Dead Man Walking

CW: sexual assault
 
Charles Sutcliffe was the kind of man who exuded wealth, and not in a positive way. He was a man who over indulged, took advantage of those he deemed as his inferiors, and knowingly feasted on what should be the profits of those who worked for him.
 
It didn’t take long for Kit to find her mark this time. The first night the Kit and Killian was docked, the grumblings about Sutcliffe were all over the local tavern. It seemed, in one way or another, every man and woman on the island either worked for or was indebted to this particular man. A strange thing for someone who was not governor there to have that kind of power. But power he had, and Kit quickly learned of the atrocities the man carried out against anyone who he felt slighted by.
 
“Caution, dearest,” Killian whispered as Kit scribbled her notes. ‘“I have a bad feeling about this one.”
 
Kit picked up her mug of ale, downed half of it, and looked at her brother, her face betraying no emotion. “Bad feeling or not, he needs to learn his place. This whole island is drowning in poverty and he’s the cause. He’s the mark.”
 
Killian sighed in defeat, knowing better than to argue with his sister. He knew she would take his cautioning under more than advisement – unlike Killian, Kit immediately trusted when her brother felt something was wrong, she just chose to proceed regardless. It was part of their dynamic, Killian diving in headlong without heeding caution, Kit diving in knowing caution was issued correctly. Killian would have seen it as his sister having a death wish, but he had long since learned that Kit seemed to thrive off danger. Or at least, she had since that day so long ago.
 
The twins spent the next two days gathering intel, Kit keeping herself hidden and out of sight, Killian using his charm to gather as much information as he could.
 
Sutcliffe was a man of routine, they learned. He took the same path each day from his mansion in the hills, through town, to wring whatever money he could out of every person under his watch. His enforcers brutalized many people each day, often even those who paid immediately.
 
“To keep the fear in their hearts,” Sutcliffe had said after his enforcers beat the blacksmith within a few inches of his life.
 
Kit was enraged. It took everything to stop herself from killing Sutcliffe, including a long argument with her patron, who ordered a hit on the man. “Too many innocents will continue to suffer if he dies now,” Kit had said. “I do this my way. If you want me to return here once the balance is returned and kill him, I’ll finish the job then.”
 
Surprisingly, Asmodeous had agreed to the terms, and the twins continued their preparation.
 
Killian, as always, played the role of one paving the way for a wealthy woman seeking to settle on the island. Their ship’s colours had been changed, a fake figurehead mounted over their very recognizeable one, and the crew staged as seafarers under the employ of the woman. During their ruse, they often used being siblings to their advantage. Many of these smaller port cities still saw wealthy women as more property than individuals, giving Killian the in he needed to sell the idea of his sister.
 
The family was looking to purchase a home, and of course, whether now or later, find a suitor that met the bar for such a high-born woman. She had multiple suitors, but Killian, as the head of their family following the loss of their parents, felt he could find better. So here they had come, hearing word of a wealthy businessman who might just fit the bill.
 
It had not taken long for Sutcliffe to search Killian out. And while the fact they were Tieflings obviously was not something the man was fond of, the promise of a large bounty for wedding the man’s dear sister, and the way she was wildly pursued was enough to keep him interested.
 
By the third day, Kit was ready to meet her mark. A master at disguise, Kit’s purple skin was now a soft pink, her red locks a rich brown, and her piercing green eyes now replaced with a blue like the seas. Her usual preferred outfit – a pirate’s cloak covering common studded leather armour – was replaced by a fine, corseted dress, with laced sleeves, a sweetheart cutline, and a skirt that only spread at the right point off her body, accentuating her curves. Those who knew Kit well were often surprised at just how much she seemed to enjoy strutting around in a dress, and how well she played the part of the doe-eyed bachelorette. Gone were the grunts, sneers, and monotone responses, replaced by girlish giggles, batting eyelashes, and constant smiles.
 
She was still coy, but the flirtatious kind. And of course, she would always present a fake name. After all, it would be difficult to continue the ruse from island to island if word got out that it was Kit and Killian, the Chaos Twins, screwing men out of money at most ports.
 
So tonight, she was Bonny Lethridge, daughter of a wealthy noble family in Greynor, with direct connections to the King. They met Sutcliffe at his mansion, set up to obviously flaunt his wealth to the twins, an attempt to win them over. With their backstory, Kit’s slightly too tight corset, and her skill at seducing men through the most innocent of ways, it wasn’t long before Sutcliffe was nearly salivating at the prospect of having Kit as his bride. The twins expected it wouldn’t be long before the offer came through, and sure enough, by the next afternoon, the man had sent a letter saying he found the dowry more than generous, and requested the opportunity to enter into an engagement with Kit.
 
That evening, the engagement began. Kit, meeting Sutcliffe for courting each day, taking the opportunity to learn all she could about the vault, sneaking away from the powder room to start assessing how to break in. The engagement, Sutcliffe had requested, was to only last a week. Long enough for Kit to familiarize herself with the premises before settling into her wifely duties, he said. This meant the twins had to work quickly. The night before the wedding, Kit had prepped the vault for the theft, Killian hidden outside and ready to empty the vault with their crew once Kit gave the signal. Kit would keep Sutcliffe occupied long enough for Killian and the crew to clear safely back to the ship before excusing herself to get her beauty sleep, and returning to the K&K.
 
It was all going according to plan, and as the moon rose to the centre of the sky, Kit placated Sutcliffe with her excitement for the wedding. Like many of the wealthy bachelors Kit swindled, the man spent the night making endless innuendos about what would await them after their ceremony. Sutcliffe was more forward than most, making suggestions about his likes, dislikes, and things he expected Kit to do for him. Whilst she was certainly not opposed to couples learning one another’s preferences, this man clearly saw this more as orders and expectations than a couple working through their expectations together.
 
