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nemo-of-house-hamartia · 3 years

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In the Heat of the Moment

Chapter 2- Echoes of The Past

Ch.1 Word count: 6982 Warnings: None.

London, 15th January 1909

The damp air of the morning was so chilling, Gabriel could feel it nipping directly at his bones, pinching his cheeks almost in the same way Aunt Evie used to do when he was a child. Now that Winter was truly beginning, encompassing all the land with its mantle, the weather had started to change once more, with its sharp winds and flurries of snow.

Shivering as he walked down one busy street in the City, the youngest Frye tightened the silver and green scarf around his neck, one of the many gifts he had received for Christmas...one his mother had knitted herself for him. He gritted his teeth, uneasiness stirring in him at the thought.

After the discovery he had made, Gabriel had avoided her as much as he could while staying at the Manor, adducing the excuse of his own lone nature; for the first time in his life, he was unsure on what to say or do, but more than anything, he was terrified of what might happen if he were to let his mouth run free and pour out all his doubts.

He needed time to gather more evidence, more information.

He had observed her from afar, studying her with keen eyes as he would have done with one of the riddles his father always proposed to him. He almost expected her to grow a second head overnight, to suddenly drop a mask and become someone else entirely.

But nothing had happened.

She was always the petite, gentle lady that raised him and loved him from the first breath he had taken, always looking at him with those adoring, proud eyes, the same loving look he always remembered her having whenever she stared at him, ‘her sweet, inquisitive angel’.

Gabriel sighed, the uneasiness in his chest stirring once again its head like a wolf smelling blood.

He felt so confused.

Maybe Emmett was right.

Maybe that daguerreotype truly was nothing more than something from his mother's past as an Opera singer, and the cross was only a memento from one of Father’s many missions when he was his age.

Gabriel stopped in his tracks and took the small pendant out of his pocket, bringing it to the level of his eyes: he had stared at it for hours, that cursed little object that seemed so unimpressive at first glance, but that instead had managed to shake his own world like the mightiest of earthquakes.

He had never experienced anything like that before, in all of his life, curiosity and fear dancing together in his heart in a deadly waltz where neither should ever overtake the other.

He sighed, as he pocketed the small object and reprised his walk with a quicker pace than before.

Out of everything that had happened on Christmas Day, the way his father had reacted when he had seen the cross wouldn’t leave him alone: the way the colour had drained from his face, how quick he was to dismiss and hide the photo; and then, he thought dejected, there had been the look he had exchanged with Emmett, a look of pain and sorrow so great, Gabriel couldn’t wrap his head around it. It had been impossibly heartbreaking to see, his older brother and his beloved father sharing the same mask of sufferance, the same dejectedness, the same woe.

What had caused it? What was the reason for such torment?

There was more to it, so much more, and Gabriel knew that. He could feel it in his soul. And he had to find the answers to those questions that didn’t want to leave him alone.

He had to.

Fortunately, New Year's day had come and gone, bringing all the festivities away with it, and he could finally allow himself to focus once again on his research.

"And about bloody time," Gabriel thought, as he turned into the small lane that would lead him back to his childhood home. “If I had to go for another round of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’, I would have rioted,"

After finding the Templar Cross, Gabriel had tried another attempt to scour throughout the Manor to find more evidence connected to the necklace and his mother. To his dismay, all that he had managed to collect had disappeared, and the doors of his mother's private studio and library had been barred from entering.

Finding himself locked out, the young Frye had been glad to be alone because, he was sure, the profanity that had left his mouth would have made even his own foul-mouthed twin’s hair go white.

Without getting discouraged, he had waited until all the family was busy taking a walk down at the inlet before sneaking inside his father's workshop to find what he needed to get past those doors. He was confident that all the years spent learning to pick locks under his sire's tutelage would finally pay off.

It was only after spending more than 15 minutes of trial and failing that he had realized that the very father who taught him how to enter doors had been the one to render them inaccessible.

Grumbling, he had sat in front of the studio, glaring at it as if he could open it by will alone.

He was stubborn enough that it could have even worked.

As a last resource, Gabriel had even thought about asking for Emmett's help, but decided against it in the end. He didn’t want him to know that he was still researching about their mother.

It was impossible to look around the old Manor without raising suspicions of any kind. So, at least for his stay at his ancestral home, he had decided to stop speaking about what he had found, feigning as much enthusiasm for the festivities as his soured mood had allowed.

‘Hopefully, this time around I will have more luck,’ he thought, drifting away from his thoughts, as he took in the view around him, so familiar, and yet not the same as the one in his vivid memory.

With a sad smile, he noticed how the street had changed: where once there were horse-drawn carriages, now shiny black cars were parked beside the pavement in their place.

A chuckle found its way on his lips when he thought about his father’s constant grumbling each time Gabriel or Uriel drove him around, about how the old carriages were just fine and the horses much nicer, and how, in the old days, he could actually go faster on a carriage with horses than on those blasted, hiccupy, noisy contraptions.

‘I get you, Pa,’ the young Frye thought, sniggling. ‘I don’t like them either.’

As he kept walking down the street, Gabriel passed past an apothecary that hadn’t been there the previous year. It stood in the place of the confectionery shop where his father and siblings would always stop whenever they all went for a walk. Ghosts danced in front of his eyes, as clear as a sunny day, as he thought about all the times his father had scooped him up in his strong arms, to allow him to see all the sweets and treats on display, and had him pick whatever he wanted to his hearts' content, for both himself, his siblings and his mother.

‘But don’t gobble them up all at once, or you’ll give yourself a bellyache,’ he remembered his father telling him, his only remaining eye twinkling with amusement, his grin wide and warm.

Gabriel felt his heart clenching at those memories.

Those were better times, simpler times, when happiness could be found in just the smallest of gestures and when all he had to do was to rely on his parents, his trust in them absolute.

And now, he thought with regret, that very trust might be taken away from him forever.

He clenched his jaw, involuntarily: how could he face them, if he were to discover something that would make him question everything?

Gabriel, per his nature, believed in only a handful of certainties in life, and his parents, their teaching, and their immense love for all their children were one of them.

He stopped in his tracks, once more uncertain: was he ready to face the consequences of his curiosity?

Eva was right.

This was a Pandora Box, and one of gargantuan proportions.

Part of him wanted to pretend that he hadn’t discovered what he did, to just forget everything and dive back into his books and his writings, where everything was always orderly and certain.

But the biggest part of him, the one that, according to Uriel, always put him into trouble, wanted to uncover the whole story.

He wanted to see past that veil of half-hidden truths.

As he finally arrived in front of a two-story brick house where their small flat still was, he took a deep breath as he let his eyes wander once more around taking in all that he saw: The building itself hadn’t changed that much on the outside, with its stout front and the dark bricks, but Gabriel knew that once passed the front door, things would not be as they had been in his childhood. He would not find sweet Nana Ether, the old lady that used to live next door and had helped all of them when his father and mother were indisposed, or young Eliah and Elizabeth, the orphaned children that lived with Nana because both their parents had succumbed to the brutality of the workhouses; As far as he knew, Nana was long gone and the children had moved away.

Now this is one of the hideouts for Emmett and Father’s gang, and only members of the Rooks live here, he thought, as he looked at the coming and going of people wearing loud green jackets and gaudy yellow sashes at their waists and arms.

Melancholy gripped at his soul with a merciless grasp that menaced to make his heart burst.

How many times he and his siblings had played together in the streets below? Played tag with each other? Or hide-and-seek for hours and hours, oblivious of the time passing, until their father’s booming voice would call for all of them, his little ducklings, to come back because dinner was ready? How many times had he heard his mother playing the violin for them, when they brought all their chairs outside during summertime, to play musical chairs together with their neighbours, his father running around with them, carrying Sweet Robin, Gabriel’s older brother, deaf by birth, so that he too could play with his siblings?

