Last Rites [Katherine]

[Nothingness]

August 8^th

It had been a long time since he'd been back home. Everything seemed the same, though. And yet, it was unrecognizably different. The sea, the sea air, the ships, the docks--they were the same. But he saw the city a different way now. That feeling of hopelessness and imprisonment came back. The scars on his back tingled slightly--memories of the nightmare he lived through clawed at the back of his mind.

"I'll be visiting the cemetery and prison if you need me." Clive said, trying his best to rid himself of those feelings. "You have your own things to take care of, yes?" He didn't enjoy being so blunt and acting so anti-social, but for the moment he needed to take care of this stuff on his own as much as possible. These personal matters needed resolving.

Without another word he turned around and started walking away from the docks.

[Fate]

Does following you count as something to take care of?
--

They landed in Port Royal with ease, the world almost exactly the same as she left it. In fact, one of those bums looked like he had been sitting there since she'd left; probably hadn't, but one could never know. The smell of the sea wafted through her senses, reminding her exactly what she left. It had been a long time since she last sailed, too long. She did sort of miss it, but she wasn't about to go sailing today. She was here with Clive to let him take care of what he needed to and then leave.

He was going to the cemetery and prison. His tone was a bit off, but she said nothing about it. "Yes. I won't linger far in case I'm needed." In reality, she had no business to take care of. In fact, it was probably better that she laid low in case anyone recognized her, which honestly wasn't that hard to do in a dark world such as this. She could just stay here, but... she was curious. Clive, like anyone who knew how to deal with pirates, was keeping the details about everything from her. She wanted to know.

She waited until he was a good distance away from the docks, and almost out of her sight, before she started following him. Anything that made too much noise, like her coat, was left on the ship. She didn't need him turning around and finding her following him because of her coat.

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[Nothingness]

A Final Farewell

Nothing really had changed--only his perspective. The same buildings were in the same places that they'd been when he left the world. The same people worked in those buildings, and despite having grown a bit or gained some gray hairs, they looked the same. It wasn't even long before he realized that he was walking down the same path he used to do when coming back home from working on buildings at the port.

Deviating from what was once his normal route home, he took a left through a narrow alley and continued to go through various other alleys until they opened up to another street. He felt that someone was following him, and he had an inkling as to who--no better way to draw them out than by forcing them out. However, that immediately became a distant thought when he looked ahead.

"I'm here." Across the street was the cemetery, the gates wide open. He walked passed them and began looking at the headstones. He didn't know where they were buried, but going by the dates wouldn't be too hard. The ones up front were the oldest, while the ones further back were more recent.
---
After searching for a good ten minutes he found the two headstones: Claire and Rachelle Arron. Kneeling down next to them, he found himself overcome with a strange self-consciousness, like everyone was watching him--the people on the street, the people buried in the cemetery, God. Clive still needed to say his piece, though. It had to be done at some point.

"Hey, you two. It's been a while." He began, his voice shaking a little. "Sorry I never visited while I could. You...you know what I've been up to. Truth be told, I'd rather not let you see me like this at all. Saying that, well, I don't think I'll be visiting again, either. I'll be seeing both of you in person the next time." He pulled out Rachelle's necklace and looked at it while he spoke. "I guess I just came here to say that I don't need you guys to worry about me anymore. I know it seems like I'm going back to where I was before, but it's not the same. I've got a purpose now, and I think that's all I need. Here," he placed the necklace at the base of Rachelle's tombstone. "It's yours anyway. I've got the memories--that's good enough for me. Until next time."

Clive stood up and began walking away, though he made sure to address his shadow. "Have you enjoyed yourself, Katherine?"

[Fate]

I don't do compassion well.
--

It didn't take him long to figure out that she was following him, especially when he made that turn. She knew where he was going, so she could have even bothered taking a different route. But why make things difficult when she could just follow him? They ended up at the cemetery, which she purposely stayed out of only to watch him approach two graves. She couldn't hear what he was saying clearly, though she saw the two female names on the gravestones. Perhaps two lovers, two daughters, a wife and daughter. She wasn't going to ask nor was he likely to tell.

He addressed her when he was done, which let her step out and into the actual cemetery. "Can't say I have, no," she said, then looking to the graves again, "Friends of yours I assume?" That was about all she could offer, not being much of a compassionate person.

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[Nothingness]

Is This What Atlas Felt?

"Family." Clive responded. No need to tell her the details since they didn't matter anymore. The enormous weight of it all was off his shoulders, and, for the first time in years, he didn't have any problems looking at everyone. He didn't feel as if he was some monster to them, or that he was some saint compared to them. No, he was just like them now. It felt...good.

"Well, the fun won't really begin until Agrabah, in case you're wondering." He said as he began walking towards the prison. Perhaps he'd get some answers--if not then there wouldn't be much point.
---
Clive had to ask a few people where the prison was, but it didn't take very long in the end. After all, just because he spent almost a year in a filthy cell didn't mean he memorized the location.

