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last online Apr 26, 2024 1:53:58 GMT -7
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Oct 1, 2018 9:07:25 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2018 9:07:25 GMT -7
THERE WERE A FEW THINGS IN THE BASEMENT OF the Gamblin Galleons Casino, some obvious and some not. Mostly, it consistent of barrels of beer and box after box of spirits. Of course, that was excluding the few uninvited visitors they entertained. Whether they knew about it or not. But, when they did find out...
Living in Horizon Alley meant that there were a few nasty pests patrolling the streets. From the flesh eating slugs melting a hole in your fence to munch on lettuce heads, or the doxy's in your attic, they were not particular about where they invaded and whom. Donna had entered the basement with the intention of grabbing a few bottles of ale to stock behind the bar when an overwhelming feeling of dread weighted down in her chest. She'd slumped against a wall at the force of it, tears springing in her eyes as she battled a hopelessness she had not felt in some 5 years. And then it hit her.
Spinning around with two bottles still clutched in her hands a nasty little rock rolled on the ground behind her. She kicked it hastily across the room, watching it crunch against the stone wall, squealing slightly as it cracked against the ground. Pogrebin. Nasty little pests with a knack for infusing their victims with a crippling negativity until they passed out, whereupon they began gnawing on their valuable limbs and appendages.
Heaving a breath, Donna stole herself as she crossed the room in a few quick strides, promptly stomping the last bit of life out of the beast she'd launched across the room. It splattered guts and good bits up on to her, some of it managing to get on her neck and face as she cringed away from it. But, just when she thought it was over, four new Pogrebins popped out from behind a box of imported Russian vodka. Donna gasped, her heart hammering as she turned and fled, unable to grab her wand and unsure of her ability to bear their combined aura of misery. She slammed the door behind her with her foot, the automatic lock clicking in to place as she sagged against it.
It would be another call to the Ministry for Donna, the second time in two months. Pests were notorious in the colder months. She was still breathing heavily by the time she reentered the casino floor, head hung low as she pushed the two bottles of ale on to the bar and slumped on to a stool. She hated contacting the Ministry, Donna felt that they always made a fuss about coming out in to Horizon Alley. Be it because of its reputation or their own harsh judgements. Shaking her head, she looked up to check around the room, almost as if she expected them all to feel the oppressing powers of the Pogrebin. Of course, they did not, but she did see a scuffle erupt at a nearby table.
"Oi!" She yelled, irritation screwing her face as she leaned off the bar and stood, stomping across the room towards a mass of a thing who was grabbing someone by the collar and shaking them angrily. "Didn't you hear me, mate?!" Donna snapped in her thick cockney, a hand confidently reaching to grab the half-giants meaty arm that was tensed around the skinny figure underneath him. "Give it a rest or take your money elsewhere," She warned him, flexing her hand on their stone-like bicep and shoving slightly.
It was then that Donna dropped her gaze to the whelp that had riled the beast up, in his shadow and looking as smarmy as ever was none other than Donna's cousin Renard Goyle. Donna shook her head and sighed, casting her eyes back to the giant as he finally let go of Renard and dropped him heavily back in to his seat. "That's right, mate, take it easy." She patted him on the arm once and then surreptitiously wiped her hand on the thigh of her jeans as she straightened her spine and looked down at her irritating little cousin once more.
"Should'a known it'd be you." She tutted, pursing her lips and quirking her brows. There was still Pogrebin blood on her neck, but she still reckoned she looked better than the pale, skinny Goyle sitting with a hand of cards and a spilled drink. "Move, you're coming with me," She ordered firmly, jerking her head back as she watched the table stare on in silent judgement. They did not appreciate her fondness for nepotism when it came to betting. She turned away, but cast a long look at Goyle over her shoulder. It wouldn't be unlike him to refuse and continue his hand stubbornly. "Come on before I invite the giant back to arm wrestle you."
