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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:35:17 GMT
She heard shuffling after a couple moments, and couldn’t help but glance over, though it made her head swim. Drake settled in the chair now, James seated on his lap. An odd feeling passed over her, one she could not really name. She only knew it made her feel uncomfortable in a way both different and similar to pain. Despite any possessiveness developing on her side, James didn’t belong to her. He belonged to Drake. Her eyes returned to the ceiling, refusing to move again. His next sentence only confirmed her unpleasant train of thought. It was not that she blamed James in any way, not with how Drake was. Under different circumstances, she would probably simply cower and tell the daemon what he wanted. After all, withholding information from a sharp-tooth soul eater was not the healthiest way to live one’s life.
Still, if what James said was true, Drake probably would not want to outright kill her. Even more, she was angry, and too far in pain to really care. She was balanced perfectly between hoping to die for some sort of release from this hell, and desperately hoping to keep Drake from winning. It was not much, but it was the only revenge she had left to her. Her escape attempt, in all honesty, had been at its core half-hearted and doomed to fail. Linnet hoped for its success, but her goal was more to anger Drake, to trick him into freeing the one part of her that could really escape this.
He told her that he might be able to fix Hassen if she told him what she said, and she had to suppress a humorless laugh. There was no coming back from that. What foolishness. He placed the blame on her shoulders if he died, however. That she accepted without question. He said it would bring her count to two, and she almost corrected him by saying ‘ Three.’ In truth, Linnie would always blame herself for Elizabeth. The woman had gotten involved in an escape attempt that Linnet all but certainly knew would fail in the end. The trusting girl had paid for that trust. No doubt she lay somewhere with her chest torn out as well. Linnet clenched her eyes shut for a moment, regretting and hating the knowledge that, had she known the consequences for Elizabeth, she still would have gone through with it. As much as she hated it, Elizabeth had still been a threat. Linnet’s nature could not reconcile that.
Finally, Drake’s threat managed to strike the right nerve to get Linnet to break her silence.
Under her anger, she was morbidly curious as she asked, "Why? Why would it be worse?”
What could he possibly do to her that would make the situation worse?
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:35:29 GMT
Linnet indeed answered him this time, but it was only with a question of her own. Why? Why? He disliked that question. Why not? Hadn't he proven to her that he was in a position of power in this situation, that she shouldn't question his threats?
"Why?" He retorted, trying to buy himself a bit of time to think. "Well, our next order of business will be to discuss what exactly to do with you, you little escape artist, but, if you'd like to prolong the inevitable, go right ahead. I suppose catching the consumption from your little injuries would also do away with you, so if that's what you want, go right ahead."
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:35:36 GMT
Her head slumped toward him as she looked to see his reaction. It pleased her to see the moment of surprise, and she only wished it had been more apparent. If James had told her the truth, Drake could do little directly to her, no matter his threats. His next threat of consumption only confirmed her thoughts, and a desire began to concrete itself in her. He could not hurt her without losing what he wanted: her soul. But would he?
Her eyes heavy with a pained tiredness she did not have to feign, she spoke again. “I don' understan’ why ya ban’aged me up when I broke your rule. Didn't ya mention not likin’ escapes?”
Her face was blank with her tiredness, but she watched his with a distant sort of interest, too exhausted to even flinch when those red orbs met hers.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:35:42 GMT
What was with this girl and these questions? Drake ran his tongue over the sharp ridge of his teeth thoughtfully. It was very rare that a mere human could make him feel transparent, but Linnet was getting well and close.
"Ah, I forgot how astute you were, little bird." He murmured, more to himself than anything.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:35:47 GMT
Linnet was beginning to think that Drake did not much like her questions. At the very least, he was not much used to having to answer so many at a time. His little comment unsettled her. It sounded both complementary and accusing, and made Linnet’s cheeks color slightly as she looked away. It was becoming all the clearer that he was used to people accepting things at face value, but that was not often Linnet’s nature.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:35:55 GMT
His hand itched to wrap around James' throat at the thought of the introduction he'd given. What was it? Something about ripping them in half?
