Post by Frankenpetey on Feb 11, 2009 13:27:56 GMT -5
Reward
Shivering in the cold night air, Teisel looked up at the stars. He was enjoying the breeze despite the cold--the simple feeling of fresh air moving over his skin and through his hair was one he'd missed for more than two months now. The air inside the ruins was musty and stale; it made him claustrophobic. Out here, the sky was big and high and wide enough to swallow up everything. Just like it looked out over open ocean. He'd missed it more than he'd ever thought he would.
"You're going to have a sore neck if you keep staring straight up like that," said a voice from behind him. "What's so fascinating up there, hmm?"
Teisel twitched at the unexpected noise, but didn't move. "It's nice. Looking up and not seeing rock. It's been a while." He turned his attention back to the sky, as if trying to drink in as much of it as he could. They wouldn't be here long, and then he'd be back to staring up at stone ceilings three hundred meters underground.
"My, being a bit melodramatic, aren't we, dear?"
"I guess I just wasn't really expecting to go stargazing, is all."
"Oh?" Teisel heard the dull thud of metal on sand as Glyde jumped down from the Rafale to join him. "And what were you expecting?"
Teisel chuckled mirthlessly. "I don't know. I wouldn't have been too surprised if you'd shot me in the back just now. You've got the refractor, and I doubt you'd turn me loose after all this." He shrugged. "Or you might have just left me in the desert. You still could, if you really wanted to," he trailed off, not feeling quite as detached as he sounded.
Glyde laughed, a harsh, barking sound. "Really now? You think I'd do something like that? Hide the body where no one would ever find it, I suppose? Don't be ridiculous, darling." He tugged Teisel's ponytail playfully. "Why hide a body no one's going to look for? If I wanted to kill you, I'd do so. No last farewell to the world, no final words. I try to keep poetics out of my business life as much as possible."
Feeling the muscles in his shoulders and neck tense, Teisel dropped his gaze to the horizon, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "Why drag me out into the middle of the Nakkai, then?"
Glyde shrugged. "This isn't business. I simply thought you deserved a little treat for all your hard work." He batted Teisel's hand away and started massaging his shoulders himself, the metal plates on his gloves digging in a little too hard. "You did find Mr. Loath's refractor, after all. His vision, all our efforts, it all would have come to nothing if you hadn't come through for us. You should be proud."
"It's the worst thing I've ever done," Teisel said, voice quiet.
"Oh, come now. You're a pirate; surely you can come up with something better than that," Glyde teased.
"No."
"Hmph." Glyde rested his chin on Teisel's shoulder, pouting, or at least pretending to. "Suit yourself. If you don't understand by now, I suppose you never will." He slid his arms down to wrap around Teisel's waist. Teisel shifted slightly; Glyde's armor was pressing uncomfortably into his back and sides and stomach, the cold metal sending chills up his spine. They stood that way for some time.
Finally, Glyde broke the silence. "You know, Teisel, I didn't bring you out here to sulk. I thought you'd be pleased."
"I am," Teisel sighed.
Returning the sigh, Glyde nuzzled Teisel's hair. "You're so ungrateful. Mr. Loath was ready to get rid of you, you know, now that your work is finished. It took some doing, but I managed to talk him out of it."
That was probably true, but Teisel wasn't sure why Glyde was choosing to tell him this now. He wasn't sure why Glyde did much of anything, though. "...I appreciate it."
"Do you? How wonderful." For a moment Glyde's tone shifted, losing its usual lightness. "You owe me."
"Of course I do." Of course. It all came back around to debt eventually. He sighed. He was sighing a lot lately; he didn't have the energy for much else. All of the anger and strength had been drained out of him as the days stretched into weeks, and then months, underground.
The sky was completely clear and free of clouds. This made it bitterly cold, with nothing to keep the heat of the day from dissipating, but it also meant that even the weak stars were visible. Resting his head against the hydraulics of Glyde's shoulder guard, Teisel looked back to the sky, trying to forget that the other man was there. Easier said than done, considering Glyde's armor was pressing hard enough to bruise in a dozen places. In the back of his mind, he wondered if the other man was doing it on purpose, out of simple cruelty. He shuddered when Glyde's breath tickled his ear.
"What's wrong, darling? Usually you pull away from me."
Teisel shrugged, making Glyde's elbow joints scrape against his arms. "You're armored. I'm not. I can't."
