Dark Chocolate 2. Conceit with Hot Fudge and Rainbow Sprinkles
Author: talking_fridge
Prompts: Dark Chocolate 2. Conceit
Toppings: Hot Fudge & Rainbow Sprinkles
Word Count: 2006
Story: Noise
Rating: PG-13
Notes: A pair of related sidestories focusing on some minor characters. Mostly just there to give a feel as to the world the story takes place in. Even if you didn't read the first prompt of this story, this one'll probably make a bit of sense. It's fantasy fiction, but not in typical "elves and kingdoms and heroes oh my" fashion. Kevin is, for those who did read the previous prompt, the guy who sold the Falling to Todd. He'll show up again, along with the other guys in this prompt, but he's mostly just a very minor villainous person.
Who needed powers? He had none, and yet he had become a god. His worshippers came to this makeshift temple, begging to give him offerings, throwing money at his feet. If he saw it to be fitting, bam, a blessing for them. He was invincible, a secret to all those except his followers, and none of them would dare to betray him, for fear of the others turning on them like starving animals. And really, compared to him, wasn't that all they were? Rats only worthy of scraps, indeed.
“K-kevin, sir...” At the sound of his voice, the somewhat disheveled-looking man snapped his head around, mouth curling into a snarl in a way that was nearly instinct by now.
“What's this about? You've got 'em, right?” His right hand dug into the arm of the couch on which he sat, and he lurched forward as he shouted. “We can't be having you all late again.” The words were quieter now, but no less rage-filled than before. The short, younger man standing nearby flinched visibly, but then gave a quick nod.
“I... They're not late, sir. I...I have them. Er... well...” He hesitated, and gave a worried look towards Kevin, not sure what to say.
“What is it.” The phrase was a command, not a question. Kevin's hand went to his pocket, and the man's eyes widened in alarm.
“N-no, you gotta understand, they- um, I mean it's- no, that's, you see, I only could... There's one of 'em, sir, I couldn't get more!”
“Daryl...” Kevin leaned back, no longer tensed, a sympathetic look in his eyes. The smaller man seemed to relax visibly at this. Then, there was a blur of movement, and he was standing, giving a venomous glare, switchblade out. “Is that the best you could do?”
At once, Daryl flinched back, muscles tensed once more. “W-well, you gotta- my situation-” He paused for a moment after this failed attempt at a sentence. But then, Kevin shook his head slowly and sat on the couch once more, knife no longer out. The expression on his face seemed honestly kind and gentle, like it was... genuine.
“Don't worry about it. Here, just give it to me, okay, Darry? I'll pay you the right amount and then you can have more next time, and everything'll be just fine.” And he wasn't lying. Kevin had genuinely decided that it was okay for now. His little priest was doing his best to support his godhood, and that was fine by him.
“S-sir? Er, I mean, yes, sir.” The short man fumbled around in his jacket pocket for a while, before producing a small glass vial. Inside, something glimmered and moved, glowing pale yellow but hardly visible in the already lit room. After staring into his... boss's eyes for a long moment, he took a few slow steps forward, and then held out the object. “H-here you, uh, go.”
“Thank you.” Smiling warmly, Kevin carefully took the vial, reached into his pocket, and placed a bit of money into the hand in return. One more blessing for someone that he deemed worthy. Daryl appeared to be visibly relieved. Then, his face contorted with shock, and he screamed and stumbled back. There was a knife in his shoulder. “Ooh. Didn't mean to do that.” Kevin blinked a few times. He really hadn't. It'd been his decision to let the man go, and then... some part of him couldn't resist, he supposed.
He wouldn't tell, though. Daryl never would, even if he looked so scared as he ran out now. That was a good sort of understanding- the realization that whatever punishment his god dealt out, it was deserved by default. Indeed, Kevin had, shortly after the original slight puzzlement, decided that the man was practically asking for it, coming here with only one Falling. What he did was always right. It was part of what perfection required.
In a few moments, the knife was safely back in his pocket; he'd clean it later. Lifting the vial between two fingers up to his eye level, he stared at the contents. Some people said they were angels. Every time he heard someone say that, he couldn't help but marvel at how stupid they were. Angels were god's messengers, not unworthy little creatures who hurt as much as they helped. Falling were, clearly, just tiny balls of energy, he couldn't be wrong on that. He was, after all, omniscient.
Putting down the tiny glass container, he relaxed and waited. They had enough for now, as his more... reliable sources had been doing well, as was to be expected. Daryl switched between incredibly skilled and horrid at his job, but it was an oddly predictable way that did nothing to make Kevin at all uneasy. He was a lot less important than he thought he was, the little guy. There were plenty of others that were even better than him.