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renard walt goyle
HOGWARTS ALUM BEAST DIVISION
159 posts
Married to Ondina Weasley
played by Colin
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last online Apr 25, 2024 18:50:47 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Oct 21, 2018 12:06:26 GMT -7
Post by renard walt goyle on Oct 21, 2018 12:06:26 GMT -7
@belladonna 10.XX.2024 It happened so fast that Renard only managed to stand up from his chair before the lunk that had been sitting across from him grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Who knew that stupid half-giants were that quick? Maybe it had to do with the length of his gait, or because his arms were double in size from the average humans. Renard had only dealt with them a few times in his life and they were usually passive. At least until they put a couple bottles of Ogden’s Old Firewhisky and lost hand after hand over the course of a poker game. Then it became a different story. Renard wasn’t even the one who had been pulling in the money, just the most recent to do so. Sure, he may have made a comment on the side about how the half-giant’s muscles were preventing his brain from functioning correctly and that it must have been terrible for his mother to pump out such a brute of a baby. But that was all in jest. They were all drinking and taking each other’s money. This happened nightly with the regulars. If he had a shred of intelligence in his meat head, then he would have understood that.
Unfortunately that didn’t matter despite Renard trying to explain it, his hands digging into the half-giant’s arm in a feeble attempt to get him to let go. The guy had an iron vice-like grip on his shirt. “You’re going to have to pay for the dry cleaning on this shirt if you don’t let go,” he explained through a choked rasp. It only invited a twist of the shirt, tightening the hold he had on Renard. The half-giant was saying something about bloodying him to a pulp as Renard attempted to swing his legs at the beast’s crotch. Forgetting about the height difference, his foot made contact with an equally rock-solid set of abs. He couldn’t turn his head to see if any of the other players at the table were preparing to de-escalate the situation or if they were waiting for security to arrive. If they waited too long he was going to be carried out of the casino on a stretcher with a sheet pulled over his face.
Suddenly, a second pair of hands appeared on the half-giant’s arms, and Renard grinned. Donna was here to put an end to it. “He doesn’t have any money Donna. I took everything he had left,” he laughed, inviting another glare from the monster. He shut his mouth, letting Donna work her magic on the man and was eventually dropped back down into his chair. He shrugged shamelessly as she started to chide him. “Hold on,” he protested as Donna tried to pull him away from the table. What for? He had no clue. Probably to get a stern lecture about acting out and how him being in the casino was a privilege and that it could be revoked at any second, should she see it fit to do so. Scooping up his remaining chips, Renard stuffed them into his pocket, tossing a few the dealer’s way. “I’m fine with how my face is,” he snarled as he followed.
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last online Apr 26, 2024 1:53:58 GMT -7
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Nov 16, 2018 16:27:03 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2018 16:27:03 GMT -7
OF COURSE WRANGLING A BOY LIKE RENARD WAS a task in and of itself. Never mind that she had just pried the blood-thirsty hands of a half-giant off him, millimetres from his throat. He just had to chime in and almost make Donna change her mind. She tutted in irritation and swiped at the back of his head as they turned away, daring him to continue on his pursuit for assisted suicide with a haughty glare.
Renard truly had no choice but to follow Donna as she turned and stomped her way back across the casino's floor. Either that or one gesture towards her security and he'd be out on his own for the week. And maybe a few weeks, depending on how pissed off she was after a good nights sleep. She stopped at the door to the basement, waited a moment for affect, and then looked over her shoulder. Luckily for him, Renard wasn't long at her back.
"You're sort of bad for business, kid." Donna muttered, eyeing his bulging pockets as he stuffed the rest of his winnings in to them. Nobody wanted to play a know-it-all for too long, it kind of dampened the mood. Donna just figured that was kind of Renard's thing. "Come with me," She said with a jut of her chin. "I've got a little problem and you owe me." And then she carefully pushed the door open and ventured in to the basement, her steps muted and cautious.
"Bit of a Pogrebin's infestation," Donna said over her shoulder, pretending to be casual as she crept to the bottom of the stares and squinted in to the darkness. She thought perhaps the overhead lights would scare them off, so used the tip of her wand to illuminate their way instead. "Any suggestions?" She turned and looked behind her, casting Renard an expectant look. One that did not portray the option of backing out.
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renard walt goyle
HOGWARTS ALUM BEAST DIVISION
159 posts
Married to Ondina Weasley
played by Colin
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last online Apr 25, 2024 18:50:47 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Dec 4, 2018 21:50:57 GMT -7
Post by renard walt goyle on Dec 4, 2018 21:50:57 GMT -7
@belladonna 10.XX.2024 Renard’s head tilted forward as Donna bonked the back of it with a slap. He disliked being reprimanded, but he understood the gist of this one. The mountain of a man that had gotten pissed at him already had an anger issue, so it wasn’t like it was all of Renard’s fault for how things turned out. He was simply good at the game. Being in the casino almost every night of the week for the last few years tended to make even a person with a gambling addiction pretty good. The argument could be made that there was some leniency because he had familial ties to the owners and that the staff liked him because he tipped them well, but aside from those two things, Renard was their own personal cash cow. This was his hobby. He spent every galleon that didn’t go to living expenses on this place. Over the years, that had to have added up to at least what a high-roller would spend in a night.