"You did break multiple rules, but I'm afraid our resident muscle is out of service for a little while, so the tearing in half might have to wait a bit, unless James wants to do it?"
James signed something rude at the demon and then shut his eyes again. Drake laughed, eyes flashing.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:36:06 GMT
She could not help her nervousness as he continued. At first, she was not totally sure how Drake would react, but it seemed he had as few options as she did. From Drake's laugh, Linnet wondered if James declined or if he made some sort of joke at her expense, and her face colored a bit more. Of course, change was hard to notice. Her cheeks were already warm with a slight fever, but she could feel the difference her embarrassed uncertainty made.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:36:17 GMT
"As for bandaging you up, you should know, it is something I like to do. It's very...human of me, isn't it?" Drake stretched out on the chair, subtly pushing James off his lap.
James sulked on the floor. He truly did want to talk to Linnet, but surely Drake wouldn't translate the things he wanted to say, so he was stuck merely an onlooker, watching the back and forth.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:36:23 GMT
Drake’s claim of humanity made her want to scoff. She doubted there being a compassionate bone in his body. The way he even said ‘human’ seemed an insult, and his humor only irked her. After a moment’s pause while Drake unceremoniously shifted James from his lap, he continued with a reason Linnet found a lot more plausible, if also alarming.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:36:38 GMT
"It's also true that souls that languish for a long time before dying, they get mushy. Short, swift deaths taste much better. When I patch you humans up, it makes it easier for you to kill each other and get killed. Anyways, it's so boring to be bedridden."
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:36:43 GMT
If he was not just telling her half the truth, his little game was starting to seem less and less like a whim. Perhaps the daemon did have reason behind what he did. The understanding she gained about the game meant little to Linnie in the long run. She was more interested in what this information said about Drake. He was obviously skilled at finding ways to get what he wanted, and to get it the way he wanted. She felt a perverse desire to somehow deny him this, in any and every way she could.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:36:53 GMT
He paused for another moment. "But you know what I just realized? I won't get the enjoyment of eating your soul anyway, I promised James the exclusive privilege, so I don't really care how disintegrated and foul your soul is by the time he gets to it."
James, still sitting on the floor, cast his eyes to the ground, his face red. He felt embarrassed, partially because his mouth was watering at the thought of eating, even though it was Linnet's soul they were talking about.
The desire to redeem himself in the front stage of his mind, James tugged on Drake's pant leg and quickly signed out a request in their mutual, special brand of sign language.
/Tell her I'm not like you. /
Drake stared at him for a moment before laughing. "Why don't you tell her yourself, James? I'm not your personal ambassador," he said, pushing the boy away from him with a foot.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:37:01 GMT
Her thoughts did not have long to fester. Drake completely unsettled her by saying he was not going to eat her soul. Her bewilderment quickly began to overwhelm her as she tried to discern what his reasoning could possibly be. His next words had her full, undivided attention, and a dreadful, sinking feeling grew in her stomach, pushing all physical pain to the periphery of her awareness.
“James would…. James would eat my soul?” She could not help letting her eyes flicker to the boy’s face.
She turned away again when she realized he was staring guiltily at the ground, avoiding looking her way. That, if nothing else, confirmed it far more than just the words could have. Her face paled considerably, her expression blanked by surprise. Though Drake had demonstrated that James was not really human, and demonstrated that beyond a doubt, Linnet had never fully realized that James might eat souls as well.
The full implication of Drake’s promise before finally clicked in her mind. She could vividly picture the scene in the hall, and the horror in her heart, as he said, “I'll tell you a secret, Little Miss Witch. This time, our little friend over here isn't going to be fed until you go and die. And no sooner either, since he's been a bad little servant. He's not allowed to go and make nice little friends today. So you better go kick the bucket before the boy tears your throat out.” If she had known what he was truly talking about then, she probably would have been frightened out of her wits, maybe literally.
