~Theo~

Theodore Blackwood stood outside the ring of a London fight club, watching intently at his competition as a raucous crowd roared around him. A rather skilled brawler, Theo could hardly wait for his turn- especially now as he witnessed the uncommon prowess of a mysterious newcomer currently wiping the floor with two other fighters at the same time. Both of them twice his size no less.

"Leave some for me, Jacob!" Theo heard a woman shout not five paces to his left, and he turned to see her freckled cheeks and bright blue eyes beaming at the unfolding fight. Theo cocked an eyebrow. Few women even set foot into the clubs, let alone fought in the ring, but from the intensity of her gaze he could tell that she'd be able to hold her own out there, given the chance.

Theo turned his attention back to this "Jacob" fellow, who was a blur of slick hair, fine features, and tight muscle as he moved throughout the ring. Then suddenly, the scrappy little guy turned and gave the freckled girl the biggest, cheekiest grin that Theo had ever seen, and he was shocked that such an apparently skilled fighter would lose focus and drop his guard like that mid-fight. One of Jacob's opponents took the opportunity to lunge forward, putting all of his remaining energy into a final blow aimed directly at Jacob's face.

Jacob ducked beneath the blow before he even fully turned to face his opponent, and in a single, fluid motion he landed an uppercut that hammered into the poor man's jaw dropping him like a sack of lead. Jacob's remaining opponent completely lost his nerve and quickly exited the ring.

The crowd erupted into a frenzy, and as that little weasel Robert Topping boisterously declared Jacob the winner of the round, Theo was trying to decide whether Jacob was a goofy dolt or a sneaky genius. He would find out for himself soon enough.

"Great, my turn," Theo shrugged his shoulders a few times to loosen up, and as he pre-emptively made his way to the ring, he looked up at the good seats for Maxwell Roth, who had bet quite a bit of money on him to win tonight. He spotted Roth and smirked when the older man winked at him. The pressure was certainly on now.

"Blackwood!" A gravely voice yelled at him above the commotion, its tone stopping Theo in his tracks.

"What's the matter, Clobber?" he asked, annoyed because he knew that the enormous, bald-headed man making his way toward him sounded urgent. It was never good when Clobber sounded urgent.

"Time to go, Theo," Clobber stated, grabbing Theodore firmly by the arm.

"Damn, it man. This is horrific timing, you know that," Theo gritted his teeth and shot a glance up at Roth, who was looking down at them questioningly.

"You know I wouldn't bother if it wasn't important," Clobber sounded genuinely apologetic, so Theo relented and followed the larger man out. He could feel Roth's daggered gaze on the back of his neck as he exited the building. He'd have to deal with that, along with smacking the goofy grin off that Jacob fellow's face, at a later date.

Clobber broke out into a jog as soon as they hit the street, and Theo cursed the chill as he followed the bald man into the driver's seat of a carriage. He was still geared up for his fight, and so was shirtless.

"You don't have an extra jacket do you?" Theo knew the answer before the question left his lips.

"Nah, but here," Clobber removed his own red Blighter jacket and gave it Theo as they drove off. The other man was so burly that his white undershirt was sufficient enough to keep him warm anyway.

"Thanks, now can you please tell me what the hell is so important?" Theo huffed as he threw the jacket on and buttoned it up, "And where we're going would be a nice bit of info too while you're at it."

"Miss Thorne has summoned us," Clobber stated grimly after a long pause."

Theo's eyes went wide and his mouth parted slightly as he stared at Clobber, "What the hell for?"

"Don't know," Clobber rubbed his bald head before stating quietly, "She scares me, though."

If Theo didn't know any better, he would have thought that was a ridiculous statement coming from someone like Clobber. But he did know better.

The pair sat in silence for the rest of the trip, and when they finally exited the carriage it was more than the chilly night air that was giving Theo gooseflesh.

They saw Thorne outside a warehouse, standing as though her spine was made of iron, red hair ablaze in the moonlight peeking through the gathering clouds. She was surrounded by a cadre of their fellow Blighters and a pair of Templar lieutenants.

Theodore's sister- Bloody Nora herself- was among the assembly as well.

"Shit," Theo whispered as he exhaled. This really was serious.

