Beg Mercy [Closed] - Printable Version
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RE: Beg Mercy [Closed] - SolitareLee - 10-22-2019
Ren snorted derisively. "If I was gonna choke and die," she gestured with a thumb at the King. "I woulda done it earlier." She'd forced Gareth into fun several times before, and she'd just seen the King do it twice, but she just harrumphed and didn't argue. Mostly because she was distracted by what Gareth said next. She opened her mouth to protest, cheeks flaming in indignation. But what was she going to do? Take a lap--which she couldn't--to prove him wrong? Drown out of spite? She shut her mouth and glowered.
"Wish I'd brought goggles," she muttered instead, splashing the gold flecked water a little. She was willing to bet it was really pretty under the water. If she ever came back, which she probably wouldn't, she'd have to remember goggles, for sure. It wasn't like they had any shortage of them.
She flushed darker when the King got in on the line of question vis-a-vis her lack of swimming ability. "It's wretched, are you kiddin' me?" she grumbled. "It smells awful. An' I 'lived' in the fuckin' Coal District. The water there has a film . I'd be safer swimmin' in this even if y'turned it to lead." She took another overly-large bite of her apple, spitefully. "When I was younger, I went out to a lake but--" Why had she said that. She shook her head. "It was a long time ago. Thought I might remember, but I don't. Anyway, lots of people in th' city can't swim. No one swims in the river." That's probably why so many had drowned when they lept in there to avoid her fire. Idiots, absolute idiots. "Used to be worse, though," she added, having no clue that she was chatting with the dragon responsible for that. "There's places in the city where the water's almost clear. I heard th' fish are even startin' to come back, some places uptown. I kept sayin' they should release catfish, t'speed it up, especially if they weren't gonna stop dumpin' shit in there, but." She shrugged. No one ever listened to her ideas, no matter how good they were.
Ren had finished her apple with alarming speed, and was currently eyeing the ham, trying to figure out if there was a way she could eat it with her hands without Gareth rioting. All dick jokes aside, she didn't get enough meat. She was sure of it. Her hair was dull and broke often, though that might have been stress, and her nails were brittle, hence their short, chewed-off nature at present. Could she get away with just biting into it? Did anyone have a knife on them? No, surely not, they were all naked.
RE: Beg Mercy [Closed] - Tindome - 10-22-2019
"The apple can't pull out if you start turning blue," Gareth reminded her. "Would you like me to teach you how to swim?" It seemed as good a time as any. Now that 'drowning' had been added to his list of concerns, he wanted to remove it.
He mentally filed away the mention of the lake. The way she changed the subject made him think it was important. She rarely talked about her life before—not just her life before the King's Guard, but her life before she'd become the girl she was now, furious and hungry and occasionally swarming with rats.
He'd wondered if she even had a before. A lake suggested that she had. He didn't believe her when she said she didn't remember, but he didn't believe her when she said a lot of things.
The King turned his head to look thoughtfully at the horizon. "Where does the cat-fish dwell?" he asked. He was sensibly assuming that this was some manner of feline mermaid, or equally bizarre magical creature.
Gareth saw her eyeballing the ham, and reached past her to pull it out of the basket. He held it toward the King. "Would you be so kind, Your Majesty, as to cut away some pieces sized appropriately for a young woman."
The King was well aware that he was being sassed, but lifted a foreleg out of the water and dragged his claw along the meat. Thin slices were shaved away as easily as butter.
He mentally filed away the mention of the lake. The way she changed the subject made him think it was important. She rarely talked about her life before—not just her life before the King's Guard, but her life before she'd become the girl she was now, furious and hungry and occasionally swarming with rats.
He'd wondered if she even had a before. A lake suggested that she had. He didn't believe her when she said she didn't remember, but he didn't believe her when she said a lot of things.
The King turned his head to look thoughtfully at the horizon. "Where does the cat-fish dwell?" he asked. He was sensibly assuming that this was some manner of feline mermaid, or equally bizarre magical creature.
