Chapter Text
Walking down the worn and sand dusted cobbled street, Percy was only half paying attention to his surroundings. Instead, his mind was racing. With mistress Asharru only being dead a day, it meant that Ripley was probably still in the city. But that also meant that it would be harder to prove Vox Machina’s innocence when it came to Asharru's death, which was also something he had to consider. If they were lucky, perhaps they could convince the rest of the Scarbearers to help them in their search…but they were so rarely that lucky.
He was still vaguely aware of Vex’s presence at his side. This had been her idea anyway; a stroll around the Suncut Bazar to try and clear his head. He’d been both uneasy and sullen since their discovery of the dead Mistress which was quite obvious to everyone. Sensing Vex’s sudden halt in movement, he refocused his attention as she spoke. “Percy, darling…”
“Hmm?” Was the only response he could muster, still partially in thought.
“You know this isn’t your fault right?”
That brought him completely out of his calculating, throwing his thoughts instead into a different kind of brooding.
Vex’s frown deepened when she saw the darkness fall over the gunman’s expression.
Not able to meet her eye, Percy turned his gaze away. She was wrong. This was his fault. So driven by anger and vengeance he was, he had allowed Ripley to escape. He had been so sure of himself and his hatred that he couldn’t clearly see the threat that that woman posed….no…that was also a lie. He had known. He’d known all along how dangerous a foe she was and he hadn’t cared at the time.
The Briarwoods were evil, dark creatures with a goal rather simple. Their type of evil was straightforward, something that Vox Machina dealt with on daily basis. Ripley on the other hand….she was dangerously intelligent. And as much as it sickened him to admit it, they had more in common than he’d ever admit. That woman had a mind nearly as sharp as his, and a wit to make up for it that terrified him. She terrified him.
What’s worse is that he knew back then that allowing her to escape, that toying with his power over her like it was a twisted game instead of just ending her wasn’t the right choice. Had he been level headed, had he only just stopped to think for a bloody moment then they wouldn’t be dealing with this mess. He should have been smarter…he should have just been… ‘better’….
“Percy…” Vex’s voice and the gentle hand on his arm once again brought his out of his thoughts.
Realizing he hadn’t yet responded to her question, he opened his mouth for a moment to speak but quickly snapped it shut. She would only see through him if he lied to her now. And it wasn’t like she didn’t already ‘know’ how he felt on the matter. Still unable to meet her eye, he spoke. “I know what you want me to say, Vex…but you and I both know that that would be a lie.”
“Percy, you couldn’t have known-“
“Couldn’t I have?” He cut in, expression pained as he finally met her gaze. “I knew all along what Ripley was. She’s not only very smart, but she’s genuinely one of the worst people I’ve ever met and I made the wrong decision. I made a terrible decision in letting her go, I know that.”
Irritation was beginning to creep into Vex but she tried to keep it from her voice. She’d always hated his self-deprecation, but on a deeper level understood where he was coming from. What she saw in him, what she loved in him, was probably matched as strongly as his hatred for himself. “Darling…” She spoke firmly, squeezing his arm slightly. “She got away. And even if you believe you should have done differently, we all make mistakes.” Halting any rebuttal he began to form with a firm look, she continued. “We will find her, and we will deal with her. Like we have always done.”
Knowing that this argument wasn’t going any further, Percy opted to stay silent, instead just nodding a slight agreement. At least she was right in that aspect. He may not trust in himself, but he trusted in Vox Machina and their strength. And as much as he loathed putting another one of his demons in their path, he knew that they would all have it no other way and it was both a massive source of guilt as well as a great comfort to him.
He felt her hand leave his arm as she huffed a breath. “Well, I was hoping a little fresh air and reprieve from everyone would help…”
The gunman let out a harsh laugh. “It’s not them, but rather myself that I need a reprieve from.”
Vex frowned again, but didn’t argue. “Well, do you want to get a drink then? That’s the only way I know how to escape from myself.”
Percy met her eye again, his brow furrowed slightly. It probably wasn’t a ‘good’ idea. But what the hell, he rarely rolled with good ideas. “Yes, that sounds lovely right about now.” There was still something bitter in his voice, but he allowed Vex to lead on.
