He paced the room and a pensive look crossed his face. Static. Not a sound came from her end. Her reply was absolute and he hated it. He wouldn't be told no. Not like this. Very calmly did he gather the fallen paperwork and neatly piled them. All the while, he heard the groans that mingled with the words of the Woodwailers she just put down. He knew she hated the Wailers, but to assault them was a message to him.
“Don't pursue,†he spoke quietly, trying to keep himself in control. But, the Marshal, who seated himself in the high chair of the desk, glared furiously.
“Heuloix,†he said in a mumbled, unsatisfied. “You let a woman make a mockery of us. One wild animal who broke her leash. not only did she bring harm to her fellow countrymen, she ignored a direct order. You have lost control. You have let this thing loose.†He picked up the quill from the ink pot and calmly looked through the paperwork, casually picking up one of the empty sheets and placing it before him.
“And now it will come back to bite you. She doesn’t need classified folders, she knows the orders we have given her, the lives we told her to take.†He began writing quickly, his penmanship was neat, but the words written were orders of his own, a death warrant. The Commander didn’t need to read it, he knew what was to come. His hand came down upon the papers, knocking over the ink pot purposely over the script.
Darkness spreads and spills over the wood of the desk. Sinking into the grain.
“I am not going to give up on her.†The growl resonates into the thick air shared and the Commander’s defiant behavior only causes his Marshal to nearly lose his cool composure.
A finger rose between the eyes of Heulioux as the other elezen rose to his feet and leaned close. “You have three bells, before the coming of dawn, to bring her in. If you do not, if you fail, I will not only have her head. But yours.†The threat was laced with promise and both men stood down before ripping each other’s throats. His aggressive words sank into his flesh, rattled his core and he fell silent. The chair creaks, the door is slammed, and within moments, the Marshal is gone.
He waited until the footsteps faded, until he knew he was alone. His anger was on display with a swing of his arm, sending everything, on the surface of his desk, slamming into the adjacent wall. He was trembling with frustration and closed his eyes. There, he saw the image of her, the young woman whose determination shone through despite her dirtied skin and tangled hair.
“Orders, Commander --†a voice came through the linkshell.
He saw her blushing cheeks when he invited her to dance at the ball, how she stumbled slightly before he helped her adjust to the steps.
“..Find the Viper, watched the gates. Do not show aggression, bring her back,†he responds softly whilst locked in the ghost of her memory.
Then he saw her how she was now, beautiful, dangerous, full of confidence. A flower truly in bloom, a snake in the grass. His Rivienne, his valuable, terrible, serpent.
“What if she doesn’t come quietly?†The voice inquired with concern.
“Commander?†Again, it came through the linkshell.
Heuloix lifts his head and pulls himself free from the memory. A deep frown touched his lips before his attention turned to the papers scattered about once more, catching sight of her handwriting.
“--then kill her.â€
“Don't pursue,†he spoke quietly, trying to keep himself in control. But, the Marshal, who seated himself in the high chair of the desk, glared furiously.
“Heuloix,†he said in a mumbled, unsatisfied. “You let a woman make a mockery of us. One wild animal who broke her leash. not only did she bring harm to her fellow countrymen, she ignored a direct order. You have lost control. You have let this thing loose.†He picked up the quill from the ink pot and calmly looked through the paperwork, casually picking up one of the empty sheets and placing it before him.
“And now it will come back to bite you. She doesn’t need classified folders, she knows the orders we have given her, the lives we told her to take.†He began writing quickly, his penmanship was neat, but the words written were orders of his own, a death warrant. The Commander didn’t need to read it, he knew what was to come. His hand came down upon the papers, knocking over the ink pot purposely over the script.
Darkness spreads and spills over the wood of the desk. Sinking into the grain.
“I am not going to give up on her.†The growl resonates into the thick air shared and the Commander’s defiant behavior only causes his Marshal to nearly lose his cool composure.
A finger rose between the eyes of Heulioux as the other elezen rose to his feet and leaned close. “You have three bells, before the coming of dawn, to bring her in. If you do not, if you fail, I will not only have her head. But yours.†The threat was laced with promise and both men stood down before ripping each other’s throats. His aggressive words sank into his flesh, rattled his core and he fell silent. The chair creaks, the door is slammed, and within moments, the Marshal is gone.
He waited until the footsteps faded, until he knew he was alone. His anger was on display with a swing of his arm, sending everything, on the surface of his desk, slamming into the adjacent wall. He was trembling with frustration and closed his eyes. There, he saw the image of her, the young woman whose determination shone through despite her dirtied skin and tangled hair.
“Orders, Commander --†a voice came through the linkshell.
He saw her blushing cheeks when he invited her to dance at the ball, how she stumbled slightly before he helped her adjust to the steps.
“..Find the Viper, watched the gates. Do not show aggression, bring her back,†he responds softly whilst locked in the ghost of her memory.
Then he saw her how she was now, beautiful, dangerous, full of confidence. A flower truly in bloom, a snake in the grass. His Rivienne, his valuable, terrible, serpent.
“What if she doesn’t come quietly?†The voice inquired with concern.
“Commander?†Again, it came through the linkshell.
Heuloix lifts his head and pulls himself free from the memory. A deep frown touched his lips before his attention turned to the papers scattered about once more, catching sight of her handwriting.
“--then kill her.â€
