(no subject)
"If you really don't give a shit," Jackal sneered at me, looking at me with that same cocky gleam in his eyes that I remembered from years and years ago, "Then I guess it won't be too much of a problem to put a bullet through her head and paint the walls with her brains, dunnit yeah?"
Jackal had this infuriating ability to somehow swagger without walking. He was just that full of himself.
I feigned disinterest. "Didn't ever see you as much of an artist--"
I didn't even finish the sentence when the gunshot went off. I stared blankly, in shock at what he had just done. Jackal never, never acted on impulse. He took after Nion.
But the grey splatters on the wall didn't lie.
Jackal was suddenly very grim. He kicked the body to the ground and holstered his weapon. "Think I'm serious yet? Think I be telling you lies still, asshole?"
I growled involuntarily, the mechanical rotors grinding in the back of my throat. "That was unnecessary, you conniving son of a bitch motherfucking Human--"
"Save it," Jackal said dismissively. "I know what you want, Xirtrian."
"I don't want anything--"
"You want the girl. You want Shantala."
"Fuck you." I wanted to hit him. I wanted to tear his fucking throat out. The impulse was so incredibly strong that I had a hard time forcing it out of my head. I knew he was purposefully pushing my buttons, shoving me to the edge of my temper, but it wasn't any less difficult to control it once I understood this fact. He'd always been that way, and with Jackal, there was little room for change.
I said nothing.
"This isn't about that, anyway."
I glared at him. "What's it about, then?"
Jackal grinned slyly, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it. "Someone by the name of Oxiandi."
My blood ran cold.
Jackal had this infuriating ability to somehow swagger without walking. He was just that full of himself.
I feigned disinterest. "Didn't ever see you as much of an artist--"
I didn't even finish the sentence when the gunshot went off. I stared blankly, in shock at what he had just done. Jackal never, never acted on impulse. He took after Nion.
But the grey splatters on the wall didn't lie.
Jackal was suddenly very grim. He kicked the body to the ground and holstered his weapon. "Think I'm serious yet? Think I be telling you lies still, asshole?"
I growled involuntarily, the mechanical rotors grinding in the back of my throat. "That was unnecessary, you conniving son of a bitch motherfucking Human--"
"Save it," Jackal said dismissively. "I know what you want, Xirtrian."
"I don't want anything--"
"You want the girl. You want Shantala."
"Fuck you." I wanted to hit him. I wanted to tear his fucking throat out. The impulse was so incredibly strong that I had a hard time forcing it out of my head. I knew he was purposefully pushing my buttons, shoving me to the edge of my temper, but it wasn't any less difficult to control it once I understood this fact. He'd always been that way, and with Jackal, there was little room for change.
I said nothing.
"This isn't about that, anyway."
I glared at him. "What's it about, then?"
Jackal grinned slyly, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it. "Someone by the name of Oxiandi."
My blood ran cold.