Post by seraaches on Jan 29, 2009 15:49:57 GMT -5
(( Co-written with Kari. xD; WC: 3157 ))
Her name was Maggie. Maggie Caulwright. She had always wanted to be a nurse; it was her destiny. Her mother had died giving birth to her and her father had told her as she was growing up that she was called to be a nurse because of that very thing. An unprepossessing Club, Maggie had ranked up to Eight so she could get into the medical school she wanted. She’d been obligated to achieve bipedal as well, and she had done that too. She had done everything they’d ever asked of her because this was her fate, her payment, her apology to her father and to the world.
It was an honour, therefore, when Dr. Vellanhaem selected her as one of the nurses to oversee the super-hush-hush birth of babies from not only two Queens but The Queens from the Court of Hearts /and/ the Court of Clubs. It was a huge scandal in the making, compounded by the fact that they had the babies magically transferred into a /whore/! And Dr. Vell was trusting her as one of his assistants! She was supremely excited, horribly so and when she rushed home to tell her father about it, she was nearly breathless.
His reaction, however, was a letdown. It was a sin! He railed. It was sodomy and darkness and those two Queens should never have been together in a carnal way! Hearts and Clubs weren’t meant to intermingle that way! It was /wrong/.
Maggie was shocked by the level of her father’s outrage, and unhappy that her triumph, apparently, was actually such horrible, horrible thing. But maybe she was there for a reason! Maybe she was there to help redeem the births some way. Maybe she had a greater purpose in her life. Maybe. . . maybe this was it.
So she simply nodded at her father’s rants, wiped up the little bit of spittle that invariably would wind up hanging from his chin, and then would keep on working on whatever it was she needed to do. She packed up for a stay in the Palace itself about a week before the projected birth date and simply worked very hard and diligently to do the best job that she could, watching constantly for some sign of how she was supposed to redeem this birthing.
Mari, for all that she had dirty work, was a sweet girl, beaten down by life yet still fighting. When the woman went into labor, the nurses moved quickly, just as they’d been trained. Four nurses, one doctor, one whore, and two Queens. Suddenly, a man darted in and Maggie quickly stepped into his path. “You can’t be in here!” she protested, but he slipped past her. Dr. Vell shook his head at her in reproof and, with a frown, Maggie inspected the stag briefly. He looked familiar, but it wasn’t until Mari breathed out his name that she recognized who he was.
Reston. Mari’s first love.
Maggie forcibly returned her attention to her work and soon the babies were coming out quickly. Mari died in the middle of it and Maggie nodded to herself; that helped atone for her life. It was only right that she die for her sins in the middle of giving the miracle of life to others. Still. . . Reston’s attempt to step in wasn’t right and Maggie feared that she wouldn’t be able to save the babies with that kind of resistance before her. She shouldn’t have doubted Dr. Vell, though, as he quickly shut the stag up and got him to stay out of the way. Then more of the babies were coming, a horse mouse with hooves that burned the nurse who picked her up. A tiny midget mouse that Maggie quickly bundled up and put in the waiting cradles near the window. A large horse with a thick tail. A colourful bipedal mouse. And then /IT/ came out.
It was horse in shape, but from its forehead sprang a single horn. It looked just like a unicorn! Maggie wasn’t the only one to gasp in shock, though Dr. Vell, of course, remained calm and cool. “Steady, ladies. Look, he has a rank and suit. Quite the powerful baby, aren’t you? Maggie, take him and put him with the others. Let’s get this cleaned up.”
Maggie took it, but it was a struggle not to throw the thing from her body. It was a curse! It was a defilement! She got it into a crib then quickly hurried away. She couldn’t bear the fact that she’d touched it. Long after she’d gone home to her father, the image of the unicorn was burned into her brain.
She had to get rid of it. She had to, for the sake of both Courts.
