Cayenne 9, CCM 5, Mocha 19 (and more)
Author: Casey
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy (NIEE) universe, during NIEE
Challenge, Toppings, Extras: Cayenne 9 (a worthy adversary), Chocolate Chip Mint 5 (vulnerable), Mocha 19 (you’ll have to do better than that), Sprinkles (mostly for Jay), Hot Fudge (for Sorin’s parts), Cherry (present tense), Pocky Chain
Word Count: 1000 - 10-part Pocky Chain
Rating: PG (threats of violence)
Summary: Jay and Sorin both realize that the other is a formidable foe, and yet a commonality exists that both feels.
Notes: Jay (21) is in jail, along with Jez (21), and their two new friends: Stella, who is 19 and Jay has a crush on, and her 10-year-old half-brother David. Sorin, and his older half-brother, Vlad, have come to question Jez and Jay. (honestly, family dynamics for the vast majority of the story? Not that crazy! It’s mostly Sorin’s fault, as much as I <3 him). Rees is the head of the jail where they are. Um, what else? Ani is Sorin’s younger half-sister. I think that’s the whole cast.
Jay steps into the room and instantly realizes that he has underestimated Sorin Dakamar. Standing across the room is Stella, held in place by two of Rees’s goons. He fixes his expression to boredom and turns to Dakamar. “Well?” he asks.
Dakamar smiles slightly, almost a smirk, and Jay just knows Dakamar can somehow sense how thrown off he is. “I assume you have figured out what we’re doing here?”
“You’ve separated Jez and I while threatening our cellmates, which means if we answer any question differently than the other, we’re in deep shit,” Jay says, grinding his teeth together.
***
Sorin is curious as to just how smart these two are. Rees seems impressed by them and Sorin knows Rees just well enough to know he is not easily impressed.
“Question time?” Jay asks him, faking his disinterest well, although Sorin can see his gaze dart periodically to the young woman, who is taking the knife to her throat quite calmly. She seems to have all the faith in the world that Jay will not disappoint her. Sorin wonders what that faith is founded on. Maybe they are questioning the wrong pair. He files this away for potential later use.
***
“Are you part of the Freedom Fighters?”
“I thought Rees had already decreed that we are,” Jay says, casually dipping his hands into his pockets so Dakamar won’t see his clenched fists.
“James,” the disapproval in Dakamar’s voice is sharp and Jay can’t help wincing.
“If I answer in single syllables, will you promise to not call me that?” he asks.
“You’re running out of time to answer the question without trouble.”
“Yes, we are.” Jay decides that, in this case, discretion is the better part of valor. His position is precarious enough without playing around on the easy questions.
***
Sorin wasn’t even sure why Vlad had insisted on the first question, but he had asked it anyway. Moving on to the more interesting things. “Who is the leader?”
“His name is Beau.”
“Beau…?” Sorin prods.
“No idea. We stick to first names.”
“Yet you know that Jez is Jasmine of Lockholme.”
“That was a new one. Jail brings out all sorts of lovely tidbits. You should try it sometime.”
Sorin laughs despite himself. “Maybe I will someday. It depends on how effective your people are.”
Jay is obviously surprised at the laugh but hides it quickly. He’s definitely good.
***
“They aren’t my people. I’m just a lovely lackey. Oh, alliteration,” Jay says keeping up a cheerful façade, but he’s hoping Jez is hanging on wherever she and David were.
“So news that Beau is likely the second, younger son of the former King Patrick would surprise you?”
“Beau? Royalty?” Jay echoes, making his eyes wide. “Damn, good for him! I knew he was a little stiff but that stiff?”
The look that Dakamar graces him with lets both know that Jay is fooling no one with his over-dramatics. Jay grins at him. “Sorry, I’m just good at the comebacks.”
***
This time, Sorin hides his amusement. “You had better control that urge if you want everyone to come out of this unscathed.”
“My apologies,” Jay says and Sorin knows he’s just saying it to placate him. “What else do you want to know?”
“Center of operation?”
“Everywhere and nowhere.”
Sorin clearly underestimated Jay, but knows he has a pretty good read on him now. “Cute. How about I ask your lady friend instead?”
