Let's make a deal (Devon and Libelle)

[Libelle "Onyx" Ryoko - Council]

Self made business woman was what Libelle was, it was something she prided herself on. She had slept with, done deals with, and stood strong in the face of people who wanted to walk over her in order to start this business. After having her life fall apart she figured out how to move on. Now a few years after those dark events she was the Dragon Lady mistress. Her girls were home to many men in their time of needs for separation of coin. 

All was well, until the night a shady looking man came into the Brothel. Libelle wasn’t one to judge but something about him didn’t sit right. So she chose to take the man as her client knowing if something went wrong she could fight the man off. As she led the man to her room, it didn’t take long. The door closed and his hand was around her throat. Libelle beat on the man's chest as he pushed her to the door with all his strength. His hand moved to his pants and it was clear he planned to have his way with her in a rough manner.

He leaned in and whispered in her ear “How do you feel that this is where your life ends you whore.”  Libelle nails sharpened and she slashed the man across the face who jerked back in pain. She pushed him with all her force out of her room and down the stairs not caring his junk was waving in the air. She kept pushing with all her strength until she was at the main doors.

Casting her fear gaze upon him she spoke harshly, “Let me be very clear if you ever touch a woman again and I hear about it. Your life will be mine.” She slammed the door in his face and turned around to a bar room filled with people staring at her. She tossed a smile to the crowd. “Nothing to look at, someone who broke the rules is all.” Libelle let out a sigh as she walked behind the bar pouring a drink to calm herself.

Ruby, the woman who had worked for her the longest came up behind her. Her eyes focused on the door. “I know you said no to it before but I think we should hire those guys who help a lot of people around. I have a contact if you want me to reach out.” 

Libelle gave a heavy sigh. “Yes, tell them to meet me tomorrow.” she finished her drink and took her way back to her bedroom. “Thank you Ruby.”

“Yes Mistress.” She said as she quickly wrote a letter sending on of the children that delivered messages to The Rogues with the note.

-

When the next morning came Libelle rose and threw on her robe, only not bothering to tie it tightly around herself as she made her way down the stairs to the bar that was empty. She got to work making breakfast for the girls after a long night of work. She reached in a bucked she kept around with nails and took one in her mouth eating it as she hummed to herself.

[Devon Sawyer - Council]

Devon followed Libelle through the brothel and towards the stairs, glancing over to the rest of the floor below which seemed to be getting back to normality in its revelry. He wanted to ask what had happened, but the pain she seemed to be in was holstering that question for now. Seeing her struggling as she sat down and requested his help only made the situation more confusing to him. The Rogue couldn't imagine what that man had attacked her with that was burning so hot to cause that kind of damage to her skin. He was plenty accustomed to burns and what it could do to flesh working as a blacksmith. A fair share of small ambers had graced his skin over the years and a couple of accidents at the forge faired worse for others. 

Still, it wasn't the important thing then. He glanced around the room looking for something that might aid him in removing the flecks, knowing his knife wasn't going to be the best option. A light knock on the door brought his attention to one of Libelle's girls who was curious on her wellbeing as her head peeked inside. "Do you have a needle? Any will do." The girl hurried off and Devon reached for the rag she had unwrapped her hand with. He dunked the cloth into the cool bath water which remained in the tub before kneeling down in front of Libelle and placing it on her forehead for her to take. The roughness of his hands would prove no chance of delicacy as he tried to gently take her hurting one.

He'd never seen anything like it before, but it was the shape of the burn which was interesting. It was small and round and there was no mistaking the familiar impression, even with it not being completely clear; It seemed to be a coin. The sound of quickened footsteps broke his confused gaze as he looked up to the girl who had returned with a needle before leaving them to privacy. His eyes looked up to Libelle and he could see the toll the ordeal was really taking on her. "You might want to grab onto something if this is going to hurt as badly as it seems it might." Devon's eyes landed on a bottle of alcohol within reach on a chair and grabbed it, happy to find that it was mostly full. After taking a long swig of the rum himself, he passed the bottle off to Libelle. "Believe me, it helps."