"Mr….Clobber? And Mr. Blackwood. You're late," She wasn't speaking loudly, and yet Thorne's voice still managed to pierce through the air with the sharp precision of a whip.

"My apologies, Miss Thorne!" Clobber stammered as he wrung his hands nervously, "We came as quickly as we could," he elbowed Theo, who nodded in agreement.

"Yes, well. Now we may proceed," Thorne clasped her hands behind her back, "I've gathered you here tonight, the most promising of the Blighters, to inform you of some news that should trouble you all. Before that, however, I wish to discuss productivity and new directives," She stepped into the empty warehouse and her audience followed.

Thorne spoke for nearly an hour, and although Theo payed attention for most of her speech, he couldn't quite keep his mind from drifting to the fight he missed with Jacob. That lopsided grin was so vivid in his mind's eye. As were the tattoos on Jacob's chest and arm. Theo imagined that they would have had one hell of a great match.

"No doubt you are familiar with the Clinkers?" Thorne paused as her audience nodded and grumbled amongst themselves.

Clinkers? Now there was a word that snapped Theo back to attention. Those green little roaches had been all but wiped out. Hadn't they?

"They've been reorganizing," Thorne continued as though she'd read Theo's mind, "While you grow complacent they move swiftly, guided by an invisible- and as of yet unidentified- hand."

More mutters from the Blighters. Theo shifted his weight and glanced at his sister, who was grinding her lower lip slowly between her teeth, her eyes narrowing to slits at the news.

"As I speak, they plan to move against Kaylock," Thorne paused yet again, her eyes darting from face to face, "who couldn't even be bothered to show up to our little gathering, I see. The foolish lout."

The tone of gathered Blighters quickly began to resemble the crowd in the fight club before Thorne silenced them all with a loud clap.

"You are the front line in our hold on this city. You will remain vigilant, and you will stamp out these pests before they grow in strength and number. Any and all information in regards to their leadership will be relayed to me as soon as it is divulged. Am I clear?"

Thorne was met with a cacophony of "Yes's" and "Yeah's."

"Spread the word," she barked, "Dismissed."

The Blighters disappeared quickly into the night, and as he watched them leave, Theo figured that quite a bit of Clinker blood would color the streets before the sun came up. He turned to leave with Clobber.

"One moment, Mr. Blackwood."

Theo's heart dropped to his feet as he stopped dead in his tracks, "Yes, Miss Thorne?"

Clobber looked on helplessly as he continued to make his way toward the carriage, and Theo was grateful when the larger man waited for him after climbing into the driver's seat.

"Your sister here informs me that you show quite a bit of promise," Thorne continued as Theodore shot a glance at Nora, "And that you possess skills a rung or two above that of your run-of-the-mill thug at any rate."

Theo opened his mouth as if to say something, despite not having the slightest clue what to say besides, 'God damn you, Nora.' So he kept quiet.

"I require someone who can move unhindered through places which I and my peers cannot," Thorne continued, "I have a task that requires the utmost discretion."

"Yes, Miss Thorne," Theo was at a loss. He knew he wouldn't like whatever Thorne had in mind for him, but he most certainly couldn't decline. This was a command, not a request.

Thorne proceeded to speak of things which the rank and file Blighters had no knowledge of, and Theo did his best to keep up with her, which was challenging since she insisted on remaining as vague as possible.

"I am searching for an artifact that will cement our hold on this city."

Theo's brows furrowed at Thorne's words.

"It is a task that none but myself will undertake. However, there is a lesser artifact hidden within this city that I need you locate. One that will provide aid to my efforts."

"Artifacts? I don't…"

"There is only so much information that I can allow you to possess," Thorne interrupted, "I must keep you in darkness, while providing you with a means to make your way through it. Here are your directives."

She handed him a sealed note.

"This will have to suffice for now, until your skills are proven. We will be in touch."

"Miss Thorne," Nora dipped her head slightly as the high ranking Templar turned away from them, her heels clicking evenly on the pavement as she and her two lieutenants boarded a carriage and disappeared into the growing fog.

A shiver wracked through Theo's spine once she had left.

"What the fuck, Nora?" he growled.

"You should be honored you ungrateful little prick," Nora retorted, giving her younger, but considerably taller brother a shove.