“Enough with reminiscing, Gabriel. You have work to do,” the young Frye reprimanded himself, brushing a single traitor tear from his eyes with a swift gesture, clearing his throat in an attempt to unravel the knot that had formed there.

He squared his shoulders once again and smoothed his black coat as he approached the steps, mindful to not make eye contact for too long with the Rooks coming and going from the house, lest they would stop him for a small chat.

God only knew how much he abhorred small talks.

“Well, well well...If it isn’t Mr. Sniffy himself, come to poke around the slums!” he heard a velvety yet taunting voice call for him.

Gabriel had to contain a snort.

Splendid, he thought, turning his eyes to look at where the voice had come. Sitting on the windowsill of the first-floor window, legs hanging and swinging, he saw Lily, his older sister, calling for him with her usual sardonic smile painted on her face. As he looked upon her, Gabriel couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge of uneasiness in his gut: if it wasn’t for her hazel eyes and darker hair, she could have been the doppelganger of their mother.

“What are you doing here, Lils?” he asked, despite knowing the answer, as he crossed his arms against his chest.

“What a question! I’m working here, of course,” she snorted, leaping down and landing on the pavement with loud feet.

“Not so stealthy for an Assassin, I must say, dear sister,” Gabriel sneered. “Should work on that landing. Even Beethoven heard you,”

Lily’s gaze lit up in amusement, her lips twitching.

“If I wanted to be, you wouldn’t have even realized where I was,” she answered, lifting her chin up with a smirk. “B’sides, it’s so rare to see you wandering around here that I wanted to greet my baby brother properly,”

“Greet me? How did you even know I was coming?”

She leaned toward him, with a conspiratory look in her hazel eyes. When she spoke, her voice was a murmur.

“Through the power of the Lady of the Lake and Excalibur, all the way from Tir Na N'Og, naturally,”

Gabriel had to do all in his power not to roll his eyes: once - ONCE - in his life, he had asked his mother if the golden eyes his father possessed came from the power of the Island of Avalon, asking her, begging with all the force his tiny voice had, to be brought to the island so that he as well could have those eyes.

Lily had been present too, and had barely been able to contain her mirth.

Even to that day, almost a decade later, he could still hear his sister’s high-pitched, almost hysterical laughter ringing in his ears. He had learned quite swiftly not to ask any question when his older sister was around.

“Seriously, Lils, when will you let this go? I was ten!” he grumbled, feeling his cheeks warming up at the memory. “And I think you meant 'Tintagel'; The Lady of The Lake and Tir Na N’Og do not belong to the same cycle of legends! Had you listened more to Mother instead of being too busy running around and stabbing people with that punch you have at your wrist, you would know,”

She shrugged, smiling her sardonic smile.

“Never been one to care about legends or flight of fancies, baby brother. I’d rather have my own fun here among the breathing people, than with those books you’re so passionate about,” she answered, with an earnest voice. She tilted her head to the side, crossing her arms against her chest, as her dark eyes now bore intently into his. “Let’s talk about more pressing matters: what are you doing here? You never meddle with us Rooks or with anything concerning the Brotherhood and I can wager that you haven’t come here to spend some quality time with me. So, what is it, Briel?”

Gabriel fluttered his long dark eyelashes, feigning ignorance.

"Must I have a reason to come here and take a look at our old house?"

“You never do anything without a reason. I’ve known you since your first breath! You’re after something. What is it, this time? A manuscript?” Lily asked.

Gabriel pursed his lips, turning his eyes to the ground.

“I need to retrieve some pictures, letters, and old books,” he lied through gritted teeth. He didn’t like lying. But he liked people snooping into his business even less. And he knew his sister was a church-bell.

Lily’s eyes lit up with amusement.

“Oh! I see now! You are here to look for Emmett’s private collection of lewd lithography and erotic novels?” She chortled, unable to suppress a smirk. “Why, Briel, I never thought you were interested in such ‘profane’ topics! Some lady genteel got your spirit boiling, eh?“

“What? No! Th-that’s preposterous!” he sputtered, blushing to the tip of his nose. “For Goodness’ sake, Lily! Mind your mouth! What would Mother think if she were to hear you talking about this so openly?”

“There are six of us around, Briel! I don’t think she would care that much, considering she probably knows more than you regarding the topic,” Lily giggled.

Horrified, Gabriel had to fight the impulse of bringing his hands on his ears.

“Oh God above, Lily, shut up! Leave our parents and their bedroom’s life out of this conversation! I do not care to hear ANYTHING about this!”

The young woman laughed even louder the more Gabriel’s face turned a vivid purplish hue.

“Always so easy to embarrass, baby brother, an example of an innocent soul. I wouldn’t be surprised if you truly believed that children were found under cabbages,”

Gabriel shot her the most indignant look he could muster, trying to ignore his burning cheeks.

“If you don’t have anything better to do but to embarrass me and mock me like this, I shall be on my way! Good day to you!” he snarked, tilting his chin up as he tried to retrieve whatever semblance of dignity he still had before crossing the threshold of the brick house.

But Lily followed suit, her laughter still reverberating in the air of the small entrance.

“Wait, Briel, I was just fooling around. Don’t be crossed with me!”

“You should find something more recreational to do, instead of being so juvenile,” he grumbled, pulling the scarf up to cover his cheeks. “Maybe you should consider the idea of getting married. It would do you some good and you would start pestering your own husband, instead,”

The woman rolled her eyes, grimacing. “Ugh, Marriage. Not something in my chords. I love my freedom and my maiden name too much to give them up for some man. Can you imagine me in a world of pots and pans and children?”

“I can, but all I can see are those pots and pans on fire, the children running around like wild cats, and the whole kitchen ablaze. You would be able to burn water,”

“Oh, shush,” she chuckled, nudging his arm. “Or next time, I’ll put raisins in all your biscuits, instead of chocolate,”

“I dare you to try,” Gabriel murmured, finally chuckling back.

“Oh, is that a smile that I see on your face? Goodness, I need to call Mother and tell her that His Royal Grumpiness has blessed me with a grin! Oh! Does that mean that a snowstorm will come as well? I need to alert my men!”

Gabriel snorted and rolled his eyes.

“You are absolutely irrepressible,”.

“Alas, it’s a gift I am burdened with,” Lily said, giving him her warmest smile.

He returned that smile to its fullest.

He and Lily didn’t see eye to eye, their personality clashing more often than not, but he knew that, deep down, whenever she wasn’t too busy making him blush with improper jokes, his older sister truly cared about him.

As he walked up the stairs, he looked around, to take in all the differences while greeting the other members of the gang with a curt nod, trying as much as he could to think about where to start to look for what he needed.

“Lily..has anyone come here recently? Emmett? or Father, perhaps?” he asked casually, turning to look at her. He saw her raising her eyes to the sky, wrinkling her nose as she tried to recall.

“Not that I can remember. The last time anyone was here was before All Saints day. Father...well, you know, these days he is not too keen to be in London; as for Em, he usually prefers to station at the hideout in Westminster,"

“Of course,” he said softly, as sadness painted on his face, “Emmett would always choose the hideout closest to home: he would never miss a bedtime story with the children,”

Lily nodded, sharing the same melancholy, the same grief.

“I cannot blame him, after what happened to Margareth,” she murmured, her voice cracking with pain. “May God in His mercy always lend her grace. She was too good for this world,”

Gabriel turned to look toward his sister and sighed when he saw her clenching her jaw, her eyes drawn to the floor, staring at the wood with an intensity he rarely saw on her jovial, sardonic face. Margareth hadn’t been just Emmett’s wife, but also Lily’s best friend and a second mother to both Gabriel and Uriel. He still remembered the young woman tucking him in bed, and reading him some of his favourite stories, whenever his own mother was unable to, busy as she was to assist Father during his ailments or she herself was too sick to even get up from her bed.

