SABRINA & MEMINI: SABRINA'S HOME {FINISHED}

[Wolfy]

On her way home from downtown after looking for a job, Sabrina considered her situation carefully. She'd finally found a job. After countless hours spent walking the streets looking for one, she finally had found one. She was so excited, and she didn't even know if she'd ever been happier in her whole life. But the excitement died quickly.

She was too young to get any job. The man who was looking for an employee had told her that nobody was hiring kids - only adults, because they needed jobs more. All that time, just wasted. She was so disappointed, she was dragging her feet the whole way home.

She subconsciously pulled off her mother's locket and held it gently in her hand, since it always calmed her down when she was upset. It did help a little, so she put on a smile and walked back to her house. When she was right across the street, someone suddenly shoved her from her side.

With a surprised expression, Sabrina looked over to see a man standing over her. "Give me all your money!" he growled. Sabrina let out a loud laugh and shook her head. "Do you think I'm tellin' a joke? Give me the money!"

"I don't have any," she said and kept walking. "Sorry." She let out a surprised yelp when she was grabbed back by the shirt to face the man. "Well, you got a pretty necklace," he said snidely. "You can give me that in exchange for me not beating you silly."

Sabrina's eyes narrowed. "Not a chance! Let go of me!" she yelled. The two of them started fighting as the man tried to get the necklace from Sabrina's death grip. She wasn't going to give up that locket for anything.

[Rad]

Memini Veritas paused, left hand clenched in a tight fist before the dilapidated wooden door of the Matthews’ ‘new’ place of residence. ‘New’, what an ironic pun that was! This particular district looked so ancient virtually all the houses appeared to be decomposing by the second. Was it even safe to enter this rickety construction that seemed ready to collapse at the encouragement of even a slight breeze? How had he, Memini Veritas of the noble Veritas lineage ended up abandoned in the slums on this sweltering summer afternoon anyway? Scowling in frustration, Memini recalled the fatal conversation which had instigated the series of irreversible events that had practically dumped him on the ground where he was standing.

Strangely enough, that morning had commenced like any other day and subsequent to his regular ‘beginning the day’ routine Memini had retreated to his study to open his latest model assembly kit in privacy. Of course, Adrasteia Moirae had been present at the time and evidently, in Memini’s deliberations at least, that made this entire situation Adrasteia’s fault. As it was, and if his memory could be relied upon, the discussion had been initiated by a rather innocent complaint. Unfortunately, from that simple starting point it has escalated until…until…well it was obvious what his current predicament was. Reflecting on the tête-à-tête, Memini pondered if the possibility of escaping this foul errand had ever existed in the first place.

“It appears as though today I am once more doomed to be tormented by the tedium which consumes my life on a regular basis. There is, quite plainly, nothing to be done on this estate that hasn’t already been done a thousand times before. I have exhausted all my fascination with the garden, the stables, the basement, the attic, and the Veritas personal library…well especially that mind-numbing library actually, and have arrived at the conclusion that I no longer desire to be caged in this mansion all day! Unfortunately, I can’t think of anywhere new to visit that is still within this blasted city.” That had been Memini’s protest, voiced more on the basis of having a good rant than actually asking for a change.

Unfortunately, Adrasteia had interpreted Memini’s grievance literally and had responded, “Well, I’ve heard that the Matthews family recently ran into some financial adversity and were forced to vacate their mansion for a more humble abode in the slums. Judging by your obsession with investigating those types of places maybe it would be a worthy idea to pay the family a visit. Sabrina Matthews was always such a cordial young lady so I’m certain that your unforeseen advent would be greeted with delight.”

Rolling his eyes, Memini had replied, “Yes, I heard. However, in my opinion Sabrina is the pristine example of those typical, ignorant and supposedly ‘refined’ high-class ladies. Her personality is altogether too conventional and moreover you cannot comprehend how irksome it is for me when someone I barely remember is constantly reminding me of memories I don’t possess. For all I know, it could all be lies fabricated just to provoke me! I am indifferent to people’s allegations that we were once friends! Such a relationship is as good as non-existent if I cannot recall it. Furthermore, Sabrina and I only became acquainted as a consequence of my father’s connections and, as you are well aware, I have no intention of preserving my father’s alliances, in particular those which are now completely useless.”