One of the guards was leaving his shift, but Clive stopped him, dangling a fat wad of cash in front on him. "There was a man held here about four years ago, convicted in those murders of women at the working district. Was his accomplice ever found?" The guard nodded his head, telling him that the murderer continued the killings for another year before he was caught. "Is he still here?" The guard nodded--the convict's execution was next month. "Thank you."

As the guard reached for his payment, Clive struck him in the throat, then in the gut, knocking him out cold. "I'll be out soon." He said to Katherine, quickly taking the keys off of the guard's unconscious form. As he headed in, he called back to her, "Consider his wallet your next payment."

[Fate]

I like your style.
--

Those were the only details she needed. She didn't ask for more, following him to the prison. Admittedly, she didn't know where it was either-- she never needed to know and she had managed to avoid getting thrown in there herself. By the time they got there, a guard was leaving his shift. Katherine said nothing during their little exchange, simply piecing things together. Those two people at the graveyard had been murdered. The murderer had been found, but not his accomplice. But now he was in jail and these were all facts to Katherine.

And Clive was going to pay him a visit. After knocking out the guard, of course, and letting Katherine take his wallet. "Consider it done." She wasn't going to follow him in this time, instead reaching inside the guard's pocket and grabbing just about anything valuable off of him. A nice watch, some munny, a ring, but everything else was worthless. Eh, it'd do. She leaned against the wall outside, not daring to go in. She probably knew people in there, and she didn't feel like seeing any familiar faces at the moment.

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[Nothingness]

An Eye for an Eye

They were face to face. Clive stared at the man who killed his family, while the man looked at him with a face devoid of all emotion. But with Clive, so many emotions were coursing through his body. Hatred, pity, joy, sadness--they all blended inside of him, giving him a stony voice and stare. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"Do you know who I am?" The man shook his head, and Clive walked over to the cell door, unlocking it and stepping inside. "Good. Because I want this to be ingrained into your mind for the rest of your pathetic life." Grabbing the man by the throat, Clive raised the wretch's emaciated figure, bloodlust in his eyes. "You took everything from me. Everything. And I was sentenced to die for what you did."

By this point, the man was kicking his feet, gasping for air. He was muttering what sounded like apologies, but they fell on deaf ears. "I should kill you, but that wouldn't do you any good. No--you're life's already forfeit to the gallows. Instead, I'm going to make your last days a maelstrom of misery and agony." The man began kicking even harder, but to no avail. His fate was sealed.

Clive felt as if the skin on his back had turned to water--rippling one moment and smooth the next. The killer was crying out in pain as his back was split open, every scar of Clive's added to his. And for good measure, the wounds on his shoulders as well. The man's screams echoed out of the prison with ease, while Clive reveled in his healing.

When he was done, he tossed the whimpering man aside. "May God have mercy on your soul." He left the cell, slamming the door shut and locking it, not once looking back.
---
"We're done here." That was all Clive said to Katherine as he exited the jail, tossing the keys on the guard's body before heading for the docks.

[Clive used Retribution, two posts until next use]

[Fate]

Let's go.
--

Heads. Heads. Tails. Heads. Tails. Tails. Screaming coming from the jail. Loud guy too. And it was grating on Katherine's nerves, enough for her to stop flipping her coin. That must have been who Clive went to visit. Was he killing him? No, too long of a scream for that. Judging by the little she knew of Clive, and what he demonstrated right in front of her, he would kill quickly. No, he was making this guy suffer. Could he make him stop any time soon? Thank you. There we go. Silence again. Tails.

Clive walked out, telling them they were done here and heading for the docks. Katherine walked next to him, saying silent for a second before speaking. "I would have killed him. It was a good thing you didn't, though." Killing in a public jail where there were other witnesses wasn't exactly the smartest idea.

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[Nothingness]

Sorry About the Noise

The sudden weightlessness he was feeling was good. Amazing, in fact. Everything that had weighed on his conscience for so long was gone. He had his answers, and now he could start everything anew. How long this feeling would last, he didn't know, but he intended to hold onto it for as long as possible.

"He's going to be hanged in a month--there's no point in speeding it up." Clive replied to Katherine's comment. "Now then, about the rest of your payment..." They had reached the docks by now. Their visit to the world was short, but that's all it needed to be. "We'll be going to the Cave of Wonders in Agrabah. Within is boundless treasure, and mystical objects. I believe that sort of thing would be good as payment, yes?"

[Fate]

And now I'm ready to leave faster.
--

Oh good, he was still keeping the deal. She didn't even have to force it. They were going to go to the Cave of Wonders inside of Agrabah, the desert world. Instantly, the words "treasure" and "mystical objects" piqued her interest, obviously the former more than the latter pair. She didn't even need much of a why at that point, since she'd probably find out eventually just from being there. Though, she was sort of curious about what happened after that, after he got whatever he wanted out of Cave of Wonders.

A grin appeared on her face as she nodded. "I believe that works out, yes. Better not be late then." She climbed into her ship first this time, sitting in the pilot's seat. She was more than ready to go.

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