AN: More of it, now with magic
Every morning while I wait for my son's nanny, I look at myself in the mirror.
Every day I see the same thing. I see a blue pebbled head with ocean-colored
eyes and spines creating a crest down the back. I see dull front teeth but
sharp back teeth, a reverse of human mouths. I see a clean blue tabard and
cloak, though both are beginning to show their age. The white lantern in the
center is stained despite many cleanings and there is no way currently to
acquire a new one.
I see a massive tail that my legs can't hide. It always sticks out straight
like a rudder and from it comes a fin. It cuts up my tail like a blade and
tapers off at the small of my back.
After this I give my thanks to Eli, for the chance to do what I love even in
this form and to live as a Follower in relative peace. It's helpful to remember
not everyone has it as good as I do.
As a member of the Watch (official name is the Wardens but no one calls them
that) I have to work and watch over one specific area in theory. In my case I
work in Keeptown, under two sergeants and one lieutenant. I know what you're
thinking my dear listener. "Keeptown has a police force?" Yes as a matter of
fact all parts of the Metamor Valley are supposed to fall under the protection
of the Watch.
The Seneschal (called Justicar by everyone) controls the Watch, and the Watch
supposed to provide order. The problem comes from lack of funds, lack of
manpower and no lack of work.
"When I become Justicar I can change that." I adjusted my cloak. "The Watch
needs more exposure." The most frequent thing I say in life is "When I become
Justicar", it's a reminder of the future I'm working towards.
My home is a two-room dwelling on the second story of a dingy stone building
near the Shoeshine Inn. It's not much of a place to live, but it's snug for
both of Kaysar and me. Above all else it's cheap. The stairs to my home are on
the side of the building. Every time I step out, I'm greeted by the dawn sky.
Today was purple. For a moment I just stood there taking it in. The air was
cool and the breeze gentle.
"Good day today." I stretched my neck. "I have a lot of work ahead of me." I
took a moment to verify I had all I needed. I had my belt, my short sword, my
club and a coil of rope. "Perfect. Let's get going."
One joy of being a Sailfin Lizard is the fin makes it impossible to bend my
tail straight up. I can bend it sideways and that's the only way to lift it off
the ground. When I walk on stairs that doesn't help, each step smacks me on the
way up or down.
As I walked down the rows of buildings, I kept my mind open. No emotions or
thoughts Brushed against my mind. All quiet. I feel jittery. Something will go
wrong today.
When you're a member of the Watch you think that every day. Today is the day
someone will finally push a sword into your gullet. Stop. It's the nightmare.
Every time I have that nightmare I get this way.
I was distracted enough by my thoughts that it only took a strong burst of
outside emotions to shake me free. I glanced up. I'm in the market square? How
did I get here?
Keeptown does have its own market of sorts. It's a small area near the town
square, with a well and lots of dirt. Everyday different people pull up carts
and set up booths to peddle overpriced wears.
It was still early so the market was almost completely empty save for an okapi
woman in a belted brown dress with an apple cart and a figure in a gray cloak
with his back to me. I could feel fear radiating off of the okapi as she undid
her coin purse. Nonetheless I reached out and Tapped on the gray cloak.
Before I go on, let me explain a bit about myself. As I mentioned at the
beginning, I have a few unique gifts; talents that belong to me and a select
few like me. I don't know how to describe it other than my soul is partially
unstuck in my body.
This means that I can reach out from my body and "feel" spirits. I can pull
them into my body, this is Channeling. It lets me draw a spirit into me,
gaining things from the spirit depending on how far in I pull them. But I can
also reach out to living people. When I do this I brush against the surface of
someone's mind. If I lightly touch it, I can see the thoughts currently at the
top of their mind. This is called Tapping.
Tapping is the most basic level of my magic applied to a living person. The
deeper in I go, the more I can affect their mind but the more they will feel
it. Tapping is easy and tells me all I need.
