act37side

<p=1>Streets of Norport</><p=2>December 26th, 1098, 5:23 P.M.</>

How'd things go on your end, Dagda?

Mr. Lane's still alive, but he's got a busted leg. His sworn brother didn't make it, though. I tried asking some old friends...

None of them know when that brother passed away exactly. Might've been when trying to escape Norport, might've been some Sarkaz at the end of their tether during the allied counterattack...

Did you manage to see Mr. Lane himself?

I did. He works at the port now. He didn't bring up the old days, and he avoided talking about his crew.

But he thinks that now, he's living a good life.

Bloody hell.

I strolled around one of the factories we used to look after. It's full of little punks now. None of those youngsters have even heard of us Glasgow Gang.

That pack of brats deserves a right trashing!

Did you swing by the old restaurant we always went to?

Torn down. Parliament sent some men over to get in touch with all the old shopkeeps. Anything so run-down it couldn't be fixed up, and whose owner was missing, was slated to be torn down and rebuilt.

The pub on Sunset Street, Paul's Bar, the magazine stall that runt from Kazimierz ran... They're all gone.

Hannah...

I checked out that public cemetery they were talking about too. I couldn't find McClaren, or—

(Choking back tears) Dammit, why don't these graves have names on them?

Stuff me, can't believe you caught me crying.

Let's head home already. Don't wanna leave Morgan waiting.

I thought... I thought the gym was going to be a rougher sight.

Thank you.

Looks to me like you've been taking care of the place this whole time.

I thought if you were still alive, you'd be coming back sooner or later. Doesn't matter how you look at it, I'm still part of the Glasgow Gang.

You didn't get on Duke Windermere's ship with us back then—

I wasn't so far gone that I needed saving by the dukes.

But... I gotta admit, I was being a right fool back then. After all that, I took some of the crew out to fight some devils hanging around Norport.

I ended up hearing about the Exemplars from them.

You pulled off some crazy stunts I could never dream of. An army, hah... When the battle outside was in total chaos, some of the gang helped out on the front line with me.

But there wasn't much we could do. All I got in the end were a few cuts and bruises—

You're Infected too?

Yep. Heard the same happened to Indra after she took a bad scrape on the battlefield not too long ago.

She's real lucky she had friends like you there with her.

Morgan stares blankly ahead. She'd never considered that problem. Not even Indra herself had.

No, no, that ain't right. Why do I feel all funny hearing you say that? Though I gotta admit I'm not sure what's not right about what you said.

Hah, whatever you say. Anyway, if you ever get the chance, tell Siege I said sorry.

If you stick around you can tell her yourself.

My Glasgow Gang's long gone. Since you're coming back, it's only right that I head out.

Did Delphine not come back with you?

She's standing by Vina's side.

Hah, sounds like you lot had a squabble too. I heard about her mum from a broadcast... Doesn't matter who she might be, at least she's got some nerve.

Where you headed off to next?

Norport needs more hands to rebuild it, and the port's busy shuttling in goods from outside all day every day. Me and my crew are gonna keep an eye on it.

And then... And then I'll head into Central to bash in some merchant bastard's head—Err...

That's only a maybe. Norport's changed, Morgan.

The folks I know are gone, and the shops too. There's some new gang of brats that's popped up. Don't know their arse from their elbow yet they're still trying to fight for dominance...

Anyway, I'm giving the gym back to you lot.

Parliament talked a big game in that broadcast of theirs. I talked it over with some of the boys. We'll wait a spell, then head over to some other dukedom to see what's what.

We'll find a new turf.

A new turf, a new beginning. I'll need some time to forget a few things.

Morgan, was that Cador leaving just now?

Yep.

He came to say goodbye, and decided to hand this back to us while he was at it.

She pulls out a butterfly knife from her pocket. It's badly scratched, but the emblem of the Glasgow Gang can still be clearly seen.

Baird's butterfly knife. Hannah would recognize it anywhere. It was her who insisted on engraving that emblem once she beat Baird, after all.

Cador found it on the body of a cleaner... He couldn't find Baird herself, though.

I went there too.

All I found was some stuff on the wall I didn't get. It's almost all gone, what with all the rain. But I'm sure...

I'm sure she was there. I saw her handwriting.

'I hope so too'...

<i>'I hope so too.'</i>

<i>What did Baird hope for? We thought about it long and hard, but we were never able to make sense of it.</i>

<i>Her wishes had already been washed back into Norport's soil by the rain.</i>

<i>We decided not to dwell on it much longer.</i>

<i>We never could guess her last little secret.</i>

<i>She's definitely having a good laugh at us right now.</i>

I remember that whenever we went to the video shop, Baird hated weepy scenes about grieving the most.

Yeah. She never thought death was worth being all that sad for.

Pass the knife to me. I'll think of a way to hang it up on the wall.

Then I'll go get some drinks. To celebrate us coming home, and a toast to Baird!

Should we wait for Vina?

She ain't got the time to come.

But just in case—

Then we'll hold off right before we get completely pissed, Hannah.

Booze waits for no man.

<i>That day, without having to say a word on the matter, we all drank our drinks real slow.</i>

<i>We were waiting for one more person.</i>

<i>It seems there was a lot of chit-chat going on that day. Not that we remember any of it after the hangover.</i>

<i>All I remember is that Hannah and I got in a fight, and Dagda's brow got itself another scar. Why? None of us knew.</i>

<i>If Vina were there, it'll all be fine. She always stayed the most sober out of all of us, and she'd remember for us.</i>

<i>But she never showed up that day.</i>

I dragged the body back, Boss.

But... Will this really be okay? I mean, snatching away the corpse of a condemned criminal from right under Parliament's nose—

Did you really think you could take that away without some silent approval from above?

What of the Columbian?

He's not in the best of moods... Boss, do we really need <i>him</i> to carry these goods? What if—

Millscar says nothing. The mercenary sighs.

Alright, I get it. Look, Boss, I'm not trying to make you mad. But ever since Parliament made a move on us, everyone's been on edge.

It doesn't concern you lot.

I'll handle the Columbian.

Eliseo. I presume I don't need to introduce myself.

Millscar. I've heard about you.

Good, no need to waste words then. I need you to see this batch of goods out of Londinium safely.

You will, of course, receive payment. I can send this 'corpse' along with you.

Leave the city, and go as far away from it as you can.

Her name is Diane, Millscar.

Who she is isn't important to me.

What's important is that she doesn't show her face again in Londinium.

You call this payment? Making someone who just got home leave again?

Eliseo, you are well aware she cannot stay in the city. As far as everyone is concerned, she is dead. Hanged from the gallows.

Vina made a mistake. So long as this person is alive and within the city, sooner or later someone is going to use her as a knife to stab Vina in the back.

*sigh* She really must learn to be more decisive.