Hale Cress

Merriment - Boralus Pt.2

Part 2

“Oh, hey,” he exclaimed in hello to the bottle’s movement back into his easy reach. Swiping it up from the the stirring bed, he took another ‘healthy’ swig. The banging commotion caused him to sigh, delight cut short as he turned toward the curtain; the only barrier between what was coming and them.  Ignoring the bleary eyes and worried faces of his former bedtime partners, he hiked a brow at Hale as she confronted him. The sudden crash that followed came from the bottle as he tossed it back over his shoulder to shatter against the wall, leaving one hand free and the other still holding his pipe which was actually finely wrought. 

Looking down to his free hand, he opened and closed it, flexed his fingers, then attempted to channel power and summon forth magic; it did not exactly happen. Power may have writhed about his arm and whisked the air, but the fire at the center was pitiful and never long for life. 

With a defeated shrug, he looked back to Hale and gave a look that said ‘Oh well, what can you do?’ Then, he promptly grabbed her belt and tugged just enough to make space where so he could slide in the pipe once the bowl had been emptied. Believing it secured once he let go, he spun on heel and waltzed to the window, claiming the chair on the way.

The disgusting, grime covered, barely transparent window that could easily have passed as something else, were the mind trying to protect itself from such squalor. Not bothering with latches or lifting, he smashed the chair into it. Then, he began to clear out the sharp bits once it the shattering rain of glass ceased, before gesturing for her to go ahead with a now bloodied arm.

“Ladies first.”

At least he emptied the bowl first? There was a confused expression upon Hale’s brow but at least he was considerate enough to leave behind the bullshit that would have made her smell like a wounded arsehole from dying animal. Then again she had been in this place long enough to have the smell linger on her. It was terrible.

Hale barely had a moment to share her disgust when the crash of the window came and she caught sight of Hakan’s bloodied arm. Perhaps in his state of bliss he might not have even felt the pain. The door at the entrance of the building was being rammed and of course the crashing inside likely didn’t help keep their place a hidden secret for long. If anything the noise only spurred them to catch their prey. Without being told twice Hale reached for the sill and lofted herself upwards and kicked her feet out of the window, arm and leathered hand followed after allowing Hakan a bit of help since his inebriated state was worrisome.

She wasn’t about to leave him to the dogs either since in this moment, she was a little out of wolves at the moment.

By the twinge of his eye and the just kept at bay grimace, Hakan was not intoxicated enough to the point where pain wouldn’t have been an inconvenience. He shook his arm to rid himself of some of the blood, his method of escape due simply of a necessity for speed at Hale’s apparent urgency, and his own inability to care.

It did conversely help to keep him from missing the opportunity that was admiring Hale as she went through the window, though he did bat away her hand. Lifting one leg out first, then ducking his head beneath the ragged parts, followed by the rest of him, he joined her precarious position on the edge of the building. 

The wink and rogue-like smile he offered her as they were close, face to face, fled as he craned head to glance at the ground below. Shoulders falling in dejection, a long drawn groan escaped his lips at the sight of muck and abused earth. 

“Argch, this is going to hurt,” he grumbled low to himself. 

Flipping around so he faced the interior of the room, he let himself fall only to catch himself by the sill to use as a brace and shorten the distance to the ground. Then, he released splintered wood and pushed off to twist midair and land with a squelch amidst the veritable refuse. Dirty water splashed up and mud splattered against his form while he went to a knee. Teeth gritting at the surge of pain shooting up through his leg, he grabbed onto the joint and squeezed.

Taking a few moments, trying to cling and focus on the buzz, he eventually stood upright and turned to look up at Hale. Lifting his arms up, he beckoned at her with his hands to convey he would catch her.

If she had waited, at least.

Hale offered a quirked expression in Hakan’s direction and the moment he jumped she hesitated; there had to be a better way than practically breaking her kneecaps. She considered magic for a split second but the moment blood curdling screams rang out form the room behind her, the Priest jumped. She was either going to break her legs or break Hakan’s and in the moment of her jump she certainly favored hers over his. She aimed for his location the best she could knowing exactly how that was about to turn out. While in her small leap from the ledge she watched as a pair of hands grasped at the air behind her. Surely they knew naught who they were reaching for but they could have garnered a decent guess. They didn’t care so long as they grabbed someone or something linked to Hakan, a bargaining chip was better than nothing.

For the life of him, Hak couldn’t fathom why he actually opened wide his arms for the still nameless woman. In the space it took for him to rethink and begin pulling his arms back, she had already leapt. 

And then plummeted into him. Legs unsteady and ground less than solid, her weight knocked him right over and forced him into the mud. Against his back it was all disgusting and mushy, but at least there was the blue sky above for a view and the woman atop him to boot. 

“Well you’re well built,” Hak croaked once the breath returned to his lungs. “And firm,” he commented as he sought to gather himself from the daze in spite of unsure hands. Did he let them roam, or thrust her off into the mud?

Either way, he was ignorant of those now occupying the room once belonging to him and the annoyed voices therein.

A groan escaped the woman as the impact took a bit of her breath though she certainly wasn’t saved from the wrath of the mud below the two but at least she still had her shins intact. She propped herself up to try and remove herself from the mud but it was the follow up groan to Hakan’s words that had her shoving her hand along his face and trying to splat his head back into the mud, “Shut up.” she growled and wobbled to her feet.

