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tamingthemuseTitle: Measure by Measure
Fandom: Original
Prompt: Damage Assessment
Warnings: Strong language
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Cassandra and Steel assess the state of their relationship, in a somewhat less than civilized fashion.
“You’re going to what?”
“Leave, Cassandra. I’m going to leave.”
She couldn’t make out the tone in Steel’s voice. It should have been anger, but it wasn’t, or not any kind she’d heard before, neither the quick volley of words nor the slow-burning ice. His words had a softness that stung. He sounded, if anything, tired.
“You can’t leave! You’re not allowed to just, just bail on me!”
“I’m allowed to do anything I want,” Steel snapped, and there was a touch of fire in that, yes, as though she’d struck him with flint.
“Where are you even going to go? What could possibly be worth going back to in that tiny stinking town?”
“My house. My da. The lake with the ducks. My home, Cassandra, can’t you understand that?”
“None of that was enough to keep you there before! You came with me.”
“And now I’m going back.”
That level, solid tone again. She couldn’t bear it -- she lashed out again. “Not your mum, then, the one you talk about so much? She won’t want you back?”
“My god, are you even human?” Steel demanded. There, there was anger. Anger was easier. Anger she knew. “Why do you think I came with you? Why do you think I ran off with a strange woman at the well?”
That one was easy. “Adventure. You said so. You wanted to live a fairy tale.”
Steel drew in a long, stuttering breath. “No. No I fucking didn’t, Cassandra, people don’t actually think that way, only in stories. My mum died, the pondthings took her, and I ran away with you so I could pretend it wasn’t real. And now I’m done pretending, and I’m going home.”
With that, he half-turned, curls flying over his shoulder, hot tears spattering his cheekbones. Cassandra grabbed his shoulder. “Why? Why are you going, we worked so well together, Steel! What’s wrong with you! Steel!”
He spun to face her again. “There fucking is no we, Cassandra, there’s just you and you’re broken, you’re spread to the high hills, you’re not even human, I don’t know what’s wrong with you but there’s definitely something. You’re like some kind of statue come to life, you can’t even talk like a normal person you only negotiate, it’s like everything’s a game to you and you think you’re winning but you’re not. You watch me in my sleep, Cassandra, and when we walk and you think I’m not listening you count your steps with your tongue against your teeth, and when you weigh things out it’s not measures in your head, it’s numbers, I can see them behind your eyes. You kissed that man and then you killed him, and I saw you, and I’ve seen people enjoy killing and I’ve seen people do it ‘cause they had to, but that wasn’t either, you sliced his neck open and stood there with blood on your mouth because you thought you were supposed to, because you thought it was the thing people did, because it was part of the story and I was dumb enough to think it was right but I’ve figured some stuff out. You’re not just annoying as all get-out and a miser and kind of cruel when you want to be, you’re probably a heretic and you’re definitely crazy and you care about people about as much as you care about yesterday’s lunch and you wished that I would die the living death of a thousand knives and be devoured from the inside out by the evil thing that lurks in dark waters by night!”
Slowly, carefully, Steel reached up and took Cassandra’s hand from his shoulder. He lifted it, moved it aside, and dropped it, and it fell and swung at her side. Then he turned, and slowly, steadily, he walked away.
Cassandra stood, and she thought her ears would be ringing, that seemed like what ears should do, but they weren’t. They were eerily silent, and flecks of spittle were cool on her face. She tried to speak but her lips were dry and cracking, and she had to run her tongue over them twice before she could make a sound. When she could, she called for him. “Steel!”
Steel didn’t stop. He didn’t even look over his shoulder. Steady puffs of dust rose from the ground under his heels as he walked.
Cassandra called after his retreating back. "No I didn't!"
"I didn't do any of that!"
"I definitely didn't wish that upon you, I don't even know what in the high hills that means!"
“Steel! Come back!”
“Come back or I’ll make you!”
“Come back!” she screamed again, and her voice carried till it echoed off a distant hill.
“Steel, I’ll do whatever you want, come back!”
“Steel, I love you, damned if I don’t, I love you forever, come back!”
“You have to come back!”
“By the Mountain-Gods I hate you, I hope you die, you and your children be thrice-accursed, come back!”
“Steel!”
“Steel, I’m sorry!”
“I’m so sorry, come back!”
“Steel!”
“Coward!”
“Bastard!”
“Grifter!”
“Goat-boy!”
