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lunarkeysI wrote this as a stream-of-consciousness tidbit from my novel, Scoundrels and Liberators. This may be a draft, a tidbit, a part of the story, or I might erase it and start over. I just was proud of myself for writing for the first time in ages, even if it was just this silly thing. I'm aware there isn't any context, so for those who haven't read the rest of the novel, this will likely make little sense.
But damnit, I wrote something.
--
Keys stared out the window blankly, trying to collect his thoughts.
The group had managed to get away - barely, once again - at the cost of...a lot of people. Too many people.
The thought unnerved him. Andrometus had gone to incredibly great lengths to make the mission a success. While he was no doubt happy to be alive...he and his friends, both - the sacrifice of others frightened him. How far would the dragon go in order to succeed? What happened if he didn't?
What happened if he did?
Towers was already the largest corporation in the world. Demolishing Solaryut would end the suffering of millions, but the consequences - especially if the dragon went back on his word - would be catastrophic. Even if all he intended was noble, it would be a nightmare trying to piece society back together after an upheaval like that.
He sighed, turning away from the window. He needed to go get a snack, maybe something to drink to get his mind off his thoughts...
...the same thoughts being interrupted as the door swung open. The luminari's breath caught in his throat as a familiar figure strode in.
Nyomi.
The feline had shed her leather coat for a simple blue tunic and pants, though the thief could see the outline of weapons still by her side. Her expression was deadpan as always. Keys had never seen her smile, never seen her laugh or cry or look angry. She always had that same expression of indifference. Her voice had always been flat.
"...Hi." He found himself saying, automatically. It seemed like the right thing to do.
"Hello, Sylvir." She did not look back at him, merely striding over to take his place at the window.
"...it's just Keys, now, I haven't been Sylvir in a long time..."
"Keys, then." She did not turn.
He frowned. "Do you ever speak more than a few words at a time?"
"Yes."
The luminari paused. It was not the answer he anticipated.
"W-well, why don't you?"
"I'm not asked to."
"...well, what if I asked you now?"
"What would you have me say?"
"...well, um, at least...something about you?"
"I am Nyomi. I work for Andrometus as an assassin."
"Well, I knew that, I meant...like, you as a person."
"Such as?" She turned, now, her dark eyes now focused on the luminari's. Keys felt himself swallow nervously.
"...how'd you get to be where you are now?"
"I was hired."
"When? Why? How did you get the...talents that you have today?"
"Seven years ago. I was hired after Havlock was destroyed."
"Havlock?"
"A group of mercenaries. The best"
"I haven't heard of them before."
"They did not exist in corporate records. Their secrecy was what made them as dangerous as they were."
Keys raised an eyebrow. "How'd you get your talents, then?"
"Through Havlock. I was trained from birth."
"Your parents were assassins?"
"Yes."
"What happened to them?"
"I murdered them."
Keys flinched instinctively. "Whu...Why?"
"They were monsters. Products of the group that made them what they were."
"But still, they were your parents, weren't they...?"
Keys flinched again as Nyomi took a step closer. Her deadpan expression had faded somewhat - the faintest flicker of emotion. A twitch of one ear as a venomous twitch ran through her features.
"Yes."
"...what made them...the way they were...?"
"The desire for power. It wasn't the money that drove them."
"Then wha..."
Nyomi interrupted. "The control. They wanted to crush people. To hold what was most precious - their loved ones, their most prized possessions, their hopes and dreams...just out of reach, just to watch them struggle. To make them know that they controlled them. That their lives were never their own - they were merely playthings of those more powerful than they."
The luminari fell silent for a moment.
Nyomi turned away to finish her explanation. "They would have empowered those like Sivar - given people the power to utterly dominate others. They would have held the world in their grasp, only so that everyone might despair."
"...what happened when you...when you...did...."
"I joined them on a punishment job. A family had lost a gamble and owed them money, so they were going to kidnap his daughter and torture her into insanity before returning her so that the parents would despair and commit suicide. They had taken her back and tied her down, leaving me to guard the place. They assumed that their indoctrination of me was thorough. They were wrong."
"And then you killed them?"
"Yes."
"What happened...after that?"
"I let the daughter go."
"What happened to her?"
"She perished. When Havlock learned of my treachery, they did everything in their power to find me. They failed. So they vented their rage on the only source of good I had done. The family was eradicated. They hunted everyone who had ever been related to them and killed them all."
"How did you escape?"
"Andrometus found me first. He used his resources to ensure that I survived."
The luminari opened his mouth, but the unbidden question did not come through. At the cost of how many others?
"...so that was why you joined."
"No."
He raised his eyebrows. "Why, then?"
"Because he destroyed Havlock so that I would not do so."
"But you're his best assassin. Surely you could...?"
"No. I was merely one performer in a theater of murderers. If I had gone forth to kill them, I would have failed."
"But he had enough troops to...?"
"No. He knew where they were. It was their secrecy that kept them alive."
"...you told him where to find them."
"Yes."
"So why do you still...kill people?"
"I believed in his dream. Was that not why you followed your leader?"
"...yeah. I guess." He looked away. The reality behind the stereotype - that she was not quite as cold and heartless as he had assumed...had knocked his perceptions askew. Each time he had thought he knew what everyone's roles were in all this...
"Is there anything else?"
"...n-no, I suppose not." He stepped away. Nyomi still stared out the window, the only movement showing that she was still awake being a twitch of her left ear. The luminari hesitated, waiting for some sort of parting comment, something that might explain all that he had just learned. It did not come.
"...I guess I'll see you later." He hastily closed the door behind him. He dared not stare back at the impassive assassin.