Stupid, stupid bitch! Just give me your coins! Gotta go...Gray cloak's mind
was a storm of panic. I pulled my club free from my belt and moved in.
"Give me your coins!" Cloak snarled to the Okapi, "Then I'll-"He turned around
just as I swung at him. Cloak jumped back, revealing a weasel inside. He held a
knife in his right hand.
"I am Corporal Janelle of the Metamor Watch." I said. "You are under arrest
for attempted robbery." Weasel cloak swung at me with the knife but he moved
like a sloth. He thrust like an idiot from a story, which I easily dodged.
"I ain't getting arrested." The Okapi watched both of us but did what she
should have, stayed away. The weasel wasn't a threat to me but if she
interfered it could be trouble.
"You'll have to-" I swung again, this time connecting with the side of his
head. A spray of spit and a tooth came out of his mouth as he collapsed in a
heap at my feet. I pulled the short length of rope from my belt and tied his
hands together.
When I joined the Watch there was discussion about creating cuffs for each
Warden. They'd magic ones that could adjust to the size of the criminal and
would stop someone from turning feral. This never happened and I've found a
club to the head to be more effective.
I made sure that the ropes were tight. The weasel was out cold but he'd be
fine. I turned back to the okapi. "Did he hurt you?" I asked. "I'll be taking
him in for this; you will need to accompany me to give a report." The okapi's
snout had contorted into a look of pure rage. Her eyes, though, were fixed on
me. "Is something wrong?"
"Yeah something's wrong." She took an apple from her cart and flung it at my
head. This one I couldn't avoid. "This is the fourth time I've been robbed!"
"I'm sorry for you." I rubbed my forehead and kicked the apple away. "I was
not there for those; I was here for this one." As a Warden, you learn being
honest and calm is the best option. No matter what you feel, keep your tones
neutral or warm. Keep eye contact with the victim. When they lash out at you,
forgive them.
It's going to happen a lot.
"Why wasn't anyone here the other three times?" She hoisted her skirt over her
right leg, revealing a thin white scar. "You see this? This happened last time,
then they stole my purse. Why weren't you there then?"
"I'm sorry for you." I pulled the weasel up to his feet. "But this time I was
here." The okapi snarled more profanity at me but I ignored it. "I need you to
come with me to file a report."
"You kiddin' me?" She barked a laugh. "No. I gotta sell apples, I don't sell I
don't eat."
"Okay then." I swallowed. "How about this, I will come back later when on
patrol to take your statement. That way you can stay with your cart." I could
feel the anger radiating from her but she nodded.
"I'm sorry you feel the Watch has let you down."
"Ha! I don't feel it; they have let me down. They let everyone down. When was
the last time you saw a Warden here?"
"Right now ma'am."
"Why even bother warden? You can't change shit. You think you'll solve all the
crime? You're wasting your time."
"I'll be back later." I pulled the moaning weasel to his feet. "Have a nice
day."
From the moment I put on my tabard until I take it off again I am on duty.
Every action and every interaction I make reflects upon the Watch.
The Metamor Keep Watch should have membership numbering over a thousand. If
there are five hundred people in the whole Watch it would surprise me.
The Watch is in desperate need of people. Since we are so undermanned, every
Warden matters. Every Warden must reflect positively on the Watch. Their
actions may be the only actions most people see from the Watch.
That okapi saw nothing. I dragged the weasel that was dead in my hands. I did
everything the way I should but she is mad at us. And she's right, though, the
Watch is undermanned. How can I fix anything?
"I fix it one person at a time, one crime at a time." I pulled him up to two
legs. "This is not the time to worry; this is the time to act." The anxiety
retreated. I shook the weasel awake.
"Wha-wuzza?"
"Time to shine." I said. "We're here."
Here was a featureless long two-story building. It had a big wooden door on
the front. That door away always locked and wouldn't open to anyone except a
Warden with a key.
The real way in was through the back door. Inside you'd find a maze of cramped
hallways, overstuffed rooms, six holding cells and a mass of Wardens.
