The Bond Between (1x1 Ivory_Coated_Stars)(DISCONTINUED T-T)

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Nicodmeus flinched as the other responded coldly, mentioning that Darien wanted to kill him. He sighed, stepping back a bit, his hands dropping to his sides. It appeared he would have to talk about Darien. He had tried to forget about the other. But now, Darien had shown up in his life again . . . after Nicodemus had moved on and found someone to love in Alistair. "He . . . We were slaves together. Once. I came to fancy him, and he fancied me as well. We thought ourselves to be clever, keeping our relationship out of the eyes of our master, but we were found out. He's the one I told you about. The one who I had to watch be whipped within an inch of his life before he was sold away and I was beaten. I never imagined I would be able to find him again. I thought . . . I thought he must have died from his wounds. Clearly, I was wrong." he said in a soft, but clear voice. He told his story to the ground, not wanting to look at Alistair. He didn't want to see rejection there. He closed his eyes, tensing, waiting for a response.

Ivory_Colored_Stars

 

[Ivory_Coated_Stars]

Alistair watched as Nico peered to the floor, and told the story. The extended version of the story Nico had told him the night before. Alistair narrowed his eyes, though it wasn't directed towards Nico, but rather at the situation. He didn't know what to say, and for the moment, there was a long silence causing the air to grow thick with tension. Given, Nico thought he was dead and never imagined seeing his again, but that didn't change the fact that mercenary was very much alive and eager to become a part of Nico's life again...As more than friends. Alistair couldn't stop thinking about that damn kiss, as well as the passion and desperation it seemed to hold. His jaw clenched before he sighed slightly, a defeated look on his face, wondering how he would be able to compare to someone who Nico had already came to love before. Who's to say something wouldn't spark within them again? "Do you... Still have feelings for him?" Alistair asked the question that he had been dying to know, hesitating slightly with his words and breaking the heavy silence.

chibi_blue_mouse

 

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Nicodemus flinched at the question as though Alistair had dealt a physical blow. "I . . . have feelings for him but . . ." he was having difficulties figuring out what they were. He shook his head. "Alistair, I cared very strongly about him in the past. I am . . . glad that he's alive, but . . . I don't know if those feelings I once had for him are still there or if they're even the same. You're the one I'm with now. And I need to get you out of here. Somewhere safe . . . before you get hurt again." he said, looking up, his expression somewhat saddened. He hated that Alistair had gotten hurt, that his father had whipped him. He never wanted to see Alistair hurt again.

Ivory_Coated_Stars

 

[Ivory_Coated_Stars]

As Alistair listened to Nico's words, he couldn't help but feel a tightening in his chest. Nico didn't know how he felt about his old flame, which at that point seemed just as bad as saying that his feelings for him hadn't diminished. Even with Nico's assurances, the blonde couldn't help but feel threatened and uneasy about this new character. A small wave of anguish washed over Alistair as he looked at Nico, the sadness on the other's features. It was heart shattering. It pained him to see the other with such sadness on his face. His gaze softened for a moment, though Alistair's stubbornness wouldn't allow for him to let the situation go completely. He had a resigned look on his face as he simply turned away, so that he was facing the chair. "I just...I don't know what to do Nicodemus." The male said in a quiet voice low enough for Nico to barely hear, something quite unusual for him considering how outspoken he was. Alistair took a deep breath and abruptly turned to Nico, composing himself, closing his eyes in a resigned fashion as he was trying to avoid looking into Nico's gaze, afraid of seeing his sadness and concern. "I'll be fine. Just focus on staying safe. Okay?" The male said with assurance.

chibi_blue_mouse

 

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Nicodemus just barely heard Alistair's words. "I don't either . . ." he whispered back. Nico wasn't even sure he knew what he wanted anymore. But one thing was for sure . . . he couldn't just stand around and let Alistair be hurt. He frowned as the other told him to just focus on staying safe. "No. I'm getting you out of here." he said stubbornly, crossing over to Alistair, the sadness replaced with the same old determination that Nicodemus always had when it came to protecting Alistar. "Sorry, but I don't trust your dad to actually pay the ransom. Not after what he did to you." he said, a bit of anger flashing on his face.

