Plea Bargain (Jing Theme #23 - Begging)
Community: 50_themes
Characters: Jing + Kir (friendship category)
Fandom: King of Bandits Jing
Full list of themes can be found HERE. X-posted to 50_themes, ankhutenshi, kingofbandit
*
Title: Plea Bargain
Theme: #23 - Begging
Notes: 1365 words, finished Feb 13/07.
Cassis woke to find a dark shape sitting on the edge of her bed. Even two years past the incident, her mind flashed back to the night the Forest Fairy had captured her. Her heart rate quickened for a second until she saw the figure's long coat, turned from yellow to pale silver in the moonlight.
Only Jing would bother sneaking into the building to see her.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered.
He turned his head to regard her, and his eyes opened. She wondered what he'd been listening to, sitting so still like that. "I wanted to talk to you."
"Now??"
He gave her one of his infuriatingly puzzled looks, as though he couldn't understand why she was objecting to being woken up in the middle of the night and hauled off for a discussion. It was entirely possible that he didn't realize it was out of the ordinary, because he was like that. Cassis sighed, gripped the pillow as though contemplating hitting him in the head with it, and finally asked, "Here?"
"No... outside somewhere."
She'd have groaned loudly if she hadn't been worried it'd wake the Aunties down the hall. She was fairly certain they knew Jing visited, often behind their backs. Jing and the Aunties had a tenuous relationship. He still resented them for trying to induct him into the orphanage when his mother had died, now seven years ago. He'd spent the first year of their friendship running away -- always to the same place, his house in the woods. Eventually, the Aunties stopped trying to bring him back. Jing had once mentioned that they'd made a deal, but the details of it remained obscure. All she knew was that Jing 'lived' in his house but generally submitted to the Aunties' care when it was required.
"Where's Kir?" Cassis asked as she got out of bed; the albatross didn't appear to have made the trip tonight. Her toes curled when they hit the cold floor and she hurried over to her shoes first before pulling her jacket on over her nightgown.
"He's at home, sleeping."
That was odd. Usually they were glued at the hip -- or wing, or whatever.
There was an Auntie sitting up in the parlor, which despite the late hour, was not unusual. The women had long since established a rotation so that at least one was always awake, to soothe the inevitable bad dream or monster in the closet that came with caring for young children. Jing's hand was warm as it held her own, leading her silently down the hallway and out the back door.
The night air was chilled. Winter was not far away, and frost had patterned the corners of the windows. Cassis shivered as they went down the empty streets, in and out of the street lamp glows. Balalaika was sleeping peacefully; she wished she was too.
"Jing," she said, tugging on his hand once it was became obvious that he was taking her to the outskirts of the town. "Wait, where are we going?"
She felt more than heard him sigh. "I wanted to talk to you."
"You said that already. About what?"
"Cassis, I..." Jing's steps slowed, but didn't turn to look at her, which she found strange. She touched his shoulder and he stopped, and for the first time she was able to sense a faint desperation in his movements.
"Jing, what's wrong?" She hadn't seen him like this before, except for perhaps brief instances when he didn't know she was watching; edgy, restless.
"Cassis, I have to leave..."
"But you just dragged me out here! What was the point of--" He looked at her, and her words died. His expression was positively haunted, and suddenly she realized that he hadn't just been talking about going back to his house and climbing into bed. "Leave where?" she prompted gently, and as her hand was still in his, she felt the grip tighten.
"I don't know. Anywhere. As long as it's away from here. I can't be in Amarcord anymore..."
Without releasing his hand, the blonde-haired girl guided him to a patch of grass nearby and sat. "It's just the winter," she tried to soothe him. How many times in the last few years had she woken, just like tonight, to find Jing sitting in her room simply needing someone to be nearby, to not be alone in his empty house? "You always hated the winter, remember? But it's just for a few months and when spring comes, you'll--"
"It's not just that," Jing muttered, picking at a few blades of grass with his free hand.
"I... don't--"
"I want you to come with me, Cassis," he interrupted, finally looking up at her, his gaze earnest.
"Come... with you?"
"Leave Amarcord with me. Before winter sets in and we have to wait another year. You can choose where we go, anywhere in Aquavitae you want to see, I'll take you there! You and Kir and I..."
Cassis shook her head, uncertainly, staring at Jing as though he'd been possessed. What had gotten into him? He couldn't be serious... "Jing, that's... what are you talking about? We can't leave the boys..."