Gareth saw her eyeballing the ham, and reached past her to pull it out of the basket. He held it toward the King. "Would you be so kind, Your Majesty, as to cut away some pieces sized appropriately for a young woman."
The King was well aware that he was being sassed, but lifted a foreleg out of the water and dragged his claw along the meat. Thin slices were shaved away as easily as butter.
RE: Beg Mercy [Closed] - SolitareLee - 10-22-2019
Ren hesitated. She did want to learn how to swim, because she might need to jump into a river from a dragon's flying basket later. But it brushed up against memories she'd rather not brush against. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, then shifted uncomfortably in the water. "Don't be an idiot," she said, although she had trouble getting any vitriol at all in her voice. "There ain't a pool in prison. There ain't even baths. You foresee me needin' to swim a lot? Think my room's gonna flood, maybe?" She snorted. "If y'teach me, I'd just forget again in twenny years'a not usin' it."
She focused on the King instead of the complex knot of feelings. It helped a little, because her feelings about him were still a lot more straightforward. She hated him. Oh, sure, he laid down some really good dick and could fly and knew about a magic golden hot spring, but those were really just reasons to hate him more, if you thought about it, because they were things he had that she didn't. Straightforward.
"Rivers 'n' lakes, mostly," she answered him, tilting her head. "You never had one? I feel like you'd like 'em. Some of 'em can get really big, and they're delicious roasted. No scales to get caught in yer teeth, either." She leaned back in the water a bit, letting the heat soothe her extremely tested muscles, imagining a dragon roast a giant catfish with his breath. "If y'want, just say the word an' drop me off at a relatively still body o' fresh water and I'll catch ya one. Or, like, ten, I guess." She hadn't gone fishing, particularly not in the manner one caught catfish, in a similarly long time as she last needed to be able to swim, but was nonetheless confident in her abilities. One didn't need to be skilled to catch a catfish, just stupid and bold. She, obviously, was both in spades.
She was impressed, despite herself, by the ham-slicing technique, although she had to laugh at Gareth's insistence they be a reasonable size. She grabbed one of the shaved slices from Gareth's hands after he'd caught it, and awkwardly darted back to the basket to wrap it around an inappropriately-sized-for-a-young-woman chunk of cheese, just to upset him, before chowing down. It was sinfully good, salty and delicious. She wondered vaguely if she could eat the whole ham before they left, or if even she would get sick and throw up at that point.
"Fuck," she said, muffled by ham. "This is really good." She could remember the last time she had ham. It was little tiny pieces, in a ham-and-cheese muffin she'd let Gareth feed to one of her rats in a strange little moment of bonding. The rat had given her a piece, which she'd eaten. Gareth, as she recalled, had been appropriately horrified and exclaimed that she could have her own muffin and shouldn't eat things rats had touched. She smiled at the memory, but also, more importantly, at the ham.
RE: Beg Mercy [Closed] - Tindome - 10-22-2019
"You might," Gareth agreed. He wouldn't lie to her by saying she'd be allowed in the King's pool in the palace garden. "But you'd be able to swim now." And it was impossible to say when she'd next end up thrown into some body of water. With her, it felt like a plausible risk, no matter where she was or what she was doing. Everything felt like a plausible risk. She turned filling a pen into a risky endeavor.
"I will find these catfish," the King said, with a disinterested sort of certainty. He sliced ham for as long as it took for it to bore him. Then he swished his claws in the water, and sank back into it. Fish darted around his legs, and a confused salamander rested on one of his haunches.
Gareth returned the ham to the basket, and kissed her head. "I'm glad you're having fun," he murmured, before grabbing one of the brushes that the King had packed. He swam to a shallow ledge, and patted his thigh. The King obligingly set one of his front feet onto Gareth's lap, as much as it would fit. Gareth started brushing at his scales, and he purred.