"Are you out of your mind?" Theo was nearly shouting now, "Are you out of your goddamn mind!"

"Get a hold of yourself, Teddy," Nora snarled, grabbing him by his collar and pulling him close as she emphasized his childhood nickname, which Theo loathed, with a smug venom. He could feel her spit landing in the stubble on his chin as she spoke quietly and intensely, "You had better not fuck this up, you hear?"

He freed himself from her grip and wiped his chin, "So what do you gain from this?" he asked quietly, regaining his composure, "Why peddle this bullshit about my 'skills' to Thorne?"

"You were always a clever lad, Teddy," Nora's voice rose nearly to that of the young girl who used to tease him relentlessly not so very long ago.

"And you were always a selfish little snake," he retorted.

Nora shrugged and produced a musical laugh that would have been quite charming had he not known her for all these years, "You pull this off, baby brother, and I'll get in good with Thorne."

"And if I don't?"

Nora said nothing this time. She merely pulled a knife from her belt, flipped it into the air, caught it and gave the blade a quick bite before sheathing it again.

"Charming," Theo deadpanned.

"Hey, I won't be the one to gut you," she stated innocently.

"But you're the one leading me to the slaughterhouse. Why whore me out to Thorne instead of doing her bidding yourself, anyway? Why share the glory? That's not your style."

"Because I'm busy running these damned streets. Getting my hands bloody, unlike you," Her tone was accusatory, as though he had slighted her personally, "You're getting soft, Teddy. Don't think I don't know."

Theo glared at her, but said nothing.

"I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself. So be sure not to disappoint," With that, Nora marched off with four of her goons in tow.

"Thanks, sis. Have a wonderful night," Theo called out to her, surprising himself with how pleasant he managed to sound.

Without turning to face him, Nora raised her right arm and wiggled all of her fingers at him as she melted into the now dense fog.

"Perfect. Just bloody perfect," Theo muttered. Then he chuckled as it started to drizzle. He simply had to after what had taken place. Nora must have spun quite the convincing yarn about his capabilities to get Thorne to notice him. If only he were wearing his bowler cap. He could have thrown it on the ground and stepped on it. That would have made him feel better, surely. He sighed and made his way back to Clobber.

~Jacob~

"Marvelous! Simply marvelous!" Robert Topping shouted, his enormous top hat swaying about on his head as he handed Jacob a victory belt and lifted the assassin's arm up to officiate him as the night's uncontested winner. Jacob soaked in the cheers of the crowd as he stepped out of the ring.

He noticed that the well-built, dark haired young man who had been staring at him intently throughout the duration of his first three rounds had vanished- which was a pity since the guy looked like quite the fighter, and he had quite immaculately groomed facial stubble too.

Jacob met Evie by the exit as the crowd thinned out, and she handed him his jacket. She had kept it neatly bundled to prevent it from getting dirty or wrinkled. Of course she had.

"I thought you'd join in," Jacob said as he threw the jacket on and placed his cap back on his damp hair.

"I decided against it," Evie replied, pulling her hood up. The two began walking as a chilly fog rolled in.

"Evie, Evie, Evie…." Jacob sighed, closing his eyes as he shook his head slowly, "Perhaps we should pay a visit to the cemetery."

"What? Why?" Evie stared at him, perplexed, until glimmer of hope cropped up in her voice, "So you can finally pay some respects to father?"

"Huh? Oh...well I was thinking more along the lines of paying my respects to your sense of fun and adventure. They seem to have expired some time ago," Jacob smirked, "A pity, really."

"Ugh, you're awful," Evie replied, folding her arms, "I decided against unnecessary energy expenditure. I need to be in top form for tomorrow, as Mr. Green and I shall resume our search for the Shroud. We've been able to narrow our search radius considerably this past week, and I believe that- ….Are you even listening, Jacob?"

"Yes, yes," Jacob smiled, twirling his Kukri in one hand, "You need to be in top form for Greenie tomorrow. Heard you loud and clear."

"Jacob...," Evie said dangerously.

"Yes, my dearest sister?" Jacob teased in a little boy voice.

"Another word and I will feed you your victory belt, dearest brother," she quipped, punctuating the mock threat with a cordial, close-mouthed smile.