Still, Kevin kept him around, for one reason only. He could spread an internal panic without anything leaking to the outside. If he threatened him, whether intentionally or not, everyone else in his pay of sorts would find out and shape up, while the whole operation would remain concealed as if by magic from all those who didn't need it. It was brilliant.
In fact, people would be finding out about today's little threat very soon. Daryl was also rather good at excuses; Kevin had figured the exact details to be trivial matters, but every time he ended up stuck with authority of some sort, he got out. The man seemed to radiate a sort of pathetic feeling, the pitiable idea that he was a victim in some way. That was probably much of it. But either way, the wound was far too shallow to kill him, and he'd be back to get the worry widespread soon.
This would convince them to follow his rules; after all, nothing could zip past faster than a heretic's lifespan in this place.
It was so beautiful out here. Not even the nipping bugs could ruin his mood. Somehow he'd managed to get out of all the farmland, the risky private property, and here he was, in this heaven of sorts. Wow. Away from people, too; other humans and him often conflicted when they failed to realize they were wrong. Well, not all of them, he decided, frowning a bit. Kevin was cool. Most of the time, they both had the same idea of what was right. Typically, at least. But, well... part of him was convinced that the guy just wasn't as good, that he was better. Kevin was... too unstable.
In fact, he'd had that same disconcerting feeling with other people, before. Not that he usually acted on it; his sense of self-preservation remained in working order. Whenever he gave an admiring gaze all the little cracks and flaws came into focus, it seemed. Never, though, did that happen when he looked in the mirror. Perhaps it was because he was seeing that through the glass. It bothered him a little, so he tried to keep acting normal. He had a job to keep.
There was one reassuring fact, though. He wasn't the only one he didn't see issues with. Those pretty balls of light... they truly were like pastel shooting stars, their namesakes. So elusive, though, as if they treasured their own secrecy; he wouldn't be surprised if they were clever enough for that sort of emotion. So beautiful, and they could never get into an argument with him, either. As far as he could tell, they were perfect.
When you thought about it, actually, they were creatures of perfect balance as well. Morals would be tossed to the side if people knew that something could give them near-ultimate power. If all they did was curse, though, they'd be erased with the blink of an eye by furious masses. So they made careful effort that every benefit and every deficit was matched with almost mathematical precision, and so they managed to keep things from being too much of a stir. Amazing, indeed.
That was why he felt almost... bad about what he did to them. Taking away the freedom from something like that was wrong. Then again, it was only temporary. A few days at most, which must be nothing to them, as he couldn't recall any incidents of one dying of apparent old age. And then they'd just touch someone for an instant, and be off on their own again. It wasn't that bad, right? Naturally, he was still just fine then, not a horrible person at all.
They got credit for making him have to try so hard, though. He was an excellent sprinter, and they still escaped most of the time- only rarely was he lucky. The low chance of finding one in the first place, when factored into the equation, only made things trickier. Still, he managed to get a few to give to Kevin every time he came back, and in return he was paid well, so things worked out. Of course, he got more than everyone else, but...
No, he couldn't say that. He had to stop himself from making such statements. He only knew a few of the other Falling hunters, and there were plenty more. No point in comparing himself to them all. Most certainly, though, he was better than some of them. The one man, Daryl... they'd gotten into arguments many times before. The man was downright incapable of doing anything, pathetic. As for the others, they were... average, at best. Not awful, no, of course not.
Time to wait for one of the beautiful little creatures to show up. If he ran around noisily, he doubt it'd help. The grass was around knee height here, a bit itchy, but the place here overall was so pretty and calm that he could tolerate it. The man knelt down, smiled, and stayed still. It might take a while, but that was okay. Just sitting here would be nice enough. Times like this were what made him stay with his job even if he didn't exactly admire the boss of it all.
It was getting dark- he should be more likely to run into one now, then. The hills blocked out the setting sun but for a slight gleam of orange. But really, he'd never been much for sunsets. He turned around instead, looked in the other direction, where there were no hills. The sky was darker there, though still not nearly as much as it would be later. When he looked at it hard enough, you could see a few stars making that nervous first appearance, already shining. They might not have the striking hues of purples and oranges, but to him, they were better.
Wait, was that a Falling there? It was a light purple one, it seemed, flying through the sky. Pretty low, too- he could probably get it. But it was too distant- he'd wait for it to come closer. His muscles tensed and he moved into a crouching position, ready to leap up and sprint. It had to see him, but... they never fled, that was the thing, until you chased them. They just went along their own way. He couldn't even be truly certain that they could see at all, with their mysterious identities.
There, it was certainly close enough now. He could catch it! Grabbing a jar from his pack, he suddenly sprung out of the grass where he wasn't quite hidden and burst after the creature. It was time, once more, for the familiar chase. And if he was lucky, he might win, and have the first of several to bring back and earn his money. If not, well, he'd just wait and watch the sky again, enjoy the sights that were usually overshadowed by the showy shades of a sunset. Life really could be great.
