Water's Folly: 02. Despite
Title: Holdback
Community: platonicism
Prompt: 02. Despite
Word Count: 809
Summary: Devin Mazàcon: enigma extraordinaire. There's reason for why he hates the council, but he's not telling it.
Author’s Note: For reference, Temnai is an instructor at the academy, master of various forms of martial arts. The academy, for those who don't remember, is a secondary schooling/training academy that only boys attend, anywhere from ages 16-20. Finally, I looked up "despite" for alternate meanings: "outrage, injury, contempt, disdain."
Also as I continue going through this I keep thinking I'm writing in past tense wtffffff.
In his eyes, all the council’s worth is his despite. Why anything more? They’re just a bunch of old geezers, and that one geezer’s Ma, just because she’s older than the rest of them. Ancient history, in his eyes. He’s no need of ‘em, so why’re they so concerned with him?
Attitude problem-sure, he’s got an attitude problem. After the council, who wouldn’t have an attitude problem? And if it weren’t for the fact that he daren’t piss them off, he’d’ve been the one out proclaiming it at every corner. “What do we need that lot of fools for?” he’d scorn them. “All they’re good for is condemning people to their deaths. Ain’ a thing I want to do with ‘em.”
But he’s one warning away from a one-way trip out to the surface, and knowing what he knows, Devin’s not sure he ever wants to see the suns.
“Why don’t you ever work at the academy?” Bre asks him one day-Devin’s nearly asleep on his arms; it’s a rare day of him feeling nearly content with his world.
He lifts his head only just enough to see the other boy, glance only half as disdainful as it would be towards anyone else. “Why would I wanna do that?” he snorts. “Waste’a my time.” Why would he want to go to academy? He’s not ever gonna go on up, not if he can help it, so all that training would be for waste.
Bre rolls his eyes-Devin sniggers to himself. It’s not hard to make him do that. “So I suppose you just plan to waltz on out and stun them all with your good looks, do you?”
Devin doesn’t skip a beat. “Think it’d work?”
“No.”
“Then why suggest it? You’re getting my hopes up that I’ll be able to get through my life without needing to know a lick of fighting only to just go and crush them.”
He’s certain Bre’s already figured out that he’s skirting the subject-he picks up on that sort of thing fast. “I don’t believe you don’t know anything,” he says, almost delicately, watching Devin’s expression for the reaction. “About fighting, I mean.”
“Yeah?” Devin doesn’t rise to the bait-he’s had practice. He’s bored with this conversation already. If it wouldn’t be painfully obvious, he would change the conversation to whether or not the boy was going to Lu’uz tonight. Trying to weasel a “yes” out of him would keep them both occupied for a little while. “Huh. ‘Magine that.”
“Why don’t you show anyone?” Bre presses. “Come on. I hardly believe that with Temnai as a father, you haven’t learned anything.”
Devin shrugs. “I didn’t want to learn. So he didn’t teach me.”
“That’s a lie.”
It’s a lie, sure, it’s a lie. But hell if he’ll be assed to stop. “Maybe it’s not. Think of that?”
“Yeah. But I don’t think it’s not.”
All right; that’s enough of that. Devin scowls, rolling back up to a crouch, his disdain for the worlds turning up to its normal setting. “Don’t matter if it is or ain’t. Point is, I’m not going to academy, and I’m not going out above, yeah? So drop it.”
Bre drops it.
- - -
“Ready?”
“Yeah. Why’m I doing this again?”
Temnai laughs-he’s used to his son’s temperament. “Because I’ve told you before-I don’t care if you think you’re not going above; no son of mine is going to be anything less than the most skilled fighter this side of Desuya.”
Despite himself, Devin smiles slightly, shaking his head to hide it. “You’re nuts, old man,” he accuses. “Ain’ nothin’ of the sort.”
“Only because you won’t allow yourself to be,” agrees Temnai. “But I daresay you’ll eventually drop that fool’s grudge of yours-one day, you’ll see.”
Devin disagrees, but it’s nice to know the old man’s expectations aren’t so easily shattered. “Whatever.”
Privately, Temnai is sure. “Enough chat-begin.”
A blunt-bladed tonfa drops from either one of Devin’s sleeves; he swings them quickly up to position and strikes the opening stance. Temnai reaches behind him and pulls two practice swords of hammered metal from their hidden sheathes. “Now, let’s see if your youth pits up against my experience,” he taunts with a grin. “You’ll be feeling this beating for a week.”
“Let’s see if you can get out of bed tomorrow, old man!” Devin challenges with a matching grin. His father’s the only one he won’t hold back with-he’s determined and he won’t lose this spar, no matter the fact he’s not even supposed to be learning any more.
Temnai's not even supposed to be teaching him.
He doesn’t care. All the council’s worth is his despite, and his father’s the same as him. Stick it to the damn council-he’ll learn what he wants, no matter how they try to keep him reined in.
The two men fly towards each other-and the weapons clash.