He hesitated for one brief moment, before brushing his sister’s arm with kindness, smiling softly at her.

“I miss her too,” he murmured.

His sister’s lips stretched in return, but she didn’t answer, as she always did whenever Margareth came up in conversation.

They resumed climbing the stairs, both keeping their silence, talking only to greet whoever was coming from the upper floors, as they made their way to their old flat.

Once they arrived, Gabriel stopped in his tracks, looking toward the heavy dark door that stood in front of him: it still had the heavy locks his father had installed on it, so many years before.

For a moment, he felt his heart falter, and courage abandon him again.

He closed his eyes, a shaky breath leaving his lips as his hands played with the keys in his pocket, in an effort to calm himself. He didn’t know what he would find there if anything at all. But something deep within his soul told him that something was there, waiting just to be uncovered.

He heard Eva’s words once more resonating in his ears.

A Pandora Box.

All he could see behind his closed lids was his beautiful, loving family, united and whole and happy.

He didn’t want that to change. He hated changes with a passion.

But the call for the truth was stronger than anything else.

And he knew that, if he were to not pursue it, that daguerreotype and that cross would follow him as the Bronze Horseman did with Evgenii in Pushkin’s poem, chasing him until they would annihilate his spirit.

When he opened his eyes again, a flame was burning within them.

He would find the truth. No matter the cost.

He unlocked the door, and after another deep breath, he opened it.

Robin’s delicate watercolors, still hanging on the walls, were the first thing to welcome him back; as he turned his head, he saw the children’s room, with its abandoned wooden toys -their toys- neatly stuck in a corner, Uriel’s old wooden horse on wheels -one that his father had carved for him- and piles above piles of old books, papers, some plants still alive - by the Grace of God, most certainly - and the old kitchen where his mother would always be found in those early mornings when she made breakfast for all of them. Pots and pans were still hanging on the wall, unused for years, forgotten there.

"It's...surprisingly clean," he said, looking around."Well, chaotic, but as clean as an unused apartment here could be anyway,"

"We always have someone coming every week to take off the dust and keep the vermins away,"

"Mmh," he hummed. "Whose idea was this?"

"Emmett’s. Although it has been a while since the last time he came to inspect the place in person,”

Gabriel listened intently to Lily, while his eyes scoured around the room, as keen as a falcon’s. He soon found what interested him: his father’s studio. He would start from there.

“Well, then, it's useless to stay idle. Time to start investigating.” he finally said, clapping his hands together. “The Game is afoot!”

Lily scoffed, shaking her head with a smirk.

“You’ve read too much Sherlock Holmes,”

“And you, not enough,” he grinned,

“Why read, when I can ask Aunt Evie to tell me all about it directly?”

He shook his head, grimacing, as he started to look around.

“As I said: absolutely irrepressible,”

As both siblings took different parts of the house to search, it took all his willpower not to drown in memories, as flickers of moments long gone passed in front of him.

He could see his father planning something with Emmett, while holding Uriel in his arms; he could hear his mother playing the violin, as she taught some young women that lived in the apartments nearby; he could see Eva sitting down on the worn-out rug as she tried to talk to Robin through the sign language they had created to talk with him, before starting drawing together.

Such warmth sprang in his chest, Gabriel felt overwhelmed by it all, a wave of melancholy washing over him with such strength, it hurt him deep within, as he tried to swallow a lump in his throat.

He felt Lily’s warm, rough hand wrap around his shoulder.

“Are you alright?” he heard her ask. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,”

‘A ghost of a Christmas long past,’ he thought, without letting that thought reach his lips.

“I was...remembering,” he murmured, cursing himself for having let through too much. For once, Lily didn’t press for him to give an explanation, and he was grateful for that.

He cleared his voice, tilting his chin and squaring his shoulders, to regain his stoic composure.

“The whole chaos of this place is quite overbearing. It will take ages to find what I need,”

“Do you want my men to help us?”

Freezing on the spot, Gabriel shook his head.

“It..it would be better if it is only us, Lils,” he mumbled. “We do not know what we may find, and I do believe it would be more advisable to let it remain in the family,”

His sister didn’t argue with him; she nodded instead, smiling.

“Yes, I can only imagine what my Rooks would say if we were to find that lewd lithogr-”

“Not. Another. Word. On. That. Matter.” Gabriel hissed through gritted teeth, blushing once more. “Now, if you are done behaving like a child, I’d advise you to take the kitchen and the library, while I take our parents’ room and father’s studio,”

“Yes, Mr. Toplofty,” the young woman mocked with a low chuckle. Gabriel saw that she wanted to joke some more, but gave her a pointed look before turning on his heels and entering the studio.

Not much had changed in that room, if not for how bare it was, without the all the family portraits that once sat on the walls or the top hats his father used to wear, scattered around the room because he and Uriel would always sneak there them to play with them, despite their father’s warning not to touch them.

Gabriel’s eyes went to the small desk that sat underneath the tall window that faced the backyard; he remembered his mother often sitting there at night, whenever his father and Emmett weren’t home and she couldn’t find rest in sleeping until both of them were safe and sound back to her. He could still see a flicker of her past self sitting at the light of a candle, her hand holding her head as she poured words after words after words in her journal, tears running down her face because, he now realized, worry was eating her alive.

Gabriel saddened as well, at the memory.

There was always an edge of sadness in both his parents' eyes, even when they smiled, a melancholy that never left them, along with that ever-present air of fierce protectiveness toward one another when they looked at each other and thought that no one else was paying attention to them.

What if that behaviour was connected to the daguerreotype and the cross?

‘Well,’ he thought, as he started to open the drawers of the desk, ‘Let’s see what secrets are you keeping from me,’

And with the same stubbornness of a bloodhound, he searched and searched, moving all books that were still sitting in all the drawers, on all the shelves, looking in every single angle of the studio, peeking in all the boxes he could lay his hands on, going as far as to look under the musty pillows of the couch in the living room and the old mattresses in his parents’ bedroom, and even in the pantry of the unused kitchen, in the empty tin boxes where Father had often hidden his bullets and brass knuckles.

But nothing came out of it.

Hours went by, as Gabriel combed those rooms, looking in every little nook, but his efforts were rewarded with a booming, deafening nothing.

He felt frustrated at first, but after having searched his parents’ bedroom, he was downright irritated.

Unnerved, yet stubborn as ever, he went to his parents’ old wardrobe and opened it.

Old leather coats, waistcoats that were positively antediluvian, musty yellowed shirts and top hats eaten by moths, some of them more than forty years old - all belonging to his father - were all that stood in front of him.

Exasperated, Gabriel started to take them all out, tossing them behind him, in the hope to find a crate, a jewel box, a hidden panel, a double layer, anything at all.

But all that welcomed his sight was just clothes, clothes and more clothes, and once he was done with his ravage, nothing at all.

“Damn it all!” he bellowed, sitting on the floor, kicking one of the leather coats away from him, in a childish gesture.

He was sure! So sure that he would have been able to find something there!

Where else could he find what he needed?

Lily was categoric no one had entered that place since before his discovery at the Manor on Christmas, so he was sure that if anything was hidden there, he would have found it by now.

“Or maybe, silly boy” he thought, leaning against the bed behind him, as he bit his nail, “There is nothing to find, and Emmett and Father were telling the truth and you were just looking for a mystery to solve because you have an overly active imagination, like Uri always says,”

He grimaced, resting the back of his head against the bed frame.

He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, sighing.

