The Bad Cop and the Good Thief

[Andros]

The hat was hanging on a hook by the door, and Ajax couldn’t stop looking at it. Every few minutes, his eyes would dart up from his work, he’d see it, and he’d smile. Jan had given it to him yesterday. Made from expensive sable, it must’ve cost a month of the apprentice furrier’s wages. It was warm, perfect for this frigid city, and extremely fashionable. It suited Ajax, everyone agreed. He felt a head taller wearing it around town, which counted for a lot in a place where everyone was so big.

The occasion for the gift had been six months since the two men had become an item. Thinking about that made Ajax smile too. It was his longest relationship by a long shot, and he was proud that he’d made it last. No cheating either, unless Jan was good at keeping secrets.

Jan probably wasn’t going to last forever. Ajax’s mother wanted him to marry a scholar, while Pappa wanted someone rich as a king. For Ajax, it was enough that he was as handsome as anything, not to mention fun-loving and a great dancer. But he agreed with his family. Someone richer and more worldly would be a better match in the long run, if he were ever ready to tie the knot permanently.

Ajax never had ambition before he came back to the city, but several years into his new life he saw a bright future for himself. He was succeeding in his job, or he might say in both of them. Half the year he was anable assistant here in the store. He accompanied his grandfather to meetings where did more and more of the talking, and he discovered he had a head for figures and kept the business’ books. Was that the only time he’d ever impressed his mother? (Yes. Sorry, Ajax.)

And then half the year he was a sailor. Technically he was just the Chrysostephanos’ agent aboard ship to Teos and back, but boy did it agree with him. He’d made himself extremely popular on his first voyage in exactly the ways you’d expect and the sailors took him under their wing. They taught him the ropes, literally, and by his second voyage he was pulling his weight everywhere from the swabbing the decks to to filling in for the navigator. And every night he played his lute and danced with the crowd and felt happy.
In ten years he could see himself as a partner in this business with his mother (and Pappa, if he were so lucky), growing wealthy and enjoying city life. Or he could see himself captaining a fleet of trading ships with plenty of money and his pocket and the status to go with it, but more freedom and excitement.He couldn’t decide which future he preferred. They both seemed very bright.
On that chilly Glade day while Pappa was out to lunch, he was truing up the books behind the counter in the small storefront below the home he shared with his family. Ajax had discovered he’d made a mistake and was concentrating hard trying to find it, stacking coins and counting them a second time. That brought his mood down a bit and he decided to put his hat on to cheer himself up. And his warm jacket too, since it was so cold. Pulling the jacket tight around his shoulders and the hat down over his face, he didn’t stir until he heard the door open.

[Hakon]

On the way back from the restaurant, Andros had need of a privy, and he had sent Hakon ahead to his home and business. Despite it being slightly after closing, Hakon was assured it would be unlocked. The family, he was told, would be in the apartment above the shop, either finishing up an early supper or simply attending to the daily activities of life once they were freed from the obligation of tending to the storefront.

So he was not surprised to find the darkened storefront unlocked. He was surprised by who he found inside.

As a child, Hakon had once had difficulty with telling people apart. When he came to the tower, there were so many people he was expected to interact with, and it had been disorienting trying to remember people's faces and names. So he had worked very hard to get good at memorizing faces, and as a result was fairly good at recognizing people who came to the tower more than once, even if it was seasons or years between their visits. Even had he not put in this effort, though, he would have recognized the man in the store. He'd aged slightly -- Hakon noted bitterly that he looked even more handsome now, if anything -- but he was immediately recognizable to Hakon, who thought of Ajax's face with some frequency.

You didn't forget your first love, especially when your first love turned out to be a burglar who stole your money and a sunderscrap along with your heart.

Hakon was unsure why the man had come this far north, but here he was. Clearly he'd wandered in on a lark to knock over Andros' store just like he'd knocked over Hakon's bedroom all those years ago.

"You," was all he said by way of greeting before lowering his head and charging at the would-be thief.