Cutting through the Suncut Bazar, Percy once again fell deep into thought. A mix of possible solutions to their Ripley problem as well as berating himself for every mistake that led them to the problem in question.
In his pondering, he barely noticed when Vex got a little ahead of him. It was probably just a mix of the crowd of people in the still very bustling market despite the darkening of the sky, and trying to give him some space. Even he didn’t want to be around him at the moment; it was hard for him to imagine that anyone else would want to keep his company.
Exiting the Bazar and entering the quieter lanes on the way back to the Debt’s Respite, the possibility of danger never even entered his mind. Suddenly, he heard a yelp and the sound of a commotion about 30 feet ahead and out of sight. He caught a snippet of Vex’s words even as he sprinted full tilt towards where she’d rounded the corner. “-ou’re hands off me you, bitch!”
Rounding the corner himself to witness the scuffle, the gunslinger uncharacteristically froze. In the time it took him to shake the feeling and whip Retort up, Vex…strong, capable Vex, had the barrel of a pistol digging into her throat and her arm pinned behind her by a clawed steel hand.
The surprise on everyone’s faces was clear, which meant that this hadn’t been some sort of ambush…but the sheer unfortunate coincidence didn’t escape Percy’s mind.
“Percival.” There was both surprise and disdain in the voice that spoke. “It would be you wouldn’t it.”
“Anna..” he spoke, managing against all odds to keep his voice even. His eyes darted fearfully between the woman and Vex, whose dark eyes were wide and trained on him. “Let her go.”
It was only then that the gunman realized that the woman wasn’t alone but rather flanked by two others. One was an older gentleman, wearing robes with the hood drawn up and seemingly unarmed. The other was nothing more than a thug, but very visibly armed.
“And give away the only leverage I have against you? I don’t think so.” She laughed, eyes narrowed dangerously. “In fact, I couldn’t have planned this any better.”
“I could kill you right here and now.” The gunman threatened, bringing his second hand to his gun, steadying it in case the nerves got to him. “I’m a very good shot.”
“Oh, I have no doubt of that, Percival.” Ripley responded, “But the moment your finger moves, so does mine.” The steadiness of Percy’s gun wavered at that, which didn’t go unnoticed. “How important is Vex’ahlia’s life to you? You wouldn’t want to be the cause of another family member’s death, would you?”
“Perc-“ Vex managed to squeeze out but was silenced by the gun being dug up painfully under her chin.
Wetting his lips, Percy lowered his weapon but only a fraction. Fear was trying to crawl its way into his head which he easily crushed. Nothing was worth Vex’s life. “So what then? What do you want?”
“You turn, you leave and I take dear Vex with me as an assurance that you and your motley crew won’t come after me. Only when…or ‘if’ I feel like you’re not a threat, do I let her go.” There was a finality to her voice that made it clear there was no other option available.
“You’re not going anywhere with her.” There was a waver to his words then that wasn’t fear, but rather anger. Just the thought of that woman touching Vex caused a spark of burning rage within him that he hadn’t felt since the Briarwoods.
“Then you shoot me, and I shoot her.” Ripley shrugged, expression smug. She knew damned well that that wasn’t an option for the young man.
Jaw tightening, Percy lowered his gun considerably. “Counter offer.” His voice was as hard and as steady as hers. There was a surety in it that caught Ripley off guard.
“Oh please-“
“My life, for hers.” Surprise passed across Ripley’s face as a tiny intrigued smile grew on her lips. “I go with you ‘willingly’ without a fight. You leave Vex here ‘safe’ and unharmed. You still get your hostage and I’m no longer a threat to you.”
“Percy, no-!” Vex’s cry of disagreement was once again cut short by the barrel of Ripley’s gun.
There was silence for a moment as the two regarded each other in a sort of twisted Mexican stand-off. “Agreed.” Ripley narrowed her eyes. “Now lower your gun.”
“It is lowered, now let her go.” Percy countered with venom.
“I’m not stupid, Percival. If I let her go now, she’ll go running back to the rest of your little friends to come after me. I’m going to need a little assurance.” Ripley nodded to the thug beside her, speaking quietly to him.
