((rewritten from in game rp))
Zhavi Streetrunner had made a mistake.
She had known it to be a mistake when he'd approached her. Something was off in his posture, his bearing. It had taken her too many seconds to recognize it, and when she had he had cornered her. She knew what Xydane looked like when he was hunting.
But he had never hunted her.
She knew why. Without asking, she knew. She'd been found out. She was not innocent. Had never been innocent, not since she could remember. He had found that out. The specifics didn't matter.
He had found out.
He didn't speak until he'd backed her up, until she turned to run, until he'd taken her down more than once. Until he had her by the throat.
"You... dare to take me as a fool?! You have no idea who the hell I am, do you?"
He was angry. Maybe he was right to be angry. She did think him a fool. A volatile, naive fool. A dangerous fool. But she'd never been particularly good at not burning her fingers on the flames. She had no allies. No escape. No chance. She stared at him, wrapping her hands around the one that held her throat. "I do. . .what gotta. . .t'survive!"
It hurt to talk.
"Survive. . .hmph." Xydane let her go, and backhanded her.
It always felt like a longer trip to the ground then it actually was. She hit the ground hard, collapsed there for a second regaining her breath. Then she started to push herself up onto her hands and knees. She had to escape. She had to get out of there. She started to crawl away.
She was too slow. Xydane grabbed her by the collar and threw her back down. "You. . .disgust me. Your kind . . . disgusts me. Tell me, runner. . .what do you see when you look at me?"
A crazed man. A fool. A dangerous enemy.
Air whistled as she gasped, as she caught herself, skidded. Skin tore. Splinters dug in. She could work through the pain. Always had. She knew better than to look, knew better than to talk. Knew better -- knew nothing. "Job. A chance."
She started to get up again. She could swim. She could swim away -- she just had to get away from him.
Wasn't gonna happen. His foot landed behind her right knee, pinning her to the deck. He grabbed her by the neck, forced her head around. Forced her to look at him. "Do you know who I am? Do you know why I do what I am forced to do?"
Her eyes were filled with fear, with hate, with a thousand conflicting emotions. The urge to rebel, to fight, had been burned away so many years ago. She knew when she was beaten. She knew when she was alone. She knew when she had to give in. To beg. It always twisted, deep down, in the places she would swear she didn't have. "No. I-I don't. Please," she spoke from between teeth clenched tight. "Please. Don't kill me." Her eyes burned, but she wouldn't cry. Not for some guttersnipe like him.
"Answer my question, filth."
"I said I don't know!"
"Oh, you know the answer all to well. You're the one who used me, remember? You know exactly what I am."
She swallowed, her fingers digging into the wood. Her head was reeling. She didn't know what to do. What was the right answer? What was the wrong? What was the one that would keep her alive? "Yer a. . .a killer."
She knew there was a blade by her throat. When he had put it there, she couldn't say.
She knew he was going to kill her.
"I am a necessary evil," he said. His voice was cold. Dead.
There was a whisper of noise as he withdrew the smaller blade and started to unsheathe his sword. She went still. Her mouth was unbearably dry. She was shaking. "Don't kill me," she whispered.
He moved behind her. She didn't look. She tried to jerk away from his grip. She scrabbled at the ground, a small bleating noise escaping her. "Wait! Wait!" Her face was almost to the planking, her eyes squeezed shut. "I can help ye -- somethin' -- anythin' -- jes don't . . .don't!"
"Necessary. . .evil." His voice was like silk. He brought the blade down.
It slammed into the wood inches from her face. She jumped, squealed.
"Do you feel fear, Kink?"
Zhi went still again. Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears. "Yes." Her voice was naught but a breath of sound.
"Fear is a strong weapon. Much more powerful than the best forged steel. You shall deliver your fear. You shall send it like a message. 'The Unrelenting' has shown you fear. Tell others of it. Spread it like a forest fire. 'The Unrelenting' is necessary evil. All who sin shall soon be descended by a bird of prey."
She trembled.
"Spread the word to both guards and criminals. Spread my name."
She hated.
"Double-cross me again... and your fear shall be the death of you. Now... crawl back to the dark hole whence you came from, Miqo'te."
She would never bend to any one person ever again. No matter that she begged. No matter that she was beaten. No matter that she all but pressed her face to the boots of the person who'd almost killed her. No matter that, when it came down to it, she was always craven.
She would not break.
Xydane removed his foot from the back of her knee, wrenched his sword free from the wood. Just like that, he walked away into the city. It swallowed him up, just like it swallowed everyone.
Zhavi stayed down for awhile, head bent, fists clenched. But she got up, eventually, as she always did. She always rebounded. She turned to look at the city that had taken him in. Her eyes were hard. Nothing was absolute, and nothing was forever. She gathered her humiliation, her fear, her hatred, her rage, and she squashed it down deep where no one would ever see it.