“How unreasonably cruel, you yourself once stated that ‘Sabrina is the only one with the decency to come to my aid when my height, voice and girly appearance are being made a mockery of.’ If you don’t consider her as your friend at least have the courtesy and moral to make the journey based on how she has assisted you in the past. Your stand-offish personality is exactly the reason why you don’t have any friends. Additionally, how could you possibly claim you dislike her based on those scarce encounters you actually remember? Besides, it’s palpable that your aversion of Sabrina is sourced from your frustration that she knows more about your past than you do. Stop being a hypocrite who whines about his incapability to uncover the truths of his past whilst you’re blatantly ignoring an opportunity that is right under your nose.” That had been the retort from Adrasteia, the unmitigated words cutting into Memini like verbal barbs.

“Fine” Memini had said at last, ripping open the packaging of the to-scale model of the Titanic and emptying out the contents in a heap on his desk. “But whilst I’m gone you’ll have the charming task of popping out all 5000 of these pieces, and don’t you misplace a single one!” There had been no further contention on the subject and with a resigned sigh Memini had removed a pen from its station on the mahogany desk to write out a cheque of $1000 addressed to a ‘Miss Sabrina Matthews’. However, this charitable donation wasn’t nearly generous enough in Adrasteia’s eyes and he had inscribed an additional zero between the first and second numerals, elaborating that Memini didn’t require the money in quite the way that Sabrina’s family surely did. All the same, Memini had made a mental note to get rid of his habit of having that rather lengthy interval between the two initial numbers.

Anyhow, that was why he had instructed his personal chauffeur to drop him off at this dump with the instruction to collect him from that precise location the same evening at 5pm. He felt ridiculously exposed on this desolate street what with his all too formal attire and hair slicked back with an expensive scented hair gel. Despite what he had said earlier, Memini couldn’t deny that he still sympathized with Sabrina to some extent. Furthermore, having analyzed the building’s exterior Memini doubted that a mere $10000 would suffice. Withdrawing the cheque and a pen from his jacket pocket, he proceeded to draw an extra circle above the first zero. Wasn’t it convenient that he always wrote his zeros in lower case? “$18000 should be enough to fix this place up” he muttered to himself as he finished this amendment.

"Not a chance! Let go of me!"

The shout carried across the road and as Memini turned in the direction of the outburst his eyes fixated in horror on Sabrina and the burly mobster. What had the dame gotten herself into? Well, whatever the confrontation was about, Memini wasn’t about to risk his life playing hero to save a girl he hardly remembered. By size alone he would be substantially outmatched but what if that guy had a gun? He would really be waltzing into his own demise if he were to intervene. No, the most logical thing to do would be to stealthily slink away unnoticed. Well, that was the original plan anyway, yet as Memini attempted to enact his escape he tripped clumsily over a stock of flower pots. His desperate lunge at the window ledge also proved futile as the entire ledge came away in his hands. Cursing loudly, Memini crashed into the debris of scattered dirt, grime and broken flowerpots. The fall was ill-fated from the start and as Memini got to his feet he realized that he had cut his palm and attracted the unsolicited attention of Sabrina’s assailant.

The brute chuckled. “Well, well, well. What do we have ‘ere? This rich kid ya boyfriend come ta save ya? Well ain’t that watch a looker! Giv’ it ‘ere and ain’t no one gonna get hurt. I might even spare ya girlfriend’s ‘ere necklace.”

Now that was out of the question, Memini’s personalized platinum watch was a product of the renowned designer brand Chopard. The brand itself identified it as an item exceedingly more valuable that some random gold locket. He wasn’t going to substitute it to save anyone; looked like his only option was to act his way out of this dilemma.

Indicating his now dirt encrusted apparel he replied “Sir, I’m afraid ya be mistaken. Ya know how it is in times of economic hardship such as this. All ‘em ladies want some snobby rich boy ta be their partner. Well, as ya can see, I filched these ‘ere clothes from the dumpster of some noble family. Was gonna try my hand at impressin’ the pretty lady ‘til you showed up. Damn thought ya be ‘em coppers for a second. Sure scared me! Oh, this ‘ere watch ain’t nothin’ special. It’s just designer brand aluminum ‘tis all. That’s where the value comes from. Stole it meself. Sad thing is,it’s personalized so if ya try ta sell it all ‘em coppers gonna be on ya faster than ya can blink. So ya only choice be ta melt it down and in this economic slump we all know that this lil’ thing’ll cost ya more to melt down than it’ll get ya. My good fella, I’m sure it be more worth ya while to take that gold locket there.”

‘Dammit, Sabrina! Just give him that accursed locket already. If you love jewelry so much I’ll buy you another one! If you don’t hurry we might really be in trouble if he discovers the $18000 cheque I have in my pocket!’ Memini was attempting to communicate the urgency of the situation to Sabrina with his eyes as he glanced in her direction. Despairingly, Memini wondered if it were even possible for thoughts to be exchanged via the eyes.