Despite the painful press of the barrel of the gun, Vex began to plead with her friend. “Percy, please, don’t give yourself up for me, please. Percy it’s not worth it.… not after everything she’s put you through.”
Meeting her eyes, the gunslinger smiled, his expression sad. “You’re worth more than you could ever know, Vex.” He was going to go on to say that she was worth more than him, but decided she wouldn’t appreciate that. “It’ll be alright.”
“How touching.” Ripley rolled her eyes before slamming the gun into the back of Vex’s head, causing the ranger to fall to the ground in a daze. Percy jolted forward a step with a startled cry, but stopped when Ripley’s gun moved towards Vex’s head again. “She’ll be fine, it’s just a little assurance.” Ripley eyed the young man across from her as the thug finally produced some rope and began quickly binding Vex’s hands and ankles.
Raising her eyes to Percy once more, Ripley smiled at him smugly. “Now, Percival. My gun please.” She lifted her hand out expectantly.
Swallowing the pit of fear that suddenly jumped into his throat at the reality of the situation, it took a moment for the gunman to respond. It was only when his eyes darted down to Vex on the ground did his shoulders drop in submission. Squaring his jaw, he turned retort around, handing the butt of the weapon to her. At least the fact that he’d left bad news and his sketch book back at the inn was a blessing. The thought of Anna getting her hands on his design made him ill. Accepting it with a widening grin, she motioned to the thug once again with her head. “Search him.”
As the man approached, Percy didn’t resist as his sword was drawn from its sheath and a further pat down ensued. The only other weapon he kept on his person was the dagger in his boot which was quickly discovered and removed. “Happy?” He spoke bitterly, meeting Ripley’s gaze.
“Very.” The woman responded, turning his attention to the bound woman who was groaning on the ground. Kneeling beside her, she patted Vex on the cheek, well aware of the hiss that escaped from Percy. “I extend the same offer to you, Vex’ahlia. I assume you are a smart woman, so perhaps you’ll heed my warning. I will go about my business as usual, with no interference from you or any of your friends. If and when I’m far enough away from you all that I feel safe, I will let him go. If I get even an inkling that you pose a threat to me, I can’t guarantee Percival’s safety, do you understand?”
Angry tears began to well in Vex’s eyes as the fogginess from the blow faded. “You bitch, don’t you dare hurt him.” She hated herself for allowing this to happen. If only she’d reacted faster to Ripley grabbing her…if only she hadn’t suggested they leave the safety of the inn and the rest of the group.
The thought of Percy subjecting himself to this woman again for her sake made her sick.
“Well, that will depend entirely on you, my dear.” Ripley replied, patting Vex on the cheek once more before standing and turning to Percy. “Well, shall we?” She motioned for him to lead the way down the alley.
The only way Percy could describe the smile that spread across her face then was sinister.
Taking a long breath to steady his nerves, he stepped forward to first kneel beside Vex. Brow creased, and a sad smile on his face, he brushed one of the tears from her cheek before beginning to mouth words.
'Please don’t blame yourself for this, I’m doing it because you are so important, Vex’ahlia. To me… and to them. They need you now, more than they need me. I do intend to try and slip away but if that’s beyond me, save me if you can. If you cannot its ok. Farewell Vex.'
To Ripley the entire interaction was silence, but Vex understood ever word that she read on his lips. Tears spilled to streak across her face and her heart ached as Percy stood to join the waiting Ripley.
“Percy!” She yelled to him, but he didn’t stop. “Stop!” She tried again as she began struggling against the binds. There was a shrill panic to her voice, as she tried one last time. “Percy!!” And then they were gone, rounding the corner out of sight. Her last view of the white haired gunman was of his back, the claws of Ripley’s steel hand dug into the fabric of the blue jacket.
--------
After more than a few hours of walking Percy couldn’t help but be surprised when they finally arrived at the awaiting ship. For some reason it hadn’t crossed his mind that Ripley would have a vessel ready and waiting. Then again, she must have gotten to Ank’Harel somehow so he supposed it made sense.