There was work to be done.
Zhavi Streetrunner had made a mistake.
She had known it to be a mistake when he'd approached her. Something was off in his posture, his bearing. It had taken her too many seconds to recognize it, and when she had he had cornered her. She knew what Xydane looked like when he was hunting.
But he had never hunted her.
She knew why. Without asking, she knew. She'd been found out. She was not innocent. Had never been innocent, not since she could remember. He had found that out. The specifics didn't matter.
He had found out.
He didn't speak until he'd backed her up, until she turned to run, until he'd taken her down more than once. Until he had her by the throat.
"You... dare to take me as a fool?! You have no idea who the hell I am, do you?"
He was angry. Maybe he was right to be angry. She did think him a fool. A volatile, naive fool. A dangerous fool. But she'd never been particularly good at not burning her fingers on the flames. She had no allies. No escape. No chance. She stared at him, wrapping her hands around the one that held her throat. "I do. . .what gotta. . .t'survive!"
It hurt to talk.
"Survive. . .hmph." Xydane let her go, and backhanded her.
It always felt like a longer trip to the ground then it actually was. She hit the ground hard, collapsed there for a second regaining her breath. Then she started to push herself up onto her hands and knees. She had to escape. She had to get out of there. She started to crawl away.
She was too slow. Xydane grabbed her by the collar and threw her back down. "You. . .disgust me. Your kind . . . disgusts me. Tell me, runner. . .what do you see when you look at me?"
A crazed man. A fool. A dangerous enemy.
Air whistled as she gasped, as she caught herself, skidded. Skin tore. Splinters dug in. She could work through the pain. Always had. She knew better than to look, knew better than to talk. Knew better -- knew nothing. "Job. A chance."
She started to get up again. She could swim. She could swim away -- she just had to get away from him.
Wasn't gonna happen. His foot landed behind her right knee, pinning her to the deck. He grabbed her by the neck, forced her head around. Forced her to look at him. "Do you know who I am? Do you know why I do what I am forced to do?"
Her eyes were filled with fear, with hate, with a thousand conflicting emotions. The urge to rebel, to fight, had been burned away so many years ago. She knew when she was beaten. She knew when she was alone. She knew when she had to give in. To beg. It always twisted, deep down, in the places she would swear she didn't have. "No. I-I don't. Please," she spoke from between teeth clenched tight. "Please. Don't kill me." Her eyes burned, but she wouldn't cry. Not for some guttersnipe like him.
"Answer my question, filth."
"I said I don't know!"
"Oh, you know the answer all to well. You're the one who used me, remember? You know exactly what I am."
She swallowed, her fingers digging into the wood. Her head was reeling. She didn't know what to do. What was the right answer? What was the wrong? What was the one that would keep her alive? "Yer a. . .a killer."
She knew there was a blade by her throat. When he had put it there, she couldn't say.
She knew he was going to kill her.
"I am a necessary evil," he said. His voice was cold. Dead.
There was a whisper of noise as he withdrew the smaller blade and started to unsheathe his sword. She went still. Her mouth was unbearably dry. She was shaking. "Don't kill me," she whispered.
He moved behind her. She didn't look. She tried to jerk away from his grip. She scrabbled at the ground, a small bleating noise escaping her. "Wait! Wait!" Her face was almost to the planking, her eyes squeezed shut. "I can help ye -- somethin' -- anythin' -- jes don't . . .don't!"
"Necessary. . .evil." His voice was like silk. He brought the blade down.
It slammed into the wood inches from her face. She jumped, squealed.
"Do you feel fear, Kink?"
Zhi went still again. Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears. "Yes." Her voice was naught but a breath of sound.
"Fear is a strong weapon. Much more powerful than the best forged steel. You shall deliver your fear. You shall send it like a message. 'The Unrelenting' has shown you fear. Tell others of it. Spread it like a forest fire. 'The Unrelenting' is necessary evil. All who sin shall soon be descended by a bird of prey."
She trembled.
"Spread the word to both guards and criminals. Spread my name."
She hated.
"Double-cross me again... and your fear shall be the death of you. Now... crawl back to the dark hole whence you came from, Miqo'te."
She would never bend to any one person ever again. No matter that she begged. No matter that she was beaten. No matter that she all but pressed her face to the boots of the person who'd almost killed her. No matter that, when it came down to it, she was always craven.
She would not break.
Xydane removed his foot from the back of her knee, wrenched his sword free from the wood. Just like that, he walked away into the city. It swallowed him up, just like it swallowed everyone.
Zhavi stayed down for awhile, head bent, fists clenched. But she got up, eventually, as she always did. She always rebounded. She turned to look at the city that had taken him in. Her eyes were hard. Nothing was absolute, and nothing was forever. She gathered her humiliation, her fear, her hatred, her rage, and she squashed it down deep where no one would ever see it.
There was work to be done.
