Crusader

William Thatcher

[william--thatcher-blog]

Wrong Time, Wrong Place || Allison & William

[everettblackwood-blog]

Before the man could even finish speaking, a loud smack echoed through the alley. Allie stumbled back, her palm burning from the force of the slap, his words getting lost in the panic that was still racing in her chest. “Don’t touch me! Dont - stay back!” She gasped, swallowing air rapidly, her back once again hitting the wall as she stared at him with eyes wide open as if she was trying to predict his next moves. “I know self defense. Don’t come any closer.” 

He was in a gang, had to be. Probably a cessation. Her eyes darted around the dark alley, desperately looking for someone else, anyone. Ideally, a soldier. Fuck, where were the damn soldiers when you actually needed them? 

[william--thatcher-blog]

Pain blossomed over his cheek, the sharp contrast of reddened skin already beginning to form across the vulnerable flesh. Azure eyes widened slightly in surprise at the sudden pain rolling through his nerves, and William was once again reminded not to underestimate an opponent based on their size. Bringing a shaking hand to caress the stinging skin in a form of evaluating comfort, William kept a neutral gaze trained on the woman for any more sudden movements. 

“That’s fair,” he said with a small shrug, his hand still cradling his cheek. He hoped the flippant tone would help defuse the tension currently crackling through the air. 

The woman’s voice held the distinct tone of panic. Keeping his feet planted firmly on the ground beneath him, William was conscious of every movement made. The last thing he wanted was for the girl to call the soldiers over. “I’m not coming any closer, okay?” 

He searched his thoughts for any type of reassurance he could offer woman across from him. The wide eyes and stuttered breathing showed all the makings for the violent chaos that always seemed to follow in the wake of panic; a panic he had caused. His own accountability within the situation now kept his feet tethered to the harsh cement of the alley, yet William knew he wouldn’t be able to stay in the alley for long. People would begin to grow suspicious of two frozen figures hiding in the depths of the street’s shadows. “You really don’t look like you should be alone - and I know I’m probably the last person you want to see right now - so is there anyone I can call for you?” 

[guardian-avery]

“I get that a lot.” Avery laughs with a shrug. “Comes in handy when I cut in the movie theater lines.”

[william--thatcher-blog]

“I guess you’ve got to have a good defense plan if you make a habit of stepping on people’s toes.” 

“And at least yours doesn’t end in a fight.” 

[antonia-joubert]

She instantly felt like such shit company, ruining the mood like that. She only nodded her head, taking a mental note, but also not wanting to dive into it anymore. “Thank you”

“No, anything sweet will do. Surprise me” She grinned.

[william--thatcher-blog]

“Will do,” he said with a parting salute before turning his back on the woman to make his way to the bar. 

Drinks in hand, William moved through the many empty tables before finally reaching their booth. He set the brightly colored cocktail in front of Antonia and took his own seat against the soft leather with his own drink: a dry stout from some European distillery. “I think it’s cranberry, but I’m not entirely sure. If it’s awful, I can always grab you something else,” he said, motioning to her drink. 

[william--thatcher-blog]

Protection || Calliope & William

[coldcalliope]

Calliope was silent as she walked into the bathroom, only the soft drone of a faucet hinting she may have moved. The curator splashed cold water on her face, palms pressed against her cheeks for a moment so she could breathe. The Warners ruined everything. Azure irises remained obscured by lids, lashes tangled in an embrace for several more seconds before she turned off the water and knelt down to open the cabinet. 

A black toiletries travel bag lie unzipped beside the curator as she filled it with the few things she would absolutely need. She was really doing this. Leaving. Calliope reminded herself she wasn’t running anymore, but it sure as hell felt like it. A hand groped about inside the cabinet, the top panel sliding over enough for Calliope to pull down a single dagger. Shoving the weapon inside the bag, Calliope exhaled. 

“I’m done,” she called, the zipper punctuating her words with a shriek. 

Standing, Calliope turned off the light and found her way back into the room, crestfallen gaze lingering somewhere at the edge of the bedskirt. “I guess it’s time.”

[william--thatcher-blog]

None of this was fair. It was not fair that the beautiful paintings lining the wall would be left neglected amongst the shadows, their only companion a fine, sheen layer of dust and the sharp cutting edges of their frame. It wasn’t fair that a smile, once shining brightly in a reflection of happiness dancing through icy eyes, could be left broken under the unbearable pressure of a simple threat of presence. It wasn’t fair William had to watch as a person once so full of vibrant hues was slowly invaded with the grey tones of an amateur monochromatic photography shot. None of this was fair, but all of it had to be dealt with. 