[Wolfy]

Sabrina let out a relieved sigh when the brute released her for some other poor sap. She started slinking away to hide somewhere until the man had left. That is, until he had spoken up and she recognized the voice. Was that Memini? she asked herself. She turned and saw that it was indeed her friend that had lived in the Vertisas mansion down the road.

She turned to see the theif threatening him, now and heard that his watch could be stolen. She used the time that they were distracted to place the locket back around her neck and hid it under the collar of her shirt. She then looked back over and saw Memini looking at her with a very peculiar expression.

She knew the value of his watch, though, despite his lies. So she held up her hand in a fist, like she was still holding her locket. "Yeah, take his aluminum watch instead of my pure gold necklace."

Of course that got the brute's attention. He turned back and started coming back toward her. "No, back off!" she yelled and then acted like she was throwing whatever was in her hand. The man, thinking that his priceless necklace had just been thrown all the way across the street, bolted after it.

"Yeah, go fetch it, you mutt," she muttered as she hurried over to Memini. "Come on, let's get out of here." She walked inside, seeing the man scrambling around on the ground as she got through the door. When the door was safely closed and bolted from the inside, she turned to her friend.

"What are you doing here, Memini?" she asked excitedly. "I haven't seen you in so long!" She looked around quickly at the house and suddenly felt humiliated that he was there. The house was really nothing to look at. It had almost no colors, and wasn't anywhere near clean. That, on top of the fact that it was basically falling apart made her feel self-conscious of her family's current position.

[Rad]

Memini stared at Sabrina in incredulity as she altruistically sacrificed the only valuable possession she had left in order to save them both. (She had deceived him with that performance as well.) With an increasing sense of déjà vu, Memini acknowledged that this situation was again similar, if not identical, to all those occasions he had prior experienced when Sabrina had been there to salvage him from the clutches of whoever was bullying him, regardless of who his tormentor was. In a society where status and reputation meant everything he had always pondered how Sabrina mustered the audacity to accomplish such feats. Yet, only that morning he had disparaged her personality with such a condescending tone. As the two hurtled into the safety of the, what Memini could best describe as ‘shack’, he hung his head in shame, avoiding Sabrina’s enchanting emerald eyes.

Appointing himself with the task of scrutinizing the interior of the place, Memini reasoned that even the servant’s lodge of the Veritas mansion was more spacious than this wretched apartment. Back home, even the quarters of his subordinates were maintained to exude a respectable atmosphere. Try as he might, the only observations Memini could induce from a superficial glance of Sabrina’s home was that everything appeared to be in various phases of decay. Rust and mould were omnipotent in this house accompanied by an unsavory stench of metal and musk. All things considered, there was a prominent difference between this shed-like structure and the Matthew’s former mansion where everything was constructed from polished marble. Memini couldn’t tolerate even a few minutes here. He wondered how, and if, the once so elegant Sabrina had adapted at all to this excruciatingly humble ‘new’ beginning. Running his hand over a grime besmeared table top Memini’s palm came away with a mixture of blood and…wait…blood? Oh, that’s right; he had cut himself when he had fallen earlier. Desiring to obscure his injury, Memini swiftly shoved his right hand into his jacket pocket. He’ll worry about it later.

"What are you doing here, Memini? I haven't seen you in so long!"

Sabrina’s inquiry took Memini by surprise. The fundamental rationale for his introverted habits was his conviction that no one ever bothered themselves enough to miss him. Yet, here Sabrina had actually noted his absence and her excitement in his unprecedented advent sounded genuine too. Blushing self-consciously, Memini withdrew the cheque from its location in his left pocket. Handing it to Sabrina he begrudgingly muttered, “Here…it’s a cheque for $18000. I called in today to honor you by personally delivering this house-warming gift. Hopefully it’s sufficient to purchase some substantial improvements to this er…quaint little cottage.” Quaint was a lie, Memini absolutely abhorred that tiny haphazard dwelling, but for once he felt obligated to mitigate his remarks so as not to upset Sabrina. Attempting to joke he continued, “Your parents better not misinterpret this as an engagement gift, Sabrina. Furthermore…Er… Have you become accustomed to this rather unpremeditated change in circumstances?”

Gazing out a murky window at their still pre-occupied assailant, Memini added, “Plus, I think we should notify the authorities. We may still be able to retrieve your locket. Besides, morons like that pathetic loser are so unpredictable! Who knows what he may attempt next if we allow him to even consider for a second that you’re an unproblematic target. I have the police chief’s personal number and I’m sure there’s nothing in this world that bribery can’t handle. That brute will regret the day he messed with Memini Veritas!” A gleeful glimmer sparkled in Memini’s eyes as he contemplated how best to unleash his wrathful retribution on his unsuspecting victim. “Hmph, I may even be in the right frame of mind to have the judge sentence that mutt to death. It’s nothing; I just have to throw some green in the right direction.”

