well i won't be the one [to disappoint you]
Good & Evil
"I'm going for a walk."
Ames doesn't look up from his work, just grunts his acknowledgment and Jondy bounces out the door. She waits until she's out of earshot before she settles down in the grass under a shady tree.
"He's going to kick my ass when he finds out a demon is watching his house, you know," she says lightly, leaning back against the rough bark of the tree.
"He already does."
She gives Nicholas a small smile and shrugs. "Touché."
Nicholas sits down in front of her, his bent knees pressing against hers. "Does he even know?"
"About demons?" She shrugs again. "I don't know. I never really thought to ask. The topic never came up over dinner."
It's Nicholas' turn to shrug. "We rarely do."
They sit in silence for a while, knees knocking together. Jondy leans her head back against the tree and closes her eyes. It'd been a while since she'd seen anyone. No one seemed to care.
"Why're you here?" she asks suddenly, eyes still closed.
"Sam sent me."
Okay, well, somebody cared. That was heartening. "But why?"
Nicholas frowned, not that she could see it. "Someone is after Ruby and Sam."
"Oh."
"He's not against using family as a weapon."
"...Oh." Her eyes open in a flash of intuition. "Got it."
"Sam told me I didn't have to protect... the guy." His voice comes out with the hint of a sneer at the end. Jondy figures that's how Sam said it. "But then he changed his mind. He didn't want you to get hurt."
Jondy snorts and Nicholas looks up. "What?"
"Nothing. Sam's just kind of predictable."
Nicholas' forehead wrinkles up. "How do you mean?"
"He won't hurt Ames because it'll hurt me. But if Ames accidentally gets hurt and dies? Well... it wasn't his fault. Occasionally Sam is evil. A really good, wonderful man. But evil."
"I'm going for a walk."
Ames doesn't look up from his work, just grunts his acknowledgment and Jondy bounces out the door. She waits until she's out of earshot before she settles down in the grass under a shady tree.
"He's going to kick my ass when he finds out a demon is watching his house, you know," she says lightly, leaning back against the rough bark of the tree.
"He already does."
She gives Nicholas a small smile and shrugs. "Touché."
Nicholas sits down in front of her, his bent knees pressing against hers. "Does he even know?"
"About demons?" She shrugs again. "I don't know. I never really thought to ask. The topic never came up over dinner."
It's Nicholas' turn to shrug. "We rarely do."
They sit in silence for a while, knees knocking together. Jondy leans her head back against the tree and closes her eyes. It'd been a while since she'd seen anyone. No one seemed to care.
"Why're you here?" she asks suddenly, eyes still closed.
"Sam sent me."
Okay, well, somebody cared. That was heartening. "But why?"
Nicholas frowned, not that she could see it. "Someone is after Ruby and Sam."
"Oh."
"He's not against using family as a weapon."
"...Oh." Her eyes open in a flash of intuition. "Got it."
"Sam told me I didn't have to protect... the guy." His voice comes out with the hint of a sneer at the end. Jondy figures that's how Sam said it. "But then he changed his mind. He didn't want you to get hurt."
Jondy snorts and Nicholas looks up. "What?"
"Nothing. Sam's just kind of predictable."
Nicholas' forehead wrinkles up. "How do you mean?"
"He won't hurt Ames because it'll hurt me. But if Ames accidentally gets hurt and dies? Well... it wasn't his fault. Occasionally Sam is evil. A really good, wonderful man. But evil."