He couldn’t negate to himself that part of him was relieved by his own failure: no great mystery meant nothing would change. However, another part of him was already dreading the moment he was to report to Eva about his failure. He sighed even more, already feeling his cheeks turning red for shame. More than anything, he felt ashamed for having thought that his sweet, gentle mother could have anything to do with the Templars.

Drained from all those emotions, Gabriel sat for a while longer, reaching out the old garments to gather them and put them back into the wardrobe. As he started to pile the old coats, something small fell in his lap from one of the internal pockets of a particularly worn-out leathery robe, one that had a peculiar quilted collar.

He took it in his hands,and his mouth opened in surprise.

It was a folded piece of paper, yellowed by time.

He quirked his lips, wrinkling his nose with interest.

Careful not to rip the fragile paper, Gabriel unfolded it, and immediately recognized the round handwriting that belonged to his father. He would recognize it among thousands, for how many times he had to look at it while he was learning to write as a child.

A few dried petals fell from the folds of the paper, petals that once must have been of a beautiful shade of vibrant orange. He picked them from the floor, delicately holding them in his fingers, and tried to make out what they were.

Lilies.

Mother’s favourites.

His eyes widened as he figured out what he had between his hands: it was a torn page of a journal. With shaking hands, Gabriel smoothed the surface, his heart racing in his chest.

It could be nothing. It could be a mere report on the weather of the most boring day of his father’s life.

But as he started to scour through the first few lines, Gabriel felt a chasm open in his stomach.

I don’t know what to do anymore. Her eyes pierce me with a silent prayer each time she looks at me, as if she could see straight into my heart. And I know she does. She sees right through me. She knows I’m tired. She knows I cannot do this anymore. She knows we cannot do this anymore. I see my heart’s disquiet reflected in her eyes each time she looks at me. And I know she is asking me - begging me- to find a solution together. We need to. This war that’s going on between us is straining both our spirits. I know Dottie is also growing tired of all this. This pantomime, this blasted conflict, with no favorable solution at all, if not for one of us to yield. I just want to hold her in my arms - I want to be in her arms - and forget about everything else. I just want to go back to when it was just the two of us, a man and a woman in love with each other, and nothing more than that. She is expecting our child and we cannot be together as we ought, which is so absurd, it’s verging into the biggest idiocy of it all time. A man that cannot be at the side of the woman he loves? A father that cannot be close to his child? Because of this war? Because of that guard dog that is always at her side. I...I need to be close to her. To them. I’m terrified out of my wits of what I might become if anything were to happen to her, if they were to discover us. They would kill her for it. And..and I am terrified I’ll end up like Father after he lost Mother, and I’ll be dead if that ever comes to pass. No way in Hell I’ll become like him. My patience is truly running thin. Dottie needs me. Emmett needs me. The last time I managed to steal five minutes for us, she wasn’t well. She was less than before. She said it was because of the bab, not to worry, because she was followed by the best midwives. But I’m unable to not worry about her. The whole Order is burdened on her shoulders, and I can see it sucking the life out of her, those fucking parasites. Tonight I will try to go to her, and not even the Hounds of Hell will keep me away from her. I don’t care about all those Templars between us. Her father couldn’t keep us away when he was alive, and his dogs won’t be able to do it now. To Hell with Harrison. To Hell with Starrick. To Hell with the whole Order.

Gabriel raised his eyes, his mouth slightly agape. What? What had he just read?

Harrison? Mother’s maiden name? and Starrick? That blasted name was not unknown to him. He was sure he had read about it somewhere or heard it from someone.

But where?

He felt his mind racing like a train, the confusion and surprise hindering his capacity to think clearly, to recall anything at all. All he could think about were the words he had just read, running in front of his eyes.

Knowing he should have not continued in his reading, the younger Frye found himself unable to stop.

I don’t dare to utter a single word aloud about our love, don’t dare to show anything, but it’s becoming each day harder to pretend I am not familiar with her, having to deny all that we are to each other, to pretend she is nothing more than my sworn enemy, when she is anything but that. When I hear others berate her name, calling her “The Starrick Virago”, a "scarlet woman", it takes all that I am not to cut their tongues out of those sewers they have for mouths. When I hear them planning her execution, my blood runs cold. And I know Dorothea is trapped in the same way as I am, having to feign the same ignorance and indifference. We are running out of time. This war needs to stop. We will find a solution, or for her sake, for the sake of our child, I will be the one to put an end to this folly of a conflict.

Gabriel didn’t realize that he was holding his breath until he turned the piece of paper to see if anything else was written on the back.

His stomach was tied in a knot so tight, he felt he could heave from the discomfort.

Mother’s execution? “ Starrick Virago”? A War?

What...just what was their family, in truth?

Who were his parents?

He didn’t know what to think. He felt an intruder into his father’s past, in that small glimpse of what he must have felt in his heart when he had written that letter.

Gabriel was a writer, so he knew what it meant to entrust all that he felt to a notebook. As he reread the page, his eyes frantically jumping from one line to the other, he could feel that there was so much more hidden between those words, so much more his father would have written, but probably hadn’t dared because of what would happen if anyone were to find that page.

Gabriel didn’t know what to think, didn’t know how to dissipate the lump in his throat.

Just...what was the meaning of that?

He needed time alone. He needed time to think.

“Briel, will you come here? I might have found something,” he heard Lily’s voice call for him.

Breathing heavily, the youngest Frye put the petals on the page and folded it back again, hiding it in the pocket of his trousers.

Standing on trembling legs, his head spinning with thoughts that were running one after the other and his heart still in disquiet from what he had just read, he found his way to his sister.

He found her sitting on the floor in what once was Emmett and Margareth’s room, and saw her turning when she heard him crossing the threshold.

“Are you feeling unwell, Briel?” Lily asked, furrowing her brow when she saw his face white as a sheet.”You look like you’re about to pass out,”

“I-I am...well enough,” he lied. “Just went through a whole pile of old clothes,”

Lily screwed her face in a grimace of disgust, sticking her tongue out.

“That doesn’t sound like fun. Not exactly what you were hoping to find, eh?”

“You can say it loud and clear, ”

“I just hope they weren’t dirty,”

‘That would have been the least of my problems,’he thought, bile burning in the back of his throat. Trying not to think about what he had just read, to tuck it away for a mere moment in the back of his mind, he looked toward what his sister had in front of her. When he saw the small open compartment in the floorboard, just beside the nuptial bed, he felt his mouth go dry.

“What did you find?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” she said, showing him a small tin box. “Looks like Emmett was keeping something hidden away here, although it doesn’t look like much. Just...letters,”

He tried to let his heart quiet down, and tried to convince himself that there was nothing more there. Emmett was known for stashing his secrets away; that, itself, was no secret at all.

The youngest Frye tried with all his might to stabilize his trembling hands as he took the box and opened it.

“These are indeed all old letters,” he murmured, letting his thin finger caress the parchment, hoping that the grainy surface of the paper could help soothe him. “Some seems to have been written even before I was born,”

“Yes, but they seem to be the work of a drunkard,” she said. “I received enough messages from Em to know that it’s his calligraphy...but they don’t seem to make any sense?”

Gabriel squinted his eyes from behind the thin glasses, and opened one of the letters. Focusing on the words, the young man managed to find a moment of quietness.

As his eyes scoured through the lines, combing it, he saw that Lily was right: they didn’t make any sense, and yet something was nudging him that they indeed had a sense.

“It seems like some sort of code...” he murmured, turning the piece of paper.

He took another letter, and read through it, and much like the previous one, was a great deal of gibberish words.

When he opened a third one, he saw that the calligraphy was different, but Gabriel couldn’t recognize it.

When he turned the piece of paper, however, his face turned white like curdled milk, blood running cold into his veins.

A small symbol was scribbled at the bottom where the signature was supposed to be.

He had seen it before.

