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Entry tags:
bitter regrets
Fandom: Original
Character(s): Lorraine & Zvei
Word Count: 1,024
Summary: Lorraine visits Zvei in jail.
Notes: Last one of the old drafts. Once again, figuring out voices and relationships! Wow, who would have guessed that Zvei didn't get any character development even after being tossed in jail.
The dungeons in Yeusal are in better shape than most. That’s part of why Lorraine chose them - between that and the usual patrol of the knights, Yeusal is the best option to house a prisoner aside from the capital. She wouldn’t have wanted to drag Zvei all the way back there anyway, and it’s far enough out of the way that visiting would be a pain in the ass too.
Not that Lorraine spends a lot of time visiting Zvei, of course. The man stabbed them all in the back and could have ended the whole damn world if he’d been allowed to continue on his wild quest for power. All so he could regain his lost memories, like his time with Ruby Dawn didn’t matter to him at all.
So needless to say, she’s still pissed about it. It’s been over a year at this point and the sting of Zvei’s betrayal hasn’t lessened any. It doesn’t help that Ruby Dawn lost two of its three leaders to the Aeli exploration - though at least those two presumably weren’t Zvei’s fault. She’s questioned him extensively about them, and he has no idea what happened to Talys and Aziv. They must have died while they were separated from the rest. Lorraine’s had to step up and take on the leadership of the guild, which leaves her almost no time at all to pursue her research; something she would have never wanted and would have vehemently opposed, once.
But it’s something she’s doing now, and it’s guild business that takes her into Yeusal’s dungeons today, descending the winding stone staircase carefully and pausing at the sound of humming as she reaches the bottom. There’s only one prisoner in here currently, so it’s not exactly a surprise when she rounds the corner to find Zvei as the source of the sound.
He looks to be in decent health; a little thinner than he was before, but that’s to be expected. His clothes have been replaced with the plain off-white prison garments and his hands are bound before him in magical stocks to prevent him from casting any spells. He’s even gotten his monocle back, so he looks barely any different than he did a year ago.
“So good of you to come visit me, Lorraine!” He says in a tone that’s overly cheerful and pleased. She wonders if there’s any truth in it, or if it’s just as much of a lie as so many things he’s said to her before.
She scoffs instead, pulling up a chair and taking a seat. “I’m only here for your knowledge on magicaeli.”
He nods knowingly. “Of course. You wouldn’t visit me just to keep me company, now would you?”
No, I wouldn’t, She wants to say, but she keeps her mouth shut. Lorraine flips through her notes to find the list of questions she has for him and launches into them without allowing him a moment to argue.
To Zvei’s credit, he answers all her questions evenly and carefully, explaining when she asks him to but never insulting her intelligence by assuming she won’t know what he’s talking about. There was a time when they often discussed their respective fields of research - it feels like it was so very long ago, now. Some part of her wishes she could go back to those carefree days. It was nice spending time with Zvei like that.
“That’s all I have for you today.” She says as she finishes off with the last of her notes. “I wouldn’t have come here if I could get this info from anyone else, so consider yourself lucky.”
She doesn’t need to say it, and he knows she doesn’t need to say it, but she says it anyway because she feels particularly fidgety when it comes to him. He’d called her a friend before his betrayal. She doesn’t want to believe that he ever meant it. So this is just for the guild, not a social call. And it certainly doesn’t matter if he’s bored and lonely.
“Of course,” Zvei nods, but there’s a look in his eyes that she doesn’t like. It’s knowing, like maybe he’s just humoring her. “And I’m sure my information will prove most useful to Ruby Dawn. You know where to find me, should you need anything else!”
Lorraine turns to leave. There’s nothing else to say to him. There’s no point in yelling at him for what he did - most of the guild already did that anyway - and she doesn’t want to waste any more of her time here, but...
“Why haven’t you tried to escape?” She doesn’t turn around; the question leaves her before she can think to stop it. “They told me you’ve been very well behaved.”
It gets a hum of consideration from him and that’s all she hears for a long moment. She considers turning to get a look at whatever his expression is doing, but she knows Zvei well enough. His expression probably isn’t doing anything; it’s just that usual smile, perhaps looking a touch thoughtful as he considers his answer.
“There’s not much of a point in it, is there?”
That does get her to turn, and sure enough, that’s his exact expression. His words are easy, relaxed, as he continues, “After what I did, Ruby Dawn won’t allow me to escape. I’ll likely be killed even if I were to manage it.”
“But you’re trapped here.” She gestures to his cell with a sudden twist of her wrist. “You don’t have anything to do here. You don’t have your research or anyone to talk to. This has to be a living hell for you.”
Zvei’s smile dips into something darker for a moment - something that looks far more natural on him than she ever would have thought, once. “So it is. But I’d prefer to be alive, so I’ll take a living hell over a dead one.”
Good, She thinks, this is his punishment. He should be suffering.
When she turns to leave this time, Lorraine doesn’t hesitate again.