Dread then built in him as he realized that being on a ship meant they were probably leaving the city, which meant the possibility of rescue was becoming more of a dream than a reality. The entire journey through the city of Ank’Harel was spent with Ripley’s steel claws digging into his arm. Probably as some precaution that he wouldn’t make a break for it…which he would have absolutely tried to do.
Stepping onto the ship, the pit of dread in his stomach became heavier as a new group of thugs swarmed towards them. Most were human, as best he could tell, with the exception of the Goliath woman and one smaller individual who he only caught a glimpse of from the back.
“Take him to the brig and make sure he stays there. Take measures.” Shoving him forward as she spoke, Percy caught his balance rather quickly, just barely managing to keep his expression even and his nerves calm. This was literally his worst nightmare, but he wouldn’t give that woman the satisfaction of seeing him afraid.
He didn’t say a word as her thugs dragged him by the arms away from her and into the belly of the ship, meeting her gaze he let the fire in his eyes speak it all.
It was a rather large vessel, nice by most standards. While it wasn’t ordained or fancy in any way, it was study and well built. If Percy could appreciate anything it was fine construction. It was just a pity that he’d be appreciating the fine construction of the brig, which he was promptly brought to.
Being shoved rather forcefully inside the waiting cell, one of the two thugs that had escorted him entered as well. “Don’t know what ya did to the boss to warrant this but I’m sorry mate.” The man spoke, his accent rough. “I’m gonna need your jacket, your armour, your belt and your boots.”
Despite Percy’s rather impressive height, he still felt rather small next to this man…Kind of like he did standing next to Grog. The sailor was probably a few inches shorter than him, but he made up for it by the width of his shoulders and size of his arms. He could probably snap the thin gunman in half just by flexing.
Gritting his teeth and setting his jaw, Percy let out a long even breath. Weighing his options and trying to figure out if there was any way around this. “Look, I’m sure that Ripley pays you a lot but I can assu-“
The sailor cut him off. “Look, mate, I won’t ask you again. I thought I’d be nice and let you do it yerself. Y’know keep some of yer dignity.”
Sighing, Percy shut his eyes for a moment before slipping the comfortable and familiar weight of the jacket from his shoulders and handing it over. He spent the next few minutes unbuckling his gun belt and unlacing his bracers and his boots before begrudgingly giving those up as well.
Suddenly feeling both naked and very vulnerable without his gear, it took everything he had to keep from hyperventilating. The fear and anxiety was growing in him with each passing second, only to sideline him even harder when his wrists were firmly clasped in shackles.
As the sailor stepped away and swung shut the cell door, Percy fell on the bars, full blown panic suddenly coursing through him. Memories and snippets from moments he’d repressed flashed through his mind ; the sounds of both his family and trusted friends screaming and dying around him…the sight of stone walls closing in on him…the overwhelming and cloying smell of blood that he couldn’t escape and the sick realization that it was his own. Pain…
“Please, please, I’m begging you. I could offer you so much more than she can, please!”
His desperate pleading fell on deaf ears it seemed as both men disappeared, leaving him alone in the dimly light cell.
Pulling himself together as best he could, Percy shut his eyes, focusing first on his breath and then calming his racing thoughts. Dragging in a deep breath, he surveyed the cell before him. Really, it couldn’t be less accommodating. A bucket turned over in the corner and three walls of bars set next to the wooden wall of the ship.
“At least it’s not cold stone.” He whispered to himself trying his best to find any light in the situation. A sudden realization hit him then and for a moment hope swelled hin his breast…until he realized that they’d walked a very long way and the range on his earing’s enchantment was very short.
Still, it couldn’t hurt to try. He had to raise both hands to touch his earing since the chain on the manacles was only about four inches wide. “Does anyone hear me?” He paused, waiting a moment. “Vex? Keyleth?....Vax?” Sure enough he was met with only silence.
Biting his lip, he stepped away from the bars as suddenly even their very proximity to him made him uncomfortable. Scooting away until his back was against the wooden wall of the ship, he slid down to the floor, leaning against it.
All he could do now was wait it seemed…
---
The hours that passed in the cell were hard to keep track of. He’d been brought here late in the evening so it was probably sometime in the next day when he felt the ship begin to move. There was no jerk or obvious lurch, but he knew none the less.