For the first time, Sorin is rewarded with real worry on Jay’s face - and it doesn’t disappear immediately either.
“We move around a lot. We have to.”
***
Dakamar just looks at him, so Jay feels beholden to pontificate. “To stay out of reach of your men. You’re everywhere. So we have to be anywhere you’re not.”
“And the purpose of your attempted bombing here in Greensward?”
“Making thing go boom. Why else do you blow things up?” The words escape him before he can think of the potential consequences. It’s a choked off yelp from Stella’s direction that reminds him of what could result from this. He swallows hard. “Distraction,” he continues hurriedly, although, as he watches Dakamar, he wonders if the man would actually follow through.
***
Sorin meets Jay’s gaze calmly. He can’t help but wonder how he would react in Jay’s place, given a role reversal, and Ani in the woman’s place. Suddenly, the guilt that was becoming harder and harder to suppress surges up within him. What is he doing? These people were only trying to right the wrongs that he, his brother and their men had committed. Silencing the inner squirms, knowing it is close to too late anyway, Sorin tries to remember the next question. “What do you know of the master plan?”
“Not much, besides our part in it,” Jay says.
***
Jay’s curiosity is aroused as he spots a familiar yet out of place emotion on Dakamar’s face, but he squashes it. It doesn’t matter - answering the questions and answering them correctly does.
“What else?” Dakamar asks.
“That others are coming to Greensward. But more than that, Beau withheld, because there was a good chance we would get caught.”
Dakamar appears to accept this, but Jay expects him to since it makes sense tactically for Beau to have done so. There are moments where Jay wishes he actually had, because it would be so much easier not to try and lie.
***
It is clear to Sorin that Jay is nothing if not a good liar. He suspects Jez is just as good and that they will get nothing out of them. He is just trying to figure out what to do next, when Rees slips in. His expression clearly states to Sorin that Vladimir is attempting something stupid, probably out of desperation at coming to the same conclusion that Sorin himself had just reached.
Sorin expects nothing less of his sometimes maniacal older brother, but now is not a good time. He sighs. “Don’t move,” he tells Jay. “We’re not done.”
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy (NIEE) universe, during NIEE
Challenge, Toppings, Extras: Cayenne 9 (a worthy adversary), Chocolate Chip Mint 5 (vulnerable), Mocha 19 (you’ll have to do better than that), Sprinkles (mostly for Jay), Hot Fudge (for Sorin’s parts), Cherry (present tense), Pocky Chain
Word Count: 1000 - 10-part Pocky Chain
Rating: PG (threats of violence)
Summary: Jay and Sorin both realize that the other is a formidable foe, and yet a commonality exists that both feels.
Notes: Jay (21) is in jail, along with Jez (21), and their two new friends: Stella, who is 19 and Jay has a crush on, and her 10-year-old half-brother David. Sorin, and his older half-brother, Vlad, have come to question Jez and Jay. (honestly, family dynamics for the vast majority of the story? Not that crazy! It’s mostly Sorin’s fault, as much as I <3 him). Rees is the head of the jail where they are. Um, what else? Ani is Sorin’s younger half-sister. I think that’s the whole cast.
Jay steps into the room and instantly realizes that he has underestimated Sorin Dakamar. Standing across the room is Stella, held in place by two of Rees’s goons. He fixes his expression to boredom and turns to Dakamar. “Well?” he asks.
Dakamar smiles slightly, almost a smirk, and Jay just knows Dakamar can somehow sense how thrown off he is. “I assume you have figured out what we’re doing here?”
“You’ve separated Jez and I while threatening our cellmates, which means if we answer any question differently than the other, we’re in deep shit,” Jay says, grinding his teeth together.
***
Sorin is curious as to just how smart these two are. Rees seems impressed by them and Sorin knows Rees just well enough to know he is not easily impressed.
“Question time?” Jay asks him, faking his disinterest well, although Sorin can see his gaze dart periodically to the young woman, who is taking the knife to her throat quite calmly. She seems to have all the faith in the world that Jay will not disappoint her. Sorin wonders what that faith is founded on. Maybe they are questioning the wrong pair. He files this away for potential later use.
