Natalie sighed as she looked at the man sitting hunched on the floor in front of her. He was probably a terror once, his voice and his axe striking fear into all who encountered him. However at this moment, all she felt was pity. Weeks of confinement had not been kind to the man, all this time away from the sea, the sun, and fresh air, it seemed to have aged him a decade from the man she captured at the Silver Bazaar.
Even she had not intended for things to turn out this way, a situation she mused, which occured entirely too often. She had come with a death sentence for the man, but also a hope of a pardon. The death sentence itself was legal, if one didn’t look too hard. Jameson had friends among the magistrates as well, and the sentence was pushed through with a speed suspiciously unlike that of most judicial proceedings in the city. She’d hoped to have only used it as a threat, that the damned man would just give her something, anything.
She didn’t ever care about the quality of the information, she knew much of it would be false, but she needed an excuse. A excuse to let the damnable stubborn Roe go, and track him back to Nero. However they had gone back and forth for over an hour, she had given up on the details, instead simply focusing on Nero’s warehouses. However she couldn’t even get that out of him. She’d given up on torture immediately, having learned long ago there was no value in breaking the already broken.
The Roegadyn looked up at her with a strange smile on his face, "Limsa Lominsa. His base is in Limsa Lominsa. That be as much as yer gettin' from me."
Natalie sighed again, hoping that something would interrupt this course of action she’d set. She could simply leave him, the Blades would be more than happy to carry out the sentence and loot the body. She took a deep breath. No, she thought, the one who started this has to see it through. She gave him a strained smile of her own, "Very well. It's unfortunate it had to turn out this way."
"Ye've no idea," the Sea Wolf muttered under his breath, slumping against the wall.
Natalie looked out the narrow grate on the cell door. Ser Anelia Sadowyn and Lieutenant Khan’a Od’hilkas had asked to watch the interrogation, and now both of them looked like they would rather be anywhere else. "Anelia, Lieutenant, do you have any questions? "
Kahn'a shook his head. The conversation had risen his interest, but he spoke none of that. "We're done here if you are."
Anelia simply responded with a curt shake of her head.
Natalie turned back around to face him, "You’ve been in here a while, ever wondered why this cell has a drain on the floor?"
The Roe gave the drab cell a cursory inspection. "'elps with th' cleanup, I s'pose. Bloodstains be quite a pain ta get out o' the stone."
Natalie laughed bitterly, "You’re smart, too smart for you to waste it like this.†She sighed, “It really was a shame we couldn't help each other out."
She drew her blade slowly, the light dancing off it strangely in the dark space. "Ul'dah has had many leaders, the majority of whom weren't as kind as Nanamo. During those times this isn't a cell... it's an execution chamber." Natalie began to speak in a steady almost ceremonial voice. "Under the authority of the Sultana and the Syndicate you have been sentenced to death for the crimes of smuggling, murder, and piracy on the high seas."
"Do you have any last words?"
The Roe shook his head. "Then 'ave the graces ta make it quick, girl. Llymlaen not be the most patient mistress. As fer last words..."
His eyes looked up, first to the sword, and then to her eyes, "Well, I 'ope yer doin' what ye believe to be right, girl." With a look of resignation he simply let his head sag. "I 'ope ye all come away with a clean conscience."
Natalie gave a tired smile. "We all have our roles to play, I take no shame in mine."
With that she swung her blade in a low arc, slicing through the meat of his neck, the tip of her blade scraping against his spine as the man’s neck was opened up neatly. Natalie stepped backwards slightly at the end of her swing avoiding the spray of blood.
There was no cry, no growl, naught but a slight grunt. The Roegadyn's eyes widen as his body slumped over, the crimson fluids making a scramble for the drain on the floor.
Kahn'a turned his head away as the sentence was carried out, eyes shutting in disgust.
Natalie wiped her blade on a cloth and walked out the door, noticing his reaction. "Spare me the show Khan. As if he was so considerate to any of our sailors they found on the seas.†She began to feel anger rising within her. “He was a pirate, a smuggler, a murderer and worse, if he's not fit for execution, who is?" She was almost shouting.
"Blood is blood. You have your duties, I have mine. Here's not the place for me to give my opinion. I merely came to observe and will leave... satisfied." The Flame Lieutenant’s expression held no protest against the Sworn.
Natalie glared at him for a moment, before finally she took a deep breath and nodded. “Fair enough.†She took a clipboard off the wall, specifying the body to be buried at sea. "It's a shame,†she mused. “In different circumstances I think we would have gotten along..."