He needed something to do with his hands, and he didn't want to harass Ren while she was trying to eat. She'd missed lunch, and dragon semen didn't count as a meal substitute. Avi liked feeling pampered, anyway. Better to keep him in a good mood, feeling like the center of attention.
"I will find these catfish," the King said, with a disinterested sort of certainty. He sliced ham for as long as it took for it to bore him. Then he swished his claws in the water, and sank back into it. Fish darted around his legs, and a confused salamander rested on one of his haunches.
Gareth returned the ham to the basket, and kissed her head. "I'm glad you're having fun," he murmured, before grabbing one of the brushes that the King had packed. He swam to a shallow ledge, and patted his thigh. The King obligingly set one of his front feet onto Gareth's lap, as much as it would fit. Gareth started brushing at his scales, and he purred.
He needed something to do with his hands, and he didn't want to harass Ren while she was trying to eat. She'd missed lunch, and dragon semen didn't count as a meal substitute. Avi liked feeling pampered, anyway. Better to keep him in a good mood, feeling like the center of attention.
RE: Beg Mercy [Closed] - SolitareLee - 10-22-2019
She pouted, wishing he'd lied. He'd agreed right away; for once, she wanted to be wrong. She tried to hide the way her stomach flopped with nausea at the prospect by eating more ham. The King, as well, didn't even have the courtesy to pretend she'd ever be getting a repeat performance. Well, at least they weren't lying to her, she supposed. That would be even worse. Probably.
She resented that 'being given food, for once' counted as 'having fun' to him, but also, he was absolutely correct about it so she couldn't say shit. She ate until her stomach threatened to riot and upend right then and there. It wasn't as much as she wanted to eat, not even close, but her stomach was smaller than her appetite. She watched what Gareth was doing, curiously, and perked up with interest when he began brushing the King's scales.
"I thought those were for his hair," she said, finally setting down the ham. She supposed the King wouldn't be changing back, like she'd thought, then. Sort of a shame... if he was Gareth-sized, she didn't have to worry about his appetite. Well, she didn't have to worry about that appetite, anyway. That she'd been secretly hoping to see what sex in a hot spring looked like, she kept to herself. That she'd been secretly hoping to have an excuse to climb onto the King like that salamander, she also kept to herself. She couldn't help the urge; he was very large and also a dragon and she had certain instincts towards anything she could conceivably climb, especially if it was something she absolutely should not climb.
"Can I help?" she asked, wondering if that was why he'd brought more than one brush. Also, it was a lot of dragon for one person, even for Gareth, who could probably do one boring task for six years and never get tired of it. She wanted to drag out her time here, for multiple reasons, not least of which being maybe she could eat more if she had a chance to digest. Pampering the King seemed like a good way to make that happen. And also, she was curious about him and this seemed like a great way to sate at least some of those urges she'd been trying to politely ignore.
RE: Beg Mercy [Closed] - Tindome - 10-23-2019
"He wouldn't let us brush his hair," Gareth said. He wasn't sure if the King even needed to brush his hair, or if it just fixed itself every time it was wound back into horns. It would be just like him to switch forms rather than allow a brush to touch his mane.
Gareth was immediately suspicious of her offer to be helpful, but stopped himself from expressing it. He kept his eyes on his brush, moving over the plates of the King's scales and dislodging bits of dead skin. He couldn't imagine what her ulterior motive might be, if she had one. In the lab, she might be trying to distract him, or get closer to materials he wouldn't let her touch. Here, there wasn't much she could do with a brush.
"The soft one is best around his wings and face," Gareth informed her.
"I am delicate," the King agreed, flexing his wings and trailing water through the air.
"You can use it anywhere, though," Gareth added. "Just make sure it's somewhere you can reach safely."
"That is not many places," the King pointed out. Between her size and her inability to swim, there were only so many places on his body she could reach. He ran his tail through the water, curling it towards her so that she could use it to guide herself if she needed it.
