Post by Liya Tawaza on Apr 26, 2020 21:04:37 GMT -8
There was no moment except now, no consideration except the immediate, no thought in my mind except one singular thought: the end to the mystery that had simultaneously kept us going for the past three years, and bludgeoned us to mental pulp over the course of those years. Nothing else mattered, nothing else even existed. And so when Draykon requested another delay, my brain broke, and I saw a vertical flash of crimson. It felt as if a literal knifeblade had passed through my skull, tickling the gap between the lobes of my brain.
I reached out with my mind, willing my stunned body to beat compliance out of the brothers. Even the discovery of the existence of a second Draykon brother lay unappreciated by a mind that was normally dominated by fact, strategy, tactics, and information analysis. My hands strained and every vein in my neck bulged. I saw myself reaching out, throwing Ade across the room, pinning him to the wall, raising him to the ceiling, choking the lifeforce out of his wriggling body as I screamed maniacal, wordless curses. I imagined all the ways he could die. In my mind's eye, I tested the relative strength of his spine against the strength of his desk. After the solid furniture had cracked in two, I tested the thickness of his skull against that of his brother. In all, it was a very bloody set of thoughts.
But they were brief. Something restrained me, in a way I would never have been restrained in the old days. Perhaps it was the overwhelming sadness that lay buried within both brothers, unnoticed by almost everyone in our vengeful band, but not fully invisible. Perhaps it was the unspoken trust brought about by our surroundings. Draykon would not have brought us to his family sanctum just to turn around and deceive us, or mock us, or hold our emotions hostage. Paralyzed and struck mute, I was nearly left behind when the next abrupt change of direction came upon us, and I recovered control of my feet just in time to scamper after the others. Izzy was right behind, and I lagged for a second, pretending to fix my boot, while she closed the door behind us.
Lowering my voice to a whisper, I hissed in her ear. "You and I need to talk, when this" I nodded toward the physical manifestation of Malora's fury as it stalked ahead. "is over."
~~~~~
When we reached the bar, I collected several of the whiskey shots, and then leaned against the wall at the far end of the bar, facing the door, and lingered in easy range of Malora's seat, while staying out of her immediate reach. Even I wasn't sure I wanted to poke the angry bear right now, especially given my suspicions about her recent, er, physiological uncertainties. Control was still very much a matter of question in my mind, and my best friend was not exactly in a stable frame of mind. None of us were.
Instead, I kept one eye on the door (and the Mandalorian who lingered there), and the other eye on Izzy, who seemed likeliest to push the wrong Malora button. Idly turning the empty shot glasses over and over in my hands, I didn't worry so much about the stranger in the hat as he approached. One on one versus Malora, in this state, would not be a fair fight. But when my old 'partner' added herself to the mix, I pushed off the wall, and strode casually over to lean against the bar on her non-Malora side.
I raised my foot as if to stomp on Izzy's toes, as a warning that the others would not see, but I was too late, the troublemaker had dropped some sort of a bomb, and spun away.
Sighing, I slid onto the stool next to Malora, and collected the discarded glass of neon green liquid, downing about half of it before I spoke.
"So, uhh, who's Connie?" I was probably going to regret that, but there was nothing else to say.
Karana Malora | Adrien Draykon | Preacher | Isabelle Eoura
I reached out with my mind, willing my stunned body to beat compliance out of the brothers. Even the discovery of the existence of a second Draykon brother lay unappreciated by a mind that was normally dominated by fact, strategy, tactics, and information analysis. My hands strained and every vein in my neck bulged. I saw myself reaching out, throwing Ade across the room, pinning him to the wall, raising him to the ceiling, choking the lifeforce out of his wriggling body as I screamed maniacal, wordless curses. I imagined all the ways he could die. In my mind's eye, I tested the relative strength of his spine against the strength of his desk. After the solid furniture had cracked in two, I tested the thickness of his skull against that of his brother. In all, it was a very bloody set of thoughts.
But they were brief. Something restrained me, in a way I would never have been restrained in the old days. Perhaps it was the overwhelming sadness that lay buried within both brothers, unnoticed by almost everyone in our vengeful band, but not fully invisible. Perhaps it was the unspoken trust brought about by our surroundings. Draykon would not have brought us to his family sanctum just to turn around and deceive us, or mock us, or hold our emotions hostage. Paralyzed and struck mute, I was nearly left behind when the next abrupt change of direction came upon us, and I recovered control of my feet just in time to scamper after the others. Izzy was right behind, and I lagged for a second, pretending to fix my boot, while she closed the door behind us.
Lowering my voice to a whisper, I hissed in her ear. "You and I need to talk, when this" I nodded toward the physical manifestation of Malora's fury as it stalked ahead. "is over."
~~~~~
When we reached the bar, I collected several of the whiskey shots, and then leaned against the wall at the far end of the bar, facing the door, and lingered in easy range of Malora's seat, while staying out of her immediate reach. Even I wasn't sure I wanted to poke the angry bear right now, especially given my suspicions about her recent, er, physiological uncertainties. Control was still very much a matter of question in my mind, and my best friend was not exactly in a stable frame of mind. None of us were.
Instead, I kept one eye on the door (and the Mandalorian who lingered there), and the other eye on Izzy, who seemed likeliest to push the wrong Malora button. Idly turning the empty shot glasses over and over in my hands, I didn't worry so much about the stranger in the hat as he approached. One on one versus Malora, in this state, would not be a fair fight. But when my old 'partner' added herself to the mix, I pushed off the wall, and strode casually over to lean against the bar on her non-Malora side.
I raised my foot as if to stomp on Izzy's toes, as a warning that the others would not see, but I was too late, the troublemaker had dropped some sort of a bomb, and spun away.
Sighing, I slid onto the stool next to Malora, and collected the discarded glass of neon green liquid, downing about half of it before I spoke.
"So, uhh, who's Connie?" I was probably going to regret that, but there was nothing else to say.
Karana Malora | Adrien Draykon | Preacher | Isabelle Eoura