He kept his mouth shut after the slap, knowing Donna meant business despite her saying he was bad for it. Several retorts had bubbled up into his throat but stayed there. One in particular was how the security trolls his mother trained (if that was possible, he was sure they only saw her as their matriarch and nothing more since they resembled each other so well), hit harder than that. Instead Renard shrugged, “I’m only bad for the poor stiffs rolling in looking for a few quick bucks. You know how my nights end if I go to the big tables.” Drunk, sloppy, and crashed in one of the hotel rooms with girls whose names he didn’t care to remember and faces he never wanted to see again. The other sort of ‘bad night’ started and ended in a similar manner to the situation Donna had just broken up. Some poor schmuck drained of their gold and getting testy about how he took all of it from them. That was the game though, so he could never understand why they didn’t accept their losses and leave.
Into the basement they went, Donna explaining that she had a problem and he apparently owed her. For what? That was an excellent question. Either for tonight or any of the other dozens of times she had bailed him out of trouble while on the floor. Renard didn’t need her to explain that the problem was a Pogrebin one, because he could see, smell, and feel it seeping into his body once they reached the bottom of the cellar stairs. “My favorite,” he grunted as he kneeled down to look at the squished one in front of him, which he assumed was Donna’s doing. “Don’t happen to have a couple vials of Elixir to Induce Euphoria, do you? We’re usually equipped with that when dealing with them. Keeps the existential dread from sinking in, you know?” he said, standing up and moving to his cousin’s side. “Blast a light spell into the back corner over there,” Renard instructed, moving his wand at the door behind them so that it would close. “We’re going to try and run them out of the dark and towards us. Whatever you do-” he looked Donna in the eyes, “Stay on your feet. The second they get you to the ground it’s all over.” He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows and arched his shoulders in an attempt to loosen up. This was going to be a fun one. “Stunning spells only. If we start killing them, they’ll scatter again. Whenever you’re ready.”
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last online Apr 26, 2024 1:53:58 GMT -7
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Dec 20, 2018 16:08:47 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2018 16:08:47 GMT -7
WHILE THE CASINO WAS USED FOR A GREAT many things, it was not an apothecary. She stared at the side of Renard's head coolly, making a show of patting herself down in her haggard, miserable mood. "Fresh out," She snapped, crossing her arms firmly and assuming that Renard would be able to do his job without some medical enhancement. After all, she'd managed to crush one with sheer force of will and the bottom of her heeled boot.
Though, despite her mounting annoyance towards her cousin, Donna still promptly pulled her wand from her back pocket when instructed. "This sounds like a terrible idea," She informed him snappily, a scowl on her face as she rolled back her shoulders and squared off beside him. She fired off a jet of bright white light in the direction the infestation had been huddled the last time she was down there. And the squealing began as the back half of her basement was flooded with blinding light.
The Pogrebin's immediately began squealing and grunting as they hustled towards where they were both standing, shrouded in shadow. Donna was second to Renard to fire off her first stunning spell. Her immediate instinct being to flee as the feeling of dread grew tenfold. But, she muscled through, hopping over the rickety wooden banister to drop on a stack of empty crates as she attempted to round them up from the back. Each Pogrebin went down like a solid brick, thudding hollow on the ground as the others scrambled over their brethren in an attempt to flee.
"Don't let them up those stairs, you hear me?!" She yelled towards Renard. "Not on my casino floor!" Donna thought she'd much rather collapse with that aching hopelessness than deal with a horde of angry customers complaining about a load of Pogrebin's storming the floor on a busy night. And she almost did as her body knocked dizzily against the stone wall, her balance wavering as one of the nasty little things began snapping at her feet angrily, having turned away from the others to try and launch a solo attack. Donna used the last bit of her strength to wedge her foot under its fat, warty belly and kick it across the room towards where Renard was posted on the stairs. "Heads up!" She called feebly, clinging to the wall with her free hand.
