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Tue 6th Dec 2022 09:56

The Den

by Maelie Arsenault

The lock of the warehouse’s side door clicked and opened, Fox entered and left the lights off. Used to the dark, the odd part was opening the door with a key. Closing it behind her, she stepped into the warehouse she ‘owned’, or rather Garrus Heinrich owned from beyond the grave. Several forged documents, a lot of postage, and a disguise as Mx. Bauer, Mr. Heinrich’s associate who is overseeing his business in Eisen, Maelie had acquired and renovated the warehouse for her own purposes. It had taken a few weeks of bringing in one craftsman, then another, to do the work piecemeal and quietly.
 
As she went to the large crate in the back and reached for the secret lever, she hoped it was worth it. The crate unlocked and she stepped inside and closed it behind her. Stepping around some debris and junk she reaches down to a handle and lifts a trap door to reveal a ladder down into the now hidden cellar in the foundation of the building. Descending, she closes the door and enters her den.
 
The secret entrance leads down to a stone cellar beneath the main foundation, the scent of the sewers is faint, but present. The saferoom is dark and it takes her vision a moment to adjust before she could find the lighten lantern and turn it on. With colour back in her vision she surveyed her hideout. A large table in the middle of the room, an armoire in a corner, several lead-lined chests, and a desk in the corner. A small bed with comfortable pillows and blankets sits against a wall. A slightly used, but comfortable armchair and table not far from the lantern.
 
She runs her hands along the furniture as she walks around. Sitting on the bed a moment she hopes she won’t have to use it anytime too soon with how cold and damp it is right now. But comfort was not a necessary part of this, that’s what her room at the Skybound was for. Warmth, comfort, company, and pleasure were separate from her professional work as a thief. The way it should be, for her protection and that of the people she’d come to care about. If the Rooks ever searched her room there, they’d find nothing, and Cardinal could not be accused of knowing anything. If this place was ever found, there would similarly be no connection to her, Donatien, or Victor.
 
A small smile spread across her face as she began to unload the backpack she had brought. Disguise and forgery kits, extra lock picks, crowbars, and various masks, hoods, and dark clothes for her heists. This Den is hers; this is where Fox lives, and this is where she would keep her secrets.

Continue reading...

  1. The Last Rule
    November 27th, 1882, - Novandria
  2. The Den
  3. Am I losing?
  4. A Close Call
  5. Plans
  6. New Toys
  7. Mistakes were made
  8. Too close to home
  9. Not like you.
  10. This City is Mine.
    February 6th, 1883
  11. Aimless?
    March 5, 1883 - Novandria
  12. The Game Begins
    February 13th, 1883
  13. Too much like You
    March 13, 1883
  14. Safer in Shadows
    April 3, 1883
  15. New Beginnings
    April 7th, 1883
  16. Ready to Run
    April 17th, 1883
  17. Home
    April 25, 1883
  18. Can you steal a heart?
    May 8th, 1883
  19. Trouble
    11th of May, 1883
  20. Heartbreak
    14th of May, 1883
  21. Hunter or Prey?
    16th of May, 1883
  22. Guilt
    19th of May, 1883
  23. Untrustworthy
    21st of May, 1883
  24. Why am I like this?
    25th of May, 1883
  25. Worthy
    8th of June, 1883
  26. The One She Left Behind
    13th June, 1883
  27. Annnd it's back...
    July 1st, 1883
  28. Learning to Fly
    July 4th, 1883
  29. Thrill of the Hunt
    July 29th, 1883
  30. From the Embers
    21st of August, 1883 // 1867
  31. Mother Knows Best
    16th of September, 1883
  32. A Snake, a Star, and a Fox
    25th of September, 1883, Novandria
  33. It wasn't him.
    28th of September, 1883, Novandria
  34. The New Blade
    13th of September, 1883
  35. Something Good
    October 31, 1883 - Novandria
  36. The wound that won't close
    18th of December, 1883 - Novandria
  37. Promise
    25th of December, 1883 - Novandria
  38. Fallen through the cracks
    6th of January, 1884 - Novandria
  39. Day to Night
    7th of January, 1884
  40. What's Left to the Shadows
    22nd of January, 1884, Novandria
  41. The World without Colour
    18th of February, 1884, Bellancourt, Montaigne,
  42. Seventeen Roofs
    26th of February, Novandria, Eisen
  43. Crossing the Board
    4th of March, 1884, Novandria, Eisen
  44. New Freedom
    May 4th, 1884
  45. Saved
    5th of May, 1884/16th of July, 1858

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by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.042 © 2017-2024 [en] | Anvil Time: 01:03, Nov 15 2024