Gritting his teeth together, Percy let out another long calming breath as the anxiety and fear tried to overtake him once again. Wrapping his arms around his legs and burying is head in his knees, he focusing mostly on breathing. His exhaustion wasn’t helping the situation much either.
Regaining full control over his emotions, the gunman repositioned. Despite having slept in far more uncomfortable places, this was probably the worst. It wasn’t the hard surface of the wood beneath him that kept his mind from resting, but rather the people that surrounded him. It was the fact that he was once again behind bars and a prisoner to Anna Ripley. It was the knowledge that his new found family was far from him and growing further.
Despite all of this, eventually, Percy nodded off.
He was suddenly started away by the sound of the metal clank of the cell door. Eyes snapping open, he had barely remembered where he was before strong hands were hauling him to his feet.
Everything ached from the time spent awkwardly asleep on the floor but he steadfastly ignored it. “Where are you taking me?” He inquired, not expecting an answer.
“The boss has requested your presence, mate.”
Percy tensed at that, as if it wasn’t what he’d been expecting. But the confirmation of it caused his heart to leap into his throat. Steeling himself for what was about to happen, Percy calmed his mind and let an indifferent expression settle onto his face. To his credit, he managed to keep it when he was forced into what appeared to be Ripley’s office.
“Hello, Percival, how was your night?” Ripley didn’t move from where she sat behind the desk, but rather smiled up at him.
“Lovely, thank you.” The gunman laced his tone with sarcasm and cheer as the two thugs that fetched him from the cell shoved him down into the chair opposite her desk. He didn’t move his narrowed gaze from her as he felt the shackles being removed and rough rope begin to tightly fasten his wrists and ankles down. “Somehow I knew that you wouldn’t keep your word.”
Ripley tsk’d as she finally stood from her seat and rounded the desk to lean on it. “I said that I couldn’t guarantee your safety if your friends staged a rescue effort, not that I could guarantee your safety all together.”
Percy humphed at that. He supposed he expected something like this all along. He was just glad that it was him and not Vex. “Fine then, let’s get this over with. What do you want?”
Ripley smiled at that, the expression almost malicious. “I want a lot of things, Percival. How about we start with a chat?”
The gunman didn’t give her the satisfaction of an answer, as he studied her, keeping his expression blank. This was the first time he’d gotten a real look at her new hand and frankly it was more than he was expecting from her. The intricacy of the design was almost beyond him and he figured the only way that it was functioning as it was, was some kind of enchantment.
Ripley tsk’ed again at his silence. “No? hmmm…” The smile that grew on her face suddenly made Percy very uncomfortable, and even more so when she leaned forward and plucked the glasses off his face. Turning them in her hands, she then gently folded them and set them on her desk. “Well…we’ll start with something different then…”
The blow that struck caught him off guard and was almost too fast for him to perceive. At the bloom of pain and the sparks that crossed his vision, it took him a moment for the daze to subside. He could feel blood begin to run from his nose and the realization that it was probably broken.
“That was for making a fool of me back in Whitestone.”
Despite the pain, Percy managed a weak laugh. “Oh, I don’t need to do that Anna, you do it all on your own.” He almost expected another blow, but instead she only laughed as well.
“My, my, you really have changed since the scared little boy I questioned all of those years ago.”
Opening his eyes, he once again set his gaze on her. Her image blurred around the edges and he had a hard time focusing without his glasses but he did so none the less. “I’m no longer some naive child, Ripley. A lot has happened in the past five years. I’ve seen darker things than you could even dream.”
“Oh?” The smile in her voice caught him off guard. “Do you mean Orthax?”
It was those words that finally had the gunman’s passive expression break. “What-“ He hadn’t mentioned Orthax to Ripley. He hadn’t even used any of the demon’s abilities in her presence…there was no way....
A cold sensation hit him then, sinking into his skin and sending shiver down his spine. A moment later, black smoke suddenly surrounded him, swirling and moving of its own volition. It was an ability he knew well…one that he used himself….but…
Cold dread and fear gripped his heart as he raised wide eyes to Ripley. This time her visage was engulfed by black smoke, seeping from her collar and sleeves to raise and twist around her. With his vision blurred as it was, for a moment it looked like Anna’s form grew twice in size as the demon engulfed her. But then it faded and all that was left was the slight swirl of smoke. “H-ho-w..”