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renard walt goyle
HOGWARTS ALUM BEAST DIVISION
159 posts
Married to Ondina Weasley
played by Colin
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last online Apr 25, 2024 18:50:47 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Feb 16, 2019 18:42:12 GMT -7
Post by renard walt goyle on Feb 16, 2019 18:42:12 GMT -7
@belladonna 10.XX.2024 Renard clicked his tongue when she said they didn’t have any elixir. This was truly going to be a test of willpower then. He had seen these things could do to entire apartment buildings, and it was ugly. People, especially muggles, when presented with the dread that the pogrebins were capable of inducing, tended to lose it completely. Watching a person get their soul sucked by a Dementor was more pleasing, in his opinion. “Oh it’s an awful one, but unless you want a rumor spreading that you have an infestation, this is the best way to go about it.” In other words, she owed him one, assuming they walked out of the basement alive. Donna’s burst of light in the back corner showed the extent of the infestation they were going to be dealing with, and it wasn’t pretty. Swearing under his breath at the sight of it, Renard rocketed an explosive stunning spell straight at the sea of lumpy bodies congregated in the corner. He didn’t like when he went in under prepared, and they definitely weren’t for this one.
Preventing the pogrebins from skittering all over the place was their first course of action, and he expected Donna to think likewise, but she was suddenly off towards another part of the basement, leaving him alone to protect the door. Renard wanted to scream after her, though the likelihood of her being distracted from that was high and enough for the creatures to take advantage of her indecisive movements. They liked to feed off little mistakes like that. He had the scars on his legs to show that.
The horde split into two groups, one after Donna as she bolted off, and the other towards him. Keeping them massed up was the easiest way to deal with them, since he could send blast after blast of stuns at them, whittling the group down until they were all frozen in place. Plucking them off before they got close though, was the real trick. With every step, he felt the weight of their powers pulling him down. Apparently having a few drinks in him didn’t make as much of a difference as he thought they would, because the happy buzz he had been running off of was gone in an instant, immediately making him feel like just another cog in the government wheel. Insignificance. He hated the concept. But there was no escaping it when the creatures continued their run towards him, and quickly he was starting to miss his spells. Soon they would be upon him…
A yell from Donna about keeping them out of the casino brought him back though, just long enough to cast a spell capable of immobilizing the entire group on the ground. The problem though, was that it only lasted until a pogrebin came flying at him, having been thrown by Donna. Swatting it out of the air with a sharp cut of his wand. The few he had stopped were back up again and heading for the door, causing Renard to back up significantly and lose the ground he had momentarily gained. “Little help here Donna?” he yelled, tripping over a box in his retreat and landing on his back. They were on him instantly, clamoring for his shoes, tugging at the cuffs of his pants. If they managed to get to his arms and face, he was done for. In a moment of panic, he let loose a Reducto, a spell that was far too strong to be casting in a basement, which sent him spiraling backwards into the stairs and the pogrebins into tiny bits of dust as they disintegrated. The boxes just past where the creatures had been also succumbed to the blast, mimicking the effect that the spell had on the pogrebins and causing the bottles inside to shatter. “Shit.”
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last online Apr 26, 2024 1:53:58 GMT -7
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Feb 22, 2019 5:46:02 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2019 5:46:02 GMT -7
THE MERE MENTION OF A RUMOUR SOLIDIFIED any doubt Donna had about Renard's plan. Her casino's reputation was one of the only reasons they hadn't gone under. That and their 'private' rooms for meetings and other dalliances. Not the mention the allure of coins and gold. But, Donna relied on her reputation especially. That's why she couldn't look her sister in the eye, why she had to act ashamed when a traditionalist turned their nose up at Jessa and the rumours that surrounded her. She'd slay a thousand Pogrebins before they jeopardised that.
Having attempted to round them up from the back, Donna almost ended up on the floor as she was cornered. She hadn't the time to consider what Renard was doing, only that she hoped he was keeping the stairs clear for the most part. But, all she could focus on was failure. And loss and the crushing weight of her own poor decisions. And then she drop kicked the nasty little Pogrebin across the room towards Renard, giving herself enough relief to stand on shaking knees. His cry for help did not go unheard and she fired off a slew of immobilising spells, barely looking to where she was sending them. As long as she heard the dull thud of bodies, she continued. The light from her wand bouncing across the concrete floor and ricocheting off the walls. More than once she had to dodge her own rebounding hex.
