[closed] speaking of fights

[onlyhymns]

WHO: Merrick, Cade, and the people who arrive to clean up the remains
WHAT: Merrick has a score to settle. All over Cade's face.
WHEN: the night of the soiree
WHERE: Cade's room
NOTES: Warning for ... I mean it's probably gonna be mostly violence.

It's been an hour or so since Cade first arrived back in his cell-like room and slammed the door behind him, then proceeded to drop to the floor and hyperventilate for a while. Hadrian, the Tranquil currently keeping watch, predictably didn't care, and let him work it out for himself.
Exhausted by his entire life, Cade settled down for the night, and rather than try to sleep with his thoughts spinning as they are, he has taken to using the light from Hadrian's candle to read a book of his own.

Comments

[dalishious]

For the first time in what felt like ages, Merrick had been actually enjoying himself.

Not at the ball-- the ball had made him shrink into himself, the anxiety crunching his ribs around his lungs, pressure thick and tacky in his chest and throat. The drink had helped, certainly-- but it hadn't been until he walked outside and took in the air, smelled the familiar scent of burning wood that he'd truly felt the coils in his body unwind just enough for him to breathe. Song had burst from his throat, laughs from his liberated lungs. He'd almost felt happy, as if the past few weeks hadn't happened, as if he weren't a wretched shuddering thing pressed constantly at the edge, tightly wound muscles wracked with constant brutal misery.

And then he'd seen him.

The flash of blond hair, the uneasy bend of the shoulders. Merrick couldn't even remember his name. All he could think of then had been Beleth Beleth Beleth and need to hurt he needs to pay he hurt her hurt hurt hurt

It still pulses in his brain as he stalks the man back to his room, completely silent and hidden in the shadows. It's practically impulse now; Zevran's training has honed him into a sleek and silent killer, and his moves are second nature now even in his anger. He moves around and locates the window on the side of Cade's room, and climbs up to it effortlessly.

The man is reading. There's one candle lit, the room is otherwise dark. Merrick slips through the window as unnoticeable as the breeze, and hoists himself up onto the wooden planks near the ceiling.

From there, he's able to move to just above Cade's bed, and then he falls.

His feet land on either side of Cade's body and his hand darts down to grip the man's throat. He uses the moment of panic to push the Templar to the side and kick him off the bed, hard.

[for Nerva] ((Hadrian is an NPC))

[onlyhymns]

Hadrian is not equipped to deal with such a crisis. He wouldn't want to anyway, as he has no experience with physical altercations and does not wish to be involved.
He hurries down the dark hallway from Cade's room, then to the stairs, both stone and makeshift wooden scaffolding; when he finally reaches the main hall, the party is winding down but not yet over. Spying the person he seeks, he makes his way over to Ser Nerva and begins speaking whether or not she's mid-conversation.

"Ser Nerva, an elf has dropped from the ceiling in Ser Cade's chambers," he blithely announces, "I believe they will try to kill each other if left unattended for long." Of course he had to leave them unattended, but who else was going to come get her? It was the sensible thing to do.