Confidence Game [solo, one-shot]

[nephero]

{content warning for language and minor violence}

   Senvari was awake before the knock at the door came. The tiny gate that separated the short walk from the city streets to their door was rusted over in several places and made a terrible squeaking sound no matter how many times oil was applied to it. It was one of those little annoyances that they simply did not have the time to repair, nor the funds necessary to replace the gate entirely.

   It certainly did not impress the neighbors, but it did do the job of masking the sound of a alarm bell just inside the house itself. Years of conditioning had Senvari awake in an instant. They sat up in their bed, arms wrapped around their knees, and waited.

   Five steps from the gate to the door. Four. Three. Two. One— the rapid sound of knuckles against thick wood rang out through the hall. Senvari breathed out, and slid out of bed. Rather than going immediately to the door, however, they stepped across the hall and into another room, where another pair of eyes stared back at them from just under the blankets.

   Neither Senvari nor their son spoke in words. They watched in the darkness, their hands moving in signs. By the time the knock at the door came again, Iraevo was out of bed and down through a trick floorboard to a hidden tunnel. Satisfied, Senvari moved away from the room and took a deep breath, before finally making their way to the front door just as the third knock was beginning. The man seemed a bit startled to have the door move so suddenly, but he quickly amended his expression to an apologetic smile.

   "Ah. Sorry to disturb you so late in the evening, miss." He began, hands clasped in front of him in a pleading sort of gesture. "I'm trying to get to Sweet Street, and I seem to have lost my way. It's been hours."

   "Sweet Street," Senvari echoed, brows knit as they thought for a moment. "Oh, the baker's ward."

   "Yes, yes, exactly so, miss. Would you mind pointing the way?"

   "Ah. Well, you're a bit far off. That's all the way up near the markets. You'll need to follow this road out," they gestured vaguely, speaking a bit louder now through a wider crack in the door. "Take a left at the next large corridor, and then another and follow it straight up. There should be signs by that point."

   "Thank you very much, miss."

   "Don't mention it," Senvari stated, already beginning to close the door.

   "Ah," the man said suddenly, holding his hand out to keep the door from shutting once again, "I really am sorry, but like I've said, it's been hours. Might I trouble you to ask for some water?"

   "...No, I'm sorry. I can't help you."

   "Just a bit of water, and I'll be on my way."

   "It won't take long to get where you're going, you'll be fine." Senvari stated, more firmly. A light in one of the neighboring shacks went on, flickering a bit as the candle struggled to remain alight. Senvari looked back at the man before him, and went to close the door once more. "Good evening."

   "Right," he said, niceties dropped and hand cracking against the door. The sudden force shocked Senvari, the door swinging back hard against them and pushing them away from the entrance. Before they could so much as catch their breath, the man was inside the hall, and he slammed them up against the wall by their shoulders. "Make a fuckin' peep, bird, and I'll slit your throat, got me?"

   Senvari stared up at him with wide eyes, before snarling and slamming their knee into his unguarded belly. His breath rushed out in a cloud that reeked of cheap Kotan bourbon, shortly followed by a string of curses. Senvari kneed him again, only to have their knee caught by rough hands and pulled upwards. Balance lost, they hit the wall and dropped to the ground, and began to kick in earnest at the sudden vulnerable position.

   The man cursed even louder as their heels cracked against his outstretched hands, bending a few fingers back enough to have him take a step back in retreat. Senvari scrambled to their feet and ducked to his left, bolting down the hall towards the kitchen. Heavy bootfalls were all the warning they had before a heavy weight crashed into them, sending them into the kitchen table. Senvari gasped for air as the wind was knocked out of them, lungs screaming as that weight pressed even harder as the man pinned them to the rough wood surface.

   "You fuckin' deaf or just stupid?" he growled, hand at the back of their neck and giving them a firm squeeze. "I said one peep and you're dead!"

