Guava 18, Trail Mix 12 and FOTD
Author: Casey
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy (NIEE) universe, During NIEE
Challenges: Guava 18 (just what I always wanted), Trail Mix 12 (tower), FOTD (de rigueur: Strictly required, as by etiquette, usage, or fashion.)
Toppings & Extras: Sprinkles, Hot Fudge
Word Count: 1091
Rating: PG
Summary: Ani finds a letter that must be answered. Vlad argues. Sorin fakes indifference.
Notes: These three may be my villains, but I do love them, especially when they are all in the same room. Just a fun look into their insanity :)
Ani sat at the desk, fiddling with the papers on it as Sorin and Vlad talked around her. “What I think is...”
“Vladimir, I honestly don’t care about your opinion right now,” Sorin said flatly. “You’re going about this all wrong and you need to just admit it and leave it to me.”
“I don’t appreciate your attitude, Sorin.”
“If you weren’t going to, you shouldn’t have asked me to help you take over the country,” he said easily, leaning back in his chair. “What do you think, Ani?”
“Hmm?” she asked, distracted out of a daydream in which she was getting to kiss Ren...a lot.
“Thoughts?”
“Sorin’s right,” she said absently, picking through a pile on the desk, which she was pretty sure was Vlad’s if someone had pushed her to pick a brother.
“Why the hell is Sorin always right?” Vlad exploded. “And do you even know what we’re talking about?”
“Something to do with the Freedom Fighters. And Sunshine’s always right.”
Sorin rolled his eyes, but for once, didn’t comment on the nickname. “Look, Vladimir, just admit you’re wrong and we’re right.”
“Since when did Anica even get a vote?”
“Don’t call me Anica!”
“You know she doesn’t like Anica,” Sorin said at the same time.
Vlad glared at them. “You two are impossible.”
“What’s this?” Ani asked suddenly, having been skimming the letter on the top. “Vlad, did you do something about this?”
Taken off guard by her changing the subject, he just blinked at her. “Did I do something about what?”
“This letter. It’s from an Eva Morales, a hostel owner outside Greensward,” Ani said, reading it a bit more thoroughly. “She’s been having problems with your soldiers. Our soldiers! They’re being jerks,” she said decisively, not even bothering to fully read it. She got a good vibe from this Eva.
“Being jerks?” Vlad repeated. “Ani, I don’t have time for this.”
“Isn’t that what’s being king or at least in charge all about? Gotta listen to everyone.”
“She makes a good point,” Sorin pointed out mildly.
“If she did, we wouldn’t be here. Or else...damn it, neither of you are ones to talk. If we did that, then we should just be abdicating the throne to the Freedom Fighters, which is a wonderful idea. Let’s just throw in the towel and hope they’re nice to us after we killed the king.”
“That was you,” Ani said absently, mind already back on the letter.
“For once, Vladimir makes a good point,” Sorin said, “but he misses the main point.”
“I can’t respond to every last little person who writes me a sob story about something happening. Tell them to put down the Freedom Fighters and our soldiers won’t need to be in their homes.”
“It’s not her home, it’s her business and they’re being jerks to her and her daughter, who is a little girl,” Ani said, voice a bit more strident. “A little girl, Vlad!”
“So I feel bad for her, but they didn’t actually hurt her. They have a lot of manly things to get out of their system, that’s all. Let them posture.”
“If we help, we look better,” Ani argued.
“This is not up for discussion, Ani! Those are just papers I haven’t gotten around to burning yet.”
“It should be. Right, Sorin?”
“Mm,” Sorin said, reaching out and delicately plucking the letter from her hands to peruse for himself.
“See, Sorin agrees with me.”
“He said no such thing!” Vlad grumbled. “When he doesn’t speak, you can’t put words in his mouth.”
“Why not? I know what he’s thinking.”
“Anica, it’s not up for discussion.”
She now glared at him. “Don’t call me that.”
“It’s your name.”
“It’s what Dad called me and I don’t want to be called that any more.”
That stopped him for a minute. “The point is, I don’t have time to help her. And what do you want me to do? We’ll always have more soldiers. I can’t watch all of them all the time.”
“Their commanders can,” Sorin muttered but neither of them heard him.