He tackled him to the ground, money flying everywhere as Hakon used his superior height, weight, and reach to pin Ajax. One big hand went around Ajax's throat before he restrained himself, each hand clamping down on one of Ajax's shoulders and throttling him, instead.

"I don't know how you've come back into my life, you fiend, but I will not let you burgle Andros as you burgled me."

[Andros]

Absolutely nothing could have surprised Ajax more than seeing Hakon come in that door. Hakon, of all people. The man must have tracked him down to this shop, after all these years, like a bloodhound.
Ajax still thought about Hakon a lot. He had nightmares about his captivity by Alecto and more pleasant dreams about the time he spent with Hakon in the witch’s lair. Of all the men Ajax had met on his travels, Hakon was the only one who was worth remembering. He’d saved Ajax’s life, after all, and that wasn’t nothing. And he’d advised him to come back to his family, which proved sage.

But his final, considered verdict was that Hakon had a screw loose, or possibly several. Something was wrong with him, something that made him dangerous to be around. Ajax didn’t regret running away. It was self preservation. He did regret his theft. It was impulsive and unnecessary, not to mention ungrateful. He even considered sending a letter with repayment. But it seemed too dangerous. Hakon couldn’t be trusted not to use any information gleaned from a letter to find Ajax and do god knows what to him.

And that worry was proved quite correct. Ajax nearly pissed himself when Hakon came in the room, but he didn’t have long to be mired in fear. The mage launched himself at Ajax almost instantly, not even giving him a chance to speak first. Hakon must have come here to kill him and was about to put his plan into action. Ajax was a lot stronger and even an inch taller than last time they’d met, but against the giant it didn’t make a difference. He went down instantly.

First he put a big paw around Ajax’s neck and the boy was sure death was coming. He tried to scream but nothing came out. Briefly, he couldn’t breathe. Then Hakon moved his hand away. Perhaps to get a knife out, or to keep him alive and torture him first? It didn’t matter. Ajax started to struggle and screamed at the top of his lungs for his mother.

She didn’t come. Nobody did. Either no one was home or no one could hear. Curse his bad luck. Ajax tried to push Hakon off but it was like shoving a brick wall. The man just grabbed his shoulders and pinned him harder. Then he made some wild accusation that he was robbing the place. Hakon was insane. He was having a delusion that he was a hero protecting…Pappa? He knew Pappa?

Desperately, he tried to shout again to explain himself but this time he could only get out a whisper. Hakon’s bulk was crushing him.

“I work here. Andros is my grandfather. Please, don’t hurt me again, Hakon.”

That was about as effective as talking to a brick wall. The grip on his shoulders didn’t get any looser. Hakon was too far gone to hear him, too mired in the psychosis Ajax had only glimpsed years before to be reached.

Hakon did sit up slightly, which was a relief from the pressure. Unfortunately as he did, a gap opened up between them at chest level. Ajax’s jacket had been shoved aside. That revealed a small, shiny black stone, lovingly polished until it shone, the sunderscrap he worn around Ajax’s neck every day since his arrival at Oxentide. His good luck charm, turned very unlucky. It caught the sunlight and sparkled - something Ajax loved about it but not now. Hakon couldn’t miss it.

Ajax looked up at Hakon in terror. Death was about to come, that was certain There was nothing for it. He whispered a prayer to the gods of the deep, one he’d learned from his mother as a boy, and hoped they could hear him so far from home.

[Hakon]

Hakon had not lost his temper in quite some time. It was a more frequent event when he and Andros had first met, when he was younger and more impetuous. Time and practice had granted him temperance, and he fell back on it when he felt his anger getting the better of him. He even found himself moved by Ajax's pleas, though Ajax's assertion that Hakon might hurt him again puzzled the mage. When had he hurt Ajax the first time?

Then he saw the sunderscrap and all thoughts left his head.

For years, he had known in his heart of hearts that Ajax had stolen it. Even when injured and besotted, Hakon was diligent about tidying things up and putting them in their place, and he was all but certain he had put the scrap with his sundering kit only for it to vanish later, after Ajax had been healed and he had given himself a sprained ankle in his effort to impress the lad. Ajax had later stolen all the money Hakon had amassed in his room and fled, so it stood to reason the rotten, callow bastard had stolen the scrap as well. The fact was, though, he hadn't wanted to believe it.

