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Post by Elvander on Jan 7, 2020 4:37:11 GMT
Brogan felt heavy. It was a day he would remember for the rest of his life, and for all the wrong reasons. The ragged looking bandit king approached the estate of the wild, beautiful, mesmerizing Sahara. The last time he'd been here, it had been for dinner and to reconnect with Xander. He stared at it now from the road, mounted on a black steed clad in black leather and silver trimmings. Brogan was dressed in a similar manner, though he looked worse for wear. His hair was a mess, his handsome face bruised and cut near the corner of his mouth, by his eye, and on his cheekbone. His piercing steel gray eyes bore a sadness he had perhaps never before felt. And now, he had to tell the kid. He took a deep breath and nudged his mount forward. Brogan was no coward, and he would face this as he faced everything else: fearlessly, and with defiant aloofness. He dismounted, tying his horse to the railing of the porch, and clambered up the steps. He knocked once loudly before opening the door, stepping into the foyer. Sahara had been able to afford this beautiful home, and it felt drained of light without her in it.
"Xander? Are you here?" he bellowed into the house, beginning to prowl through the lower level searching for his protege.
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Post by Val on Jan 7, 2020 5:20:50 GMT
Xander was in an unusually good mood that evening. He'd spent the day making a new friend; at least, he intended on becoming friends with the crazy girl he had encountered. She had been a welcome distraction after the failure that was his first mission under Brogan's guidance. He'd come home on time for dinner for once, only to find that his mother was missing. It wouldn't be the first time she was late or forgot about plans, so he had been snacking in the kitchen as he waited for her to return.
Upon hearing Brogan enter, he meandered into the foyer and gave the man a fleeting look, "Look what the cat dragged in," he mused over Brogan's ragged appearance, "What the hell happened to you?" he wondered, leaning casually against the wall as he chewed on a piece of bread.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 7, 2020 5:25:57 GMT
Brogan forced a grin as he took in Xander's appearance. The boy looked so happy, so completely unaware of the news Brogan was about to give him. "A scuffle with some pretty nasty people. They didn't take kindly to me attempting to unburden them of their exotic drugs." It was a half truth. The full truth would come later. But for now, Brogan couldn't say the words. "You hungry kid? We should get something cooking. You need to keep up your strength if you're going to keep working for me. I can't have you getting your ass kicked all the time," he teased, but his words felt hollow. He wondered if they sounded as fake as they felt rolling off his tongue. Before his eyes could give anything away, he pushed into the kitchen, beginning to assess the ingredients at his disposal. "What do you want to eat?"
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Post by Val on Jan 7, 2020 23:07:04 GMT
Xander followed Brogan into the kitchen, observing the man suspiciously. He was no idiot; it was clear that something more was bothering the bandit. He hoisted himself onto the edge of the kitchen counter, feet swaying casually while his sharp gaze bore into Brogan's back, "We should wait for my mother. She was going to make venison," he insisted, narrowing his eyes, "Wasn't she supposed to come back with you?" he pressed.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 8, 2020 0:33:38 GMT
It was true. Sahara had been with Brogan for what was supposed to be a routine heist of hallucinogenics from other parts of the realm. They were being sold to mages and healers in the cities, but Sahara had known they'd fetch a pretty penny from her clients. So they'd set their trap and laid in wait. Brogan kept his back to Xander, mindlessly rifling through the ingredients in the kitchen. He hardly felt like eating. "She's um... she's not coming back." He mumbled, hardly able to get the words out. Brogan had always considered himself to be a brave, bold person. But delivering this news made him feel small and cowardly. He finally turned to face Xander, knowing he had to tell the truth. "They knew we were coming somehow. I think one of of my bandits or her clients ratted us out. When we launched our ambush, we were taken off guard. They had set decoys to draw us in, relaxing around a campfire. The rest fell on us from all sides when we took the bait. Five of my men were slaughtered and the last I saw of your mother, she was being set upon by three men." His voice wavered as he remembered her being dragged behind the wagon, which held the goods. He swallowed hard, watching Xander with defeat in his eyes. "I heard her scream, and then silence. I-I think they killed her." Or worse. Maybe they'd taken her prisoner. Brogan couldn't be sure. The only reason he'd escaped was because his pet companion, a large grizzly, had held off the foreign fighters long enough for him to get to his horse.
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Post by Val on Jan 8, 2020 5:01:36 GMT
Xander stared at Brogan as he explained, the carefree sway of his feet stiffening as he realized what Brogan was trying to tell him. He thought it was the start of some elaborate joke; a sick, sick joke. But he could tell that Brogan spoke only the truth. His mouth opened and closed several times, as though he wanted to argue, or scream, or cry. Finally, he launched himself off the the counter at Brogan, shoving the much larger man with enough force to knock him into the cabinets on the opposite wall with a bang and causing glasses to fall and shatter on the floor, "You think?! You bastard! You were supposed to protect us!" he yelled, his anger absolutely explosive, as one might expect from the hot blooded teenager. Jerking away from the bandit, he stormed out of the kitchen and into a closet that housed their weaponry, gripping a sword and holstering it at his waist. If Brogan couldn't save his mother, then he would.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 8, 2020 6:30:22 GMT
Brogan went hurtling back with a crash. He didn’t even try to fight back. Xander was right, he deserved this. He had failed to protect the people he saw as his family. Brogan had loved Sahara, as well as a man like him could love anyone. And he had always viewed Xander as his son. A small, broken, dysfunctional family. “I’m sorry, Xander. There’s no saving her now.” His jaw tightened and he pushed himself away from the counter. The boy wasn’t the only one who felt rage, who felt pain. Brogan blocked Xander’s path, bracing himself. “But we can make them pay. We know who did it, and we’ll make them tell us who the rat is. And then we can make him pay too. If you go out there without a plan, you’ll get yourself killed and no justice will be had. THINK, boy,” Brogan growled. It might seem heartless to have such a calculated approach in a time of grief. But it didn’t erase his sorrow, it only weaponized it.
