Ye Olde Gaol (CLOSED)

[Wicked Basket]

''You never know what you have until its gone,'' Grazen said. ''That's why I work alone. Can't be betrayed when there's no one to betray you.''
So, she really was nobility. Grazen himself had never really lived ''the good life''. His life ben been pretty ordinary up until a demon was bound within him. This was actually the first real conversation he has had in a long time that was not business related. She also seemed to show no interest or curiousity towards the seals and sigils that decorated his body. He had to be though. Making friends was a dangerous prospect when there is a demon within wanting to tear them apart. He couldn't befriend this girl, or anything more, for her own safety.

[Brisinger987]

"I suppose I know that now... I hate this place, this cell, everything about it. I never want to come back here, and going back to stealing and enjoying money that isn't mine will just land me back here. I need to start anew. I could come with you... I have skill with a blade, not huge amounts, but I have basic knowledge... I could run away from my home, this city, and travel with you." Janette was musing out loud to herself now. She couldn't do that. She would be eaten alive by the wild in seconds.

"Any news on Fell, and the situation there? I overheard the guards talking about some demon horde running rampant in Fell." Janette asked the question so that she could keep the conversation going, and not have to sit in silence.

[Wicked Basket]

''You wouldn't last very long if you came with me,'' Grazen said. ''Mine is a very dangerous line of work, not suited for soft nobles. As for Fell, I have not heard anything about demons being there, but it doesn't surprise me. If they come out to play I'll just kill them like I do all the others. If I ever get out of here anyway.''
Grazen just realized that he had no idea what time of day it was. How long had he been in that cell again? It couldn't have been more than a few minutes. He got in around noon, so it must be around evening now. He figured that he'd get his answer whenever the guards brought them that barely edible substance that they pass off as dinner. Shouldn't be too long now.

[Brisinger987]

Janette took the words without argument, knowing he was right in all truth. She wouldn't last 3 minutes. But his comment made her curious.

"You make it out like it's 20-30 demons. But someone reported that it was a horde that was at least 10,000 strong. That's what I heard. I doubt any one man could take on a horde of unholy beings that numerous. It's worrying to hear that Fell is overrun, if it's true..." Janette took the blanket and tried to wrap it round herself to create what looked like a tube top, but it ended up more like using a bathroom towel as a robe.

"Well, I tried to keep myself warm..."

[Wicked Basket]

Grazen took off his cloak and handed to Janette.
"Here," he said, "you need it more."
Grazen then returned to his spot in the corner yet again.
"As for the demons, it doesn't matter to me whether it's 10 or 10,000, I'll go down fighting just the same and I'm sure that there are others who feel the same way. If not, then I'll stand alone. All that matters is that those unholy bastards know that not everyone is afraid."

[Brisinger987]

"By your mentality everyone who is brave enough to stand up to a horde of demons will be dead and they'll get to run rampant in our world..." Janette sighed. She accepted the cloak and offered thanks.

"For a man who had me by the throat earlier you're being awfully kind... Why the change of heart?" Janette was curious as to why this stranger was showing such kindness when he had broken her arm and had her by the throat earlier. It was odd for her, she was slightly alienated by it.

"I mean, did you suddenly fall in love with me, what?"

[Wicked Basket]

"I had merely meant to frighten you. Breaking your arm had been an accident and I can't but feel a twinge of guilt for doing so."
Grazen sighed and looked down at the floor and then looked at his hand. The demon was dormant for now. His kindness to the girl had lulled the beast to sleep it seemed.
"I may be cruel, but I'm not entirely heartless," he said still looking at his hand. "Some may call it weakness, but it's what separates us from the demons. The same demons against which I would rather die standing than live kneeling. Even if we did fail to contain them, we would be able to die knowing that we tried and didn't bend to their will like cowards."

[Brisinger987]

Janette removed the blanket, and simply replaced it with the cloak, which was honestly much warmer. But she was much more frail than he was.

She would have said something, but the sound of gruel arriving stopped her.

Only one bowl.

"Do you want it? It's not exactly filling..." Janette pushed the bowl towards him, having already had breakfast today, it was only fair to give him the food.

"I've already had my serving today, so you can have this one..." 

[Wicked Basket]

Grazen took the bowl and only ate half of its contents before sliding it over to Janette.
"You need that more than I do as well," he said simply. "I can probably go longer with less food than you can."
Grazen had, in fact, lasted nearly a week without food in the past. He had fortunate been next to a river, so he did have water, but he didn't have any food on him. It was an interesting experience to say the least. An experience that this girl had probably never had and she was probably better off not having such an experience, especially in a place like this.

[Brisinger987]

Janette felt a slightly warming feeling as he gave half of the food to her, and smiled slightly.

