(no subject)
Title: Good Luck
Story: The Dragonfire Chronicles
Characters: Shuang, Fai, Kitra
Flavours: Mango #1 [What's that?]; Tangerine #9 [Tiptoe]; Strawberry #13 [Smoke]
Toppings: Cookie Crumbs
Extras: N/A
Word count: 1,081
Rating: G
Summary: In which Shuang and Fai catch their arsonist.
Notes: Companion piece to Bad Luck.
It was pure luck that they saw the figure, standing on the roof of the building. Lana had suggested they come up here; and it was Fai who saw him, of course, grasping Shuang's arm and pointing him out.
"Looks a little suspicious, don't you think?" he murmured to Shuang, who nodded.
Fai went first, opening the house door silently and slipping inside. Shuang followed, not a moment too soon. The building they had been standing outside of suddenly burst into flames, smoke billowing across in a harsh grey cloud.
Shuang looked outside, his eyes wide. This was worse than he'd anticipated; this kid - and they'd only looked like a kid, from below - was losing it, fast. He turned back, to see Fai at the top of the stairs, levering open the trap door as silently as he'd walked in the main one. Shuang followed on tiptoes. He didn't have the stealth of his friend.
As he made it up, eyes stinging at the smoke in the air, Shuang saw the figure turn around.
His mouth almost dropped open in surprise. It was that girl - that thief he'd seen, a week ago! She'd been so close, this whole time?
More importantly, the arsonist was a she?
He smiled though, as was his nature, and glanced over at Fai, who had shifted over to the left. "Look what we've got here, Fai," he said; watching as her eyes widened, as she recognised his voice, too. "Seems like we found our arsonist."
She seemed scared, but Shuang was keeping most of his attention on his position between her and the trap door - he couldn't risk losing her, not at this point. She was too close to breaking.
"Don't know what you're talking about," she replied. Shuang almost frowned - a typical response for someone scared. Fai moved closer, trying to hedge her into the corner, but she saw him and he stopped moving.
"I think you do," Shuang said, still talking; had to keep talking to distract her from what they were going to do. "Someone's setting fires without being there - unless you saw someone? Because otherwise, all fingers are pointing at you, girl."
"I don't know!" she cried. "I didn't see anyone, but I didn't do anything, either. I just like to watch 'em, is all. It was lucky I was up here."
Shuang couldn't help but smile at that; luck was definitely not on her side, tonight - it was on theirs. He heard Fai snort and knew he got the joke, too. "I think I was right, Fai," he said, keeping his eyes on the girl. "Magic user."
Shuang saw the girl swallow and shifted his stance; they had her. She had no control over her magic - so it wasn't much of a threat, unless it suddenly released again - but he'd researched this, and knew it was unlikely. Besides, Fai was quick enough.
"There hasn't been magic in Ethrial for over one hundred years," the girl said. He knew she was nervous; she had to be - but, he'd give her credit, her voice remained strong and she didn't show too many outward signs of fear. It was in her eyes, though.
"So it would seem," Shuang replied, almost absentmindedly.
He hadn't anticipated what would happen next - he knew Fai would move, of course, because they could practically read each other's mind and it was what he wanted - but the girl moved too, lightning fast, and it must have been the fear, the panic - Shuang couldn't think of any other reason why Fai's cloak would suddenly be on fire; and then the girl was running towards him, past him even as he reached out, dropping down into the blackness of the house below.
"Fai," he shouted - his friend had put out the flames now and ran past, dropping into the house as well. Shuang rolled his eyes, bit back a curse, and followed. It didn't matter if they were making a fair bit of noise, now; Fai barged out of the front door and Shuang could see that a huge crowd had gathered to watch the building burn.
Fai was by his side, eyes scanning the shadows. Shuang knew when he'd spotted her, and so followed instinctively, even though he couldn't see her yet himself. When Fai stopped with annoyed grunt, however, he followed his friend's eye line - she was clambering up a wall; a wall that should have been impossible to climb. Her hands, though, were finding the minute gaps in the stone, and she pulled herself up and over at an incredible speed.
Shuang stopped staring and realised Fai had gone; a door was swinging open and he ran through it, following the footsteps he could hear up the stairs, out onto the roof - just to see the girl jump - too far, the other roof, it had to be - but she made it, rolling and coming up with the look of someone who had just cheated death. She turned back and stared at them for a moment; Shuang saw Fai's muscles tense, as he prepared to follow, but he placed a hand on his friend's arm and he stopped, a scowl on his face. The girl left, running across those roofs like she'd been born to it; which, Shuang considered, she probably had.
"I'd have got her," Fai muttered, angry, pulling his arm from Shuang's grip.
Shuang sighed. "We can try again another day."
"You were the one who said we didn't have much time!"
"She's controlled it more than I thought," Shuang replied, with a helpless shrug. "I mean, that's a good thing, in and of itself - it means we can get her another day."
"She is dangerous, Shuang."
"I don't think she is."
Fai whirled around then, as angry as Shuang had ever seen him, but he held his ground. It took Fai a minute, but he finally calmed down, pulling his hood back into position - so that Shuang couldn't see his expression.
"Fine," he said, sounding not at all like a sullen teenager, Shuang thought.
"Look, I'd promise you revenge," he said instead, "But we need her. So next time you see someone looking strangely at me, you can fight with them, okay?"
Fai pushed past him and walked down the stairs, into the house. Shuang sighed and followed. That had been a really good offer, he'd thought.