Nyomi was grateful that he had missed the reflection in the mirror. She brushed away the droplet in her eye, then resumed her impassive stare, watching over the city below.
But damnit, I wrote something.
--
Keys stared out the window blankly, trying to collect his thoughts.
The group had managed to get away - barely, once again - at the cost of...a lot of people. Too many people.
The thought unnerved him. Andrometus had gone to incredibly great lengths to make the mission a success. While he was no doubt happy to be alive...he and his friends, both - the sacrifice of others frightened him. How far would the dragon go in order to succeed? What happened if he didn't?
What happened if he did?
Towers was already the largest corporation in the world. Demolishing Solaryut would end the suffering of millions, but the consequences - especially if the dragon went back on his word - would be catastrophic. Even if all he intended was noble, it would be a nightmare trying to piece society back together after an upheaval like that.
He sighed, turning away from the window. He needed to go get a snack, maybe something to drink to get his mind off his thoughts...
...the same thoughts being interrupted as the door swung open. The luminari's breath caught in his throat as a familiar figure strode in.
Nyomi.
The feline had shed her leather coat for a simple blue tunic and pants, though the thief could see the outline of weapons still by her side. Her expression was deadpan as always. Keys had never seen her smile, never seen her laugh or cry or look angry. She always had that same expression of indifference. Her voice had always been flat.
"...Hi." He found himself saying, automatically. It seemed like the right thing to do.
"Hello, Sylvir." She did not look back at him, merely striding over to take his place at the window.
"...it's just Keys, now, I haven't been Sylvir in a long time..."
"Keys, then." She did not turn.
He frowned. "Do you ever speak more than a few words at a time?"
"Yes."
The luminari paused. It was not the answer he anticipated.
"W-well, why don't you?"
"I'm not asked to."
"...well, what if I asked you now?"
"What would you have me say?"
"...well, um, at least...something about you?"
"I am Nyomi. I work for Andrometus as an assassin."
"Well, I knew that, I meant...like, you as a person."
"Such as?" She turned, now, her dark eyes now focused on the luminari's. Keys felt himself swallow nervously.
"...how'd you get to be where you are now?"
"I was hired."
"When? Why? How did you get the...talents that you have today?"
"Seven years ago. I was hired after Havlock was destroyed."
"Havlock?"
"A group of mercenaries. The best"
"I haven't heard of them before."
"They did not exist in corporate records. Their secrecy was what made them as dangerous as they were."
Keys raised an eyebrow. "How'd you get your talents, then?"
"Through Havlock. I was trained from birth."
"Your parents were assassins?"
"Yes."
"What happened to them?"
"I murdered them."
Keys flinched instinctively. "Whu...Why?"
"They were monsters. Products of the group that made them what they were."
"But still, they were your parents, weren't they...?"
Keys flinched again as Nyomi took a step closer. Her deadpan expression had faded somewhat - the faintest flicker of emotion. A twitch of one ear as a venomous twitch ran through her features.
"Yes."
"...what made them...the way they were...?"
"The desire for power. It wasn't the money that drove them."
"Then wha..."
Nyomi interrupted. "The control. They wanted to crush people. To hold what was most precious - their loved ones, their most prized possessions, their hopes and dreams...just out of reach, just to watch them struggle. To make them know that they controlled them. That their lives were never their own - they were merely playthings of those more powerful than they."
The luminari fell silent for a moment.
Nyomi turned away to finish her explanation. "They would have empowered those like Sivar - given people the power to utterly dominate others. They would have held the world in their grasp, only so that everyone might despair."
"...what happened when you...when you...did...."
"I joined them on a punishment job. A family had lost a gamble and owed them money, so they were going to kidnap his daughter and torture her into insanity before returning her so that the parents would despair and commit suicide. They had taken her back and tied her down, leaving me to guard the place. They assumed that their indoctrination of me was thorough. They were wrong."
"And then you killed them?"
"Yes."
"What happened...after that?"
"I let the daughter go."
"What happened to her?"
"She perished. When Havlock learned of my treachery, they did everything in their power to find me. They failed. So they vented their rage on the only source of good I had done. The family was eradicated. They hunted everyone who had ever been related to them and killed them all."
"How did you escape?"
"Andrometus found me first. He used his resources to ensure that I survived."
The luminari opened his mouth, but the unbidden question did not come through. At the cost of how many others?
"...so that was why you joined."
"No."
He raised his eyebrows. "Why, then?"
"Because he destroyed Havlock so that I would not do so."
"But you're his best assassin. Surely you could...?"
"No. I was merely one performer in a theater of murderers. If I had gone forth to kill them, I would have failed."
"But he had enough troops to...?"
"No. He knew where they were. It was their secrecy that kept them alive."
"...you told him where to find them."
"Yes."
"So why do you still...kill people?"
"I believed in his dream. Was that not why you followed your leader?"
"...yeah. I guess." He looked away. The reality behind the stereotype - that she was not quite as cold and heartless as he had assumed...had knocked his perceptions askew. Each time he had thought he knew what everyone's roles were in all this...
"Is there anything else?"
"...n-no, I suppose not." He stepped away. Nyomi still stared out the window, the only movement showing that she was still awake being a twitch of her left ear. The luminari hesitated, waiting for some sort of parting comment, something that might explain all that he had just learned. It did not come.
"...I guess I'll see you later." He hastily closed the door behind him. He dared not stare back at the impassive assassin.
Nyomi was grateful that he had missed the reflection in the mirror. She brushed away the droplet in her eye, then resumed her impassive stare, watching over the city below.
