It didn't take long to find the first man. Drunkards rarely change their spots, not till they have to. The doors of the tilting tavern snapped open with a cold air, as the Devil and Officer Crow drifted in. The door hadn't made much sound when it had opened, but that quiet entry wasn't what drew their attention; it was the sudden chill despite the warm, humid air of the tavern's close quarters. It was the presence of something truly evil stalking among them. A pleased smile crossed the Devil's lips as the gathering of men shuddered in their huddles around private tables. Eyeing the new arrivals with an attempt at detached interest, while keeping a cautious hand ready should trouble arise.
Officer Crow surveyed the room with familiar disdain from behind his terrible companion, "drunken louts and criminals, the lot of them," the irate officer muttered, and the devil merely smiled pleasantly, drifting towards the bar to have a word with the man serving drinks. He dropped a pair of half pennies on the table and got himself a quart of something not unlike mead, before turning to survey the surrounding crowds for familiar faces trying to hide. Oh of course he already knew the poor sod was here, he could almost smell that unique perfume of a man running scared, and of a debt personally owed. It stood out to him like a sore thumb, almost as much as the good Officer Crow did, prowling around in a place like this.
"Making friends?" He taunted, amused by Crow's great distress, mixing with so many common folk of ill repute, Crow sneered at him unamused. "I'd be more at home in a den of venomous adders," the man spat, glancing about at the nearest provocation or noise. Watching the loyal officer of the law wriggle so much at the presence of his fellow man amused him, but not as much as the sudden flicker of movement of his eyes locking with another set of frightened orbs across the room. "There you are, Billy," the devil smiled to himself, taking a long draught of his quart of mixed ale before standing. "A hunting we shall go, Crow." He nudged the officer, "Cover the door, I'm going to have a word with the gentleman in the corner."
"Wait, No, that's my Job!" Crow hisses, throwing away any attempt to get a drink or take his mind off the ridiculous circumstances of his involvement. The Devil put out his hand to reassure him, "Relax, you'll be watching me the whole time, "I'm on my best behavior," making an effort to smile reassuringly as he spoke. Crow was less than convinced and certainly not swayed.
"That's what worries me, I liked you better as drunken wash up with nothing else on your mind but fouled oaths and ragged schemes." he spoke with a gruff frankness "You never have convinced me you were the same man a few months ago that you are now, and I still don't believe it."
"I suppose there are others that would agree with you, I certainly didn't like being a drunk, though, but there will be time for confessions later." Stepping past the officer to approach his quarry, who'd begun to drift out of his seat. "Besides, I never tried to convince you of anything," he said nonchalantly as he stalked towards his very much suspecting prey.
Bill tried to run but tripped, his ankle twisted in the chair, and he fell face-first on the floor. Thankfully, no beer was spilled, but he'd failed to escape, and the demonic man hauled him up off the floor with a friendly smile and an iron hand. "Hullo, Billy," he spoke, his voice soft and cold, like a velvet glove holding a knife. "Fancy seeing you here, on such a nice day?" He dragged the man back to his chair while the drunkard tried to kick or scramble his way free. "And I thought you were a working man, no fear of the sun, but for when it leaves." He chides, walking Billy to the table and pressing him into the chair. "So, Billy, since we find ourselves here, I suppose we should have some conversation to go with the ale." Pulling up a chair of his own next to Billy's, he and Crow took the position on the drunkard's other side. The phrase 'a rock and a hard place' sprang to mind; surely, a similar sentiment had occurred to poor Billy, now trapped between the Devil and the Law.
"You know, Billy," The Devil started, "Don't call me Billy, call me Bill," the man corrected with a slurred speech. The devil gave a polite but meaningless smile. "Of course, Bill. Where was I? Ah yes. Bill, you seem like a responsible lad, so I'll be lenient for the sake of understanding. I understand there's an outstanding debt between us." Crow leaned closer as the Devil spoke, anticipating that most ancient primordial response, the biological Coin toss, Fight or Flight. The Devil threw an arm around Bill, shaking him slightly to cover the man's flinch. "What do you say, Bill, money got you free of trouble once. You want to be free again? It won't take much. I even promised your dear wife I would be understanding. Come on, as a good priest once said, 'what's a few coins, to set a man from Hell?'"