“Steel, you’re not even going north!”
Fandom: Original
Prompt: Damage Assessment
Warnings: Strong language
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Cassandra and Steel assess the state of their relationship, in a somewhat less than civilized fashion.
“You’re going to what?”
“Leave, Cassandra. I’m going to leave.”
She couldn’t make out the tone in Steel’s voice. It should have been anger, but it wasn’t, or not any kind she’d heard before, neither the quick volley of words nor the slow-burning ice. His words had a softness that stung. He sounded, if anything, tired.
“You can’t leave! You’re not allowed to just, just bail on me!”
“I’m allowed to do anything I want,” Steel snapped, and there was a touch of fire in that, yes, as though she’d struck him with flint.
“Where are you even going to go? What could possibly be worth going back to in that tiny stinking town?”
“My house. My da. The lake with the ducks. My home, Cassandra, can’t you understand that?”
“None of that was enough to keep you there before! You came with me.”
“And now I’m going back.”
That level, solid tone again. She couldn’t bear it -- she lashed out again. “Not your mum, then, the one you talk about so much? She won’t want you back?”
“My god, are you even human?” Steel demanded. There, there was anger. Anger was easier. Anger she knew. “Why do you think I came with you? Why do you think I ran off with a strange woman at the well?”
That one was easy. “Adventure. You said so. You wanted to live a fairy tale.”
Steel drew in a long, stuttering breath. “No. No I fucking didn’t, Cassandra, people don’t actually think that way, only in stories. My mum died, the pondthings took her, and I ran away with you so I could pretend it wasn’t real. And now I’m done pretending, and I’m going home.”
With that, he half-turned, curls flying over his shoulder, hot tears spattering his cheekbones. Cassandra grabbed his shoulder. “Why? Why are you going, we worked so well together, Steel! What’s wrong with you! Steel!”
He spun to face her again. “There fucking is no we, Cassandra, there’s just you and you’re broken, you’re spread to the high hills, you’re not even human, I don’t know what’s wrong with you but there’s definitely something. You’re like some kind of statue come to life, you can’t even talk like a normal person you only negotiate, it’s like everything’s a game to you and you think you’re winning but you’re not. You watch me in my sleep, Cassandra, and when we walk and you think I’m not listening you count your steps with your tongue against your teeth, and when you weigh things out it’s not measures in your head, it’s numbers, I can see them behind your eyes. You kissed that man and then you killed him, and I saw you, and I’ve seen people enjoy killing and I’ve seen people do it ‘cause they had to, but that wasn’t either, you sliced his neck open and stood there with blood on your mouth because you thought you were supposed to, because you thought it was the thing people did, because it was part of the story and I was dumb enough to think it was right but I’ve figured some stuff out. You’re not just annoying as all get-out and a miser and kind of cruel when you want to be, you’re probably a heretic and you’re definitely crazy and you care about people about as much as you care about yesterday’s lunch and you wished that I would die the living death of a thousand knives and be devoured from the inside out by the evil thing that lurks in dark waters by night!”
Slowly, carefully, Steel reached up and took Cassandra’s hand from his shoulder. He lifted it, moved it aside, and dropped it, and it fell and swung at her side. Then he turned, and slowly, steadily, he walked away.
Cassandra stood, and she thought her ears would be ringing, that seemed like what ears should do, but they weren’t. They were eerily silent, and flecks of spittle were cool on her face. She tried to speak but her lips were dry and cracking, and she had to run her tongue over them twice before she could make a sound. When she could, she called for him. “Steel!”
Steel didn’t stop. He didn’t even look over his shoulder. Steady puffs of dust rose from the ground under his heels as he walked.
Cassandra called after his retreating back. "No I didn't!"
"I didn't do any of that!"
"I definitely didn't wish that upon you, I don't even know what in the high hills that means!"
“Steel! Come back!”
“Come back or I’ll make you!”
“Come back!” she screamed again, and her voice carried till it echoed off a distant hill.
“Steel, I’ll do whatever you want, come back!”
“Steel, I love you, damned if I don’t, I love you forever, come back!”
“You have to come back!”
“By the Mountain-Gods I hate you, I hope you die, you and your children be thrice-accursed, come back!”
“Steel!”
“Steel, I’m sorry!”
“I’m so sorry, come back!”
“Steel!”
“Coward!”
“Bastard!”
“Grifter!”
“Goat-boy!”
“Steel, you’re not even going north!”