Kaitlyn sighed as she made her way back to her room, a bottle of whiskey in her hand. It wasn't the best whiskey, but it was certainly strong enough for today. That was when she saw Darius walking by with someone. A client? He was speaking of making sure they captured the right one this time, seeing with his own eyes . . . Oh . . . oh no. She broke into a run, hoping that Kress had taken Nicodemus to his room . . . otherwise she knew where they had gone. And then she'd have to rely on Shadow. Odd though, normally she didn't care too much, but she liked Kress . . . and it would be very bad if he and Nicodemus were caught trying to break the young lord out. She swore as she got to Kress's room and they weren't there. She needed to find them . . . before Darius and the client did. But she didn't know where they were keeping Alistair . . . but one person did. She started sprinting towards Shadow's room.

((So I was thinking that the client might be Kress's old master? Or Alistair's uncle? Or both? And he only kidnapped Alistair for a ransom to lure Alistair's father into a trap where he could kill him, and then Alistair and take the land for himself. What do you think?))

Ivory_Colored_Stars

 

[Ivory_Coated_Stars]

Alistair's eyes widened at Nico's sudden bout of determination, though they softened again as he looked at him. Despite the new situation, he supposed that he was the same old Nico none-the-less. Alistair took a look at the other's face before looking at his own wounds. He was right. If anything, this would be the perfect opportunity to get his son out of the way. Alistair was on his own, and he was determined to protect him AND Nico, whatever it took. Though, whether or not he would go back to his estate, that was questionable. Placing the thoughts in the back of his mind, the blonde simply looked up at Nico, who's determination was still raging on. A small smile came to Alistair's face, one that was rather devious in nature, very similar to one the would wear way back when things were simpler and the extent of his problems were hiding from Nico. "So, what do you propose we do?" The male asked, placing himself on the chair he had been untied from, curious to know if Nico had a plan of action behind all of that determination of his.

(( OOC: Sounds Good. If he were both, it would give Kress plenty of reasons to despise him as well as give him a reason to want to kidnap Alistair :3

I have a new question though. Did you want me to make a new character to even things out, or is it a we'll get there when we get there thing? I don't mind either or neither, I just wanted to know ^.^ ))

chibi_blue_mouse

 

[chibi_blue_mouse]

((Um . . . It's been a long day and my brain isn't working well. XP But if you would like to make a character for Darien, I have no problems with that, but if you don't, that's fine too. XD))

Nicodemus seemed tripped up by the question. He'd been so focused on the overall goal, he had skipped the steps of figuring out how to achieve it. "Well . . . I mean . . . I had to get to you first, so . . . I . . . um . . ." he stammered, clearly having not thought past that step. "I'm sure Kress will help!" he said, going to the door, opening it and dragging Kress inside. "Right? You'll help us get out of here?" he asked his brother, a bit of worry on his face. He didn't want Kress getting in trouble, but at the same time . . . "Come with us . . ." he asked a second time. "Alistair's going to get me my freedom. Neither of us will be slaves and then . . . you won't have to kill people anymore." he said, really not wanting to be separated from his brother anymore.

Ivory_Coated_Stars

 

[Ivory_Coated_Stars]

Kress stood calmly at the door for moments on end before hearing the door open and feeling a swift tug at his arm. As he was yanked inside the dark, damp room, the male had a bemused look on his face, rather puzzled by the action. It was then that Nico stated that Kress would help the duo to escape before Nico turned to him. The crow froze at the offer to go with him. He explained how the noble was going to free him and how he wouldn't be a slave any longer, and how Kress would be able to stop killing people. Surely he had enough money saved to start a new life. He was never keen on spending it, so he supposed that it was a good thing. But COULD he leave? Was it really that simple to just start a new life? As Kress pondered the thought, his heart sank as he heard the slight tap of footsteps getting closer to them.

chibi_blue_mouse

 

[chibi_blue_mouse]

"Please, brother? I don't want us separated again." Nicodemus said, frowning as he didn't receive an answer from the other. He didn't hear the footsteps until the door was swung wide open, and a familiar looking man was on the other side, smirking.

"Well now, isn't this an interesting development." The man, well groomed, but with an unpleasant air about him drawled. His blonde hair was slicked back, and he wore a fine, pressed suit. The wood on the cane he held shining, recently polished, as were his shoes. "Kress, how nice to see you. So this is where you've been hiding, all these years. The rat that's found a nice little den, and my dear nephew . . . Alistair . . . with his ever-faithful slave right beside him as always. But that you two would be brothers . . ." he laughed. "Darius, I hired you to kidnap my nephew, not to let your men nearly botch the job again." he snapped at the leader of the mercenaries. "My nephew is not restrained as you said he would be. Fix it. And grab that one." he pointed his cane at Nicodemus. "He shall prove useful." he said, smirking.