“No one likes to be abandoned, Percival.” Suddenly the intricacy of her hand made a whole lot more sense. “But now that you understand the exact position you’re in, I do hope you’ll cooperate.”
Setting his jaw, and turning his wide eyed gaze to stare straight ahead at the wall, he didn’t answer her. He worried about the undignified sound of fear that would escape if he did. What were the chances…what were the chances that Orthax would seek out Ripley?
This was just the payment for what he’d done, wasn’t it? This was the price for his revenge…for retaking Whitestone. This was the price he’d pay for the friendship and family he’d found in Vox Machina.
This was the culmination of all his bad choices and decisions…torture and death and Ripley’s hands…and Orthax’s hands...to make it worse. That was what he expected anyway.
But she had made a mistake in letting him in on her pact with the demon. Now he knew that there was no way he was getting out alive, there was absolutely no way he was going to give her anything.
“I intend to make this as hard on you as humanly possible. So whatever you’re planning on doing, just get it over with.” He finally spoke, voice determined, but also betraying some of the fear that was twisting his guts.
Ripley’s smug grin fell then as she regarded her prisoner’s expression. His resolve seemed steadfast now…but she hadn’t actually done anything to him yet…and there were a lot of ways to break a person. Crossing her arms, she let out a sigh. “You know, I was going to ask you for your designs and the specifics on your pepperbox and rifle, but perhaps I’ll just make due with my own. The people I’ve sold them to seem happy with my designs even though they lack your finesse.”
Percy’s eyes shot up to meet hers at that. “What?” He breathed, horror filling him. He’d known that she’d probably been creating guns to give to her men…but the fact that she’d been selling them? The thought of what he’d created entering the world made him feel sick.
“The best part is, that I began selling them solely because I knew how it would drive you crazy. He told me so, anyway.” The tick in Percy’s jaw proved her right. “The gold doesn’t hurt, either.”
“What do you ‘want’ Anna.” He finally grit out, his anger getting the best of him.
“I want your designs. I want information. I want to know all of Vox Machina’s strengths and weaknesses and I want to know everything you know about the dragons.”
Percy laughed bitterly. “I’ll die before I give you any of that.” Particularly the part about Vox Machina. Especially not that….
“We’ll see about that Percival.” Ripley stepped towards him, gathering a handful of white hair and forcing his head up to look at her. “We’ll see how much of that terrified boy is left in you.”
----
Percy had banished most of the memories of the first time he’d been at Ripley’s mercy. He had still been in his late teens at the time. But even for his age, he had been particularly young. Unlike those who grew up fast on the streets and were adults at that age, he had lived a sheltered life. He had still been a boy, naive and carefree, and hadn’t been equipped in the least to deal with torture.
It scarred him, both physically and mentally. And despite banishing most of those weeks and the majority of the next few years from his head, he couldn’t ever seem to forget all of it.
He remembered pain, so agonizing that he was sure that he was going to die. He remembered loss and sorrow and loneliness, sitting in the cold damp cell in the basement of his own home. He remembered the despair and the hopelessness. And he remembered Ripley most of all. How cold and indifferent she’d been. How she was both ruthless and merciless and genuinely terrifying.
Now he was much older. And despite it only being five years, it was like he’d aged so much more than he should of in that amount of time. The life that he’d led up until now had been a hard one. But with Vox Machina…with Vex…he had lived and loved and experienced a life time’s amount in just those short few years.
He knew there would be no forgetting this coming bout with Ripley. He was stronger now with a mind that wasn’t nearly as fragile as it was those years ago. And although no one could be fully equipped to endure torture, he was as close to being there that he was going to get. Or so he thought anyway.
He’d forgotten how well versed she was with a blade, and how well she knew human anatomy. It made sense, considering she was trained as a doctor.
It had only been a few minutes before the first whimper escaped him. The steel of her blade burned his skin with agony and left a sharp cold lingering pain that he could only attribute to Orthax.
