient magic! ))

  6. Bianca Namori Bianca Namori June 25, 2011

    Well that’s one way to get him to put down the bottle…-says thoughtfully-

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