She pulled her cloak tighter around her face as she slipped into the pub, eyes darting around in fright. She never came to places like these; it wasn’t good for an up and coming nurse to frequent these sorts of places. But a rumour had said that she could hire someone to do what she needed to, so the Card carefully found a corner to tuck herself into, violently waving off the waitress who came to offer her ale and waited for some sign that the mercenary was here.
Conway had slipped into the bar an hour prior, and had been told what he needed to look for by his contact. It was a long wait as he sat in the corner and watched, the few patrons who had seen him before knew that he would sit there until a "target" appeared.
Then the woman walked in, so obvious. She must have never done something like this before. He rose from his seat and walked over to the woman, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket, he handed it to her before moving towards the stairs.
The paper read, "Meet me upstairs in room 12. Knock twice."
Maggie jumped when the paper seemed to almost magically appear before her. She was so nervous it took her a few read-throughs to actually understand even the simple sentences written there. Twisting the note uneasily in her hands, the Club woman rose suddenly and quickly headed up the stairs. Her eyes skimmed the hallway wildly before the finally spotted the rough-hewn numbers marking the doors. She hurried down to the correct door—of course it was the one at the very end! She wasn’t sure if that helped her feel relieved or more uneasy. At least no one would overhear them.
She knocked twice as directed, waiting impatiently and worriedly as she pulled her cowl further forward to keep her face well-disguised.
Conway slipped open the door, and moved to the side to allow the woman in. He made no sound until the door was closed. "You haven't done anything like this before. Stop panicking or you'll get caught." Conway said flatly as he smirked at the woman.
Locking the door he moved towards one of the chairs so he could sit down. He would take advantage of the time he had to relax. "So, what exactly do you want me to do? You weren't very specific..."
“I’ve never had to do this kind of thing before!” she snapped at the man then realized that could be a very bad idea when he locked the door behind her. She hovered by the door uneasily as he sat down, uncertain of how to go about this. His question prompted her, however.
“I need you to get rid of something,” Maggie said quickly, as though spitting out the words would get the deed done faster. She moved closer to grab onto the back of a chair, her nails trying to dig into the wood. “You’ll have to get it first, and then get rid of it. I don’t care how, but it’s an abomination.” Her gaze shifted away and she stared off, speaking to herself. “I have to get rid of it before it contaminates the others.”
Conway rolled his eyes. "Being vague isn't going to help me get the job done faster. You may not have done this before but you need to be specific so I don't botch the job. We don't want to lose our heads over this, and from what you said.... this is a rather dangerous job. Now.... who or what needs to be taken care of. Give me a name or description. Something to work with."
Conway crossed his legs as he looked at the woman. "To be honest, I've never failed a job, but with the way you're acting I just might. Do you want my services or not?" She was full of hesitation that he wasn't willing to play around with.
“It’s a /thing/,” Maggie tried to insist, for all Conway was pressing for details, the woman was certain she was being quite clear. “You heard about the two Queens; everyone’s whispering about it now.” Her nails dug into the wood again, biting harder as she tried—to no avail—to cover her distress. “It was hard, and the carrier died, but the last one, the last one has all of the curse in it.” She suddenly turned and stared directly at the Joker. “The last baby born was born a monster. You have to get it out of the Court of Clubs and get rid of it.” A shiver shook her frame suddenly as she remembered looking at the thing. It was a horrible, nasty thing. It had to die. She reached into her pocked and pulled out a few papers, holding them out to Conway with a trembling hand. “This has directions to the nursery. And the one you have to take. I’ll pay your fee. Half now, half after.”
This woman was just a little off. He had heard very briefly about the scandal between the Queen of Hearts and Queen of Clubs. Some people considered it awful, others approved of the union of the two courts. Of course things changed rather quickly when the world of politics was filled with death. And now this woman wanted him to steal on of the children? One that she considered a monster. His lips twitched into a slight smirk before he stifled it.
Conway raised an eyebrow as he accepted the papers. Glancing over them she listened to her comment about payment. Well, he would probably have to use her form to get into the palace then. This would be fun. "So... you want me to get a kid that looks like a unicorn?" he asked as he tapped his finger on the description. "But... I'll accept the payment. Just tell me the time frame you have in mind."
