[closed] so baby welcome to the ball

[altusimperius]

WHO: Benedict and Kitty
WHAT: an errand in Tevinter
WHEN: Justinian
WHERE: Perivantium, then a lovely beach house
NOTES: slavery features heavily, as do abusive familial relationships

The arrangements are made, the itinerary set, and they're off.

[Prompts below.]

Comments

[altusimperius]

Shoulder to shoulder with Kitty is Benedict, whose notoriously low tolerance for pain is getting the best of him. "Mother," he manages to choke weakly, all the breath feeling like it's left him and been replaced by searing agony.

And then, with a small and far-away sound, it ends; the hex lifts, and they're both alive, and Calpurnia is on the ground. Micaela stands over them all, holding one of Benedict's heavy books with both hands, a small bloodstain spattering the cover. She looks at the kids, face fraught with worry, and gives a gentle nod toward the carriage.

[rathercommon]

Kitty collapses when the spell ends, taking a moment to just lay face-down in the dirt and sob with relief. Only a moment, though. No more than that. When that moment passes, she pushes her head up to focus blearily on Micaela, and then shakily forces herself to her feet. Her legs and hands tremble, and her cheeks are wet, but she manages to mumble -

"If she's with Corypheus, we should - search the house. See what she knows. If there's - anything we can use."

[altusimperius]

"NO!" comes a strangled but firm reply, Benedict still sprawled on the ground and panting. "Haven't-- you done enough?!"

Struggling to coordinate his limbs, he begins to get to his feet, only for Micaela to drop the book and come over to help him. He quickly embraces her, hands shaking and eyes wide at the sight of his prone mother.
"You have to take her and get as far away from here as you can," he hisses to Kitty, gripping Micaela's hand, "you-- you--"

There's a lot going on. He shakes his head quickly and pushes his hair back out of his face, wishing he could make his knees stop trembling.
"Your life is forfeit as long as you're in Tevinter," he whimpers to Micaela: a slave striking down a Magister is not an offense easily, if ever, forgiven. To Kitty, "why didn't you just stay in the carriage."

On the ground, Calpurnia begins to stir.

[rathercommon]

"Shut up," Kitty snaps in return.

All right. All right. The right thing to do here is completely obvious: take up her knife and cut the woman's throat. She's still mostly unconscious; it'll be easy. A blood mage can't do blood magic when she's not got any blood left, now can she. It'll solve all their problems - they'll get a chance to search the house and bring back intelligence, Micaela's "crime" won't be remembered by anyone still living, and there'll be a slave-owner who's out there owning less slaves. And she can do it, too. She can. She's killed people in battle; what's the difference, really, between that and killing someone unconscious after battle? She's planted bombs, she's watched her comrades take lives. She can do this. She can. It's easy. Her knife is sharp. It won't even take much effort. It's -

She curses, vilely, and turns on her heel. "Fine," she snarls, and grabs Benedict by his stupid slave-owning whiny miserable little wrist. "Come on."

[altusimperius]

Benedict wrenches his wrist away. "I have to clean up your mess," he hisses, voice still shaking, casting his gaze about until he finds the coinpurse in the grass a few feet away. He picks it up again, brushes it off, and shoves it at Kitty.
"Use it to pay the driver, inns, whatever, I don't care. I don't care, just get out of here." He has the manner of someone very loosely keeping himself together, something in him seeming to crumble when his mother makes a small, confused sound and he hurries to her side.

Micaela, quivering from adrenaline and, no doubt, fear, steps close enough to lay a hand on Benedict's head, then comes away again with a frightened little nod to Kitty. It will never be as simple as just killing a Magister and going on their merry way.

[rathercommon]

Shrilly, she replies - "My mess? This is your stupid slaver family. You're the one whose mess it is. Or - sorry - did I get in the way of your grand friendship with Corypheus, is that what this is about - " And then, stomping her foot in frustrated rage - "Who gives a shit about her? Leave her and be done with it!"

[altusimperius]

"My family is none of your business!" Benedict snarls over his shoulder, with a venomous glare. He has no way of backing that up, but now he's helping Calpurnia sit upright; blessedly, she still looks disoriented, and grips his arm for balance.

Kitty's last shout yields a gentle hand on her shoulder, Micaela's attempt at calming her. She doesn't dare tug, or give any more urgent indication that she wants to leave-- even after all this, she knows her place in the pecking order.

[rathercommon]

"Your family is shit," Kitty spits, "and you're shit - "

But she can't ignore that silent plea for escape. So Kitty wavers, then groans, and curses, and finally yells back, "Enjoy being tortured to death by your psycho of a mum, then!"

And then she turns and grabs Micaela's hand and runs off with her, back to the carriage, back into the night.

[altusimperius]

Benedict watches them go, relieved but somber. His mother's grip on his arm has tightened, and he looks back to her long enough to meet her gaze, wince, and turn away again.