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Bill sat there a moment in silence, eyes flickering around in panic, wide as saucers with a wash of emotions. Fear, confusion, the darkening effects of indulgence upon reason. "I uh, err, well, what I mean is-"
"He's not got the Money, Darwin. This filth probably drank it all before we got here." Crow interjected, sneering in accusation. The Devil sighed and gave a mournful pout. "Oh, Bill, say it ain't so..."
"Nuh, No I didn't!, No I swear!" Bill sputtered, desperately going through his trousers. The sound of the man's frantic heart pounded like a drum, the demon could feel it firing through the man's flesh as he gripped Bill's shoulder. To the man himself, a looming sense of doom was creeping through, the dread anticipation of the empty purse to seal his fate, the moment when the mask could slip, and the true danger that overshadowed the small table could be let loose. The world shrank, folding up so small you could put it in your pocket. Time stretched painfully to cover the hole, dragging a few seconds into minutes and hours.
The sound of metal striking the table was like the bell in a fight. The shadows retreated, and light seemed to want back in. Crow relaxed, easing back into his seat, and the Devil's cheery smile never wavered, merely softened. "There we go, Bill, I knew you'd pull through." He said, quietly pulling the purse off the table and into the black of his coat pocket.
Feels nice to have settled business. Makes me want to celebrate." He said, slightly giddy. Crow coughed, and the demon sighed. "But, I suppose that'll have to wait. I'm to call upon others today, and I've got a list as long as my arm of things to do and errands to run." He groaned, standing up suddenly and brushing his coat off. "Tell you what, Bill, we'll take that drink later. I'll certainly need it after I'm done, but till then..." he gave a quick two-finger salute and started marching towards the door. There was a heavy sound of a body hitting the floor, and the flatulent rush of a defeated ego.
"So, where to now, Officer? I was almost hoping he'd try something," the Devil complained. Crow sniffed in disgust. "This is no game, you twit, these crooks are dangerous, they're prison men, you see. Their only creed is violence and treachery." He warned, and the Devil laughed with genuine amusement. "Oh, aren't we all Crow, somewhere deep inside, Aren't we all?" As he strode through the tavern doors. "Some of us are just better criminals than others." Crow didn't appreciate the gag, gritting his teeth behind him. "And which of your dusty wizard tomes gave you that hellish idea?" He growled as the pair stepped out into the street, the demons thought a moment and admitted, "I think it was a sermon, but it seems everybody's done something wrong, ergo, everyone is a criminal in some sense. Therefore, I suppose the whole world is a prison full of criminals, without a warden to keep them in line. What do you think?" Crow had a shocked expression, then deepened his disgust.
"You're a Sick mind, Darwin. A sick bleeding mind!" He raged, grabbing the devil by the coat and pulling him close. "What kind of game are you playing at? Why these charades, and by God's beard, why are so suddenly so, so...GAH!" His hands slipped free as he shoved him away in frustration. "I'm disgusted by you." Crow declared, stomping away down the street.
The devil ignored him, simply brushing off his coat. "Clearly," he retorted calmly as he walked to catch up to the frustrated officer. "Nonetheless, if you feel so strongly, you can leave. You've accused me of worse crimes than assault, on many occasions, I might add. I can achieve my goals without you, though it may violate some procedures." He admitted, as a slight pulsation of the mystic powers rippled beneath his skin, a subtle flexing. Officer Crow hadn't noticed this and shook his head. "No, I am here to stop you from causing trouble, even though I have no bleeding clue what it is! But I am sorely tempted to see what kind of mass destruction you will wreck if I leave you. If only so that I am justified for wasting my time here!" Crow shouted. In reply, the devil gave him a noncommittal glare and shrugged.
"The choice is yours, but I have business to attend to. Though if you leave, I suspect, we will see each other again soon." Continuing down the street towards his next encounter. "I'm sure you have other things to attend to, as do I. Good day to you, Officer. I'm sure we'll meet again."
I'd love it if you would leave a few words or notes, so I can better hone in on the stories strengths, and maybe avoid some of those embarrassing pit falls of the past. C'mon, your thinking of a few right now just reading this, there's at least one or two scenes that just didn't "stick" for you or others.
If I was a perfect writer, I'd be rich by now. but I'm not, so I'm slave to the Peer Review process until I can find better critics. Volunteers may reach me directly to admonish my poor skills by leaving a Review, Comment, or take advantage of the open edits as always.
