Chapter Three
By: Twist
A/n: Here I am again. School is taking over my life, and I'm finally taking the violin again as another outlet of creativity. Writing just doesn't do the whole job, and I'm sorry to say it. *shrugs* And I'm also taking writing classes. And there's work. So, basically, things will be a lot fewer and further between. But I'll try.
~
Frederick Rust peered into the shed. Most of the things were so covered in dust that you couldn't even read the words on the sides of the crates. And there were many things covered in sheets. Pinned up on the wall were faded designs for something falling under the heading of 'rocket.' He tugged at the windowsill, just in the spirit of curiosity, and heard someone come running across the overgrown lawn. He turned.
It was too late. And, anyway, his father would have gotten him eventually. There was a crack as his father's knuckles collided with the side of Fred's face and a thud as the boy hit the ground. Lord Rust, senior, stood there, hands clenching and unclenching, looking the picture of outrage.
"I thought I gave you very clear instructions never to set foot with in a ten yard radius of this shed. And you try to break into it," he growled. "It even has the seal of the Patrician on it. And you try to break into it. Are. You. Stupid?!" Fred had never seen his father so angry, and that was really saying something. He was terrified.
"I - I was - I - " he curled up to protect himself as his father's foot collided with his ribcage.
"Get inside. And don't leave. And stay away from your mother." Lord Rust growled. Fred jumped up and practically ran home in his hurry to stay as far away from his father as possible. He could feel the glare on his back.
~
Caro ran as fast as she could up the stairs to the Patrician's Office. She knew where they would be, and that they would help her. Sadly, she encountered Drumknott and an amorous Wuffles en route.
"Where would you be going, Lady Rust, that you should be in such a hurry?" Drumknott asked, as Wuffles licked at the clerk's knee. "The Patrician is busy at the moment."
"I don't care what he's doing right now!" She yelled, kicking the clerk in the groin. "And I hate you!" Drumknott groaned and curled up in ball as she stormed off. Wuffles saw this as his opportunity and moved in.
~
"Sybil, there is something seriously wrong with Ronald, no matter how you look at it," Downey was saying. Sybil sighed and placed her chin in her hand, resting the other on her hip.
"I'm not sure if interfering would be wise," she said. "It may be something that's going to settle on its own."
"He's been like this for awhile now, though," Lord Vetinari said, staring at the ceiling in a manner which suggested thought. "But, like Sybil said, I'm not sure that if we step in it won't make it worse." The three of them nodded, and stared at some inner thoughts. Vetinari looked at the door quickly. "Someone's coming," he said. "They're running."
Downey moved forward and opened the door. Caro Rust flew in, out of breath. She looked at the three of them, and burst into hysterical tears. Sybil immediately moved to her side. In the manner of all men everywhere during an emotional outburst, Vetinari and Downey stayed distanced.
"What happened, Caro?" Sybil asked gently, when Caro had managed to compose herself enough to speak.
"Ronald came home, he was angry about something," she said. Vetinari bit his lip and made an attempt at apologizing. "No, Havelock, it wasn't you, I'm sure. He's been angry at our Fred for weeks now and when Ronald caught him near that shed . . ." she looked at them all. "Can you do something?"
Vetinari and Downey looked at each other. "I think," the Patrician said carefully, "that I have something along the lines of a plan."
"So quickly? Caro asked. "I just told you about everything."
"Yes, but I've been thinking about something like this for a long time," Vetinari said. "And it's a million to one chance; it's bound to work."
~
Fred Rust was cleaning a small cut on his face. His father had, presumably, returned shortly after Fred had retreated to the safety of the bathroom. He looked into the mirror. Many people said he looked like his mother, except for his eyes. He'd never really liked his appearance, and his eyes were his least favorite feature. They were the same watery blue of his father's.
As he was looking into the mirror and thinking about how utterly miserable his life was, a black-gloved hand slapped over his mouth. The hooded figure behind him waved cheerfully in the mirror.