A curt nod pulled at his chin as William surveyed the woman and her dismayed words. Tendrils of trepidation clawed their way through his veins as William stood to meet the dejected form in front of him. Reassurance and comfort would do nothing to relieve the despondent air still resting over the room, and so William simply offered his hand to Calliope - whether for the harsh fabric of the far too light bag or the soft flesh of her palm and gentle embrace of lithe fingers.  

Leading with purpose steps, William refused to let his gaze linger on the content products of a life soon to be left behind. This would not be an executioner’s march. William would keep Calliope safe, even if that meant bringing the danger to his front doorstep. 

[antonia-joubert]

She shook her head instead of answering. “But, Ive already made a life here now. You know?” She thought about if she would actually leave and how bad she would of felt. “Any way, I think I want something sweet to drink”

[william--thatcher-blog]

His head tilted slightly as he regarded her with a calculated gaze. He hesitated, itching to share a piece of his own reasoning for coming to Rome, if only to help ease the woman across from him. Instead, he choose to offer his help. “I work as a Private Investigator. If you ever do want to find this person, let me know.” 

Happy to shift away from the tense conversation, William flashed a smile and moved to get up from the booth. “I can grab us drinks from the bar. Any specific name or just something sweet?” 

[antonia-joubert]

“Only just a year” She answered. Wondering if she wanted to say why and not feel stupid. “I was looking for someone. I thought it was gonna be only for a few days, but it ended up longer. This place needs help, so I decided to stay any way.”

[william--thatcher-blog]

A look filled with curiosity overtook his expression as he noted the parallels of her story to his own reasons for coming to Rome. “Did you ever end of finding this someone?”

[antonia-joubert]

“Fair enough” She said, letting him know that she would drop that topic. “Well, how about how long have you lived here?”

[william--thatcher-blog]

William let his hand fall to the table, drumming his knuckles against the heavy wood as he took a moment to think. “Quite a few years now... I want to say two or three.” 

“What about you? What brought you to the oh so wonderful city of Rome?” 

[antonia-joubert]

Antonia’s cheeks got hot, feeling embarassed. Sometimes people all sounded the same to her if they didnt have an accent like herself. “Right” she grinned before shaking her head. “A better question then” she paused. “How did you end up here?”

[william--thatcher-blog]

“That,” he said, bringing a hand up to point at her, “Is a very long story.” 

[thealicewhite-blog1]

She knew that face. It was nice to have a familiar face around, though they hadn’t spoken much before. Dominiki tried to keep it all business. More so to protect her son. The redhead glanced down at her glass of white wine, brows creasing when William was right. “This is true.” Some were here due to being addicted or socializing. She was here to escape her thoughts. Her head turned to look at him. “And what brings you here?”

[william--thatcher-blog]

William brought the cool glass of the pint to meet his lips, taking a quick sip of beer before turning his attention back to the woman beside him. A familiar face was never an unwelcome sight, especially after spending the day reading over various papers and documents. “I’m afraid my reasons for frequenting a bar on a Monday night is rather boring,” he said, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “I wanted a pint after a long day.” 

[guardian-avery]

“I want to be offended but your British accent makes that kind of hard.”

[william--thatcher-blog]

“It’s kind of hard to stay mad at the kicked-puppy look anyway.” 

[juliaulbricht-blog]

Julia lit the cigarette, inhaling and closing her eyes. She let the smoke escape slowly, breathing out a happy sigh as her whole body relaxed. “My reputation? Oh, well I’m not even sure what it is anymore. Something about bloodlust and ruthlessness, I’m presuming. Well, I’ll be honest, I’m not an angel from the cathedral, but I don’t think I’m too bad. I just do what’s necessary, you see, to survive.” She opened her eyes and flashed a smile at him, shrugging her shoulder. “All the, ah, things you might have heard about me being promiscuous are only true in the barest sense.”

[william--thatcher-blog]

William watched the smoke swirl through the cool winter air, regarding the intricate patterns slowly fade with every moment. His attention turned back to her words as she spoke callously about her reputation. Letting his gaze linger on the expression painting her features, William couldn’t help the small tilt of his head at the curious bluntness her words possessed.  “Don’t we all? Do what we need to survive, I mean.” 

[antonia-joubert]

“Yes, the accent is” She blushed slightly. “Im not sure about the name. I just know it means precious” She grinned. Knowing that her parents probably put thought into her name. Though, she didnt really want to talk about that or herself, which she found boring. So she decided to ask him something.“Are you from here, William?”

[william--thatcher-blog]

A fond smile pulled at the corner of his lips at her words. The name seemed fitting, but William held his tongue with that thought. At her own inquiry, William let out a laugh as a hand came up to rub at the back of his neck. “My own accent didn’t give it away?” 

“London, born and raised.” A shrug moved through his shoulders as he spoke. 

