#devonjames

[theillmindofvale]

You can tell everybody..

[theillmindofvale]

Truth

[theillmindofvale]

Old Friends, different paths

“Are you sure..?”  Vale’s voice came across clear, concise in the darkness of the alley way where he had elected to meet the gold and grey clad Devon James.  It was the oddest of things for him to look down and see the symbol of the Seraph put to the mans chest such as that, but he respected his choice and the reasoning behind it.  “It happened at the Flagon.  Report says a blonde, early twenties was seated at the bar and a female came up prattling on about some message and a woman, so says the bartender.  Before she finished her sentence the blonde put a hole in her chest and was attacked by two men already planted in the bar.  They fought, he held them off, but a man with a cane entered the fray and hit him with some sort of dart that sent him unconscious..” None of this was good at all.  If they had Locksley, they could torture out the information that they needed.  Vale’s hand tightened around the Leviathan’s Tooth.  The flex of fingers and emotion sent trails of lightning racing around the blade it’s self.  “That’s not good Devon, I know who the man is, but it will do you no good.  He is probably long out of the city and hidden away with him, if this man is who I think it is.”  Devon responded to that with “What are their names..”  Vale looked to the man long and hard, before shaking his head.  He knew that Kei’s influence on him would turn this into a Serpah’s matter that he didn’t need this to be.  “Leave this to me, please Devon.  This is a personal matter.”  If it had been anyone else, Devon may of stepped up and demanded answers with his fist, but the close, personal relationship of the two of them had demanded more from one another, an unspoken respect for each others choices. That didn’t mean Devon didn’t need to mention his new undertaking beneath the red line of the Seraph with his wife and Harrison Trade.

  “Is this working out for you..?”  Vale’s eyes roamed the mans suit of armor, giving him a clear hint as to what he meant.  “Pay is no where near as good, people look at me like I’m fuckin’ insane.  Most of my old friends won’t talk to me, unless I pay them for information like normal Seraph would.  I have to say, I never figured I would be about this life.  I miss getting to rough people up without paper work, but my wife has never been happier.  We are together near constantly and rather than get annoyed, we just get handsy.  It’s made my life better and I feel like I’m doing something good.”  He paused.  “How’s the pregnant raptor?”

  Imagining Ayrie as a predatory bird made him near bellow with laughter.  Instead, his control made it come out as a light chuckle that he would probably leave with.  “She is just fine.  I imagine she won’t be when she hears I am going to have to get this kid back.  It will make her feel better if I get the Butcher to watch my back, so if he is available I’ll call upon him.  Other wise, she is fantastic as could be.  She only has occasional berserker fits.”  Instead of laughing, Devon frowned and looked like a child left out of an adventure.  “I can help you, just need to request the time off and..”  Vale shook his head, clasping his friend on the shoulder.  “No Devon.  That is not your life anymore.  I will need you two to take time when we confront the Daynes, but not for this.  Your place is in the streets protecting the people, and your wife.  If you do that, it will be all I need from you.”  The two men shared a confirming nod then clasped hands together for a respectful, firm shake.  “Take care of yourself, Devon.”  Vale said with a smile, to which Devon replied.  “You as well, Master Vale.”  It was meant as a joke, of course to which both of them shared a knowing grin.  They parted with that, neither looking back, but Devon could say that he heard Vale laughing and repeating the words “Pregnant raptor..” as he vanished around a corner to head back towards the Selma district.  

[theillmindofvale]

Fight or Flee

Nothing had truly been as it was after Hoelbrak, after her family had refused to even send a flower for her wedding day.  Those fools.  How had they not shown their little girl the least amount of love on her big day?  Disturbances aside, it had made Kei into a new woman, one he as not sure who she even was going to bed with at night.  She was angry, distant, and this notion of the Seraph and promising not to be shipped off, only to be within days and ran plagues through his mind.  

Was their marriage that had seemed so story book like that far gone?  Had the two lovers that had fit perfect into each other went weeks without their normal, loving routine to fall into this rut of misery?  Would their problems rule them..and break them in two?  Thinking on that subject had made Devon stand up and say "No."   

At the desk of the home they now shared, Devon had been staring at a half completed application to the Seraph's.  Several times, quill moving over paper had stopped and doubt had crept in.  They had known him by a piss poor reputation as a Reach rat and to them, probably be nothing more than something for them to laugh at.  Devon, turn honorable?

And why not?  Why leave the lucrative service of Vale Dontess to scrape by on Seraph's Wages?  Because it was for his wife.  Because he could be inspired by her strength to leave all behind on a whim and start a new life away from everything she knew.  He could turn over his life of horrible, less than legal activities to stand toe to toe with her and learn her ideals of what was right.  Most importantly, it was because he loved her, and he would set his world on fire if it could bring them back to how they were.

Devon's hand set back to purpose with inspired intent to finish the application, but, his surprise had been cut short by the unexpected.  A quick key, turn of the latch and Kei's lovely voice calling "Devon?" into the house had him scrambling to hide the parchment from her before she could question it.  This only succeeded him in making him seem that much more guilty.  "You weren't supposed to be home yet.." 

[theillmindofvale]

Meeting of the Minds

"Ya know it was them, Vale.  Ya fuckin' know it was."  Devon seemed anxious.  While his employer was seated in his high back chair behind his desk, the brawler could not cease his back and forth pacing, despite his best efforts.  "I just don't even' fuckin' know how to handle this."  Vale, always the calmer of the two raised his hand to try and calm his friend, trying to act like he always did as the voice of reason.  "How can you even begin to know it was them?"

That was when Devon reached into his coat pocket and pulled a parchment that had been hastily folded over three times and tossed it on the desk.  The Leviathan Lord did not reach for it right away.  He took his precious time, studying Devon at great length before reaching up and taking it and straightening it out.

Brother,

We need you.  Times have grown tough.  Lost half our gang in a caravan attack in Gendaran a few nights back.  Too well defended.  Come to us..or we'll be coming to you.

X

Before Vale could even finish reading, he pipped up.  "That had to be the Butcher's caravan.  It was the only one I heard of bein' hit in days.  When he finds out who it was, he's goin' to go out and smash 'em flat!"  Vale had never understood the younger mans relationship to his brothers.  They were vile men who took what others had earned when they felt like it, but here he was worried that they would get their dues.  

"What do you want me to do?"  Vale said with hands opening just so.  "We may have a war to fight before long and we need him.  Do you want me to stop him..or help him.."  The answer should of been quick, but as Devon went to form words, they would not come.  Confusion set over his eyes when he glanced up to see his boss staring at him in that all knowing sort f way he had about him.  He thought without the shadow of a doubt he would want his brothers safe..but why was he questioning it all of the sudden?  Even worse..why was he feeling guilt without his mind made up.

[theillmindofvale]

I'm feeling some Ed and Devon for this