Nicodemus felt frozen with shock as he watched Darius go over to tie Alistair to the chair once again. The man didn't seem too pleased with being ordered around, but he supposed there was a large amount of money in it for him. "You . . . you hired them to kidnap Alistair." Nicodemus was glaring, shaking with his hands clenched. "Why?!"

Alistair's Uncle Xander glared at Nicodemus. "How dare you address me with that tone boy!" he snapped angrily. "But I'm feeling generous, I will answer your question. It's simple. Alistair is the heir to the lordship. Him and my brother are all that stand between me and the land that will soon belong to me." he said, a smug smile on his face. "Oh, did you think this was simply a normal kidnapping? No. I won't be satisfied with a ransom. Alistair is merely the bait to lure out his father. Then they both will die." he snapped.

Nicodemus's eyes widened, before he glared darkly. No! He wouldn't let it happen! With a shout, Nico ran at Lord Xander, bringing a fist back to throw an angry punch at the other. He stopped dead when he found a sword at his throat.

"Now, really, you thought I would come into this den of criminals without some protection?" Xander asked, having unsheathed his sword from it's hiding place of his cane. The handle of the cane was the hilt of the sword, and the rest of the cane served as the sheath. "Now, Kress, Alistair, if you two value this boy's life," he flicked the sword up, causing a small cut to appear on Nicodemus's neck even as the boy continued to glare at him with pure hatred, "I suggest you behave. Kress, do make sure Alistair won't be leaving his bonds again. I can guarantee that disobeying this order will have much more disastrous consequences than others you've ignored while under my service." Xander said, quite smug in his control of the situation.

Ivory_Colored_Stars

 

[Ivory_Coated_Stars]

Kress's stomach dropped as he heard a disturbingly familiar voice echo from the door. His eyes widened as tingles went down his spine, his fist clenching and a slight tremble coming to his body, he turned slowly only to confirm his thoughts. "Xander." The low growl was all he could say through his clenched jaw. As Kress gazed upon him, the intense fire inside him that had begun to fade over the years suddenly reignited very strongly, as it revealed in his gaze. Kress's glare revealed a side of him that no one had ever known, a side of him he never thought he himself would even know. One of intense hatred and anguish. The man before him was the constant reminder of why Kress did what he did; he hoped that one day his picture would show up on the job list. The crow could still feel the sting of the whip on his back and the shock of the collar on his neck. He wanted nothing more than to hear him choke on his own blood.

As Kress listened to the conversation the man had with Nico, he could only let out a dry, sarcastic laugh. Xander was never beyond that. It was all he ever wanted. To rule the land. It was all the sadistic monster ever talked about. How his brother was first in line. How he deserved it more. His greed was always prominent. It was within moments however, that Nico had found himself at the point of Xander's blade and for a moment, his look of hatred turned to fear as the man nicked him on the neck. Him threatening Nico was unforgivable. Kress glared fire at the other as he was half tempted to draw his sword, but refrained from doing so and simply tied Alistair up. When he was done, Kress stood up and stared poison at him, his hand on his sword. He remained a strangely calm composure, the demeanor of a killer on his features as his stare went dark. "I will kill you Xander." He said bluntly and surely, his contact never breaking the man's eyes.

-

Alistair's eyes widened the moment he looked out of the door. "...Uncle Xander?" Alistair said softly, the shock evident on his face. He didn't know what to say. Sure, he and Alistair's father were never on good terms, but this? Alistair's shock turned cold at the mere mention of Nicodemus, though it was within seconds that Nicodemus found himself at the point of a blade. "Let him go! He has absolutely nothing to do with this!" He said as he found himself getting tied to the chair once more. Alistair gave him a cold glare. "This is underhanded. Even for you. " Alistair said with spite in his tone, though he wanted Nico's safety assured, so he obliged the man for the time being.

chibi_blue_mouse

 

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Xander just laughed. "Oh my dear boy, this is what I call, 'good business'." he said, grinning as he lightly pressed the tip of his sword against Nicodemus's neck, causing the boy to have to raise his head to get away from the blade. "Tie this one up Darius. I shall take him with me . . . as insurance." he said, smirking over at Kress and Alistair. "You stay still boy. We wouldn't want my blade to slip, now would we?" he threatened, only receiving that same angry glare in response.

