Slowly, Basco pushes himself to hands and knees, then rocks back to sit on his heels, drawing careful breath, looking down at Joe with a nakedly baffled expression. Joe has finally completely confused him, and Basco blinks heavily, obviously needing a few moments to catch up with either their position, Joe's logic, or both.
He looks up and over his shoulder, up to Marvelous's face, thinking to ask his opinion on the whole thing. And even though Joe's beneath him, Basco is still suddenly struck dumb, paralyzed, by the realization that he's kneeling in front of Marvelous. Marvelous regards him with furious anger; Basco can see disgust, dismissal, and even amusement in his former friend's gaze.
Marvelous doesn't need words to tell Basco how disgusted he is with him, how small he looks in Marvelous's eyes. And Basco suddenly realizes Marvelous has just been lying to him this whole time, patiently playing the broken bird, coiled in readiness and waiting unwaveringly for his First Mate to come for him.
Never once doubting him.
Basco rolls off Joe as fast as he can, staggering up and toward the door of Marvelous's cell. The once-captain's gaze follows him, unrelenting, as Basco sags against the doorway and tries to gather himself.
"No," he answers Joe finally, holding Marvelous's gaze. "Yes." His pistol's in his hand, and he looks down at it blankly, visibly struggling to assess how it might have gotten there. That's the problem with summonable weapons...sometimes they respond to your heart, not your head.
Shaking his head, palm pressed to his temples, Basco stumbles back from the doorway into the hall, then away, out of sight of the two left in the cell, away from the hateful, crushing expression on Marvelous's face.
A gunshot booms out, echoing through the narrow space. Muffled screams of confusion and the rattle of the other prisoners' chains being yanked to their full extents can be heard from the cells down the line, accompanied by the single, heavy thud of one body hitting the floor.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2012-06-21 05:37 pm (UTC)He looks up and over his shoulder, up to Marvelous's face, thinking to ask his opinion on the whole thing. And even though Joe's beneath him, Basco is still suddenly struck dumb, paralyzed, by the realization that he's kneeling in front of Marvelous. Marvelous regards him with furious anger; Basco can see disgust, dismissal, and even amusement in his former friend's gaze.
Marvelous doesn't need words to tell Basco how disgusted he is with him, how small he looks in Marvelous's eyes. And Basco suddenly realizes Marvelous has just been lying to him this whole time, patiently playing the broken bird, coiled in readiness and waiting unwaveringly for his First Mate to come for him.
Never once doubting him.
Basco rolls off Joe as fast as he can, staggering up and toward the door of Marvelous's cell. The once-captain's gaze follows him, unrelenting, as Basco sags against the doorway and tries to gather himself.
"No," he answers Joe finally, holding Marvelous's gaze. "Yes." His pistol's in his hand, and he looks down at it blankly, visibly struggling to assess how it might have gotten there. That's the problem with summonable weapons...sometimes they respond to your heart, not your head.
Shaking his head, palm pressed to his temples, Basco stumbles back from the doorway into the hall, then away, out of sight of the two left in the cell, away from the hateful, crushing expression on Marvelous's face.
A gunshot booms out, echoing through the narrow space. Muffled screams of confusion and the rattle of the other prisoners' chains being yanked to their full extents can be heard from the cells down the line, accompanied by the single, heavy thud of one body hitting the floor.
Marvelous and Joe are left in near-silence.