#{{Pendles you’ve created a monster}}

[a-beast-of-prey]

He’d seen the woman bolt away earlier, in passing, but hadn’t made any sort of move to stop her. There was no point. If she was lucky (or slightly less unlucky) she’d be done in by the traps, anyway. Otherwise, his scaly boss would see to her doom himself. Likely in a very slow, very grizzly fashion. So he figured he’d check up on the roa instead; if his “guest” had managed to get away, K’ could only assume it was because he was injured or incapacitated in some way.

What he saw beyond the door gave him momentary pause. Pendles was incapacitated alright, but this... wasn’t anything like he’d expected to see; the roa shackled in place, absent of his usual hooded attire and belt of weaponry, completely helpless and in need of a helping hand. K’ managed to keep his face carefully neutral (if barely), shades hiding the sudden downright devilish glitter in his eyes. Oh, this... This was too good. He couldn’t not capitalise off of it.

“Depends,” he drawled, slipping one of the packs of jerky halfway out of a pocket. A strip was pulled out and shoved into his mouth. He let most of it hang out like a leathery tongue, nibbling at what little was inside his mouth slowly, savouring the salt and the meat on his tongue. His voice was slightly muffled as he spoke around it, leisurely strolling towards the end of the bed with hands in pockets. “What’s in it for me if I do?”

It seemed the ways of the Rogues were starting to rub off on him; sly and looking to turn some form of profit out of almost anything. There was also the matter of a buildup of “favours” that he’d been meaning to repay in kind. Pranks, blackmail, and the roa’s abuse of his managerial position to rope him into all kinds of shitty things (a number of which had been humiliating in some shape or form), to name a handful. Oh, yes indeed, this situation was perfect.

(( @a-beast-of-prey for 🔐 ))

It was rare when one of Pendles’ “subjects” got away, but this particular one had gotten him good.  The heavy-grade shackle around his metal wrist resisted his efforts to break the chain and the intricate weaving of chains around his coiled tentacle left him no room to even slither out of it.  Laying flat across the bed in one of the many store rooms in nothing but his crimson silk pajama pants, the snake sighed in defeat.

That lady was going to get what was coming to her, in the manner of Helen and Aaron sunk deep into her back. Wasn’t the whole “tying someone up” thing about trust?  How dare she leave him all high and dry like this!  … Yeah he was going to kill her afterwards and use her femur to make a kitchen knife, but this was a whole new level of betrayal! 

When the door handle jiggled, Pendles tongue flicked, picking up the overwhelming stench of leather-wrapped teenager with no less than four packets of jerky somewhere on his person.  “Of all the people…” he groaned as he laid the top of his head back across the pillow to protect his eye from the light spilling through the doorway.  He curled the tips of his leg tentacles like toes in a vain effort to hide them.  “‘Ey there K’, mate, buddy.  Could you do me a favour and get the spare key for these locks, please?”