prompts { 2022 } fictober

[iluvroadrunner6]

Going to do one fic a day in an attempt to buff my word count for this year. Is this dumb when I already have prompts that I'm working through? Maybe but I'm in for the challenge.



PROMPTS:
1. “I chose you.”
2. “Nobody warned you about me?”
3. “That was not my intention.”
4. “How would that even work?”
5. “No, anything but that.”
6. “Adaptable, I like that.”
7. “Check that again, are you sure?”
8. “Do you remember?”
9. “Sounds like a you problem.”
10. “It’s my name on the line.”
11. “Think! For once!”
12. “You’re making my head hurt.”
13. “I don’t want you to do that.”
14. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”
15. “What are you doing?”
16. “You’re looking, but you don’t see.”
17. “Are you serious?”
18. “I don’t think this is your problem.”
19. “Do we have a deal?”
20. “There’s only us.”
21. “I never said that.”
22. “Who said this is a good idea?”
23. “Not on my watch!”
24. “Is this safe?”
25. “You know I’d do anything.”
26. “I’m doing it, shut up.”
27. “That’s not why we’re doing this.”
28. “We all have our reasons.”
29. “You love this, don’t you?”
30. “I know what this looks like.”
31. “I’m not alone and neither are you.”

Request plurk
Completed: 31/31
Word Count: 63,823

Comments

10/7 ~ check that again, are you sure? ~ felderwin ~ 2,197

[brakewoman]

Kady’s been in jail for two days. That’s two more days than Kady expected being in jail for.

It is her own fault. After parting ways with Julia after everything that happened, she’s worked with the wrong people. Which has naturally led to them screwing her over and making her take the fall for their ill-gotten gains. In most towns, she’d be able to sweet-talk her way out of trouble.

But not in Rexxentrum.

It’s clear that the miscreants she’s aligned herself with aren’t coming back for her at this point. Which means she’s on her own. She’s been spending most of her time in the cell trying to craft her way out of this joint.

Seduce the guard and steal his keys? Hide in plain sight? While they took her personal effects, she still has a few select spell items hidden in her clothes. The boning and structure of her dress are crafted with copper wire. She could break off a piece and cast send a message to … who? Julia? The crew that abandoned her?

Yeah, neither of those options is appealing.

She’s in the middle of weighing her options when a pair of guards drag in another prisoner and set them in the cell across from her. When they clear away, resting on the wooden bench, a blond woman had her hands pressing into her side. Kady could make out the bright red stain of blood against her pale skin, and while she doesn’t particularly care what happens to most prisoners, she’s generally against people dying if she can help it. But the guards don’t seem to have the same morals, and have done their job of depositing her and walking away.

“Hey, hey!”

Kady picks up the small metal bowl they had given them for their breakfast and chucks it at the Crownsguard’s head. It hits its target, striking him in the back of his metal helmet, and angry eyes turn on her.

“What?!”

“That prisoner over there isn’t looking so good.” Kady points to the cell across from her. “You should get her a cleric.”

“Do you think we have the money to spare for a cleric?” the guard rolls his eyes. “She’s not dead.”

“But she will be, if you don’t do something.”

The blond looks up at her and shakes her head. “I’m fine.” Her voice is shaky, and she sounds like she’s anything but fine. “I’ve still got a couple more hours before I pass out from the blood loss.”

Kady smirks at the faint dry candor to her tone and then looks back at the guard. “See? If you’re not going to call a cleric, at least let me do something for her.”

“You’re a cleric?”

“No. I’m a bard. Bards can heal, but not from a distance.” That isn’t technically true, but Kady is banking on the guard, not being well-learned in different magics. “If you put me in her cell, I’ll make sure someone doesn’t die on your watch.”

The guard rolls his eyes. “Step back from the door.”