Character(s): Lorraine & Zvei
Word Count: 1,024
Summary: Lorraine visits Zvei in jail.
Notes: Last one of the old drafts. Once again, figuring out voices and relationships! Wow, who would have guessed that Zvei didn't get any character development even after being tossed in jail.
The dungeons in Yeusal are in better shape than most. That’s part of why Lorraine chose them - between that and the usual patrol of the knights, Yeusal is the best option to house a prisoner aside from the capital. She wouldn’t have wanted to drag Zvei all the way back there anyway, and it’s far enough out of the way that visiting would be a pain in the ass too.
Not that Lorraine spends a lot of time visiting Zvei, of course. The man stabbed them all in the back and could have ended the whole damn world if he’d been allowed to continue on his wild quest for power. All so he could regain his lost memories, like his time with Ruby Dawn didn’t matter to him at all.
So needless to say, she’s still pissed about it. It’s been over a year at this point and the sting of Zvei’s betrayal hasn’t lessened any. It doesn’t help that Ruby Dawn lost two of its three leaders to the Aeli exploration - though at least those two presumably weren’t Zvei’s fault. She’s questioned him extensively about them, and he has no idea what happened to Talys and Aziv. They must have died while they were separated from the rest. Lorraine’s had to step up and take on the leadership of the guild, which leaves her almost no time at all to pursue her research; something she would have never wanted and would have vehemently opposed, once.
But it’s something she’s doing now, and it’s guild business that takes her into Yeusal’s dungeons today, descending the winding stone staircase carefully and pausing at the sound of humming as she reaches the bottom. There’s only one prisoner in here currently, so it’s not exactly a surprise when she rounds the corner to find Zvei as the source of the sound.
He looks to be in decent health; a little thinner than he was before, but that’s to be expected. His clothes have been replaced with the plain off-white prison garments and his hands are bound before him in magical stocks to prevent him from casting any spells. He’s even gotten his monocle back, so he looks barely any different than he did a year ago.
“So good of you to come visit me, Lorraine!” He says in a tone that’s overly cheerful and pleased. She wonders if there’s any truth in it, or if it’s just as much of a lie as so many things he’s said to her before.
She scoffs instead, pulling up a chair and taking a seat. “I’m only here for your knowledge on magicaeli.”
He nods knowingly. “Of course. You wouldn’t visit me just to keep me company, now would you?”
No, I wouldn’t, She wants to say, but she keeps her mouth shut. Lorraine flips through her notes to find the list of questions she has for him and launches into them without allowing him a moment to argue.
To Zvei’s credit, he answers all her questions evenly and carefully, explaining when she asks him to but never insulting her intelligence by assuming she won’t know what he’s talking about. There was a time when they often discussed their respective fields of research - it feels like it was so very long ago, now. Some part of her wishes she could go back to those carefree days. It was nice spending time with Zvei like that.
“That’s all I have for you today.” She says as she finishes off with the last of her notes. “I wouldn’t have come here if I could get this info from anyone else, so consider yourself lucky.”
She doesn’t need to say it, and he knows she doesn’t need to say it, but she says it anyway because she feels particularly fidgety when it comes to him. He’d called her a friend before his betrayal. She doesn’t want to believe that he ever meant it. So this is just for the guild, not a social call. And it certainly doesn’t matter if he’s bored and lonely.
“Of course,” Zvei nods, but there’s a look in his eyes that she doesn’t like. It’s knowing, like maybe he’s just humoring her. “And I’m sure my information will prove most useful to Ruby Dawn. You know where to find me, should you need anything else!”
Lorraine turns to leave. There’s nothing else to say to him. There’s no point in yelling at him for what he did - most of the guild already did that anyway - and she doesn’t want to waste any more of her time here, but...
“Why haven’t you tried to escape?” She doesn’t turn around; the question leaves her before she can think to stop it. “They told me you’ve been very well behaved.”
It gets a hum of consideration from him and that’s all she hears for a long moment. She considers turning to get a look at whatever his expression is doing, but she knows Zvei well enough. His expression probably isn’t doing anything; it’s just that usual smile, perhaps looking a touch thoughtful as he considers his answer.
“There’s not much of a point in it, is there?”
That does get her to turn, and sure enough, that’s his exact expression. His words are easy, relaxed, as he continues, “After what I did, Ruby Dawn won’t allow me to escape. I’ll likely be killed even if I were to manage it.”
“But you’re trapped here.” She gestures to his cell with a sudden twist of her wrist. “You don’t have anything to do here. You don’t have your research or anyone to talk to. This has to be a living hell for you.”
Zvei’s smile dips into something darker for a moment - something that looks far more natural on him than she ever would have thought, once. “So it is. But I’d prefer to be alive, so I’ll take a living hell over a dead one.”
Good, She thinks, this is his punishment. He should be suffering.
When she turns to leave this time, Lorraine doesn’t hesitate again.