"Hello, there," the Patrician's voice said from under the hood. "How are we today?"
"Mmmmf," Fred replied. He was angry. He did not need his father's bizarre friends showing up in his bathroom right now.
"Very good," the Lord Vetinari said, pulling his hood back. "You lead the way out." Fred felt a small, sharp point on his back. "And I really do urge you not to make any noise or attempt to run away. That would be bad."
~
There was a knock at the back door of the mansion. Enraged, Rust stormed to the back of the house. His wife had left, completely against his orders. A servant opened the door, and bowed into the foyer the president of the Assassins' Guild. Cowering behind the man was Rust's wife.
"Caro! And Faustus!" Rust was in a rage, and he really wasn't sure who to shout at first.
"Ron," Downey said levelly, eyeing his enraged friend. "Breathe. If you lay a finger on your wife, I swear to gods Havelock will jump onto you from the second floor and make the next few minutes of your life a living hell. And yes, he did bring the dog."
This was untrue, of course. Lord Vetinari was currently in no condition to be descending upon poor, defenseless, abusive nobles as he was prodding the son of one out of the back door toward the house next door. His dog was also at home, growling at the world in general and trying to entice Drumknott specifically.
"Faustus, you mind your own business. And you and Havelock will get out of my house now," Rust growled, unaware that Havelock and his own son were making at the back door of the mansion, looking under various bricks in the walk for the keys. "Get upstairs, Caro. I don't want to see you or Frederick for the rest of the evening." Caro nodded, gave Lord Downey a helpless look, and fled.
"If you hurt her," Downey said as he opened the front door in order to leave, "I swear to gods all of us will find out and you will have hell to pay for it." He nodded curtly, stepped out into the hall, and left.
"Dammit!" Rust slammed his fist into the wall, and stormed to the conservatory. As he entered the glass enclosure, the back door to the old mansion next door locked shut with a very final scrape.
By: Twist
A/n: Here I am again. School is taking over my life, and I'm finally taking the violin again as another outlet of creativity. Writing just doesn't do the whole job, and I'm sorry to say it. *shrugs* And I'm also taking writing classes. And there's work. So, basically, things will be a lot fewer and further between. But I'll try.
~
Frederick Rust peered into the shed. Most of the things were so covered in dust that you couldn't even read the words on the sides of the crates. And there were many things covered in sheets. Pinned up on the wall were faded designs for something falling under the heading of 'rocket.' He tugged at the windowsill, just in the spirit of curiosity, and heard someone come running across the overgrown lawn. He turned.
It was too late. And, anyway, his father would have gotten him eventually. There was a crack as his father's knuckles collided with the side of Fred's face and a thud as the boy hit the ground. Lord Rust, senior, stood there, hands clenching and unclenching, looking the picture of outrage.
"I thought I gave you very clear instructions never to set foot with in a ten yard radius of this shed. And you try to break into it," he growled. "It even has the seal of the Patrician on it. And you try to break into it. Are. You. Stupid?!" Fred had never seen his father so angry, and that was really saying something. He was terrified.
"I - I was - I - " he curled up to protect himself as his father's foot collided with his ribcage.
"Get inside. And don't leave. And stay away from your mother." Lord Rust growled. Fred jumped up and practically ran home in his hurry to stay as far away from his father as possible. He could feel the glare on his back.
~
Caro ran as fast as she could up the stairs to the Patrician's Office. She knew where they would be, and that they would help her. Sadly, she encountered Drumknott and an amorous Wuffles en route.
"Where would you be going, Lady Rust, that you should be in such a hurry?" Drumknott asked, as Wuffles licked at the clerk's knee. "The Patrician is busy at the moment."
"I don't care what he's doing right now!" She yelled, kicking the clerk in the groin. "And I hate you!" Drumknott groaned and curled up in ball as she stormed off. Wuffles saw this as his opportunity and moved in.