The main HQ of the Watch was in Euper. The problem is that crime doesn't
happen exclusively in Euper but all throughout the Keep and the Valley. So what
do you do?
The Watch set up a series of Watch Houses, places run by a Lieutenant that
Wardens work out of. Watch Houses are unmarked, unassuming buildings that most
people would walk by a thousand times without noticing. They're designed to not
be found by people, if you need the Watch speak to a Warden on the street. As I
approached one of these houses the weasel in my hands began coming back to life.
"What the...where are we?"
"Shut up." I dragged him in through the wooden back door, making sure to not
bang him against the doorway. "I am advising you not to struggle. Attempts to
do so will be hazardous to your health."
"Eat me!" The hall we entered to was cramped and poorly lit. The gray stone
walls were filthy and the wooden ceiling was too close to both our heads. The
only light came from small lanterns mounted along the sides. This gave the
hallway a striped feeling as we moved in and out of the light.
The problem with having groups of Wardens stationed outside of inconspicuous
buildings is that they have to be inconspicuous. So making them large is
impossible, they have to be small. Dragging suspects through them can be a task
itself.
"Hey Janie." A blur in a blue tabard said to me as I passed a doorway.
"Hello Ian." I dragged the suspect past the only staircase in the building
until I reached an alcove beside a door. The alcove had a mass of green with
tusks sitting behind a desk, working on a leather bound book. The weasel was
beginning to squirm now so I used both arms to move him.
"Hello Sergeant Tibble. Bringing this one in for attempted robbery and murder."
"Cell's are all empty, will stick him in the first." The drooping mass working
on a ledger was my superior Sergeant Tibble. Tibble was a dark brown boar whose
great coat barely fit. His left tusk was broken and his left partially cut off,
with a scar leading connecting them.
His remaining ear drooped, as did his tufts of fur. His brown eyes were red
rimmed from exhaustion. Were I still a mammal, my eyes would look the same. We
were all tired and it wasn’t getting better.
The Watch needed manpower.
My Sergeant is a good man, no matter what I thought or how annoyed I might be.
We needed someone to keep track of all the records and incoming prisoners.
Tibble was good at it but there was so much work to do, this was all he did. I
don’t think he remembered the last time he lead an investigation.
I rarely saw Tibble outside of the alcove. Most of the time he was keeping
records of which prisoners were brought in, sorting out patrol details,
recording who got assigned to this House and how much Mean Justice was
dispensed on any day.
Tibble stood up and moved his shaggy bulk over to the door. The only key was
on his belt but our Lieutenant also had a copy. He opened the lock and let me
scoot inside, following right behind.
"Lady I am going to get out of here" The weasel snarled, "And I am going to
kick your ass!"
"Attempted murder falls into the category of Low Justice; you will be tried
and punished accordingly." The stone hall held six rooms with mesh iron doors.
We tried bars once but a rat slipped through them so they made mesh doors for
us.
"Gonna kill you all." I untied the rope and pushed him inside. The weasel
stumbled about as Tibble relocked the door. "Do you think you scare me? I ain't
scared a shit! I am-
Tibble shut and locked the main door. "Good job corporal."
"Thank you sir." He returned to his alcove, pulling out another identical
leger from his oak desk. Now he was panting.
"You've got a few choices for patrol today." The big distinction between a
warden and corporal is a corporal has a bit more choice in their daily
assignment. They can choose from a selection of places where they go on patrol.
That might not sound like much but wardens always get to patrol the worst parts
of the Keep.
"Is the market square area available sir?"
"Yep, yours." He scribbled that into the ledger. "Warden Remmie is with you
this morning, you know the drill." I sighed.
"Yes sir." I saluted and went to find my partner for the morning.
AN: The idea for Watch houses was based on a book I read on Medieval France,
the chapter on policing. I've been wondering why the Watch never gets attention
so I figured the reason is they're undermanned. At least I can get more drama
from that.
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