Gareth was immediately suspicious of her offer to be helpful, but stopped himself from expressing it. He kept his eyes on his brush, moving over the plates of the King's scales and dislodging bits of dead skin. He couldn't imagine what her ulterior motive might be, if she had one. In the lab, she might be trying to distract him, or get closer to materials he wouldn't let her touch. Here, there wasn't much she could do with a brush.
"The soft one is best around his wings and face," Gareth informed her.
"I am delicate," the King agreed, flexing his wings and trailing water through the air.
"You can use it anywhere, though," Gareth added. "Just make sure it's somewhere you can reach safely."
"That is not many places," the King pointed out. Between her size and her inability to swim, there were only so many places on his body she could reach. He ran his tail through the water, curling it towards her so that she could use it to guide herself if she needed it.
RE: Beg Mercy [Closed] - SolitareLee - 10-23-2019
Her eyes lit up in a way that would probably cause Gareth a lot of stress at the word "wings." Perfect! The absolute perfect excuse to do exactly what she wanted. Oh, sure, it wasn't risk free, and "ask forgiveness not permission" wasn't necessarily a good rule of thumb when dealing with a royal dragon, but whatever! She nodded obediently in response to what Gareth said. Safety was, after all, entirely subjective, as she'd told him many times, and being around a dragon that ate people blew the scale so far out of the water--pun somewhat intended--that what she intended to do was barely a blip of increased danger. And besides, the King had even given her a convenient helping hand! Or, um, tail. Either way, she took it as a clear sign that he definitely wanted her to do exactly what she was about to do. She considered the brush momentarily, before shrugging and putting the handle lightly in her mouth, biting down more delicately than she would have if she wasn't dealing with a King's brush. She was going to need her hands for this.
She touched the King's tail carefully at first, and then, upon not being immediately rejected, started using it like one might a piece of driftwood or a thrown rope. She couldn't swim, no, but she appeared to have absolutely no qualms in pulling herself right into deep water, hands and then arms around the King's tail. Regardless of the protests Gareth was almost surely making, she scrambled to the base of his tail, feet kicking in the water in the way of an awkward child feeling out their limbs in water for the first time.
When she reached the base of his tail, she simply kept going, bare feet and hands finding handholds that she didn't think would hurt him. She didn't feel like grabbing at any spines was safe, but his scales were rough enough to let her scramble up, skilled at climbing as she was. With speed for her comparative size, she scurried up the King's back, delighted with herself.
"I will be th' most delicate and skilled brusher ever," she informed the King, taking the brush from between her teeth, "so long as y'don't dump me in the water, please."
She climbed her way across his back to the place where his wings met his shoulders; this had to be difficult for him to reach himself, right? And it wasn't as if he had to be worried. Not only was she incapable of hurting him, she was completely naked so it's not like she could have possibly been hiding a dagger. She didn't even have a rat; she didn't feel any at all this high up into the mountains.
It was cold out of the water, which she hadn't really considered. She was on a draconic island, and the wind wasn't strong, but it was sharp. She shrugged it off, fighting a shiver. She could deal for a while, for the opportunity of being on top of a dragon. Carefully, she dropped down onto her stomach for a good angle, then began, cautiously, brushing and buffing at the softer, more flexible scales where wing met back. It required a little bit more force than she'd first thought, and she couldn't resist a bit of a giggle from the sensation of scales on her bare stomach. But she was enthused by progress easily, grinning as the scales, already bright, began to shine and shimmer even more in the afternoon sunlight.
She was willing to bet she could come up with an all-natural compound that would make the King absolutely gleam. Beeswax, no, carnauba wax and... mink oil? Yeah, no use in skimping on expensive ingredients. Oh, oh, and orange oil, from the peels of oranges imported from exotic lands. She hummed cheerfully to herself at the thought, but kept them to herself. He might be offended at the concept of polish, for all she knew.
"Yer Highness?" she asked, presuming he had no complaints about her presence and activities. "Can I ask y'some questions?" This, in itself, was a question, but she felt like it was better to ask then to just dive in, since she'd already done that with scaling him like a tree.