Devon held her tiny wrist tightly for fear she might jerk at the prodding which could only cause more stress. He carefully lowered the needle onto her scarlet wound to gently lift the visible pieces of gold that remained attached to her skin. The flecks of the metal dusted his pants as he wiped the needle each time, seeming such a harmless thing. When he'd thought he removed as much as he could see, Devon stood and took a pitcher used for the bath, dipping it into the still water. He cautiously poured the liquid over Libelle's hand before setting the pitcher down on the floor and sitting next to her on the bed. He still wasn't exactly sure of what had happened to her and was now wishing he hadn't let that stranger go so easily. "How are you feeling?"

[Libelle "Onyx" Ryoko - Council]

As the rag moved to rest upon her dazed head she closed her eyes for a moment, her hand coming to hold it to her head. As Ruby rushed off to get the needle that Devon asked for. She felt her eyes flutter to stay open and focused. Returning quickly she placed the needle in his hand before turning to leave. Ruby gave one more look over her shoulder knowing that Libelle was in good hand, and it was taking all inside of her to control the wolf that was itching to get out. She closed the door gently with a gentle statement towards Devon. “If she starts to get worse, come and get me.” Libelle’s eyes locked with Ruby as the door closed.

After staring at the wood grain of the door for a long moment she let her eyes move back to Devon. As he moved the bottle into none hurt hand. She gripped onto the neck of the bottle, raising it to her lips thankful she had brought it up a couple nights ago and forgotten about it. She took a long swig of the rum before moving to place the bottle on the table there beside her bed. “Pain is something I am fairly used to.” She muttered yet her fingers of her free hand found themselves buried into a pillow as she fought to not pass out from the pain that was running rampant through her chest.

His hand engulfing her tiny wrist was comfortingly strong. It made her feel like he was the right person for this job, After all her girls feared doing this. He had no connection to her or knew how the wrong move could end her life. So as he got to work she whimpered lightly fighting the urge to rip her hand away from him. She knew that this is what needed to be done. So as she whimpered and the tears unashamedly fell over the brim edge of her eyes. She often would hate to look weak in front of another, yet this moment was something she had no control over. After many flushes and his eyeing of her hand. It caused her to take a deep breath in.

After a moment of inspecting her hand for a moment and letting out a shaky breath.  She closed her hand with a winch but the pain was slowly fading, and the urge to throw up wavering away. As she shifted back to the edge of her bed. Her fingers slowly released the other pillow that her dragon claws placed holes into while holding on to it. She found herself letting out a sigh. “Better thank you.” She said as she shifted to stand, though the rush of dizziness caused her to pause and waver. She fell into him as she let out a groan. “Oh forgive me, seemed to hit harder than I expected.” She shifted herself back to the bed. “Well you sure made yourself and your men useful tonight. Unfortunate as it may be. Seems our businesses will benefit together.” As if it needed to be stated.

[Devon Sawyer - Council]

He looked to Libelle's tear stained face and knew she was not so comfortable with showing this side of her. It didn't surprise him as anyone in her position would never want to appear weak and given the fact that the two had only just met each other some hours ago. Someone who owned a place like this needed to remain a staple of control and Devon was sure she was probably feeling shaken by the fact that this person who attacked her was able to make her falter. Again, he didn't want to pry into her previous life; The one in which she had clearly left behind to be where she was now, but he wondered if a little more of that information might help to ensure something like this didn't happen again. The Rogues were there for a purpose and given that they weren't able to keep good on their end of the bargain in keeping her and the girls safe wasn't exactly a win to him.

As she stood, Devon noticed the imbalance and rose to catch her, guiding her back down to the bed to sit. "Either that's really good rum or you need to rest," he said, moving the pillows back to the top of the bed for her to lay down. In doing so, his eyes suddenly landed on the torn fabric of the pillow she'd been grabbing a hold of to brace for the pain in removing the flecks of gold. His brow forwarded in uncertainty though he let the confusion fade as Libelle shifted in the bed against them. "Useful, maybe, but I would've preferred it not happening at all." Devon sat again as she laid there with a glance to her injured hand. "Better then cleaning up the mess after. Definitely can't have this again. Who's going to give us more free ale then?" He tried to give her a reassuring smirk.  

