Across the Tracks, Right?

[tamaracorine]

Jamie nodded, watching Quin leave. She worked slowly at cleaning his room, making sure everything was in place perfectly. She folded clothes in drawers, she alphabetised anything she could find, and then scrubbed the bathroom until it was spotless. The work distracted her from her own thoughts, and she found herself understanding what Quin had meant when he spoke about people not running away if they weren't thrown in prison. It was hard to think about escape when she was working.


She was visited at sundown by Quin's father. Their conversation began tense, and escalated to anger eventually. Jamie's anger got the best of her, and as she saw Quin walking back towards the house, she tried to end the conversation, but Quin's father sighed. He used a gagging spell - constricting her throat tightly with his magic so that she couldn't get words out, and then used an invisible collar to force her to sit against the wall, her neck stuck against it.


"Don't fight with me, girl. You will lose." he told her, walking out of the room and back to his study, waving briefly at his son as he walked up the stairs.

 

[Sero]

The wall had been fixed and took quite a niche of power out of Quin, by the time he finished the patrol he had found four tears in the wall. A bit more than usual, and he found it bothersome. Since he was already dragging his feet by the time he got home he debated having a warm bath before joint his father for dinner with his mother. He straightened up and opened the doors for himself before climbing the stairs.


His father waved to him in his usual way and Quin smiled lightly. "Good evening father." he said while passing before making his way up to his room. He was so tired. He could just... He frowned at what he saw before shutting the door behind him and moving over to Jamie, sitting in front of her, and contemplating.

 

[tamaracorine]

Jamie didn't want to meet his gaze, but she couldn't move her head away. She looked angry, pure and simple. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out and she closed her eyes with frustration, trying her best to avoid falling apart again. She couldn't. She wouldn't. No more tears. 'Please' she mouthed to Quin.


Her hands tugged at the magical bindings that held her throat against the wall, and they only tightened as she tugged, making it harder for her to breathe. She lowered her hands and let them sit in her lap, clenched into fists.

 

[Sero]

He kept staring. "Did you fight with him? you did didn't you? Didn't I tell you not to?" He asked, moving a hand over to touch her hair. He was angry at her. What had she done? What did she do wrong? Was it bad of him to leave her here? It didn't matter if everything was clean. He took a deep breath and started softly snapping his fingers, working on he collar first.


It'd have to come off first, since he was exhausted, he wasn't even sure if he had enough mana to undo her gagging spell. He carefully moved over and grabbed her shoulders so when the collar came undone, she wouldn't fall forward or something. "I'm sorry, I'm tired, wait a bit. However, I want to hear exactly what happened after I get enough mana to free your voice."

 

[tamaracorine]

Jamie let her head fall forward slightly as the collar came off, resting her head on Quin's shoulder for a moment before lifting it again and rubbing her neck. She could feel that he was angry at her, and she was angry at herself as well. She let herself feel the shame of her situation and nodded, looking like an ashamed servant for the first time.


She pulled her knees to her chest and tucked her head between her legs. She wouldn't let herself fall apart again, but she could sit there and be ashamed of herself. That was okay, she decided, keeping her head down.

 

[Sero]

Quin frowned before waiting a bit, he knew that casting magic when he was this tired wasn't any good. So he waited a good five minutes until he had just enough confidence in his mana flow. He motioned for her to come over and started his usual snapping routine. Waiting for the spell to be undone.


"Can you talk? Does your throat hurt?" He asked, touching her neck for her and frowning. "What happened, I want to know right now. Tell me this story, alright? Even though I said not to mess with father, he certainly messed with you. You must have lost your temper! Hn? I'm very close to losing mine!"

 

[tamaracorine]

Jamie approached hesitantly, keeping her eyes down as he undid the spell, and then nodding. "Yes, it hurts." she said quietly, her voice slightly hoarse. She kept her hands behind her back, intimidated by the tension in Quin's voice. She knew she had messed up. She knew she should have kept her mouth shut. She didn't look at him at all, not wanting to see the anger in his expression.


"He came in when I was cleaning. H-he began to tell me what he thought of my side of the fence. He was... he was saying cruel things... and he called me worthless and said that all I'll ever be is a servant girl, and I knew he was right, and I lost my temper and yelled at him. I-I called him an evil psychopathic dictator... and then... I... I tried to attack him.. and he did those spells to control me..." she spoke quietly, obviously aware that she had made a big mistake.

 

[Sero]

Quins eyes widened. "You...you tried to hurt him?!" He almost yelled but kept himself controlled. He was looking really tired now and he was so distracted by his hissing of thoughts he wanted to explode. "Look Jamie. This is...this is my FATHER we're talking about. What would you do if I tried to attack YOUR father? Well? Would you be angry? And also, BECAUSE my fathers the leader, you can speculate that he's freaking POWERFUL! Can't you? Are you dense? He could have killed you if he wanted!"


