Losing Hand
Nagant has no idea how he ever got to be partnered up with such an odd girl. I'm trying to grasp some footing into his character, to see if I can write about him consistently. To a girl with a 5 minute attention-span who revels in annoying other people, this is a major feat.
(and also, I have no idea why my LJ cuts are duplicating. Or triplicating...firefox crashed on me, and then that happens. D: )
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Title: Losing Hand
Pairing: Nagant x Browning I mean Nagant pairs up with no one. He's stuck to Browning.
Characters: Browning, Nagant. Slight mention of the other ACP officers. A person I don't really get along with makes a cameo appearance in a picture. This is something only my friends understand. Well, two of them anyway.
Summary: Garand sighed. Picking partners for his Top Officers was much like a game of poker. It was always about how much he was willing to bet, and how early he collected his winnings...before he permanently lost the game. (you see what I did there?)
The List was a piece of paper that hung on top of the many memos and photographs the Top Officers had in their Corps office. It was mostly used to signify who was partnered with whom for the rest of the year. Rosenrot Academy had a funny way of creating a small check-and-balance affair, and it was always the Wing Commander who got the short end of the stick.
After all, what's power without a little bit of responsibility?
This year, it was Garand's turn. His mentor, the previous year's Wing Commander had told him, "Just follow what your heart tells you." It was time to pick the Officer's partners for the year. The goal was to make sure that each partner would check on the other, to make sure that no abuse of power was happening, and that the two would grow and learn from each other.
To help him along with his train of thought, he had gathered pictures of his Top 7, his friends. Everyone had thought that they had paid their way into position, but the truth was that every single one of them hated the wrong people being in power. The Star class, 4-D would always manipulate the system administration into working for them, and them alone.
So he and his friends had literally worked their damn asses off, just to have this chance.
Let's see. Sten and Winchester would make a good pair. Sten needs Winchester's kindness, and Winchester needs some of Sten's intellect.
He grinned. Patricia Sten and Kyle Realonda Winchester had an off-again, on-again relationship of sorts. This would be interesting, aside from the points he hoped they would get from each other.
With a flick of his wrist, he separated the pair from the group.
Raighn would work well with Dragunov...and Piniple...well, I can learn a thing or two from him.
Now it's just....
His eyes fell upon Browning's picture. It was one she had taken before with Sir De La Torre, an upperclassman she used to be quite close to. Ever since she had found out that he was dating someone else, she had changed considerably...but she never wanted to talk about it.
"Hey, Miggles?" her voice was unnaturally small.
"Don't call me Miggles...and what is it, Tiny?" She was usually vibrant and full of life, but somehow when she was in front of him, she couldn't bear to keep her smiling face any longer.
"Did you pick everyone yet?" She absently straightened her hood, the proud cat-ears defiant and standing strong. Everything she wasn't. Everything she wanted to be, but couldn't. He didn't know why she let him see her in this state. No one else had.
And he didn't feel like telling them, either.
"If you meant 'have I picked your partner', then no. You're...you're hard to figure out, Tiny. Some days, you're flying so high it seems that nothing can ever get you down. And other days, you're cooped up in your own little world, depressed. It's like..." he groped for the correct term.
"...Like I'm a bird that wants to get out of her cage, and when I'm let out, I want to go back in..." She murmured. A shadow seemed to pass across her face.
"You okay, Tiny?" Miguel Faustino Garand had never seen her like this.
She immediately pasted on a happy smile and said brightly, "You're so silly, Miggles. Well, I have to leave you alone to think about who everyone's partners are. I'll see you later!" Gently, she left, closing the door behind her.
Miguel looked at her picture again, and just as he was about to set it aside for now, their newest officer stepped in.
"Good morning, Garand."
"Good morning, Nagant. You're early." It was 6:30 am, precisely why Garand had chosen to come to school. None of the other officers dared to get up at this ungodly hour.
"Oh...yeah." He said nothing and glanced at the pictures paired together on the table. "What're you doing?"
"Picking partners...you know, who you'll patrol with."
"No, I don't kno--" Nagant's sentence was cut short when the door burst open, and Browning stepped into the room.