Grabbing the bottle of dark rum she'd set back down, he took another long swig before returning it. "Guess I'll head back downstairs and keep an eye on things till you're feeling better. Don't push yourself." He said the last thing with some sternness as he had the feeling Libelle would not be so keen on having her eyes away from the business long. Turning, Devon headed towards the door and pulled it open, seeing the same girl who had helped him before with the needle and another apparently listening in. They quickly straightened up as if their intentions weren't obvious, but it was clear they were hoping to see what was going on.

"She'll be okay," he replied before they could ask, closing the door behind him as they looked eagerly to him. "Did you two notice anything about that man? Did he try to buy any of the girls' time tonight?" They both shook their heads at him, confirming what he already thought. The man had a purpose of solely coming to hurt Libelle tonight. Devon gave a short nod from their reply, but he couldn't help and pick up the body language of the one who'd supplied the needle. Her eyes stared to the now closed door as if she could see through it to her mistress. Was it regret that lingered there? He wasn't quite sure just then, but something else seemed to be bothering her that wasn't just about the state of Libelle.

His attention was pulled away when he heard a glass shatter downstairs which was followed by laughter. It seemed they were still having a good time. The noise had also broken the girl's gaping as she looked up to meet Devon's eyes before quickly casting her gaze away, seeming to be unable to hide the emotion he couldn't peg. "Well, ladies, let's hope the rest of the night is less eventful." He looked to the door once more and then to the curious girl one last time before heading towards the stairs. 

[Libelle "Onyx" Ryoko - Council]

Libelle and weak were often not used in the same sentence let alone the same thought. So for her to allow someone -let alone someone she had just met- to see her weak it was because she really was not in a position to prevent the outcome. She may be a being of pride but she was not so prideful to allow herself to die. She needed to live her life for the parents she had lost, to spite the man who dared harm her. She needed to find happiness, and do more than survive. So the tears stained her face as she finally felt the burning coming to a close. She let out a breath of relief in that moment. The imbalance threw her off; it wasn’t something she was used to. So as he caught her she let out a shaky, “Thank you.” The wave of tiredness that waved over her was unlike any she had had in a long time.

“I would have preferred it not had happened at all, but it made me thankful I followed that gut feeling to take care of my girls.” Her voice was now all australia no hint of fake english that she had mastered. She let out a weak laugh from her pale lips as she laid down, her eyes immediately closing. “I will be down to properly clean up in a little bit. I just need to sleep some.” She whispered softly, “Take another drink you earned.” She rolled away from him feeling the sleep take hold not hearing his stearn tone telling her to not push herself. Letting out a relieved sigh she curled into a ball.

Ruby stood there at the door with the new girl Gemma who had been waiting there since Ruby went to go get the needle. She bit down on her thumb before seeing him walk out and she straightened up. “Forgive me Sir. Is she?” Ruby's eyes filled with fear as she looked to the door past Devon not seeing her mistress exit behind him. “Thank goodness.” Ruby let out a breath as her hand moved to her face letting out a shaky breath. “I didn’t Sir, I was up with a client.” She looked to Gemma to give a reply but nothing but the shake of her head. Ruby's gaze narrowed in on her for a moment, before looking back to the door. When Devon gave a statement to getting back to work she felt the breath leave her body. How could she leave Libelle alone. She knew better when it came to busy nights. Damnit. Giving a nod Ruby waved her hand. “Back to work Gemma.” Once alone, Ruby reached, taking hold of the door and pushing it open. She moved into the room and took hold of Libelle's hand softly. She closed her eyes as she focused her ability to soothe any pain she may be in. After a quiet moment she pulled back satisfied. “Sleep well Mistress.” Placing a gentle kiss to Libelle's head she moved out of the room and took Libelle place behind the bar.

Ruby's eyes never went far from Gemma who seemed to only take certain men to her room. It wasn’t like a new girl to be as picky as she was being. Her eyes moved to Devon and then to the Rogue in Devon group That Ruby had spent many nights with. Something wasn’t right about what had happened that night, it made her feel uneasy but she would respect Libelles choices when it came to the new hire. She was sure that her reasons were more than solid after all every girl here loved Libelle and the way she treated each of them.