Prompts: Dark Chocolate 2. Conceit
Toppings: Hot Fudge & Rainbow Sprinkles
Word Count: 2006
Story: Noise
Rating: PG-13
Notes: A pair of related sidestories focusing on some minor characters. Mostly just there to give a feel as to the world the story takes place in. Even if you didn't read the first prompt of this story, this one'll probably make a bit of sense. It's fantasy fiction, but not in typical "elves and kingdoms and heroes oh my" fashion. Kevin is, for those who did read the previous prompt, the guy who sold the Falling to Todd. He'll show up again, along with the other guys in this prompt, but he's mostly just a very minor villainous person.
Who needed powers? He had none, and yet he had become a god. His worshippers came to this makeshift temple, begging to give him offerings, throwing money at his feet. If he saw it to be fitting, bam, a blessing for them. He was invincible, a secret to all those except his followers, and none of them would dare to betray him, for fear of the others turning on them like starving animals. And really, compared to him, wasn't that all they were? Rats only worthy of scraps, indeed.
“K-kevin, sir...” At the sound of his voice, the somewhat disheveled-looking man snapped his head around, mouth curling into a snarl in a way that was nearly instinct by now.
“What's this about? You've got 'em, right?” His right hand dug into the arm of the couch on which he sat, and he lurched forward as he shouted. “We can't be having you all late again.” The words were quieter now, but no less rage-filled than before. The short, younger man standing nearby flinched visibly, but then gave a quick nod.
“I... They're not late, sir. I...I have them. Er... well...” He hesitated, and gave a worried look towards Kevin, not sure what to say.
“What is it.” The phrase was a command, not a question. Kevin's hand went to his pocket, and the man's eyes widened in alarm.
“N-no, you gotta understand, they- um, I mean it's- no, that's, you see, I only could... There's one of 'em, sir, I couldn't get more!”
“Daryl...” Kevin leaned back, no longer tensed, a sympathetic look in his eyes. The smaller man seemed to relax visibly at this. Then, there was a blur of movement, and he was standing, giving a venomous glare, switchblade out. “Is that the best you could do?”
At once, Daryl flinched back, muscles tensed once more. “W-well, you gotta- my situation-” He paused for a moment after this failed attempt at a sentence. But then, Kevin shook his head slowly and sat on the couch once more, knife no longer out. The expression on his face seemed honestly kind and gentle, like it was... genuine.
“Don't worry about it. Here, just give it to me, okay, Darry? I'll pay you the right amount and then you can have more next time, and everything'll be just fine.” And he wasn't lying. Kevin had genuinely decided that it was okay for now. His little priest was doing his best to support his godhood, and that was fine by him.
“S-sir? Er, I mean, yes, sir.” The short man fumbled around in his jacket pocket for a while, before producing a small glass vial. Inside, something glimmered and moved, glowing pale yellow but hardly visible in the already lit room. After staring into his... boss's eyes for a long moment, he took a few slow steps forward, and then held out the object. “H-here you, uh, go.”
“Thank you.” Smiling warmly, Kevin carefully took the vial, reached into his pocket, and placed a bit of money into the hand in return. One more blessing for someone that he deemed worthy. Daryl appeared to be visibly relieved. Then, his face contorted with shock, and he screamed and stumbled back. There was a knife in his shoulder. “Ooh. Didn't mean to do that.” Kevin blinked a few times. He really hadn't. It'd been his decision to let the man go, and then... some part of him couldn't resist, he supposed.
He wouldn't tell, though. Daryl never would, even if he looked so scared as he ran out now. That was a good sort of understanding- the realization that whatever punishment his god dealt out, it was deserved by default. Indeed, Kevin had, shortly after the original slight puzzlement, decided that the man was practically asking for it, coming here with only one Falling. What he did was always right. It was part of what perfection required.
In a few moments, the knife was safely back in his pocket; he'd clean it later. Lifting the vial between two fingers up to his eye level, he stared at the contents. Some people said they were angels. Every time he heard someone say that, he couldn't help but marvel at how stupid they were. Angels were god's messengers, not unworthy little creatures who hurt as much as they helped. Falling were, clearly, just tiny balls of energy, he couldn't be wrong on that. He was, after all, omniscient.
Putting down the tiny glass container, he relaxed and waited. They had enough for now, as his more... reliable sources had been doing well, as was to be expected. Daryl switched between incredibly skilled and horrid at his job, but it was an oddly predictable way that did nothing to make Kevin at all uneasy. He was a lot less important than he thought he was, the little guy. There were plenty of others that were even better than him.
Still, Kevin kept him around, for one reason only. He could spread an internal panic without anything leaking to the outside. If he threatened him, whether intentionally or not, everyone else in his pay of sorts would find out and shape up, while the whole operation would remain concealed as if by magic from all those who didn't need it. It was brilliant.
