A Dangerous Game

[Mayah Playah]

The two were dressed the same, like they usually were nowadays, even down to the black gloves. Daniel stared at his big sister, grateful that he still had two inches on her. She'd gotten prettier, and it pissed him off. Standing upright, he didn't seem to care what she said, silently turning and starting to walk just before her sentence ended. "Julian, you're sitting in the backseat," he said coldly as they approached the car park, his gloved hands in his pockets and toying with his keys.

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Mayah Playah

The anger Daniel felt for her looks, Charlotte felt for his height. She was older - and in heels - yet he was still the one towering over her. She convinced herself that the only reason that was possible was because of the strange doctor their father visited occasionally. If he hadn't given Daniel that buffer he would've most likely been a shrimp. Well, not that he wasn't anymore...
Julian felt a large bead of sweat roll down the side of his head as he followed the two. They were silent in their dignified way that seemed normal for the Waltz family, but he could see the electricity shooting out between the two like a pushing contest. The tension was so strong that he felt like he was suffocating, and that was in an airport! He was going to be cramped in a car with those two and their silent insults? Coming along was definitely a bad idea.
Once inside the car with her luggage packed nicely, Charlotte strapped her seatbelt on and watched the city unfold the further they drove. "I hear Father has been training you on your emotional control," she noted after some time. Her cold gaze rolled to stare daggers at Daniel. "How long did it take you? Or have you not passed yet?"

 

[Mayah Playah]

Steeled blue eyes stared forward as he drove away from the airport, resisting the urge to grab the gun hidden underneath the seat and kill his stupid sibling. He inhaled slowly, taking a second to think about how to respond. "I'm glad you're still picking up the phone when Mom calls you. He gets worried when you don't." The car turned a right, and he didn't say anything further. Why should he? He was certain she sucked the life out of him with every word she got him to say.
At least he was handsome and getting better looking by the day. Her serious stare was bound to give her wrinkles soon, the old hag.

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"I don't answer the phone so often because I'm usually busy with missions. By the way, you still just barely started having them on your own, haven't you?" If she wasn't so committed to being more stoic than that dumb blonde she would've cracked a smug smirk. "Anyway, you still haven't answered my question: How did your training go?"
At this point, while witnessing the two's silent competition and resisted attempts to attack each other, Julian felt himself thankful for being an only child.

 

[Mayah Playah]

"Well, we can't all be soulless, mindless, friendless drones like you, sister dear," he countered. "I'm afraid I have a reputation to uphold that Father agrees makes me seem more wholesome. Turns out that being part of the Forensics Club and the Anatomy Club like my favorite hag is viewed to be rather creepy." Hearing her repeat the question, he slowed the car to a stop and kept his eyes forward. "What did you tell me when I asked you during your training? Oh yes: why should I tell a stupid brat like you? Replacing brat with hag, of course. We can't all withstand the test of time."
The car started again, Daniel's face as stoic as it had ever been.

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"Oh? That's rather surprising, you're doing such a good job at it right now. It's the only thing I've noticed you're good at, and you weren't even meaning to do it. How strange." Charlotte mused when Daniel called her soulless and such. As the rest of her brother's history was mentioned, she showed little interest. She didn't even seem angry about the snide comments. However, Julian noticed her hair moving on its own, assuming it was caused by the car's AC. Either way, it reminded him a lot of some kind of fire outlining her body. He gulped.
"So, to recap, Father decided it best not to put you in missions and for you to instead focus on making friends because you're so incapable of saying more than three words to someone let alone killing them when needed. Yes, I find that quite wholesome. Perhaps you should give up on your training so you can focus on your important mission of being liked in school?" Charlotte suggested emptily, resting her head against her fist, her elbow propped against the windowsill.

 

[Mayah Playah]

Daniel didn't even miss a beat. "Yes, perhaps I should," he said, deciding to do his favorite form of irritating her by agreeing to everything she said as blandly as he could. "I should set aside all of my skill that wasn't just handed to me by my genes, that I worked and trained for over the course of ten years instead of constantly relying on what Father passed down to me when he slept with some wh-re with no depth perception or skill in hand-to-hand combat."
He gasped and raised a hand to his mouth. "Oops. Sorry. I didn't meant to imply that you're a disgusting hag who has had everything handed to her with a skank for a mother. Pardon me." Reaching down, he turned on the music. It was loud and unapologetically dubstep, a trait he developed from his father combined with the shameless adoration for music as his mother.

