Butter Rum 12, Pomegranate 8, FOTD
Author: Casey
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy universe, Pre-NIEE
Challenges: Butter Rum 12 (Jolly Roger), FOTD (Deadpan: marked by or accomplished with a careful pretense of seriousness or calm detachment, displaying no emotional or personal involvement), Pomegranate 8 (bribery)
Toppings & Extras: Chopped Nuts (Nicole lives), Butterscotch (100+ years before NIEE), Sprinkles (Nic’s very sprinkly cuz the whole dying thing), Gummy Bunnies (Origfic Bingo: truth)
Word Count: 645
Rating: PG
Summary: Nic is Nic. Resh tries to be unsurprised.
Notes: I’m just having too much fun with Nicole right now, plus it’s Xmas in July still, if barely! Takes place a few days after the end of my binge in this AU aka the end of the story. Nic’s thirteen. Resh is fifteen. There is an expected sober turn at the end! Part 1 for 7/28.
“You know, I’m impressed at how little damage we did to the city,” Resh said, trying to create small talk. Nicole knew he was trying to fill in for her silence, but she liked just listening to the people go about their daily business. Normal life was not something she really remembered.
“I mighta preferred that we firebomb the sucker and be done with it.”
Taken aback for a moment, Resh then rolled his eyes. “What’s got you quiet?”
She smiled slightly, not surprised he noticed. She was being abnormally quiet and Resh had been able to understand her before she had even started speaking real words. “Nothing. Am I not allowed to think?”
“Just…wondering if you wanted to verbalize.”
“Well, look at you with your big words.”
“Don’t change the subject,” Resh said.
The pair reached the main gate in and out of the city and Nic paused, again listening to the common folks, which she had been for such a short time and now never would be again.
“What the hell is that?” Resh squawked suddenly and she grinned, spinning to face back towards the large castle that dominated the landscape.
“Like it?”
“A Jolly Roger, Nic? Honestly?”
“It only seemed appropriate,” she said mildly, crossing her arms behind her head as they, and most of the others in the street, watched the large black and white flag flutter over the castle.
“Appropriate?” Resh squinted at it. “How do you figure that?”
“Well, we pulled a mutiny of the best possible kind.”
He let out a laugh. “Where did you ever find one?”
“It was in some storage room I was helping clean.”
“How did you get it up there?”
“I climbed the pole and strung it up,” Nic said without showing the slightest emotion.
“Isn’t that…dangerous?”
She snorted. “Resh, the flag is raised and lowered. I just bribed the guy in charge to put it up for the day. I’m hoping Sek notices.”
“You’re so not funny and you’ve also ducked my original question.”
“What was that?” Nic asked, playing dumb.
“What’s the bug in your bonnet?” Resh asked. “You’ve been quiet all week. That,” he now pointed at the flag, “is the first you thing you’ve done since we ended all this. Nic, I’m here if you need to talk.”
She blew out a breath. “C’mon, let’s go find a quiet corner and we can talk.”
“Andrew knows the guy at a bar just down the street. He introduced me. We should be able to pop in there for a while.” He led the way down the street, turning down a well-used side road to a smallish but nice looking inn. He pushed his way inside, waved to the bartender and then took a small corner booth. Since it was late afternoon, the place had a decent sized crowd, allowing them to easily talk under the noise.
“So?” Resh prompted as soon as they had gotten their drinks and Nic showed no hurry to speak up.
She wrapped her fingers around her mug of water. “I don’t know, Resh. I…I feel like I should…feel more.”
“It’s only been a week.”
“Look, if you’re just gonna launch platitudes at me, I’d rather keep my thoughts to myself, okay?”
He snorted, rubbing at his face. “What I meant is that maybe we all need more time. This week has been crazy between installing Sek on the throne, all the clean-up and the sheer relief that Carris and Taggert are gone forever. It hasn’t exactly been the best time to regroup.”
“Resh, I don’t feel anything. I’m not even relieved. I just…am. I killed Carris and it…”
“doesn’t seem real,” he finished softly.
She nodded.
“It is, though. We burned his body. I watched,” he said firmly. “You, me an’ Alex, we’re safe.”
“But not normal,” she murmured.