"So…" Jacob ventured after a hearty chuckle.

"Don't," Evie warned as they rounded a corner. She selected a building and began climbing it. Foot and road traffic had not quite thinned out yet, and the rooftops were close enough together in this neighborhood to make for a swifter, more efficient trip to their lodgings.

"About my…" Jacob continued, following her up to the roof.

"Jacob Frye!" Evie nearly shouted, placing her hands on her hips as though she were admonishing a child. She was also doing her damnedest to suppress a smile.

"RrrrRrrrrRrrrrROOKS!" Jacob beamed, waving his hands in her face.

Evie placed her thumb and pointer finger on the bridge of her nose and gave it a squeeze while closing her eyes, "Well, you managed to go an entire five hours this time," she sighed.

"It's a good idea, Evie. Come now! Can't you humor me a bit, at least?" Jacob hollered as they began jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

"I've humored you far too much already. It's why your head's gotten to be as big as it is," she retorted.

Jacob's only reply was to stick his tongue out at her.

The twins abruptly stopped their flight along the rooftops after landing on one that had a perched Blighter lookout armed with a gun. After a shout of surprise, the Blighter moved to aim his weapon at Jacob.

But the assassin was on him before he could lift the gun to eye level. Jacob leaped forward and jammed his hidden blade into the Blighter's windpipe, driving the man onto his back and slamming the back of his head on the roof tiles.

At that moment, a sizeable group of Blighters began spilling out from the front door of an abandoned warehouse across the street, their red and white garments cutting through the mist as they split off in various directions. Jacob quickly grabbed the body of the dead gunman by the scruff of his jacket to keep the corpse from sliding off the roof and attracting the attention of the other dispersing Blighters.

"That's Lucy Thorne!" Evie whispered, signaling for Jacob to descend from their current position and onto a balcony. She needed to get within earshot, since the red haired Templar had apparently stopped outside to speak privately to two Blighters, while a few others milled about the area.

"Hey, by the way, I've already started recruiting, you know," Jacob whispered, "At least twenty of those 'Clinkers' have agreed to work for us now."

"Hush, I'm trying to listen," she scolded. Unfortunately, by the time the twins inched close enough to properly see and hear the exchange, Thorne had ended her conversation and boarded a carriage, which began to swiftly drive off.

"We should tail her. I'd like to know what she's up to," Evie suggested, frowning when Jacob grunted at her.

"Do we?" he protested, "You already know what she's up to. 'Blah, blah, blah. Shroud. Rable, rable, Shroud, Shroud. Blah,' " Jacob paused to tap his chin, "You know, she's a lot like you, come to think of it. You sure you're not related?" Jacob grinned.

"You realize that would also make you related to Miss Thorne, yes?" Evie chided dryly.

Jacob grimaced, then shivered with distaste.

"Well, I'm starving. And a mite exhausted from the fight," Jacob admitted.

"Fine, then. Let's go," Evie relented, "Light weight," she added teasingly before running off in the direction of the lodgings they were sharing with Henry.

Jacob normally wouldn't have let that remark go unprotested, but he was momentarily distracted by an argument occurring between two Blighters outside the warehouse. However, the fog was getting thicker by the second and he could neither see them clearly nor hear what was being said, so he ignored them and chased off after his sister.

"Hey, Evie!" He called out once he had mostly caught up to her, "You think Greenie would make me some supper if I asked him really nicely?"

"Of course not!" Evie laughed.

"Well then you need to make googly eyes at him. That'll work."

"Jacob!" she shouted, exasperated.

"Even better- Hold his hand and he'll make us four courses!"

~Theo~

"So… nice night…" Clobber attempted after several minutes of silence broken only by trotting hooves and the patter of raindrops. But a sudden peal of thunder accentuated the absurdity of his statement, and he wiped the rain off his brow.

Theo laughed, thankful for the bit of stress relief. He took a moment to look at the man seated beside him and decided that he had a rather friendly face for someone with a nickname like his.

"You ever going to tell me your real name, Clobber?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me what Thorne had to say to you. All private like."

"That's hardly a fair trade," Theo considered for a moment before continuing, "Our lovely Miss Lucy gave me project... I really can't say anything more than that."