RE: Beg Mercy [Closed] - Tindome - 10-23-2019
Gareth froze as she started climbing into the King's tail. His own tail curled in alarm. "You knew she was going to do that," he accused.
"She is hardly the first," he said.
"Don't touch his spines!" Gareth called, knowing they were sharp. "And don't let her fall," he asked the King.
"Obviously," the King said more to her than to him, with a dismissive flick of his now-empty tail. "You cannot swim."
Gareth couldn't see her on the King's back, but relaxed anyway with the assumption that she was on steady ground. As it were. He finally resumed brushing, and the King purred again, his body vibrating. He licked the top of Gareth's head, but Gareth pointedly ignored it.
Gareth's mind kept wandering back to all the work they were meant to be doing. He was juggling three different projects, and he was behind on two of them. If he assumed Ren was going to be out of commission, he might be able to make some progress on getting caught up. Even just getting the lab cleaned up and reorganized would be a start. If they didn't get the diving bell done soon, Trinh's whole operation would be delayed for at least six months while they waited for another window of opportunity. And none of this accounted for the cartography project Grilka had dumped in his lap the other day. Ey hadn't said it was time-sensitive, but he felt it was strongly implied.
Half the reason he had this job was his time management skills, and they weren't doing him any fucking good, lately.
"Are they about me?" the King asked in return. "I am very interesting."
"She is hardly the first," he said.
"Don't touch his spines!" Gareth called, knowing they were sharp. "And don't let her fall," he asked the King.
"Obviously," the King said more to her than to him, with a dismissive flick of his now-empty tail. "You cannot swim."
Gareth couldn't see her on the King's back, but relaxed anyway with the assumption that she was on steady ground. As it were. He finally resumed brushing, and the King purred again, his body vibrating. He licked the top of Gareth's head, but Gareth pointedly ignored it.
Gareth's mind kept wandering back to all the work they were meant to be doing. He was juggling three different projects, and he was behind on two of them. If he assumed Ren was going to be out of commission, he might be able to make some progress on getting caught up. Even just getting the lab cleaned up and reorganized would be a start. If they didn't get the diving bell done soon, Trinh's whole operation would be delayed for at least six months while they waited for another window of opportunity. And none of this accounted for the cartography project Grilka had dumped in his lap the other day. Ey hadn't said it was time-sensitive, but he felt it was strongly implied.
Half the reason he had this job was his time management skills, and they weren't doing him any fucking good, lately.
"Are they about me?" the King asked in return. "I am very interesting."
RE: Beg Mercy [Closed] - SolitareLee - 10-23-2019
"Yeah, o' course they're about you," Ren said with a scoff. "What else would be more interestin' then--" she was interrupted by a fit of genuine, loud giggles, a sound Gareth had possibly never heard out of her before. She was startled by it a little herself, having not had any cause for laughter in quite a long time. "Tha' tickles!" she laughed, referring to the King's purring. It was like being full-body vibrated. It... felt nice. She remembered something she had once read about the frequency of a cat's purrs. She didn't care for cats, at all. But this, she liked. She rolled around a bit, until she found a position that didn't tickle too terribly and still let her brush the King. There was a bit of contortion involved, and the weakness that had been fucked into her muscles might wind up being a problem. Ah, well. If she fell off, she fell off. She almost kind of wanted to, some kind of primal desire to leap into deep water. Fortunately for everyone involved, however, the King was more interesting.
"I was wonderin'... Why did you eat that guy? The King's Guard? Just cause he muzzled Thran?" This had been weighing on her, possibly ever since the King had given her both of Gareth's sweets. Since he'd commented on her thinness, and again asked if she was being fed. It didn't really make a lot of sense when she compared it with the treatment she received in the King's Guard. She was beginning to wonder things. "Were y'just hungry?" she mused, halfway to herself.
RE: Beg Mercy [Closed] - Tindome - 10-23-2019
Gareth's heart constricted as Ren laughed, his stomach twisting, and he scrubbed harder at the King's scales.