Now, it merely stunned her that James, the first in a long time to show her any kind of compassion, would be the one after her soul. For a moment her reserve crumpled. She wanted to curl up in a ball and hide, to end this conversation, to give up. In a way, she had trusted that James’s intentions were pure, that he truly desired to help her. But now, she felt like a fool. She was no more than a silly girl reacting to the first sign of friendliness. After all, she was beginning to realize that she knew little about James and his true motivations. There was no reason for her to trust him, yet she had. But, oh, did she realize just how foolish that was now.
She resolutely stared at the ceiling and took a deep breath, only to wince when it twinged her ribs. Conversely, the pain helped clear her mind and she thrusted thoughts of James away. No matter what she had naively assumed, it was not James who had done something wrong. Her goal was still Drake. That had not changed. She took a few moments to compose herself again, missing James and Drake’s interaction as she glared at the white blankness of the surface.
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:37:07 GMT
"Oh dear, did I surprise you?" Drake pulled his attention away from his servant and back to the human, a harsh smile curling on his mouth. "Your precious little friend hasn't been completely truthful with you, has he?" He leaned back further in the chair, then leaned forward again, becoming more animated now that he felt the tide had turned back in his direction.
The goal now was to taunt her, to drive that rift, then push James directly into it. And then they could finally be done with that stupid little girl. James, on the other hand, had an expression of distress across his features. How could he tell her that he wasn't--he didn't--but the truth of Drake's words also crawled on his back. He was close enough, and he was selfish enough to pull her in too, just because he craved some kind of human intimacy, some kind of friendship to tell him that he wasn't a monster.
The boy slowly hauled himself to his feet, an annoyed sound simmering in his throat, shaking his head, sending Linnet an imploring look, as if that alone could explain everything. Drake wasn't having any of that. He grabbed James by the waist and pulled him backwards, stopping him mid-gesture and smothering him with his arms.
"He wants me to tell you that he's not like me," Drake said, his voice slow, savoring the game, "and I'll give him that, he's no angel, but he's mine." His eyes lowered to the squirming mass of limbs that was currently James, his face obscured by one of the demon's hands. "And I can promise you, he's much worse than me. He might be cute now, has he promised that he will protect you yet? That he'll never hurt you? How about this? I'll keep you alive for a week, two weeks, maybe three weeks, and you can see what he looks like when he's hungry. Does that sound fun?"
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Post by Pieluver on Nov 2, 2022 1:37:16 GMT
Both his tone and his accusation that James was deceiving her made her anger bubble up. With an effort, she pushed it down where it was replaced with a cold hatred. Her eyes shifted toward Drake, their distinction made clearer by the intensity of her emotion. Had he let her doubts fester, perhaps her trust of James could have continued to deteriorate. Instead, as he continued, Drake only increased her anger toward him with his nearly mocking tone.
For so long, or at least since Drake had given the rules just a few days before, she had thought of James as a victim. Drake himself had reinforced that when he choked the boy, and even more for Linnet when he tore into James’s neck to prove a point to her. Now it seemed all the truer as James suddenly stood, an odd sound coming from his throat. He was frustrated and distressed with what was being said. Drake jerked him back again. The daemon savored every word, as though he were giving away a great secret. Despite her anger, her eyes lowered as Drake spoke, claiming James as his, which so closely mirrored her own thoughts. It was something she had no way to deny.
Drake, of course, continued, striking a nerve with venomous words. It was a point Linnet could not argue since it fit with what Drake had said before. She desperately wished she could just talk with James without Drake’s interference. That was not how things were, though. Linnet knew she should not depend on James. She would have to fight for her own survival… or at least that of her soul. The thought helped her to steel herself. At this point, she was certain Drake could not kill her and still eat her soul. Since her escape had failed, that was truly the last hope she had left to her. Linnet simply could not let the daemon defeat her. She would escape in the end, she had to.
For that end, she needed to know how to provoke Drake. So far, simply challenging him had done little other than reveal uncomfortable truths about her situation. Even attempting to escape seemed to hardly phase him, and she badly injured as a result. She needed to find a way to provoke him. The thought terrified her, but her resolve outweighed her fear, at least for the moment.
After a few tense, quiet moments, she gained enough courage to speak, though her fright was still apparent. “I don’t un’ersand why you don’t jus kill me.”
She needed more information, especially about Drake.
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