   Senvari howled, and reached for a tankard that had been left on the table. They flung it back, and the pottery crashed loud above them, raining down bits and pieces as the weight disappeared. The man hit the floor yelling, clutching at where his forehead was bleeding. Senvari scrambled over the table, and ran for the counter where the knives were, just as another large shadow appeared in the adjacent doorway. A second man was stepping in, and he grabbed up one of the knives that Senvari had tried to get at. Brandishing it in their face, he gave a wide and terrible grin.

   "Lookin' for this?"

   Senvari sucked in a breath and scuttled back, just as a loud crash of broken glass rang out in the kitchen. The man with the knife dropped like a sack of potatoes, and behind him was Senvari's son holding what was left of a wine bottle in both hands. The wine was everywhere, pooling in a dark stain around the fallen man just as an even louder commotion started outside. There were shouts, and finally, thankfully, the ringing of the alarm bell out in the street. The first man cussed loudly, and quickly got to his feet, bolting back out the way he came and leaving the three of them in the kitchen. Senvari nudged at the fallen man with their foot, making sure he was absolutely down for the count before reaching out to their son. He had dropped the bit of bottle, and clutched onto his parent, allowing them to lift him over the prone body at their feet.

   "Go, get to the street. Stay with the neighbors, now." Senvari commanded, and with a nod he was out the door, his thin frame disappearing into the growing light from the wide-open door. The commotion was getting even louder now as more people were woken up by the racket, and Senvari could hear snatches of frantic conversation as their son was questioned by the neighbors.

   Senvari stepped around the prone man, and crouched down beside him so as to not get wine all over their knees. They pressed two fingers to his throat while eyeing his ribcage, and only pulled back when they felt his heartbeat still pulsing. Senvari backed away quickly, and made their way down the hall just as a few of their neighbors came spilling into the household, brandishing makeshift weapons like a pot or a bit of wood. One of them very nearly made to swing at them, and Senvari had to fling their hands up.

   "It's me, it's me, he's down there," they shouted, out of breath and voice high. They looked between the men, eyes wide. "Iraevo, where's Iraevo?"

   "Outside, come on," said one of the neighbors, a gruff and muscular woman who had chosen a meat tenderizer as her weapon of choice. She grabbed them by the arm and pulled them back against her broad chest, shielding them from the kitchen entrance as the rest of the group continued on.

   "Fuck me, is he dead?" asked one of them, but Senvari didn't have a chance to answer before they were pulled out into the open air. There was a large gathering outside their house, with several neighbors clustered protectively around Iraevo. The flickering candlelight did not help differentiate the wine stains on his nightshirt from blood, though as Senvari and his escort got closer, the smell certainly became more obvious.

   "Don't worry, love, guard's on their way," said an elderly woman as Senvari stepped in to pull their son tight to their chest.

   "Fucking thieves, running amok," said the woman with the hammer, slapping the smooth side of it against the palm of her hand. "Can't get the guard to even look in our direction until they've already been in and out."

   Senvari didn't have it in them to join in on the conversation. All they could manage was to hug their son tight, and wait for the guard to arrive.

   

...

   
   It was well into the next morning by the time the guards had gotten the burglar out of Senvari's kitchen and done their sweep of the area. The neighbors had filtered out one by one, the excitement of the evening bleeding into exhaustion until all that was left was Senvari and Iraevo. The guards were similarly exhausted, a few of them more than a little gruff to find little to no leads beyond the prone man on the floor, the other having fled off into the night without anyone so much as catching a good look. It took several more hours just for Senvari to run through what they could remember of the man who had escaped, but the hall had been so dark and it had all happened so suddenly, they couldn't be much help, either.

   The lieutenant in charge seemed frustrated, but at least kept his frustrations to himself, going so far as to keep watch as Senvari called for a carriage to empty their home of belongings.

   "Where will you and the lad go?" he asked, and Senvari pressed their lips into a thin line in thought.

   "The market district," they said, finally, looking directly into his eyes with every word. Their tone was calm and even, and they took special care to be perfectly clear. "It's better for business, at any rate, we should be able to make up for the loss on this place fairly quickly. There's an inn we can stay at for the time being."