The money going missing was proof of Ajax's moral turpitude, but Hakon had little use for money. Had the lad asked for it, it would have been freely given. The sunderscrap, though, was another matter. Missing the scrap had caused him to be flogged by his Warden, and the old man had a surprisingly strong arm when he wanted to. The physical punishment mattered very little to Hakon, though, compared to the other consequences. He had lost face in the Endornotkun for it. It sullied his otherwise perfect record. He was not completely reliable, after that, and after that, every assignment contained a reminder that he'd best not fail again.

Ajax was the reason he had failed the first time, and the proof was around the boy's neck. He hadn't even made use of it; he'd prettied it up like a bauble and was wearing it like it was an ornament, a keepsake.

Hakon glared at Ajax balefully. For the second time that evening, his hand found Ajax's neck. Then it went lower, grasping the jewel in one big paw and Ajax's hair with the other, and pulled on the chain until the necklace snapped. When it did, Hakon snarled involuntarily, his lips bared.

"This." He said through clenched teeth. "Is. Mine."

His blood was roaring in his ears. The urge to snuff Ajax out then and there was rising, but he knew better. Ajax was a liar, and he was probably lying about having any legitimate business in the shop, but Hakon saw no reason not to wait for Andros to return. On the offchance that he was telling the truth, Hakon had no intention of murdering a member of Andros' family, even if that family member had caused him a great deal of trouble.

If he were lying again, though, well.

"Andros should be returning very soon, my little thief. If you really work here, as you say, then I'll help you up and this will all be a big misunderstanding, won't it? But if you are lying to me again, as you made a habit of doing in our past encounters..." Hakon trailed off, and briefly made his hands glow white. "My lantern grows hungry, and you will make a worthy meal."

[Andros]

o----(::::::::::>

Andros muttered an apology as he opened the door and took off his coat.

“Sorry lad. You’ll understand when you’re older. I know it’s a short walk but every time you have to go it’s an emergency when you’re my age. And everyone goes in the alleys here, it’s just how things are done.”

It took a lot to surprise Andros. He’d seen several nations, met all kinds of non-humans, and witnessed more violence than he’d care to, even participating in some of it. But what he encountered when he hung up his coat and turned around qualified. There was Hakon lying on top of his grandson Ajax, holding him down with a hand around his throat. Ajax was begging for his life in abject terror and clawing uselessly at the hand holding him in place.

It didn’t make any sense, nor did Andros have time to process it. Obviously Hakon had gone insane. He hadn’t seen the man in years and it must have developed in that time. Or perhaps he’d lost his mind in the 1 minute and 30 seconds it took for Andros to relieve himself and catch up. Either way, something had to be done, and now.

Andros acted without thinking. He was getting too old for that, and much too old for how he chose to intervene. He launched himself at Hakon with a vicious kick to the side of his torso that absolutely broke a toe - possibly two - and didn’t seem to bother the big mage. He stumbled backwards, sending pain shooting up from his tailbone to his bad shoulder. Hakon had better have a full night torch to repair this, not to mention poor Ajax.

“Get off my grandson, Hakon! You’re killing him! Have you lost your mind?”

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[Hakon]

Hakon registered that the door was opened, but he didn't turn to look. It was either Andros, in which case his friend would clarify what should happen next, or Ajax was lying and it would be some compatriot of his checking up on him.

He heard Andros' voice and felt the jab of a booted toe, but the blow glanced off; between his physique and the adrenaline coursing through his system, he barely felt it. It would be a bruise later, one among many. Hakon had long since stopped caring about such things.

He looked down at Ajax. For a moment, the younger man would see an expression of visible disappointment before he extricated himself from his position atop Ajax. Then, rather than making an offer that the smaller man would have likely spurned, he hauled him to his feet, as well. Ajax was a bit more solid than Hakon remembered, but the difference barely registered.

