By the time Fae comes to the end of the hallway, he still hasn't found anywhere that he can hide, but the path does curve into another staircase leading down to the first floor. There's a pause where he looks over his shoulder, debating whether he should go back for Keelan before descending, but the arguing voices of the guards looming closer push him to abandon the thought and quickly hurry down the stairs on his own.
At the bottom, his feet pad onto the cool linoleum floor of a kitchen, moonlight gleaming silver over various pots and other utensils scattered about. One glint in particular that catches his attention is a set of knives hanging on a far wall. Fae is immediately stalking towards it, tucking the pins through a fold in his pants to hold them as he takes one of the larger knives from its perch. The close of his knuckles around the handle earns a wince and so he switches hands, tossing the knife lightly so it turns in the air before catching it again. It's not his dominant hand, but the weight of a weapon makes him feel better regardless.
He's about to search for anything else he can use when the sound of a door opening freezes him. His heart jumps into his throat, pounding with adrenaline, until he realizes it wasn't the kitchen door that opened - it was the front entrance.
"Boss!"
Fae stiffens, his grip tightening around the knife as he hurries to the swaying kitchen door. He pushes it without making a sound, just enough to peek out, and finds two men stepping into the foyer from outside before being met by the guards who were tailing him and Keelan, rushing down the main stairs towards the new arrivals.
Good, he thinks briefly, they didn't find Keelan.
One of the men wears an expression like he's being forced to look upon something offensive. He's slim but not delicate-looking, there's clearly muscle beneath his suit and with his hair slicked back, there's a confidence in his eyes that pierces through the two men bumbling towards him.
Fae remembers him - he was the one at the auction who raised his card.
So that's big boss, huh?
Again, Fae's fingers squeeze around the knife's handle. He's taller with a tad more brawn than Fae but nothing to be scared of on a one-on-one. He could kill him - right now. It would be so easy. What gives Fae pause isn't his injuries, it isn't even the disadvantage of the guards being there with him - it's the hulking mammoth Zeke walked in with. Fae doesn't know who he is but he's easily twice Fae's size, with a stern face and thick hands he can't imagine are not always balled into fists like that, ready to fight.
Even in peak condition, Fae would have trouble with him. Fae's strong but his fighting prowess relies mostly on skill, speed, and luck - he's not built for brute force, nor drawn-out fights. Cleverness will only get him so far. There's no way he can get to Zeke with that monster to deal with first.
Frustrated, he simply watches and listens to the exchange.
"What do you two think you're doing?" Zeke glances over the man with the mangled face. "Something I should be concerned about?"
The man quickly covers his nose. "N-no..."
A raised brow, and the man's partner steps in, nonchalantly clicking his tongue, yet somehow seeming equally as nervous.
"The new one got a good hit on him while we were bringin' 'im back, that's all."
"I just got distracted!"
"Well, I'm not paying you to be distracted and certainly not to get blood on my carpet. I didn't think you could possibly be any more disgusting to look at, but I suppose I've been known to be wrong on occasion. Clean up."
"Fucking..." The man glowers, obviously offended, but then turns away with a low, "Yes, sir."
Fae's shoulders lose a bit of tension as one of the men leaves the room. He watches as Zeke raises his hands and lowers his gaze to them, pulling at the fingertips of a satin glove as he speaks to the guard that's been left behind.
"Has my prettiest pet finished with my latest investment then? This is the only reason I can think to excuse you being away from your post."
"He..."
Fae's heart pounds, uncertain if the guard will spill everything about their escape.
"He passed out - the new one."
Oh?
Fae snorts. Apparently these men are so terrified of their employer, they're willing to gamble on finding the two slaves before Zeke finds out they even escaped in the first place.
The man is clearly sweating bullets, but for his part, Zeke seems almost too composed at the information.
