(no subject)
Title: Unnecessary Risks
Story: The Dragonfire Chronicles
Characters: Shuang, Fai, Lana
Flavours: Strawberry #9 [Puddles]; Rocky Road #22 [A meeting place]; Mango #29 [Breaking the rules]
Toppings: N/A
Extras: N/A
Word count: 1,109
Rating: G
Summary: In which Shuang and Fai receive a job offer.
Notes: Follows Inconvenient.
Shuang leaned against a wall in the marketplace, watching the world go by. Fai was on his left side, considerably less at ease considering the number of people in this place. Shuang could practically feel him seething. That fight a couple of days ago had let him work out some of the tension that had been building up, but it was getting worse again now - especially because he thought Shuang was taking 'unnecessary risks'.
Shuang rolled his eyes. They were taking an unnecessary risk by even staying in Laradien, so close to the palace; they had been told specifically to leave the country, in fact. Shuang didn't care - if they could banish him over a lie, then he wasn't going to follow their instructions. He trusted in Fai to keep them safe and out of sight, anyway.
It was at this point that Fai moved; shifted a little to his right, in front of Shuang, who scowled to himself. That had been all well and good when he was a teenager, but as an adult - particularly out here - it was kind of annoying.
He looked over Fai's shoulder and saw a small boy running towards them, splashing through the puddles, a result of the rainfall the night before. He put a hand on his friend's arm and pushed him aside.
"It's fine," he said. "It's our messenger."
Fai frowned but said nothing; Shuang stifled a sigh as he read the lines around Fai's eyes and mouth. You're not helping me to protect you, the lines said. Ah well. He'd deal with it later.
"'Scuse me, sir," said the boy, suddenly there, tugging on his cloak. "Are you Shuang?"
"Yes, I am."
"Miss Lana told me to tell you sir, you need to meet her at midday, in the inn you suggested."
Shuang nodded. Clandestine meetings were more Fai's forte, but even he got the hint - don't say the name of the inn; anyone could be listening.
"Thank you, kid," Shuang replied, passing the boy a small coin. He took it with a cheeky grin, running back into the crowds. He turned, and Fai was looking at him with his head tilted slightly to the right.
Shuang rolled his eyes. "Believe it or not, I do know what I'm doing."
Fai huffed out a laugh. "Of course you do, my lord."
*
Shuang thought it highly ironic that Lana was late, considering her impatience at the meeting they'd seen the other day. Fai was more settled in the inn; though he wasn't drinking. His hands were close to his weapons, too; ready for anything. This time, Shuang found himself supporting the decision. They were meeting a gang member, after all.
"Where do you think she's from?" he asked Fai after a moment, taking a sip of his ale before setting it back on the table with a grimace.
Fai shrugged. "Here. Probably."
"She didn't look like she was from Alraeish to you?"
"Does it matter?"
"If she was trained in Alraeish, we could be underestimating her."
Fai's voice went low, dark. "I never underestimate anyone."
Shuang nodded, apologising with a look. "I know. You know I trust you."
There was a pause before Fai's reply; a pause where Lana walked in, noticing them with a frown. "I know," he replied quietly, as she arrived at their table.
"You guys are certainly conspicuous in a place like this," she said, sitting down opposite Shuang.
He looked around with something close to a pout. "I thought we did okay."
Lana smirked, once, before her face returned to that serious expression. "I spoke to my superiors about what you told me, and, to be honest, they don't believe it. They don't think there's a stray - you know - running around; they want me to hunt for arsonists. We used some of those buildings on the east side, and if they're getting destroyed, we need to find the culprits."
"So why are you here?" Shuang asked.
"I believe you. I've seen magic - where I come from, it's not common, but it's around. I went out to one of the sites - there are no markings that indicate anyone was ever in there. Nothing."
"What do you want from us, then?" Shuang said, eyebrows furrowing. "You've taken my warning; what now?"
"You seem like a man who knows what he's talking about, Shuang," she replied, voice lowered. "I need you to take a look at these sites. See if there's anything I missed. Anything that could identify our arsonist. We need to catch him, before anyone else does."
Shuang tapped his fingers on the table as he thought. Fai spoke up, though, apparently startling Lana. "What do you plan to do, if we bring him to you?"
"I don't think that matters, do you?" Lana replied.
Shuang shifted his gaze to Fai, and could see that it did. "We have our own set of rules, Lana," he said, taking over. "We're not going to let you kill someone like that. One hundred years, and we're not letting some street gang ruin it."
Her pretty face twisted into a scowl. "You have no idea what you're doing, if you let someone like that run free."
"I would guess I have a better idea than even you," Shuang replied. He knew he'd adopted that irritating superiority the upper-classes were known for, but it was going to work in his favour, here. "Now, since you need our help, and your superiors don't know, I think it might be a good idea to agree to our terms, don't you?"
She sighed, but he could see that he'd won - for now - by the anger in her posture. Fai had leaned forwards, on the defensive. "Fine," she said eventually. "If you bring me the arsonist, I won't hand him over straight away. We'll try and control his - it - first. But if there's nothing we can do, we are not letting this city burn. Do you understand?"
Shuang grinned. "Perfectly."
Lana stood and turned to leave, but he stopped her with a hand on her wrist. "What?" she snapped.
"Just, one question. Where are you from?"
She frowned, eyes narrowing. "Not that it matters, not here - but Alraeish." Shuang smirked and Fai sighed. Lana's eyes darted between them, but she didn't ask. "I'll send a messenger for you when I need you; and if I trust you, I'll bring you to the House. See what you can find out."
She stalked out of the inn and Shuang turned back to Fai with a huge smile.