“We have to leave, they’ll be on their way – but first.” Hale quickly sloshed through the mud and she looked around before calling out, “Creature!” a blackened mass howled from the window above and while it went unseen to Hakan, the force hissed passing over him like a whistle on the wind and planted next to the Priest. Hale pressed her shoulder to one of the pillars, “Just to slow them down.” she instructed, talking to what looked like nothing but there was certainly something there as the pillar of the building began to creak and moan in protest before the weakened parts of it splintered and with a loud crack one of the anchors released causing the small building to tip. The energy of Creature furled into a ball and the ball came in to view of what looked like a small, mass of the Void. Shadowy wisps hung in the air as it trailed after Hale who sought to help Hakan out of the mud with an offered hand, the tipping building above them carrying the voices of yells and screams as the collective of people above shifted with the sway of the building.

“I’d say we need a drink.”

An aggrieved ‘eugh!’ escaped as she forced his head into the earth. He almost missed her theatrics, the sensation of reality warping thanks to magic easily confused for the chill in his skin and bones courtesy of the Kul Tiran clime. And as he was high, he could have been hallucinating the murky presence that answered her call.

If his hands were not equally covered in mud, he would have rubbed at his eyes. But he couldn’t, and the pillar did shatter.

“Well, now no one is gonna be pleased,” he started, bewildered eyes shifting focus between the wobbling building and Hale’s smokiness. The bridge of his nose and brow scrunched up as he decide to meet verdant hues with a look that yelled 'are you crazy?’

Nevermind that he was the inebriated one.

“What’s this 'we?” Ignoring her hand, he pulled himself out of the muck and shook his arms free of as much as he could. “I had drinks, you ruined them.”

Shivering, he cupped hands to mouth and breathed hot into it for warmth, then stuck then under his armpits.

“I spared you from a plethora of diseases but a good that might have done.” she added, looking at how completely drenched in muck he had been. He refused to take her help though oddly enough he didn’t mind giving it in return where it was needed, “You’re welcome.” she finished and she adjusted her jacket, “I have a room at one of the Taverns you are welcome to. Get yourself cleaned up enough. I don’t know what card game you lost or whose wives you slept with but those two were going to find you.”

She walked around the large mud puddle and then back to Hakan, “You’re also welcome to stay and A: get your skull beat in or B: freeze to death. It gets cold on the docks at night.”

“Diseases,” he murmured to himself as he rolled his eyes. To her, he explained in growing excitement “I don’t have diseases, I don’t get diseases. But yes I’ll just have a dip in the river and then wander about as my nethers freeze.” 

Shaking his head, he turned away from Hale and began skulking away with the slightest of limps. “No one finds me,” he muttered, “Prob'ly followed her. Fit and cozy afore, now soaked an too sober… Definitely not worth it now…” 

Ignoring Hale, he continued talking to himself; only when he came across other unfortunates 
on the side roads, beggars and thieves and fellow addicts, did he cease the ravings and deliria that he could acquire more clothes by nicking and bargaining too quick to be unusual or amateur.

“But I found you.” Hale was but a few feet behind him when he made his turn to the beggars on the street.  Creatures whispers in her ears finally ceased and she turned her head ever so slightly as she had been listening in to what it had to say; that wretch of a familiar that had been following her since  Dalaran, “Is this how you have been handling yourself since Lordaeron? I thought you to have been the type to have a better life outlined for yourself, Hakan.”

“Do you even have somewhere to return?”

Hakan canted his head to the side as he walked a few paces more. Then he turned on his heel too swiftly that they would be much too close and as face to face as two people of differing heights could be. 

“You shouldn’t know that name,” he explained to her with an admonishing expression. “Because I didn’t tell you it, and that person’s gone.” 

His gaze moved from the almost recognizable shape and color of her eyes down to her throat before moving back. Snatching at the pipe he stuffed between her belt and pants, with one hand latching tight on the former, he jumped the mouthpiece up to her jugular. 

Even blunt instruments could hurt.

“First you wear too much, then you know too much. Even if it’s really not much at all. Who are you.”

“I know it because there was a time you gave it willingly. I know things because I’m cursed to know a lot of things most people don’t and it isn’t always by choice mind you.” she gave a quick glance to her shoulder where she felt the cold claws of Creature placing his palm upon her. Hakan couldn’t see it but the entity had been breathing along the side of his face, void drawn fangs and the eagerness within its bowl to lick and observe the man.

Hale looked back up to Hakan, she too wasn’t much of a looker in the moment with the cold wet mud plastered to her. She looked every bit a rat in a dirt hole as he.

The bell located at the choker at her throat jostle and rang when he removed the pipe from her belt but she wasn’t about to stop him from what was rightfully his but it was the press of the end of the pipe to her throat that caused her attention to pique to his face.

“It’s enough do do what had to be done. Subjectively of course but I don’t expect you to understand.” her eyes darted around his face, “Have you really forgotten or have we both just changed so much over time?” her brows rose and she kept eye contact even though she was likely to just be plunged with the lacquered end of a pipe into her throat; she wasn’t there to antagonize him, “Hale Cress.” 

To be continued….