She hung the clipboard back on the wall with a sigh. "Bloody politics..." She shook her head and walked out the corridor.
Even she had not intended for things to turn out this way, a situation she mused, which occured entirely too often. She had come with a death sentence for the man, but also a hope of a pardon. The death sentence itself was legal, if one didn’t look too hard. Jameson had friends among the magistrates as well, and the sentence was pushed through with a speed suspiciously unlike that of most judicial proceedings in the city. She’d hoped to have only used it as a threat, that the damned man would just give her something, anything.
She didn’t ever care about the quality of the information, she knew much of it would be false, but she needed an excuse. A excuse to let the damnable stubborn Roe go, and track him back to Nero. However they had gone back and forth for over an hour, she had given up on the details, instead simply focusing on Nero’s warehouses. However she couldn’t even get that out of him. She’d given up on torture immediately, having learned long ago there was no value in breaking the already broken.
The Roegadyn looked up at her with a strange smile on his face, "Limsa Lominsa. His base is in Limsa Lominsa. That be as much as yer gettin' from me."
Natalie sighed again, hoping that something would interrupt this course of action she’d set. She could simply leave him, the Blades would be more than happy to carry out the sentence and loot the body. She took a deep breath. No, she thought, the one who started this has to see it through. She gave him a strained smile of her own, "Very well. It's unfortunate it had to turn out this way."
"Ye've no idea," the Sea Wolf muttered under his breath, slumping against the wall.
Natalie looked out the narrow grate on the cell door. Ser Anelia Sadowyn and Lieutenant Khan’a Od’hilkas had asked to watch the interrogation, and now both of them looked like they would rather be anywhere else. "Anelia, Lieutenant, do you have any questions? "
Kahn'a shook his head. The conversation had risen his interest, but he spoke none of that. "We're done here if you are."
Anelia simply responded with a curt shake of her head.
Natalie turned back around to face him, "You’ve been in here a while, ever wondered why this cell has a drain on the floor?"
The Roe gave the drab cell a cursory inspection. "'elps with th' cleanup, I s'pose. Bloodstains be quite a pain ta get out o' the stone."
Natalie laughed bitterly, "You’re smart, too smart for you to waste it like this.†She sighed, “It really was a shame we couldn't help each other out."
She drew her blade slowly, the light dancing off it strangely in the dark space. "Ul'dah has had many leaders, the majority of whom weren't as kind as Nanamo. During those times this isn't a cell... it's an execution chamber." Natalie began to speak in a steady almost ceremonial voice. "Under the authority of the Sultana and the Syndicate you have been sentenced to death for the crimes of smuggling, murder, and piracy on the high seas."
"Do you have any last words?"
The Roe shook his head. "Then 'ave the graces ta make it quick, girl. Llymlaen not be the most patient mistress. As fer last words..."
His eyes looked up, first to the sword, and then to her eyes, "Well, I 'ope yer doin' what ye believe to be right, girl." With a look of resignation he simply let his head sag. "I 'ope ye all come away with a clean conscience."
Natalie gave a tired smile. "We all have our roles to play, I take no shame in mine."
With that she swung her blade in a low arc, slicing through the meat of his neck, the tip of her blade scraping against his spine as the man’s neck was opened up neatly. Natalie stepped backwards slightly at the end of her swing avoiding the spray of blood.
There was no cry, no growl, naught but a slight grunt. The Roegadyn's eyes widen as his body slumped over, the crimson fluids making a scramble for the drain on the floor.
Kahn'a turned his head away as the sentence was carried out, eyes shutting in disgust.
Natalie wiped her blade on a cloth and walked out the door, noticing his reaction. "Spare me the show Khan. As if he was so considerate to any of our sailors they found on the seas.†She began to feel anger rising within her. “He was a pirate, a smuggler, a murderer and worse, if he's not fit for execution, who is?" She was almost shouting.
"Blood is blood. You have your duties, I have mine. Here's not the place for me to give my opinion. I merely came to observe and will leave... satisfied." The Flame Lieutenant’s expression held no protest against the Sworn.
Natalie glared at him for a moment, before finally she took a deep breath and nodded. “Fair enough.†She took a clipboard off the wall, specifying the body to be buried at sea. "It's a shame,†she mused. “In different circumstances I think we would have gotten along..."
She hung the clipboard back on the wall with a sigh. "Bloody politics..." She shook her head and walked out the corridor.