Kady does as she’s told, holding up her hands as the dry metal scrapes across the stone floor. The guard takes her roughly by the arm, pulls her to the opposite cell and deposits her inside. Kady immediately moves to the woman’s side and casts Cure Wounds, stitching up the woman’s wound. The blond relaxes with a slow breath, before nodding.

“Thank you.” She waits until the guard disappears around the corner before she continues: “But we both know you could have done that with a Healing Word from across the way.”

“Yeah, we know that. But he clearly didn’t know that.” Kady smirks. “And now we can talk without shouting at each other.”

The blond nods. “Smart.” She holds up her hand in a wave. “Alice.”

“Kady. A bit cliché, but what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?”

“Long story, but I could ask you the same.”

Kady leans forward, making sure the Crownsguard isn’t coming back before she sighs. “Some people I thought were my friends talked me into a job only to have me take the fall for it.”

Alice nods. “I was trying to get into the library at the Solstryce Academy. But apparently they haven’t warmed up to me since I was a student.”

Kady frowns, not sure what to make of that story. “And they stabbed you for it?”

Alice glances down at the bloodstained hole in her clothes where her wound used to be. “Well, I may have been trying to get myself into this ultra-exclusive portion of the library to see what one of my old teachers was working on, and shockingly, I’m not one of the stealthiest people.”

Her tone shows that’s not supposed to be very shocking. Kady nods, because she knows the feeling.

“Maybe we can help each other?” Kady asks. “You help me figure out a way for us to break out of jail, and I’ll help you get to the heavy duty magic stuff.”

Alice raises an eyebrow. “You don’t even know why I want it.”

Kady probably should be more careful about things like this, but right now she wants out of jail more. And if Alice went to the Solstryce Academy, that means she probably knows more about the jail than she does. Especially since the Academy doesn’t seem to have been fond of her.

“It’s none of my business.” Kady shrugs. “And I’ve met people who’ve wanted to use magic to do bad things. Some of them are in that academy. I don’t think you’re one of them.”

Alice nods. “Another problem: I’m a wizard, not a bard or a sorcerer. Which means I need my spell book and my casting materials and they generously relieved me of that when they were making me a prisoner. I don’t think even you have everything you need to get us out of here.”

“Yeah, this is not my first time in jail.” Kady reaches down and pulls off her boot, before swirling the bottom to reveal a hidden compartment full of assorted spell focuses she might need to have hold of. “I think I’m covered. I’ll handle the magic, if you’re familiar enough with this jail to have a way out.”

Alice holds her gaze for a minute, before nodding. “Yeah. I think I can make that work.”

“Good. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

* * * * *

Getting let out of their cell seems to be easy enough. It’s not the brightest members of the Crownsguard that are employed to monitor the prisoners, especially ones that have supposedly been stripped of all their spell ingredients. So all it really requires is a quick invisibility spell and waiting until the guard notices they’re “missing.” It’s not long before the door to they open the cell so they can search, and quietly, the two of them slip through the door and further into the cells itself.

“This way,” Alice murmurs, keeping her voice low. “There’s a back door.”

Kady nods, keeping close on her heels. “So guess I was right to peg you as a troublemaker.”

Alice rolls her eyes. “I wasn’t. Not really. But I had plans that were bound to get me into trouble so this—friend. He told me all the ways out.”

Kady senses from the way she talks about him he was more than just a friend. But she seems uncomfortable talking about him, but Kady doesn’t push. Not her place. Instead, they just focus on winding their way through the back hallways until they reach a metal ladder built into the wall. Kady frowns.

“What the hell is this?”

“This is the backdoor to the library that they would theoretically use to funnel guards, if the Academy is under attack.”

Kady is also getting the sneaking suspicion that Alice might have gotten herself put in here on purpose. “I would also assume that they probably locked this door from the other side?”

“Probably. But I’m willing to bet you know a Knock spell?”

“That spell makes a lot of noise.”

“There’s also a Silence spell.”