"I'm sure you could if you tried." Just the same, Glyde's grip tightened, as if bracing himself. When it became apparent that Teisel wasn't going to struggle, he relaxed again. "Nothing?" he asked, sounding disappointed.
"What's the point? It's not like I have anywhere to go out here in the middle of nowhere," Teisel replied. He felt Glyde nod.
"True, true, but it is fun, just the same." Glyde sighed and shifted his weight, leaning on Teisel more heavily. "You're not as interesting when you're rational. I hope this doesn't become a habit."
Though his life had never been particularly easy or carefree, Teisel had never really felt hopeless before. In a strange, dull way it was almost peaceful, but it was going to take some getting used to. He made a half-hearted attempt to get out of Glyde's embrace. Sure enough, a soft hiss of hydraulics and Glyde's grip was hard enough to put painful pressure on Teisel's ribs. He couldn't break the hold, and Glyde's armor was well-balanced and heavy. He wasn't going anywhere. But he'd known that already. It didn't make much difference whether Glyde was hanging onto him or not. For a moment, though, at least he'd felt a little like himself.
With an unpleasant laugh, Glyde softly ran his hands over Teisel's tender ribs. "That's better. You mustn't let yourself get discouraged, dear." He hummed contentedly, his touch turning light enough to tickle. "Who knows, maybe I will let you go, after all. If I have a reason."
He let go. The night air quickly chilled all the places that Glyde had been shielding from the breeze, and Teisel fought back a shiver. "Well," Glyde said, with an air of finality. "I've seen all the unspoiled beauty of nature I can stand for one evening. Let me know when you've had enough."
Soft footsteps and the clank of metal told Teisel that Glyde had returned to the Rafale. The privacy was a kindness he hadn't been expecting. Unfortunately, he was already too cold to stay out much longer. Sitting down in the sand, Teisel curled his legs up to his chest, trying to keep warm. Just a few more minutes. Then he'd go back to the Rafale, back to the ruins, back to ceilings and walls that always felt a little too low, too close. He was aching all over, and his fingers and ears were beginning to sting.
The sky stretched up and out forever.
Just a few more minutes.
I'll probably regret posting this about five minutes after I do, but what the hey. Also, I'm a bit of a sad-sack in winter, as you can probably tell. SPY SAPPIN' MAH SUNSHINE.
lulz, melodrama...
Shivering in the cold night air, Teisel looked up at the stars. He was enjoying the breeze despite the cold--the simple feeling of fresh air moving over his skin and through his hair was one he'd missed for more than two months now. The air inside the ruins was musty and stale; it made him claustrophobic. Out here, the sky was big and high and wide enough to swallow up everything. Just like it looked out over open ocean. He'd missed it more than he'd ever thought he would.
"You're going to have a sore neck if you keep staring straight up like that," said a voice from behind him. "What's so fascinating up there, hmm?"
Teisel twitched at the unexpected noise, but didn't move. "It's nice. Looking up and not seeing rock. It's been a while." He turned his attention back to the sky, as if trying to drink in as much of it as he could. They wouldn't be here long, and then he'd be back to staring up at stone ceilings three hundred meters underground.
"My, being a bit melodramatic, aren't we, dear?"
"I guess I just wasn't really expecting to go stargazing, is all."
"Oh?" Teisel heard the dull thud of metal on sand as Glyde jumped down from the Rafale to join him. "And what were you expecting?"
Teisel chuckled mirthlessly. "I don't know. I wouldn't have been too surprised if you'd shot me in the back just now. You've got the refractor, and I doubt you'd turn me loose after all this." He shrugged. "Or you might have just left me in the desert. You still could, if you really wanted to," he trailed off, not feeling quite as detached as he sounded.
Glyde laughed, a harsh, barking sound. "Really now? You think I'd do something like that? Hide the body where no one would ever find it, I suppose? Don't be ridiculous, darling." He tugged Teisel's ponytail playfully. "Why hide a body no one's going to look for? If I wanted to kill you, I'd do so. No last farewell to the world, no final words. I try to keep poetics out of my business life as much as possible."
Feeling the muscles in his shoulders and neck tense, Teisel dropped his gaze to the horizon, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "Why drag me out into the middle of the Nakkai, then?"
Glyde shrugged. "This isn't business. I simply thought you deserved a little treat for all your hard work." He batted Teisel's hand away and started massaging his shoulders himself, the metal plates on his gloves digging in a little too hard. "You did find Mr. Loath's refractor, after all. His vision, all our efforts, it all would have come to nothing if you hadn't come through for us. You should be proud."
