Of Rats And Renegades

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Delilah Benjamin
Junior Adventurer
Junior Adventurer
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 1:28 am
Location: Dust Town

Of Rats And Renegades

Post by Delilah Benjamin »

A Prelude

The breath that left Delilah’s lips was short and sweet, gaze alight with the words that glared from the RDL’s news board. A shot. That’s what it was. A dangerous one, sure, but a shot all the same. Badtooth was a creature of legend, something parents told their children about to get them to behave. You better be good or Badtooth will spirit you away! That is how Delilah had heard it as a child from friends scared stiff but giggling at the thought of the putrid dragon with the machine gun tail swooping down upon them in their dank and dusty tunnels. It was utterly absurd even when they heard tales of the men that never returned from the northern wastelands. Surely it was just a scare tactic. Right? Right. But plain as day, right before her eyes, the posting claimed that the RDL had apprehended the terror known as Badtooth and was preparing the beast for what was sure to be a complete bloodbath.

She ran all the way home that day. Worn boots beating against an even more worn path, kicking up dust in her wake as she did her best not to bowl anyone over on the journey home. All one hundred and ten pounds of her hit the locked front door of the shanty cottage at full force, enough to knock the wind out of her and put her on her rear. She coughed, little clouds of dirt and dust rising up around her in tiny swirls and curls. A moment later she heard the door unlock and crack open. Jane Benjamin’s stern gaze fell upon her adopted daughter before she slowly eased the door open further. Voices beyond the door’s threshold silenced immediately as Jane offered a hand out to Delilah who took it sheepishly, getting back to her feet with a brush of dirty hands over dirtier clothes. An ultimately futile effort. With her energetic pace of moments earlier thoroughly sapped, she trudged inside and gave a timid smile to the handful of men and women gathered around a pot of coffee at the Benjamins’ kitchen table. Delilah recognized most of them, various denizens of Dust Town proper as well as a few unfamiliars that Delilah attributed to the transient workers that filtered through town on the regular.

“Hello…” Del spoke just loud enough to be heard, chewing at her bottom lip as her gaze committed each face to memory. A soft clearing of her mother’s throat behind her had the crew at the table rising and finishing their watered down coffee as they began to filter out one by one. Those she recognized went so far as to afford her a smile or a nod, cursory in nature as they passed until her mother was satisfied that they were alone once more.

“Mama, why was the door locked? It’s never locked durin’ daylight.” The young woman asked softly, moving to clear the table and check to see if any coffee remained in the pot. The near foul concoction was soon doctored up with a generous scoop of cane sugar and a dollop of cream, a quick sniff given to ensure it’s freshness. A bent spoon was used to stir the mug’s contents as her gaze finally lifted to meet her mother’s.

“It was nothing. Just a community advisory meeting.” The smile Jane wore held secrets that Delilah could never decipher, equal parts saccharine sweetness and calm, cool, collectedness. Her mother was an enigma and as the two women stared each other down, Delilah knew this was one she would quickly lose.

“Oh…” Del murmured over the rim of her mug. “I signed up to kill the big dragon when they bring ‘im in.” Fidgeting with the cup, the tepid liquid found her lips with each tip back. Her gaze held steady on her mother as she awaited a reaction. She hoped for support. Hoped, not expected. Jane’s expression remained impassive, though and Delilah tried her damnedest to get a read on the woman.

“You did what now? Certainly I didn’t hear you correctly.” Calm and careful tones came in a deadly quiet that sent a ripple of goosebumps up Delilah’s bare arms. She lost the staring contest immediately, gulping hard at the sugary watered down coffee before gently setting the mug down beside the sink.

“I. Signed. Up. S’an offerin’ to Drakhar.” Delilah said firmly, folding her arms over her chest as her mother neared. Though she had to look up at her daughter, she still managed to look down her nose at her. The younger of the two shifted uncomfortably, dodging her mother’s stern gaze as best as she could.

“I’m not stitching you back together should you come back in pieces. Go wash up for dinner. You’re filthy.” Jane said softly but decidedly and the words bit Delilah harder than any of the ammo found on the battlefield. The middle aged woman shooed the younger off toward the washroom with a gentle nudge.
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