Kit had smiled, nodded, and blushed at the appropriate times, playing up her role. She waited for the all-clear signal from Killian, hoping it would come soon, as Sutcliffe placed his hand on her thigh. She was thankful for the thick skirt that covered her legs as the man gripped it tightly. That faded as the man began using his thumb to slowly pull the skirt upwards, grinning at her wickedly. Kit playfully smacked his hand away.
 
“Tomorrow night, dear. I’d like to keep my innocence til then,” Kit giggled.
 
Sutcliffe’s face reddened in anger. “I’ve already paid for you, *dear*. Tonight or tomorrow doesn’t matter.”
 
Kit clenched her teeth, forcing herself to keep up the ruse. She couldn’t drop it until they were clear. She stood, abruptly, playing the terrified girl. “Sutcliffe, dear, you wouldn’t want to start our marriage this way, would you? Besides, I need my beauty sleep. It would be highly unfitting for a woman of my stature to enter into wedlock without being at her best.”
 
She began to move away, Sutcliffe jumping to his feet, grabbed her tightly by the wrist and yanked her back towards him.
 
“You’ll do what I say, you’ll behave like the doting wife when I expect, and you’ll let me treat you like a whore when I expect, girl,” he sneered.
 
“Ow! Please, you’re hurting me,” she pleaded, still carrying on the ruse as the anger boiled inside her.
 
In response, Sutcliffe shoved Kit into the wall, forcing her back with a kiss and tearing the dress atop the corset she wore.
 
Kit, infuriated, bit his tongue hard, then shoved him off her. “Oh hell no!” she snarled.
 
Sutcliffe yelled in pain, looking up in horror. “Bitch! You whore! Who the hell do you think you are?”
 
Kit cracked her neck side to side and sneered. “A moment ago I was your lovely betrothed? Now I’m your worst fucking nightmare.”
 
Lunging forward, Sutcliffe held his hands out to Kit’s throat. Kit reached out and looped her arms over his to pin his arms down, then head-butted him, a sickening crack sounding as it split skin and drew blood on both of them. Sutcliffe screamed again as Kit brought a knee up to his groin, releasing him from her grapple. As he dropped his head downwards to grab at his crotch, Kit elbowed him hard in the eye, dropping him to the ground.
 
Sutcliffe held himself, attempting to shout and yell in pain as he cursed and swore at Kit.
 
“That’s not my name, love,” she said with a sneer. “Touch a woman like that ever again, and I’ll be back to finish the job.” As she spoke, she slipped a stashed dagger out of the ribbons in the back of the dress, slicing the rest of the material off, leaving her in nothing but the underpants and her corset.
 
As Sutcliffe continued to shout, and the sound of his guards began to echo more loudly with each step, Kit spat at the man before seemingly vanishing completely into the shadows. Kit ran from the premises, sticking to the trees and staying low. Everything inside her was screaming. She had wanted to murder the man, but murdering him wouldn’t set things right. It wouldn’t make him suffer the way he deserved to suffer. She could feel herself shaking heavily, feel the blood running down her face from the cut, but she knew better than to stop near his home. She tore the brown wig off, leaving it behind in the dirt. Kit could never see herself wearing that particular one again.
 
She made it into the alleys of the town before she finally stopped to catch her breath, doubling over as she threw up violently. She prayed to Asmodeous noone could hear as she began to sob in rage. She supposed she should consider herself lucky. This many marks, and only one had ever done this. She knew it was always a risk. But knowing it was a risk and dealing with it were two very different things. When she finally regained her composure, she made her way out to the docks and back to the ship. The colours had already been returned to their rightful ones, the fake figurehead removed. There, watching for her, as always, stood Killian, a worried look on his face.
 
Kit was never late.
 
Kit smoothed out her hair, wiped away some of the blood, and strode forward, confident as ever. It was impossible to hide that something had happened however, and Killian launched himself off the ship towards her, wings spread wide, landing with a thunk on the dock in front of her.
 
“Kit! What happened?”
 
“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Kit said plainly, continuing forward.
 
Killian stuck out his arm, stopping her. “Did Sutcliffe do this?”
 
“It’s been taken care of,” Kit said, pushing his arm away.
 
“Kit,” Killian pleaded.
 
“I’m fine. But we might want to set sail immediately. The guards will know the vault is empty by now.”
 
Kit made her way to the ship, feeling Killian stare after her. She could feel his rage boiling up – not at her elusiveness, but at what he had already figured out had happened. Kit couldn’t stop though, she couldn’t speak to him, and she certainly couldn’t let the crew, who were already working to ready the ship for departure, to see one of their captains fall to pieces.
 
A silence fell over the ship as she strode on board, the crew half-staring at Kit being nearly unclothed and her face covered in blood, and half in shock at the state of disarray the usually stoic sibling was in. She whipped her head towards them, and the crew immediately went back to what they were doing. All, but Oak, that was. Oak stared at her through the darkness, his yellow eyes glowing. HIs glance flicked to Killian, who had chosen to return as well, then back to Kit. She could have sworn she caught a flash of anger in his eyes, but chose to ignore him, hurrying to her quarters. She wanted out of those clothes, out of that makeup. Out of it all. She bathed herself intently, scrubbing her skin harder than usual, then changed into some nightclothes and sat on her bed. She didn’t cry, but stared at the wall across from her.
 
A few minutes later, he heard her door handle click, and felt Killian’s presence as he entered the room. He didn’t speak, but climbed onto her bed and pulled Kit close, holding her tightly. They remained like that in silence, Kit focusing on the safety she felt from her brother, until she fell asleep.