He smiled crookedly. “No, never that.”
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy universe, Pre-NIEE
Challenges: Butter Rum 12 (Jolly Roger), FOTD (Deadpan: marked by or accomplished with a careful pretense of seriousness or calm detachment, displaying no emotional or personal involvement), Pomegranate 8 (bribery)
Toppings & Extras: Chopped Nuts (Nicole lives), Butterscotch (100+ years before NIEE), Sprinkles (Nic’s very sprinkly cuz the whole dying thing), Gummy Bunnies (Origfic Bingo: truth)
Word Count: 645
Rating: PG
Summary: Nic is Nic. Resh tries to be unsurprised.
Notes: I’m just having too much fun with Nicole right now, plus it’s Xmas in July still, if barely! Takes place a few days after the end of my binge in this AU aka the end of the story. Nic’s thirteen. Resh is fifteen. There is an expected sober turn at the end! Part 1 for 7/28.
“You know, I’m impressed at how little damage we did to the city,” Resh said, trying to create small talk. Nicole knew he was trying to fill in for her silence, but she liked just listening to the people go about their daily business. Normal life was not something she really remembered.
“I mighta preferred that we firebomb the sucker and be done with it.”
Taken aback for a moment, Resh then rolled his eyes. “What’s got you quiet?”
She smiled slightly, not surprised he noticed. She was being abnormally quiet and Resh had been able to understand her before she had even started speaking real words. “Nothing. Am I not allowed to think?”
“Just…wondering if you wanted to verbalize.”
“Well, look at you with your big words.”
“Don’t change the subject,” Resh said.
The pair reached the main gate in and out of the city and Nic paused, again listening to the common folks, which she had been for such a short time and now never would be again.
“What the hell is that?” Resh squawked suddenly and she grinned, spinning to face back towards the large castle that dominated the landscape.
“Like it?”
“A Jolly Roger, Nic? Honestly?”
“It only seemed appropriate,” she said mildly, crossing her arms behind her head as they, and most of the others in the street, watched the large black and white flag flutter over the castle.
“Appropriate?” Resh squinted at it. “How do you figure that?”
“Well, we pulled a mutiny of the best possible kind.”
He let out a laugh. “Where did you ever find one?”
“It was in some storage room I was helping clean.”
“How did you get it up there?”
“I climbed the pole and strung it up,” Nic said without showing the slightest emotion.
“Isn’t that…dangerous?”
She snorted. “Resh, the flag is raised and lowered. I just bribed the guy in charge to put it up for the day. I’m hoping Sek notices.”
“You’re so not funny and you’ve also ducked my original question.”
“What was that?” Nic asked, playing dumb.
“What’s the bug in your bonnet?” Resh asked. “You’ve been quiet all week. That,” he now pointed at the flag, “is the first you thing you’ve done since we ended all this. Nic, I’m here if you need to talk.”
She blew out a breath. “C’mon, let’s go find a quiet corner and we can talk.”
“Andrew knows the guy at a bar just down the street. He introduced me. We should be able to pop in there for a while.” He led the way down the street, turning down a well-used side road to a smallish but nice looking inn. He pushed his way inside, waved to the bartender and then took a small corner booth. Since it was late afternoon, the place had a decent sized crowd, allowing them to easily talk under the noise.
“So?” Resh prompted as soon as they had gotten their drinks and Nic showed no hurry to speak up.
She wrapped her fingers around her mug of water. “I don’t know, Resh. I…I feel like I should…feel more.”
“It’s only been a week.”
“Look, if you’re just gonna launch platitudes at me, I’d rather keep my thoughts to myself, okay?”
He snorted, rubbing at his face. “What I meant is that maybe we all need more time. This week has been crazy between installing Sek on the throne, all the clean-up and the sheer relief that Carris and Taggert are gone forever. It hasn’t exactly been the best time to regroup.”
“Resh, I don’t feel anything. I’m not even relieved. I just…am. I killed Carris and it…”
“doesn’t seem real,” he finished softly.
She nodded.
“It is, though. We burned his body. I watched,” he said firmly. “You, me an’ Alex, we’re safe.”
“But not normal,” she murmured.
He smiled crookedly. “No, never that.”