“Just tell me when you want to stop and we can, Percival. You know what I want from you.”
She scrapped the tip of the blade down the fabric of the front of his vest as she spoke, causing the gunman to pull in a ragged breath. “..Not happening.” He could already feel the blood pooling under his arms and down to his hands from the wounds she’d inflicted as he strained desperately and futilely against the ropes.
“I’m almost glad that you said that.” She replied, picking the buttons of his vest and shirt open before pulling the velvet material of his thin scarf from around his neck.
His already thundering heart picked up faster as he felt the faint prick of her blade touch the bare skin of his chest. “I see you have a lot more scars than I left you with..” Ripley leaned in closer dragging the tip of the blade across one of the most prominent flaws in his skin but making a point not to actually draw blood.
Looking him in the eye, she smiled calmly. “Has you’re dear Vex’ahlia seen these?” She purred, not even glancing down as she teased his skin with the cold steel and the pain that would surely come. “Don’t think I don’t know. I’ve been listening to you ever since Whitestone. I wasn’t even surprised when you sold yourself to me for her.”
“-don’t.” Was all Percy managed to bite out as she drew the knife up to his throat, not doing any damage, but promising it.
“Have you told her how you got these?” This time it was the steel claws of Anna’s hand that traced over the scars on his chest. “Have you told her how you begged and cried and pleaded and gave me everything I wanted?”
Pain lanced through him as she slipped the blade under his skin just above his collar bone, causing him to cry out. “I don’t think you have, have you?” Ripley continued, ignoring the pained whimper. “I bet that I’ve seen more of you than she has.”
“Stop-“ He tried again, but ended up finishing his sentence with a cry of pain.
“I know you a lot better than you think I do, Percival.” Ripley droned on, dragging another line of blood across him. “You don’t think you deserve her, is that it? Oh, but it’s not because of Orthax is it…or the darkness in your heart. It’s because you’re weak. Like you’ve always been. You'd only disappoint her.”
Despite the tears of pain streaking down his face, the gunman managed a reply. “-you don’t know anything-! Aurgh-!“
“Don’t I? You were too weak to save you’re dear Vex in that alleyway. You just keep fucking up, don’t you Percival. You’re here because of you.”
Knowing full well that she was trying to manipulate him, the pain mixed with words he’d already been berating himself with were starting to get to him. It didn’t help that he hadn’t really been entirely sound of mind lately as it was. Pitching forward in the chair slightly, he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to swallow the pain and tears that were welling in his chest.
A harsh jerk from her hand in his hair brought him back up to look her in the eye, followed by a soft comforting hand on the side of his face. “Poor, fuck up Percival. You know that she’d never actually want you right? Maybe this is for the best.”
Percy couldn’t even respond to that. She was right after all.
But as soon as her hand stroked his cheek, something in his mind bounced back to him. A memory of the pain he’d endured at her hands five years ago. This was Ripley. This was Ripley hurting him.
Sucking in a few ragged breaths, he turned blood shot yet fiery eyes up to meet hers. When he spoke, his voice was a deep ragged rasp, but he let her have it anyway. “Speak for yourself, Anna. Maybe you’re just self-conscious that no one will ever want you because you were so stupid you blew off your own han-“
Unfortunately he finished his sentence with a hoarse scream as she plunged the knife deep into his shoulder. “How dare you, you little shit.” She growled, steel hand coming up to grip his throat. She didn’t squeeze hard yet, but just reminded him of the position he was in.
“-might as well kill me…” Percy rasped despite her hold. “-ot giving you anything.”
Pulling her blade out from his shoulder and releasing her grip on his throat, Ripley stepped back to regard him. After a moment of silence she actually smiled.
“You were right, this isn’t going to be as easy as it was back then.”
Listening in confusion despite the pain that muddled his thoughts, that cold dread hit him again when he heard the deep unearthly voice filled the room. A voice he would have been happy never to hear again.
“He will break…”
Orthax.
With that, Percy dropped his head to his chest, letting out a rough breath. He intended to make this as difficult for Ripley as possible. And if all that meant was surviving, then that’s what he intended to do.
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