"...Pity." He smoothly pulls his glove from his hand and starts working on the second one. "After such a spirited display following his purchase, I expected a bit more in terms of entertainment. If he's truly reached his limit already, then I'd like to hear the details from his trainer's lips - not yours. Bruce," he turns his head to the hulking man behind him, "bring me Keelan."
"NO!" The smaller guard nearly jumps forward, and the movement is enough to cause alarm to skitter across Zeke's face before falling to a sharp suspicion. The guard holds his hands out as he explains, attempting to hide how flustered he is behind a veil of confidence, "I mean, Boss, I'll get 'im. Bruce gets him nervous, don't he? He's in a good mood after breakin' the other one, maybe he'd be easier to talk to if I bring 'im, yeah?"
Zeke's eyes narrow as his second glove comes off - a motion that's much sharper than the removal of the first one. "That's unusually perceptive of you, Maurice, but you have a point. Though I can't imagine why, it is rare to catch him in good spirits." He folds both gloves and passes them to Bruce without looking away from Maurice. "Bring him to my office. Bruce, once Maurice has retrieved Keelan, see what you can do with the pink one. I'm doubtful he could be so used up already." The sharp edge in his voice smooths out with his next words, lips curling into a small smirk, "As determined to obey his orders as Keelan might be, he is a sweet thing and can be easily fooled by cunning opponents."
He should know.
Bruce nods in understanding, and Fae's eyes widen as all three men proceed up the stairs. He peels out from the kitchen, gaze darting towards the door.
He can leave. Right now.
But...
Again his determination falters as temptation baits him. Fae's eyes flick towards the staircase, to the door, and the staircase again, his knuckles burning white from his grip on the knife's handle.
[LONG TAG i hope i didn't murder Zeke's character lmao...anyway I have a thought for Keelan's pov! he probably doesn't know Fae is downstairs, he can only hear Zeke and everyone talking, so maybe when someone approaches the curtain (it's Fae ofc) he thinks it's Zeke? if this were animated the cut between Fae deciding whether or not to leave on his own and Keelan not knowing who's about to rip the curtain back would be very dramatic uou!]
the tension t h i c c
By the time Fae comes to the end of the hallway, he still hasn't found anywhere that he can hide, but the path does curve into another staircase leading down to the first floor. There's a pause where he looks over his shoulder, debating whether he should go back for Keelan before descending, but the arguing voices of the guards looming closer push him to abandon the thought and quickly hurry down the stairs on his own.
At the bottom, his feet pad onto the cool linoleum floor of a kitchen, moonlight gleaming silver over various pots and other utensils scattered about. One glint in particular that catches his attention is a set of knives hanging on a far wall. Fae is immediately stalking towards it, tucking the pins through a fold in his pants to hold them as he takes one of the larger knives from its perch. The close of his knuckles around the handle earns a wince and so he switches hands, tossing the knife lightly so it turns in the air before catching it again. It's not his dominant hand, but the weight of a weapon makes him feel better regardless.
He's about to search for anything else he can use when the sound of a door opening freezes him. His heart jumps into his throat, pounding with adrenaline, until he realizes it wasn't the kitchen door that opened - it was the front entrance.
"Boss!"
Fae stiffens, his grip tightening around the knife as he hurries to the swaying kitchen door. He pushes it without making a sound, just enough to peek out, and finds two men stepping into the foyer from outside before being met by the guards who were tailing him and Keelan, rushing down the main stairs towards the new arrivals.
Good, he thinks briefly, they didn't find Keelan.
One of the men wears an expression like he's being forced to look upon something offensive. He's slim but not delicate-looking, there's clearly muscle beneath his suit and with his hair slicked back, there's a confidence in his eyes that pierces through the two men bumbling towards him.
Fae remembers him - he was the one at the auction who raised his card.
So that's big boss, huh?
Again, Fae's fingers squeeze around the knife's handle. He's taller with a tad more brawn than Fae but nothing to be scared of on a one-on-one. He could kill him - right now. It would be so easy. What gives Fae pause isn't his injuries, it isn't even the disadvantage of the guards being there with him - it's the hulking mammoth Zeke walked in with. Fae doesn't know who he is but he's easily twice Fae's size, with a stern face and thick hands he can't imagine are not always balled into fists like that, ready to fight.