“If you do something for her, she’ll tell all the people who stay with her and people will like us more.”
“I...” Vlad trailed off.
“She speaks sense,” Sorin put in.
The older brother let out an inarticulate growl. “I have governing things to do! I will talk to you two later,” he said, turning and stomping from the room.
“Vlad’s not having a good day.”
“Vladimir rarely has a good day anymore,” Sorin said, staring after his brother.
She frowned, temporarily distracted. “Can you help that? I’ve never been good at making Vlad happy.”
He meticulously folded the letter back along the creases. “I don’t think there’s anything I can do either. Vladimir and I haven’t seen eye to eye since well before I moved out.”
Ani sighed. “I like him better happy.”
“Mm,” Sorin said, now folding the letter in half and slipping it into his back pocket.
She watched him out of the corner of her gaze and tried not to smile at him, only partially succeeding. “Let me guess, Eva Morales won’t have any more problems.”
Sorin flashed her a momentary and rare smile. “At least not with this crowd. She very usefully gave me the name of the unit commander. They’ll be getting a new deployment within the next day. Jakium is on his way to Greensward tomorrow.”
Ani, unable to resist, jumped up and all but tackled Sorin in a hug. “Thank you!” she sang.
He patted her gently and awkwardly on the back. “You’re welcome. But Vladimir is right, in so far as it will be all but impossible to step in on all of these.”
As his sister’s face fell a bit, even as she nodded her acquiescence, he glanced over at the pile on Vlad’s desk. “But I’ll make sure any incoming letters get directed through someone else first. We’ll see what we can do.”
Instantly, she beamed again. “Love you, Sunshine!”
Something like amusement flickered across his face. “You’re welcome. I’d better go make sure Vladimir doesn’t do any poor governing. I’ll see you at dinner?”
“You bet!” she said and grinned. “If I don’t get distracted by Renny.”
There was a pause and then he shook his head. “I won’t ask, so please don’t tell me.”
“I’ll try not,” she said, patting him on the head as she bounced past, heading for Ren’s room.
Sorin scooped up the letters off Vlad’s desk, looked around the room and left.
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy (NIEE) universe, During NIEE
Challenges: Guava 18 (just what I always wanted), Trail Mix 12 (tower), FOTD (de rigueur: Strictly required, as by etiquette, usage, or fashion.)
Toppings & Extras: Sprinkles, Hot Fudge
Word Count: 1091
Rating: PG
Summary: Ani finds a letter that must be answered. Vlad argues. Sorin fakes indifference.
Notes: These three may be my villains, but I do love them, especially when they are all in the same room. Just a fun look into their insanity :)
Ani sat at the desk, fiddling with the papers on it as Sorin and Vlad talked around her. “What I think is...”
“Vladimir, I honestly don’t care about your opinion right now,” Sorin said flatly. “You’re going about this all wrong and you need to just admit it and leave it to me.”
“I don’t appreciate your attitude, Sorin.”
“If you weren’t going to, you shouldn’t have asked me to help you take over the country,” he said easily, leaning back in his chair. “What do you think, Ani?”
“Hmm?” she asked, distracted out of a daydream in which she was getting to kiss Ren...a lot.
“Thoughts?”
“Sorin’s right,” she said absently, picking through a pile on the desk, which she was pretty sure was Vlad’s if someone had pushed her to pick a brother.
“Why the hell is Sorin always right?” Vlad exploded. “And do you even know what we’re talking about?”
“Something to do with the Freedom Fighters. And Sunshine’s always right.”
Sorin rolled his eyes, but for once, didn’t comment on the nickname. “Look, Vladimir, just admit you’re wrong and we’re right.”
“Since when did Anica even get a vote?”
“Don’t call me Anica!”
“You know she doesn’t like Anica,” Sorin said at the same time.
Vlad glared at them. “You two are impossible.”
“What’s this?” Ani asked suddenly, having been skimming the letter on the top. “Vlad, did you do something about this?”
Taken off guard by her changing the subject, he just blinked at her. “Did I do something about what?”