[Wolfy]

Sabrina chuckled a little, glancing out the window to see the man trying desperately to find the prize that was still around her neck. She looked back to Memini with a grin, her emerald eyes sparkling playfully at the trick she'd pulled on both of them. "Just like old times, huh?" she said, remembering well the many times they'd faced childhood bullies before.

She saw that his hand was bleeding, and was about to help him get a clean washcloth for it, but as she turned around to go, Memini mentioned his gift. She turned and looked at him with a happy sort of surprised expression on her face. "Oh, Memini," she said happily. "Did you really?" She took the check and looked at it, seeing that he was telling the truth. "Wow..." She just stared at the check in shock.

"This will last us so long!" she said. She clearly wasn't thinking about making herself more comfortable. She just wanted to get by. She didn't even notice him say anything about fixing the place up. She just kept her eyes glued to the check until he asked her if she was used to things.

In response, she just sighed and shrugged a little. "No, not exactly," she said honestly. "Hopefully, it's only temporary..." She didn't want to consider the possibility of it being permanent, so let out a sigh of relief when Memini changed the subject.

"Oh, there's no need to go back to get the locket," she said and pulled it off her neck. "It's right here." She smiled and set it on the table for him to see. "I wouldn't actually give that up! It was just a trick so he'd go away." She listened to him carefully about what he could do to the man, but decided against it.

"I don't think that's necessary," she started. "No harm done... And I most definately don't think he needs to be put to death, even if he was being stupid." She was almost dissapointed he would even suggest that. She had thought better of him. "If he comes near me again, I'll just call you."

[Rad]

“Eh? Didn’t you just…ah never mind.” Memini murmured, shaking his head in amusement at Sabrina’s cunning prank. Ah, yes that trinket held substantial sentimental value for Sabrina…moreover hadn’t he been informed of it on another occasion…another incident to do with a…with a raven? His attempts at reconstructing the shattered fragments of his memory were agonizing, yet, somehow he felt desperate to reconnect the dots. He had the impression that such knowledge, of which he had been entrusted with, shouldn’t be so irresponsibly misplaced. As an impulsive reaction to the headache triggered by his obstinate will to remember, Memini lifted his right hand to his forehead. Simultaneously, he also closed his eyes as if this temporary abdication of his vision would somehow increase his ability to access his memory.

However, despite his fervent resolve, the mental barricade which separated Memini from this particular memory remained impenetrable. Ultimately he could do no more than admit defeat, letting out a heavy sigh as he permitted his mind to drift back to the present. The transition back to reality was slow and as he glared at his right hand, he was, for a moment, completely flummoxed by the presence of blood. Was his brain bleeding because he had been ruminating on his past too long and too hard? No…this was…this was because he had sliced his palm on a flower pot shard earlier. Furthermore…where was he? Oh…yea…at Sabrina’s ‘new’ place.

Dammit. It would be too intrusive to question Sabrina about it directly, especially since Memini was convinced she had actually told him once. Nonetheless, his efforts weren’t entirely fruitless and perhaps by mentioning what he had recovered the conversation would naturally flow to the topic of the locket’s secret.

“In the…past…wasn’t there an unpleasant confrontation between you and a…um…raven that resulted in your locket being snatched away to the canopy of the tallest tree located on your former estate? If my memory serves me well…” there was a pause, Memini had never reminisced in this manner before and quite frankly he had his doubts concerning just how ‘well’ his memory did ‘serve’ him. In all honesty, his opinion was that it was simply the opposite way around (with him serving his memory instead). Nevertheless, despite his lack of confidence, Memini continued, “…I endeavored to retrieve it for you. It was a success but unfortunately I ended up with a broken leg after failing to complete the return journey down.” Memini frowned, just what type of person had he been in that clandestine past? Why would he bother endangering his life to reclaim an item of jewelry when he could command his subordinates to do so for him? “It seems I was always running about retrieving that locket for you. Wasn’t there another scene involving Mrs. Hamilton’s Siamese cat? I…”

Regrettably, it seemed that Memini had reached the limits of his capacity to summon up these past images. He had even forgotten how he had intended to complete that same sentence. “Never mind!” Oh how irksome it all was. For now he’ll just have to satisfy himself with executing the task at hand. What had Sabrina said? Something about leaving that repulsive bastard alone…and that no harm had been done. “Sabrina, criminals are a danger to society and technically it is not what was done that we citizens should concern ourselves with. No, what we must consider in situations like these is what that bastard had the POTENTIAL to do to us.” Women nowadays, Memini just couldn’t comprehend them at all. One moment they would be grappling with an assailant in a struggle of life and death and the next they’ll be perfectly willing to offer their offender a pardon. Well, Memini definitely did not have the volition to forgive such a transgression.

