"Take as in kidnap, or take as in steal his love?" I asked, faltering a little after he gave his answer. I hadn't expected that as the reason for the death sentence, but authority figures were never to be trusted. It was a general rule of life.
Jacob frowned, "I cannot say more," he whimpered, "I am a traitor."
Fidel opened his mouth to say something, but his voice died before he could get a word out. He turned to Megara instead, "I need to check the bandages on your leg as well," he said, gesturing, "If you don't mind."
She sighed and hitched up her skirts to show the sizable bandage that wrapped around her thigh just above her knee, and the sheathe of throwing knives that wrapped just inches above it. She unstrapped the knives and held them in her lap while Fidel got to work.
She addressed Jacob, "Of course you can say more," she said gently, "You can't get much worse than dead," she reminded him.
Megara wanted to play good guy? Fine. I could embrace my role as a villain - I did it for years. A little bit of threatening here, a little bit of intimidating there, and I'd get the answers that I wanted.
And, while I was at it, I'd change this guy's mind and get him some food - death by starvation was no way to go.
I scooted a little closer to him, the air dropping several degrees as I made myself look as frightening as possible.
"I don't know what this world is like," I softly said, "but I can guarentee than I can be worse than any nightmare you've ever had, Jacob. I tried doing this the nice, easy way, but I see you don't want to cooperate. Tell me everything about this rules, and I might let you go back to your king before you're set to die."
I was secretly proud of myself for the threat, but that pride was quickly dashed by the look of terror on Kirux's face after I spoke. He looked like he wanted to cry again; I was sure he'd do it any moment.
Megara took care not to show her jealousy when Skull started making threats. This act of hers was tiresome and boring as all hell. If Skull hadn’t set himself up as the bad guy so thoroughly before she could, she would be the one threatening him, and she would mean it. That last aspect was something she thought Skull lacked. The morality, or lack there of, to mean it when he made such threats.
She glanced at Kirux. So long as she was playing the good guy, she might as well act like it.
“He’s just acting,” she signed to him, disregarding her previous lies. Skull already knew she’d been lying anyway, might as well let everyone else in on it too.
Jacob, meanwhile, whimpered again and curled in on himself, “I can’t,” he squeaked helplessly, “I can’t...”
Kirux looked unconvinced at the response Megara gave, but I didn't have the time to comfort him like I probably should have been - I was this close to getting through to Jacob. He was absolutely terrified.
"Yes, you can," I said. I scooted so close that our thighs were touching, clothing on clothing, and reached out a hand to tip up his chin so he was looking right at me.
I leaned in a little closer. Our noses probably would have been inches apart, if I was my normal self. "You don't want to underestimate what I'm capable of, Jacob."
He whimpered again, “Servants don’t see the prince. Those are the rules. I broke the rules. I tried to steal the prince. Now I must die. It is the rules.”
Megara has to admit, grudgingly and only to herself, that she was impressed by Skull’s efforts. Intimidation was always the best part of the job, and yes, she was passed that he got to do it this time, but she had to admire the fact that he didn’t completely suck at it, as most people did.
Fidel, again, jostled her wound just a little too roughly and she flinched, biting back a curse. She glared at him while Jacob wasn’t looking.
As he tried to scoot away, I grabbed onto his arm - the weaker one, not the one that had destroyed some of the guards earlier. "Don't you remember what I said?" I asked. "If you want to get out of this remotely unscathed, you'll have to answer all my questions - even the ones you don't want to."
Jacob looked on the verge of tears as he pulled uselessly to free his arm, either forgetting about his robotic appendage or realizing that using it here would result in his own injury.
He shook his head, “I cannot. I cannot. I cannot.”
"You have to," I reminded him. The air dropped several more degrees - now, I could see everyone's breath but my own in the air. "It's our little deal, and I don't like people who break my deals."
I faltered, barely noticing how pale Kirux had gone a few feet away. He was protecting someone. I should have seen that a mile away, but I wasn't used to people actually caring about each other.
"Well," I said, letting go and getting to my feet, "I guess I'll have to get you-know-who, then."
I walked over to the door.
"It's a shame you didn't want to tell me," I said, "because what I'm about to do to the person you care oh so much about will make you wish you weren't the only one dying tomorrow."
Jacob’s eyes went wide, “No!” he cried between sobs, “Do not hurt him!” he sniffled, trying to reign in the sobs, “I cannot tell you,” he sobbed hopelessly, “I promised...”
Suddenly, Kirux was at my side - desperately tugging on my arm in an attempt to get me to stop. I could have just continued with the act, but the sight of his scared expression made me hesitate again.
"You can't hurt him," Kirux signed. "It wouldn't be good."
"I'm not supposed to be good," I signed back - more than a little alarmed when my hands started moving in ways that felt both right and unfamiliar. "I'm pretending. He's already told me more than he did when I wasn't."
He crossed his arms and gave me a disapproving look. "He's trying to be a good person, and you're not letting him."
"He's trying to be a dead person," I said out loud - not realizing what I had said until the words left my mouth.
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