By the time that Donna had cleared enough space to make her way back towards the stairs, her heart was thudding and her vision was spotty. "Renard?!" She called blindly, blinking light from her eyes as they readjusted in the dark. "Did we get them all?" Her eyes scanned the various lumps, like little rocks stiff and unmoved. She nudged one of their massive head with the toe of her boot as she stepped back, scowling in exhaustion. "Nasty little buggers," She grumbled, wiping sweat from her forehead before she turned back around to find Renard once again.
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renard walt goyle
HOGWARTS ALUM BEAST DIVISION
159 posts
Married to Ondina Weasley
played by Colin
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last online Apr 25, 2024 18:50:47 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Feb 28, 2019 21:59:04 GMT -7
Post by renard walt goyle on Feb 28, 2019 21:59:04 GMT -7
@belladonna 10.XX.2024 He wasn’t sure how long it had been since his spell had rebounded and launched him backwards, but the feeling of dread started subsiding gradually. That meant they had most likely purged the storage room of all the little beasties. He hated the things so much, and even more so now than he had prior to this. It had been stupid to go after them without having elixirs to counteract their abilities, and dragging Donna into his work was irresponsible. Had he gone down, there was no telling what sort of havoc the creatures would have wrecked up on the casino floor. A dead creature handler, a failure, not being able to do his job. It would make him look just as stupid as his parents were.
His call for help didn’t go unnoticed though, because he did hear Donna call back to him over the sounds of the last pogrebin dying, asking if they had gotten all of them. He nodded his head, assuming she could see him. The breath had been knocked out of him when he hit the ground, not to mention the exhaustion of trying to pull himself back out of the depressive hole he had been dragged into. “They’re pieces of shit, that’s what they are,” he wheezed from his spot on the ground. “Worse than shit, actually.” Using the stairs to balance his upper body, he slid himself into a sitting position and leaned up against the wall next to the door. The cool concrete walls was refreshing, and he hated that dealing with pogrebins had him like this. They were supposed to be simple pests. How had the casino managed to get an infestation this large? The questions he had for his cousin would come later, but for the time being he had to rest. Closing his eyes, he let the chill of the wall seep into the back of his head as he began regaining his composure once again.
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last online Apr 26, 2024 1:53:58 GMT -7
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Mar 13, 2019 8:40:47 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2019 8:40:47 GMT -7
AS DONNA MADE HER WAY ACROSS THE FLOOR towards Renard, she could finally see his haggard appearance. His face was paler than usual, a sickly sheen across it, brows furrowed in abject dread. She imaged her own face was somewhat similar, swiping her forearm against her damp forehead. "You look dreadful," She told him with a hard, dry scoff. He seemed to be supporting his entire upper body using the rickety railing of her stairs. She took one step up and patted him roughly on the shoulder. "I'll grab a couple of bin bags, we can incinerate the little shits out back."
Donna didn't miss the strange scrunch of Renard's face, like he smelled something awful. For somebody who did such a thing for a living, she thought he didn't look to pleased to be doing it. She watched him slip down and press his body against the concrete wall, stepping over him and dragging her weary body upstairs to the small cleaning cupboard. Inside, she grabbed a roll of black bin bags and a small canister of lighter fluid.
Back downstairs, Renard looked like a waiting corpse. His hooded eyes appearing almost closed from her higher advantage point. She nudged his leg with the toe of her boot, tossing the bags against his chest as she trudged past him. "Don't look too pleased with yourself," She quipped, stopping at the bottom stair to look at him. "If we bag them up, I'll get one of the trolls to light 'em up for me." She conceded, knowing that he probably didn't have the energy for the final disposal. She turned and began slowly rolling each stunned Pogrebin in to a bag. Only managing to stuff two, or three in to one before tying it and tossing it to one corner.
"You know," She began, able to talk more freely now that the dread had faded a little more. "You sure look miserable for a job well done." Swinging a back in to a corner carelessly, the rocky clatter echoed across the cold stone basement. She turned her head to give Renard a long and scathing look. "I don't think I've ever seen you smile, kid."