Helping himself to the old phone which rested on the table Memini promptly dialed the police chief’s personal number. A conversation soon ensued of which only Memini’s side of the exchange was audible (that someone else was speaking at all was only distinguishable by pauses in between Memini’s sentences):

“Hello Mr. Thompson, sir. This is Memini Veritas of the noble Veritas lineage speaking. (pause) I’m fine, although today has been rather too eventful for my liking. How about yourself? I’ve heard you’ve recently developed a fascination with the local racecourse. I was wondering how the betting was going? (pause) Haha, as is typical of such a notorious man you get right to the point, don’t you? Of course, I wouldn’t interrupt your work for the mere purpose of a casual tête-à-tête; in fact, I have a rather urgent request. (pause) Well, the thing is that the Veritas ranch down west recently notified me regarding a number of young stallions which have displayed unparalleled strength, endurance and speed in their training. If you were to complete this small errand for me I’ll be happy to make a personal call and arrange for you to have free choice of our stock. (pause) Yes, you are accurate in assuming that it will be completely free and that you will have priority over all our potential buyers. So, how about it? Instead of losing bet after bet you could be rolling in cash, think about it. After all, which of the current champions weren’t born and raised on the Veritas Ranch?”

Memini smiled, it was evident from his expression that the Police Chief had been effectively persuaded and as he glared at his victim through the swarthy windows a triumphant grin spread over his face. Having elaborated on the details of the crime and culprit in addition to the culprit’s current location, Memini now commenced to specify what form of vengeance he had in mind for the poor bastard. “Of course, life imprisonment would be the minimum requirement considering the value of the stock which you will undoubtedly receive. That worthless bastard’s soul wouldn’t even cover a third of the sum I am losing out on. (pause) Ah, I see. So in this current economic situation it would be a hassle to provide such scum with long-term food and board in prison. Well then, execute him for all I care. Find him responsible for a more significant crime, whatever. As long as you can assure me that he’ll never walk the streets again I couldn’t care less. Just make sure the decision to kill is of your own jurisdiction. I don’t want his blood on my hands.”

As the transaction concluded Memini replaced the hand-piece on the table, his physiognomy arranged into a gleeful smirk. Turning to Sabrina he said, “You don’t have to worry anymore. That man won’t ever have the opportunity to threaten you again!”

[Wolfy]

Before he had mentioned it, Sabrina had forgotten all about her run-in with that raven. But as soon as he said it, the memory came flooding back. She grinned and picked up her locket. "Oh, yes," she said. "I remember that." She opened the hinged pendant and gazed at the picture inside. It was a picture of her as a young girl sitting on her mother's lap. They were both smiling the same smile - Sabrina had looked a lot like her mother.

"I felt so terrible for you. I didn't think you'd ever forgive me for that." She remembered the incident with Mrs. Hamilton's cat. That had been a nightmare. "Right, her Siamese cat found my locket on a tree stump. You told me that I wouldn't be able to climb the tree in her front yard, and I wanted to prove you wrong. But I took it off because I was worried it could get broken" She laughed under her breath. "We chased that cat for hours!"

"How could you not remember that, Memini?" she asked. She had no idea about his lost memories. She just assumed he was being forgetful. "Oh well. Those were fun times, huh?" She turned toward the kitchen. "I'll get something for your hand. " But before she had a chance to leave, Memini had already called the police chief.

She listened in, frowning. She would have interrupted, but didn't want to incur Memini's new-found wrath. Especially when he had $18000 that he could reposess from her. When he finally hung up, Sabrina just looked at him sadly and shook her head. "I just said that calling the police was unnecessary." She looked dissapointed at his actions. "He shouldn't die for that. He's probably in a similar situation as I am."

[Rad]

Memini gazed forlornly at the photograph displayed within the locket. “Your mother…” He managed to whisper, eyes fixated on the picturesque smiles of both ladies. Sabrina must have lost her mother too, although in her case she still retained her memories. It was an altogether dissimilar situation for Memini when he had awoken from his coma four years ago. Returning to the mansion and discovering the numerous photographs and portraits of his deceased family had literally given him a headache and so he had ordered those reminders to be destroyed or obscured from view. Mementos from a past he couldn’t recall were useless to him; he certainly didn’t consider them precious. Yet, judging from Sabrina’s attitude to her locket, perhaps he would have cherished those souvenirs of the past if he weren’t so…memory-impaired.

