The thing about an enemy occupation was that it tended to inspire fear amongst the inhabitants of the occupied area. You were either afraid that one day you would be dragged off by Storm King soldiers for "being a spy," as was often the case, or you were afraid of getting roughed up as a means of making an example. It was only one of the many ways that the Storm King kept an iron fist around his conquered lands. Rule through fear. That was the name of the game. And so, you kept your head low and did what you could.
In a place like Klugetown, you were either looking for anyway to profit off those around you or you were just trying to get by on what little you had to begin with. Either way, you were in it for yourself and that extra layer of fear that permeated through the streets did little to help the already bleak situation of the desert city. Neighbors turned on one another and exploited each other for their own gain and there was nothing it seemed that could be done about it.
Capper was different somehow. At least, that's what he told himself. And he believed it too. Unlike all these other rotten scoundrels and merchants who peddled their goods at inflated prices and cheated each other at every chance they got, Capper was much more graceful. He was quick witted, light on his feet, and had a keen eye for detail. While tension grew between other conmen and their marks, as they practically forced their goods and services down each others throats, Capper's dealings were smooth and easy. His marks always left with smiles, because he was more than just a simple conniving conman. He was a businessman, a real entrepreneur.
Now, yes, before you go pointing it out. He had borrowed a large sum of money from some less than reputable individuals. And he did end up missing the payment deadline on his newly accrued and quite hefty debt, but this was Klugetown. Surely they didn't expect to get their money back on time. It was just as the old saying went. All's fair... right?
Capper sighed heavily after adjusting his large red coat. The room he found himself in was dark and dusty, the only light being the dim evening rays of sun that shown through the boards in the poorly boarded ceiling. Beside him, a rather large reptile with rows of sharp teeth and large claws stood, eyeing him down with as much contempt as any hired thug had for unfaithful debtors.
Cappers nervous smile and calm demeanor faltered for a moment as he tried to remain in control of his nerves.
He had been practically dragged to this place against his will, but he knew from experience that refusing to go would have resulted in far worse things. He liked his tail just the way it was, thank you very much. He didn't need it tied into a knot or torn off entirely. The very thought sent chills down his spine and made him shudder.
The door that he and his escort had been standing before suddenly opened and without even being given a chance to take a first step, he was shoved forward, nearly falling on his face as he stumbled forward into the room that was only slightly better lit than the one before.
"Verko!" Capper exclaimed, trying to sound as confident as possible despite being more nervous than he had ever been in his life. "My man. Looking good. Is that a new hat? You always did have a great sense of fashion."
"Sit down!" Verko snapped from behind his desk, the large dusty circular window behind him causing him to almost appear entirely as a silhouette, with the exception of the lenses of his goggles that reflected the light like mirrors.
As soon as the words had left Verko's muzzle, Capper found a set of claws on his shoulder thrusting him downward into a chair where he sat for several long seconds as he nervously awaited his demise.
Verko took a long draw from his pipe and blew out a large ring of smoke before speaking. "You're late," he said simply yet sternly. "One month, Capper. I gave you one month to pay me back. Now where's my money?"
"Oh, right. The money," Capper nervously echoed, as he ran a paw across the back of his head. "That's what this is all about. Well, y'see the thing is, I dont really... have the money," he said with a nervous smile as beads of sweat quickly poured down his face.
Verko didn't say anything initially, instead leaving Capper to drown in his sweat as he took another long draw from his pipe. "You dont have the money? You dont have the money," he began angrily. "When you took the loan, you assured me that paying it back wouldn't be a problem."
"I know. I know," Capper responded, not sounding any more confident than he had moments earlier. "I did say that, but I didn't know that things were going to end up the way they did. I'm sure you know what it's been like lately, what with the Storm King and all. It's been tough times. All I need is a little bit more time and then I promise you, I can get the money that I owe."
"More time, hmmm?" Verko replied skeptically as he sat back in his chair and made a bit of a show out of thinking it over. "Fine. I'll give you one more month to come up with the money, but the interest just shot up significantly."
"Of course. Of course," Capper said, not wanting to anger his creditor anymore than he already clearly had. "That's perfectly understandable. But, uh, when you say that it's shot up, how much money are we talking about exactly?"
Verko just slid a piece of paper across his desk, one that he already had prepared as if he knew that Capper would not have the money long before he ever arrived, as if that was the plan all along.
Capper hesitantly took up the piece of paper in his paws and read the numbers. His heart sunk into the depths of his stomach when he saw it. That was a lot of zeros. "No... no, I'm sorry, Mr. Verko, sir, but this is too much money. I... I cant pay this back in just one month."
*Click* With a sinister smile, Verko snapped his digits and Capper felt a wave of electric pain shoot up his tail and into his spine as the lizard behind him stomped downward onto his tail, crushing the flesh and bone within.
"You can and you will," Verko demanded, thrusting a digit down as he leaned across his desk. "Either you pay back what you owe or you'll pay in much more than just money." He snapped his digits once more and the large lizard man released Capper's tail from underneath his big meaty foot. "Because there is a lot more where that came from. Understand?"
