FREE CONNIE

[cullionfish]

Characters: The Condesce and YOU
Setting: The Aquarium
Format: Action brackets
Summary: Condesce is in her element. Spoilers: that's not a good thing.
Warnings: The god damn Empress of Alternia.

[The aquarium level was quiet, save for the short little ripples running through the water. Toward the center, there was an obvious large shadow pursuing other, smaller shadows -- some of them even larger than its pursuer.

Condesce swam gracefully, entertaining herself by terrorizing the various marine life amongst her person. Every now and then she would pin one to the seafloor with a flurry of gold, trident in hand. If not, she would snatch them out in front of her expertly with practiced talons.

She doesn't seem to be paying attention to the doorway, but the moment someone steps foot onto the floor, they will notice that her form halts all movement and that there is a distinct yellow stare cast in their direction.]

Comments

[cullionfish]

[Naturally, that was the opposite of what she wanted. She gets amusement out of his struggles for a time, but once his eyes find her, she frowns harshly and bolts once more to retrieve him. She doesn't bother to be mindful of her claws, likely scraping his skin and allowing the salty water to be stained with that horrible mutant swill.

She drags the null-blood to a nearby rock formation, tall enough that it pokes out of the top of the water by a good margin. The Condesce pulls him upward and leaves him to rest there, much to her chagrin. Afterwards, she would sink back below the surface to observe, a glowing yellowed glare fixed permanently on her face.

But there was simply no way he would be permitted to die looking down on her. Even if he hadn't meant it that way, it boiled her blood to unspeakable levels.]

[benigncancer]

[Okay, he had sort of hoped she might give up if he gave up. After all, prey isn't much fun if it's not struggling, is it, Condesce? And death wasn't permanent. Not that it was any fun.

He hauls himself up the rock a little, out of the water, and coughs until his lungs burn with it, clinging to the formation. He knows this is just a reprieve, but he's hoping to make the most of it]

Thank you...

[cullionfish]

[There's an otherworldly growl beneath the surface of the water, teeth glinting in the light of the room. Again, she disappeared as she darted back to the bottom to retrieve her trident.

Signless might notice her circling the rock as she contemplates how to handle this situation. Killing him would be best, but it would be too quick. Leaving him to drown hadn't worked.

It seemed most of the fish were avoiding her and the rock now.]

[benigncancer]

[He climbs up as high as he can go - which still means that he's almost touching the water - and tries to watch her as she circles. He sighs and rubs his arm where she clawed him, glancing at the crimson blood that ends up on his fingers]

I thought we had an agreement!

[cullionfish]

[Her horns poke above the surface like a pair of shark fins as she pauses in front of him to stare with narrowed yellow eyes. The Empress circles to the side and pulls herself above water, though not far.]

You're alive. Are you not?

[benigncancer]

[He considers that]

For now, yes. Would you have eventually killed me if I'd kept struggling?

[cullionfish]

[Her eyelids fall in thought.]

I suppose you'll never find out, will you?

[benigncancer]

Probably not, a fact for which I'm grateful. So now what happens, Empress?

[cullionfish]

[There's a scoff, full of spite.]

Bored already? You could always swim to shore...

[Heh]

[benigncancer]

I'm not bored in the least. But you seem to have a pretty short attention span.

[He glances around] You've already watched me swimming.

[cullionfish]

I could do this all day.

[She ignores the first comment about her attention span. It was mostly true anyway. When you've lived for as long as she has, you got bored pretty quickly of most things.]

[benigncancer]

Then I guess I can, too.

[Not like he has a choice. He shifts and rests his chin in his palm]

So tell me about what it's like to be Empress.

[cullionfish]

And why, pray-tell, would I bother doing that?

[She raises an eyebrow at him skeptically. She wasn't interested in small talk, especially with a null-blood. She would have rather seen him eaten by one of the large sharks in the tank, frankly.]

[benigncancer]

[Shrug] Well, it doesn't seem like we've got much else to do. But if you don't want to tell me about yourself, I don't mind answer questions instead.

[cullionfish]

[...she stares at him, giving him the flattest look ever. If he's particularly good at reading highblooded expressions, he might note a hint of curiousity.

She just...can't understand how he can be so calm and peaceful, especially around her of all people. Its completely and utterly foreign to her, and the only way she knows how to respond is to hurt him some more to try and entice that rage that he's supposed to have as a troll.

She can't figure him out. And it makes her angry.]

[benigncancer]

[He's okay with her not being able to figure him out a bit. He isn't actually that calm at all - he's scared, but struggling to keep it hidden as best he can, because that seems to be a strategy that works.

She wants to get him upset, so he won't give her the satisfaction. Getting angry won't help him, so maybe being calm will.

As the silence draws out, he decides to try another tack]

Let me ask you a question, Empress...

What are you getting out of this?

[cullionfish]

You're only alive because we're here.

[Its not exactly a straight answer, but she's not exactly the sanest of individuals. That aside, she's still stuck on her own train of thought and only barely recognizes that he asked a question at all.]

Perhaps I should just throw you back in the water.

[benigncancer]

[He's not sure if she heard his question or not. He sighs]

And what would it accomplish, Empress?

[cullionfish]

I would certainly feel better.

[And that's all that matters, really. When she speaks, its with a torrid hiss that she can't keep out of her tone.]

Why do you not fight back?

[She just can't comprehend the utter lack of self-preservation in the Signless. It makes her absolutely sick.]

[benigncancer]

Why would something so pointless make you feel better?

[Oh he's got a lot of self-preservation, which is why he's acting this way]

What would be the point in fighting you? I can't possibly win in the water, so fighting would only encourage you to hurt me more. And anyway, all things being equal, I'd prefer not to fight at all.

[cullionfish]

It is the principal, you ignorant blind fool. Wars are not and will not ever be won with words.

[She growls.]

You disgrace the skin you wear.

[benigncancer]

We're not at war, Empress. You and I are allies, remember?

[And he would dispute the assertion that wars can't be won with words. Little by little, water wears away at the stone]

[cullionfish]

No. No, we are not.

[Just by the way he says it, its clear that she's had just about enough of holding herself back for the sake of appearances. She's the god damn Condescension, she will not be pigeon-holed into an accord she doesn't want.]

My patience with you and your band of miscreants has reached its end.

[benigncancer]

Really. [He says this flatly] So you're just bored of being allies with me, trying to find a way to get out of here together. Instead you're going to cull me for no reason...for what? So I can wake up later on? What's the point?

I really thought you were smarter than this, Condesce.

[cullionfish]

Frankly, I don't give a damn. I don't have to explain myself to you.

[There's a myriad of reasons that brought her to this conclusion, but most of them centered around frustration on several levels, the rest of them located in the highblood lust for blood that she hasn't been able to satisfy since she made this deal.]

You have nothing to show for this partnership and neither do I.