Chapter 1
Friday, November 13, 246
Writ before watch
I haven't written in a while, in almost two months really. After we wrapped up the shadow snake case, the watches seem to have all blurred together its been so quiet. We go out, do our rounds, stopping a few minnows, catching a few foists, quiet down any brawls, take any rats we have to the cage dogs, and then head back to Jane Street. It's never been this quiet in the lower city before. My dogs and I think its Rosto's doing, him as being the new Rogue.
Rosto's plan to change our boarding house into the new House of the Rogue seems to be working. Construction is near finished, but even still, there are Rogue coming in and out all the time, seeking Rosto for one thing or another. It's obvious they're here on rogue business, so Erksen and I know better than to ask, and we just keep away and to our own business.
I'd have thought that, with so many rouge walking in, out, and around, that I would have to worry about my room being broke into, but it seems Rosto took care of that. He made doubly sure no one would even sniff up the stairs. I think it mayhap helped that he switched rooms with Aniki and moved up to the top floor. He said it was so its harder for anyone to try to kill him while he's up there, and I have to agree with that; anyone trying to get to Rosto would have to climb a story without waking any of us in the house. As we're all fair light sleepers, that would be pretty hard.
Anyways, I need to head off to watch now. I need to be ready and alert since its Friday the 13th and people being superstitious are going to be scared. I wonder where Pounce is? He's usually yowling for me to leave by now.
Writ after watch
Watch was too quiet today. We didn't see ANYTHING! No minnows, no foists, no robberies, and no brawls. Not even at the Barrrel's Bottom! That place breeds brawls. It was too quiet. My dogs and me just walked around our watch bored, hoping to find SOMETHING. Its what happened after watch though, that was even stranger. I was on my way home from Jane Street when it happened.
It would have been black as pitch out on the streets tonight if not for the thin sliver of moon whose bright shine was only slightly dimmed by the smoke drifting from the various chimneys and pit fires throughout the city. Despite the cold and ice on the ground, this suited me just fine, as I carefully made my way down the street. The less light out and the colder it was, the less chance that someone might try something to a lonely puppy seemingly wondering the empty streets, namely the watch, would try and stop me. I was careful to avoid the odd torch set outside the taverns and inns.
It was not far from my housing intended destination that I felt someone following me. This wasn't the first time I had been followed, and I could feel my body subconsciously tense as it prepared for trouble. A confrontation was the last thing I wanted in the condition I was in, hence all the sneaking around. I knew quite well the streets weren't safe tonight, but had hoped at the very least I would be able to make it back from Night Market in one piece. I kept my pace even, hoping not to let my trailer know that I had noticed them.
Coming up to a building I recognized, I broke into a sprint and darted around the corner and into a small hidden cellar. I knew not many people knew about the cellar, so it was pretty safe. In the case that if my pursuer knew about the cellar, and may hap saw me go into it, it was a good place to catch them by surprise. With the dim light, and cluttered floor, it would make fight hard, but I figured, that if I could catch them unawares, I had a least a chance to give them a one of the infamous nap taps with my baton. When I didn't hear foots steps either running by, or coming in, I started to worry. Had they given up already?
I don't know how long I sat there, crouched in the corner. My heart racing, and my sweaty uniform sticking to me despite the November chill as I sat as still as I could, listening, and trying to decide on whether or not he had left yet. I don't know how long I stood there, body tense and ready to pounce, but by the time I had stood up, my knees were protesting, and my legs tingling, partially numb.
The club swung down on my head as I poked it out the small cellar, and my legs stumbled trying to react. I belatedly thought I should have waited for the feeling to come back into my legs before I set out for home again. My legs weren't too useless though, as I managed to move enough so the club hit my collarbone with a sickening crack instead of my head. As I raised my baton to block his next strike I felt mild frustration stir; now my left arm was useless. I almost felt sorry for the poor cove as I blocked another of his clumsy swings, and kicked the feet from under him. I could smell the alcohol on his breath when he exhaled violently, winded from his fall. While he was temporarily incapacitated, I delivered a perfect nap-tap, thinking Goodwin would be proud, and taking up my whistle, I blew two short blasts to alert the nearest dog pair. I knew they would probably want a statement, so I sat against the wall, near enough to watch the cove in case he started to wake.
I was starting to wonder if my whistle was heard when a pair of dogs came around the corner.
"It's about time," I muttered. It was late, my shoulder left me dizzy and my head reeling, and the smell coming off the cove left me nauseous; I was not in a good mood.
"Sorry, shifts 're still changin." Figures. He stood looking between me and the cove, while his partner did the hobbling. " Alo, wha 'appen 'er?" I barely managed to keep from rolling my eyes at the obviousness of the situation, the pain making me irritable and impatient.
"I was attacked." I monotoned, leaving out the "What did you think?".