He knew what that was.

Slowly, his hand found its way into his pocket, where his fingers touched the cold, sharp edges of the Templar Cross hidden there. He had looked at it long enough to have memorized every single detail of it.

And he knew that, engraved on its back, was the same symbol of that letter.

The same symbol embroidered on one of the man’s coats in the photo his father has hidden away on Christmas Day.

The same symbol he had seen thousands of times in one of Mother’s books.

The Symbol of the Leviathan.

“Any idea on what they are?” Gabriel heard Lily ask him.

He turned to look at her, their dark eyes staring for a long moment, before he spoke again.

“I do,” he murmured, swallowing hard. “And I wish I did not,”

[PREVIOUS CHAPTER - Of Memories and Secrets ]

[NEXT CHAPTER - "Confrontation" ]

So!! I am *finally* done with chapter two of my story! FINALLY!!!

I am so sorry it took so long, I had a few hiccup along the road!

So, we are still in 1909, still following my dear Gabriel around, but do not worry! soon enough we will meet Jacob and Dottie as well!

I apologize for any typo or mistake I made, I have reread through this thoroughly, but I might have missed something.

You can also read it on AO3, as usual! <3 A huge HUGE thanks to everyone who has been so patient in waiting for me to upload my story, and in particular to all my friends who have been there for me and have been encouraging me, never giving up on me! I love you all so so so so much!! <3 <3

! I hope it won't be too long before I upload the next parts! <3 and I truly hope you will like this! --Nemo

#Assassin's Creed Syndicate #Jacob Frye #Dorothea Starrick #Crawford Starrick #Gabriel Starrick-Frye #Lily Starrick-Frye #The Starrick-frye bunch #my ocs #Jottie #Nemo Writes #My Writing #In the Heat of The Moment

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harveywritings92 · 4 years

Text

Hidden Blades and Cricket Bats: Prologue CH. 2

[later.]

Jacob was sitting on bench looking up at the sky trying to figure out what his next move was? while Iris was passed out sleeping on his lap when this little old "lady" waddled over to him. "Hello Freddy." Jacob chirped as the old lady looked up the reveal a full black beard as he glared annoyed at the younger man. "Mr Frye I've been looking for you." the inspector huffed holding a missing person's poster out to the assassin, who didn't even look at it. "Funny... I was just going to say the same to you." the hazel eyed man quipped Abberline cocked an inquisitive brow at the young man.

"See, I kind of need some help with uh...Reese here." he pointed down at Iris and nearly laughed when the Inspectors eyes bugged out of his skull. as he looked at the poster then girl the back at the poster flabbergasted."I was just.. how the-..but she!!" He struggled forming a coherent sentence before blurting out that Iris was the reason he was looking for one of the Frye's she'd been missing for four weeks and the police just got a ransom note from her kidnappers! "Huh, so I was right...and Evie says I'm thick and off-centered." Jacob boasted proud of himself the police inspector coughed snapping at him to focus!

"We need to find who took her and how she escaped, have you encountered any strange individuals?" Jacob nodded and told Abberline what happened not even an hour ago! To say Freddy was pissed was an understatement as he laid into Jacob about how he could've asked where the kidnapper hideout was! "Well sorry, I wasn't exactly thinking about that at the time."

He hissed hazel eyes looking down at Iris who had woken up from the two men shouting at each other and immediately both of them quieted down when they saw she had a guilty look on her face. "We're not arguing because of you Reese." Jacob assured her patting her head showing a side of himself that very few see, making Abberline feel like an arse now, it should've been obvious the assassin was just thinking of Iris's safety when they were attacked.

A few moments of collecting himself Frank took them to his home Mrs Abberline was nice host offered Iris sweets as Fred tried to coax the girl into telling him what her kidnappers looked like? Her gray eyes looked up at Jacob unsure he nodded telling her she can trust Freddie.

The little girl explained didn't recognize any of the men that Jacob had taken care of, But the ginger haired man he let go... She recognized his voice he was arguing with another man he kept mentioning money and her grandparents! Freddy then asked how she got away "a boy around my age with them..."

The blond admitted the boy; Peter was supposed to be watching her, but she guessed he started having second thoughts, he woke her up one night untied her arms handed her some clothes told her to get changed then he cut her hair and and snuck her out of the house, took her to the park and left her there. "I think he thought I'd go to the police...but I didn't know where to go, so I slept under a bridge."

She felt Jacob's hand on her shoulder as she stared at her feet. "Do you remember where this house is?" He asked keeping his voice even, his jaw was tight and his eyes were narrowed and focused, She shook her head and the assassin decided to go ginger hunting...he alerted his Rooks for a skinny Scotsman with broken ribs limping around the city.

The messenger boy was found within the hour the Rooks had him tied up in one of the back rooms of a tavern, he spilled everything he knew about the abduction and how they smuggled Iris into London. Of course Jacob already knew all about that! he wanted to know where the boss was hiding, the man was reluctant at first, but when Jacob started making threats on breaking more bones, which the gang leader did (he broke two fingers) the ginger haired coward coughed up the location, and old abandon manor in Whitechapel.

[The next day.]

Fred and Jacob stood in front of an old dilapidated manor half the place was burnt down and barely holding together, the two men cautiously walked up the porch as the assassin grabbed a brick and the two stood on either side of the door as Fred knocked on the door whilst yelling "Police! open up!" the inspector announced sure enough a shot went off and a bullet went through the door.

Jacob dropped the brick to the floor making a thud noise, who ever took the shot, opened the door to check and got a hidden blade to the neck as the assassin pounced on them. "Aw piss!" Jacob quietly cussed seeing the red clothes; Blighters the idiots hired Blighter to help them find Iris and guard the house! He shot Abberline a look and the inspector nodded and stayed outside. as Jacob went deeper into the house silently taking out the guards and blighters when he stopped under a vent and heard voices talking.

"My boys are getting restless Brian, you promised us the money two weeks ago! now where is it?" A woman's voiced demanded as the sounds of someone stomping their foot as a Scottish voice gruffly answered back "You'll get the money as soon as we get the brat!" the woman scoffed at him as Brian said his men were out looking an the found her, Ed just hit a wall is all.

"Yes a Wall...There's no wall idiot! you pissed off Jacob Frye and now my men are paying for it!?" The Scotsman told the Blighter woman to calm down but it fell on deaf ears "This kid better be worth her bloody weight in gold or else I'll off you and the little bastard!" She snarled before stomping out of the room.

Jacob hid behind the wall as she was stomping by but froze when she found the bodies in the hall and tried to run back to warn everyone only to get yanked in a room and getting her neck broken her body hit the ground with a thud tipping off the man upstairs that something was amiss, Jacob heard the guy cuss confused and walk out of the room and started calling out Marge? that's who Jacob assumed was the Blighter's name was?

The assassin came out of hiding scaring the crap out of Brian who aimed a gun at the imposing man "W-who the hell are you?" he stammered as Jacob cocked his head to the side. "Oh, I think you already know who I am..." Jacob said taking a step the man fired... but nothing happened and the assassin chuckled "I'm taking guess Margie here gave ya that gun, probably loaded it with blanks knowin' a little weasel like you would betray her." He said still walking towards the terrified man as he un-sheathed his cane sword, Brian dropped the gun and ran for it Jacob rolled his eyes and gave chase truth is he had no intentions on killing the guy just wanted to scare him before handing him over to Freddy.

"Look Brian come down here and fight me like a man or..." Jacob had Brian cornered in his makeshift office and the Scotsman jumped out the window! "..Bloody Weasel!" Jacob sputtered before running to window to to see Brian on the ground with an obvious broken leg and Freddy aiming a gun at his head. "Oi! Ask him where Peter is?!"