"So," he said to Ajax, "it would seem you were telling the truth about this, at least. I don't know how you were born under such a lucky star, but you should praise the Living Gods on this day that your grandfather returned when he did."

Then he turned back to Andros.

"Your grandson is a wastrel. He stole all of the money from my quarters a few years back, and he also stole this," he said, holding up the sunderscrap. "I was expected to recover the gem during an assignment. I still bear the shame of not returning with it, and it will be a black mark on my record for the rest of my days. It wouldn't surprise me if he's been causing you economic troubles, as well. You've given a man with a greedy appetite for money access to your accounts. Who knows how often he's been helping himself?"

[Andros]

Ajax felt like a man - most of the time. He did his work, held himself high, kept a steady relationship, and earned the respect of his family and peers. Even his mother admitted he’d grown out of his worst habits. He was proud of the way his life was turning out.

But he didn’t feel like much of a man now. Hakon had nearly killed him and now the beast was telling horrible lies to the most important man in Ajax’s life. The idea that he’d steal from his own family is somehow worse than the violence. It had been a long time since Ajax cried, but now he started to sob like a little boy and shuffled over to Andros, who had stood up with some effort. Andros put a protective arm around him. That helped.

“Pappa, he’s crazy. He saved me from bandits years ago and we slept together. Then he made me go back to his tower. He roughed me up when he got jealous, so I ran away. I took his money to escape from him on a fast ship. He'd never have let me go if I didn’t run. He’s been tracking me all these years. Now he found me and he wants me dead.”

Anger was welling up as he started to feel safer again. Hakon had no right to do this to him. Again. He turned and shouted at his jilted lover.

“And that scrap is mine. Alecto tortured me, and it was my good luck that made me her last victim. She protects me. Why should your fucked up slave guild get her? My father was right about your kind. Savages.”

[Andros]

o----(::::::::::>

Andros struggled to process everything. He thought both men sounded unhinged, and he had just seen his closest friend in Radenor viciously attack a member of his family. He had to prioritize and take control of this outrageous situation.

First, the physical, then he could sort out what had actually happened. He turned towards Ajax and looked him over. No blood, that was good. All limbs accounted for. He put a hand on the boy’s chin and tilted it up. Ajax’s neck was red and it would bruise. Andros glared daggers at Hakon.

“How could you? Beast.”

Then turning back to Ajax, he spoke calmly.

“You’re safe, Jaxy. Don’t be afraid. Are you hurt?

Ajax sniffled and shook his head, getting his tears under control.

“Just sore and freaked out.”

“Good. Well, I’m hurt. Help me into the chair, would you.” Ajax supported his grandfather and helped him hobble behind the counter, where there was a wooden swiveling chair with a cushion on top. Andros sat down heavily and stared to unlace his right boot. He looked at Hakon on the other side of the counter.

“Lad, if you have your night torch, I think two of my toes are broken. If you’ll fix them, I can think clearly and we can discuss your accusations and why you attempted to murder my grandson in my home.” He rubbed his temples, feeling overwhelmed again.

He was angry, and getting angrier the more he reflected. The pain helped nothing, though sitting down helped the pain a bit. The accusations sounded outlandish, both from Ajax and from Hakon. He couldn’t evaluate them until he could think clearly and ask questions.

That left the evidence in front of him. The two men were alone for all of two minutes. Ajax can’t possibly have attacked Hakon first or even had time to provoke him with words, which meant Hakon had really tried to kill Ajax him over some incident from several years ago. It was true insanity. He could never look at his friend the same way again, no matter what came out of this. It would be hard to forgive.

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[Hakon]

Hakon was struggling to reconcile a world where his greatest heartbreak was related to his oldest friend. He had a lot of admiration for Andros. He'd emigrated to a foreign country and built a business out of nothing but his wits and his skills as a merchant. Then, he'd abandoned that business for something that sounded both more complicated and more lucrative. It also allowed him to provide for his family, something that Hakon had always been envious of.

