[RE] Choices

The door that led up to the alleyway behind the tavern had been barricaded and locked with several locks. The herd of luxere would be good protection they had been told, but the things that roamed the week-long darkness were not above testing the boundaries where and when they could. And so extra locks had been installed, and all within the tavern were told not to open the doors or windows for any reason.

They thought it would be easy to abide by this request.

Until the banging started.

[say]"PLEASE! HELP!"[/say]

The tavern grew silent.

[say]"PLEASE! I...I did not mean to be so.. so late. But they are EVERYWHERE. PLEASE."[/say]

It was the panicked voice of a young woman. Within you can practically hear the way the palms of her hands become bloody as her fists pound with terrified blows against the door.

Celosia

The former duchess stood from her place at the bar. She may be new to this world, but that didn't mean she'd left her common sense and decency behind. [say]"We can't just let her die out there. Just because she is late doesn't mean she deserves a death sentence."[/say] Cel announced, her voice ringing clear, her command of the room sudden and complete thanks to her years of working in and with politicians.

But no one moved, disagreement and ascent were just whispers among those watching the young duchess. Cel's auburn gaze looked around and it was clear to her immediately that all before her were too cowardly to act. Too afraid of the responsibility that came with decision making. But no stranger to hard choices was she, and without a moment's hesitation, Celosia walked to the door. [say]"Keep your voice down so they don't hear you."[/say] She said consolingly as her fingers worked at the various locks. [say]"Oh thank you!"[/say] The voice outside wept, her gratitude sounding palpable.

As the final bolt was undone, before the duchess could even reach for the latch to pull the door, the weeping stopped. The wind howled. The door was flung open and a black shadow reached in, grasping at Celosia's cloak as if she were naught more than a ragdoll.

The duchess hardly had time to scream as life was sucked in a bloody slurp from her body.

The door slammed shut.

Remi didn't know Celosia well...but he knew her well enough. The two had ventured out beyond the Wall together, had gone skinny dipping in what felt like the garden of eden (not that such a reference was known to them), and she'd even shared one of her deepest secrets with him.

And so, as she rose to answer the door, Remi had full confidence that she was doing the right thing. A noble by birth and confident in her convictions, Remi too thought that timeliness was no reason for someone to be kept out in the cold. Not when they'd specifically said that this would be a place where all were welcome.

Not thinking the former-duchess required help unlocking a door, Remi remained where he was, fully prepared to conjure blankets or some such if that is what was required. His adrenaline spiked as the sound abruptly stopped and the door was thrust open. Those precious milliseconds of regret and horror was all that he was afforded before the flash of red hair disappeared into the night.

[say]"CEL—"[/say] Remi yelled, rushing from behind the bar to the door, but of course it was too late. The door slammed shut. Her blood was already on the floor.

With shaky hands stifled by shock and upset, Remi's fingers ghosted over the locks for just a moment, before quickly re-latching, bolting, and shutting all that had been in place. Turning around, his lips a silent O of surprise, Remi looked from face to face, his own quite pale, his eyes wide and shiny with tears.

In Northaven Celosia had outranked her. Here though, nothing stood in the teenager's way from calling the red-head out. [say]"We were specifically told not to open the—"[/say] But her criticism and brashness died away instantly as the door was opened and Celosia lost to the monsters outside.

The glass Edy had been holding dropped from her hands to shatter on the ground, though she hardly noticed. Her eyes were wide dark pools of horror and shock, and had there been any air left in her lungs, she would have screeched at Remi to fucking lock the door faster.

[say]"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK."[/say] She finally wailed after a moment, voice high and tinny making her sound just as young as she actually was. With a slight tremor, the Launceleyn girl wrapped her arms around herself, looking from those she more or less expected to be in charge like Vervain, and desperately wishing Jigano was around.

[say]"So we're done opening doors, yeah?"[/say] She mumbled, the deer-in-the-headlights expression still painted clearly on her face.

[say]"Get away from the door."[/say] Vervain was pleased with the way she managed to keep her voice steady, though there was no mistaking the urgency in it. She swept past Edrei so she could slip an arm around Remi and get him the hell away from the space where a shadow had just snatched someone out into the night. On the way back into the tavern proper, her free hand pressed gently against the small of Edy's back, hoping to guide her back in.

[say]"Whatever you hear, or whatever happens... we keep that door shut,"[/say] she said softly, addressing the group in the Rathskeller. [say]"The things that are out there are clearly far from stupid. And they know there are a lot of us down here. We keep quiet, we stay alive."[/say]