Clobber frowned, "Alright, well, my name starts with a 'B.' I can't say any more than that, either."

"Fair enough," Theo smiled as they neared his block, "You can drop me off here, Clobber. No need to go any more out of your way. Not on a night like this."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. And I'll make sure this jacket of yours is dry and nicely pressed when I return it. Have a good night, Clobbs. "

"Stay safe, brother," Clobber pulled out his knife and held it high in a clenched fist, emulating the Blighter's insignia. Theo did the same as Clobber drove off.

He was no more than ten paces from his apartment when a pair of Clinkers jumped him.

"Fuck," Theo grunted as he narrowly avoided a blade aimed at his abdomen, and then dropped nearly to his knees to prevent a second strike from ripping his face open. Jumping back to avoid a kick to the temple, Theo rolled quickly to gather his feet and bring himself to a balanced crouch. His attackers lunged at him in tandem, determined not to give him breathing room, which told him that they were likely not armed with any ranged weaponry.

"Fucking Clinker filth!" Theo roared as they struck at him again. He was generally a quiet guy, but possessed a deep voice that could resonate when he wanted it to.

"We ain't Clinkers any more, wanker!" one of them shouted while slashing at him frantically. Theo couldn't make either of their faces out in the gloom. He still had had his own knife out from when he had saluted Clobber not two minutes before, and still in a crouch, he buried it into the thigh of his closest assailant until he felt it hit bone. The ensuing whistle-high shriek of agony told him that this second Clinker was a woman. Unfazed by that knowledge, Theo dragged the knife mercilessly up the rest of her thigh before freeing it from her flesh and whirling around to face the second Clinker.

"How's that for soft, Nora?" he growled out loud, pulling out his Derringer and aiming it at the face of his remaining foe.

"Woah, woah, alright!" the man stammered, dropping his knife and bringing his hands up to cover his face. His knees began to buckle as Theo approached him with even steps.

The woman Clinker was still screaming, clutching her thigh in abject terror as she flailed about on the sidewalk, bleeding out from a severed femoral artery.

"You aren't Clinkers anymore, eh?" Theo snarled. His eyes darted left and right quickly in case there were any more of the bastards lying in wait, but he was satisfied that they were alone, "So who are you now? Speak up before you end up like your girlfriend here." As if to punctuate his threat, the woman had stopped screaming, her life's blood drained away on the pavement.

"R-r," the terrified man stuttered helplessly, which only added to Theo's disgust, "Rooks! We're the Rooks now! Please let me go!"

"And who leads you? Tell me or the only place you'll go is straight to hell."

"Jacob and Evie F-f-f-Frye! Please, Sir! Please!" The man started sobbing, and it was only then that Theo noticed how young the guy looked.

"Get the fuck out of here, boy," Theo brought his voice down to a forceful whisper, "Take those goddamned green clothes and burn them. If I hear that you're out on the streets wearing 'em again, I will find you and I will kill you. Understand?"

"Yes!" the young man gasped and sprinted for his life.

With any luck, the kid would quit roaming the streets and get a proper job- if these new Rooks allowed for that sort of thing. Theo shrugged and figured that was unlikely.

"What a mess," he sighed as he looked at the body of the dead Rook. She, at least, looked a little older than the kid did. He grabbed the blood-soaked body and hoisted it onto his shoulder, instantly regretting it as he did so, "Sorry Clobbs. I'll have scrub the hell out of your jacket now," he muttered as he made his way down the block towards the train track overpass. At least Blighter jackets were red. Perhaps the staining wouldn't show that much.

He dumped her body in the muck below the bridge.

"I'll iron it too, Clobbs. Promise," His words were hollow and quiet as he stared at the body slowly sinking into the mud. Small bubbles of displaced air popped up around it.

Theo covered his face with his hands for a few moments before slicking his hair back and making his way back to his apartment.

The rain would wash the blood away, he told himself, staring at the red puddle flowing down the slope of the sidewalk. He fished around in the jacket's pocket to ensure that he hadn't lost Thorne's instructions in the struggle. His hands still shaking a bit, Theo unlocked the door to his tiny, dark apartment, and bolted it shut after he entered.