(no subject)
Cotton Candy #21. Locked Out with Hot Fudge and Malt
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1272 - just before Rescue Mission and Sequacious
Word Count : 683
Malt Prompt : Stocking Stuffer from Sly - "It is not a secret if it is known by three people."
Alright, so technically they're locked in. But they're being kept out of the action thanks to lack of a key just the same.
And Sly, I know you were thinking of a different secret, but I have plenty, no?
Tristan settled back against the wall. The stiff mattress gave an audible creak as it shifted to accomidate his bulk and he frowned at the stray ends of the straw that made their presence known along his legs. Across the cramped little inn room, Sethan was calmly tucking a small arsenal into the dark cloak that hung from his thin shoulders, and Kairn was, well, being Kairn.
The most animated member of the unlikely trio paused in his frantic pacing to give Sethan a nervous look as another gleaming dart vanished into the thick black folds around him. Tristan bit back a laugh. It wasn’t as if Sethan was likely to use even one of the assortment of weapons now hidden on his person. Kairn shook his head and, forcing a hand through short, dark locks, resumed his stride.
“You know,” he said. Sethan closed his eyes and a smile touched his lips as he waited for Kairn to continue. “You could take me with you. We wouldn’t even need to hide. Tie my hands.” He stopped in front of Sethan, offering up his wrists. “Drag me through the streets like you’re forcing me to show you where he is.”
Sethan eyed the hands thrust in his face, the corners of his mouth twitching. “Rough me up if it makes it more convincing,” Kairn suggested. “I don’t care.”
One of Sethan’s slender hands settled over one of Kairn’s thicker ones and pushed it down. “And when we come back empty handed?” he said, staring the other in the eyes.
Kairn sputtered. “When you lead them all right to him and Kinu chops the kid’s head off is more like it,” Tristan said. Kairn turned to glare at him, eyes wide and fists clenching.
“That too,” said Sethan. “Look,” he added a bit more softly, a hand coming to rest on Kairn’s shoulder. “It’s not likely I’m even going to do anything. You’ve already done the most important part and alerted your friend. With any luck, she will get the boy to safety without my aid.”
Kairn frowned. “And if she doesn’t?”
Sethan spread his hands with a grin. “Then I shall lend her my strength,” he said. “Quietly.”
Tristan slipped his hand into a pocket, fumbling for the pack of cards he’d brought to occupy himself, suddenly ill at ease with nothing in his grasp and thoughts of Lyssa waltzing into a city overrun with necromancers all alone. Or perhaps not alone, he thought as his fingers closed over the cards. He banished the thought as he pulled the cards free. Ski was far, far away from all this.
Sethan slipped one last slim dagger into his cloak, his hand then emerging from some deep pocket with a brass key. Kairn reached out as if he expected to be handed the thing, but Sethan closed his hand around it, one brow raised in question. “You don’t think I’m leaving the two of you to wander about on your own, do you?”
Kairn’s jaw fell. “You’re locking us in here?” Tristan scowled, but said nothing as he poured the deck of cards out into one hand. “Don’t you trust us?”
Sethan grinned. “As a matter of fact, no,” he said, reaching for the door.
“And if you don’t come back?” said Kairn.
“You don’t trust me?” Sethan said, grin widening.
“As a matter of fact, no,” Kairn echoed, folding his arms over his chest in a huff.
“Well, that’s a shame,” said Sethan, the door swinging open in his grasp.
Tristan focused on the cards he shuffled from one hand to the other and back again, trying not to think too much about where Sethan was headed, or who else might be there, or what he would do if he could go with. “Good luck,” he muttered, as Sethan left the room.
The door fell back into place and the rattle of the key in the lock was accompanied by a string of grumbled curses before the tread of Kairn’s boots, back and forth across the floor, became the only sound in the room.
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1272 - just before Rescue Mission and Sequacious
Word Count : 683
Malt Prompt : Stocking Stuffer from Sly - "It is not a secret if it is known by three people."
Alright, so technically they're locked in. But they're being kept out of the action thanks to lack of a key just the same.
And Sly, I know you were thinking of a different secret, but I have plenty, no?
Tristan settled back against the wall. The stiff mattress gave an audible creak as it shifted to accomidate his bulk and he frowned at the stray ends of the straw that made their presence known along his legs. Across the cramped little inn room, Sethan was calmly tucking a small arsenal into the dark cloak that hung from his thin shoulders, and Kairn was, well, being Kairn.
The most animated member of the unlikely trio paused in his frantic pacing to give Sethan a nervous look as another gleaming dart vanished into the thick black folds around him. Tristan bit back a laugh. It wasn’t as if Sethan was likely to use even one of the assortment of weapons now hidden on his person. Kairn shook his head and, forcing a hand through short, dark locks, resumed his stride.
“You know,” he said. Sethan closed his eyes and a smile touched his lips as he waited for Kairn to continue. “You could take me with you. We wouldn’t even need to hide. Tie my hands.” He stopped in front of Sethan, offering up his wrists. “Drag me through the streets like you’re forcing me to show you where he is.”
Sethan eyed the hands thrust in his face, the corners of his mouth twitching. “Rough me up if it makes it more convincing,” Kairn suggested. “I don’t care.”
One of Sethan’s slender hands settled over one of Kairn’s thicker ones and pushed it down. “And when we come back empty handed?” he said, staring the other in the eyes.
Kairn sputtered. “When you lead them all right to him and Kinu chops the kid’s head off is more like it,” Tristan said. Kairn turned to glare at him, eyes wide and fists clenching.
“That too,” said Sethan. “Look,” he added a bit more softly, a hand coming to rest on Kairn’s shoulder. “It’s not likely I’m even going to do anything. You’ve already done the most important part and alerted your friend. With any luck, she will get the boy to safety without my aid.”
Kairn frowned. “And if she doesn’t?”
Sethan spread his hands with a grin. “Then I shall lend her my strength,” he said. “Quietly.”
Tristan slipped his hand into a pocket, fumbling for the pack of cards he’d brought to occupy himself, suddenly ill at ease with nothing in his grasp and thoughts of Lyssa waltzing into a city overrun with necromancers all alone. Or perhaps not alone, he thought as his fingers closed over the cards. He banished the thought as he pulled the cards free. Ski was far, far away from all this.
Sethan slipped one last slim dagger into his cloak, his hand then emerging from some deep pocket with a brass key. Kairn reached out as if he expected to be handed the thing, but Sethan closed his hand around it, one brow raised in question. “You don’t think I’m leaving the two of you to wander about on your own, do you?”
Kairn’s jaw fell. “You’re locking us in here?” Tristan scowled, but said nothing as he poured the deck of cards out into one hand. “Don’t you trust us?”
Sethan grinned. “As a matter of fact, no,” he said, reaching for the door.
“And if you don’t come back?” said Kairn.
“You don’t trust me?” Sethan said, grin widening.
“As a matter of fact, no,” Kairn echoed, folding his arms over his chest in a huff.
“Well, that’s a shame,” said Sethan, the door swinging open in his grasp.
Tristan focused on the cards he shuffled from one hand to the other and back again, trying not to think too much about where Sethan was headed, or who else might be there, or what he would do if he could go with. “Good luck,” he muttered, as Sethan left the room.
The door fell back into place and the rattle of the key in the lock was accompanied by a string of grumbled curses before the tread of Kairn’s boots, back and forth across the floor, became the only sound in the room.