Blunted Brass [story, ooc welcome]

[Twinflame]

((Takes place after the first two posts of this thread, but before the posts after that one.))

 

Loughree Desfosse sits near the wall, pressed tightly against it and wedged under the windowsill. She leans forward with her elbows on the table, one hand pressed over one eye with her fingernails digging into her forehead. Her breathing is rushed and unsteady, and she's shivering. Her is dotted with a small amount of blood.

 

Lamandu Tyremandu walks brusquely into his office, his face scrunches in noticeable displeasure at the sight of the young, blonde Miqo'te sitting quietly in a seat in front of his desk, uncharacteristically so. Lamandu stands there just inside his doorway for a few moments, watching her,"So. It appears that you have acted rashly again. Would you agree, Lou?"

 

When Llamandu speaks, Loughree flinches away from him as though he'd shouted at her loudly, pressing herself against the wall and looking up at him in surprise. She freezes then, and is quiet. After several seconds, she relaxes some. Her tail shivers, the thing puffed up so it's wider than one of her legs.

 

Standing there for a moment and continuing to watch Lou, Llamandu  walks the rest of the way to his desk and hopping up in his chair. He sets down the papers that he was holding in one hand. "You just locked yourself up in a cell then for fun?"

 

Wary of the Lalafel, Loughree watches him as though trying to decide if he's going to attack or not. She leans forward and backward, looks at the ceiling and glares into the sahdows with her one uncovered eye. She looks at the door. "Are there Blades outside? In the office? In the street?"

 

Lamandu Tyremandu narrows his eyes slightly. "You're a Brass Blade. You're in a Brass Blade office. What do you think?"

 

Still visibly shaking, she nods at this and leans more heavily on the table. She glares at the grains in the wood, and then says, "I'm sorry. I made a mistake."

 

"And what do you believe your mistake was?" The Lalafel asks, "I have my own reports from what the rest of the officers believe and are aware of... but these appear to be strange and confusing circumstances to say the least."

 

Loughree confesses grudgingly, "I was trying to squeeze Antimony for a bribe and it didn't work."

 

The Lalafel's face pinches together in consternation. He brings his hand up to closed eyes, rubbing them slightly and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Of course you did. And against direct orders to leave the woman be." He brings his hand back down, trying to pull a more neutral look back over his visage. "It didn't work. What an apt way to put it. Should I be expecting the Immortal Flames to be sweeping through here at any minute then?"

 

"No," Loughree growls, "I let her go."

 

"Obviously! Or she would have been in those cages instead of you! You're dodging the question Lou. Should I be expecting her to report this? We're already under investigation! You're bribery attempt and subsequent time spent in the cages does not sound like tales of rainbows and sunshine to me!" Lamandu Tyremandu slams his hands down on the table for emphasis.

 

Loughree flexes her fingers tighter against her face, her hand on the table drawing into a fist. Her eyes smolder with anger. But only for a moment. It drains away from her quickly, and she mutters, "I don't know. I tried not to give her anything to work off of." She flinches at something inaudible, unseen, and looks at the door again. "Is the door locked?"

 

Raising his smooth brow, the Lalafel says "Did that old lady turn into the Boogey Man or something? You should be more worried about the conversation at hand Lou. This has not been a good day for you."

 

The Miqo'te looks over to Lamandu, and exhales shakily. "The... Uhm. The needles in the cells. One of them got in my eye. I think someone was trying to off me."

 

Lamandu takes a pen, and scribbles something down. "And this... assassination, just so happens to conicide with your request for bribes? Are you sure that you didn't threaten Antimony, and she, thusly on the defensive, stabbed at you with a sewing needle she had in her pouch? That seems rather far more likely than an... assassination, Lou."

 

"No," Loughree chuckles, though she doesn't sound humored. "Antimony's friend took the needle out of my eye and then I told them to leave. I know who was after me. It's a... Family thing."

 

The Lalafel scribbles more down in writing. "And why would that be? You're a nasty person, surely. But not so much as to invite death from your own kin, even here in Ul'dah."

 

"That's... That's my own... I'm sorry, Lamandu. Just tell everyone it was an isolated incident and discipline me." She lurches to a full sit, her shoulders heaving as she tries to catch her breath. "I need to go home."

 

Looking up from his notes at the young woman, Lamandu says, "Two weeks suspension from duty then. We will re-evaluate matters at that time." He holds out a small hand, "Hand over your Blade's seal, and your free to go. I really don't have time to be dealing with the nonsense, quite honestly."

 

After a swallow and a nod, Loughree takes her seal in a shaking hand and puts it on the table. "Two weeks and then I'm back on, right? My job's not going anywhere."

 

Lamandu reaches out, closing his hand on the seal. He drags it back across the table, towards himself. "I said that we would re-evaluate the situation Lou. You are obviously not in a state to be discussing such matters."

 

Lingering there for a moment, staring at Lamandu as though she had more to say, Loughree stands and turns to the door. "Alright."

 

Lamandu nods his head. "I highly suggest that you take this time to deal with your family matters and think on your actions concerning your work here." He pulls out a drawer and sets Lou's seal within it "We may be another sort of family, but you do not play as part of the unit. Its bad for all."

 

Loughree mutters, "I hate families," as she walks towards the door, her steps careful but hurrying.

 

Lamandu shuts the drawer, and turns to his newly generated set of paperwork, having dismissed Lou in his head. But Lou pauses at the door, waiting a moment. She leans forward and presses her head against it. Her tail is wrapped around one thigh, and she pulls the thing free and curls her hand around the bushy fur, twisting it in her fingers. After another quick breath, she finally exits.