♥
Community: platonicism
Prompt: 02. Despite
Word Count: 809
Summary: Devin Mazàcon: enigma extraordinaire. There's reason for why he hates the council, but he's not telling it.
Author’s Note: For reference, Temnai is an instructor at the academy, master of various forms of martial arts. The academy, for those who don't remember, is a secondary schooling/training academy that only boys attend, anywhere from ages 16-20. Finally, I looked up "despite" for alternate meanings: "outrage, injury, contempt, disdain."
Also as I continue going through this I keep thinking I'm writing in past tense wtffffff.
In his eyes, all the council’s worth is his despite. Why anything more? They’re just a bunch of old geezers, and that one geezer’s Ma, just because she’s older than the rest of them. Ancient history, in his eyes. He’s no need of ‘em, so why’re they so concerned with him?
Attitude problem-sure, he’s got an attitude problem. After the council, who wouldn’t have an attitude problem? And if it weren’t for the fact that he daren’t piss them off, he’d’ve been the one out proclaiming it at every corner. “What do we need that lot of fools for?” he’d scorn them. “All they’re good for is condemning people to their deaths. Ain’ a thing I want to do with ‘em.”
But he’s one warning away from a one-way trip out to the surface, and knowing what he knows, Devin’s not sure he ever wants to see the suns.
“Why don’t you ever work at the academy?” Bre asks him one day-Devin’s nearly asleep on his arms; it’s a rare day of him feeling nearly content with his world.
He lifts his head only just enough to see the other boy, glance only half as disdainful as it would be towards anyone else. “Why would I wanna do that?” he snorts. “Waste’a my time.” Why would he want to go to academy? He’s not ever gonna go on up, not if he can help it, so all that training would be for waste.
Bre rolls his eyes-Devin sniggers to himself. It’s not hard to make him do that. “So I suppose you just plan to waltz on out and stun them all with your good looks, do you?”
Devin doesn’t skip a beat. “Think it’d work?”
“No.”
“Then why suggest it? You’re getting my hopes up that I’ll be able to get through my life without needing to know a lick of fighting only to just go and crush them.”
He’s certain Bre’s already figured out that he’s skirting the subject-he picks up on that sort of thing fast. “I don’t believe you don’t know anything,” he says, almost delicately, watching Devin’s expression for the reaction. “About fighting, I mean.”
“Yeah?” Devin doesn’t rise to the bait-he’s had practice. He’s bored with this conversation already. If it wouldn’t be painfully obvious, he would change the conversation to whether or not the boy was going to Lu’uz tonight. Trying to weasel a “yes” out of him would keep them both occupied for a little while. “Huh. ‘Magine that.”
“Why don’t you show anyone?” Bre presses. “Come on. I hardly believe that with Temnai as a father, you haven’t learned anything.”
Devin shrugs. “I didn’t want to learn. So he didn’t teach me.”
“That’s a lie.”
It’s a lie, sure, it’s a lie. But hell if he’ll be assed to stop. “Maybe it’s not. Think of that?”
“Yeah. But I don’t think it’s not.”
All right; that’s enough of that. Devin scowls, rolling back up to a crouch, his disdain for the worlds turning up to its normal setting. “Don’t matter if it is or ain’t. Point is, I’m not going to academy, and I’m not going out above, yeah? So drop it.”
Bre drops it.
- - -
“Ready?”
“Yeah. Why’m I doing this again?”
Temnai laughs-he’s used to his son’s temperament. “Because I’ve told you before-I don’t care if you think you’re not going above; no son of mine is going to be anything less than the most skilled fighter this side of Desuya.”
Despite himself, Devin smiles slightly, shaking his head to hide it. “You’re nuts, old man,” he accuses. “Ain’ nothin’ of the sort.”
“Only because you won’t allow yourself to be,” agrees Temnai. “But I daresay you’ll eventually drop that fool’s grudge of yours-one day, you’ll see.”
Devin disagrees, but it’s nice to know the old man’s expectations aren’t so easily shattered. “Whatever.”
Privately, Temnai is sure. “Enough chat-begin.”
A blunt-bladed tonfa drops from either one of Devin’s sleeves; he swings them quickly up to position and strikes the opening stance. Temnai reaches behind him and pulls two practice swords of hammered metal from their hidden sheathes. “Now, let’s see if your youth pits up against my experience,” he taunts with a grin. “You’ll be feeling this beating for a week.”
“Let’s see if you can get out of bed tomorrow, old man!” Devin challenges with a matching grin. His father’s the only one he won’t hold back with-he’s determined and he won’t lose this spar, no matter the fact he’s not even supposed to be learning any more.
Temnai's not even supposed to be teaching him.
He doesn’t care. All the council’s worth is his despite, and his father’s the same as him. Stick it to the damn council-he’ll learn what he wants, no matter how they try to keep him reined in.
The two men fly towards each other-and the weapons clash.
♥