Zero Tolerance: Trying My Patience
Title: Trying My Patience
Characters: Azkadellia, Lonot, Zero, Cass
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine, bar Cass.
Summary: First rule of tyranny: surround yourself with twits, and you'll seem smart.
Zero Tolerance, Cain and Zero, Loose Cannon, Sister Acts and Good Knight
Luckily, she was in too good a mood to kill him. He had arrived back later than she expected. Fortunately, The Sorceress had amused herself with Zero. Unfortunately, he had returned empty-handed. It was too much to hope that the reason for that was that he was forced to kill her. Still the 'story' that General Lonot was entertaining, or it would have been were it not for his snivelling. Zero never snivelled. She bit her lip, but forced herself back to matter at hand. "She escaped, I take it?" she sighed.
Lonot shut up. She eyed him. "Yes, Sorceress," he gulped.
"Again."
"Yes, Sorceress."
"You do realise that the longer she stays out and about, the more likely there's going to be a family reunion and if there should be such a reunion, I will not need to KILL YOU!" The Sorceress did not worry for her own life, she, afterall, had a built-in hostage, but if Zero were to switch sides, no amount of magic will protect her plans, not even if she managed to find the emerald first.
Part of her wondered why he hadn't simply done so already, even given his manufactured grudge against the Tin Men. He must have loved that sister dearly.
"Get out of my sight!" she ordered the pathetic general. He meekly obeyed.
She barely noticed, as she slipped her finger through her locks, gently pulling a strand down to her breast. Been a while, hasn't it, Witch? She immediately dropped her hand, slapping it against her thigh. She cursed herself for her weakness. Azkadellia simply replayed that night again.
---
Zero slid his finger down the glass, the droplets of condensation collecting on his finger. He occasionally sipped the drink inside though it was awful, weak stuff. A violent coup against your own morose mother (though with a daughter like that, who wouldn't be?) wasn't the way to win the hearts and minds of the people but The Sorceress was taking it a bit too far with destroying the crops, I mean, how's a brewer supposed to make decent beer without crops? Plus, you know, famine. Famine's bad too.
"Getting drunk, are we?" a woman's voice cheerfully asked.
Zero snorted. "Easier said than done," he replied softly. "Takes real skill to become an alcoholic these days. Respect to them," he toasted, instantly pulling a face as he tasted what was supposed to be beer. He briefly entertained the idea of arresting the bartender for false advertising but he couldn't summon the energy.
"You could always follow Mother's example," she suggested.
Zero looked up at blonde-haired, lavender-eyed woman beside him. "I get my euphoria the old-fashioned way."
Cass nodded sagely. "Whores and possessed Queens."
"Damn straight." He sighed. "Stupid thing to do. Why the hell did she pick me to seduce?"
"There's a young woman locked in there," she shrugged.
"Yeah, you had gods-awful taste when you were that age."
"Hey! At that age, I didn't have boyfriends, I had experiments in flavour. I mean how am I supposed to know my type if I don't experiment, hmm?"
"Criminals, Cass? Psychos?"
"Hey, some of them are all right," she replied with a grin, twacking him. "Give the girl a break, she's surrounded by psychos! Out of them, you're quite the catch."
He snorted again. "Thanks."
"Well, let's break it down, shall we? You've got the head balded guys, and ok, there is such a creature as a cute bald guy, but they surely stay away from that fortress. One of them bursts into tears whenever he enters the room with her and the others have either a strange fascination with levers or zapping fur-bearing people or both! As for the guards, well, speaking to them gives them ideas."
"What about her aide?"
"He's a morning person!" she replied with disgust.
At that, Zero laughed. "I am not a morning person," he agreed.
"No." They sat in silence for a few moments. "Shoes," she remarked.
Zero bowed his head and smiled. "I panicked. Ok? It was the only thing I could think of."
"How many people have you killed? Panicked."
"It worked," he retorted, pressing his finger on the table for emphasis. She looked at him and he laughed again. "I miss you." He told her before leaving his unfinished drink behind him at the bar. The bartender rushed to pick up the glass, staring after the Longcoat's disappearing form. Why do I get all the nuts? he thought bitterly.