“Immediately!” she answered instantly. “The longer it’s with the others, the more likely the contamination will spread!” She felt such relief, however, when he said he’d accept the job. She shivered, remembering the ugly thing’s face as it looked up at her with those all too knowing eyes. She pulled out a bag of coins and quickly dropped it onto Conway’s lap. “When can you go?” She hoped it was now.
Eager was a bit of an understatement. Conway rolled his eyes as she slipped open the bag of coins, estimating how much was in the bag. Good enough. "Now. If you know what's good for you you'll spend the day away from the palace. I don't want you messing my plans up." He said flatly before slipping the money in his pocket. "I imagine you took a leave of absence anyway with the way your dressed."
He walked past her, giving her a quick up and down. Easy to mimic at least. "Tomorrow, meet me here at noon. By then the job will be done," he unlocked the door and stepped to the side, bowing a little as he motioned towards the exit.
Maggie was relieved to hear that the deed would be done so quickly and she gave a hesitant nod at his instructions. “They don’t expect me back until the day after tomorrow.” She’d told them that her father was ill—which he sort of was—and that she would need at least a few days to see him back up on his feet. It did not, however, occur to her to say as much to Conway. She darted for the exit, pulling her hood forward again uneasily. She didn’t want to be recognized, didn’t even want to be here, but she was definitely comforted by the thought that by tomorrow the cursed thing would be out of the nursery and away from the other precious babies. Its taint would no longer wear off on the others. She breathed a much easier sigh as she quickly made her way out of the building and scurried for home. Soon it would all be over. She’d done the right thing; she knew it.
Oh, it would be over, and Maggie wouldn't know what hit her. Conway smirked to himself as he prepared for the trip. He waited an hour or so before leaving the building, and once he was outside he took the form of Maggie.
It was a simple plan, all he would do was say that he had left something behind. That way he could slip into the nursery and slip out without being noticed. And if he was he would just take the form of someone else and slip out that way. He wouldn't get caught, it wasn't like he had to kill the child or anything like that. Why this woman thought that the child needed to go when it wasn't hers baffled the man. Who was she to decide that the child was "tainted?"
Getting past the guards was easy. They only asked one or two questions and left it at that. Getting to the nursery was just as easy.
But wow there were a lot of children and all of them where a little special in his opinion. But there was the unicorn boy....
Now there was the matter of getting out with him. Conway glanced over at the window and sighed. That probably was the best possible escape route....
The door clicked, causing Conway to jump. Someone hovered there with the door half open, talking to someone outside. Conway hurried to the window, jerking it open in one fluid motion. He shifted to rather large bird, in theory no one would notice his departure.
They would, however, notice the missing baby.
Conway could hear the shriek of terror as he flew away.
She wanted the kid dead. Conway found himself staring at the bundle with a frown. How could he kill an adorable little baby? Who the hell was heartless enough to want a child killed? It hadn't done anything other than being born. Yes, it was a little creepy that the baby looked like a unicorn, but it could be a lot worse.
Conway slipped his knife out of his pocket, flicking out the blade.
He continued to stare at the child, could he really slit its throat?
"God... I'm such an idiot," he muttered to himself before pulling forward a lock of the child's hair and cutting it off. The woman hadn't asked for proof of the kill. He could easily say that he mutilated the child enough that there wasn't anything but the hair left. He frowned. That probably wouldn't be a good enough excuse.
This was a really stupid idea, but it was better than killing the kid.
Slipping the hair and blade in his pocket, he wrapped the bundle off. Now he just needed to leave it somewhere safe so it wasn't eaten or anything. After that it wasn't his problem anymore.
He returned to the inn, looking like a horrible mess, and feeling like it. He sat in the corner, putting his head on the table and waited. Stupid woman better get here soon. He watched as one of the bar maids set a drink of water in front of him before walking away.
