13 ɂ spam

[mattersverymuch]

[As a child, Marcus called himself a marquis. He did this as a way of laying claim to his territory, which, in his opinion, was the entirety not just of Oxford but of England as a whole. It's his, always has been.]

[As an adult, with a cleaner face and more deliberately false manners, he has learned to claim it in different ways.]

[Marcus Cardona is a smuggler, and this is a poorly-kept secret. He has allies and enemies in strange places. He has currently made an enemy of the Church (to which he has never been particularly attached; religion disconcerts him, as does the concept of faith in general) for refusing to commit certain unsavory acts of smuggling. The General Oblation Board seems like thinly-disguised sadism. And really - why hide oneself under the guise of religiosity, when in truth all you want to do is prod things to see what they do?]

[There is also the unfortunate fact that he now has several children in his custody - slightly stolen, or taken under false pretenses at least - none of which he considers to be even halfway decent company.]

[So he sends a letter to a young woman of his distant acquaintance, whose name makes him wonder in a serious way about her parents' creative abilities. It reads:]

My lady Snow,

I have recently come into possession of several children under the age of twelve. If you'd be so good, refrain from asking how; be content in the knowledge that they're better off with me than where they were. That should tell you enough, really.

That said, they can't stay with me or I fear I'll weigh them down and drop them in the river. They would, at least, be cleaner that way. Please come and take them away as quickly as possible. Should you be unable to remove all of the little worms, I have a backup plan. But then I always do.

Yours incredibly sincerely,
Cardona

[After which meeting, Marcus shows up at Dean Winchester's doorstep with a baby in a basket. Yes. Literally. It's not his basket, either.]

[Later in the day, he can be found at the docks, unloading his slightly less illegal cargo; later still, he is at the market, delivering said cargo to vendors. None of them look at him with particular enthusiasm, and many don't even meet his eye. That might, of course, have something to do with Catalina, whose piercing eye belies Marcus's casual, flamboyant demeanor. She looks ruthless, as though she would gladly break the taboo against touch to sink her beak into a danger to herself or to Marcus. This is part - though only part - of why he is feared.]

Comments

[breathoflight]

[She watches him move about the study.]

Marcus, you know that I cannot turn my back on these children. [She folds her arms across her stomach.] But as much as I don't truly wish to know anything, I must know how safe these children will be to place with the others.

[She cannot have him passing off the children purely for the sake of getting out of trouble himself. It won't do them or the children already under her care any good.]

[mattersverymuch]

[Rolling his eyes, he begins sifting through her books with clever fingers. He speaks as though distracted, but he is very, very focused.]

To my in-depth knowledge, there was only one person who knew the children were to be taken in by me. A contact. Also the only one who knew their exact identities - as well as one can know the identities of urchins.

[He clears his throat, inspects his nails, and pulls a book off the shelf to check its binding.]

That contact has been disposed of. They will be safe.

[breathoflight]

[Nope, she really didn't need or want to know that. But she asked, so she's going to have to just numbly nod a little.]

Where have you left them?

[mattersverymuch]

Somewhere safe.

[He narrows his eyes.]

I'm not going to show you where until you assure me they'll be safe here, my lady.

[breathoflight]

Marcus...

[With anyone else, she might be offended at the notion that she would ever harm a child. Anyone who has ever met Snow knows that she does not lend herself towards such actions unless deeply necessary with no other alternative. But certainly never towards a child.]

[But with Marcus, her concern lies in the mere fact he seems to actually care about the welfare of these children. It's one thing to acknowledge what it is happening to the children in the streets as wrong, but it's another to care.]

You have my word. No harm shall come to them under my care. They will be provided for with food, clothes, shelter, and education.

[mattersverymuch]

[He watches her intent and unblinking for a moment until he seems convinced that she's telling the truth. At which, he nods curtly at her and turns on his heel out the door. She'll follow or she won't.]

[breathoflight]

[Follows him, she does. She knows better than to ask any further questions or to engage him in any conversation he doesn't start.]

[Mostly because he'll start to gripe and complain that she's speaking when he feels she shouldn't. Silence is preferred in that case.]

[mattersverymuch]

[They slip into the sewers, quickly enough that those passing on the street likely won't notice anything unusual has happened. If she hesitates, Marcus will push her. They slide through muck and mud and human waste until they come to a sideway in the sewers that is miraculously clean and decently lit through a grate that leads to the street.]

[The children are content enough, although they look a little baffled. When they see Marcus, they don't shrink away; they look at him with something like wonder.]

[He stays on the opposite side of the room.]

There.

[breathoflight]

[The push isn't necessary. Snow goes in willingly and without hesitation. The sewers aren't somewhere she'd like to stay personally, but they don't frighten her either.]

How long have you had them?

[Because there better be a good reason for not keeping them somewhere not!sewers, Marcus. 8|]

[mattersverymuch]

Five hours.

[Because he does not waste time. He secured a few things, did the aforementioned removal of obstacles, and went directly to her.]

[breathoflight]

[...Of course not...]

And you have means of transporting them discreetly?

[mattersverymuch]

Yes. Very discreetly.

[He knows people.]

Are you willing to do this? Truly.