#fablestasks002

[cheshiregrincorvus-blog]

The Knave

“Nothing was ever simple, and even less so when your mind had made up all these reasons to dislike someone. For example, when you liked someone, loved maybe; did you ever just decide that someone was bad for them? Based on something silly like how they had little in common? Even if the same could be said for you and such person? Mhmm, precisely. You see, it goes a little like this--you find someone, someone that gets you. They understand just how you want to see yourself, just as you are, and maybe she’s a little crazy but she’s your type of crazy...” Rambling.

“It went a little like this.”

Corvus, Cheshire was still getting used to that name. It was odd, but fitting he thought. Much like the old saying of his dear friend Hatter. He reminisced over the thought as he served drinks at the bar. His job treated him well enough, and he could usually gain fair tips on a bad night and better on the good ones. He didn’t care much, there were other ways to get money and essentials--other ways like the ever beautiful Red Queen.

He wiped down a spot at the bar when there was a break out to the side. The Knave. Ches scoffed at the idiocy of the man. He’d been replaced, once again. But this time by his own self. Did Corie feel bad? Oh no, he was living in the lap of luxury. But as all bartenders do, he moved hastily to break apart the fight, taking an elbow to the face. Mild irritation bubbled through him and surfaced as he ripped the Knave off of the man he’d assaulted. He drug the kicking and fighting man a few feet away before a swing was made towards him. He’d barely moved and managed just a scrape past his jaw.

“Knock it off!” Corie shouted.

Typically he’d be the first to watch a fight go down and do little to stop it, but this was his turf right now, and he wouldn’t be caught in trouble for this sad sap.

“Get out. Back alley.”

The Knave growled and said something under a gruff and poison scented breath.

Corie would have checked on the other man but he was more than willing to take the moment to get in the face of the man who thought he meant something when he never would again. In the alley he stood near the drunken man with a smirk playing at his lips. “Do you think fighting the locals is going to help your stance with my Queen?” He taunted the man who only snarled and tried to hook a hit at him. “No no no, my friend. This is why she doesn’t want you. Look at yourself, you’re a mess. I know everything that you do, all you say, what you think. I know it all. I’ll tell her everything.”

The Knave made a pass and gruffly began throwing insults towards the cat as if Ches gave half a care. “She’ll hear about this, do you really think she won’t ask about the bruising on my face? You’re done, Knave. Best start looking for another job. Get out of my face, and stay out of my bar. If you come back it won’t just be tonight that I’ll tell your pretty little woman about. I have more on you than you think.”

Cheshire was good with information, and he got what he wanted.

Now, this wasn’t the last he’d see the man, from then on it would be shadowy figures outside his apartment at night, and in passing on Corie’s way out from seeing Red. Clearly the point just hadn’t gotten across.

[fableprotector]

fables task 002.  knave of hearts. 

It’s not too bad honestly if he tilts his head to the left. . . okay it is. The windows are shattered in, things are straight out stolen and he has the damn muffin man bitching in his ear about his goods. 

He finally got some peace and quiet so he could investigate. He needed moments like this to really focus and figure out what to do about this. Granted this isn’t what he’d normally be doing in his past life, in fact, he’d probably have just eaten the damn guy.  “Wolf!” 

Speaking of eating someone. . . Bigby grunted as let his cigarette fall to the ground, stepping on the lit end to stop it’s flame. “I’m busy.” His tone is slightly aggressive, he realizes that but sometimes it works to get people off his back. And this guy really doesn’t need to be around him. 

“Oh, c’mon!” Bigby turned, his eyes narrowed and brows drawn in. He was in no mood to play around and the slight of the Knave of Hearts leaning against a streetlight did not improve the night what so ever. “Come on, you have time for old friends, right?”  “We’re not friends.” “Oh.” He laughed, it bubbled up the smooth column of his neck and Bigby could hear his heart beat pound against his chest. The heart usually beat that fast if someone was scared---- and he was too drunk to be scared--- or if someone were to be daring. Or stupid.  “Can you, just, I don’t know? Beat it.” The sheriff mumbled as he turned back to his crime scene. “I’m in the middle of something here.” “Do you think it’s funny?” Okay, so he wasn’t taking a hint. His legs moved his forward but he had a swaying about him from the alcohol. Bigby could smell it, and it was clear the Knave was smashed out of his mind. “Do, do you think it’s funny that you---” He pointed at him, as he walked backwards into the shop. He laughed suddenly in between his sentences. “--- that you, the big bad wolf, are the lawman? The saviour of the fables? The protector when you’ve eaten, I don’t know, how many of us?”  “--- Hey, get out of there! It’s a crime scene!”  “And another thing,” The Knave was touching things now, fucking with things and it was pissing Bigby off something fierce. “I---I was the Queen’s right hand, me! I was--- I am the one with the righteous titles and yet, here you are. A wolf. A giant puppy going around looking for pets and biscuits! How sad!”  He was wasting his time and bringing up his past was not something that Bigby didn’t do well with. Granted, it happened. He was young, he thought he was better than everything, stronger--- faster---- but that’s it. He was young. However, it wasn’t his past that was making him mad. It was the fact that this drunk fuck was fucking with his crime scene and not stopping. “I’m gonna say this one more time, get the fuck out of here.”  The Knave stopped what he was doing, as he picked up something--- it looked expensive. He looked at the sheriff, a smirk on his devious lips and dropped the vase, or whatever it was. It shattered on impact against the ground. Bigby narrowed his eyes and tried his bests to remain calm. “Get. Out.” “Or what?” The drunkard was making a mess of things but he was somber enough to know that he was winning. Getting under Bigby’s skin. “Are you going to throw me in the witching well? Or are you going to gobble me up like poor old granny?” “---Knave.” “Wolf.”  They were on a stand still for a moment, both glaring at each other. Bigby was trying to stay calm. To not go postal on this waste of space but it was hard when all he could hear in the back of his head was ‘kill him. kill him. kill him.’  The sheriff didn’t know what happened next, or how it came about--- but the Knave said something. And to Bigby it sounded like he was underwater, floating above the surface.  All he knew was that he had jumped at him, knocking him down in the process and straddling his chest as landed several punches against his head, neck and overall his fucking face. It was a fury, blinded by rage and all that he could not understand.  Taking a moment to breathe, Bigby did not regret it, in fact--- a part of him liked it. Liked the rage that flowed through his bloodstream. The poor sack of shit on the ground didn’t speak for a few moments and then suddenly there was a small, choked out chuckle. “--- You’re still a m-monster, Bigby. You’re just, ahh, fooling yourself.”  ”Get up and take a shower. You smell like shit.” The wolf turned to walk away. He wasn’t going to fix anything tonight, he’d come back in the morning and deal with things then. As he walked away, the words the Knave spat out in venom echoed in his head. The saddest part of that? He wasn’t wrong.