Quin closed his eyes and turned away from her. "You've settled yourself into a very dangerous spot. Look, you're going to apologize, with me.You're my responsibility so I have to apologize as well."

 

[tamaracorine]

Jamie cringed as he spoke, stumbling back a step from him. She couldn't look at him. She didn't know what to say or do to fix it. She gulped and shifted between her feet, her hands in her pockets and her eyes closed as she tried to push away some of the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.


"U-Understood." she stuttered as he finished, opening her eyes. "I-I... I'm sorry, I just... I..." she shook her head. "It was stupid of me to do it. I'm sorry. I'll apologise to your father, as well. But I'm... I'm sorry for putting you in this position."

 

[Sero]

Quin released a frustrated sigh, the window cracking suddenly. Making him cringe before he forced himself to take deep breaths and calm himself further. He looked up to her and shook his head, clearly frustrated and feeling strained. His mana was rolling off him like stream, making the bed cover crinkle and his head pound. He had not been this angry for a while.


"I'm going to lie down." He was probably going to come down with a fever at this rate."Look. Don't apologize. You aren't...it's my fault for not foreseeing this. Okay?" It certainly was, if he had planned ahead this wouldn't have been so painful.

 

[tamaracorine]

Jamie jumped as the window cracked, startled. She moved back to her spot on the floor, laying down and using her arm as a pillow again, her legs pulled up to her chest as she tried to calm herself down, figuring that Quin needed time to calm down as well, and she was better off making herself small so that he was less likely to notice her.


She had to tell him about her own father. She knew she had to. But how could she broach the subject? And would it give him too much more power when he realised that he had within his power the ability to manipulate the leader of the other side of the city?

 

[Sero]

Quin had to wait a few moments, feeling a bit hot. Heaven forbid he actually got sick. Using up too much mana did this. He'd have to fake for now. He thought carefully about the situation. He couldn't blame Jamie for getting defensive. His father would very easily make her side angry. He was good at that, that's what he excelled at. Quin himself was better at being chummy with servants and getting extra servings from the kitchen.


Why was he even thinking about that?


He very slowly sat up and looked over. "Jamie. Jamie, I'm not mad anymore." This was a bit of a lie. He was mad that she drove him to seeping out mana like dumping fresh food into the disposal, but he decided not to tell her. "Come here, let's talk about apologizing and plan how we're going to get your coffee tomorrow."

 

[tamaracorine]

Jamie sat up as he said her name, looking at him and reluctantly rising, moving to sit on the bed beside him, her arms wrapping around her knees again. "I need to tell you something." she told him quietly, "But I need you to promise that you wont change any of your plans, and you wont do anything differently, if I tell you..." she looked at him, her eyes meeting his. "But if you can't promise, then I wont tell you... and we can move on to talk about apologies and coffee..."

 

[Sero]

((Baking yeahhh)


He paused, before staring at her. His head throbbing lightly as she sat down. He had to think about this, he was already feeling a bit crazy for a moment. however the urgency in her voice made him want to listen. He was resisting due to the fact that he was still a boit upset, however he decided he'd have to worry about that later.


"I'll.....I'll promise." He stated, feeling like he had just taking on some horrible vow that he was doomed to stick to. However, he decided he'd go with it. "i'll listen Jamie."

 

[tamaracorine]

Jamie kept her eyes down for a moment, thinking about how to explain. She looked up at Quin and sighed, "My father..." she began, then stopped. "My... my father... is... he's like yours. I mean, he isn't magical. He can't... do any of that... he's not..." she made a frustrated sound and looked away again. "I don't want to tell you this. I don't want to. But I have to."


"Okay." she began again after a long silence. "I'm just... I'll say it... and then you'll know... and then we're good." she took a deep breath. "My father is the leader of the other side of the city. He does what your father does... except... he's all about technology, not magic. He hates this side. Hates it more than words can express." she looked up at Quin. "And you can break your promise, if you want. I don't expect you to not change anything because you know that. Just, please, don't tell your dad."

 

[Sero]

Quin sat still, listening. However the further she went the more uncomfortable he became. He had...something powerful in his hands. This was...this was....good? Bad? He wouldn't tell his father no...however. No! That plan would be a violation o her freedom! Quin had began to formulate a plan, a horrible plan that she wouldn't like. "You're father is....that means...."


Did that mean...they could maybe stop this whole thing together? If he...did say that he could fall in love. If he made her love him, then could they solve this with....marriage? That was a common aspect correct? However her people would not be happy with her being a slave. There would be many complications. He didn't look so angry now, but thoughtful.


"I...won't change my opinion. However...no I need to think about it more." He had almost forgotten about apologizing to his father in his feverish planning.

 

[tamaracorine]

"Understood." Jamie told him quietly, "please keep me updated on what you're thinking. I... I'm eager to know." She took a deep breath and looked up at Quin, smiling slightly as she met his gaze.