Conway swore to himself. He was never doing a job that involved children, ever again.
He reached for the glass of water; he was a half hour early. Let's see how eager she actually was.
Maggie had started for the inn four times before making herself turn back and wait longer. She went from being nearly four hours early, to two and a half, to two, to an hour and a half, to forty-five minutes to now. It was twenty-five minutes earlier than their meeting time and she couldn’t make herself wait any longer, especially since she was already pacing outside of the inn. She tugged her hood up further and slipped inside, planning to go wait at the same table she’d been at before. She darted towards the corner with hardly a glance anywhere; she didn’t want to be recognized by anyone, unlikely as that was.
Because of her single-minded determination, she didn’t even see Conway at his table. She didn’t expect him to be there yet, and, therefore, didn’t look for him. She was too afraid to make eye contact with any of the rough Cards in the bar area anyway.
At least she wasn't late. He sighed as he picked up the glass, finishing what water he had left. Getting up he walked up to Maggie. He slipped the hair out of his pocket, and quickly grabbed her hand, transferring the hand.
He pointed up, and motioned towards the stairs, expecting her to follow. When they made it to the second floor, he didn't even bother to go into a room. The job was done and he was going to take his payment and leave.
"It's done. Get back to the palace soon before they get any bright ideas," Conway said flatly, holding out his hand for payment.
A shudder of pleasure shook through her frame and she clasped the hair almost reverently to her chest. “Thank you,” she said with deep, profound gratitude. “Thank you so much.” She happily turned over the rest of the payment to him, wishing fervently that it could have been more, but that was all she could afford. She didn’t ask what he had done with the body, only thanked him ardently once more before nearly waltzing out of the room, assuming that their business was done.
Conway was a more than a little shocked that she didn't ask for proof of the dead body. When she left completely he gave a sigh of relief. At least the kid would be safe where he left him. In theory.
Slipping the money in his pocket, he went back downstairs, ordered his usual, and relaxed. At least he could feed himself now. And that woman was going to have lots of wholesome fun when she got back to the Palace. It was enough to make the Joker smile.
Her name was Maggie. Maggie Caulwright. She had always wanted to be a nurse; it was her destiny. Her mother had died giving birth to her and her father had told her as she was growing up that she was called to be a nurse because of that very thing. An unprepossessing Club, Maggie had ranked up to Eight so she could get into the medical school she wanted. She’d been obligated to achieve bipedal as well, and she had done that too. She had done everything they’d ever asked of her because this was her fate, her payment, her apology to her father and to the world.
It was an honour, therefore, when Dr. Vellanhaem selected her as one of the nurses to oversee the super-hush-hush birth of babies from not only two Queens but The Queens from the Court of Hearts /and/ the Court of Clubs. It was a huge scandal in the making, compounded by the fact that they had the babies magically transferred into a /whore/! And Dr. Vell was trusting her as one of his assistants! She was supremely excited, horribly so and when she rushed home to tell her father about it, she was nearly breathless.
His reaction, however, was a letdown. It was a sin! He railed. It was sodomy and darkness and those two Queens should never have been together in a carnal way! Hearts and Clubs weren’t meant to intermingle that way! It was /wrong/.
Maggie was shocked by the level of her father’s outrage, and unhappy that her triumph, apparently, was actually such horrible, horrible thing. But maybe she was there for a reason! Maybe she was there to help redeem the births some way. Maybe she had a greater purpose in her life. Maybe. . . maybe this was it.
So she simply nodded at her father’s rants, wiped up the little bit of spittle that invariably would wind up hanging from his chin, and then would keep on working on whatever it was she needed to do. She packed up for a stay in the Palace itself about a week before the projected birth date and simply worked very hard and diligently to do the best job that she could, watching constantly for some sign of how she was supposed to redeem this birthing.