[antonia-joubert]

Antonia was relieved the bar wasn’t too crowded or rowdy. The last thing she needed was a rough night. She followed his lead to the booth. Returning a smile. When hearing that they hadn’t introduced their selves, she gave a light laugh. She literally walked into a bar with a stranger, a handsome one, but none the less, a stranger. “What’s awful is that I did the same thing. We gotta work on this.” She smiled. “It’s a pleasure William. I’m Antonia. ” Her french accent showing through saying her name. 

[william--thatcher-blog]

Soft leather slid against the denim of his jeans as he slide into the booth across from the woman. William’s eyebrows rose with curiosity at the slight accent permeating her words as she spoke her name. “Is that French?” 

[thealicewhite-blog1]

“I know it’s a Monday night and I’m at the bar. It was a long week and this is my Friday. I need a drink to ease the tension before going home.” She found herself talking aloud to justify her actions to the person sitting beside her. Not that she expected them to care or listen. 

[william--thatcher-blog]

William let out small chuckle, hidden under his breath, at the woman’s words. Leaning against the back of his chair with his arm propped over the heavy oak of the bar, William spared her a quick glance before returning his eyes to his own glass. “Don’t worry, you don’t owe anyone here an explanation.” His words were accompanied by a small shrug. “Besides, your reasons are probably better than most people drinking on a Monday night.” 

[antonia-joubert]

Antonia nodded her head confidently when he said she looked llike she could handle herself. She felt like she could, to an extent.  Roma had roughened her up in her time there and she was not the same person as before. “Let’s to then” She grinned, willing for the promised drinks and the chance to get to know him better,

[william--thatcher-blog]

William offered his arm to her as they made their way down the street. Although most of the places in Roma held a reputation of being overly rowdy and sometimes even verging on dangerous, William knew it was only the alcohol running throw the veins of the bar’s patrons. Settle down their drunken rage and they were harmless. 

When they finally reached their destination, William held the door open for her to pass through. Luckily, the bar seemed relatively calm from the lack of patrons. Although regulars undoubtably littered the seats of the bar, no overly large crowd overtook the space. Giving her a smile, he led her by the pressure of a hand to the small of her back to an empty booth seated along the wall of the pub. “I don’t think I even told you my name - God, I’m awful at this,” he said with a small laugh. “In any case, I’m William.” 

[guardian-avery]

“Oh. you weren’t -” Avery smiles awkwardly, contorting his face in an embarrassed gesture. “Talking to me.. were you?”

[william--thatcher-blog]

“Well it’s not like anyone else here is in my way.” 

[william--thatcher-blog]

Wrong Time, Wrong Place || Allison & William

[everettblackwood-blog]

She barely saw him coming. No chance to avoid collision. Several of the contents of her purse clattered onto the ground as she hit the pavement, catching herself with her hands. Wallet, lipstick, pocket mirror, tampons, keys, mints, pens and pepper spray. Pepper spray. She made an attempt to reach for it as the guy grabbed her roughly, but it was too far away. Muscles taut, she struggled, tried to pull her arm out of his grip, but to no avail. 

A scream for help formed in her throat, but the noise was immediately muffled by his hand as he dragged her away. Her nails dug into his arm, still desperately trying to get away. Made an effort to bite him, then her back hit the wall an she froze for a moment, her heart leaping out of her chest, her mind racing and spinning in circles. Whispered words didn’t do much to calm her down, but she kept still for a moment. Sharply sucked in air. 

[william--thatcher-blog]

The small bursts of pain radiating from the nails desperately digging into his arm were easy enough to ignore through the all-consuming rush of adrenaline swimming through his veins. Harsh breath fell from his lips; his body struggling between a need for rest and movement all at once. Yet he remained still against her for only a moment, leaning his head closer to the brick wall behind her, bringing him closer to the vulnerable skin of her neck but easily hiding her features from any viewing eyes littering the street. To any passerby, they would easily look like a couple ducking into an alley for a quick snog. Such a display would easily turn people away with nothing more than disgruntled glare. 

William prayed the men would follow his assumptions and spare them no thought. Although the contents of her purse still littered the pavement leading to the alley, William knew none of Rome’s patrons would pay mind to the objects unless it was to accidentally kick it further from it’s previous position. Minutes passed like hours as he waiting patiently for the familiar sound of their hostile tones. 

When no such sound came to pass, William released the grip previously holding the woman. Stumbling back two quick steps, William held his hands up in a defensive gesture in a hope that it would reassure her that he meant no harm. “I know you probably want to take a swing at me,” he said quickly, peaking over his fingers to study the stranger’s expression. “And that’s fine, I’ll let you do that. But I promise I wasn’t trying to hurt you and I’m sorry if I scared you.”