***
“Are you part of the Freedom Fighters?”
“I thought Rees had already decreed that we are,” Jay says, casually dipping his hands into his pockets so Dakamar won’t see his clenched fists.
“James,” the disapproval in Dakamar’s voice is sharp and Jay can’t help wincing.
“If I answer in single syllables, will you promise to not call me that?” he asks.
“You’re running out of time to answer the question without trouble.”
“Yes, we are.” Jay decides that, in this case, discretion is the better part of valor. His position is precarious enough without playing around on the easy questions.
***
Sorin wasn’t even sure why Vlad had insisted on the first question, but he had asked it anyway. Moving on to the more interesting things. “Who is the leader?”
“His name is Beau.”
“Beau…?” Sorin prods.
“No idea. We stick to first names.”
“Yet you know that Jez is Jasmine of Lockholme.”
“That was a new one. Jail brings out all sorts of lovely tidbits. You should try it sometime.”
Sorin laughs despite himself. “Maybe I will someday. It depends on how effective your people are.”
Jay is obviously surprised at the laugh but hides it quickly. He’s definitely good.
***
“They aren’t my people. I’m just a lovely lackey. Oh, alliteration,” Jay says keeping up a cheerful façade, but he’s hoping Jez is hanging on wherever she and David were.
“So news that Beau is likely the second, younger son of the former King Patrick would surprise you?”
“Beau? Royalty?” Jay echoes, making his eyes wide. “Damn, good for him! I knew he was a little stiff but that stiff?”
The look that Dakamar graces him with lets both know that Jay is fooling no one with his over-dramatics. Jay grins at him. “Sorry, I’m just good at the comebacks.”
***
This time, Sorin hides his amusement. “You had better control that urge if you want everyone to come out of this unscathed.”
“My apologies,” Jay says and Sorin knows he’s just saying it to placate him. “What else do you want to know?”
“Center of operation?”
“Everywhere and nowhere.”
Sorin clearly underestimated Jay, but knows he has a pretty good read on him now. “Cute. How about I ask your lady friend instead?”
For the first time, Sorin is rewarded with real worry on Jay’s face - and it doesn’t disappear immediately either.
“We move around a lot. We have to.”
***
Dakamar just looks at him, so Jay feels beholden to pontificate. “To stay out of reach of your men. You’re everywhere. So we have to be anywhere you’re not.”
“And the purpose of your attempted bombing here in Greensward?”
“Making thing go boom. Why else do you blow things up?” The words escape him before he can think of the potential consequences. It’s a choked off yelp from Stella’s direction that reminds him of what could result from this. He swallows hard. “Distraction,” he continues hurriedly, although, as he watches Dakamar, he wonders if the man would actually follow through.
***
Sorin meets Jay’s gaze calmly. He can’t help but wonder how he would react in Jay’s place, given a role reversal, and Ani in the woman’s place. Suddenly, the guilt that was becoming harder and harder to suppress surges up within him. What is he doing? These people were only trying to right the wrongs that he, his brother and their men had committed. Silencing the inner squirms, knowing it is close to too late anyway, Sorin tries to remember the next question. “What do you know of the master plan?”
“Not much, besides our part in it,” Jay says.
***
Jay’s curiosity is aroused as he spots a familiar yet out of place emotion on Dakamar’s face, but he squashes it. It doesn’t matter - answering the questions and answering them correctly does.
“What else?” Dakamar asks.
“That others are coming to Greensward. But more than that, Beau withheld, because there was a good chance we would get caught.”
Dakamar appears to accept this, but Jay expects him to since it makes sense tactically for Beau to have done so. There are moments where Jay wishes he actually had, because it would be so much easier not to try and lie.
***
It is clear to Sorin that Jay is nothing if not a good liar. He suspects Jez is just as good and that they will get nothing out of them. He is just trying to figure out what to do next, when Rees slips in. His expression clearly states to Sorin that Vladimir is attempting something stupid, probably out of desperation at coming to the same conclusion that Sorin himself had just reached.
Sorin expects nothing less of his sometimes maniacal older brother, but now is not a good time. He sighs. “Don’t move,” he tells Jay. “We’re not done.”