After a few hours and the girls were taking their last lovers of the night Libelle rose from her bed and made her way down the stairs in the search of water. What she had not expected was Devon alone in her bar. “I figured you would be gone or in bed with one of the girls.” She said in a rough tone as she moved to fill a mug with water raising it to her lips and drinking greedily. She set the mug down and took a deep breath in before looking around and starting to pick up the plates and other things that lay around. “Did the rest of the evening go smoothly?” She asked as her eyes looked far away in the low firelight flickering its last flames as she tried to remember the face of her attacker.

[Devon Sawyer - Council]

Devon moved the rag over his shoulder as he continued picking up the place while everyone else was off for the night. The girls were upstairs and the Rogues had gone back to the inn in which they lived when they weren't out on the road. The events of earlier were still troubling him as he was deep in thought. The scene kept playing over and over again in his head as he tried to make sense of it all, but if there was one thing he was learning quickly, it was that this world was not full of the same black and white logic as he'd been so sure and confident of his whole life. It didn't sit right with him. If that man had wanted her dead, he could've just taken her by surprise and killed her right there. A desperate act. In front of so many witnesses. No, this was more a threat and if that was the case, it meant something else could be coming her way to make good on that threat if Libelle didn't do as told or expected.

His eyes glanced up seeing a figure from the corner of his eyes coming down the stairs. Libelle was moving around again with more strength, but still seemed weary as she made her way towards him. He smirked a bit at her comment and continued wiping down the bar top where the remnants of spilled drinks remained. "Someone needed to stay behind and clean up. Anyway, I figured at least one Rogue should always stay the night as there are still men up there with your girls who might not know how to behave themselves properly. We've done it before at some of the other brothels in town and it's proven to be the right thing to do on more than one occasion. I'm thinking tonight isn't such a bad night to start that plan." Devon nodded towards her hand then to make his point. He noted her wound was still wrapped and insisted she relinquish the dishes over to him with a gesture so she wouldn't be putting any stress on her hand.

"Rest of the night was fine," he replied, moving around to sit on the stool, but noticing Libelle's far off look. He reached over and pulled the brim filled mug of ale towards him and turned to face her being careful not to spill its contents. "The girls were a little upset, but they shook it off once word got around you would be okay. The one dark-haired girl seemed particularly concerned for you. Ruby? I could see her staring upstairs at times thinking of you. You seem to have a good group here." Devon wasn't even sure if she was hearing him. Her look was so far off it was like she was in another place completely.

"Libelle?" Taking a gulp of the ale, he placed the drink down and stood up, walking over to her with a light touch on her elbow to indicate he was next to her. "You alright?" The answer was so clearly no, but he wasn't expecting her to really give in and tell him everything that was going on. Devon had the feeling she knew more than she was saying still. Continuously prying probably wasn't the way to getting the full story, but he figured starting with that simple question might open the door a crack to start the conversation.  

[Libelle "Onyx" Ryoko - Council]

Libelle greedily drank from the glass of water not caring that most of it was ending up rolling down her neck since she could only swallow so quickly.  After that moment it was emptied she lowered it to refill before picking up a screw from the bucket she kept close by in the kitchen. Tossing it in her mouth with her back to him quickly. Heating with her fingers as it passed her lips to soften it. The iron made her body feel more alive than before, it was comforting. Her eyes half closed at that moment. “Well I thank you, for being willing to clean up the mess those heathens often leave behind.” She said softly once she was able to swallow down the iron. “I would have done it, it's actually why I came down besides the water.” She nodded her head for a moment letting out a gentle sigh. “One rogue at night would probably be best since most last customers of the night pay for the night, and breakfast experience.” 

After he gestured to take the dishes she sighed not wanting to fight or stand her ground in that moment. Truthfully she was still in a rough state and the help was appreciated even if she couldn’t express it. She moved to take one of the stools to sit on, on the other side of the bar. She rested her arms on the bar as she held the cup in her hand. “You proved to be useful, and I feel you understand the ins and outs of the brothel life well enough to trust your judgement.”  Taking a deep breath in she gave a gentle nod of her head. “Well good, no more strange attempts to hurt the girls.” She swallowed as she leaned her head back to drink more of the water before focusing on him now that they were beside each other.