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Post by Val on Jan 8, 2020 18:29:27 GMT
Xander stormed back out of the closet, halting only when Brogan stood in his path. He drew the sword impulsively and pointed it directly at the man so that the tip was only inches from Brogan's throat, his hand trembling. He was thinking. Thinking about how helpless he always felt. Helpless to protect himself or the people he loved. Even Brogan had failed, so how could this man be trusted to make him stronger? "There is no justice. Only revenge," he vowed, eyes glassy with unshod tears as he glared at the only person he had left. Or maybe not...maybe he could build his own empire of people who he could trust. The moment lingered before Xander suddenly dropped the sword, letting it clatter to the floor at Brogan's feet.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 9, 2020 19:25:14 GMT
Brogan didn’t try to stop Xander. He would have understood if the boy had run him through. “Then let’s get revenge, but let’s do it together.” Brogan growled, breathing easier as the boy dropped the sword. “It’s my loss too, Xander. I loved your mother, you know. And I’m responsible for her death and I can never make that right. But we need each other now, you and I.”
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Post by Val on Jan 10, 2020 22:43:46 GMT
Xander inched back a few steps until his back hit the wall. He exhaled heavily and slid down the wall until he hit the floor, feeling weak and disoriented. Brogan's words reached his ears, but it sounded at though he were underwater; drowning. Loss. Love. Responsibility. These things he spoke of meant nothing to him without the woman who had taken him in when no one else would. He looked up to Brogan with all of his heart, but did he trust the man? He didn't trust anyone.
"Yes. We do," he agreed, though his voice sounded unusually calm. He did need Brogan, and he would use him, but he needed much more than that, "Let's make a plan then," he added, his words laced with a hidden double meaning.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 13, 2020 19:31:36 GMT
Brogan watched Xander react, feeling some relief when the boy sank down. It he didn’t like how suddenly calm the boy was feeling. Brogan slowly lowered himself to the floor as well, sitting across from him. His eyes studied him intently- what was he thinking, feeling? Something about his words made him uneasy. “I think you should take some time to grieve before we make a plan.” He suggested, though he wondered if it would be more helpful for Xander to focus on taking action. “But if you have ideas, lay it out for me. I know where we can start. Only a few of my crew knew about this plan, so it must be one of them who helped set up the ambush. We should start there.”
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Post by Val on Jan 14, 2020 22:48:59 GMT
Xander blinked several times and focused in on Brogan, as though snapping out of his daze. He'd never been good at grieving. When he took the time to think about how he felt, it only amplified those emotions to dangerous levels. His fists clenched at the mention of the treacherous bandit who was to blame, "We interrogate the suspects. Find the rat. Make an example of them." He imagined punishing the traitor, how good it would feel. "How will you trust your men after this?" he asked suddenly.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 15, 2020 5:35:48 GMT
Brogan sighed, considering Xander's question. Brogan had never been good at grieving either. In fact, it was something unfamiliar to him. He'd never cared enough about anyone before to grieve when they were gone. He watched Xander, wondering what the boy must be going through. He ran a hand through his hair, contemplating his answer. "I don't know. I don't know who to trust anymore, Xander. I only trust you now, my boy." He paused, leaning his head back against the wall. "When I find who did this, you will be the one who decides the punishment. This is your vengeance as much as it is mine." He pursed his lips, coming up with a solution. "From now on, I will not be briefing anyone about my plans or the jobs we pull. If they can't handle the pressure or think on their feet, they aren't good enough to run with me. No one will ever betray me again," his eyes darkened.
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Post by Val on Jan 16, 2020 2:58:12 GMT
Despite wanting to ostracize himself from everyone and anyone, Xander was naturally drawn to the way Brogan spoke about them as a team. He'd always yearned for that kind of acceptance from the man. All it took was tragedy to achieve it. He regarded Brogan through glassy brown eyes, "Never again," he agreed. He closed his eyes and envisioned his mother, allowing the pain to sink in until it became unbearable, "What will we do without her?" he wondered quietly. She had been such a powerful enigma; she ran an empire and kept their household together. Without her, he feared what his life would become.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 17, 2020 17:07:55 GMT
It was painful to think of life without Sahara. Granted, Brogan has always been gone for long stretches of time. They had never been a couple. But that hole was still there, where she had been. “Someone will need to take over for her and run her business. Do you know of anyone she was close to who could step up?”
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