jupitermerc:
𝐆𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐘 𝐌𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐓. not that he hadn’t seen worse, exactly ––– more that he hadn’t seen anything quite so graphic in his time since leaving SOLDIER. unless, of course, one counted the sound of a blade slicing open the belly of a monster for all the bowels to gush out: but that was pretty standard for a merc. not every doomrat stayed outside the wall, and everyone in the slums knew not to travel through the scrapyards at night. which, jace thought, might’ve slipped this guy’s mind. he glances up from his place leant in the doorway, arms folded over his chest ; ankles crossed as he’d listened to her work, the heel of a boot occasionally tapping the toe of the other as he waited. with a curious, narrowed gaze, he asks, ❛ those tears ––– claws or knife ? ❜
the speculation is a fair one in his experience ; though the mysterious circumstances of the present corpse have him hesitate, even as he kicks off from the wall to approach the body with a watchful eye sweeping over the bloody picture it makes. nothing about this was quite up to protocol, and he had been, for the most part, more in the know before he’d become an ex – SOLDIER.
she examines the threads with great care, the way they seem to be pulled apart : unraveling. “neither,” she resolves, “general wear has weakened the fabric and during the altercation and flight he must have ripped and torn right through. although there’s some that appear to have been caught on something perhaps while he was attempting to climb something.”
as she takes the coat and shirt off the body, the tearing becomes the least of her concern. the first thing she notices are the scars, thick and white ridges that cross and dot his muscular form. all of them vary in size, depth, and style. “he must have been a fighter,” she said, “or got into a lot of fights. there’s many different weapon wounds here. long since healed.”
the freshest marks on his upper half are also the best clue she’s gotten so far as to what might of happened to him. red, blistering rings around his wrists. “he appears to have been tied up,” she says, eyeing the fact that all of his arms are quite bruised, “and handled quite roughly. judging by the level of abrasions on his wrists, he was either tied up for some time or attempted to break his bonds. there isn’t enough signs of healing to denote that he was tied up for more than a week, but it’s hard to say.”
“do we know anything about this man? his name?”
