It may look enticing but don't walk that line

[in_the_latin]

Characters: Mal, Low Key, Reno, and anyone else who volunteered
Content: Low Key's been a lying little snake. Time to shake some answers out of him. Literally.
Setting: First Low Key's quarters, then the Engine Room
Time: In the wee hours of the morning, after Mal's post
Warnings: Death threats, very questionable interrogation methods

Comments

[electro_phoenix]

As soon as Reno had heard Mal's footsteps coming down the hallway, he went in to wake their sleeping beauty up.

"Hey, Lyesmith." Before Low Key had a chance to respond, Reno's fist connected with the other's face. "Get up."

That was...extremely therapeutic.

[in_the_latin]

"We all know 'free agent' ain't entirely accurate," he said, his voice as hard as steel. "I suggest you try again."

With that, Mal gave the others in the room a brief glance and a nod, silent permission for them to move forward in their side of the "debate".

/icon isn't right but that's the only one of her manhandling someone XD

[causink_trouble]

Jenka's eyes glinted happily for a moment, and the look she gave Low Key could best be described as appreciative, strange as that was in the situation. "Hy knew hyu vosn't gun be eazy und borink!" And then, of course, she moved to grab and lift him, wondering if he knew where this was going yet, or when exactly he would figure it out.

One hand tightened around his upper arm, the claws pushing deep into his muscle for a better grip. She bent down to get her other arm around his thighs, pull his legs out from under him and lift him off the ground, with every intention of moving toward the engine in the center of the room once she had him. It really was a fantastic idea.

"Try not to sqvirm too much, hmm?"

[phytotoxin]

Marluxia couldn't let Jenka have all of the fun, could he? He too stepped forward, but he kept back a little, letting her take 'centre stage'. He didn't need to get close to do what he was going to do, anyway. It was a definite up side to his most eerie of abilities.

He raised a hand. What he summoned began as tiny, curled tendrils of green, but as they neared his victim they unfurled and unsheathed their claws, as it were. Dark spines grew from the lengths and wound around Lyesmith, concentrating mostly on his torso, upper arms and neck. They were sharp, and constricting, but mostly acted as extra support should Jenka get over excited and be tempted to drop him into the engine, as that looked very much like where she was carrying him.

The vines around his bare skin were looser in grip, but not so much that the thorns didn't at least scratch.

[putmeinstitches]

The engine.

The engine.

Understanding dawned on Low Key's scarred face. Despite Jenka's advice, he did begin to struggle, digging his fingers in, doing whatever it took to get away from the whirring piece of machinery she was bringing him toward. Though Low Key was stronger than he looked, surprisingly so, he wasn't a match for Jenka, not in this state.

The vines were another nasty surprise. Whatever he'd been expecting, being tied up with plant tendrils wasn't it. His eyes darted from Jenka to Marluxia and finally to Mal, wide in surprise and apprehension -- then narrowed in suspicion.

"You already know, don't you?" he said, voice harsh from the claws and thorns digging into him. He could feel blood beginning to well up. "You don't need to ask me that. You wouldn't be going this far if you didn't have a good guess already."

[in_the_latin]

Low Key's fear only strengthened Mal's resolve. There was no pity on his face; just the same cold anger as before. He followed after Jenka and, his voice calm and firm, said, "I want you to tell us what you know, Lyesmith, everything you know. If you stop messing around, you might get out of this alive. If you don't, then the mechanics are going to have an awful big mess to clean up."

He glanced at Jenka and Marluxia again, and said, "After all, it'd be a shame if their grip slipped before you got anything out, wouldn't it?"

[causink_trouble]

If Jenka thought Low Key was human, she may have been surprised by the strength that went into his struggle, but she knew very well he wasn't. She didn't know exactly what he was, now, and had half-expected not to be able to hold him at all - not that it prevented her from trying.

Even if she was doing fine on her own, Marluxia's vines earned him an appreciative glance. They were going to come in very handy if they needed to do this for any length of time.

At the captain's little side note and meaningful glance, she laughed, and let the prisoner's shoulder slip from her hand, not even trying to make it seem like an accident. It was fun, and Jägerkin weren't exactly known for their patience. If the vines couldn't hold his weight, she was pretty sure she could catch him again before things got too messy.

[phytotoxin]

The tensile strength in Marluxia's summoned vines was surprising. They were intended to be used as a weapon, for binding and hurting and, as such, they were designed to be strong. They would probably not last as long as usual so close to the heat of the engine, but it was of no consequence -- he could always summon more.

When Jenka let go, the vines' grip increased to make up for the lack of support and, of course, the thorns bit in hard.

[putmeinstitches]

There was a yelp when Jenka let go, a yelp of surprise and pain -- and fear. The roar of the engine filled his ears just as his entire field of vision was taken up by the cycling piece of machinery below him. For a long moment, the only things in his mind were the size of those engine parts and how thin the vines were that held him up. The near-panic that was flooding his system made him hyperaware of all of this. He was afraid to move, afraid to breathe, lest he alter the fragile balance that held him above the whirring, clanking, grinding engine

[in_the_latin]

"So, talk."

If Mal wanted them to give him a hand he didn't give any sign of it. He stood as impassively as ever, as if he had all the time in the world for Low Key to speak...or to fall down into the engines.

[causink_trouble]

Talking? Already? Jenka gave a disbelieving snort.

She didn't think the engine was a very good interrogation device. Sure, you could kill someone with it, but anything less than that would be difficult. But it seemed to be working, so who was she to complain?

Since Low Key hadn't told them much yet, she saw no reason to make things easy on him. He could dangle over the engine until the captain wanted him back on his feet. She only leaned over a bit more, to take a closer look at the vines biting into Low Key's skin, and enjoy the scent of the beads of blood soaking into his shirt. The last time she'd encountered the plants, she had been the target, so the new point of view was rather interesting.

[phytotoxin]

Marluxia stood wordless and impassive, waiting for Low Key to say something.

"I'd get a move on," he said, another vine creeping forward to meet the others. "I'm sure you're aware that these won't last very long in that heat."

[putmeinstitches]

All he wanted right now was to survive.

"You want to know about the clank, right?" Low Key said, wrapping his fingers around any vines within his reach. "It's a weapon we developed. We were going to test it in Bydan, stir up tension between the nations, then sell it to the highest bidder. We don't care who wins as long as we can sell weapons to both sides. That's what we're after. War." His voice held an edge of desperation. Though what he'd just said was true, it wasn't the whole truth. He hadn't brought up the Convoy, and the starting-a-war business was far from the only iron he had in the fire.

[in_the_latin]

"And just where'd you get the idea for a weapon like that?" he asked.

He didn't give any order for them to tighten their grip. After all, Low Key was still holding out on them, and if things did get hairy, he trusted that those two were quick enough to grab him before he was finished. He chose them for more than just their pretty faces, after all.

[causink_trouble]

Yes, Jenka was plenty quick enough to grab Low Key if he started falling. He might lose an arm to the engine first if he flailed in the wrong direction, but this kind of thing wasn't fun without a bit of risk, was it?

In the meantime, she was happy to listen to all the information. The Mistress might be glad to have it, if things went too far. And Jenka herself was, to be honest, just enjoying hearing about war and international tension. Someone was clearly working hard to make the world more interesting!

[phytotoxin]

Marluxia stood by. It was going to be interesting to hear it, and he was certain that his own higher-ups might be interested in the information he might eventually spill, but he kept that off his face.

Well, nobody needed to know that he was anything more than a Quartermaster and flower enthusiast, right?