darker_london | Dead Meat (Gavin) (Reply)

Gavin was barely listening. They had gathered together to hold his 'tribunal', and he had had to stand there while his sins were read out to all who were present. He knew what he had done, and he knew why he had done it; he didn't need to stand there and hear it rehashed. He also knew no one here would care to hear his side of it. Gavin just wanted it over with.

When the guilty verdits were read out, Gavin didn't move or even react. He didn't resist when they came for him, nor did he try to get away. He had surrendered to them when they had recaptured him. He was responsible for their capture of Peter, and that in his mind, was enough for a thousand guilty verdicts.

It was only when the man wearing Templar robes who was leading him back to his cell whispered to him, that Gavin felt hope again. "Keep your head down, Gavin. Or you'll be dead meat." Gavin literally breathed out his relief.

Saul.

It wasn't Saul himself, of course. The man was nearly seven feet tall, and the Templar knew who he was. But this was someone Saul had sent to save him. A member of the mercenary group, Dead Meat. They had probably already freed Peter and now it was his turn.

Gavin's second escape from the Templar was, in most ways, far less eventful than the first. Most notably, no one died for Gavin's freedom. The disgused mercenary simply turned a different corner and led Gavin through a confusing maze of caverns and hallways until they emerged (less one Templar robe and hood left in a little pile right by the door) into a Roman afternoon, the chilled air cooling their skin.

"Thank you," Gavin managed to whisper. The sun was burning at his eyes, so he peered at the world through mostly closed lids.

"Just keep walking, Gavin. We're not safe yet. Here, put this ridiculous hat on." The mercenary pulled a bright yellow hat out of his pocket and he affixed it to Gavin's head. It clashed horribly with Gavin's bright red hair. "Now you're hiding in plain sight. You didn't look like you were putting up all that much of a fight there."

Gavin groaned. "I wasn't. I think they brainwashed me. Augh, I'm disgusted with myself. I was just going to let them-"

"Burn you? It's a good thing you have have friends in low places." The mercenary smiled at him and Gavin recognised him as someone who had participated in a raid with him before. He thought his name might have been Billy.

"Yeah. Just didn't think you'd be coming for me this time." Gavin sighed as they moved away from the Templar compound at a slow by determined pace. Anything faster would attract attention. And it probably wouldn't be possible for Gavin to keep up. He was still recovering. "Is Peter with you guys?"

Probably-Billy looked slightly crestfallen and he glanced at Gavin. "No. He's not in the compound either. We have no idea where he is, Gavin."

Any hope which had stolen away in Gavin's heart immediately dissipated. Peter was still missing!? What were they doing to him?! "Oh."

"We have you, Gavin. Don't go thinking this is a lost battle today. There will be another one."

Gavin sighed. "I still have to call my friends and tell them I got Peter Templar-napped. The man is like a father to me and I resigned him to-"

"So be grateful you can call your friends, and use your energy now to help him. 'Swhat I do."

Gavin looked over at probably-Billy. "I think I need to sleep. And a lot of morphine. Oh, and do you by any chance happen to have an entire cow handy? I want a big steak."

Probably-Billy laughed and he shook his head. "I think we can take care of most of those requests. The van's over there. We're almost safe. Saul will be pleased, he was worrying his sizeable arse off. Apparently your girlfriend was screaming at him?"

Gavin smiled fondly. "Ah. That's my girl." Being screamed at by Lavannah was an experience unto itself. She did tend to pull things out of nowhere in a completely terrifying and underhanded way. "I'm pleased too. Still...processing."

And how safe were they ever, really?