In fact, people would be finding out about today's little threat very soon. Daryl was also rather good at excuses; Kevin had figured the exact details to be trivial matters, but every time he ended up stuck with authority of some sort, he got out. The man seemed to radiate a sort of pathetic feeling, the pitiable idea that he was a victim in some way. That was probably much of it. But either way, the wound was far too shallow to kill him, and he'd be back to get the worry widespread soon.
This would convince them to follow his rules; after all, nothing could zip past faster than a heretic's lifespan in this place.
It was so beautiful out here. Not even the nipping bugs could ruin his mood. Somehow he'd managed to get out of all the farmland, the risky private property, and here he was, in this heaven of sorts. Wow. Away from people, too; other humans and him often conflicted when they failed to realize they were wrong. Well, not all of them, he decided, frowning a bit. Kevin was cool. Most of the time, they both had the same idea of what was right. Typically, at least. But, well... part of him was convinced that the guy just wasn't as good, that he was better. Kevin was... too unstable.
In fact, he'd had that same disconcerting feeling with other people, before. Not that he usually acted on it; his sense of self-preservation remained in working order. Whenever he gave an admiring gaze all the little cracks and flaws came into focus, it seemed. Never, though, did that happen when he looked in the mirror. Perhaps it was because he was seeing that through the glass. It bothered him a little, so he tried to keep acting normal. He had a job to keep.
There was one reassuring fact, though. He wasn't the only one he didn't see issues with. Those pretty balls of light... they truly were like pastel shooting stars, their namesakes. So elusive, though, as if they treasured their own secrecy; he wouldn't be surprised if they were clever enough for that sort of emotion. So beautiful, and they could never get into an argument with him, either. As far as he could tell, they were perfect.
When you thought about it, actually, they were creatures of perfect balance as well. Morals would be tossed to the side if people knew that something could give them near-ultimate power. If all they did was curse, though, they'd be erased with the blink of an eye by furious masses. So they made careful effort that every benefit and every deficit was matched with almost mathematical precision, and so they managed to keep things from being too much of a stir. Amazing, indeed.
That was why he felt almost... bad about what he did to them. Taking away the freedom from something like that was wrong. Then again, it was only temporary. A few days at most, which must be nothing to them, as he couldn't recall any incidents of one dying of apparent old age. And then they'd just touch someone for an instant, and be off on their own again. It wasn't that bad, right? Naturally, he was still just fine then, not a horrible person at all.
They got credit for making him have to try so hard, though. He was an excellent sprinter, and they still escaped most of the time- only rarely was he lucky. The low chance of finding one in the first place, when factored into the equation, only made things trickier. Still, he managed to get a few to give to Kevin every time he came back, and in return he was paid well, so things worked out. Of course, he got more than everyone else, but...
No, he couldn't say that. He had to stop himself from making such statements. He only knew a few of the other Falling hunters, and there were plenty more. No point in comparing himself to them all. Most certainly, though, he was better than some of them. The one man, Daryl... they'd gotten into arguments many times before. The man was downright incapable of doing anything, pathetic. As for the others, they were... average, at best. Not awful, no, of course not.
Time to wait for one of the beautiful little creatures to show up. If he ran around noisily, he doubt it'd help. The grass was around knee height here, a bit itchy, but the place here overall was so pretty and calm that he could tolerate it. The man knelt down, smiled, and stayed still. It might take a while, but that was okay. Just sitting here would be nice enough. Times like this were what made him stay with his job even if he didn't exactly admire the boss of it all.
It was getting dark- he should be more likely to run into one now, then. The hills blocked out the setting sun but for a slight gleam of orange. But really, he'd never been much for sunsets. He turned around instead, looked in the other direction, where there were no hills. The sky was darker there, though still not nearly as much as it would be later. When he looked at it hard enough, you could see a few stars making that nervous first appearance, already shining. They might not have the striking hues of purples and oranges, but to him, they were better.
Wait, was that a Falling there? It was a light purple one, it seemed, flying through the sky. Pretty low, too- he could probably get it. But it was too distant- he'd wait for it to come closer. His muscles tensed and he moved into a crouching position, ready to leap up and sprint. It had to see him, but... they never fled, that was the thing, until you chased them. They just went along their own way. He couldn't even be truly certain that they could see at all, with their mysterious identities.
There, it was certainly close enough now. He could catch it! Grabbing a jar from his pack, he suddenly sprung out of the grass where he wasn't quite hidden and burst after the creature. It was time, once more, for the familiar chase. And if he was lucky, he might win, and have the first of several to bring back and earn his money. If not, well, he'd just wait and watch the sky again, enjoy the sights that were usually overshadowed by the showy shades of a sunset. Life really could be great.