The King was a beautiful, magical dragon that ruled over their kingdom. It wasn't hard to see the appeal. Ren had never pretended to like him, anyway. The King was the fun one. He could afford to be fun. Nothing hurt him.
"You are the King's Guard because you belong to the King," the dragon explained, as once it had been explained to him. "Cornelius Steelsplitter gave me his life because he believed I could do better with it than he had. Thrandroch Strongthroat gave me his life because he could no longer be trusted with it. When a life is given to me in such a way, I entrust its management to another. They are taught to be better than they have been, in service to my will."
"It was Grilka who chose Cornelius for Thrandroch, because Thrandroch was meant to be an easy case. But Cornelius misunderstood his function. A life cannot be better hungry and bleeding. His voice and his body were no one's to take but mine. This was not my will."
"There are many, now, who give themselves to me believing it is only a comfort to them. When the moon is full, those who fail me in service to their own will are eaten. The others are reminded that their lives are mine."
There were many more King's Guard now than there'd been under King Leopold. The function of service had changed considerably, for one thing. Better now than when Gareth had been young. But there was also Grilka, who'd thrived under the new king, and who had a knack for identifying which criminals had potential. Which ones were clever, which ones wouldn't be missed. Now it was the volunteers who were the troublesome ones more often than the new recruits.
The King was a beautiful, magical dragon that ruled over their kingdom. It wasn't hard to see the appeal. Ren had never pretended to like him, anyway. The King was the fun one. He could afford to be fun. Nothing hurt him.
"You are the King's Guard because you belong to the King," the dragon explained, as once it had been explained to him. "Cornelius Steelsplitter gave me his life because he believed I could do better with it than he had. Thrandroch Strongthroat gave me his life because he could no longer be trusted with it. When a life is given to me in such a way, I entrust its management to another. They are taught to be better than they have been, in service to my will."
"It was Grilka who chose Cornelius for Thrandroch, because Thrandroch was meant to be an easy case. But Cornelius misunderstood his function. A life cannot be better hungry and bleeding. His voice and his body were no one's to take but mine. This was not my will."
"There are many, now, who give themselves to me believing it is only a comfort to them. When the moon is full, those who fail me in service to their own will are eaten. The others are reminded that their lives are mine."
There were many more King's Guard now than there'd been under King Leopold. The function of service had changed considerably, for one thing. Better now than when Gareth had been young. But there was also Grilka, who'd thrived under the new king, and who had a knack for identifying which criminals had potential. Which ones were clever, which ones wouldn't be missed. Now it was the volunteers who were the troublesome ones more often than the new recruits.
RE: Beg Mercy [Closed] - SolitareLee - 10-23-2019
Ren listened to the explanation, and, through the vague and over-riding sense of horror, tried to understand it. She shivered again, and told herself it was the cold. She had never asked to belong to a dragon. Obviously she had profound disagreements with the assessment that she couldn't be trusted with her own life, but well, she'd had that argument about a thousand times with Gareth and wasn't about to rehash it with a dragon who believed it his moral right--perhaps even imperative--to snack on people who were 'his.' Which by his own logic, she was. She wasn't suicidal.
Frankly, if she was, this whole thing would have been much easier.
But that part made sense to her. She was here against her will. She'd been dragged into service, kicking and screaming. Why would anyone volunteer for a service where instead of getting fired, you got swallowed? She had been starving on the street, once, colder every night than she was right now on top of a mountain, and she couldn't imagine willingly signing her life away like that. It didn't make sense.
But this was a question for her captors, not for the King. How would he know? It probably seemed utterly logical to him. Who wouldn't want to serve him when he was so majestic, who wouldn't believe that he would know what to do with their lives better than they themselves? No point in asking him at all.