Even in peak condition, Fae would have trouble with him. Fae's strong but his fighting prowess relies mostly on skill, speed, and luck - he's not built for brute force, nor drawn-out fights. Cleverness will only get him so far. There's no way he can get to Zeke with that monster to deal with first.
Frustrated, he simply watches and listens to the exchange.
"What do you two think you're doing?" Zeke glances over the man with the mangled face. "Something I should be concerned about?"
The man quickly covers his nose. "N-no..."
A raised brow, and the man's partner steps in, nonchalantly clicking his tongue, yet somehow seeming equally as nervous.
"The new one got a good hit on him while we were bringin' 'im back, that's all."
"I just got distracted!"
"Well, I'm not paying you to be distracted and certainly not to get blood on my carpet. I didn't think you could possibly be any more disgusting to look at, but I suppose I've been known to be wrong on occasion. Clean up."
"Fucking..." The man glowers, obviously offended, but then turns away with a low, "Yes, sir."
Fae's shoulders lose a bit of tension as one of the men leaves the room. He watches as Zeke raises his hands and lowers his gaze to them, pulling at the fingertips of a satin glove as he speaks to the guard that's been left behind.
"Has my prettiest pet finished with my latest investment then? This is the only reason I can think to excuse you being away from your post."
"He..."
Fae's heart pounds, uncertain if the guard will spill everything about their escape.
"He passed out - the new one."
Oh?
Fae snorts. Apparently these men are so terrified of their employer, they're willing to gamble on finding the two slaves before Zeke finds out they even escaped in the first place.
The man is clearly sweating bullets, but for his part, Zeke seems almost too composed at the information.
"...Pity." He smoothly pulls his glove from his hand and starts working on the second one. "After such a spirited display following his purchase, I expected a bit more in terms of entertainment. If he's truly reached his limit already, then I'd like to hear the details from his trainer's lips - not yours. Bruce," he turns his head to the hulking man behind him, "bring me Keelan."
"NO!" The smaller guard nearly jumps forward, and the movement is enough to cause alarm to skitter across Zeke's face before falling to a sharp suspicion. The guard holds his hands out as he explains, attempting to hide how flustered he is behind a veil of confidence, "I mean, Boss, I'll get 'im. Bruce gets him nervous, don't he? He's in a good mood after breakin' the other one, maybe he'd be easier to talk to if I bring 'im, yeah?"
Zeke's eyes narrow as his second glove comes off - a motion that's much sharper than the removal of the first one. "That's unusually perceptive of you, Maurice, but you have a point. Though I can't imagine why, it is rare to catch him in good spirits." He folds both gloves and passes them to Bruce without looking away from Maurice. "Bring him to my office. Bruce, once Maurice has retrieved Keelan, see what you can do with the pink one. I'm doubtful he could be so used up already." The sharp edge in his voice smooths out with his next words, lips curling into a small smirk, "As determined to obey his orders as Keelan might be, he is a sweet thing and can be easily fooled by cunning opponents."
He should know.
Bruce nods in understanding, and Fae's eyes widen as all three men proceed up the stairs. He peels out from the kitchen, gaze darting towards the door.
He can leave. Right now.
But...
Again his determination falters as temptation baits him. Fae's eyes flick towards the staircase, to the door, and the staircase again, his knuckles burning white from his grip on the knife's handle.
[LONG TAG i hope i didn't murder Zeke's character lmao...anyway I have a thought for Keelan's pov! he probably doesn't know Fae is downstairs, he can only hear Zeke and everyone talking, so maybe when someone approaches the curtain (it's Fae ofc) he thinks it's Zeke? if this were animated the cut between Fae deciding whether or not to leave on his own and Keelan not knowing who's about to rip the curtain back would be very dramatic uou!]