"I think that went well."
Story: The Dragonfire Chronicles
Characters: Shuang, Fai, Lana
Flavours: Strawberry #9 [Puddles]; Rocky Road #22 [A meeting place]; Mango #29 [Breaking the rules]
Toppings: N/A
Extras: N/A
Word count: 1,109
Rating: G
Summary: In which Shuang and Fai receive a job offer.
Notes: Follows Inconvenient.
Shuang leaned against a wall in the marketplace, watching the world go by. Fai was on his left side, considerably less at ease considering the number of people in this place. Shuang could practically feel him seething. That fight a couple of days ago had let him work out some of the tension that had been building up, but it was getting worse again now - especially because he thought Shuang was taking 'unnecessary risks'.
Shuang rolled his eyes. They were taking an unnecessary risk by even staying in Laradien, so close to the palace; they had been told specifically to leave the country, in fact. Shuang didn't care - if they could banish him over a lie, then he wasn't going to follow their instructions. He trusted in Fai to keep them safe and out of sight, anyway.
It was at this point that Fai moved; shifted a little to his right, in front of Shuang, who scowled to himself. That had been all well and good when he was a teenager, but as an adult - particularly out here - it was kind of annoying.
He looked over Fai's shoulder and saw a small boy running towards them, splashing through the puddles, a result of the rainfall the night before. He put a hand on his friend's arm and pushed him aside.
"It's fine," he said. "It's our messenger."
Fai frowned but said nothing; Shuang stifled a sigh as he read the lines around Fai's eyes and mouth. You're not helping me to protect you, the lines said. Ah well. He'd deal with it later.
"'Scuse me, sir," said the boy, suddenly there, tugging on his cloak. "Are you Shuang?"
"Yes, I am."
"Miss Lana told me to tell you sir, you need to meet her at midday, in the inn you suggested."
Shuang nodded. Clandestine meetings were more Fai's forte, but even he got the hint - don't say the name of the inn; anyone could be listening.
"Thank you, kid," Shuang replied, passing the boy a small coin. He took it with a cheeky grin, running back into the crowds. He turned, and Fai was looking at him with his head tilted slightly to the right.
Shuang rolled his eyes. "Believe it or not, I do know what I'm doing."
Fai huffed out a laugh. "Of course you do, my lord."
*
Shuang thought it highly ironic that Lana was late, considering her impatience at the meeting they'd seen the other day. Fai was more settled in the inn; though he wasn't drinking. His hands were close to his weapons, too; ready for anything. This time, Shuang found himself supporting the decision. They were meeting a gang member, after all.
"Where do you think she's from?" he asked Fai after a moment, taking a sip of his ale before setting it back on the table with a grimace.
Fai shrugged. "Here. Probably."
"She didn't look like she was from Alraeish to you?"
"Does it matter?"
"If she was trained in Alraeish, we could be underestimating her."
Fai's voice went low, dark. "I never underestimate anyone."
Shuang nodded, apologising with a look. "I know. You know I trust you."
There was a pause before Fai's reply; a pause where Lana walked in, noticing them with a frown. "I know," he replied quietly, as she arrived at their table.
"You guys are certainly conspicuous in a place like this," she said, sitting down opposite Shuang.
He looked around with something close to a pout. "I thought we did okay."
Lana smirked, once, before her face returned to that serious expression. "I spoke to my superiors about what you told me, and, to be honest, they don't believe it. They don't think there's a stray - you know - running around; they want me to hunt for arsonists. We used some of those buildings on the east side, and if they're getting destroyed, we need to find the culprits."
"So why are you here?" Shuang asked.
"I believe you. I've seen magic - where I come from, it's not common, but it's around. I went out to one of the sites - there are no markings that indicate anyone was ever in there. Nothing."
"What do you want from us, then?" Shuang said, eyebrows furrowing. "You've taken my warning; what now?"
"You seem like a man who knows what he's talking about, Shuang," she replied, voice lowered. "I need you to take a look at these sites. See if there's anything I missed. Anything that could identify our arsonist. We need to catch him, before anyone else does."
Shuang tapped his fingers on the table as he thought. Fai spoke up, though, apparently startling Lana. "What do you plan to do, if we bring him to you?"
"I don't think that matters, do you?" Lana replied.
Shuang shifted his gaze to Fai, and could see that it did. "We have our own set of rules, Lana," he said, taking over. "We're not going to let you kill someone like that. One hundred years, and we're not letting some street gang ruin it."
Her pretty face twisted into a scowl. "You have no idea what you're doing, if you let someone like that run free."
"I would guess I have a better idea than even you," Shuang replied. He knew he'd adopted that irritating superiority the upper-classes were known for, but it was going to work in his favour, here. "Now, since you need our help, and your superiors don't know, I think it might be a good idea to agree to our terms, don't you?"
She sighed, but he could see that he'd won - for now - by the anger in her posture. Fai had leaned forwards, on the defensive. "Fine," she said eventually. "If you bring me the arsonist, I won't hand him over straight away. We'll try and control his - it - first. But if there's nothing we can do, we are not letting this city burn. Do you understand?"
Shuang grinned. "Perfectly."
Lana stood and turned to leave, but he stopped her with a hand on her wrist. "What?" she snapped.
"Just, one question. Where are you from?"
She frowned, eyes narrowing. "Not that it matters, not here - but Alraeish." Shuang smirked and Fai sighed. Lana's eyes darted between them, but she didn't ask. "I'll send a messenger for you when I need you; and if I trust you, I'll bring you to the House. See what you can find out."
She stalked out of the inn and Shuang turned back to Fai with a huge smile.
"I think that went well."