"Oh. Ye sure did a number on ech othe', eh?" He tried to joke with me to lighten the mood; it wasn't taking, and an awkward silence ensuedfell between us. Fortunately for us both, his partner was a littler quicker on the uptake, and asked if I was able to go back to the kennel with them to get a healing and to give a statement. Nodding my head I tried to stand, and only realized I was swaying when the slow partner steadied me.
"Roe, you give her a hand back then, and I'll drag our rat here."
"Ite then." The dog, Roe, replied, and we watched as his partner, a rather large fellow, hefted the rat over his shoulder, and we made the our way back to Jane street, Roe holding me steady with my arm across his shoulders. Needless to sayAs expected, they weren't too happy to see me back so soon.
"Not you to!" Ahuda exclaimed as we walked into the Kennel, and the upon seeing the unconscious cove Roe's partner unceremoniously deposited on the floor added, "Well, at least you managed to hobble the rat."
It took a while for her words to sink in, but when they did, I took a quick look around the kennel, and spotted a pair of Dogs in the healer's area. As Roe took me over, I recognized Tunstal and Goodwin. It was almost audible as Goodwin's face instantly snapped into a frown upon seeing me, while Tunstal lounged against the wall, an eyebrow raised. There was a Dog healer looking after a rather nasty slice down Goodwin's right leg, while she sat on the healer's table. It seemed Tunstal was still waiting for the healer to attend to his arm; I could only see the blood-soaked handkerchiefs tied to his upper bicep.
"Puppy, report." Goodwin said. I knew that tone and replied instantly.
"I was being followed home. When I noticed my tail, I tried to lose him by ducking into a cellar. He stayed and waited for me to come out and near knocked me upside the head. I managed to give him a nap tap before he got me." I could see her frown turn into a scowl as she replied.
"You should have known better Cooper. You're lucky you're not dead." I could only duck my head in shame. I knew that. I really did.
"Oh, come on Clary, of course she did. She just slipped up. No one's perfect." He said grinning. "The fact that you've a nice long scratch of your own and a nice set of bruises will attest to that."
"As if you're any better off." She quickly retorted, wincing as the healer tried to scrub a particularly difficult piece of grime out of the wound. Tunstal grinned even wider. The looby was just asking for it. Goodwin wasn't in the mood.
"We got our own hits each here Cooper, though we didn't get either of our attackers." He said with a wink. "Good job there. We'll actually get a chance to question this cove. Poor Clary here just about cornered hers before he jumped into the river.
"I wasn't going in after him." Goodwin grumbled.
"What she means to say, puppy, is that she can't swim." My jaw dropped. The Guardswoman Goodwin couldn't swim.
"Just because I don't like to swim doesn't mean that I can't. You can close your mouth, Cooper." My jaw snapped closed again. She had a point. "And it's not like you're any different, Mattes." She added with a glare in his direction.
"But I'm a excellent swimmer, Clary. You've given me enough practice over the years." He replied with in a sweet voice. I didn't think the grin on Tunstal's face could get any wider, but he proved me wrong. I was surprised Goodwin's glare didn't burn a hole through his head. I stood there pensively, waiting for when she'd finally lose it and trounce him. The grin on Tunstal's face disappeared almost instantly though, replaced with concern when he saw me swaying. Mind you, I didn't realize I was swaying till Goodwin snapped at me.
"For goodness sake Cooper. Sit. Down." I don't think I so much as sat, rather than collapsed onto the chair Tunstal pulled up for me. By that time the healer was finished with Goodwin's leg.
"Just keep it clean and change the bandage in the morning, and again before your watch tomorrow. I burned out the infection, and put a charm on to keep it from opening again to give your body a chance to heal. Just take it easy for a while Guardswoman." Goodwin nodded her head and jumped off the table, stumbling and hissing a bit in pain when she landed on her bad leg. She'd have a limp for a while for sure. "Now as for you," he/she said, turning on me "your collar bone is broken clean through. What did you do, take a club to it?" He/she joked. I could only sit there staring at the floor.
"Cooper, how did you break it?" Tunstal asked. I could tell he was curious. It's not like me to let someone get close enough for something that damaging.
"I let the scut hit me with a club." I managed to get out. By that time I could feel my face heat up in a blush as I determinedly stared at my shoes, trying my hardest to ignore Tunstal as he burst out laughing.
"Well, at least you're still in most of one piece Cooper." Goodwin said. I could hear the smile in her voice as she tried to keep her face straight. She might not have been laughing, but I could tell she found it funny.