Mari, for all that she had dirty work, was a sweet girl, beaten down by life yet still fighting. When the woman went into labor, the nurses moved quickly, just as they’d been trained. Four nurses, one doctor, one whore, and two Queens. Suddenly, a man darted in and Maggie quickly stepped into his path. “You can’t be in here!” she protested, but he slipped past her. Dr. Vell shook his head at her in reproof and, with a frown, Maggie inspected the stag briefly. He looked familiar, but it wasn’t until Mari breathed out his name that she recognized who he was.
Reston. Mari’s first love.
Maggie forcibly returned her attention to her work and soon the babies were coming out quickly. Mari died in the middle of it and Maggie nodded to herself; that helped atone for her life. It was only right that she die for her sins in the middle of giving the miracle of life to others. Still. . . Reston’s attempt to step in wasn’t right and Maggie feared that she wouldn’t be able to save the babies with that kind of resistance before her. She shouldn’t have doubted Dr. Vell, though, as he quickly shut the stag up and got him to stay out of the way. Then more of the babies were coming, a horse mouse with hooves that burned the nurse who picked her up. A tiny midget mouse that Maggie quickly bundled up and put in the waiting cradles near the window. A large horse with a thick tail. A colourful bipedal mouse. And then /IT/ came out.
It was horse in shape, but from its forehead sprang a single horn. It looked just like a unicorn! Maggie wasn’t the only one to gasp in shock, though Dr. Vell, of course, remained calm and cool. “Steady, ladies. Look, he has a rank and suit. Quite the powerful baby, aren’t you? Maggie, take him and put him with the others. Let’s get this cleaned up.”
Maggie took it, but it was a struggle not to throw the thing from her body. It was a curse! It was a defilement! She got it into a crib then quickly hurried away. She couldn’t bear the fact that she’d touched it. Long after she’d gone home to her father, the image of the unicorn was burned into her brain.
She had to get rid of it. She had to, for the sake of both Courts.
She pulled her cloak tighter around her face as she slipped into the pub, eyes darting around in fright. She never came to places like these; it wasn’t good for an up and coming nurse to frequent these sorts of places. But a rumour had said that she could hire someone to do what she needed to, so the Card carefully found a corner to tuck herself into, violently waving off the waitress who came to offer her ale and waited for some sign that the mercenary was here.
Conway had slipped into the bar an hour prior, and had been told what he needed to look for by his contact. It was a long wait as he sat in the corner and watched, the few patrons who had seen him before knew that he would sit there until a "target" appeared.
Then the woman walked in, so obvious. She must have never done something like this before. He rose from his seat and walked over to the woman, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket, he handed it to her before moving towards the stairs.
The paper read, "Meet me upstairs in room 12. Knock twice."
Maggie jumped when the paper seemed to almost magically appear before her. She was so nervous it took her a few read-throughs to actually understand even the simple sentences written there. Twisting the note uneasily in her hands, the Club woman rose suddenly and quickly headed up the stairs. Her eyes skimmed the hallway wildly before the finally spotted the rough-hewn numbers marking the doors. She hurried down to the correct door—of course it was the one at the very end! She wasn’t sure if that helped her feel relieved or more uneasy. At least no one would overhear them.
She knocked twice as directed, waiting impatiently and worriedly as she pulled her cowl further forward to keep her face well-disguised.
Conway slipped open the door, and moved to the side to allow the woman in. He made no sound until the door was closed. "You haven't done anything like this before. Stop panicking or you'll get caught." Conway said flatly as he smirked at the woman.
Locking the door he moved towards one of the chairs so he could sit down. He would take advantage of the time he had to relax. "So, what exactly do you want me to do? You weren't very specific..."
“I’ve never had to do this kind of thing before!” she snapped at the man then realized that could be a very bad idea when he locked the door behind her. She hovered by the door uneasily as he sat down, uncertain of how to go about this. His question prompted her, however.
“I need you to get rid of something,” Maggie said quickly, as though spitting out the words would get the deed done faster. She moved closer to grab onto the back of a chair, her nails trying to dig into the wood. “You’ll have to get it first, and then get rid of it. I don’t care how, but it’s an abomination.” Her gaze shifted away and she stared off, speaking to herself. “I have to get rid of it before it contaminates the others.”
