Sipp Morning (H 1.4)

I wonder how many times, and in how many ways, Karo has tried to shirk work in the past. I move up to the pair of them. "If you need another hand," I say, "it'll be here waiting." I lift my hand, then let it drop.

The other Sippian sees you, then he pushes the fishing rod into Karo's hand as if you're good enough to be Karo's other hand.

I move up to the railing, an unamused expression painted across my face. "With you around, that's pretty much guaranteed." I look down to the waters below. "So this is what you do all day? Catch fish and drink beer?"

I wish I could say that seeing Karo's injuries doesn't bother me, but the twist of his fingers beneath those bandages makes my skin crawl. I didn't know I was capable of doing that to anyone, and after what I did to Kiwi last night...what else might I do?

Karo brags about all he contributes - used to contribute - to the Sippians. He's haughty enough about it that it's almost hurtful by itself, but he tags a reminder that I'm a slave now onto the end and I feel the sting of it flash on my face. Find who killed Hard Strike, and get out of here, I remind myself.

"I guess you're lucky he's in charge then," I say. "It sounds like Hard Strike would've just killed me outright and then you'd be fishing alone." I watch his reaction, hunting for whatever I can glean about his feelings toward Hard Strike, or about Lucky's leadership for that matter.

I look away when Karo calls me a tralk, talking about heirs and assuming exactly what Bristol did only with a completely different attitude. I've only just shoved my chagrin aside when Karo asks me for the cigarette. I give him a deadpan look for a moment before telling myself that making him feel in control is probably to my benefit. Power makes people prattle when they should practice prudence. I wonder how many other Sippians would admit out loud that they see Lucky as weak.

I exhale a quiet breath, then reach into Karo's pocket. "Is the lighter in here too?"

I jerk back as he reacts to the sudden tension on his line, watching as he struggles to maintain control. If he's not careful, he could lose not only the fish but the whole rod. The pain is clear on his face when he tries to use his other hand, but I hang back, not jumping in yet to help. "Need a hand?" I offer. I move a little closer to him, lowering my voice to just above a whisper, "Say you're sorry for calling me a tralk and I'll help you."

My lips part in surprise and in inhale a short little breath when Karo lets the rod drop. I didn't actually expect him to just let it go. It disappears into the water below with little more than a splash, lost to the tides forever, out there somewhere with Doral and so many more.

Karo screams his refusal at me, rage barely bridled beneath the surface. I steel my nerves, look pointedly at his mangled hand then to his face. "I bet you're sorry you grabbed my zok yesterday." I try not to brace my body for the blow I expect. I may not be a fighter, but I've been hit enough times to know it's better when you're relaxed.

You don't have to wait long before he backhands you - it's his off-hand, but he's angry (take 0-Harm, but please roll the Harm move to see if it's worse than expected).

His knuckle catches you just right at the temple and before you have a chance to react, you feel your legs give out underneath you and you drop to the floor of the balcony like a bag of fish. Dazed, you look up to see Karo screaming incoherently at you and it looks like he's going to kick you. Your arms won't respond and even though your head's fuzzy, you realize this is going to hurt more.

Before the blow lands and much sooner than you can summon enough energy to move, you hear shouting and the rattle of chains before something flies over the top of you and slams into Karo, knocking him back. The lithe form shoves Karo back hard and you feel something slither over the top of your face and body. It's a chain, Helix, something tethered to the person who just tackled Karo and is punching him wildly while cursing like a sailor, wild words that stitch syllables together without much sense, like a drunken nursery rhyme.

You feel hands on you, and from behind, see Bristol trying to yank you back and out of the way of this scrum. Others are rushing forward toward Karo and this wild talking feral thing attacking him. Someone shouts that they're about to go over the railing, but before you can witness it, you're back inside the apartment with the smoke and the stench of fresh fish with Bristol still pulling you away.

I anticipate the pain, the sharp sting, the unavoidable tears that prick my eyes, but I'm not prepared for the way my head swims, the ringing in my ears, the sudden drop to the floor, my inability to move.

"N-nnnn-" My mouth is filled with cotton and fear. I can't get the word out, but I feebly try to say 'no' as Karo winds up for a kick that will probably crack a rib. Despite my desire, I can't even curl into a fetal ball of protection. I lay there, paralyzed, waiting and helpless.

But before the kick can come, a creature careens into Karo. Bristol brings me away while I'm still trying to orient myself to what's happening. I stumble with her and collapse on a couch that smells like a century of cigarettes and campfires. My tongue works inside my mouth, moving the cotton away before I speak. "I don't...I don't know." My words sound muffled, but I'm not sure if that's my tongue not working yet, or my ears. My fingertips tingle as life starts to return to them. "Who-who was..." I turn my head in the direction of the balcony and it makes the whole world spin. I close my eyes, fighting the sudden lurch in my stomach. "Were there chains?"

I suppress a shudder at the concept of an eyeball squelching between teeth before squirting viscera down Nuport's chin. I turn my head more carefully back to look at Bristol, taking in her warning. "He poisons his blades? Or...you all do?"

But even though that's the question I give feeble voice to, what I'm wondering about more is Nuport. Why would she come to my defense? More likely, it had nothing to do with me and she's just a shark drawn to blood in the water regardless of who or what it comes from. If there is some modicum of humanity left in her and she thinks coming to my aid could absolve her of killing Kiwi, though, she is more deeply deranged than I dreamed. I reach a hand up and gingerly touch the side of my head where Karo hit me.

I find myself reaching out to the Whispers, asking them the question I don't dare ask Bristol aloud. 'Why did Nuport come for me?'

Bristol nods her head in answer to your question about poison, explaining that all the Sipps use toxins, which is why they like the drinks at The Belly. But you barely hear her when the Whispers answer your silent question.

You get a flash of Nuport lying in a dry bathtub, a chain around her neck. She starts twitching as if she heard something, but there are no noises. She flicks at her ear with a hand and gets more and more irritated. Sits up in the tub and looks around, angrily yelling at nothing and cursing until finally, she says, "YES, ALRIGHT! I'LL DO IT! FINEFINEFINE!" You see a link on the chain to her neck snap, and she climbs quickly out of the tub to shove open the door and run screaming until she tackles Karo before he can kick you.

Then, you hear a whisper, "We like you."

Followed by another voice in your head, "Bring us Kiwi or we stop liking you."

"We don't like Harpy."