Jacob shouted from the window as Abberline nodded the Scotsman said something and one of the Bobby's Freddy had guarding the front went to a old rickety shed a few feet a away's and came out carrying a skinny shivering boy with the same bruises as Iris on his wrist no surprises these scum thieves would turn on their own! child or not.

the ride to the hospital where Brian and Peter were going to be treated at was eventful, the Scotsman shot daggers at Jacob & Iris as he confessed to Abberline why he had taken her, turns out he used to work for her grandfather he was fired after he was blamed for stealing property, obviously he took exception to that decided to take old man Adair's granddaughter as revenge "Wasn't going to give her back, she can rot in London for all I care.." he huffed he then glared at Peter who was clinging to Abberline said police inspector didn't seem to sold on Brian's confession.

"then this little git decided he wanted to be a hero..." he kept raving as Jacob gave Freddy a look that said 'Can I hit him, please?' but the inspector shook his head at him, the younger man frowned then an idea struck him, Jacob couldn't hit him, but Fred didn't say anything about the kids!~...

the assassin smiled with glee as whispered something to Iris, who smirked and accidentally gave Brian's broken leg a small kick causing the man to yelp in pain. "Why you little-!!!" the Scotsman snarled ready to lunge! only shut-up seeing Jacob hidden blade in his face, Brian backed off sunk into his seat and kept his head down the entire ride. Abberline had Jacob take care Iris until he could get word to her grandparents she was alright which could be a few days.

Evie was annoyed to be kept out of the loop when her brother finally turned up after missing for two days, And was even more so about him showing up at the hideout with a random child, She was skeptical when Jacob said that Iris or "Reese" asher brother has so affectionately dubbed the blond girl; was in his protective custody until her grandparents arrive, he even had it in hand writing as he had Abberline write a note to Evie explaining the situation to her.

Needless to say the older Frye twin was against it! they were assassins! not bloody nursemaids! Which annoyed her brother who insisted he can watch Iris! then his sister had to brig up the damn "guinea pig incident" See when the twin were nine their father decided to get them a pet.

A white and brown guinea pig named Louie, Evie was terrified of the poor rodent! so, he immediately became Jacob's pet... unfortunately poor Louie didn't last a month with them as Jacob soon got lazy with his responsibilities and their little fuzzy friend soon passed away after Jacob tried feeding him chocolate not realizing it was bad for guinea pigs...

"But Reese isn't a guinea pig Evie! And I've been doing a pretty good job thus far!" He huffed but his sister was still adamant that he was going screw this up somehow, But surprisingly she had her assumptions thrown back in her face as Jacob was ever patient and vigilant with Iris who rarely strayed from her brother, much to Evie's churning for the last week he and Henry spent their time entertaining the child the Indian assassin acted like tutor teaching her basic history,math, writing and much to the female assassin's jealousy showing Iris their flower collection...,

While Jacob was teaching the little girl how to free run and play poker. Evie did not like it; terrible as Iris's situation was, Jacob's the elder half was beginning to see the little girl as a hindrance. So, imagine her joy when a man showed up at the station claiming to be Iris's uncle, the man put on a convincing act of grieving uncle.

the female assassin didn't even think twice as she handed Iris off to him despite the girl's reluctance. "Can we wait for Jacob to come back? Please!?" the blonde frantically begged but Evie was having none of it they already wasted enough time playing guard dog! the Templars could've already found a clue to the piece of Eden! "I'll tell him you said goodbye, now go with your uncle." Evie pushed the child forward ignoring the way Iris winced when her uncle grabbed her hand tightly and the way she looked back at the female assassin terrified as she was practically dragged out out of the train station.

[Two hours later...]

Henry and Jacob had returned with Freddy and an elderly couple who the inspector introduced as Iris's grandparents saying they were there to collect their granddaughter... Which confused Evie "She's not here her uncle came and got her." she informed the air suddenly shifted as she watched everyone's faces contort into shock a sinking feeling settled in Evie's stomach.

"You sent her uncle to come get her, didn't you?" the grandmother was the first to break the tense silence as a devastated wail echoed through the platform, as the old woman accused Evie of killing her grand-baby. "w-Wha-" the female Frye stammered flummoxed at the old lady's accusation as her brother sent a heated look towards her.

"The uncle was the one who abducted Iris, He going to kill her Evie!" Henry snapped said as he and Iris's grandfather tried to console the old woman, Evie brows furrowed as she tried to process this. "w-why didn't anyone tell me?!" she demanded as Jacob who was barking orders to his Rooks tuned to her.

"I did."

"No you most certain-"

"Yes. I. Did... But you were to busy with your bloody curio search to listen!"

"Jacob..I"

"Don't. Just don't, you've done enough." Jacob croaked before one of the Rook's came running up to them with a note addressed to Iris's grandfather demanding he come to Radclyffe mill in Whitechapel, bring the deed to the family fortune and to come alone or Iris will be joining her parents... They devised a plan Freddy was to disguise himself as Iris's grandfather have Ned find someone to make a counterfeit deed and money, head Whitechapel; Henry and Evie will silently take out the guards and have Rooks who have recently joined and haven't yet discarded their old Blighter colors replace them. "Can you do that sister dear, or is it too much of inconvenience?" Jacob spat still upset with her Evie winced and silently nodded.

Sure enough the plan almost went off with a hitch until Jacob and Freddie got inside the inspector was standing nervously waiting for Iris's uncle to appear and he wasn't there... The two men though someone tipped the abductor off! But that thought was soon thrown out the window when a man's howl of pain echoed somewhere the factory.

Jacob and Freddie looked at each other before splitting up cautiously searching the dark factory, he could hear Freddy fumbling in the dark, while Jacob could see perfectly his eyes found a bloody screwdriver tossed haphazardly aside not far a blood trail leading to the darken loading area...

Meanwhile

Iris pressed her back against a wall a she silently tried to catch her breath... "Where are ya..." Her uncle hissed looking around the loading area for her, She pretended had to go to the toilet he untied and led them to a small room the little girl then acted like she needed to tie her boot and bent down as her uncle remind unaware of her taking a screwdriver she stolen out of Bob's tool box hidden in her coat, Before the greedy bastard even knew what was happen Iris stabbed him in the shin, He howled in pain dropping to his knees and she took off running as he snarled at her pulled the screw driver out of his foot and started limping after her.

A single flickering ceiling light was the only source of visibility Iris controlled her breathing and steady her heart rate, as she remembered what Jacob told her about using the shadows to her advantage should the situation happen where he wasn't able to help her. she noticed the pattern between the light flicking off and on saw a load of wood hanging from the ceiling an idea formed in the little girls head.

She heard her uncle's ragged breathing getting closer..."Ha!" he snapped looking behind the wall Iris had been just seconds ago! his brows furrowed bemused when he tiny foot steps above him... he grinned manically and started firing into the platforms above him, Iris had to time this right...

She jumped in the the wood load and like she predicted her uncle fire a shot it missed her! but it hit the rope securing the load to the ceiling, Iris ran along the logs and preformed a leap of faith she knew there was no soft landing waiting for her! she closed her eyes tight wait for the pain or death, but instead she felt the wind get knocked of her as she caught mid-air by an arm and pulled into a hard chest as before a second arm wrapped around torso and her head was under their chin as they entered a roll.

When Iris opened her eyes she saw Jacob was the one who caught her! Who kept his eyes narrowed at her uncle who clapped drowning the sound of the rope snapping above him "Bravo Mr. Frye that impressive act but I'm afraid thi-" He was cut of by a pile of lumber logs falling from the ceiling crushing him, Jacob covered Iris with his body an attempt to shield her from harm and the gruesome sight, luckily none of the logs came close to hitting them...