Libelle felt the gentle smile on her lips as she thought on Ruby, knowing her protective nature over her. “Ruby always worries about people she cares about. She also hates most men but the ones that are abusive will bring out a scary side of her.” Libelle gave out a weak chuckle and sighed as she leaned her head to her hand to keep it up. “All of the girls here come from walks of life that are well I assume you know. Since the rogues seem to have similar backgrounds.” She said waving her free hand around for a moment. Yet her gaze went out of focused quiet a lot, as she tried to remember the attacker, yet she heard every word of his.

As she felt his hand on her elbow she didn’t flinch or shy away from him. In her world a simple touch did not earn an attack.  After all if she hit every man who just simply touched her she wouldn’t have a business. “I was trying to remember his face.” She said softly as she cleared her throat and looked to the water in her mug.  “It's not the first time I have been attacked. I mean I asked for your help because I was being attacked. I just always thought it would be my ex not strangers that would hurt me. Knowing my weakness is not a common thing.” Looking at the wrapped hand. 

[Devon Sawyer - Council]

Devon sat his back against the  bar. The cues she gave off were enough for him to pick up more of a story that he wasn't surprised to hear at all. Most of the women that joined this type of lifestyle were all because of a man. He'd heard plenty of tales from the girls that ran away from a drunkard husband or father that liked to slap them around and others that had no choice when one of those men died without being able to take care of them any longer. There weren't many options for a woman to take up if she were looking for ways to take care of themselves, but selling their bodies would always be a sure bet to gain a bit of coin and survive the cruel world that didn't care to help those in need. Places like this were better still if only to have a family like Libelle seemed to be creating here. It was far better than the circumstances they'd come from. 

"So, a former lover?" Devon questioned, turning around and leaning forward onto the bar top. "What's to say that it isn't him? The man from earlier could've been hired to come and threaten you like this. A way to scare you. If you haven't shared with others this secret, how would this stranger know?" His eyes moved over her face to see if she was thinking on what he'd suggested before reaching down the bar and grabbing the mug he'd been drinking from. He took a drink and stared ahead, letting his mind work on the small amount of information he now had. Libelle wasn't one to take any shit from anyone, that the Rogue was sure of. Whoever this was she'd once been close to was probably someone she'd let her guard down with. Maybe even the one that caused her tough nature now. 

He turned to her again, with hopes to reason. "Look, you don't have to go into detail about whatever happened. Just think on my words." There was a bout of laughter from upstairs that made him glance upwards before looking back to her, adding to his point. "Whatever went down tonight was definitely not the end of it. I know you want to keep the girls here safe too. I'm sure you don't want to get them involved in whatever this may end up being." Devon stood then and went over to a tall backed chair that was cushioned and appeared to him the most comfortable to grab a bit of sleep. He put his booted feet up on the small table there as he slouched comfortably into the seat and gulped down more of the drink. "Sleep on it. I'll be here. In the morning I'll have the boys look around town for that bastard who came in tonight and see if anything comes up. If we want answers, he'll have them."

[Libelle "Onyx" Ryoko - Council]

Libelle wanted to deny the words but it rang in her head for a moment. “A former lover.” She confirmed quietly before looking away from Devon not wishing to have his eyes upon her. She wanted to explain that since it was coming close to eight hundred years or more at that point since she had seen him, that he had to be dead. Right? Yet that sent her mind in a spiral on how she herself wasn’t dead. Could he have clung to life and still found her. “I believed I saw him die, yet stranger things have happened also.” She muttered softly as she raised the water to her lips once again drinking deeply from it. “Maybe he…’ Anything she could come up with made her sound crazy or made no sense to a human.

“I…” She tried again quietly but sighed and looked into the mug of water. “You may have a scary point.” was all she said in that quiet moment before the laughter from upstairs pulled her attention for a moment. “You think one of the few places to be able to hold a moment of peace would be a damn whore house.” She muttered as she finished off the water in her mug and moved to clean it. “I have to keep them safe, I gave someone my word long ago.” She said over her shoulder towards him but kept her eyes on the water she was cleaning the mug with. “Would be a shame if my former mess brought any of them down, when they are just trying to have a life each.” Her voice broke at the end feeling the tears welling up threatening to spill over. “No, I would rather be the only one to get hurt. They all have had it so rough.” She muttered softly as she moved away to lean on the bar for a moment.

