Battle of Words
Title: Battle of Words
Author: Saphira112
Pairing: None, unless you look really really hard
Warnings: None, really
Rating: PG
Summary: Possible sequel to Seven of Swords and Un Amore Per Sempre. "Do you listen when you hear? Or do you hear when you listen? How is it possible to listen and not hear?"
Note: Was written after a chemistry test. Not my best work. Mostly dialogue.
“Do you listen when you hear?”
White Owl glanced behind him, his eyes looking over the rim of his glasses and locking with the assassin he knew all too well. The man in the child’s body was eyeing him evenly, hiding all his emotions as much as possible behind those sharp eyes, sharp like his knives. And yet they were somewhat gentle, but that was probably just the body in of itself that showed; not the man within it.
“Do you hear when you listen?” the Fool replied in curiosity.
Cassian raised an eyebrow. “No, because they’re not the same thing.”
“To the contrary, Seven of Swords, it’s entirely possible.”
“You speak in riddles.”
“As do we all.”
White Owl turned back to looking up at the ceiling before out the window; he was sitting on the sill, content with watching the rain fall, beating the ground while drums from an arrangement far above him played their raging song of fire and water. Cassian tilted his head at the Major Arcana card before him. He didn’t say anything for a few minutes and that seemed all right with the White Owl, who also said nothing. Cassian, curious, decided to ask again. “How can you listen without hearing?”
“You put your mind to it.”
“How so?”
White Owl turned and grinned. “How do you normally put your mind to work?”
“Instinctively,” the assassin replied quickly.
“Repetitively,” the Owl countered.
“Efficiently,” Cassian insisted.
“Non-withstanding.”
“Quickly.”
“Inaccurately.”
“You’d be surprised,” Cassian blurted. He wasn’t one to brag. He was good when he needed to be and that was most of the time. Surely the Fool knew this? Perhaps not.
White Owl raised both eyebrows, clearly enjoying this game. “Really now?”
Cassian nodded.
White Owl looked as if he’d accepted that answer for a moment before he laughed sharply and shook his head. “You aren’t as deadly and precise as you may think.”
“It’s good enough,” Cassian said with a tone of anger in his voice.
“Solecism.” How so?
“Unexpected.” Truly.
“Expected.” Damn the Fool for switching his words.
“Guessed.” Lead it down another road…
“Chanced.” Branch off onto another path…
“Hidden.” Backtrack…
“Clear.” Thinking of water?
“Shadowed.” Cassian smirked slightly.
“Unveiled.” White Owl was also smirking.
“Lost.”
“Found.”
Cassian took a few seconds longer to answer. “…Fated.”
White Owl paused in the game he had clearly been taking pleasure in. Though the trump card was older than him, the Fool still had many tricks up his sleeve that could make anyone think. And White Owl knew how to hit the man here, austerely and perfectly. “You’ve never been one to believe in Fate, have you, Seven of Swords?”
“What’s that have to do with anything?”
“If you don’t believe your own words, they have no power to begin with.”
Cassian stared. “But you still argue with me. You hear those words.”
“Yes, but do I listen?”
The trump card actually had to think about that for a few minutes. His answer was low and brief, but a clean cut answer with nothing else left. “… No.”
White Owl just smiled. Silence fell between them.
It was an almost deafening kind of silence, as if they were still conversing without speaking, though their lips uttered no more words.
Author: Saphira112
Pairing: None, unless you look really really hard
Warnings: None, really
Rating: PG
Summary: Possible sequel to Seven of Swords and Un Amore Per Sempre. "Do you listen when you hear? Or do you hear when you listen? How is it possible to listen and not hear?"
Note: Was written after a chemistry test. Not my best work. Mostly dialogue.
“Do you listen when you hear?”
White Owl glanced behind him, his eyes looking over the rim of his glasses and locking with the assassin he knew all too well. The man in the child’s body was eyeing him evenly, hiding all his emotions as much as possible behind those sharp eyes, sharp like his knives. And yet they were somewhat gentle, but that was probably just the body in of itself that showed; not the man within it.
“Do you hear when you listen?” the Fool replied in curiosity.
Cassian raised an eyebrow. “No, because they’re not the same thing.”
“To the contrary, Seven of Swords, it’s entirely possible.”
“You speak in riddles.”
“As do we all.”
White Owl turned back to looking up at the ceiling before out the window; he was sitting on the sill, content with watching the rain fall, beating the ground while drums from an arrangement far above him played their raging song of fire and water. Cassian tilted his head at the Major Arcana card before him. He didn’t say anything for a few minutes and that seemed all right with the White Owl, who also said nothing. Cassian, curious, decided to ask again. “How can you listen without hearing?”
“You put your mind to it.”
“How so?”
White Owl turned and grinned. “How do you normally put your mind to work?”
“Instinctively,” the assassin replied quickly.
“Repetitively,” the Owl countered.
“Efficiently,” Cassian insisted.
“Non-withstanding.”
“Quickly.”
“Inaccurately.”
“You’d be surprised,” Cassian blurted. He wasn’t one to brag. He was good when he needed to be and that was most of the time. Surely the Fool knew this? Perhaps not.
White Owl raised both eyebrows, clearly enjoying this game. “Really now?”
Cassian nodded.
White Owl looked as if he’d accepted that answer for a moment before he laughed sharply and shook his head. “You aren’t as deadly and precise as you may think.”
“It’s good enough,” Cassian said with a tone of anger in his voice.
“Solecism.” How so?
“Unexpected.” Truly.
“Expected.” Damn the Fool for switching his words.
“Guessed.” Lead it down another road…
“Chanced.” Branch off onto another path…
“Hidden.” Backtrack…
“Clear.” Thinking of water?
“Shadowed.” Cassian smirked slightly.
“Unveiled.” White Owl was also smirking.
“Lost.”
“Found.”
Cassian took a few seconds longer to answer. “…Fated.”
White Owl paused in the game he had clearly been taking pleasure in. Though the trump card was older than him, the Fool still had many tricks up his sleeve that could make anyone think. And White Owl knew how to hit the man here, austerely and perfectly. “You’ve never been one to believe in Fate, have you, Seven of Swords?”
“What’s that have to do with anything?”
“If you don’t believe your own words, they have no power to begin with.”
Cassian stared. “But you still argue with me. You hear those words.”
“Yes, but do I listen?”
The trump card actually had to think about that for a few minutes. His answer was low and brief, but a clean cut answer with nothing else left. “… No.”
White Owl just smiled. Silence fell between them.
It was an almost deafening kind of silence, as if they were still conversing without speaking, though their lips uttered no more words.