The assassin sighed before checking Iris over. "Are you alright?" She nodded he relaxed and hugged her Iris kept trying to look at the log pile,causing Jacob grimaced. "Hey! don't look there o'right, eyes on me!" he ordered her gray eyes went back to the hazel eyed man who told her to keep her eyes on him or his necklace until they were far from this mill.

Freddie showed up a few moments later baffled at the scene he saw the blood seeping out from under the log pile, and demanded an explanation, Jacob said he'll give him one once they're out of Whitechapel...

They made sure Iris sleeping Jacob made up a story that Iris's uncle chased her up into the loading bay observation platforms, Jacob confronted him and the deranged man tried to kill himself and Iris, but she kicked the stab wound she caused on his shin causing the gun to go off he shot the rope holding the logs he was standing on, "I caught Iris seconds before the rope snapped ... and well you saw the aftermath." the inspector grimaced just muttered about getting the girl back to her family, but Jacob made him stop the carriage first Freddie was confused.

What could Mr. Frye possibly want at a jewelry store? a half an hour later the assassin returned with a small box, he open it to reveal a silver and ebony hair pin with a tiny Rook on it. Freddie cock a brow. "Figured she deserved something nice to remember London by." The inspect lips not really believing the young man "Right London..." Jacob shot him a look as the station came into view, Jacob shook Iris awake she groggily looked at him then out the window to see her grandparents standing outside with Henry.

Iris nearly jumped out of the carriage before it stopped Jacob smiled as she ran over to her grandfather and hugged him the old man ws stunned at like he wasn't sure she was really there before wrapping his arms around her, followed by his wife burst into happy tears as she scooped Iris of the ground peppering her face with kisses much to the girl's protests!

Her Grandfather went over to Jacob the assassin assumed the old man was coming in for a hand shake, instead he was stunned when his pulled into a tight hug by the old Scotsman. "Thank you..." he wept before the assassin was bit baffled by this but luckily the old man pulled away going back to his family a few hours later after everyone had said their goodbyes

The Adairs were waiting at the platform waiting for a train to Holyhead and from there to the port to catch a ferry to Ireland her grandparent it would be best to relocate after everything that's happened. Henry gave Irish her own little book of flowers as she really seemed interest in botany.

Evie gave her her first flower to press in it a purple hyacinth... And told her to take care of herself, As they were about to board Jacob finally showed up! "Sorry lass few of the Rooks kept handing me thing for you." he said handing her a small basket that had little oddities, A bullet, necklace with a human tooth, marbles, a deck of cards and couple tins of sweets and small felt doll.

"And here's my contribution. " He took out the little box from the jewelry store out and crouched down to her level opened it Iris's widened at the the rook hairpin "I saw you eyeing it... after coming back from the fight club. " He gently placed it in her hair "You said it looked like the birdy on my chest, so figured why not?" he pulled his hand back examining his work and smirked.

"Looks nice take care of it, alright?" Iris hugged nodded and him he hugged her back as her grandma called her to hurry up! "I miss you Jacob." The blond girl said before giving him a small kiss on the cheek and joining her grandparents on the train. "I'll miss you too..." the Assassin hummed sadly as his sister came up behind gave him a hug before the two went back to hideout to finish their mission.

Little did Jacob know he would be seeing Iris again in the near future...

End of the prologue.

#assassin's creed syndicate #assassin's creed fanfiction #jacob frye x oc #Scottish OC #detective oc #Evie Frye #Henry Green #Fred Abberline #Jacob Frye #Blighters #Rooks #pansexual character

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squidproquoclarice · 5 years

Note

What was your first impression of Arthur? When did you first see him and when did you realize he was a pretty special dude?

I pre-ordered RDR2 pretty much as soon as it was up on Amazon, so probably 2014, 2015? Mainly because I enjoyed RDR1 so damn much, and with pre-order DLC bonuses and the like, it behooves you to do so. That said, I’m not typically a “day of release” gamer for actually playing, and I’m very casual in terms of following pre-release news, marketing and the like. I remember thinking several times “Wasn’t this supposed to be out yet?”

The other thing I remember was being underwhelmed when that Magnificent 7 style poster came out and there was a totally obvious lack of women featured. “Rockstar, y'all, after the likes of Aloy, Lara Croft, and Evie Frye proved handily that a female PC can hold gamer interest, c'mon, not even having a woman present in your central group is being years behind the curve in gaming.”

Between that and one teaser I saw it was kind of like “(sigh) I loved RDR1 so much and honestly, this dude just looks like a generic angry violent white middle aged dude.” Arthur seemed kind of boring and even a step back after how unusual John was in 2010. I expected one (1) mindless shooty cowboah living out the “glory days” of the gang.

So I missed a lot of the later marketing with my gurl Sadie front and center, for one. I won’t say I gave up on RDR2 because I was only casually ready for it anyway, like any game, but I was far more prepared to like Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (which came out a few weeks earlier) of the two games I bought last October.

The game arrived and I was busy for a couple of weeks, so aside from installing it and gawking at the sheer size it took on my hard drive, I didn’t do much. Then I got pissed off by the controls, because after how intuitive AC:Odyssey was, RDR2’s controls, core management, etc. can be a bitch to learn.

So all in all, much like with most games, I went in kind of casually rather than eagerly.

For Arthur, Chapter 1 was kind of “So he’s gruff, tough, very loyal to Dutch, and kind of an asshole to John for unknown reasons.” He still seemed kind of a blank, and what’s that “New Journal Entry” thing I can’t figure out, anyway? (God I kinda hate this game’s controoooooools)

Chapter 2 is where it really started to hit that there was a lot more going on with Arthur. “A Quiet Time”, “A Fisher of Men”, and “We Loved Once and True” started to show different sides to him than the dude who eagerly gets into a bar fight or the guy who beats up a debtor. The goofy friend, the papa bear, the awkward and forlorn rejected lover. Plus I finally figured out how to read that journal about then, and seeing that introspection and art was a definite revelation. So those things, along with getting better hang of the controls, is where I really started to get hooked on the game and have a lot more interest in the character. That was mid November. I finished the rest of the game in one hell of a hurry given AO3 tells me I posted Sunrise ch 1 on Nov. 28th, but I tend to do a rapid story/optional quests playthrough first on most games to experience the narratively tightly, and then a second one for all the little optional collectibles, etc.

I love/hate that like many, many things that reveal Arthur’s character, R* makes you work for the journal by not spoon-feeding it to you. You stumble across the journal’s importance only if you choose to check “What’s this journal thing?” You figure out in fact there are missions you only get with High Honor (which really means Low Honor is an option they had to provide as it’s a video game, but in terms of story cohesiveness and richness of experience and emphatic lack of rewarding being an asshole with missions or useful perks or stuff, it’s pretty damn clear which path R* considers canon). There are hugely important conversations that you only get by poking around. The game rewards patience, kindness, and inquisitiveness, not mindless violence.

