The music was booming within the tavern wooden walls .People of all colors , ages and social positions were dancing wildly on the floor , abandoning themselves to the raw feeling given by breaking the society rules . Some were standing at the shabby tables , drinking and smoking weird smelling substances .It isn't necessary to say that this tavern was one of the most disreputable between many others , being the centre of illegal substances use and other ... activities in the Port .
The door opened and a cloaked , lithe figure entered the tavern . The person's features couldn't be seen ,but this was a common thing in this tavern . After all , some of the people held important positions in the society and they obviously didn't want to be seen or recognized . Nobody cared about the new presence , so the person made it's way through the crowd and sat down at the bar .
˝ What's the strongest drink here in the Port? ˝ the figure asked , and judging by the voice it was a female , aging between fifteen and eighteen years old . The bartender didn't seem to care too much about that , and pulled out a brown bottle and a small glass .
The female nodded and the glass was full in seconds .
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Merrin was very angry . Cursing under his breath , he paced back to the Palace , not caring that it was past midnight and he could be easily robbed or beaten by one of the most dangerous gangs in the Castle .
The truth was , despite the efforts made by the ExtraOrdinary Wizard , ever since the arrival of some very shady persons both in the Castle and the Port , these gangs couldn't be driven out no matter what .In the daylight , everyone was safe ( or that's what most people assumed , since nobody got attacked or robbed during the day ) , but after the sundown , incidents started to happen .
The first one was shrugged off , since robberies did happen sometimes , but after that they started to get more and more violent .When a person was brought to the Infirmary with all his limbs broken and lots of other gruesome injuries , the EOW started to take measures . None of them worked , by the way .
Merrin didn't care at all about the gangs . He walked confidently , with his usual frown upon his face . He was supposed to turn sixteen tomorrow ( according to what Nursie Meredith told him ) , but he didn't care about that either . The thing he was thinking about made his blood boil .
Staying with his mother for about two years did him some good , but he didn't feel at home at all in the Port . At first , he thought things were going to get better ,having an opportunity to finally have a family and a permanent roof over his head , but after he was beaten three times by some renegade boys when he was trying to go and buy some groceries really ticked him off . Sure , he was now a somewhat better fighter , but that wasn't a good life . He wanted ...no , he needed something better .
So he traveled back to the Castle and re-occupied his old room ( at first he couldn't believe how stupid this family was , not noticing him at all after all he has done )in the Attics . However , he didn't have so much luck with finding a job .
Since he found out that that boy ... what was his name.. ah , Beetle , became Chief Hermetic Scribe , Merrin knew he couldn't get a job in the Scriptorium . No , he wasn't that stupid . After that ,he searched high and low for another one , but nothing . And on top of that , he was running low on money , and even if he didn't eat so many sweets like he did when he was younger , he needed money to keep living here ,otherwise all he had was the Dollhouse . Merrin shuddered in anticipation .
So for now , all he had to do was to return back to his room .
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˝So after I punched that bastard into oblivion , I thought I've finished with him , but it turns out he was just passed out ! ˝
Shouts and screams resonated in the large room , making everyone's head pound . Now , more people were sitting down , drinking and talking , or more like shouting to each other . The cloaked figure was laid down on a bench , and it wasn't because of her tiredness . No . After like five drinks , she simply passed out and was carried by some persons to the bench . She was just waking up , apparently , clutching at her head . She shrugged it off and got to the dance floor . After this , she would get to the Castle in the morning . Yeah , this would be her new life , and there was no going back .
˝Hey pretty girl . Want to have some fun ? ˝ a tall , solid man asked her . He was apparently flanked by two equal solid looking men , who were currently eyeing her up .
˝ No thanks . ˝ the girl said coldly . She wasn't going to tolerate any rubbish from anyone .The men , however , didn't take the hint .
˝ C'mon sweetie , you know you want to . ˝ he continued , placing his hand on her butt .
It all happened in a flash . The girl punched him hard in the stomach , making him topple over in pain . The men tried to attack her , but she reacted quickly , delivering some equally hard punches to them , then banged their heads togheter until they both passed out . The other man lifted himself up and brandished a knife from under his cloak .
˝You stupid -... ˝ . He didn't get to finish , because the girl grabbed him into a headlock , bringing him down , and then headbutted him until he passed out as well .
Her cloak was off , revealing a bloodied face and two beautiful blue grey eyes . The contrast between her features and her actions was immense , leaving some persons astonished . But when a fight starts out in a tavern ,more are sure to follow. Soon enough ,everyone was screaming and shouting , violent curses filling the athmosphere and raising the aggresivity of the people .
Of course , the infernal noise soon bought the authorities to the tavern't door , interrupting the fights .
˝ Alright , what's happening in here ? ˝
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Surprisingly , Merrin's journey back to his room was uneventful . He plopped down on his bed and reached in one of his many pockets for a licorice snake . They were like the only thing that could calm him down .
It was a beautiful night , with the shiniest moon Merrin had ever seen , but that didn't cheer him up too much . He had too many worries at the time . Even with the Attic room , on which he could count , food wasn't going to serve itself . And there were so many things he needed now...
Chewing on the sweet treat , Merrin thought about what would he do next . He was running low on options , but he didn't have a choice . He needed a job sooner or later , and it was better if it was sooner . He frowned again and sighed . Tomorrow he would have better luck .
Little did he know that tomorrow he would indeed have better luck .
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The authorities searched the tavern that night , but the mysterious female that started the fight couldn't be found . Of course , not that officer Wilson would have believed that story , anyway . A teenager girl beating three men by herself ? Yeah , right .
The whole incident was explained by the drugs the people consumed and of course , on the alcohol . A lot of people were arrested , but everyone knew that half of them would be free by morning . Law enforcement wasn't the strongest point of the Port . Officer Wilson sighed . Maybe one day things won't be so difficult anymore ...
A few yards away , the girl was just catching the last ferry to the Castle . It was a shabby one , but whatever . She didn't need a luxury boat to get moving . Not that she ever used one , by the way .
Her head was still pounding from the alcohol . She kinda regretted drinking so much , but when she arrived in the Port she was simply ... overwhelmed .Desperation seeped into her heart , mixing with some old pains , making her unable to take the right decision . She frowned and straightened up . Her vision was still blurry , but she had a confident and stern look on her face .Nobody would dare mess with her right now .
Her name was Kasih , but from now on , she would be known by her new one , Briony .She had long , straight ,ebony black hair with a fringe that covered her whole forehead , almond shaped eyes , plump lips and milky , light colored skin .With her looks she would easily blend in with the people , and then her new life would start .
And so it begins ...