Conway rolled his eyes. "Being vague isn't going to help me get the job done faster. You may not have done this before but you need to be specific so I don't botch the job. We don't want to lose our heads over this, and from what you said.... this is a rather dangerous job. Now.... who or what needs to be taken care of. Give me a name or description. Something to work with."
Conway crossed his legs as he looked at the woman. "To be honest, I've never failed a job, but with the way you're acting I just might. Do you want my services or not?" She was full of hesitation that he wasn't willing to play around with.
“It’s a /thing/,” Maggie tried to insist, for all Conway was pressing for details, the woman was certain she was being quite clear. “You heard about the two Queens; everyone’s whispering about it now.” Her nails dug into the wood again, biting harder as she tried—to no avail—to cover her distress. “It was hard, and the carrier died, but the last one, the last one has all of the curse in it.” She suddenly turned and stared directly at the Joker. “The last baby born was born a monster. You have to get it out of the Court of Clubs and get rid of it.” A shiver shook her frame suddenly as she remembered looking at the thing. It was a horrible, nasty thing. It had to die. She reached into her pocked and pulled out a few papers, holding them out to Conway with a trembling hand. “This has directions to the nursery. And the one you have to take. I’ll pay your fee. Half now, half after.”
This woman was just a little off. He had heard very briefly about the scandal between the Queen of Hearts and Queen of Clubs. Some people considered it awful, others approved of the union of the two courts. Of course things changed rather quickly when the world of politics was filled with death. And now this woman wanted him to steal on of the children? One that she considered a monster. His lips twitched into a slight smirk before he stifled it.
Conway raised an eyebrow as he accepted the papers. Glancing over them she listened to her comment about payment. Well, he would probably have to use her form to get into the palace then. This would be fun. "So... you want me to get a kid that looks like a unicorn?" he asked as he tapped his finger on the description. "But... I'll accept the payment. Just tell me the time frame you have in mind."
“Immediately!” she answered instantly. “The longer it’s with the others, the more likely the contamination will spread!” She felt such relief, however, when he said he’d accept the job. She shivered, remembering the ugly thing’s face as it looked up at her with those all too knowing eyes. She pulled out a bag of coins and quickly dropped it onto Conway’s lap. “When can you go?” She hoped it was now.
Eager was a bit of an understatement. Conway rolled his eyes as she slipped open the bag of coins, estimating how much was in the bag. Good enough. "Now. If you know what's good for you you'll spend the day away from the palace. I don't want you messing my plans up." He said flatly before slipping the money in his pocket. "I imagine you took a leave of absence anyway with the way your dressed."
He walked past her, giving her a quick up and down. Easy to mimic at least. "Tomorrow, meet me here at noon. By then the job will be done," he unlocked the door and stepped to the side, bowing a little as he motioned towards the exit.
Maggie was relieved to hear that the deed would be done so quickly and she gave a hesitant nod at his instructions. “They don’t expect me back until the day after tomorrow.” She’d told them that her father was ill—which he sort of was—and that she would need at least a few days to see him back up on his feet. It did not, however, occur to her to say as much to Conway. She darted for the exit, pulling her hood forward again uneasily. She didn’t want to be recognized, didn’t even want to be here, but she was definitely comforted by the thought that by tomorrow the cursed thing would be out of the nursery and away from the other precious babies. Its taint would no longer wear off on the others. She breathed a much easier sigh as she quickly made her way out of the building and scurried for home. Soon it would all be over. She’d done the right thing; she knew it.
Oh, it would be over, and Maggie wouldn't know what hit her. Conway smirked to himself as he prepared for the trip. He waited an hour or so before leaving the building, and once he was outside he took the form of Maggie.