“This letter. It’s from an Eva Morales, a hostel owner outside Greensward,” Ani said, reading it a bit more thoroughly. “She’s been having problems with your soldiers. Our soldiers! They’re being jerks,” she said decisively, not even bothering to fully read it. She got a good vibe from this Eva.
“Being jerks?” Vlad repeated. “Ani, I don’t have time for this.”
“Isn’t that what’s being king or at least in charge all about? Gotta listen to everyone.”
“She makes a good point,” Sorin pointed out mildly.
“If she did, we wouldn’t be here. Or else...damn it, neither of you are ones to talk. If we did that, then we should just be abdicating the throne to the Freedom Fighters, which is a wonderful idea. Let’s just throw in the towel and hope they’re nice to us after we killed the king.”
“That was you,” Ani said absently, mind already back on the letter.
“For once, Vladimir makes a good point,” Sorin said, “but he misses the main point.”
“I can’t respond to every last little person who writes me a sob story about something happening. Tell them to put down the Freedom Fighters and our soldiers won’t need to be in their homes.”
“It’s not her home, it’s her business and they’re being jerks to her and her daughter, who is a little girl,” Ani said, voice a bit more strident. “A little girl, Vlad!”
“So I feel bad for her, but they didn’t actually hurt her. They have a lot of manly things to get out of their system, that’s all. Let them posture.”
“If we help, we look better,” Ani argued.
“This is not up for discussion, Ani! Those are just papers I haven’t gotten around to burning yet.”
“It should be. Right, Sorin?”
“Mm,” Sorin said, reaching out and delicately plucking the letter from her hands to peruse for himself.
“See, Sorin agrees with me.”
“He said no such thing!” Vlad grumbled. “When he doesn’t speak, you can’t put words in his mouth.”
“Why not? I know what he’s thinking.”
“Anica, it’s not up for discussion.”
She now glared at him. “Don’t call me that.”
“It’s your name.”
“It’s what Dad called me and I don’t want to be called that any more.”
That stopped him for a minute. “The point is, I don’t have time to help her. And what do you want me to do? We’ll always have more soldiers. I can’t watch all of them all the time.”
“Their commanders can,” Sorin muttered but neither of them heard him.
“If you do something for her, she’ll tell all the people who stay with her and people will like us more.”
“I...” Vlad trailed off.
“She speaks sense,” Sorin put in.
The older brother let out an inarticulate growl. “I have governing things to do! I will talk to you two later,” he said, turning and stomping from the room.
“Vlad’s not having a good day.”
“Vladimir rarely has a good day anymore,” Sorin said, staring after his brother.
She frowned, temporarily distracted. “Can you help that? I’ve never been good at making Vlad happy.”
He meticulously folded the letter back along the creases. “I don’t think there’s anything I can do either. Vladimir and I haven’t seen eye to eye since well before I moved out.”
Ani sighed. “I like him better happy.”
“Mm,” Sorin said, now folding the letter in half and slipping it into his back pocket.
She watched him out of the corner of her gaze and tried not to smile at him, only partially succeeding. “Let me guess, Eva Morales won’t have any more problems.”
Sorin flashed her a momentary and rare smile. “At least not with this crowd. She very usefully gave me the name of the unit commander. They’ll be getting a new deployment within the next day. Jakium is on his way to Greensward tomorrow.”
Ani, unable to resist, jumped up and all but tackled Sorin in a hug. “Thank you!” she sang.
He patted her gently and awkwardly on the back. “You’re welcome. But Vladimir is right, in so far as it will be all but impossible to step in on all of these.”
As his sister’s face fell a bit, even as she nodded her acquiescence, he glanced over at the pile on Vlad’s desk. “But I’ll make sure any incoming letters get directed through someone else first. We’ll see what we can do.”
Instantly, she beamed again. “Love you, Sunshine!”
Something like amusement flickered across his face. “You’re welcome. I’d better go make sure Vladimir doesn’t do any poor governing. I’ll see you at dinner?”
“You bet!” she said and grinned. “If I don’t get distracted by Renny.”
There was a pause and then he shook his head. “I won’t ask, so please don’t tell me.”
“I’ll try not,” she said, patting him on the head as she bounced past, heading for Ren’s room.
Sorin scooped up the letters off Vlad’s desk, looked around the room and left.