Unexpected Outcomes

London,  December 1869

Victorian Britain..... A veritable seat of cosmopolitan growth and prosperity. A population so globally advanced in Industry, Communication and commerce, those countries not already proudly belonging to its ever growing auspicious empire soon wished they did.

There was absolutely no denying it, It was a splendid and exhilarating time to be alive and London was most certainly the place to be.... For the favoured and fortuitous few anyway, for everyone else it was a constant shitty struggle from day to day just to stay alive.

Far away from the very public pomp and  circumstance of the glorious industrial revolution and deep within the backstreeted cobbled veins of the city, beat the heart of dark and evil underworld. Where law had no jurisdiction and there was certainly no honour amongst the thieves that ruled there.

So this is where you found yourself, a life of crime with a family that you'd chosen for yourself. It certainly wasn't the grand life you'd dreamt of all those years ago before pneumonia took your parents, but a life with your gang family and the day to day street crime kept your belly relatively full, your blood from halfway freezing and general sense that someone was always looking out for you.

Your family by choice?....The Rooks,  A band of likeminded cutthroat delinquents with little and next to no morality for anyone but themselves and their equally questionable leaders, twin Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye.

You'd fallen in with them three long winters back by pure accident now it seems, forced into thieving to keep yourself alive on the streets it had been the only thing you were became good at.... And fair to say, you were damn good at it too.  So here you found yourself, running with the quickest up and coming and increasingly influential gang in all of Victorian London.

Life was fairly rosey, well....as rosey as it could be living within the shadow and constant threat of existing Templar gang The Blighters. Needless to say, things had always been fractious between The Rooks and The Blighters but with the fast expansion in rook turf burning angrily within their bellies, they were hungry for retribution and took it whenever possible.

*

"God it's so bloody cold!" You shivered, cupping your  hands over your mouth and breathing on them in an attempt to warm your numb and stinging fingers. The cold December air so harsh your breath shot out of your hands as a thick smokey mist and dissipated quickly without any warming effect whatsoever.

"You're always bloody cold you.....how the hell you've survived so long on the streets without freezing to death is beyond me" came from your side. You're watery eyes flicked up to the huge figure that stood next to you. Mac, a six foot something, thick set bald Irish brute who you so often found yourself with on the streets rolled his eyes in jest at you.

"I'm cold Mac because I haven't as much timber as you on my frame to keep me warm.... That's why you're never cold.... It's because you're fat! Pure and simple" You smiled playfully back as you marched slightly on the spot to get some degree of blood flowing back into your toes

Mac smiled back and gave a stifled giggle. A man so tall and imposing, he'd rip someone's head from their shoulders no soon as look at them but with you.... He allowed you to get away with murder

"Gawd... Listen to em in there, all warm and having fun" you muttered coldly, envious as a loud crack of laughter rang out from the public house you were stood outside of.  "What I would give for a pint and a fire to drink it by right now"  you said as you crossed your arms tightly hoping your body heat would ease the nip from the cold to your fingers