Black is Back! Part 2

[Absolution Black]

Continuation from Part 1........

As he entered the Theatre’s main hall, the wall of sound washed over him. There was also a certain smell: a mix of alcohol, dirty clothing and smoke that you experienced whenever you entered such an establishment. The Theatre was packed tonight. No doubt full of miners down from the hills on a rare trip to the city. Off duty Guild officers mixed freely with known criminals, all intent on having a good time. He scouted the room quickly and spotted a quieter table in the far corner to his left.

He sat on the solid wooden chair and waited for the serving girl to take his order. It pained him to be here, in so public a place. He plied his craft in the shadows, away from the glare of the masses. Yet, he was being paid a large sum for this job, and though he wasn’t short of money, it was too good an offer to turn down. He tilted the brim of his hat lower to shield his eyes as he surveyed the room.

It was then that he spotted her, serving drinks at a table nearby. She was exactly as described: a pretty young thing, not more than twenty. Her auburn hair was put up in an intricate mix of curls and plaits, her skin pale and delicate. She wore the standard corset dress of all the girls here, a pastel green with linings of black and white. The cut of the dress exposed her thighs, showing the stocking tops to all and sundry. She smiled as she took orders from the rowdy men, and flirted with them playfully, looking every inch at home here.

As she walked away with the order, one of the men slapped her across the rump with his palm, and she yelped in mock surprise and allowed herself to jump a little bit. The men burst into raucous laughter. Black smiled, this girl knew how to work her audience. The rumours of this place were true. The new owner, a Colette Dubois, obviously taught her girls all the right tricks. He sat and waited for the show to start as his drink was placed on the table before him. He waved a note at the girl and she reached into her skirts to get his change, but he dismissed her with a flick of his hand.

The show was probably very good but Black never once took his eyes off the serving girl, tracking her movements, reading her mannerisms, learning all about her and memorising the layout of the Theatre. There was a loud cheer as the interval began, the men raising their glasses and hats in tribute to the girls on stage. Now was the time to take action. He stood from his table and walked silently over to a group of miners across the floor. They fell silent as he stood before them, and he tilted his hat in greeting.

“Gentlemen, I wonder if I may be so bold as to ask a favour from you this evening”

A chubby man to his left guffawed loudly, almost spilling his drink with his exaggerated movements.

“Hear that lads, this fop wants our help! Probably can’t get a girl on his own, so needs a more experienced hand to guide him!”

The laughter broke out around the table, and Black let it run its course, resisting the urge to slice the man’s throat. Instead he took out a cloth bag and tossed it onto the table. It resounded with a heavy clunk. A silver coin escaped from the loosely tied neck, and the focus of every man on that table was suddenly on him.

“ All I ask is that in exactly five minutes, on my signal, you will create a……distraction. This should cover your trouble”. He gestured at the bag of coin on the table.

“A distraction?”

“Nothing too elaborate. Perhaps one of you gentleman could take offence at something the men across from you may have said. Perhaps a fight could break out”.

There was a murmuring of assent from the men around the table. After all, the silver in front of them would keep them in beer for a good few nights. And it was always fun to let off steam once in a while.

Satisfied, Black returned to his table and continued to watch the girl as she flitted between the bar and her customers. As she walked past he noticed a tall blonde standing watchfully against the far wall, and he cursed. It was just his luck that Dubois’ lackey would be on the floor this evening. He’d heard about her skills with the sword and although he knew she would be no match, he also knew he needed to avoid any distractions from the matter in hand.

He nodded towards the group of men and within seconds they had begun to throw punches at the occupants of the table next to them. As chaos descended upon the rear of the theatre he leapt to his feet. Keeping a close eye on the blonde, who was already wading over to the scuffle, he swept past the girl and covered her mouth with one hand, lifting her from the floor with ease with the other.

She struggled and kicked but he was through the door in an instant, before security could even register his presence. One of the men was quicker than the rest though and approached him from the side. Keeping a grip on the girl, he released her mouth and grabbed an ashtray off of the nearest desk, flinging it hard at the approaching man. It smashed into his temple, knocking him to the ground. The girl had only time to release a stifled scream before his hand was over her mouth again.

He burst through the entrance doors and ran to the nearest coach. The footman opened the door and he flung the girl inside, turning to the driver as he followed her in.

“The station, now!”

And then with the clattering of hooves on cobbles, he was gone into the night, his prize now in his possession.

Part 3 will follow soon..........And we find out a little more about the job.

Edited February 10, 2011 by Absolution Black