It was a simple plan, all he would do was say that he had left something behind. That way he could slip into the nursery and slip out without being noticed. And if he was he would just take the form of someone else and slip out that way. He wouldn't get caught, it wasn't like he had to kill the child or anything like that. Why this woman thought that the child needed to go when it wasn't hers baffled the man. Who was she to decide that the child was "tainted?"
Getting past the guards was easy. They only asked one or two questions and left it at that. Getting to the nursery was just as easy.
But wow there were a lot of children and all of them where a little special in his opinion. But there was the unicorn boy....
Now there was the matter of getting out with him. Conway glanced over at the window and sighed. That probably was the best possible escape route....
The door clicked, causing Conway to jump. Someone hovered there with the door half open, talking to someone outside. Conway hurried to the window, jerking it open in one fluid motion. He shifted to rather large bird, in theory no one would notice his departure.
They would, however, notice the missing baby.
Conway could hear the shriek of terror as he flew away.
-----
She wanted the kid dead. Conway found himself staring at the bundle with a frown. How could he kill an adorable little baby? Who the hell was heartless enough to want a child killed? It hadn't done anything other than being born. Yes, it was a little creepy that the baby looked like a unicorn, but it could be a lot worse.
Conway slipped his knife out of his pocket, flicking out the blade.
He continued to stare at the child, could he really slit its throat?
"God... I'm such an idiot," he muttered to himself before pulling forward a lock of the child's hair and cutting it off. The woman hadn't asked for proof of the kill. He could easily say that he mutilated the child enough that there wasn't anything but the hair left. He frowned. That probably wouldn't be a good enough excuse.
This was a really stupid idea, but it was better than killing the kid.
Slipping the hair and blade in his pocket, he wrapped the bundle off. Now he just needed to leave it somewhere safe so it wasn't eaten or anything. After that it wasn't his problem anymore.
-----
He returned to the inn, looking like a horrible mess, and feeling like it. He sat in the corner, putting his head on the table and waited. Stupid woman better get here soon. He watched as one of the bar maids set a drink of water in front of him before walking away.
Conway swore to himself. He was never doing a job that involved children, ever again.
He reached for the glass of water; he was a half hour early. Let's see how eager she actually was.
Maggie had started for the inn four times before making herself turn back and wait longer. She went from being nearly four hours early, to two and a half, to two, to an hour and a half, to forty-five minutes to now. It was twenty-five minutes earlier than their meeting time and she couldn’t make herself wait any longer, especially since she was already pacing outside of the inn. She tugged her hood up further and slipped inside, planning to go wait at the same table she’d been at before. She darted towards the corner with hardly a glance anywhere; she didn’t want to be recognized by anyone, unlikely as that was.
Because of her single-minded determination, she didn’t even see Conway at his table. She didn’t expect him to be there yet, and, therefore, didn’t look for him. She was too afraid to make eye contact with any of the rough Cards in the bar area anyway.
At least she wasn't late. He sighed as he picked up the glass, finishing what water he had left. Getting up he walked up to Maggie. He slipped the hair out of his pocket, and quickly grabbed her hand, transferring the hand.
He pointed up, and motioned towards the stairs, expecting her to follow. When they made it to the second floor, he didn't even bother to go into a room. The job was done and he was going to take his payment and leave.
"It's done. Get back to the palace soon before they get any bright ideas," Conway said flatly, holding out his hand for payment.
A shudder of pleasure shook through her frame and she clasped the hair almost reverently to her chest. “Thank you,” she said with deep, profound gratitude. “Thank you so much.” She happily turned over the rest of the payment to him, wishing fervently that it could have been more, but that was all she could afford. She didn’t ask what he had done with the body, only thanked him ardently once more before nearly waltzing out of the room, assuming that their business was done.
Conway was a more than a little shocked that she didn't ask for proof of the dead body. When she left completely he gave a sigh of relief. At least the kid would be safe where he left him. In theory.
Slipping the money in his pocket, he went back downstairs, ordered his usual, and relaxed. At least he could feed himself now. And that woman was going to have lots of wholesome fun when she got back to the Palace. It was enough to make the Joker smile.