#arthur morgan #rdr2 #Anonymous

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recklessbrash · 7 years

Text

Back to the Way Things Were Ch. 15

Ok, here it is my darlings 🙆🏽! Revised because I wasn't too crazy about the way the original chapter 15 had come out. I had realized that the story was a little jumbled and didn't really explain a couple things about Jack. So I went and I redid major parts of the chapter and this is the finished result! Hope you enjoy and 16 should be out soon my sweethearts! ☺️😘💟🎩 •*•*•*•*•*• Chapter 15 Over the 3 weeks they'd stayed there in India, training and learning new tactics for battle, the time had gone by in what felt like a blink of an eye. It'd become even more clear to both Mara and Evie that Jack was quick to lose his temper when something didn't go as planned. One sweltering afternoon, Jacob had been growing frustrated over the fact that he couldn't land a roll while dropping from a certain height. Avni was partnered with Jack, showing him how to tuck himself in properly so the roll would be easier. She showed great patience with him, always talking softly and not being bothered by how many times it took for him to get the hang of it. After what felt like ages trying to get Jack to nail a landing roll properly, Avni felt it was best to move on to some sparring. She passed Jack a wooden blade and grabbed one of her own. "Ready, Jack?" She asked as she got into a fighting stance. "Ready." He replied, getting into a similar stance of his own. "Okay, 3, 2.. Ouch!" She yelped as Jack lunged and swung his wooden sparring blade, letting the blunt side make hard contact with her arm. "That's cheating, Jack!" She remarked, annoyed. "Aw, come now then. Don't be a baby about it." He snickered. Avni's patience withered away and she lunged back, swinging with all her might as her blade made a harsh knocking sound against Jack's. "Avni, you'll have to do better than that." He said with a smirk. "I'm the one teaching you, Jack. We have to take this seriously." She said, successfully blocking his second attack. "Everyone is always so serious with this, I think we should have at least a little bit of fun!" He swung, narrowly missing the side of her arm. "It's not a game, Jack. Stop it." Avni sounded like it was a bit of a plea. Jack smiled and became still, "All of this isn't real. We're not fighting real Templars or other enemies. This is just a waste of time. Don’t you ever take a break and have fun?" He asked. Avni took a moment to think about this, seemingly weighing the options in her mind. "I know there aren’t any Templars here right now. But we train so that we can be ready for when that day comes. Hasn't your Father, Sir Frye and your Mother, Dame Frye taught you that?" Avni asked, looking a little puzzled. His anger was instant, Jack pulled his wooden blade back and swung it right into Avni's ankle bone, causing the girl to fall down and clutch her ankle in pain. "Jack, stop it! That hurt!!" She yelled. "She's not my mum!!!!" Jack yelled before tossing the wooden piece to the floor near her and walking away angrily. Jacob had been sparring with Mara when he spotted Jack storming away. "Hang on, love. Jack? Oi, Jack!" He called out before turning to where Avni and he had been practicing. "Avni, are you alright?" Jacob called out, getting Mara's attention as well. They both ran towards the young girl as well as her father, Arjun, to see why she was on the ground. "Avni? Avni, what happened?!" Arjun asked, moving her colorful skirt up a little to see why she was clutching her ankle. "Jack.." Avni began. "Wait, Jack did this to you?" Jacob asked, anger already gripping him. "I'm sure he didn't mean it." Avni said, covering for Jack. "No, no. He knows the way sparring works, therefore he certainly knows he's not to strike to cause actual harm. Look at your ankle, it's bloody swollen beyond recognition!" Jacob seethed, "I'll be right back, Mara." He said as she nodded. "Avni, let's get you up my dear." Mara offered and bent to help Arjun lift his daughter up. As they walked over to a place to sit, Mara noticed Jacob heading into the Assassin compound where Evie and henry would train initiates, no doubt using Eagle to look for Jack. "Mrs. Frye, I trust you'll understand where I'm coming from if I don't allow Jack to spar with my daughter anymore?" Arjun asked as he assessed his daughter's ankle. The swelling looked painful and it was already a purple hue due to the bruising that began almost immediately. "Absolutely, I do." She answered, uneasy. Avni tutted out loud, "But, Father, it was my fault. I made him angry!" She exclaimed, hoping this wouldn’t be the case. "I'll not hear another word on the matter, Avni! Just look at you. The boy's shown time and again here that he cannot handle his emotions!" Arjun noted angrily. He was right, Jack was constantly losing his temper over the smallest of things. Jacob had already had to speak to him 2 other times before and now he was off to do it a 3rd time. Mara knew his patience with Jack's temper was nearing to an end. Jacob reached an inner room inside the compound and found Jack sat on the ground with a stick in his hand, twisting it into the struggling body of a now dying beetle. Jacob watched on silently, wondering what prompted him to be torturing a harmless insect. "Jack, explain yourself. Now." He said through gritted teeth. "There's nothing to explain, Jacob. Avni ha-" "Dear Avni has to have her ankle bandaged because it's now purple in color because YOU struck to harm!!! What has gotten into you, boy?! The voyage here you'd been easily agitated, quick to be short with Mara and now this? I reckon you've loads of explaining to do! And leave that poor bloody bug alone and kill it already, don't let it suffer!" Jacob shouted. Jack had flinched. He'd never heard Jacob use such a tone with him before and he realized he really had messed up. Lifting his foot, he quickly brought it down and ended the beetle's suffering the moment he removed the stick. He hung his head lowly, messy black hair tufted this way and that before he picked up his voice. "I-I'm just worried that the baby will replace me. I finally have a place where I belong and I really like being with you and Mara. I don't mean to be so mean to her. I just think that when the baby comes, you lot will forget all about me and that scares me a lot. I had a Mum once, but now I feel like I now have a Mum and a Dad in you and her. I don't want to lose that." Jack said, finally bringing a tear rimmed set of blue eyes up to meet with Jacob's hazel green ones. Jacob softened a bit and sat on a nearby stool, bringing a large hand up to smooth his hair back before crossing his arms. "Jack, there's no way we'd ever forget you, yeah? You've been in our lives for a several years now. We've come to think of you as our own son, do you even know that? We love you, Jack. You've brought Mara and I a happiness we never thought was possible. It's actually because of you that her and I decided to try and have a baby of our own. It's all thanks to you. We've a lot of thanks to be giving you. You started a lot of things for her and I. However, I've failed you in a way. I've failed you in learning how to be patient and as an Assassin in training you need to have an abundance of it if you want to be a proper Assassin. I promise you, you and I will work on that together. Just you and me, yeah? Come here, lad." Jacob opened his arms and watched as Jack got up and came in to hug him. "We love you, Jack. Don't ever forget it." He said as he pulled away from him, he got up from the stool and stood, holding Jack's shoulders in place. "Don't think you've gotten off that easy, now. I want you to get your arse out there and apologize profusely to Avni. She won't be able to get about for a couple days now. And when you're finished with that, I want you to apologize to Mara as well. She loves you and she wants the best for you as well. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't be here with us right now. Go on, off you go." Jacob commanded as he swatted Jack's rump watching him run off. As Jack went, he watched on with a shake of his head. "Thought you were going to chime in as well. What stopped you?" Jacob asked as Mara emerged from the side entrance. "This was all you, you came here with heated determination. Besides, Jack listens to you no matter how "Mum" like I am, however the hell you Brits say it." She chuckled as Jacob slid his arm around her waist. "What's the matter? Hm?" She asked, rubbing the back of his head. "I just want him to do it right. I want him to be brilliant at this, but if he keeps this type of thing up…" Jacob trailed off with another shake of his head before speaking up again, "tell you what though, that was bang out of order, it was. We never taught him that, but we never showed him how to stop it either." Mara kept rubbing the back of Jacob's head softly before reaching up to kiss the side of his temple. "We'll tale care of him, you know that, right? We've come this far, no? We'll do it. Together." She said, speaking softly close to his ear. Jacob looked at her and gave her a smile before hugging her closely. "That little bump is only going to get bigger. Then it'll be hard to hug you proper." He teased. This was more like it. The jokey Jacob Mara had come to love. She shook her head, trying to mask the smile that was forcing to curl the corners of her lips. "Don't hide it, darling. You know I love to see it, come now!" Jacob held her flush against himself as his fingers began their assault on her sides making her squeal with laughter. "Jacob, no, n-NO!" She yelled, tears streaming down her face as he started to rub the scruff of his beard against the softness of her cheeks and neck and laughing with her. He slowed down to let Mara catch her breath, "Come on, love. Let's go speak to Arjun. I trust he would lime to speak to me over this." He said, wrapping his arm around her waist again and escorting her out of the compound.

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