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renard walt goyle
HOGWARTS ALUM BEAST DIVISION
159 posts
Married to Ondina Weasley
played by Colin
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last online Apr 25, 2024 18:50:47 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Apr 1, 2019 19:39:25 GMT -7
Post by renard walt goyle on Apr 1, 2019 19:39:25 GMT -7
@belladonna 10.XX.2024 A small laugh cracked out of him when his cousin said he looked terrible, the pat she gave him on the shoulder feeling reassuring but also making him feel like he was about to crumble under the immense dread that had washed over him only minutes earlier. The fact was that they had gotten lucky. Donna didn’t seem to understand that, and if she did, she was doing a hell of a better job at hiding that. The swarm had been larger than any of the ones he had dealt with before and their course of action was the sort that would have had him suspended for a week or two at the department. While he didn’t want to think about that right now, he knew he had to tell Donna not to say a word about this to anyone because his ass would be on the line. Instead of fighting the creatures, they should have locked the door and sealed it off with a barrier, until Renard could have someone sent out in the morning. That would have been the responsible thing to do.
Unfortunately he didn’t have the energy or capacity to put it into words, simply nodding at his cousin’s decision to burn the corpses after she collected them. He was more concerned with getting his sanity back, and the wall he had slid down was helping bring that back. The only equivalent he could think of was giving blood on an empty stomach – a sort of tunnel vision that had him breaking out in a cold sweat and induced shivers. Thankfully only the shivers gripped him, and Renard managed to shake them off by sticking an un-lit cigarette in between his teeth. The tip of tobacco meeting his tongue was a touch of ecstasy that the doom and gloom had ripped away from him. Fumbling around in his pockets a bit more for his lighter, he eventually found it and zipped it a few times, until he could comfortably puff at the death stick. Lung cancer never felt better, and he chuckled at the thought of that.
By this point, Donna had started to kick the pogrebin bodies into the bags she had collected, tying them up one by one with quick efficiency. He dragged on his smoke a few more times, calming his nerves down more before answering her. “Why do you think I drink?” he asked while studying the cigarette. “I like the position, but it has a special way of really getting under your skin and fucking you up. These things,” he waved at the corner Donna was tossing the bags, "Are the laughing stock of the department whenever a case comes in. But the number of them we just dealt with would have taken a dozen or so of us without any problems.” Renard shook his head a few times before inhaling again. “I’m going to go clean up before heading back to the bar. I need another drink. I’ll see you there.” Dropping his unfinished cigarette onto the ground and stamping it out, Renard shoved his hands into his pockets and sulked out of the store room, heading for the closest bathroom that he knew of. He really needed that drink yesterday.
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last online Apr 26, 2024 1:53:58 GMT -7
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Apr 18, 2019 4:40:00 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2019 4:40:00 GMT -7
HORIZON ALLEY SEEMED TO BE THE PERFECT place for pests to breed. Dim, dank and full of little nooks and crannies. If Donna didn't love the place so much, she might curse it. But, alas, she'd never been more successful and those nooks were good for more than pests. Every wizard liked a place to hide every now and then, and Donna just happened to offer that. So, she put up with the occasional invasion. With a hell of a lot more cheer than was typical. She'd always been the type to just 'get up and get on'. It's what stopped her father's old shoppe from going bust.
The exhaustion was hard to push aside, but Donna kept herself going by thinking of the fresh glass of sherry she could enjoy once she was through. The soft mattress waiting for her upstairs. She felt her knees wobble at the prospect of lying down, but unlike her little cousin, Donna managed to keep herself upright without any help. She glared openly at his cigarette, as her establishment had strict areas cordoned off for smoking gamblers, but she didn't berate him straight away. He had, after all, helped her for free.
"Aw, it wasn't so bad," Donna joked, hands on her hips as Renard dragged himself to a standing, his face in shadow, bar the glowing end of his cigarette. "Just anther day on the job." And the fact that she had the energy to joke was something she was a little impressed with. "Tell Billy to give you a room key - it's on me." Billy just happened to be the only bartender Donna trusted who wasn't related to her in some way. The fact that Renard declined to stay and help her further was of no surprise, and she watched him take the steps with mild disdain.
"And don't you light another cigarette on my casino floor!" She yelled after him, lifting on her tip-toes to project her voice further. "Or I'll have your ear, you hear me?!" And then he was gone, leaving Donna to grumble as she finished bagging the last of the Pogrebin's before eventually following him back upstairs. She didn't even give the bar a second glance as she took the second set of steps up to the flat above, which she shared with her sister and niece. Let Jessa close up for once. Donna had a bottle of sherry and a bed to attend to.
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