   "Aye, that sounds like a solid plan," the lieutenant said, his own eyes taking on a slightly glossy look, much to Senvari's satisfaction. "It's easier to set up consistent patrols there, with all the shops in one place."

   Senvari smiled, not breaking eye contact. "That is quite the relief. How many break-ins has it been?"

   "Five just this month. They haven't been so brazen to get up to the higher parts of the city yet, though."

   "You and your men must be working at all hours, with so many incidents."

   "If you like, I can set up a patrol closer to your new home. Just for a short time, mind you, but if it would help you sleep easier, let me know where it is—"

   "No, no," Senvari said, holding a hand up and looking a bit embarrassed. "Don't trouble yourself on my account. I'm sure the change in scenery will do the job, and you've already arrested one of those horrible men. We will be fine."

   The glossy look seemed to fade ever so slightly, but another, sweeter smile aimed at him seemed to do the trick and the lieutenant nodded in agreement. Thankfully, Iraevo arrived at that exact moment, a large chest the size of his own torso in his arms. Senvari turned away from the lieutenant to take the chest from their son, who immediately shook out and rubbed at his arms. Senvari gave him a small smile, and turned to place the chest on the carriage, the last of their personal belongings finally stowed and secured.

   When they turned back, it was to see that the lieutenant's attention had been effectively adjusted to Iraevo himself, and Senvari stepped close just in time to hear what appeared to be quite the lecture.

   "You should be proud of yourself, son, for thinking quick with that bottle. But you're nearly a grown man, now. It shouldn't be your mother who's opening the doors to the house so late at night. Take some responsibility for her protection, you understand?"

   It was all Senvari could do to contain their own face, but Iraevo was clearly having none of it. His brows were knit, and his eyes were lowered with the rest of his head, looking quite ashamed. Through his shock of dark hair, Senvari could even see the tips of his ears turning very, very pink.

   "Yes, sir," was all that Iraevo mumbled, before turning and scuttling up into the carriage, not looking at either of the adults as he did.

   Senvari hummed quietly, and looked from the carriage to the lieutenant. They pushed the corners of their mouth upwards in a small smile, though they hardly felt like there was much to smile about.

   "Thank you for your assistance, lieutenant. Hopefully, you'll never have to hear from either of us again."

   "Just doing my duty, miss." He replied, though Senvari could see the way his chest puffed up beneath his armored uniform. "If it's not poor manners for me to say, I wouldn't mind speaking with you again. Under better circumstances, of course."

   Senvari ducked their head a bit, their smile widening slightly. "Good afternoon, lieutenant."

   They turned to the carriage then, climbing in beside their son and shutting the door behind themself. Once they were settled in, the driver snapped the reins, and the cart lumbered on down the road, leaving their former abode long behind. Once they were out of earshot, Senvari turned to their son, one eyebrow raised high and mouth slowly twisting into a grin.

   Iraevo stared up at them right back, his arms still crossed like a scolded child. Eventually, though, even he couldn't help himself, and his shoulders began to shake the more he fought down his own laughter. Senvari put a hand over their mouth to stifle themself as well, and slowly the pair calmed, taking even breaths so to avoid making too much noise over the clopping of the horses' hooves. Senvari raised their hands up, and cycled through congratulatory signs.

   'You did very, very well. I am proud.'

   Iraevo grinned wide, slowly easing out of his sullen body language and sprawling across the opposite carriage seat, giving a mock bow as he did so.

   'Bax passed me the stuff before we headed for the kitchen. I did not have the chance to check it, you and Locks were moving too quick.'

   'It should be fine. Anything missing is on them.'

   'Do you think Bax will be okay?' Iraevo signed back, brows raised in question.

   'He will be fine. Out by the week end.'

   'I hit him really hard, I was not sure the glass would break.'