As he wrapped his tail upwards towards him and took it in his paws, he frantically nodded, very quickly beginning to massage the appendage that was now bent at somewhat of an awkward angle. He did his best not to let any tears escape his eyes. He didnt want to give Verko the satisfaction of seeing him in pain, but he failed and a single tear rolled down his cheek, which he was quick to wipe away.
"Good," Verko said with that same malevolent smile plastered across his visage, a smile that Capper wanted nothing more than to wipe off his ugly mug. "Now get out of my office!"
Without even being given the chance to stand by his own strength, Capper was grabbed by the back of his collar and thrown out the door, where he was then marched through the rest of the building and into the street, being shoved and pushed the entire way. The door was slammed behind him and he was left standing there, still holding his tail in a pained manner. Gosh, it hurts so bad.
Some times were just tough like that. He hadn't been lying when he told Verko that. Ever since taking out that loan, things had been a disaster. Nothing had gone his way and anything that could have gone wrong went wrong. He thought he could invest a little bit in a few of the right spots, but right after he did, the people vanished and his money was gone, never to be seen again. Some were taken by the Storm King, no doubt, but others were just gone, having skipped town the second they had what they wanted. That's what he got for finally deciding to trust someone for the first time since he got here. How could he have been so blinded by opportunity that he completely ignored all the signs? Surely there had to have been some warnings. There was no sense wallowing over it now.
Dusting himself off, he quickly made his way home, taking as many back roads and evading as many eyes as he possibly could. Capper had something of a reputation to preserve and he didnt need anyone seeing him in this sorry state. That was about all he had left now, that and his dignity, but something told him that soon, that too would be taken from him.
As he entered his home, he was quick to close the door, before bringing his back against it and sliding down onto the floor, bringing his knees up to his chest. Come on, Capper. Think. Think. Think. Who's the cat? That's right, you're the cat, so figure it out!
He sighed, standing up and making his way over to a large dresser. Opening the bottom drawer, he dug around for what he was looking for, thinking out loud as he did.
"Okay," he began. "Dont panic. You can still fix this mess. You just need a plan. Yeah, that's right. A really good plan. Maybe I can... No, that's no good. Or perhaps... No, that idea's crap too."
He found what he was looking for, taking the large roll of bandages out from their place. They were old and not that great of quality, but they'd do for now. And so, he went to work, bringing his tail up and wrapping it up with the cheap bandages. He finished quickly, tossing the roll back into the drawer and kicking it shut, before taking a seat on his bed. He wanted nothing more than to just go to sleep. It had already been a long day in its own right, even without everything that happened with Verko.
That big dumb mole rat. Who did he think he was? There was no class or grace with that one. He just took what he wanted and didnt care at all about who he stepped on in the process. In a way, Capper supposed he was the same.
No! That's not true. Capper's mind cried, refusing to accept that he was anything like that mole rat. I'm nothing like that. I'm a cut above, remember? I dont need to use force to get what I want. I dont have to make others afraid of me. I have grace, elegance, and charm.
Despite all these things that he believed about himself, he knew deep down that it was all a façade and that the only thing that separated him from Verko was the scale of operations they ran. If he was all the things he said he was, then why was he always alone? Why didn't he have any friends? Still, he refused to acknowledge this little fact, though now that he thought about it, it would have been nice to have friends again. Just one or two that he could talk to and bounce ideas off of.
Capper finally laid down fully and curled up in a small ball on his bed. Yeah, fat chance of that, hot shot. Who could possibly want to be friends with him? He was nothing. Just a conman who only looked out for himself. In his line of work, friends were little more than individuals with common interests and goals and the second those goals had been met, those so called "friends" would cast you aside. That's exactly how they would see it. That's exactly how they would see him. No sense in trying to change their minds.
He rolled over so that he was now lying on his back and sighed as he stared up at the ceiling. Another day, another catastrophe. That's all life was really. Just a series of unfortunate events with small breaks of peace to give you the opportunity to feel bad about it all. No one was going to be doing him any favors anytime soon either. All he had was himself.
It would have to be good enough. In the morning, he would go out and check in with a few of his contacts and see what all was going on in the city, see what he could do to make some money. For now though, all he wanted to do was sleep and try to forget the events of the day, and do his best to feel just a little less empty, even if only for a little while.
No one was coming for him. No one cared. He was alone in this world and there was nothing he could do about it. He just had to keep going. He'd keep conning and keep that silver tongue rolling until either he made it, or he found himself at the end of his rope. That's all he could hope for, because in these tough times, he was truly alone and there was no one in the world that could change that.
Author's Note
And that's the story of why Capper has a bandage on his tail.
So, I guess you could say this is somewhat of a sister fic to Some Days Are Hard. I'm not sure if it's as good, but I wanted to give Capper the same treatment I gave Celaeno. Maybe I'll write a trashy romance fic where they go on an adventure together... or not. Yeah, probably not.
