Pomegranate 24, Green Tea 23, Papaya 3
Author: Casey
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy universe, Post NIEE
Challenges: Pomegranate 24 (hitchhiker/stowaway), Green Tea 23 (hourglass) & Papaya 3 (I smell a rat)
Toppings & Extras: Caramel
Word Count: 918
Rating: PG
Summary: Dean gets mistaken for someone else.
Notes: Scene from last year’s NaNo. Still trying to finish up Pomegranate!
A few anxious minutes later, Dean wondering why they didn’t leave the two of them alone, Roderick swept in. “Now, is there anything I can get you?”
“No, sir,” Elizabeth said and now he frowned.
“Why does Master Ian not speak?”
“He’s just scared, sir,” Elizabeth said, jutting that chin again. Dean was vaguely surprised her face hadn’t stuck that way.
“He doesn’t look much scared to me,” Roderick said, eyes narrowing. “More calculating. Do you know something we don’t, young Master Ian?”
Elizabeth paused now, a bit of panic seeping into her posture that Dean could feel, since they stood shoulder to shoulder.
“Captain, we have…”
Dean knew then that the act was up, since that was one of the stair guards trotting up behind Roderick down the narrow corridor.
“I do actually,” Dean said, speaking up and clearly, knowing his accent would be instantly identifiable to these men - maybe not to the country, but certainly as not from Gilan. “I’m not Ian. Seems you didn’t fully succeed after all.”
For a moment, Roderick stared at him, jaw actually a bit slack, which Dean suspected didn’t happen much and then he spun on the stair guard. “How did you not tell me?” he roared, the support beams in the room actually shaking with the volume of his voice.
“I…I didn’t see the boy, sir, you didn’t ask me if it was Master Ian, sir, I didn’t know it was this one!” the stair guard stuttered.
“You most certainly did not,” Roderick railed, buffeting the man hard enough across the side of the head that he fell against the wall before spinning back to face Dean and Elizabeth. “What is the meaning of this?”
“You take us captive against our will and really expect us to tell you the truth?” Elizabeth said, still every ounce a regal princess. Dean was glad for her calm, although he could have asked for a less snarky response. He couldn’t argue with the truth in the statement, though.
“Who are you?” Roderick demanded, stepping forward until he was right in Dean’s face, ignoring Elizabeth.
Dean barely kept from sighing. Bullies were both predictable and really obnoxious and he was fast getting the impression that what Roderick liked best was to be the big man and the one in charge. He definitely did not like having a fast one pulled on him.
“Did you really think we would be so stupid as to send the two heirs out the window first and not do something about it? Yeah, sure, we didn’t know you’d be waiting, but still, need to support them and all that. Or else we would have been doing a…”
“I don’t give a shit what the reasoning was,” Roderick snarled, spit splattering Dean’s face. “What I want to know is who are you.”
“My name’s Dean.”
“And how the hell did you get into this? I know for a fact that Corinne Harden does not have any Tirans aboard her ship.”
“Is our accent really that recognizable?” Dean asked and was answered with a slap across the face for it. He gritted his teeth, this far too familiar for comfort and took him back to being twelve again, within the clutches of his psychotic uncle and his little second in command, Tourn. “Don’t touch me,” he told Roderick. “Or else you’ll pay for it.”
Roderick seemed to abruptly realize that Dean was still armed and he jerked backward. “Disarm him!” he said, voice a good octave higher than it had been.
Elizabeth stifled a snicker beside him. Dean held his arms up, wanting to give Roderick no reason to kill him, and let the man named Jason come and relieve him of his sword and obvious knives. The idiot didn’t even search him for hidden knives and Dean didn’t bother to correct him on the omission.
Roderick didn’t seem to notice either because as soon as he thought Dean was unarmed, he was back in his face. “Where did you come from?”
“Tira,” Dean said flatly and was rewarded with a look of annoyance.
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
“Corinne hired me to help get Elizabeth and Ian Winchester safely from the palace to a safe house where they could be kept until you and your friends were no longer a threat to them or anyone.”
“Oh, and Corinne thought she could deal with me?” Roderick let out a laugh, relaxing quite a bit as he swaggered back to the door and turned to them. “Corinne has nothing on me and don’t you two forget it. Now, I’ll let you live for now, even if you’re next to useless to me, because I’m sure I can find a better time to kill you when I can piss Corinne off as well.”
Dean as much heard as he felt the boat shift beneath him and he suspected that might signal them launching from the dock. He nodded. “Okay, won’t forget it,” he said.
“Me neither,” Elizabeth said through clenched teeth. He reached over and patted her hand gently, trying to get her not to clench them so hard.
“Good. One slip,” he threatened, waving a finger at them, which Dean wanted to grab and snap in two, just for the slap. Instead, he stared at Roderick levelly, wanting the man to get some idea that he was not to be trifled with. The more Roderick left them alone, the better off they’d be, as far as Dean was concerned.