   'He has taken harder hits than that. Good job. Locks will take care of getting him back to Maxton.' Senvari paused for a moment, before pushing their hand through the air to brush the subject aside, and continued. 'You did very well with the guard. Your acting is getting better and better.'

   Iraevo smirked wide. 'I just thought really hard about how much I wanted to deck him with a bottle.'

   Senvari clapped their hand to their mouth to stifle a sudden bark of laughter, a struggle that the pair soon had to spend the rest of the carriage ride keeping well under control.

   

...

   "Do you ever miss having my dad around?" Iraevo asked, so suddenly that for a moment Senvari hadn't registered what was said. Confusion quickly melted into amusement, however, and they scoffed lightly.

   "What? No. What's brought this on?"

   Iraevo shrugged nonchalantly, quiet for a long moment before barreling on again. "It's what that piss-stain said. About being the man of the house and answering the door."

   "I don't want you answering the door, Ray. We have a system."

   "I know we do. But, I mean, if he were around, we'd have an even better system, wouldn't we?"

   "Ray..."

   "Like, you could take shifts, I could go on runs more, too, and there'd still be someone to keep a lookout. We'd have more help with the tripwires, and with two of you, he could answer the door so..."

   "Sounds a bit like you're volunteering a man to get cracked on the head for a living."

   Iraevo shrugged again, though a bit more huffily. "Well, you won't let me answer the door."

   Senvari paused in unpacking the dishware and sat beside Iraevo at their new kitchen table. Draping an arm around his narrow shoulders, Senvari pulled him into a tight hug against their side.

   "We have a system, Ray. So long as we keep to that system, we'll be fine. No one gets in here unless we want them to."

   "You don't miss him at all?"

   Senvari sighed. "I don't know what I would miss, Ray. It was a long time ago, and we barely knew one another." They gave him a wry little smile and another squeeze, and stood up to return to unpacking the rest of the kitchen. "I'd just have to pay him for bodyguard detail, and that's a hard story to sell."

   "Is that why you don't talk about him?"

   "That's why."

   "Oh."

   "You sound disappointed."

   Iraevo made a noncommittal sound, and fidgeted with the tea kettle, popping the lid off and on to make a rhythmic clang clang clang.

   "Ray."

   The clanging stopped immediately, and Iraevo sighed dramatically as he lay back on the kitchen bench, limbs sprawled like a marionette with its strings cut.

   "It's hardly romantic, is it?"

   "Romantic?" Senvari couldn't help another laugh, stopping in their task again to fully face their son, who was pointedly not looking at them. "Since when are you interested in what's romantic or not?"

   "You don't look happy."

   Senvari's eyebrows shot right up into their hairline. "What gives you that impression?"

   "Loads of things. You don't keep friends—"

   "I do keep friends."

   "Not real ones. You talk to the neighbors but you don't do it because you want to, and anyone else you do want to talk to it's because it's Family business."

   "I have a cover to keep, Ray. That's part of it."

   "Yeah, I know. But..."

   "But?"

   Iraevo mumbled under his breath and sat up again, looking Senvari right in the eye. "But at least with someone else around, they'd be part of the cover, so you'd get to talk to them too. It wouldn't have to be just us."

   "I like it as 'just us'."

   "I don't." The admission was quiet, and Iraevo dipped his head, looking far more ashamed than he had for the guard earlier that day. Senvari watched him for a long moment, and stepped forward to kneel in front of him so they could be eye to eye again.

   "I'm sorry, Ray. I know this has been hard. ...I could talk to Grandma and Grandpa, see if they need some help around the house, and there'd be other kids your age—"

   "I don't want to leave you on your own, either! You won't have a lookout, you'll have to keep the house all by yourself, and what if someone actually does sneak around the back next time? What if they get you?"

   Senvari cupped Iraevo's face in their hands, and brought him forward so their foreheads could rest together. "No one's going to get me, Ray. I promise."

   Iraevo was still for a long moment, before leaning in further to hug his arms around his parent tight. "Not while I'm around."