Calico
Old Battle Axe
Covian Guardsman
Covian Legend
Karma: +24/-5
Posts: 619
"Tired but never weak."
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« on: May 25, 2005, 11:18:40 pm » |
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"In that case, consider yerselves dismissed."
Kate watched quietly as Kas and Commander Eason head into the barracks. Some how she didn't want to be in the brightly lit common room just yet. The door pulled shut and she stood frowning faintly into the darkness for a few heart beats before tuning to sit on the steps with a sigh.
Earlier that day the Commander had finally called Senior Guardsman Gry on the beating he'd given the tavern keeper Ginger Buzzard. That hand't gone well at all, and in the ensuing mess, the senior guards man ended up trying to strangle Grenadier Greystone. A common enough occurrence at one time; the main difference now being that Greystone was no longer Gry's apprentice. Now it was assault on a guardsman, not just cracking on a lowly apprentice.
Gry was demoted from senior to regular guardsman and sentenced to twenty lashes. Rather than take the punishment, he fled, for reasons that weren't exactly clear. He easily evaded the first few groups of guards that went after him. And in the end it had been Kate who had managed to catch up with him.
With a heavy sigh she leaned back against the comfortingly cool stone of the barracks wall. I asked him to just come on, that twenty lashes wasn't so bad.. even offered to clean his back after it was over...
But he'd refused to come. Kate knew full well there was no way she'd be able to haul him in by herself. Gry had insistently asked that she bring the commander to him instead. At first she refused, thinking as soon as she was out of sight he'd run for it. But they were at an in-pass, she couldn't take him down alone, she couldn't convince him to come in willingly and he wanted to speak to the Commander.
If it were any one else, I'd have said his word be damned for it but... well... it's Grief.. he says he'll stay, he'll stay.
And he did... but as soon as the Commander found out she'd managed to catch Gry he ordered five other guards with him to take the man in.
Which wasn't tha deal I'd made with 'em... and I told him the commander wasn't coming alone. Felt obligated to let him know... wasn't going to let him get away, but wasn't going to go back on my word either.
Guardsman Gry had to be taken forcibly by the commander's men. Over zealous in their efforts Gry was seriously injured and taken to Cove's healers to get patched back together.
Kate gritted her teeth through the entire ordeal. He broke the rules, he is being punished, fine. Buggers dun 'ave to enjoy it so much... Ironically enough her main comfort in the fact was that the Commander had said she could be the one to do the beating. Justice is devotion to the Truth tempered with Love...
"Beh... Mu Ahm" she murmured as she stood to enter the barracks.
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