Work Text:
ACT I
Scene 1
Setting: The Lady Comoroy had not been subtle, about her interest in the Halfing weapons. About her interest in The Panto. He really should have expected that she'd kidnap steal him.
You can only kidnap a person.
He wakes, then, in the room where the Comoroy's had put him.
At Rise: Murray is hovering over him anxiously. Azune is keeping an eye on the door. Neither of them are overly injured.
MURRAY (concerned)
How is he?
HAL (unfocused)
I... can't tell...
(He goes to rub his temples, hitting only clay.)
HAL (slowly)
This is confusing, but I can't tell if it's my disorientation or his.
(Beat)
Give me a minute, I'm going to try something...
HAL (internally)
Do you always think like this, or should I be worried?
BOLAIRE (internally)
(Angrily, to hide the terror)
You should be worried! You put me on!
(A beat of inarticulate rage.) (To hide the fear.)
What if I had hurt you!
(That's the heart of the matter. That's always the heart of the matter.
What if he hurt HAL.)
BOLAIRE
(Pleasantly. To cover up the fear. Always, always to cover up the fear.)
And why shouldn't I simply kill you?
(He would believe it to be an act anyway, would THJAZI FANG.)
THJAZI FANG (softly)
Because if you do...
(He leans in, close enough that BOLAIRE can feel the man's breath on him.)
The knowledge will break my brother.
THJAZI FANG
(Leaning back now, self satisfied, smug grin on his lips.)
And this little charade you've built yourself...?
(He gestures around them, dismissively.)
You care about my brother too much to kill me.
HAL (internally)
(muttered)
Fucking hell, Thjazi.
(At normal volume)
I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole, but I chose this. I chose to put you on, and I knew that you might be disoriented, that you might lash out, but you didn't, and even if you had, it wouldn't've mattered to me anyway.
(He doesn't get it. Who he is today, is because of HAL. It's always because of HAL.)
(He doesn't get it. [Maybe he doesn't. Doesn't mean he won't try.] Who he is today, is because of HAL. It's always because of HAL. [BOLAIRE. HAL is only a shoulder to lean on.])
(Oh. That's new.
He isn't sure how he feels about it.)
[That's fine. MURRAY is getting pretty antsy though, are they good to actually get moving now that they've determined that BOLAIRE does not need to revolve around HAL?]
(BOLAIRE supposes so.)
(End scene)