[Mkguild] Life V: Know Your Place - A

[cokane8116 at aol.com]

AN:Posting this was bloody hard, writing it like pulling teeth.
 
LifeV: Know Your Place - A
Ireturned to Metamor after the disaster that was my final exam with one
goalin mind; safety. I knew this would be one place I could go to and
neverbe in danger from Umaro and Mirna. And when I had returned I
discoveredsomething.
Iwanted to serve Metamor.




>>>A noble idea!







Idon’t know when that happened. I don’t really know what made it happen.
ButI wanted to serve Metamor to the best of my abilities. Without exposing
mytalents of course. So the question was how do I serve?
Notthe Knights obviously, not being trained in any kind of combat. Not in
theLong Scouts, who I don’t think existed at the time. I’m sure if I had
toldthem about my type of magic they’d have found a place to stick me. But
asI said I couldn’t tell them. Most likely Andwyn’s crusty hands would
havebeen directing me as soon as he discovered I could read minds.


>>>Good point. The bat would use him.







SoI found the Watch. Understaffed, underappreciated and underfunded even
whenI joined it. The Watch had been around for two-hundred years already
andprobably had a lot of pride in itself when it started. By the time I
joinedthe Watch it had been drained of all its dignity and hope.
Whatwas left was a skeleton of an organization which was the laughing
stockof the whole Keep. Payments are slow, uniforms are old and we don’t
havea training ground or reliable supply of irons.
Buthere’s the strange thing when you cut an organization to the bone.
Thosewho are left begin taking a strange kind of pride in it. You’ll see
theKnights as the Metamor pretty-boys, the Long Scouts as show offs while
knowingthe Watch does the real work.


>>>The ironic part? The knights and Longs probably think the same way of themselves!







You’renot appreciated and most people don’t know you exist. So the joy you
getis from what little justice you can dole out, the order you can bring
tothe Keep. Every time you arrest a shaking, screaming Alligator who is
threetimes your size, the feeling is indescribable. You’re making the Keep
alittle safer, you’re bringing a little more dignity back to the Watch.
That’show it feels every day on the Watch, that split between misery and
optimism.Your goal is clear, an ordered Keep and you will make it happen.
Andyou’ll be spit on and yelled at the whole time.


>>>Sounds like a cop in real life too!







TheWatch experience creates a kinship among its many Wardens. And beyond
thatit creates an instinctive reaction to criticism, defend the Watch. It
maybe a withered, barely living organism but we Wardens are keeping it
alive.
Soimagine that you are me. You’ve worked for years in the Watch, with the
longterm goal of ascending to Justicar/Senchel and rewriting the poorly
definedlaw codes. Then one day you read the mind of an arrogant knight and
discoverthe Watch may lose its charter and be absorbed into the Metamor
Keepmachine.
Whatdo you do?
Inmy case you rush into your Lieutenant’s office in a fugue state, doing
itfor the second time in two days. With the benefit of hindsight I can say
myLieutenant’s office needed a latch. I made a point of that
when...actuallynot relevant.
Triche’sfur bristled at my question. He licked his long lips and paused.
Twicehe looked liike he was going to say something and then paused again.
He’snot talking but I will.
Triche’soffice has always been a brown wooden box, to match our brown
woodenbox of a Watch House. It had a small fireplace behind Triche’s desk,
alwaysmaking me wonder if he ever worried his fur would catch on fire. It
hadone small window which faced a courtyard that didn’t get near enough
light.And it was poorly ventilated, so even on the best of days it felt
stuffy.


>>>I've worked in offices like that!



 
Todayit was warmed by a roaring fire, or as roaring as you could do. Light
camefrom the candle on Triche’s desk and the two mounted on the wall. At
alltimes of day the room was bathed in shadow, illuminated only by small
halos,and thick with smoke. In truth I usually felt comfortable in there,
perhapsdue to the warmth. Today though I felt nothing but panic.
“Sirwe can’t lose our charter,” I said, “Doing so is what gives us the
abilityto dispense justice. It gives us the right to exist! Without it
we’llbe dissolved!  We are the order in thiscity!  How can the Duke do
thisto us?” My tail was thumping a mile minute, to the point my
Lieutenant’sdesk was vibrating.  He snorted.
“Calmyourself Corproal” Triche said. “And control your tail.” I grabbed it
inmy hand.  Triche’s eyes locked withmine.. “How did you even come about
thisnews?” Oh boy.
“Iheard it from,” I swallowed, “From Sir Moss. He mentioned it...by
accidentsir. Look how I heard doesn’t matter, what matters is I heard it.
Isit true?” Triche leaned back in his chair. He stared intently at his
thin,pink fingers for a bit.
“It’strue that there has been discussion to revoke the charter of the
Watch.”He said. “But just discussion, not action Corporal.  Before we
continue,sit down.” The tone of his voice caught me off guard.  Not loud
orangry, but harder than steel. I slipped into the chair in front of his
desk,tail wrapped around me.
Thesailfin made it impossible to slip my tail into most tail holes.
Icould only see part of my Lieutenant’s face, but I only needed to see
part.Triche’s black eyes had turned to ice and the cold was penetrating my
core.I began to tremble.
“Iunderstand you are upset Corporal.  If Iwas given this news I would be
to.  But I am your superior.  The Watch is viewed as a pit with no respect
forhierarchy, and by rushing into my office yelling you validated those
views.”Triceh said.  My heart sank.
 
“I’msorry sir.” I said.
 
“Iappreciate that Janelle, but you do that frequently.” Triche said.  His
pinklips lifted slightly when he spoke, showing fang. “Knock before
enteringand adress me by title.  Do not addressme by ranting.
Understood?”My lieutenant seemed completely clam, but I could feel his




>>>Typo - calm not clam  and address not adress







angerjust under the surface.
“Yessir.” I said. Triche nodded.
“Nowhave you told anyone else what Sir Moss told you? Or do you know if he
toldanyone else?” I shook my head. “Well then let's hope he didn’t. The
lastthing I, or any other Lieutenant needs is a Watch House full of
Warden’sscared they’ll lose their jobs.”
“Lose…”I let go of my tail. “I hadn’t even thought about that. I figured
they’dsend me to work in a different part of the military.” Triche shook
hishead. “I can’t lose my job, I have a son. I have a son I can barely
affordto raise as it is.”
“Noteveryone would lose their jobs, no doubt some of us would be sent to
workin other places.” Triche said. “But again nothing has been decided
yet.I’ve managed to be party to certain conversations about the fate of
theWatch.”




>>>Interesting! I am eager to see what happens.


   And can i make coffee and donut cop jokes?





Chris









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