“Knock doesn’t work without you saying the incantation. And it also counts as casting a spell, which means we lose our invisibility.”

“Maybe, but this is our only way out. Unless you want to sneak out through the front door where they have magic nullification at every other entrance.”

Kady huffs before climbing up the ladder to the trapdoor. “Fine. But you better be ready to haul ass.” Alice nods as she comes up behind her, and Kady takes a deep breath before dropping the invisibility and murmuring the incantation for Knock under her breath.

She raps her knuckles against the door and hears the lock on the other side slide open. She also hears the loud, echoing knock that definitely carries down back towards the guard station that they snuck past.

Swearing softly under her breath, she pushes the trap door up and open and tumbles out into a quiet annex of the library. She reaches down to pull Alice out after her, and as soon as they close the door, she casts invisibility on both of them again, gripping the other woman’s wrist to get her to stay calm and still.

The guards come by to investigate the sound, and they retreat quietly back into the stacks. Soon, with nothing to find on their own, they talk about going to gather magic users who might be better equipped to handle the situation, and Alice nods to Kady.

“Let’s go. What I’m looking for is close to here.”

Kady nods and follows Alice through the twists and turns of the library until they eventually come to a stop in front of an office door.

“It’s magically trapped,” Alice explains. “Do you think you could—”

She shakes her head. “I don’t think Knock is strong enough for this.” She reaches up and pulls a pair of bobby pins out of her hair. Running her fingers along the edge of the door frame, she delicately undoes the trap triggers she can find before sliding the pins into the lock. She works slowly, waiting to feel the give the way they had taught her, and sighs when she hears the final click.

“Okay. I think it’s open.”

“Check that again.” Alice moves closer. “Are you sure?”

Kady turns the doorknob and pushes it open gently, holding her breath and prepared to dive out of the way if necessary. When the doorframe doesn’t explode in a fireball, she gestures with her hands.

“See? We did it.” She smirks. “Sometimes magic isn’t everything.”

* * * * *

It takes about twenty minutes for them to find what Alice came for in the first place, and then another hour for them safely to wind their way out of the Academy and into the streets of Rexxentrum. Kady’s invisibility drops at a certain point, but by then, they were so far from the point of their arrest that it doesn’t matter. Another hour after that, and they stop for a meal at a tavern on their way out of Rexxentrum, where they intend to go their separate ways.

“Oh, wait!” Kady looks up from her beer, frowning. “What about your spell book?”

Alice shakes her head. “It was a duplicate. Only had the spells I needed for the job. My real one is safe and sound.”

“Smart,” Kady nods. “Then again, wizard.” She pauses as she takes another pull of her drink. “You said you went to the Academy, right? So why not sign up with the Assembly after?”

Alice shakes her head. “I didn’t actually graduate. Something happened and I couldn’t bring myself to stay.” The blond finishes her own ale and sighs. “I found something new, though. Something better.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Alice drums her fingers against the table. “I think we worked really well together. Maybe you should join, too. It’s called the Cobalt Soul?”

Kady’s eyebrows go up, and she nods. “I’ve heard of them. But I don’t think they’re for me. I’m not great at flying under the radar.” It goes against her bardic instincts. She’d much rather make a scene.

“That’s a shame. I think they could use more people who think outside the box.” Alice shrugs. “But if I need your help with something in your area of expertise…?”

Kady nods. “I’d be open to it. I don’t know where I’m going to end up yet, but you could always use a Sending.”

Alice nods. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She holds out a hand as she gets to her feet. “It was nice meeting you, Kady.”

Kady nods and shakes her hand. “You too, Alice.” Alice nods as she turns to go, heading back out into the city, when Kady realizes that there’s no reason this partnership can’t go both ways. “Wait. What’s your specialty?”

Alice raises an eyebrow, before dropping her voice. “Necromancy.”

Kady nods and gives her another wave, before turning her attention back to her food again, quietly hoping that she never needs Alice’s help with something like that.