~
"Sybil, there is something seriously wrong with Ronald, no matter how you look at it," Downey was saying. Sybil sighed and placed her chin in her hand, resting the other on her hip.
"I'm not sure if interfering would be wise," she said. "It may be something that's going to settle on its own."
"He's been like this for awhile now, though," Lord Vetinari said, staring at the ceiling in a manner which suggested thought. "But, like Sybil said, I'm not sure that if we step in it won't make it worse." The three of them nodded, and stared at some inner thoughts. Vetinari looked at the door quickly. "Someone's coming," he said. "They're running."
Downey moved forward and opened the door. Caro Rust flew in, out of breath. She looked at the three of them, and burst into hysterical tears. Sybil immediately moved to her side. In the manner of all men everywhere during an emotional outburst, Vetinari and Downey stayed distanced.
"What happened, Caro?" Sybil asked gently, when Caro had managed to compose herself enough to speak.
"Ronald came home, he was angry about something," she said. Vetinari bit his lip and made an attempt at apologizing. "No, Havelock, it wasn't you, I'm sure. He's been angry at our Fred for weeks now and when Ronald caught him near that shed . . ." she looked at them all. "Can you do something?"
Vetinari and Downey looked at each other. "I think," the Patrician said carefully, "that I have something along the lines of a plan."
"So quickly? Caro asked. "I just told you about everything."
"Yes, but I've been thinking about something like this for a long time," Vetinari said. "And it's a million to one chance; it's bound to work."
~
Fred Rust was cleaning a small cut on his face. His father had, presumably, returned shortly after Fred had retreated to the safety of the bathroom. He looked into the mirror. Many people said he looked like his mother, except for his eyes. He'd never really liked his appearance, and his eyes were his least favorite feature. They were the same watery blue of his father's.
As he was looking into the mirror and thinking about how utterly miserable his life was, a black-gloved hand slapped over his mouth. The hooded figure behind him waved cheerfully in the mirror.
"Hello, there," the Patrician's voice said from under the hood. "How are we today?"
"Mmmmf," Fred replied. He was angry. He did not need his father's bizarre friends showing up in his bathroom right now.
"Very good," the Lord Vetinari said, pulling his hood back. "You lead the way out." Fred felt a small, sharp point on his back. "And I really do urge you not to make any noise or attempt to run away. That would be bad."
~
There was a knock at the back door of the mansion. Enraged, Rust stormed to the back of the house. His wife had left, completely against his orders. A servant opened the door, and bowed into the foyer the president of the Assassins' Guild. Cowering behind the man was Rust's wife.
"Caro! And Faustus!" Rust was in a rage, and he really wasn't sure who to shout at first.
"Ron," Downey said levelly, eyeing his enraged friend. "Breathe. If you lay a finger on your wife, I swear to gods Havelock will jump onto you from the second floor and make the next few minutes of your life a living hell. And yes, he did bring the dog."
This was untrue, of course. Lord Vetinari was currently in no condition to be descending upon poor, defenseless, abusive nobles as he was prodding the son of one out of the back door toward the house next door. His dog was also at home, growling at the world in general and trying to entice Drumknott specifically.
"Faustus, you mind your own business. And you and Havelock will get out of my house now," Rust growled, unaware that Havelock and his own son were making at the back door of the mansion, looking under various bricks in the walk for the keys. "Get upstairs, Caro. I don't want to see you or Frederick for the rest of the evening." Caro nodded, gave Lord Downey a helpless look, and fled.
"If you hurt her," Downey said as he opened the front door in order to leave, "I swear to gods all of us will find out and you will have hell to pay for it." He nodded curtly, stepped out into the hall, and left.
"Dammit!" Rust slammed his fist into the wall, and stormed to the conservatory. As he entered the glass enclosure, the back door to the old mansion next door locked shut with a very final scrape.