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Mayah Playah

Ah, that same old rebuttal. I wasn't born with it, I had to earn my way up there. I wasn't as lucky as you, my life was filled with hardships. He always said that in his defense for all the things he lacked. No coordination, no steady aim, no use of guns like Father in long distance attacks. The funny thing was, he claims to have clawed his way to her level, but every inch he claws up higher she stretches up by a mile. She didn't just sit by and let nature take care of her skills, she perfected all of it and learned new techniques for advanced classes. She was, of course, the true heir to the Nightingale title.
However, her verbal fight with her brother ended in defeat. Her eyes narrowed a fraction, the sign that she had lost. The dubstep was just a slap to the face, a disgusting, deafening victory tune that was fitting for the annoying brat of a kid. Charlotte glared at the passing by buildings, her icy stare enough to make the driver in the nearby car shudder and nervously focus on the road.

 

[Mayah Playah]

The ride was tense even when they arrived at the house, Daniel unlocking his door and leaving hers locked. It was petty and annoying, but he didn't care. He was the younger brother. He was supposed to be annoying. Walking up to the house, he was immediately greeted by their mother, who walked out and kissed his cheek.
"Hello, sweetheart, I miss you all day!" said Ellery before walking to his adopted daughter and hugging her. Even now, she was so much taller than he. "Look at you! Oh, even more beautiful than when you left. I tell you all the time, Lottie, you should wear more color. You would look so gorgeous in red." Taking the woman's arm, he patted her hand as they walked inside, Daniel walking ahead of them and remaining silent as the grave. "So how's school? Your father said that you made the Dean's List, but I wouldn't know. You almost never pick up when I try to call." He pouted, clearly upset at her neglect.

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Charlotte looked down at the tiny man that eagerly greeted her. "Hello Mother. Yes, I made the list. Is Uncle Haneul in town?" she greeted back, though there was little emotion in anything. It wasn't that she hated Ellery, she liked him fine, she was just as coldly distant as her father. She let him talk on and on until a tall figure strode over to them.
"Ah Charlotte, welcome back," Fredrich said with a light smile. She hesitated, wanting to smile in return and gush her own comment, but decided to stay respectfully stoic and nodded her head. "Hello Father, it's good to be home."
As she disappeared into the house with her parents, Julian shakily climbed out of the car. That was worse than the time his parents tried to play literal hangman during a road trip. He looked over at Daniel, reaching a hand out to grab his arm. "Uh hey," he called out, more to make sure he didn't forget his existence. "You, uh, wanna get out of here? Get some food? Watch a movie in my place?"

 

[Mayah Playah]

He shook his head, well-aware that the young woman was very close to her uncle. He'd been the one to encourage it in the first place, since he was certain Haneul would connect to her the best. "Haneul shouldn't be back for another visit for a month or so, but when I called him last night and told him you were coming, he said he might come visit early just to come see you. Isn't that sweet?" As Fredrich came out, Ellery transitioned, taking Fredrich's arm and releasing his daughter's as they walked into the house. "You should tell your daughter to call more, Fredrich. I'm starting to feel neglected. I told you that she sent me an email thanking me for the dress I sent her. An email! I swear, she's just like you."

Daniel sighed, walking closer to Julian to help him regain his footing. "Hell yeah," he said, handing Julian his keys. He was sick of driving already.

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Julian Rieux

Julian smiled and unlocked the car doors.

~~~

Julian sat on the floor of his room, a movie on his TV and an opened box of pizza on his desk beside a pack of soda. His parents had left before he and Daniel even got there, leaving only a note that they'd be back late because they were helping Grandpa Decius with a few projects. Julian was half-tempted to hang around in the living room, but he was well aware of what went on there between his parents and the idea of sitting in the same area made him shudder.
Between the movie he glanced up at Daniel. They had a good date of sorts, but was it enough to get his mind off his sister? Or, maybe, he was scared that Daniel would suddenly stop caring like he had for the past week?

 

[Mayah Playah]

Daniel stared at the television distantly, his thoughts still on his hag of a sister. He hated her guts, why was she so insufferable? He felt himself being looked at, and turned in time to catch Julian's eye. "What?" he asked.

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Julian Rieux

"Are you still thinking about your sister?" Julian asked. He pointed to Daniel's eyes. "You've got that look in your eyes you get when you're really mad."

 

[Mayah Playah]

He sighed, knowing he'd been caught. "Sorry, I can't help it. She's just so awful! You don't get it, you're an only child. You don't have your parent's real blood competing with you. I've had to work twice as hard to get at her level. She's way older than me, so the fact that I'm at all near her level is something to be proud of, bust she just knocks me down like I don't matter! Like the fact that I'm not a natural-born Waltz makes me mentally-retarded." He leaned back against the bed, staring at the wall. "I hate her. I mean it. If someone paid me a nickel to get rid of her, I'd offer to do it for free."

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