She watched him get comfortable in one of the chairs that was nicer than some of the others. “Don’t drink too much. My stuff is stronger than most.” She gave a nod of her head as she pushed off from the bar and moved back towards the stairs. “Answers are needed one way or another. Even if heads have to roll.” She said over her shoulder before returning to her room. She laid in her bed and sleep came quickly. Her body was still healing itself when it came to the gold that invaded her system. 

When morning came Libelle was the first up as she often was. Moving into the kitchen to make the breakfast that she always made for the girls and their men of the night, along with the rogue that was sitting there. She made a few extras in case the rogues themselves needed food. After all they were running around looking for the man that had assaulted her the night before. She made her way up stairs placing the food in each room before returning down the stairs much more clothed then the first time she had met Devon. She was quick to clean up the mess she made between waiting for the rogues return. 

[Devon Sawyer - Council]

"Bit late for that," Devon remarked at her comment about the ale with a passing grin. The warmness he was feeling relaxed him as a comfortable spot had finally made his body stop, feeling content in the chair. More than anything, he wished he had that bottle of rum from her room upstairs. He could nurse that every night before bed in an effort to get some real sleep. Sometimes after seeing the things he did and being unable to help in the ways he wanted made sleeping a luxury. Not to mention the Rogue didn't exactly always end up in the best sleeping arrangements while on the road. 

His heavy eyes followed the mistress ascending the stairs. Her words did not go amiss as they trailed behind her into the quiet of the space. Despite the simple threat, there was weight behind it, and Devon believed she would go the lengths to finding out what was needed. At least they had something to go on now. It didn't surprise him in the least that it could be a former lover, possibly even the reason she had fled to London in the first place. That was a story for another time though and he didn't exactly abide by men who treated women badly. For now, he let sleep win as he slipped in the dream world.

----------------------

Despite the quiet of the brothel, his eyes fluttered open to see the sun streaming through the windows and onto the wooden planks of the floor. The sounds of London waking brought him around as the familiar sounds of merchants chattering in the street, hooves moving over the dirt roads, and creaking wagon wheels could be heard beyond the doors behind him. Despite the chair having been his alternate bed for the night, he slept fairly well thanks to the alcohol and stretched before slipping outside and waiting for his men.

His instructions were simple. They were to check all of the nearby inns and taverns, even the other brothels. The Rogues could usually spot an outsider pretty easy enough. The one that had come into the Dragon Lady hadn't spoken to him to immediately give way to his origins, but his dress was still not of around here and the sword he carried wasn't made in any part of England he recognized. Devon had forged and seen a lot of weaponry and that was what gave the stranger away more than anything. With the amount of connections they had across the city, he hoped they would be able to find something out and with any luck, the man hadn't left London just yet.

Moving back inside, Devon yawned and returned to the chair which he'd become quite familiar with now as his shape was still worn into the fabric from his hours asleep in it. A big yawn escaped just as Libelle began to descend from her room. "Morning," he greeted. He took note of her demeanor and she seemed to be doing much better from the incident. The mistress moved towards the bar area and Devon took to follow, sitting on one of the chairs in front of her as she busied herself with making food. The smell instantly made his stomach growl. "Boys are out looking for that gutter rat now. I'm sure they'll find something out."

He happily accepted the food that was offered to him. The bits on the plate were gone quickly. Actual meals were something he wasn't necessarily used to on an everyday basis. Just as he washed it all down with a large helping of ale, the doors to the brothel opened and Clyde came in shaking his head. Devon looked to Libelle with as much reassuring as he could, but as each came back without any news, he cursed. "Maybe he ran out of here as soon as he'd been caught." He turned to the others, folding his arms over his chest in thought. "Might have friends here in the city he's staying with. Split up on the roads out of town. Maybe we'll catch him there if he tries to leave now that the sun's up. Clyde and Jerry, you can stay here in case he shows again." He nodded towards the door as cue for them to go before turning back to Libelle. "I've got to get back to my place and sort some movings out. I'll be back a bit later with some good news hopefully." He lowered his voice a bit with a tone of comfort. "We'll find him."