Except that the detested Ajax was part of Andros' family. For the first time, it occurred to Hakon that family members might not be good just because their parents were good. He'd always imagined himself as the patriarch of a family full of wise, diligent young men and women. But if someone like Andros could be related to someone like Ajax, perhaps all bets were off in that regard.

"If you're hurt, Andros, I will heal you."

Hakon, true to his word, concentrated on the minimal energy required to make the white tether between him and Andros, then sent vitessence from his lantern to his friend. He watched as the life energy made a beeline for Andros' outer extremities. He thought he heard an audible pop as the older man's toes went back into alignment, but maybe it was his imagination.

"And I didn't 'attempt' to murder him," Hakon said derisively. "Do you really think he'd be alive right now if I decided that he was to die? What happened was I came into your store and saw a man I know to be a thief hunched over the money from your store's till, and I apprehended him. He said he worked here, and I agreed to wait for you to come in and verify his story. Apparently, he does indeed work here. You confirmed that. So I've let him go."

"I'm not giving back the sunderscrap he lifted from me, though, and I'm not apologizing to him. I saved his life and gave him quite a bit, besides. In return, he lied to me, led me on, stole from me, and jilted me. The punishment for theft of this magnitude in Radenor is death, so anything less than that is a mercy."

Hakon addressed all of that to Andros. He did his best to indicate that Ajax wasn't even in the room, like he were talking about someone who simply was not there. Whether this was because he was angry or because he saw Ajax was beneath his notice was unclear.

[Andros]

o----(::::::::::>

The miracle of Hakon’s healing power stilled some of the roiling tension in Andros’ brain. Out of pain, he was able to stand and pace, which helped him think. Ajax and Hakon were both looking at him intently. Ajax was afraid, shaken from the attack and not knowing where he stood with his grandfather. Hakon was arrogant, at least on the surface, unapologetic for what he’d done.

Andros sighed. This was quite the knot he’d have to cut. The only acceptable resolution was for Hakon to leave Ajax alone and to reconcile with Andros. He wouldn't allow any harm to come to his grandson, nor was he willing to lose his friend. Getting there would be a test of his capacity. At the moment, forgiving Hakon seemed a long way away. Still, the man had come through for him - again - with magical help.

“Thank you. I kicked you pretty hard, my old friend,” he said, quietly. “Patch yourself up too if you need it

At this point Ajax couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He shouted, rather shrilly.

“This man is your friend, Pappa? He wants me dead! He’s a monster! A killer! He should be drowned in the harbor as a danger to the city.”

He looked at Ajax with sympathy, but held up a hand to silence him.

“You will both please drop the hysterics. No one is dead, no one is killing anybody. Ajax, you are shaken up. And Hakon, you - well, I don’t know what your problem is but knock it off.

Andros paced, then moved his chair and sat down again. He let the two younger men stand facing him as if he were a judge and they were in the dock before him.

“Let me make a few things clear. Hakon, you assaulted a member of my family, completely unprovoked. Whatever he did as a teenager doesn’t justify it, nor does whatever heroic game you thought you were playing. And you took advantage of my grandson when he was what,18 or 19? Furthermore, if you think he’s robbing me then you don’t know my family. . We are not easily taken advantage of. We check our books. Ajax is an honest man.”

He shook his head, letting his rant peter out. “I’m disappointed in you, lad. I thought you had the temper under control. You wronged my family today.”

Finally, he turned to Ajax and spoke much more kindly. “Jaxy, we are going to work this out and no one will do you any harm, that’s a promise. I’m sorry this happened to you. It won’t happen again.” He paused, preparing to deliver the bad news. “That said, it seems you got into some trouble way back when, and restitution may need to be made. Let’s get to the bottom of this. I’d like the full story please, from both of you. How did you meet, what happened between you, and how did we get here?”

Ajax did not look pleased at that. He huffed and crossed his arms, a little childishly. Clearly he didn’t think he owed Hakon anything. Andros was inclined to take his side, too. Hakon had behaved abominably. But he was willing to hear Hakon out, at the very least.

“Well, Hakon, why don’t you start. From the top.”

Created by Moop!