Next: Cain and Cass
Characters: Azkadellia, Lonot, Zero, Cass
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine, bar Cass.
Summary: First rule of tyranny: surround yourself with twits, and you'll seem smart.
Zero Tolerance, Cain and Zero, Loose Cannon, Sister Acts and Good Knight
Luckily, she was in too good a mood to kill him. He had arrived back later than she expected. Fortunately, The Sorceress had amused herself with Zero. Unfortunately, he had returned empty-handed. It was too much to hope that the reason for that was that he was forced to kill her. Still the 'story' that General Lonot was entertaining, or it would have been were it not for his snivelling. Zero never snivelled. She bit her lip, but forced herself back to matter at hand. "She escaped, I take it?" she sighed.
Lonot shut up. She eyed him. "Yes, Sorceress," he gulped.
"Again."
"Yes, Sorceress."
"You do realise that the longer she stays out and about, the more likely there's going to be a family reunion and if there should be such a reunion, I will not need to KILL YOU!" The Sorceress did not worry for her own life, she, afterall, had a built-in hostage, but if Zero were to switch sides, no amount of magic will protect her plans, not even if she managed to find the emerald first.
Part of her wondered why he hadn't simply done so already, even given his manufactured grudge against the Tin Men. He must have loved that sister dearly.
"Get out of my sight!" she ordered the pathetic general. He meekly obeyed.
She barely noticed, as she slipped her finger through her locks, gently pulling a strand down to her breast. Been a while, hasn't it, Witch? She immediately dropped her hand, slapping it against her thigh. She cursed herself for her weakness. Azkadellia simply replayed that night again.
---
Zero slid his finger down the glass, the droplets of condensation collecting on his finger. He occasionally sipped the drink inside though it was awful, weak stuff. A violent coup against your own morose mother (though with a daughter like that, who wouldn't be?) wasn't the way to win the hearts and minds of the people but The Sorceress was taking it a bit too far with destroying the crops, I mean, how's a brewer supposed to make decent beer without crops? Plus, you know, famine. Famine's bad too.
"Getting drunk, are we?" a woman's voice cheerfully asked.
Zero snorted. "Easier said than done," he replied softly. "Takes real skill to become an alcoholic these days. Respect to them," he toasted, instantly pulling a face as he tasted what was supposed to be beer. He briefly entertained the idea of arresting the bartender for false advertising but he couldn't summon the energy.
"You could always follow Mother's example," she suggested.
Zero looked up at blonde-haired, lavender-eyed woman beside him. "I get my euphoria the old-fashioned way."
Cass nodded sagely. "Whores and possessed Queens."
"Damn straight." He sighed. "Stupid thing to do. Why the hell did she pick me to seduce?"
"There's a young woman locked in there," she shrugged.
"Yeah, you had gods-awful taste when you were that age."
"Hey! At that age, I didn't have boyfriends, I had experiments in flavour. I mean how am I supposed to know my type if I don't experiment, hmm?"
"Criminals, Cass? Psychos?"
"Hey, some of them are all right," she replied with a grin, twacking him. "Give the girl a break, she's surrounded by psychos! Out of them, you're quite the catch."
He snorted again. "Thanks."
"Well, let's break it down, shall we? You've got the head balded guys, and ok, there is such a creature as a cute bald guy, but they surely stay away from that fortress. One of them bursts into tears whenever he enters the room with her and the others have either a strange fascination with levers or zapping fur-bearing people or both! As for the guards, well, speaking to them gives them ideas."
"What about her aide?"
"He's a morning person!" she replied with disgust.
At that, Zero laughed. "I am not a morning person," he agreed.
"No." They sat in silence for a few moments. "Shoes," she remarked.
Zero bowed his head and smiled. "I panicked. Ok? It was the only thing I could think of."
"How many people have you killed? Panicked."
"It worked," he retorted, pressing his finger on the table for emphasis. She looked at him and he laughed again. "I miss you." He told her before leaving his unfinished drink behind him at the bar. The bartender rushed to pick up the glass, staring after the Longcoat's disappearing form. Why do I get all the nuts? he thought bitterly.
Next: Cain and Cass