[Libelle "Onyx" Ryoko - Council]

As Devon made his return she was done making a plate of food for him. Placing it in front of him as she gave a gentle nod of her head. “Morning.” She looked him over for a quiet moment when she was sure he didn’t pity her when it came to her ex she focused back on the task at hand. Feeding the lot of people in her service. She was realizing if the rogues would be a fixture in her brothel she would need to request more food. In her head she was working out how much she may need to keep them well fed. “I am honestly not sure what I am hoping for. I would rather not see my ex’s face again.” She said lowly for only him to really hear as she cleaned up.

One by one the rogues returned and nothing, it was like the man disappeared.  She didn’t let the fear that swirled in her chest show as she looked towards Devon as he cursed.  “One can hope that he won’t return or fell into a pit that he can not get out of and will rot away.” She said back while picking up the plates from the rogues that had finished their meals. She watched him command his people with an approving nod before it was just him, Clyde and Jerry. She picked up the plates before looking to Devon for a quiet moment. “Thank you for looking. Even though he wasn’t found.” She took in the tone of comfort he offered and then cleared her throat. “Try not to tire yourself out before you come back.” She simply said moving her back to him not wanting weakness to shine though. “Have a good day.” She called after him.

After he left she looked between Clyde and Jerry. “Feel free to roam the brothel to keep an ear out. Just don’t go into the ladies room unless there is trouble.” Once they nodded and started to move about she rolled her shoulder. The pair seem to split up. Jerry hung out down stairs making idle chit chat with Libelle until men were leaving for the day. He stood strong and made sure none of them tried anything as they walked out. Though Libelle didn’t think any of them would pull something as they were regulars who stayed the night often. 

When Ruby was down the stairs stating she would be back Libelle gave her the coin needed to collect things from town before they said their goodbyes. It was the perfect set up for what was to happen next. Screaming from up the stairs happened causing both Jerry and Libelle to turn their attention to the top stairs. To see Gemma bloody and clothes ripped up, and Clyde behind her covered in blood. “Libelle!” Gemma was in tears as she ran into Libelle’s arms. “He came into my room and tried to force himself upon me! I fought to get free.” She sobbed openly.

Rage filled Libelle as she stared at the man covered in blood. 

“Mistress, I did nothing. I went into her room because I heard a thud after the man left her room, and she was covered in blood on the floor. I picked her up and she just started screaming.” Clyde tried to defend himself but Libelle knew the client she had the night before. He hadn’t left covered in blood or anger. “Jerry, I suggest you go get your boss now.” She said as she kept her gaze locked on Clyde’s, releasing a gas once Jerry is gone to make him paralyzed and fall to the floor. She turned to Gemma and held her face looking her over, feeling an anger unlike any other in her soul. Trying not to let her Drake side win out and murder the man.

[Devon Sawyer - Council]

Devon stepped through the open doors of the inn which was ready to accept people for the day and nodded to the innkeeper who'd been more than instrumental in the Rogues' dealings throughout the city and beyond. He headed towards the back stairs and began to descend into the basement below where two of the guys were moving the barrels of wine they'd snagged from a job delivering grain to a nearby village. He grinned to them as they smirked mischievously in their little triumph before laughing and waiting to hear how the rest of the job had went until he heard a familiar voice call his name behind him. Turning, he saw Jerry standing at the top of the stairs looking grim which caused his smile to fade and become replaced with expressed concern. "What happened?"

Moments later and the pair were moving through the busier streets of the city to get back to the Dragon Lady. "Did anyone else see what happened?" 

"I don't know. The girl was saying Clyde tried to force himself on her. He says he heard someone in her room and went in to see her like that on the floor. There was blood on them both." Devon pushed open the door of the brothel just as Jerry finished his thought seeing Clyde in an unmoving heap on the ground and the girl who accused him looking terrified. His eyes moved to Libelle then and he could see the anger consuming her whole frame. Crossing the room, he crouched down and rolled Clyde on his back who did have blood on his clothing. He noted his chest rising and falling quietly, but didn't see a mark on him from the girl or whoever knocked him out. 