"It's the worst thing I've ever done," Teisel said, voice quiet.
"Oh, come now. You're a pirate; surely you can come up with something better than that," Glyde teased.
"No."
"Hmph." Glyde rested his chin on Teisel's shoulder, pouting, or at least pretending to. "Suit yourself. If you don't understand by now, I suppose you never will." He slid his arms down to wrap around Teisel's waist. Teisel shifted slightly; Glyde's armor was pressing uncomfortably into his back and sides and stomach, the cold metal sending chills up his spine. They stood that way for some time.
Finally, Glyde broke the silence. "You know, Teisel, I didn't bring you out here to sulk. I thought you'd be pleased."
"I am," Teisel sighed.
Returning the sigh, Glyde nuzzled Teisel's hair. "You're so ungrateful. Mr. Loath was ready to get rid of you, you know, now that your work is finished. It took some doing, but I managed to talk him out of it."
That was probably true, but Teisel wasn't sure why Glyde was choosing to tell him this now. He wasn't sure why Glyde did much of anything, though. "...I appreciate it."
"Do you? How wonderful." For a moment Glyde's tone shifted, losing its usual lightness. "You owe me."
"Of course I do." Of course. It all came back around to debt eventually. He sighed. He was sighing a lot lately; he didn't have the energy for much else. All of the anger and strength had been drained out of him as the days stretched into weeks, and then months, underground.
The sky was completely clear and free of clouds. This made it bitterly cold, with nothing to keep the heat of the day from dissipating, but it also meant that even the weak stars were visible. Resting his head against the hydraulics of Glyde's shoulder guard, Teisel looked back to the sky, trying to forget that the other man was there. Easier said than done, considering Glyde's armor was pressing hard enough to bruise in a dozen places. In the back of his mind, he wondered if the other man was doing it on purpose, out of simple cruelty. He shuddered when Glyde's breath tickled his ear.
"What's wrong, darling? Usually you pull away from me."
Teisel shrugged, making Glyde's elbow joints scrape against his arms. "You're armored. I'm not. I can't."
"I'm sure you could if you tried." Just the same, Glyde's grip tightened, as if bracing himself. When it became apparent that Teisel wasn't going to struggle, he relaxed again. "Nothing?" he asked, sounding disappointed.
"What's the point? It's not like I have anywhere to go out here in the middle of nowhere," Teisel replied. He felt Glyde nod.
"True, true, but it is fun, just the same." Glyde sighed and shifted his weight, leaning on Teisel more heavily. "You're not as interesting when you're rational. I hope this doesn't become a habit."
Though his life had never been particularly easy or carefree, Teisel had never really felt hopeless before. In a strange, dull way it was almost peaceful, but it was going to take some getting used to. He made a half-hearted attempt to get out of Glyde's embrace. Sure enough, a soft hiss of hydraulics and Glyde's grip was hard enough to put painful pressure on Teisel's ribs. He couldn't break the hold, and Glyde's armor was well-balanced and heavy. He wasn't going anywhere. But he'd known that already. It didn't make much difference whether Glyde was hanging onto him or not. For a moment, though, at least he'd felt a little like himself.
With an unpleasant laugh, Glyde softly ran his hands over Teisel's tender ribs. "That's better. You mustn't let yourself get discouraged, dear." He hummed contentedly, his touch turning light enough to tickle. "Who knows, maybe I will let you go, after all. If I have a reason."
He let go. The night air quickly chilled all the places that Glyde had been shielding from the breeze, and Teisel fought back a shiver. "Well," Glyde said, with an air of finality. "I've seen all the unspoiled beauty of nature I can stand for one evening. Let me know when you've had enough."
Soft footsteps and the clank of metal told Teisel that Glyde had returned to the Rafale. The privacy was a kindness he hadn't been expecting. Unfortunately, he was already too cold to stay out much longer. Sitting down in the sand, Teisel curled his legs up to his chest, trying to keep warm. Just a few more minutes. Then he'd go back to the Rafale, back to the ruins, back to ceilings and walls that always felt a little too low, too close. He was aching all over, and his fingers and ears were beginning to sting.
The sky stretched up and out forever.
Just a few more minutes.
I'll probably regret posting this about five minutes after I do, but what the hey. Also, I'm a bit of a sad-sack in winter, as you can probably tell. SPY SAPPIN' MAH SUNSHINE.
lulz, melodrama...