Nicodemus was breathing deep, heavy breaths through his nose as he glared at Xander. This man wanted to hurt Alistair. Even as he felt ropes bind his hands behind his back, he glared at the other. He would make this man pay. Then Darius grabbed his hair and pulled, forcing his head to snap back, and he let out a small cry of pain, hissing as he switched his glare over to Kress's boss.

Xander sighed, sheathing his blade once Darius had a secure hold on Nicodemus. "Now, remember boys, behave, or I don't know what will happen to dear, precious, Nicodemus. Why, one of his limbs might be tragically removed or an eye might be gouged out, who knows what could happen when my pawns refuse to obey me . . ." he said, his tone feigning worry. He couldn't help but smirk as he saw the blood drain from Nicodemus's face, the brave facade breaking at the ideas that he had laid out there. He laughed. "Come along Darius, I must pay you for a job well done . . . and hire your best people for another. Bring the boy, I will pay you handsomely for him as well." he called as he left the room.

Nicodemus struggled against Darius as the other began leading him out of the room. He turned to see Kress and Alistair, and though he was terrified of what might happen to him, his mind was still placing Alistair's safety above his own. "It doesn't matter what they do to me! Get out of here! Alistair! I-" He was cut off as he was struck by Darius and shoved out of the room.

Kaitlyn and Darien ran up to the room, Kaitlyn throwing out her arm as she saw the client exit, shortly followed by a struggling Nicodemus and Darius. "s**t." she muttered.

Darien's eyes widened and his face turned pale as he saw Darius strike Nicodemus again, the boy going limp as he was knocked out by the blow to the head. He saw red and darted forwards to try and rescue the other, only to find himself being held back by Kaitlyn and pulled around a corner.

"Whoa! Whoa! What are you doing?! Do you want to let them know he's your weakness?! How is that going to help him huh?!" Kaitlyn snapped.

"I don't care! That b*****d! He hurt Nick! I'll kill him!"

Kaitlyn frowned. "Think Shadow!" she snapped at him, giving him a shake this time. "It's what you're good at! I'm not saying we just let them take Nico, but we have to be smart about it! Now . . ." she peeked around the corner, "They're gone, probably to Darius's office . . . we need to know what happened. That mean speaking to Kress and Alistair." she said, glaring at Darien.

Darien glared back before he looked away. "Fine. Let's go. We'll figure out what to do." he said, heading to Alistair's room. Oh, he was going to make that aristocrat pay for what happened to Nicodemus . . . Once Kaitlyn had gotten her answers . . .

Ivory_Colored_Stars

 

[Ivory_Coated_Stars]

Kress trembled with anger as Darius tied Nico up, hauling him away. He gripped the hilt of his sword doing what he could to not walk up to Xander and stab him just to prove that he wasn't as invincible as he thought he was, to wipe that smug smirk off of his face. But he then looked to Nico. The blade that was pointed dead at his jugular. Kress narrowed his eyes, growing more and more frustrated at his own helplessness. Why wasn't he stronger? Why didn't he have the skills to help his little brother? Why didn't he have the courage to stab Xander in his sleep a long time ago? As Darius hit Nico and knocked him out, they barely made it around the corner before Kress took his blade and pointed it at Alistair's throat, his eyes narrowing. "That monster is your uncle? If I find out that you had anything to do with this-"

"Are you serious?! I was just as damn helpless as you were! If you and your demented mercenary friend hadn't brought him here, Nico wouldn't have gotten taken hostage by those b*****ds!" Alistair looked down as he thought about what Nico said, only growing angrier. After all of that, he still wanted Alistair to escape. There was no way in hell that he was leaving without Nico. "Dammit!" Alistair said it frustration.

Kress glared at Alistair with contempt, his blade never wavering. "Did you forget that it was your name that got him here?! If he hadn't been your little watchdog, none of this would have happened! Instead of dragging him around for so long, you should have let him go! But you nobles are all the same, driven by greed. How do I know you're any different from your maniacal uncle?" The crow said coldly, poison dripping from his tone and death coming from his eyes.