"I just said that calling the police was unnecessary. He shouldn't die for that. He's probably in a similar situation as I am."

Sabrina’s voice disturbed Memini’s reverie and for an instant he could only gawk at her with the expression of a rabbit caught in the headlights of a speeding vehicle. Coughing to ease the tension he now felt governing the room, Memini turned away from Sabrina’s piercing gaze, muttering, “Shouldn’t you be grateful that I troubled myself to such an extent to dispose of that nuisance for you? Anyway, as you probably heard, if there is a decision to execute him it wouldn’t be by my command. I simply desired to have him rot away in prison for the remainder of his existence. If things turn out badly for him he has only himself to blame for challenging me.”

Such egocentricity from Memini was utterly pretentious but recent years of being independent and virtually alone had instilled a certain sort of heartlessness within him. Combine that with the absence of his memories and Memini was no longer the innocent ‘little brother’ figure Sabrina once knew. Turning to the window, Memini continued, “I also doubt your supposition that such a creep could be in the same situation as you. Just a cursory analysis of his accent is sufficient to know that he was never a member of our social order. He is neither eloquent nor sophisticated in his pattern of speech and furthermore…his articulation shows that he is an uneducated beast. If he were merely a denizen of the slums then I would pity him but that brute is a criminal and thus deserves what punishment he gets. Oh look, true to his word the chief has dispatched a couple of his subordinates already.”

As Memini witnessed the two armed police officers step out of the vehicle he smiled in anticipation. The chief was known to be a mastermind capable of making any act of assassination look like an accident. Memini pondered what had been devised for this particular case. Hopefully it would provide some entertainment. Yet…Sabrina’s disappointment was irritating him…maybe he should give her a shot at saving that bastard’s life…After a second of deliberation, Memini offered, “However, now that these officers are here…if you want to plead for that mutt’s life you’re quite welcome to do so. I’ll remain indoors but if those officers give you any trouble just mention my name. They’ll know immediately to leave you alone since I have connections with their chief. Also, just as a bit of advice, don’t bother yourself bantering or begging with them if they outright refuse your request.”

[Wolfy]

Sabrina gave him a frustrated look and crossed her arms. "You never would have done this before, Memini," she said. "What happened to you?" She wasn't angry with him, really, but she was definitely disappointed in him.

Seeing the two officers outside, she started toward the door. "I hope you see why I'm upset at you." She opened the door and walked outside, quickly hurrying her way over to the three men. "Wait, officers, stop!" she said and stepped between the policemen and her assailant from before.

The picture was definitely an interesting one. The man was glaring at her in fury even though she was trying to help him, thinking she'd been the one to call the police on him. And Sabrina's ratty clothes clearly gave away the fact that she lived in the slums and would not be acquainted with a member of the Veritas line; in fact, she looked like the type who would be friends with the man she was trying to defend.

One officer looked her over quickly and let out an annoyed grunt. "Let us do our job, mongrel," he said. "Or I'll have you arrested for disruption of justice." He stepped past her and started to reach for the man with a pair of handcuffs.

"No, I know Memini Veritas!" she said. "I said stop!" The other cop just scoffed. "Yes, Mister Veritas would waste his time with a girl who lived in the slums." He too stepped by her. Sabrina looked back toward her house and hoped Memini was still watching so he could come out and prove her right.

[Rad]

"You never would have done this before, Memini. What happened to you?"

Sabrina’s harsh tone of disappointment procured an unexpected ache in Memini’s chest as he watched her depart out the door. Was it simply his indignation at this apparent accusation or was it something more?

"I hope you see why I'm upset at you."

She was upset with him? Hadn’t he practically, saved her from future confrontations with that unsavory character? Nonetheless, judging that she was no longer within audible range he murmured, “I’m sorry I am no longer the Memini Veritas you remember” whilst a melancholic look strayed onto his face.

Closing the door behind Sabrina, Memini permitted himself to wallow for the interim in the sentiment of rejection. Sighing, he reached for the telephone, dialing the number for the Veritas Ranch in order to verify his side of the matter. After his instructions had been efficiently conveyed he lowered the handset and glanced down at the reeking mess ruining his regalia.

Helping himself to a tattered grey towel, Memini approached the sink, twisting open the rusted old tap. Abruptly, a spurt of inky obsidian liquid gushed out, startling Memini who stumbled backwards. As misfortune would have it, his hand was clasped on the sprout, which dislodged at the encouragement of his surprised step backwards. Now that it was unrestrained, the outlet proceeded with immense gusto to vomit a grand surge of repulsive brown sewage onto Memini. Spluttering and choking in shock, Memini collapsed on the floor, glaring in hatred at his tormentor as it spewed that hideous russet arch over him. His blonde hair now appeared a dirty brown-black and his entire was soaked a disgusting color that reminded him of manure.