Devon stood and wondered if there was any point in trying to reason with Libelle as she seemed unmovable then. "Clyde is one of the best men I have. He wouldn't.. he has a sister in one of the brothels across town." He looked to the disheveled girl and wanted to try and talk to her to hear what happened, but she was still in hysterics as the tears rolled down her face and hair was matted to the blood on her head. His eyes glanced upstairs before looking to the mistress again. "Let me go up and just have a look around..." he began, but let the idea die right there as the rage behind Libelle's eyes told him there was no chance of that happening. "Jerry," he called over his shoulder and nodded towards Clyde to help him as he seemed to be stirring finally. "We'll go.." Devon said quietly before backing away and taking one of Clyde's arms over his shoulders to help carry him out of the brothel. 

They took the disoriented man to the stone wall near the docks and sat him down. Devon looked to his fellow Rogue. If Clyde lied, he would have no problem adding to his injuries. "Look at me and tell me you didn't do this."

"No!" Clyde immediately yelled, shaking his head as he tried to come to his senses. "You know me! You know I wouldn't!" 

Devon stayed quiet for a few moments before deciding there was no lie in his words. Straightening up, he looked to Jerry then. "Take him back to the inn. I'm going up to that bedroom to have a look around." It just wouldn't be through means of the front door.

 

[Libelle "Onyx" Ryoko - Council]

Libelle's gaze only moved towards the doors when Devon and Jerry returned. Her gaze locked on the lump that was Clyde rather impressed with herself she didn’t kill him then and there. Though she learned a long time ago not to act out of anger. Gemma herself was rather new to her brothel and Ruby hadn’t liked her at all. It was why she didn’t have a true Gem name at that point. Libelle had her doubts she would stay. Would she really lie about this man attacking her? She was conflicted, and her anger and protective nature were winning out. 

When Devon moved towards Clyde she scoffed as she released Gemma and turned to face the human. “He is alive for now.” The hiss of her dragon side filled her tone as she looked towards Clyde. Really taking him in at that moment. He wasn’t covered in marks.  Listening to Devon, even though she didn’t seem like she was listening to him, she was taking in his words and trying to make sense of what was happening. Crossing her arms she looked back to Gemma who was still full on sobbing. Locking their gaze again she watched him stop in his tracks not realizing she had her fear gaze in full effect. “I think that is best that you leave. Consider the contract terminated.” She spoke in rage.

Watching the males leave she felt her shoulders hang in sadness. Things were getting out of hand and she needed to figure out why. Was her bad luck finally catching up to her. Did she need to pack up and leave, where would she even go? France? After a moment she turned back to Gemma and sighed. “Come now. Go clean yourself up. Things like this will happen. As long as you have ways to fight them off you will be fine. This job isn’t easy. If you are going to stay and work in a brothel. I suggest you learn to end the fight before it starts.” She waved her hand. “Go take my room and clean up.” 

Following Gemma up the stairs she led her towards her room and then closed the door before looking to Gemma's room. Walking towards the door she pushed it open and moved into the room. She took a deep whiff of the air, causing her brow to rise. “This doesn’t add up.” She leaned down to pick the piece of clothing that had been supposedly torn off.  She raised it touching her tongue to what was meant to be blood and then paused. “Berries?” She questioned.

That was when she was struck on her spine onto her scale, causing the pain that ripped through her to be unbearable. The scream that came out of her was inhuman as she crumbled to the ground. Unable to use her powers as the strong hand wrapped around her arm and rolled her on her back. She looked at the man who was seething with anger. The man that led her to reach out to Devon. “What the fuck do you want.” She struggled to get out as she felt like she was dying.

“Your scale, Drake.” His eyes shifted and turned pure black, no white was left as the blue part of his iris was glowing. “You know you have made this hard for me. Using your gas, though I had to be sure you were who I felt you were. I didn’t expect you to hire help. Good thing I planted my little doll.” As he spoke Gemma entered the room with a big grin holding a blade towards the man.  “Thank you.” He said taking the blade from her.

Libelle swallowed hard knowing she didn’t have anyone that would be there soon to help her. She could only hope that she could keep them talking till her powers returned. The golden blade was pressed to Libelle's collarbone causing her to cry out. “Fuck you, who are you and why do you want my scale!?” She felt her finger twitch as she was gaining some movement back but the searing pain and the smell of her flesh burning was overwhelming.