"The Aunties will take care of them, Cassis. They're still too young; they're not going to understand. We'll come back, I promise, a year or two--"
Cassis pulled her hand out of his, flabbergasted. "Jing, listen to yourself! A year or two?? We can't just abandon Clove and Pomme and Mint because the Aunties will take care of them. What is wrong with you? We all have to stick together, remember? That's the way it works!"
He stared at her and she could see confusion and hurt in his grey eyes, even in the darkness. He really didn't think like she did, understood things differently in a way that both baffled and attracted her. "Cassis... we're not abandoning them..."
"Then what do you call it?!"
"I want--"
"Jing, you can't always have what you want! I don't care if you want to be the Bandit King! You can't decide other people's lives because it's the way you want them." Her voice hitched a little and she found her eyes smarting. Was she crying? She didn't cry!
"Cassis... it's not like that!" He watched her, but it was hard to watch him. He kept moving so that his face was in shadow, making his expression unreadable. "You're my best friend... I need you..."
She shook her head, trying to draw on conviction, and stood firm. "I can't, Jing. You know that, deep down. I can't leave the boys. They need me. They need you too. Whatever thing you've gotten into your head, it'll go away, it'll--"
"It won't!" His voice raised, accusing, and from the buildings closest to them, a light turned on in an upper window. "Why don't you understand?!"
"Why don't you understand!" she shouted back; more lights flickered on. "You're so selfish, Jing! It's always about you! Think about others for once! Think about what would make them happy! What they would want!"
He got to his feet in a whirl of yellow cloth and stared hard at her, betrayed and angry. "Fine," he hissed. "Stay in Amarcord forever, if that's what you want. I don't care! I was wrong, I don't need you around!"
He stalked for the low iron gates which led out of town, and she raised her hand to his retreating back, his name ready on her tongue to call out. Should I stop him? But he was so angry right now, perhaps it would be better to let him cool off, to see him in the morning. They'd both sulk for a while but she'd forgive him. She always did, even when he did such foolish things as trying to steal her a birthday gift.
"See you tomorrow, Jing," she whispered, getting to her feet; the dew had soaked the hem of her nightgown.
---
When morning came and his house was empty, she knew she should have called out to him the night before.
Characters: Jing + Kir (friendship category)
Fandom: King of Bandits Jing
Full list of themes can be found HERE. X-posted to 50_themes, ankhutenshi, kingofbandit
*
Title: Plea Bargain
Theme: #23 - Begging
Notes: 1365 words, finished Feb 13/07.
Cassis woke to find a dark shape sitting on the edge of her bed. Even two years past the incident, her mind flashed back to the night the Forest Fairy had captured her. Her heart rate quickened for a second until she saw the figure's long coat, turned from yellow to pale silver in the moonlight.
Only Jing would bother sneaking into the building to see her.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered.
He turned his head to regard her, and his eyes opened. She wondered what he'd been listening to, sitting so still like that. "I wanted to talk to you."
"Now??"
He gave her one of his infuriatingly puzzled looks, as though he couldn't understand why she was objecting to being woken up in the middle of the night and hauled off for a discussion. It was entirely possible that he didn't realize it was out of the ordinary, because he was like that. Cassis sighed, gripped the pillow as though contemplating hitting him in the head with it, and finally asked, "Here?"
"No... outside somewhere."
She'd have groaned loudly if she hadn't been worried it'd wake the Aunties down the hall. She was fairly certain they knew Jing visited, often behind their backs. Jing and the Aunties had a tenuous relationship. He still resented them for trying to induct him into the orphanage when his mother had died, now seven years ago. He'd spent the first year of their friendship running away -- always to the same place, his house in the woods. Eventually, the Aunties stopped trying to bring him back. Jing had once mentioned that they'd made a deal, but the details of it remained obscure. All she knew was that Jing 'lived' in his house but generally submitted to the Aunties' care when it was required.
"Where's Kir?" Cassis asked as she got out of bed; the albatross didn't appear to have made the trip tonight. Her toes curled when they hit the cold floor and she hurried over to her shoes first before pulling her jacket on over her nightgown.
"He's at home, sleeping."
That was odd. Usually they were glued at the hip -- or wing, or whatever.
There was an Auntie sitting up in the parlor, which despite the late hour, was not unusual. The women had long since established a rotation so that at least one was always awake, to soothe the inevitable bad dream or monster in the closet that came with caring for young children. Jing's hand was warm as it held her own, leading her silently down the hallway and out the back door.
