Aclidia Blues

Abel, Sibyl, and Albus discuss recent events in the Hearth.

Welcome to the Hearth. A restaurant several grades above the standard tavern it decorative interior is laced with the aroma of well prepared food and cooking ingredients. Is it any wonder then that Sibyl can be found here? The red scaled lizard is leaning back in her booth, stacks of empty plates stacked off to the side. All these lavish meals are starting to take their toll on the young reptiles waist line, her belt is starting to grow taut against her distended belly. Sibyl is really here on business for a change but no sense in letting a chance to feast like this go to waste.

Abel walks in hesitantly and looks around, certain that Gaius will jump out of a dark corner. Why did Master require drinks from this tavern, only? He tries to find somewhere to sit in a dark corner.

Albus also walks into the restaurant, looking troubled and in a basic bad mood. His main objective in coming here was to drink his problems away, as was his habit. He is, for now, unaware of the two beasts in the area with him, though anything could likely catch his attention.

Sibyl gives a little belch as she pats her stomach and then giggles. She looks over to see the fox sit down at his 'usual' spot. Finely. Getting up is a struggle with all the food in her gut but she finely manages. The lizard is about to stroll across the room when her eyes catch sight of ...Abel? The lizard has a job to do but...last time she saw her friend his ear had just been lopped off.

Abel has decided to rest for a little while, and has laid his head on the table before him. He looks exhausted from recent events.

Albus sighs, having sat down at his usual table and having ordered an ale. His head is also laid on the tabletop, and he remains silent for the moment, still not having seen Sibyl or Abel.

The lizard looks torn. She's on the clock and doesn't look forward to another lecture about punctuality from Maffeo. She doesn't want to leave her friend hanging either. "Dash it all!" She declares loudly.

Abel looks up, startled. "Oh, it's you, Ma'am. How are you?" The squirrel looks extremely worn out.

Albus starts as well, though his knee slams into the bottom of the table with a painful SMACK. The fox grimaces, disgusted that he had been startled so easily, and feeling quite a bit of pain from his knee already. He looks over to Sibyl, noticing Abel as well in the process, though he slowly puts his head back down again. He wasn't quite in the mood to talk to anybeast.

The lizard hisses angrily at the fox, "Oh no you don't!" She grabs the back of the fox's chair and begins dragging it towards Abel's table, "You're not getting out of a conversation THAT easily."

Abel sighs. "I don't need any of this extra attention on myself, Ma'am..."

Albus lets out a loud yip of surprise as he is dragged away from the table in his chair. He is a bit too shocked by this to do much of anything for the moment.

Sibyl gives a loud spurt of joyful laughter, "Oh please, let them watch. I have business with this vulpine anyway." She lets the chair skid to a hault then plops her self down across from Abel. "I was worried about you abel. How did the trial go?"

Abel grimaces and stares at the table. "I...was whipped....Twenty lashes."

Albus stiffens, looking straight at Abel with seemingly calm eyes, but the observant beast would catch the fire of rage that had just ignited in him with just that single statement.

A look a horror stretches across the lizards face. "They WHAT?!" Realizing her out burst drew the attention of a few patrons she goes one in a much calmer tone, leaning forward to whisper, "You were whipped? For having your ear cut off?"

Abel shakes his head. "No, I was whipped for being insolent and trying to bribe Imperator Gaius, which is a baseless accusation."

Albus decides to remain silent, certain that if he said one word, he would start ranting, and then he would probably do something that he would regret later.

Sibyl begins to go into how this is all completely wrong and that the empire deserves a good thrashing from the north if this is what they consider justice but cuts her self short. She can rant and rave to Maffeo later. For now she pulls a letter from...honesetly its hard to tell where exactly the lizard was keeping the letter, and slides it across the table to Albus while saying, "I'm sorry to hear that. You'll be happy to know though that a messenger from the main land is due to arrive today."

Abel frowns. "Why do I even care, anymore? I am a piece of Property, Ma'am... I don't want my sister to /ever/ know what I am, okay?"

Albus smashes his paw down on the table where the letter is, making another loud smacking sound. "Don't ever say that ever again around me Abel. I see you as a beast and a friend, and you will never be less than that to me, do you hear?!"

The lizard jumps a little at the outburst. She doesn't even want to imagine being in the beasts paws that the Guild is going to unleash him upon...or rather the beast that hired the Guild to find him. "Er...what he said. What I mean is, just because people see you as property, doesn't mean you have to see yourself as property..."

Abel shakes his head firmly. "No. I /do/ have to see myself that way, if I don't, I'll be punished by the state in a worse way. You both don't understand how scared I am now."

Albus growls, the rage already boiling inside him slowly surfacing. "Abel, I'm not going to sit here and let this happen to you. Whether I have to kidnap you or not, you need to get out of this place."

Sibyl tries to pull on the fox's tail, trying to pull him back into his seat and reality. "Easy there killer. Don't go flying off the handle until my employer is done with you." She turns to Abel, "Please understand Abel, we are both your friends we...just don't want to see you get hurt."

Abel stares at the table. "I've already been hurt...And I /was/ so angry at Master Flavius, but now...I'm not sure, anymore."

Albus leans back, picking the letter up as he does. "I don't know what else to tell you Abel. I can't help you unless you want me to help you." So far, the fox has been steering clear of anything relating to a job for now.

The lizard herself does not know what the letter reads, only that one of the Guild members told her that Maffeo told HIM to have her send this to the assassin Albus. Sibyl finds being a messenger to be somewhat degrading but, she admits its easy money. "What do you mean not sure anymore? He had you whipped for petes sake!"

Abel sighs. "He had no choice, Ma'am. The Court ordered it. It was that, or he be forced to send me to the Southern fields... That may not sound like much, Ma'am, but the Southern fields are an awful place, of back breaking work...If you haven't noticed, I'm not really suited to hard labor like that...I would not have lasted a month..." he goes silent, the says in a small voice, "Whipping was the most merciful solution..."

Albus stands finally, unable to take this conversation any longer. "I shall be taking me leave then." With a hurried nod to both Abel and Sibyl, he makes his leave, walking out in what more looks like a jog.

Abel shrugs. "I'd rather not, no. I...I will stay with Master for now, unless he turns cruel."

With a defeated sigh the lizard shakes her head. "The way things are going that might be sooner than later." She shrugs, picking her self up from her seat, "Remember, if you ever do need to finely run away, remember that address I gave you."

Abel shakes his head. "You've never met Master... He's not as bad as you seem to think."

Sibyl sighs and rolls her eyes. Some beasts really are hopeless. "Fine fine, he's a wonderful weasel who has his slaves whipped out of mercy." The lizard shrugs. She turns to him one last time before leaving, "Do what you will. If you want to be a slave, be a slave. If you want to be free. be free. Either way, don't let them make you into something you are not." With that the lizard turns to leave.