"Now, where were we?" She paused to think. "Ah, yeah. I was an idiot and let your father provoke me, so now I have to humiliate myself further by apologising. That's right." She gave him that lopsided smile again.


"And coffee. You mentioned coffee, didn't you?" She grinned.

 

[Sero]

He nodded. "Yes, perhaps I will at a later date." He said, his eyes lighting up as he started sewing the pieces of his plan together. He still wasn't sure if it was right though. There was something that bugged him. Would his father approve? Perhaps, but he'd have to know that she was the other's daughter. He didn't want to do that yet. He'd have to speak with him later, speculate, and telling him his plans to dominate both sides of the city. Things would go smoothly if, if he could do that.


He grinned before frowning, hoping to have a poker face. "Let's apologize to father after dinner. Then I'll have some coffee for you in the morning. Let's see...yes. Jamie. I need to ask you something now. How do you....feel about me? As a person, discarding everything else about where I'm from and such. Be honest."

 

[tamaracorine]

Jamie raised an eyebrow at Quin's question. She didn't know why he was asking, but she supposed that didn't matter. She had handed him a piece of information that have him more power than he would know what to do with. She had to respect that power now.


"I... I think... I mean, I feel..." She shrugged. "I'm bad at putting feelings into words." She admitted. "I like you, as a person. You're as kind as circumstances permit, you're fun to tell stories to, and you're not bad to look at either. Why?"

 

[Sero]

Quin shrugged, looking around the room in thought. He didn't want to ask if...she felt...romantically in love with him. He though that, perhaps she was since she had kissed him so suddenly earlier that day. There had to be something that she wanted from him in that way. He swallow. "I was just being curious is all. I just thought it'd be a good story."


He was glancing to her now and then now. Deciding not to tell her what had crossed his mind. Deciding that it was far too soon and there would probably lots of problems with his barely fabricated plan. The kiss though, why was he thinking so hard about the kiss. "Why...did you kiss me in the first place?" He had probably asked this before. It probably gave her a hint as to why he asked the other question.

 

[tamaracorine]

Jamie blushed as he asked her about the kiss. She felt like he was up to something - like this was a puzzle that was missing pieces and she needed to find them so she could work out what it was that Quin wanted from her. "The... The kiss?" She asked awkwardly.


Why had she kissed him? She tried to think of an answer and struggled to find one. "Because... I... It... It felt like the thing I had to do. I knew I shouldn't but something in me was forcing me to and I couldn't not do it because..." She shrugged. "I know it was inappropriate. I'm sorry." She looked away, curious how he would react to her ashamed behaviour.

 

[Sero]

He wasn't sure he liked that answer. "Oh...because it seemed right." He frowned and moved to grab one of his pillows before squeezing it to his chest and throwing it up into the air. "I don't...I really didn't mind the kiss Jamie." He admitted for the second time. "It was just a surprise. So.....you did it because it just....seemed right?" Did that mean the she didn't do it because she liked him?


Quin swallowed and looked at his feet in thought. Maybe the plan wouldn't work out then. Maybe he was a little too excited about it. He wasn't sure what to do.... He closed his eyes and sighed. His seemly simple solution not looking so simple anymore. Dinner was soon and he'd have to get up and go....

 

[tamaracorine]

"No. I mean, yes. I mean..." Jamie was obviously flustered, trying to find the right words and failing miserably at it. "Quin, I did it because against all logic, I find myself attracted to you. I don't know why. I just am. But I can't be because I'm basically a piece of property now and I don't have the luxury of feelings like that."


She looked down at the bed, biting her lip as a blush crept onto her cheeks. "I did it because I'm attracted to you." She repeated, sighing. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you."

 

[Sero]

He wasn't listening for the first time. Quin was still trying to find any right reasoning for her to kiss him. So when Quin's consciousness bobbed up to hearing again he froze and looked up. "You're attracted to me?" He repeated. Unsure if he heard he right. Was she just joking since he had heard her say just before that... "So...you like me. Basically, you've fallen in love with me?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at her and asking it as a question.


His mana started running hot again and he found himself seeing stars suddenly. He blinked and grabbed the pillow again, throwing it to her before assuming a detective stance when he stood up after. Placing his hand on his chin. "So you, Jamie....like me?"

 

[tamaracorine]

Jamie was bright red, staring up at him. She didn't know what to say, really. She felt confused as she caught the pillow and hugged it to herself, looking up at him. "I- I wouldn't call it... I wouldn't call it love... I mean, not... Not yet..." She looked down, hugging the pillow tighter.


"Yes. Yes I like you." She said. "Why do I feel like I'm being interrogated about it? I'm sorry for stepping across the line of what's appropriate. I'm sorry. I'll control my feelings. You won't have to deal with them again."