"Oh, hi Naggie, hi Miggles! Fancy seeing you guys here this early." She didn't bother looking at them and instead stepped into the medical supply room. "Can't talk right now--a couple more cats were brought into the biology department and they're seriously hurt...."
Nagant couldn't help but be amused. "You know, in some regions, what you're doing is called stealing."
Browning smiled. "But in most regions, what they're doing is killing innocent animals for science."
"Won't you get in trouble again?"
"Nothing a quick cry-and-apologize tactic won't fix. Teachers like me." She picked up her medical supplies and placed them in the pockets of her cat-ear jacket.
Looking over her shoulder, she called, "Bye guys! I'll see you later!"
Meow, meow. Three very fat cats rolled around in a locked door. Somehow, Browning had trained three of her favorite cats into helping with her medical work. Because of Nagant's allergies, the cats were kept in a locked room. Nagant pulled a handkerchief out of his pockets and placed it on his nose, covering a sneeze.
Giggling, she was out the door.
"Hmm...hey, Nagant?" Garand had watched the whole scene unfold, and he finally knew what to do.
"Yes, Garand?"
"You're my Deputy Wing Commander because you know how to set things straight, and you are impartial. Now, I would like for you to be Browning's partner."
Nagant sucked in his breath and coughed. "W-what?" She already kept annoying him enough as it is, constantly dragging him everywhere. If he hadn't lived far from Rosenrot, she might have broken into his apartment.
I'll barricade my doors tonight. He thought uncomfortably. A lot of things were there that she, nor anyone else could live without seeing.
"She could use some of your tact. She's really soft-hearted, and does everything with her feelings. Plus, you two look good together."
Nagant sighed. He didn't like to talk, and she loved to. He needed to keep a low profile...so she would rationally be the perfect compliment to his moods.
I wish more work would pour in...or else I'll have to go back to modeling...Godfather...
"As you wish, sir." He closed the door as he left, and Garand thought that he had murmured, "...so where's the best place to hang myself..."
Garand smiled. Those two would make things a lot more interesting.
"I just hope I won't lose this game of poker. The stakes are pretty high."
_____________________________________
*Aos
(and also, I have no idea why my LJ cuts are duplicating. Or triplicating...firefox crashed on me, and then that happens. D: )
______________________________________________
Title: Losing Hand
Pairing: Nagant x Browning I mean Nagant pairs up with no one. He's stuck to Browning.
Characters: Browning, Nagant. Slight mention of the other ACP officers. A person I don't really get along with makes a cameo appearance in a picture. This is something only my friends understand. Well, two of them anyway.
Summary: Garand sighed. Picking partners for his Top Officers was much like a game of poker. It was always about how much he was willing to bet, and how early he collected his winnings...before he permanently lost the game. (you see what I did there?)
The List was a piece of paper that hung on top of the many memos and photographs the Top Officers had in their Corps office. It was mostly used to signify who was partnered with whom for the rest of the year. Rosenrot Academy had a funny way of creating a small check-and-balance affair, and it was always the Wing Commander who got the short end of the stick.
After all, what's power without a little bit of responsibility?
This year, it was Garand's turn. His mentor, the previous year's Wing Commander had told him, "Just follow what your heart tells you." It was time to pick the Officer's partners for the year. The goal was to make sure that each partner would check on the other, to make sure that no abuse of power was happening, and that the two would grow and learn from each other.
To help him along with his train of thought, he had gathered pictures of his Top 7, his friends. Everyone had thought that they had paid their way into position, but the truth was that every single one of them hated the wrong people being in power. The Star class, 4-D would always manipulate the system administration into working for them, and them alone.
So he and his friends had literally worked their damn asses off, just to have this chance.
Let's see. Sten and Winchester would make a good pair. Sten needs Winchester's kindness, and Winchester needs some of Sten's intellect.
He grinned. Patricia Sten and Kyle Realonda Winchester had an off-again, on-again relationship of sorts. This would be interesting, aside from the points he hoped they would get from each other.
With a flick of his wrist, he separated the pair from the group.