"You're possibly the kindest anyone's ever been to me, you know? I don't count the people that landed me in here at all anymore. They obviously didn't care... Thank you..." Janette smiled and gave him the blanket. "You have to sleep with something tonight..."

She ate the other half of it's contents, before getting up, albeit rather clumsily with her single hand, and putting the bowl through the slider after knocking.

"And you broke my arm... Go figure..."

[Wicked Basket]

Grazen took the blanket and smirked. No one, in his entire life, had ever referred to him as the kindest person that they ever met. His intentions were simply to help her survive in this damned cell and nothing more. He couldn't let it get any deeper than that. He was dangerous.
"I've been called many things," he said simply, "and kind was never one of them. Then again, that might be because many of the people I talk either want me to kill somebody or are being killed by me."
Grazen chuckled slightly at his own dark humor. He would always be a cruel bastard at heart, but he couldn't understand why this girl made him act so out of character. He would have to be careful, for her sake.

[Brisinger987]

"You could have killed me the second you entered this cell and the guards wouldn't bat an eye. Why didn't you?" Janette sounded grateful and upset about it at the same time. He could have ended her misery and killed her, but instead he was helping her survive this godforsaken place.

"And sleeping arrangements for tonight: tops and tails?" Janette figured it was best to get the awkward conversation over with now while they were at their friendliest. It only made sense to do that after all.

[Wicked Basket]

''I base my killings off of two criteria,'' he explained. ''The first one is if I have a contract to kill someone. The second is whether or not I feel the person deserves to die for whatever reason. You do not fit either of those criteria, therefore I didn't kill you.''
After hearing himself explain that to someone made him realize that it did sound kind of silly, but it was also true. There has been several occasions in the past where Grazen had killed someone simply because they were causing trouble and being a general nuisance. He had also hunted down acquited criminals in the past as well. Killing seemed to be his favorite pastime and, he had to admit, he was good at it. He turned his attention back to Janette.
''What does tops and tails mean?''

[Brisinger987]

"Tops and tails? It's where I sleep with my head by your feet, facing the other away from you." Janette explained it rather elegantly, as if it were something noble and posh. She had actually picked it up off the street rats, where they had to share the bed of an inn, and no-one felt comfortable cuddling other males. Obviously she could sleep however she liked.

"I just thought that would be the best way for us to sleep, it's supposed to prevent intimate, weird moments. I've seen siblings sleep in the same bed using it, it's just to avoid accusation of intimacy." Janette was promiscuous enough to not care if he said no, she could blag it off. But she had to give him the option.

[Wicked Basket]

''I think we would be better off with you sleeping over there and me sleeping over here,'' he said. ''I'm not the....soundest of sleepers.''
What Grazen didn't tell her was about the nightmares that he had every night. He had woken up screaming and flailing on several occasions and if her head was by his feet, he would end up kicking her in the face. He figured it would be better if they slept apart.

[Brisinger987]

"Ok then..." Janette stood up, taking the straw that was in the center of the room, and what had been her bed, and trying to actually split it half and half for them both.

But with her broken arm, she was finding it hard. Really hard.

Straw was literally flying everywhere, and she grunted with frustration as she tried to make the two sides as equal as she could, and she stumbled everywhere trying to avoid falling and landing on her arm.

"Oh confound it all!" She threw the handful of straw she had down on his side of the room and huffed. "I can't do anything right. My family hate me, I have no friends, all because I was stupid. I can't even half a layer of straw for Angsar's sake!"

[Wicked Basket]

''Just keep the straw,'' Grazen said, ''I'm used to uncomfortable sleeping arrangements.''
Grazen rolled up the blanket and used it as a pillow while he laid down on the floor to prove his point.
''I'm sure your family will spring you out in no time.''

[Brisinger987]

"Well I've had long enough in here to think they're in no rush to have me back..." Janette left the straw where it was for him. She didn't need that much straw.

"I treat them so badly sometimes. I bully them, verbally abuse them, I drink, I take drugs, and then act like they're the problem. I don't listen, I just treat them all like crap. Constantly getting in trouble. All of it." Janette slowly lowered herself to her straw, grunting as she tried to support herself on one arm, before falling flat on her arse.

"Ooowwwww...." She groaned as she leaned and rubbed her now sore butt.

"I'm not having a good day today..."

[Wicked Basket]

''It could always be worse,'' Grazen told her.
It was a funny adage to say the least. The idea was to think of all the ways that a situation could be worse in order to make yourself feel better. It usually had an incredibly low success rate as far as he was concerned. It never worked for him anyway.

[Brisinger987]

"True, but still... I just want to get out of here, tell them that I'm sorry. Explain that I will change. And if they don't believe me, I'll show them. I just don't want to stay in here..." Janette whinged in frustration.

She needed a real friend right now, and he was the only one with ears right now.