The night air was chilled. Winter was not far away, and frost had patterned the corners of the windows. Cassis shivered as they went down the empty streets, in and out of the street lamp glows. Balalaika was sleeping peacefully; she wished she was too.
"Jing," she said, tugging on his hand once it was became obvious that he was taking her to the outskirts of the town. "Wait, where are we going?"
She felt more than heard him sigh. "I wanted to talk to you."
"You said that already. About what?"
"Cassis, I..." Jing's steps slowed, but didn't turn to look at her, which she found strange. She touched his shoulder and he stopped, and for the first time she was able to sense a faint desperation in his movements.
"Jing, what's wrong?" She hadn't seen him like this before, except for perhaps brief instances when he didn't know she was watching; edgy, restless.
"Cassis, I have to leave..."
"But you just dragged me out here! What was the point of--" He looked at her, and her words died. His expression was positively haunted, and suddenly she realized that he hadn't just been talking about going back to his house and climbing into bed. "Leave where?" she prompted gently, and as her hand was still in his, she felt the grip tighten.
"I don't know. Anywhere. As long as it's away from here. I can't be in Amarcord anymore..."
Without releasing his hand, the blonde-haired girl guided him to a patch of grass nearby and sat. "It's just the winter," she tried to soothe him. How many times in the last few years had she woken, just like tonight, to find Jing sitting in her room simply needing someone to be nearby, to not be alone in his empty house? "You always hated the winter, remember? But it's just for a few months and when spring comes, you'll--"
"It's not just that," Jing muttered, picking at a few blades of grass with his free hand.
"I... don't--"
"I want you to come with me, Cassis," he interrupted, finally looking up at her, his gaze earnest.
"Come... with you?"
"Leave Amarcord with me. Before winter sets in and we have to wait another year. You can choose where we go, anywhere in Aquavitae you want to see, I'll take you there! You and Kir and I..."
Cassis shook her head, uncertainly, staring at Jing as though he'd been possessed. What had gotten into him? He couldn't be serious... "Jing, that's... what are you talking about? We can't leave the boys..."
"The Aunties will take care of them, Cassis. They're still too young; they're not going to understand. We'll come back, I promise, a year or two--"
Cassis pulled her hand out of his, flabbergasted. "Jing, listen to yourself! A year or two?? We can't just abandon Clove and Pomme and Mint because the Aunties will take care of them. What is wrong with you? We all have to stick together, remember? That's the way it works!"
He stared at her and she could see confusion and hurt in his grey eyes, even in the darkness. He really didn't think like she did, understood things differently in a way that both baffled and attracted her. "Cassis... we're not abandoning them..."
"Then what do you call it?!"
"I want--"
"Jing, you can't always have what you want! I don't care if you want to be the Bandit King! You can't decide other people's lives because it's the way you want them." Her voice hitched a little and she found her eyes smarting. Was she crying? She didn't cry!
"Cassis... it's not like that!" He watched her, but it was hard to watch him. He kept moving so that his face was in shadow, making his expression unreadable. "You're my best friend... I need you..."
She shook her head, trying to draw on conviction, and stood firm. "I can't, Jing. You know that, deep down. I can't leave the boys. They need me. They need you too. Whatever thing you've gotten into your head, it'll go away, it'll--"
"It won't!" His voice raised, accusing, and from the buildings closest to them, a light turned on in an upper window. "Why don't you understand?!"
"Why don't you understand!" she shouted back; more lights flickered on. "You're so selfish, Jing! It's always about you! Think about others for once! Think about what would make them happy! What they would want!"
He got to his feet in a whirl of yellow cloth and stared hard at her, betrayed and angry. "Fine," he hissed. "Stay in Amarcord forever, if that's what you want. I don't care! I was wrong, I don't need you around!"
He stalked for the low iron gates which led out of town, and she raised her hand to his retreating back, his name ready on her tongue to call out. Should I stop him? But he was so angry right now, perhaps it would be better to let him cool off, to see him in the morning. They'd both sulk for a while but she'd forgive him. She always did, even when he did such foolish things as trying to steal her a birthday gift.
"See you tomorrow, Jing," she whispered, getting to her feet; the dew had soaked the hem of her nightgown.
---
When morning came and his house was empty, she knew she should have called out to him the night before.