The blonde peered up into Kress's gaze, glaring back at him. "Because no matter what you may think, I want Nico back just as desperately as you do. Do you really think that I would have let you tie me to this chair if I didn't care about him?! I want to make them pay for what they did to him as much as you do!" Alistair stated, a fire in his silver eyes before they peered over to the door, seeing new silhouettes lining the entryway. "Great. The man in question himself. I hope you're happy dammit!" Alistair yelled to the mercenary that came in with Kaitlyn, angered at the fact that he brought Nico to the base.

chibi_blue_mouse

 

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Darien's eyes narrowed on Alistair, his good hand clenched around the handle of his sword. "Crow, explain to me what happened here. Nicodemus wasn't even supposed to be anywhere near here!" Though he tried to keep a cool head, he couldn't help but snap at the other. He had seen Nicodemus taken away. He needed to know how it happened. "Why did you- How could you just let them take Nick away?!" he shouted at the other.

Kaitlyn sighed and pushed Darien to the side, taking over the situation. "Crow, Alistair, can either of you please, calmly explain what happened? Who was the client? What does he want? And why did he take Nico?" she asked, focusing on the important questions. This was the advantage she had, now glad that she had made sure not to form any close emotional connections to people . . . well at least she had learned how to hide them. She wasn't emotionally compromised. She could keep her cool and still think rationally even when things went wrong.

Ivory_Coated_Stars

 

[Ivory_Coated_Stars]

Crow grit his teeth as Shadow went on. He didn't want to kill him per say as much as he wanted to stab him, though he knew that dealing with him was futile, and pulling his blade on him would have been pointless and a waste of time. Kress took a deep breath and looked to Kaitlyn solemnly. All he needed to do was treat this like another job. Right? "Xander." He spoke his name as if it was venomous. Kaitlyn knew about him, considering that she was the only person he ever told about him and his time at the noble's estate. "He's Alistair's uncle. He hired us to kidnap his nephew and he took Nico as collateral to keep us in check." He said focusing on Kaitlyn and drawing from her calm attitude, keeping himself calm. "We need to get him back Kaitlyn. But how?" He said as he became less passionate and more inquisitive though his determination didn't waver in the slightest. He was going to get Nico back, and he was going to make Xander pay for this.

-

Alistair glared at Shadow with intensity. He was just as angry at him as he was with the man that took Nico away. If they hadn't brought him there with him, he would be safe. He wouldn't have been taken away by his uncle. The blonde took a deep breath, though his dark stare never really went away. "Untie me. I'm going with you." He said, wanting to get Nico back. There was no way he was going to helplessly stand aside and do nothing. He was determined to get Nico back, and he refused to leave without him.

chibi_blue_mouse

 

[chibi_blue_mouse]

Kaitlyn took in a sharp breath when she heard the name 'Xander'. From Kress's stories about his time as a slave under that man . . . he sounded like a nasty piece of work. She frowned slightly, apparently being relied on to make a plan. "I'm thinking." she said, starting to pace until she heard Alistair say he was going with them. She shot a glare towards the young lord. "I thought the point of this was to keep Niocdemus from harm. Rescue him. If you are not tied up here in this room, and word gets to Xander that you have been released . . . Nicodemus will be the one to suffer for it." she said, before continuing to pace.

Darien smirked a bit at Alistair. That basically meant the young lord was going to be completely useless in terms of any possible rescue mission. He then pushed aside his smug feeling of triumph and looked at Kaitlyn. "Depending on where Nick's been taken, I can come up with a plan to get us inside." he said, offering his services. "It's what I'm good at. Finding a way in and out. Not just dragging people into trouble." he said, shooting the last bit at Alistair.

"Shadow I will shoot you in the foot if you keep acting like this!" Kaitlyn snapped. "If the mission is rescue Nicodemus, we need to be able to hide it from Xander and those who would report to him. And you are showing your hand. Right now, you are a strong player in the mission ONLY because Xander doesn't know that Nicodemus is also your weak point. So you can't let him know you care about Nico at all." she lectured scoldingly. "Kress, you can't be the one to go after Nicodemus directly. He'll be expecting that. I think what we need is a bit of divide and conquer. If Shadow and Kress go after Xander, and I follow Shadow's plan to get to where he'll be keeping Nicodemus, we may be able to pull this off . . ." she said, thinking out loud.

Ivory_Coated_Stars