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy universe, Post NIEE
Challenges: Pomegranate 24 (hitchhiker/stowaway), Green Tea 23 (hourglass) & Papaya 3 (I smell a rat)
Toppings & Extras: Caramel
Word Count: 918
Rating: PG
Summary: Dean gets mistaken for someone else.
Notes: Scene from last year’s NaNo. Still trying to finish up Pomegranate!
A few anxious minutes later, Dean wondering why they didn’t leave the two of them alone, Roderick swept in. “Now, is there anything I can get you?”
“No, sir,” Elizabeth said and now he frowned.
“Why does Master Ian not speak?”
“He’s just scared, sir,” Elizabeth said, jutting that chin again. Dean was vaguely surprised her face hadn’t stuck that way.
“He doesn’t look much scared to me,” Roderick said, eyes narrowing. “More calculating. Do you know something we don’t, young Master Ian?”
Elizabeth paused now, a bit of panic seeping into her posture that Dean could feel, since they stood shoulder to shoulder.
“Captain, we have…”
Dean knew then that the act was up, since that was one of the stair guards trotting up behind Roderick down the narrow corridor.
“I do actually,” Dean said, speaking up and clearly, knowing his accent would be instantly identifiable to these men - maybe not to the country, but certainly as not from Gilan. “I’m not Ian. Seems you didn’t fully succeed after all.”
For a moment, Roderick stared at him, jaw actually a bit slack, which Dean suspected didn’t happen much and then he spun on the stair guard. “How did you not tell me?” he roared, the support beams in the room actually shaking with the volume of his voice.
“I…I didn’t see the boy, sir, you didn’t ask me if it was Master Ian, sir, I didn’t know it was this one!” the stair guard stuttered.
“You most certainly did not,” Roderick railed, buffeting the man hard enough across the side of the head that he fell against the wall before spinning back to face Dean and Elizabeth. “What is the meaning of this?”
“You take us captive against our will and really expect us to tell you the truth?” Elizabeth said, still every ounce a regal princess. Dean was glad for her calm, although he could have asked for a less snarky response. He couldn’t argue with the truth in the statement, though.
“Who are you?” Roderick demanded, stepping forward until he was right in Dean’s face, ignoring Elizabeth.
Dean barely kept from sighing. Bullies were both predictable and really obnoxious and he was fast getting the impression that what Roderick liked best was to be the big man and the one in charge. He definitely did not like having a fast one pulled on him.
“Did you really think we would be so stupid as to send the two heirs out the window first and not do something about it? Yeah, sure, we didn’t know you’d be waiting, but still, need to support them and all that. Or else we would have been doing a…”
“I don’t give a shit what the reasoning was,” Roderick snarled, spit splattering Dean’s face. “What I want to know is who are you.”
“My name’s Dean.”
“And how the hell did you get into this? I know for a fact that Corinne Harden does not have any Tirans aboard her ship.”
“Is our accent really that recognizable?” Dean asked and was answered with a slap across the face for it. He gritted his teeth, this far too familiar for comfort and took him back to being twelve again, within the clutches of his psychotic uncle and his little second in command, Tourn. “Don’t touch me,” he told Roderick. “Or else you’ll pay for it.”
Roderick seemed to abruptly realize that Dean was still armed and he jerked backward. “Disarm him!” he said, voice a good octave higher than it had been.
Elizabeth stifled a snicker beside him. Dean held his arms up, wanting to give Roderick no reason to kill him, and let the man named Jason come and relieve him of his sword and obvious knives. The idiot didn’t even search him for hidden knives and Dean didn’t bother to correct him on the omission.
Roderick didn’t seem to notice either because as soon as he thought Dean was unarmed, he was back in his face. “Where did you come from?”
“Tira,” Dean said flatly and was rewarded with a look of annoyance.
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
“Corinne hired me to help get Elizabeth and Ian Winchester safely from the palace to a safe house where they could be kept until you and your friends were no longer a threat to them or anyone.”
“Oh, and Corinne thought she could deal with me?” Roderick let out a laugh, relaxing quite a bit as he swaggered back to the door and turned to them. “Corinne has nothing on me and don’t you two forget it. Now, I’ll let you live for now, even if you’re next to useless to me, because I’m sure I can find a better time to kill you when I can piss Corinne off as well.”
Dean as much heard as he felt the boat shift beneath him and he suspected that might signal them launching from the dock. He nodded. “Okay, won’t forget it,” he said.
“Me neither,” Elizabeth said through clenched teeth. He reached over and patted her hand gently, trying to get her not to clench them so hard.
“Good. One slip,” he threatened, waving a finger at them, which Dean wanted to grab and snap in two, just for the slap. Instead, he stared at Roderick levelly, wanting the man to get some idea that he was not to be trifled with. The more Roderick left them alone, the better off they’d be, as far as Dean was concerned.