Story: The Dragonfire Chronicles
Characters: Shuang, Fai, Kitra
Flavours: Mango #1 [What's that?]; Tangerine #9 [Tiptoe]; Strawberry #13 [Smoke]
Toppings: Cookie Crumbs
Extras: N/A
Word count: 1,081
Rating: G
Summary: In which Shuang and Fai catch their arsonist.
Notes: Companion piece to Bad Luck.
It was pure luck that they saw the figure, standing on the roof of the building. Lana had suggested they come up here; and it was Fai who saw him, of course, grasping Shuang's arm and pointing him out.
"Looks a little suspicious, don't you think?" he murmured to Shuang, who nodded.
Fai went first, opening the house door silently and slipping inside. Shuang followed, not a moment too soon. The building they had been standing outside of suddenly burst into flames, smoke billowing across in a harsh grey cloud.
Shuang looked outside, his eyes wide. This was worse than he'd anticipated; this kid - and they'd only looked like a kid, from below - was losing it, fast. He turned back, to see Fai at the top of the stairs, levering open the trap door as silently as he'd walked in the main one. Shuang followed on tiptoes. He didn't have the stealth of his friend.
As he made it up, eyes stinging at the smoke in the air, Shuang saw the figure turn around.
His mouth almost dropped open in surprise. It was that girl - that thief he'd seen, a week ago! She'd been so close, this whole time?
More importantly, the arsonist was a she?
He smiled though, as was his nature, and glanced over at Fai, who had shifted over to the left. "Look what we've got here, Fai," he said; watching as her eyes widened, as she recognised his voice, too. "Seems like we found our arsonist."
She seemed scared, but Shuang was keeping most of his attention on his position between her and the trap door - he couldn't risk losing her, not at this point. She was too close to breaking.
"Don't know what you're talking about," she replied. Shuang almost frowned - a typical response for someone scared. Fai moved closer, trying to hedge her into the corner, but she saw him and he stopped moving.
"I think you do," Shuang said, still talking; had to keep talking to distract her from what they were going to do. "Someone's setting fires without being there - unless you saw someone? Because otherwise, all fingers are pointing at you, girl."
"I don't know!" she cried. "I didn't see anyone, but I didn't do anything, either. I just like to watch 'em, is all. It was lucky I was up here."
Shuang couldn't help but smile at that; luck was definitely not on her side, tonight - it was on theirs. He heard Fai snort and knew he got the joke, too. "I think I was right, Fai," he said, keeping his eyes on the girl. "Magic user."
Shuang saw the girl swallow and shifted his stance; they had her. She had no control over her magic - so it wasn't much of a threat, unless it suddenly released again - but he'd researched this, and knew it was unlikely. Besides, Fai was quick enough.
"There hasn't been magic in Ethrial for over one hundred years," the girl said. He knew she was nervous; she had to be - but, he'd give her credit, her voice remained strong and she didn't show too many outward signs of fear. It was in her eyes, though.
"So it would seem," Shuang replied, almost absentmindedly.
He hadn't anticipated what would happen next - he knew Fai would move, of course, because they could practically read each other's mind and it was what he wanted - but the girl moved too, lightning fast, and it must have been the fear, the panic - Shuang couldn't think of any other reason why Fai's cloak would suddenly be on fire; and then the girl was running towards him, past him even as he reached out, dropping down into the blackness of the house below.
"Fai," he shouted - his friend had put out the flames now and ran past, dropping into the house as well. Shuang rolled his eyes, bit back a curse, and followed. It didn't matter if they were making a fair bit of noise, now; Fai barged out of the front door and Shuang could see that a huge crowd had gathered to watch the building burn.
Fai was by his side, eyes scanning the shadows. Shuang knew when he'd spotted her, and so followed instinctively, even though he couldn't see her yet himself. When Fai stopped with annoyed grunt, however, he followed his friend's eye line - she was clambering up a wall; a wall that should have been impossible to climb. Her hands, though, were finding the minute gaps in the stone, and she pulled herself up and over at an incredible speed.
Shuang stopped staring and realised Fai had gone; a door was swinging open and he ran through it, following the footsteps he could hear up the stairs, out onto the roof - just to see the girl jump - too far, the other roof, it had to be - but she made it, rolling and coming up with the look of someone who had just cheated death. She turned back and stared at them for a moment; Shuang saw Fai's muscles tense, as he prepared to follow, but he placed a hand on his friend's arm and he stopped, a scowl on his face. The girl left, running across those roofs like she'd been born to it; which, Shuang considered, she probably had.
"I'd have got her," Fai muttered, angry, pulling his arm from Shuang's grip.
Shuang sighed. "We can try again another day."
"You were the one who said we didn't have much time!"
"She's controlled it more than I thought," Shuang replied, with a helpless shrug. "I mean, that's a good thing, in and of itself - it means we can get her another day."
"She is dangerous, Shuang."
"I don't think she is."
Fai whirled around then, as angry as Shuang had ever seen him, but he held his ground. It took Fai a minute, but he finally calmed down, pulling his hood back into position - so that Shuang couldn't see his expression.
"Fine," he said, sounding not at all like a sullen teenager, Shuang thought.
"Look, I'd promise you revenge," he said instead, "But we need her. So next time you see someone looking strangely at me, you can fight with them, okay?"
Fai pushed past him and walked down the stairs, into the house. Shuang sighed and followed. That had been a really good offer, he'd thought.