"So you ate him because he wanted to hurt Thran more than he wanted to do the job y'gave him," she said, wondering if she understood right. "But if a life ain't better hungry and bleeding then why--"
Then why was she so fucking hungry all of the time. Why was there still a jailor who had people whipped. Why was she locked up in her room until the only thing that kept her from swallowing the poison out of rat traps was the power of her own spite? Why was everyone, even Gareth, given disposition to hurt her. 'I am well within my rights to discipline you as I see fit' was something she'd heard more than once from more than one person.
Her nails scraped uselessly against scales as her hand tightened into fists. Then she took a deep breath, willing her tunnel vision to expand again.
"Consider me reminded," she said, instead of finishing her question. She resumed brushing, surprised she could still find enjoyment in it, surprised she could still wonder about waxes and oils in polish. She wondered if Gareth and the King both weren't evidence that her mind was being changed by imprisonment no matter how much she swore it'd never get to her.
Searching for another topic, she asked, "What's yer favorite thing about bein' a King, as opposed to jus' bein' a great an' powerful dragon chillin' up in a mountain?" There had to be a reason he stuck around, other than that knight of his. Right? Killing an entire country was a much better way to get a bunch of heroes to decide you had to be killed, not that she'd be pointing that out to him anytime soon.
RE: Beg Mercy [Closed] - Tindome - 10-23-2019
"I ate him because Thrandroch deserved better," the King said. "Steelsplitter's behavior was noted by his peers, who found it unnecessary. Gareth has always taken the most difficult cases, and he has never used such measures, even when I myself might have willed it. Thrandroch is dangerous in body, but not heart. His case was not difficult. Grilka will find him someone wiser, this time." The King looked down at the man brushing his forefoot, his skin the color of blood and ink, his dark horns pleasingly large. "I might have given him to Gareth," he said, "were he not already occupied."
Gareth thought that her interrupted question was only an argument she'd decided not to have. Something about the hungry in the streets, the mountain of treasure in the throne room. How hard it was to be a human being in a city built first for soldiers and second for industry.
"Hm." The King considered the question for a long time, looking back out over the forests and the fields. Gareth didn't like the question. He didn't like the reminder of how likely it was that Avi would just leave. He would get bored and fly away and never come back. He still hadn't declared an heir, thirteen years and he'd made no move to crown a prince. The whole court would need to lie, to pretend there was still a king in the castle and hope that no one would notice until they could figure out a solution. He didn't want to think about the power vacuum he would leave, other kings trying to lay claim to the kingdom. Princes returning from exile.
"Candy," he said finally. There were other answers, truer answers. But he could not speak them.
Gareth thought that her interrupted question was only an argument she'd decided not to have. Something about the hungry in the streets, the mountain of treasure in the throne room. How hard it was to be a human being in a city built first for soldiers and second for industry.
"Hm." The King considered the question for a long time, looking back out over the forests and the fields. Gareth didn't like the question. He didn't like the reminder of how likely it was that Avi would just leave. He would get bored and fly away and never come back. He still hadn't declared an heir, thirteen years and he'd made no move to crown a prince. The whole court would need to lie, to pretend there was still a king in the castle and hope that no one would notice until they could figure out a solution. He didn't want to think about the power vacuum he would leave, other kings trying to lay claim to the kingdom. Princes returning from exile.
"Candy," he said finally. There were other answers, truer answers. But he could not speak them.
RE: Beg Mercy [Closed] - SolitareLee - 10-23-2019
"The most difficult cases?" Ren said, amazed. "But he was assigned me. An' look, alright, I think pretty highly o' myself, but I'm pretty sure one of our inmates is a vampire. I'm only human. Well. Like, ninety percent." She could make rats do some pretty hellacious things, admittedly, but at the end of the day, it was just rats, and when the rat king was five feet tall and easily stabbed, it wasn't really as much of an issue as it could have been. Having finished the base of the King's wing, she slid down to straddle it so she could reach higher. It was a lot like sitting on a tree, although she thought it might have been less awkward if she had pants on. She wondered how high on his wing she could get before he told her to stop, or she accidentally fell off into the water.