Raighn would work well with Dragunov...and Piniple...well, I can learn a thing or two from him.
Now it's just....
His eyes fell upon Browning's picture. It was one she had taken before with Sir De La Torre, an upperclassman she used to be quite close to. Ever since she had found out that he was dating someone else, she had changed considerably...but she never wanted to talk about it.
"Hey, Miggles?" her voice was unnaturally small.
"Don't call me Miggles...and what is it, Tiny?" She was usually vibrant and full of life, but somehow when she was in front of him, she couldn't bear to keep her smiling face any longer.
"Did you pick everyone yet?" She absently straightened her hood, the proud cat-ears defiant and standing strong. Everything she wasn't. Everything she wanted to be, but couldn't. He didn't know why she let him see her in this state. No one else had.
And he didn't feel like telling them, either.
"If you meant 'have I picked your partner', then no. You're...you're hard to figure out, Tiny. Some days, you're flying so high it seems that nothing can ever get you down. And other days, you're cooped up in your own little world, depressed. It's like..." he groped for the correct term.
"...Like I'm a bird that wants to get out of her cage, and when I'm let out, I want to go back in..." She murmured. A shadow seemed to pass across her face.
"You okay, Tiny?" Miguel Faustino Garand had never seen her like this.
She immediately pasted on a happy smile and said brightly, "You're so silly, Miggles. Well, I have to leave you alone to think about who everyone's partners are. I'll see you later!" Gently, she left, closing the door behind her.
Miguel looked at her picture again, and just as he was about to set it aside for now, their newest officer stepped in.
"Good morning, Garand."
"Good morning, Nagant. You're early." It was 6:30 am, precisely why Garand had chosen to come to school. None of the other officers dared to get up at this ungodly hour.
"Oh...yeah." He said nothing and glanced at the pictures paired together on the table. "What're you doing?"
"Picking partners...you know, who you'll patrol with."
"No, I don't kno--" Nagant's sentence was cut short when the door burst open, and Browning stepped into the room.
"Oh, hi Naggie, hi Miggles! Fancy seeing you guys here this early." She didn't bother looking at them and instead stepped into the medical supply room. "Can't talk right now--a couple more cats were brought into the biology department and they're seriously hurt...."
Nagant couldn't help but be amused. "You know, in some regions, what you're doing is called stealing."
Browning smiled. "But in most regions, what they're doing is killing innocent animals for science."
"Won't you get in trouble again?"
"Nothing a quick cry-and-apologize tactic won't fix. Teachers like me." She picked up her medical supplies and placed them in the pockets of her cat-ear jacket.
Looking over her shoulder, she called, "Bye guys! I'll see you later!"
Meow, meow. Three very fat cats rolled around in a locked door. Somehow, Browning had trained three of her favorite cats into helping with her medical work. Because of Nagant's allergies, the cats were kept in a locked room. Nagant pulled a handkerchief out of his pockets and placed it on his nose, covering a sneeze.
Giggling, she was out the door.
"Hmm...hey, Nagant?" Garand had watched the whole scene unfold, and he finally knew what to do.
"Yes, Garand?"
"You're my Deputy Wing Commander because you know how to set things straight, and you are impartial. Now, I would like for you to be Browning's partner."
Nagant sucked in his breath and coughed. "W-what?" She already kept annoying him enough as it is, constantly dragging him everywhere. If he hadn't lived far from Rosenrot, she might have broken into his apartment.
I'll barricade my doors tonight. He thought uncomfortably. A lot of things were there that she, nor anyone else could live without seeing.
"She could use some of your tact. She's really soft-hearted, and does everything with her feelings. Plus, you two look good together."
Nagant sighed. He didn't like to talk, and she loved to. He needed to keep a low profile...so she would rationally be the perfect compliment to his moods.
I wish more work would pour in...or else I'll have to go back to modeling...Godfather...
"As you wish, sir." He closed the door as he left, and Garand thought that he had murmured, "...so where's the best place to hang myself..."
Garand smiled. Those two would make things a lot more interesting.
"I just hope I won't lose this game of poker. The stakes are pretty high."
_____________________________________
*Aos