Simon Destler
- Ingenious Pilot -
A lost boy. Not a Lost Boy.
Posts: 222
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Post by Simon Destler on Feb 23, 2009 20:09:47 GMT -5
Puzzled by his father's request, Simon had himself dressed and ready as requested. He leaned against the brick wall of the opera house, a little nervous to be waiting out there by himself.
His father and father's lover proved to be good men, but what of this Addams character? Or that other Erik? Either one, or maybe others could find him out there if his father did not show quickly...
Bouncing his back against the wall, Simon looked up sharply when he thought he heard something fall over, then stopped and shrank down near an overturned crate. He closed his eyes, trying to will his father to show up faster.
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Post by Erik Destler on Feb 23, 2009 20:36:07 GMT -5
Erik materialzed from the shadows just a couple of moments later and offered a gloved hand down to the boy.
"You're going to have to learn not to cower in corners, Simon. Come along."
He was dressed in dark coverings, head to foot, with a heavy coachman's coat, hat and scarf covering his face and held in his hand something that looked like a worn and battered dark brown and stained doctor's medical case.
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Simon Destler
- Ingenious Pilot -
A lost boy. Not a Lost Boy.
Posts: 222
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Post by Simon Destler on Feb 23, 2009 20:44:51 GMT -5
Standing with a warm blush to his face, Simon was glad for the shadows and thrust his hands into his pockets, trying to forget that he just made himself look like an idiot.
"Where are we going, anyway?" he asked, eyes focusing on the case his father carried. "And what's that for?"
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Post by Erik Destler on Feb 23, 2009 20:50:25 GMT -5
Erik gave the bag a little jostle
"Just the tools you'll need for your lesson. We're going to find a subject for study, and the best place to look is near the docs this time of night."
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Simon Destler
- Ingenious Pilot -
A lost boy. Not a Lost Boy.
Posts: 222
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Post by Simon Destler on Feb 23, 2009 21:03:27 GMT -5
"Subject" echoed around Simon's mind while he tried to measure what it could mean and why they were doing it. Especially if it had anything to do with his music...
"Then... let's go?" he said, not particularly looking forward to visiting anywhere at night.
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Post by Erik Destler on Feb 24, 2009 1:52:04 GMT -5
The Composer nodded and spoke as they walked, keeping his voice low.
"You must be less fearful of things, Simon. It will only hold you back, slow you down. You're going to come up against men like Addams your entire life and it's best you learn to take care of yourself quickly."
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Simon Destler
- Ingenious Pilot -
A lost boy. Not a Lost Boy.
Posts: 222
|
Post by Simon Destler on Feb 24, 2009 16:53:00 GMT -5
"Yes. I'm sorry, Father," he replied quietly, keeping his pace beside the older man. He tried to avoid looking around them too much, not wanting to draw attention or his father's ire. He still had no idea of what "work" they could be doing at this time of night, but he held back his questions for now.
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Post by Erik Destler on Feb 24, 2009 17:00:23 GMT -5
Erik took him right to the stacks of crates that rested in front of the great warehouses on the docks and bade him to wait there as he pointed out the very few people moving about, mostly under the piers, and doing trade Simon would have been familiar with.
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Simon Destler
- Ingenious Pilot -
A lost boy. Not a Lost Boy.
Posts: 222
|
Post by Simon Destler on Feb 24, 2009 17:22:53 GMT -5
Simon looked, and watched them, turning his head away. It was painful to see now, though he'd only been removed from their numbers a short while.
"Why are we here, Father?" he asked in a hoarse whisper, gaze settled somewhere by his feet. He could hear little patches of conversation as the women and girls plied their trade with the less-than-noble men, and shut his eyes, not wanting to hear it.
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Post by Erik Destler on Feb 24, 2009 17:32:15 GMT -5
He grabbed Simon's face and turned it back toward the dim scenes.
"Don't turn your face away--you are no ordinary pewling boy, you know. You are the son of Erik Destler! The seedling of monstrosity." He grinned, his visible eye wrinkling up over the scarf that hid his face. "It's time you learned the second half of your legacy, my boy."
He gave Simon's cheek a rough pat and then stood, bidding him to stay and watch as he took his back and walked out into the open, taking on a bent and hobbling persona, looking like a lost old man--with an interesting bag of goodies. No hood could resist.
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Simon Destler
- Ingenious Pilot -
A lost boy. Not a Lost Boy.
Posts: 222
|
Post by Simon Destler on Feb 24, 2009 17:44:04 GMT -5
Simon looked on at his father's strange show of hobbling forward, covering his mouth with the tips of his fingers in nervous wait. He needn't wait long. As could be predicted, some thug came up along behind the "doddering old man" in fashion that Simon had seen a dozen times or more; feigning to help the old fool when his interest was to run a small knife into his side and make off with whatever Erik had.
Urge to yell out for his father's sake repressed only out of fear of later reproach, Simon bit his bottom lip and watched on.
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Post by Erik Destler on Feb 24, 2009 18:13:39 GMT -5
It wasn't until the man pulled the knife, thinking himself stealthy, that Erik grabbed his wrist and straightened, bending the offending hand backward and forcing the man down to his knees. His other hand came up, bearing bright white cloth that closed over the man's mouth an nose and after a few brief moments the criminal ceased his struggling and went limp.
Erik hefted him over one shoulder, picked up his dropped bag and carried the unconscious man back to where Simon was waiting, dumping him on the ground in the hidden safety of their crate fortress.
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Simon Destler
- Ingenious Pilot -
A lost boy. Not a Lost Boy.
Posts: 222
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Post by Simon Destler on Feb 24, 2009 18:23:09 GMT -5
Relieved that his father was all right, and impressed by his taking down of the bigger man, Simon scooted back when he saw his father dump the thug's body right between them.
"What're we doing with him anyway?" asked the boy, now crouched near the man - not completely on his knees in case the man suddenly woke and tried to take him hostage.
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Post by Erik Destler on Feb 24, 2009 18:32:47 GMT -5
"Teaching and learning."
He dropped his back again next to Simon and opened it up, bringing out the small bottle of chloroform and draping the kerchief over it, followed by a rather plain looking double-edged knife. Not quite big enough to be a dagger. This he handed to Simon and then brought out a length of rough-looking hemp and bound the man's hands tightly behind his back, running a few spare inches between his ankles so that he could stand, were he to wake, but not run.
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Simon Destler
- Ingenious Pilot -
A lost boy. Not a Lost Boy.
Posts: 222
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Post by Simon Destler on Feb 24, 2009 18:44:14 GMT -5
Simon's hand closed around the knife and he stared at it, then looked back and forth between it and the man. He felt mixed emotions toward holding the weapon and seeing the bound man, helpless and unconscious, both he and Simon unaware of what would be going on.
He was not so blissfully stupid as to not think he would have to do something to this man, and that was where Simon was torn. He did not think he could hurt anyone, but this man seemed to have no troubles with laying a blade into someone and making off with whatever he could scrounge from the body. Many of those people never had a chance to begin with...
Simon shook his head and struggled to keep his thoughts, the moral dilemma making his head hurt. His hand was still around the little knife, tight enough as to be white-knuckled.
"What am I to do, then?" he asked quietly.
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