"Ok, so far as I can tell, there's nothing else broken. The dogs should have bound your arm up instead of just letting you walk free. Your bone's moved a bit, so this could hurt some. You're lucky I'm good with bones or I wouldn't be able to mend it so well. Now hold on…" There was a sickening pop as pain shot through my body and I involuntarily yelped. "There now, all fixed. Just take it easy for a while puppy. I need to save some to deal with Tunstal yet, but there's only bruising left. Your arm and collarbone will be sore for a while, and the swelling is already starting to go down. Just try not to hit it against anything and you should be fine."
As he/she turner away to look after Tunstal, I looked to what had become of the cove who attacked me, only to see an empty room with Ahuda finishing up some paper work. It wasn't long before Tunstal was all fixed up, and we were giving our statements to Roe and his partner, whose name I found out was Wix. I don't know what time it was before we were allowed to leave, but by that time I was almost swaying again, this time with fatigue. I was so tired even my fingers protested as I eased open the door to the Kennel. I couldn't imagine what Aniki, Kora, Erksen, and Rosto were going to say when I got home. Hopefully I would be able to sneak in with out waking them. I don't know if I would be able to handle having to explain what happened any more tonight.
As I stepped out of the Kennel after my Dogs, it was just my luck to find Rosto there, lounging against the side of the kennel as if he'd been there for a while. I should have taken the back way out.
As he straightened, my Dogs turned, slipping into a fighting stance, only to relax mostly when they noticed who it was.
"Rosto the Piper." Goodwin stated, "To what do we owe this pleasure?" Goodwin asked, a little too sweetly for her mood. It made me suspicious, she was up to something. Rosto seemed to know what was coming for he looked at her and gave his own sweet smile.
"Why to find my missing housemate of course." I glared. I know I did. Who did he think he was, to be saying things like that. I could take care of myself. That and now my Dogs might suspect something that wasn't there. As I suspect was Rosto's intent, Goodwin's smile was immediately replaced frown. She was about to say something, when my idiot mouth spoke out of turn.
"Rosto you great looby, you already knew where I wasI was here, so stop goading my Dogs." I saw Tunstal raise his eyebrow at my outburst and cursed my runaway mouth as I once again studied the ground, thankful for the dark to hide my blush.
"Alright, you caught me." Rosto admitted, raising his hands and grinning, his pearly whites showing through the dark. "I already knew. A birdie told me of a cove arrested for attacking a puppy. I just wanted to make sure Cooper was alright."
"Meaning that you haven't tired of having to deal a Dog in your den and sent a hit out for her." Goodwin clarified with narrowed eyes. That would explain why she was being so cold towards him. She worried about my safety. As touched as I was, I thought her a little cracked. Rosto wouldn't do something like that, I was pretty sure. Rosto's eyes hardened.
"Would no more set out a hit for Beka than I would my own mother. I don't do things that way." He said. Then his expression lightened again into one of sweet playfulness as he continued. "Besides, if I wanted Beka to move, which I don't, I'd have asked since I now own the place. But then that'd mean I'd also have to ask puppy Erksen to stay away, and then Kora would be right mad at me. I know better than to anger a mage." Rosto punctuated this by looking away with a "humph" and crossing his arms across his chest like an indignant child.
Goodwin regarded him carefully, looking for some sign of falsehood. Rosto in turn looked her dead in the eye, telling her he was serious. What ever it was Goodwin was looking for, she seemed to find it as she said, "Fine. I believe you rat. I've known you long enough to be sure it wasn't you who did it." With those words, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding, as relief flooded my system, threatening to make my already exhausted body give out completely. Rosto, noticing my exhaustion put a comforting hand on my good arm, a worried look on his face.
"Besides," Goodwin added, grinning, "You're far to smitten with her to ever be able to lay a hand on her." I stiffened and quickly ducked my head as a deep blush overtook my face while Tunstal let out a good laugh. Rosto, the looby, grinned shamelessly, not removing his hand from my arm.
They were still laughing at my expense when I felt the world turn on its end, stumbling slightly as Rosto kept me standing. "I'm fine." I protested weakly, knowing they wouldn't listen.
Sure enough, the next thing I heard was Tunstal's drawl of "Sure you are." While Goodwin simply shook her head, still amused despite her worry.
"Take her home, Piper," Goodwin said, "Make sure she gets home safe."
I was about to protest, but was quieted by the look on her and Tunstal's face. I was stubborn, but not stupid. I knew no one would dare attack me while Rosto was around, and I knew Goodwin and Tunstal knew it to. I sighed my acquiescence, resigned to my fate. "This'll sure look good," I mumbled under my breath, "A dog being escorted home by a rusher, The Rogue himself, no less." Unfortunately, Goodwin, Tunstal, and Rosto still heard it and started laughing. As Rosto and I walked away, I could still hear them chuckling to themselves. I think my face is still red, as I write this down."
Its already into the early morning hours and I have a watch again tomorrow evening, and chores to catch-up on, so I'm off to bed. I haven't seen Pounce all evening, I wonder where he went?