Ren nodded, sagely, at his answer. "Well, thanks fer givin' me yer second piece of candy, then." She leaned into the brushing a bit more. "Y'mentioned tribute before," she continued on with her endless lines of inquiry. "What kinda tribute do people make? Other than..." She cleared her throat. "Uh, Gareth's kind. Is it like, gold 'n' stuff?" It had to have been. He had a literal mountain. "D'you have a favorite kind?"
If it seemed like she was trying to figure out what the King liked, it was because she was. She wasn't one hundred percent clear on why, just yet. It could develop into anything, into bribery or into trips out of her cell or into an escape or into getting more ham. Since she was likely to never see the King again unless she got in trouble again--and then it would probably be the last in a much more dire sense--she thought maybe her first priority needed to be seeing if there were any ways to change that, and if she even wanted to use them.
RE: Beg Mercy [Closed] - Tindome - 10-23-2019
"It is intended that you work independently someday," the King informed her. "When you have learned to act in service to my will. Your will and my own must align themselves. Difficult cases are those whose will is strong, and not at all mine. There are those who would rather die than submit. You are, I think, an almost hopeless case. But Gareth has had many charges, and they have only failed him twice."
Gareth did not like to think about his failures. It was the King who decided when Gareth had invested enough time and energy into one of his charges. Both times, Gareth had strongly disagreed.
Both times, they hadn't even ended up on The List first.
That the day had gone the way it had was a profound relief. He still wouldn't lull himself with the idea that Avi had taken a liking to Ren. Avi took a liking to a lot of people. It didn't mean anything.
"To pay me tribute is to please me with your skill," the King said airily, and Gareth blushed. He had other skills. Just because his mother was a succubus didn't mean... whatever. "Some sing songs to my glory, or dance for my amusement. There was a man who did something very complicated with numbers. I did not understand it, but I am told that it was an impressive discovery to have named for me."
Gareth did not like to think about his failures. It was the King who decided when Gareth had invested enough time and energy into one of his charges. Both times, Gareth had strongly disagreed.
Both times, they hadn't even ended up on The List first.
That the day had gone the way it had was a profound relief. He still wouldn't lull himself with the idea that Avi had taken a liking to Ren. Avi took a liking to a lot of people. It didn't mean anything.
"To pay me tribute is to please me with your skill," the King said airily, and Gareth blushed. He had other skills. Just because his mother was a succubus didn't mean... whatever. "Some sing songs to my glory, or dance for my amusement. There was a man who did something very complicated with numbers. I did not understand it, but I am told that it was an impressive discovery to have named for me."
RE: Beg Mercy [Closed] - SolitareLee - 10-23-2019
"Oh... Hmm." She couldn't argue that, not at all. She had an extremely strong will, and she rather doubted it fell in line with his. Frankly, she'd kind of proved his point all the times he'd, y'know, fairly wrecked her with his dick and she'd responded mostly by wanting to fight. Even if they had both enjoyed it, it didn't exactly imply a naturally submissive personality. "Being hopeless means getting eaten in this case, right?" This concept said strong things for the need to move up the prioritizing of that escape plan. She wouldn't flatter herself by pretending the King had decided to favor her just because she was--hopefully--a good fuck.
"Skill, huh..." she murmured to herself. She almost regretted asking about the tribute, in context with everything else. If she gave him something, would it be obviously bribery? But the things she had in mind she kind of didn't want cheapened with the implication. Maybe she should give nothing at all, or just stick to sex. Although she hardly considered that a skill, in her case. A gift for being stretchy, maybe, but not a skill.
She climbed higher up his wing, wondering at what point it might become uncomfortable. She was enough feet from his back now that it would probably make Gareth nervous, but he was always nervous, so that maybe wasn't saying much. She scrubbed carefully but diligently at the underside, where she thought it might be hard for him or most people to reach. That it required balancing most of her weight on her stomach, one leg up in the air, didn't seem to be cause for concern to her.