Having had its fun, the sink spluttered a few times as if chuckling in amusement before finally releasing a stream of crystal clear water which, unfortunately, did little to repair the damage. Getting up and admitting defeat in his current state of humiliation, Memini turned off the tap and redirected his attention at the drama occurring outside. How had he guessed that those officers wouldn’t believe her? Oh well.

Striding outside with a look of confidence despite his height, Memini positioned himself between Sabrina and the officers, saying, “What this girl says is true. I am Memini Veritas of the Veritas noble lineage. I…”

Laughter? His words were greeted with laughter? Did these pathetic buffoons dare challenge him? Did they even realize who he was?

“Listen ‘ere ya little street urchin!” One of the officers commanded, approaching Memini with his revolver held out in a menacing manner, “we are under instructions from Lord Memini Veritas himself to apprehend this ‘ere criminal and we would thank you NOT to get in our way. Furthermore, if ya gonna go an’ impersonate a person o’ authority like that at least ‘ave the decency ta do some research. I mean, ya got the eye color right but Lord Memini Veritas has a head of blonde hair an’ whaddya ‘ave? I don’t even know whether I should call that despicable brown mess o’ yours hair! Now stop impeding the implementation of justice and get outta ‘ere ya filthy mutt!” With that final demand the officer gave Memini a resonant whack on the side of the head with his revolver, sending Memini sprawling on the sidewalk clutching his cheek in pain.

Ignoring the irony of his predicament, Memini reached for the wrist of his left hand. ‘Fine, don’t listen to me! Just prepare yourself to grovel at my feet begging for forgiveness once you appreciate just who you have just insulted!’ Memini thought, resisting the urge to cry at the stinging pain in his cheek. Memini was always wearing his watch and as a consequence of its unique style (after all, it had been designed solely for his use in addition to having been inscribed with the name ‘Veritas’) it had acquired some notoriety as being representative of the Veritas heir himself. If he were to display the item to the officers now he…

Memini froze. Where was his watch? It wasn’t in its customary location around his wrist anymore. Desperately surveying the ground he failed to even catch a glimpse of his precious possession. It was simply nowhere in sight. Perhaps it had dropped during his scuffle with the tap. Attempting to get up, Memini heard the ominous click of a gun’s safety catch being unlocked behind him. “Now, now kids, don’t ya hatch any funny ideas now about savin’ ya uncle ‘ere or anythin’ foolish like that, ya understand? Just remain perfectly still while we arrest this fella an’ we promise ya no one’s gonna get hurt none.”

Dammit! Why was this even happening to him? If either he or Sabrina insisted on the ‘Memini Veritas’ story they would likely face imprisonment in a lunatic asylum…or worse, get their brains blasted out right here, right now. Heh, so this was what his victims went through when he set the authorities on them. Memini couldn’t help but marvel in pride at the power his own reputation unquestionably exuded.

[Wolfy]

Almost not recognising Memini herself, Sabrina stared at him as he walked toward her and claimed to be Memini Veritas. She wondered what in the world had happened to him. Her spirits were lifted to see that he'd come out to help her save the man he'd condemned to death.

"Memini, wha-" she started until the policeman spoke. She stared at the man in surprise. The hit of the revolver against his head sounded as forceful as a wrecking ball against a brick wall and Sabrina couldn't help but gasp. "Memini!"

She stood frozen, though, since she saw the loaded gun being pointed right at her friend. "Wait, but he is Memini Veritas! He was the one who called your chief and told you to arrest this man!" She motioned to the man behind her. "He just tried to rob us!"

[Rad]

“An’ yet she remains insistent on this fantasy o’ yours… Well ain’t that a grievance for ya.” The officer smirked, raising the revolver to Memini’s head as he tightened his grip on the trigger. In trepidation of what he considered his imminent demise, Memini shut his eyes as the bullet splintered the pavement mere millimeters from his head. Thankfully it was only a harmless warning shot this time. “Now do ya still insist on voicin’ that lie o’ yours? If ya wanted him arrested why would ya be impeding that exact process now anyway?”

Was he about to die now? Was he to suffer his downfall as the consequence of his own request? How had he even summoned the nerve to intervene in his current indecently filthy state? Furthermore, in acquiesce with the officer’s exact inquiry, why was he bothering himself by delaying the very arrest he had desired to be enacted in the first place? Rolling onto his back to face the officer, Memini arranged his countenance into an apologetic look, feigning a remorseful tone as he said, “You’re right, Mister. It started off as a game of pretend but unfortunately it seems I let it go to my head. I actually believed I was Memini Veritas for a while until you knocked some sense into me.”

“So now I’m hearin’ two diff’rent stories an’ wondering: gee, who am I ta believe?” An expression of annoyance spread on the officer’s face as he transferred the focus of his revolver from Memini to Sabrina. “This lil’ game of ‘Liar, Liar’ is irkin’ me so if ya don’t wanna end up dead ya better answer truthfully this time. Who are ya an’ why are ya assertin’ that ya know Memini Veritas? This bastard is bein’ arrested as an order from ya supposed ‘friend’ himself so if ya know him why not directly appeal to him to withdraw his instructions to our chief instead o’ troublin’ us officers. I’m also curious as ta why ya wanna save this scumbag.”

Dammit! Memini hadn’t expected that the officer to shift his target to Sabrina, recognizing Sabrina’s inability to lie Memini reasoned that she would maintain the ‘Memini Veritas’ story. However, since their aggressor didn’t believe in the legitimacy of Sabrina’s words…well…he didn’t want her to get shot. Devising a strategy to distract the officer, Memini cackled, “Hahaha! It’s useless to question that foolish girl! She was convinced by my charade entirely. Ya know slum girls are simplistic, brainless prey. Her gullibility was so satisfying. I originally planned to have some fun with her but I guess the truth’s out now.” That should be enough to ascertain Sabrina’s innocence and safety. As for himself, well…

“You scoundrel! Get up!” The officer stated impassively, returning his revolver to its holster as he advanced upon Memini. Obeying his commands to avoid further tribulation Memini stood to face the officer. In one swift movement, the officer lashed out at Memini, his boot connecting with Memini’s abdomen. The impact was suffice to send Memini crashing into the sidewalk with a resounding ‘thud’ and as disorientation and nausea overcame him Memini regurgitated the contents of that morning’s breakfast onto the pathway. Gasping in pain as he clutched his stomach Memini pondered if he would even survive the ordeal.

“If there’s one thing I abhor more than liars it’s charlatans like you. I used to know a real sweet girl once, name was Alice. Well, whaddya know, she got ‘erself involved with a filthy slum mutt such as yaself, truly convinced that such a smutty individual could love her. Well, now her family don’t want ‘er no more an’ I ‘aven’t heard from her in years.” Spitting at Memini the officer turned in the direction of his vehicle, realizing his colleague had already successfully apprehended the criminal who was now being loaded into the back.

Tipping his hat to Sabrina, the officer apologized, “my sincere apologies, mademoiselle. It is unfortunate that ya were almost punished for something that ain’t even ya fault.” Pointing a finger at Memini, he added, “if ya want I can arrest that scumbag an’ I guarantee ya won’t be hearing from him again.”

How amusing, so now that the tables had turned, Memini’s life was practically in the hands of Sabrina. One word from her had the potential to determine whether he lived or died. Wasn’t it just like that time they played the card game ‘Old Maid’ with friends? On that occasion…on that occasion whether Memini won or lost was also controlled by whether Sabrina chose to reveal his bluff or keep her silence. Well, how had that game ended? He just couldn’t remember.

[Wolfy]

Sabrina let out a loud squeak of fear and surprise when the gun went off and her hands shot up to cover her eyes. She slowly uncovered her face to see that Memini wasn't dead, but was still lying on the ground where he had been. Shaking a little from the sudden jolt of fear, she stared at Memini dumbly.

Then, suddenly, Sabrina found the gun pointed directly at her face. As the officer began questioning her, she looked back at Memini for a hint. Sabrina was still in a tiny bit of shock from the close warning shot. Now that the officer had cocked his gun, she knew she'd better say something. "Uh... well..." she started.

"It’s useless to question that foolish girl! She was convinced by my charade entirely."

She stared at him with an extremely confused expression. "Memini?" she asked. She suddenly understood what had happened. "So that's why you don't remember anything!" She gave him a furious glare. "You aren't the real Memini Veritas!" She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes a little. "I can't believe I believed you!"

She sighed and turned her head away. "Just... just arrest him," she mumbled. "But don't kill him." Despite her fury at being tricked, she still didn't want anyone to die. She sighed and turned to go back to her house as she tried to sort out all of the loose ends. Like how looked exactly like Memini, or how he gave her the money.

As she walked away, the officers picked up Memini and loaded him into the car with the other man. How ironic that he would now share a similar fate as he'd chosen for the criminal.