11-27-2020, 09:29 PM
Jointly written with [nation]Lauchenoiria[/nation]
November 27th
The cell in the Cauhloc was not, as one might have expected, some creepy dungeon. ASI was far too modern for that. Instead, the cell was almost hospital-like in its appearance: bland gray walls and floors, textured to be easily cleaned. A small cot, a basic bathroom facility, and a light in the ceiling that could not be shut off from inside. Xochiuhue, the former Emperor of Xiomera, did not like the room. He had spent his time there pacing, raging, and plotting revenge.
The lead Xiomeran interrogator had smugly informed him that he would be going on trial soon. Xochiuhue was finding his options for physical revenge growing very limited. But he could still blow up Calhualyana’s world, with the revenge of revealing everything he knew. Knowledge that, if the world heard it, would destroy her.
The former Emperor was amusing himself with these thoughts when the door opened.
"Good evening, Xochiuhue," smirked Mariya Adema. "Empress Calhualyana asked me to pay you a visit. We have some things to... discuss."
Xochiuhue raised an eyebrow. “What could I possibly discuss with a mere servant of that witch? Go away.”
"You will regret addressing me in that manner," Mariya said, her face shifting into a stone cold expression as she examined the former Emperor. "I am no mere servant, and I am here to make sure your final days are as miserable as possible, male."
Her last remark referencing his gender had been automatic, a slip of the tongue from someone used to working in Kerlile. But she figured it couldn't hurt; let him know she is a Kerlian. Kerlile did have a certain reputation.
“Even Calhualyana was my servant. Don’t expect me to be impressed with you, whoever you are,” Xochiuhue replied tartly. “I am of an Imperial lineage, and once ruled this country. You’re the sort of person who dances to the beat people like me play, nothing more. Especially since you’re just a foreigner here.”
"You're not the first former ruler of this country I have worked on," Mariya snorted. "Yauhmi fears me, and by the time we're finished, you will fear me too. But you're correct. I am not nearly as much of a threat to you as Empress Calhualyana. You are about to discover the meaning of pain, and of fear. Things to which nobody is immune in the end."
“I do not fear anything. I am an Emperor, do you get that, girl?” Xochiuhue laughed, his laughter tinged with slight madness. “As for pain, I have caused enough of it in my life to be intimately familiar with it. I doubt there is anything more you can teach me on the subject.”
"You were an Emperor," Mariya corrected. "Now you're a prisoner. And only fools think they have no weaknesses."
“The greater fool is the one who follows a betrayer with no loyalty to anything but themselves,” Xochiuhue retorted. “You’re the bigger fool than I am, child. Continue to follow Calhualyana if you wish - she will betray you, too, in the end. Or, you could release me, and be rewarded once I regain the throne. You’re either naive or gullible if you trust Calhualyana.”
Mariya snorted with laughter. "Even if I wanted to release you, you would kill me immediately. You have a reputation for killing. And not much else, it seems. Xochiuhue, the mad deposed Emperor who can do nothing but murder, murder, murder..."
Xochiuhue snarled. “It is fortunate for you, then, that I am in these chains.”
"I can watch my own back, Xochiuhue, but thank you for your concern. I trust nobody," Mariya smirked again, then knocked the cell door in a distinct pattern and called through the door: "Bring me the bucket and the... hmm... whip? No, the pointy stick. Oh, and the blindfold. And maybe a snack, this is going to be hard work."
“It’s going to be harder than you think. You boast about how you ‘worked on’ Yauhmi prior to me - but you didn’t break her, did you?” Xochiuhue laughed. “No, Yauhmi is off in Chuaztlapoc now, laughing at you. And she was a feeble old woman compared to me. I am of a long and proud Imperial line. I do not intend to make this easy for you. So if you couldn’t even break one old woman with one foot in the grave....good luck with me.”
Mariya suddenly drew a knife and leapt forward, pressing it to Xochiuhue's throat in a rage. "I was instructed to make Yauhmi's torture slow and painful, she escaped before I'd got to the good bits. You will not escape."
“I’m sure you told Yauhmi the same thing. It would be rather amusing if you had two former rulers escape on you,” Xochiuhue said, seemingly undisturbed by the knife at his throat. “At any rate, it’s not like I’m going anywhere right this second, so I’ll play along. Is there a point to this exercise, or are you just amusing yourself? You said the witch wanted to discuss something.”
"If she was a witch I'm sure she'd have turned you into something ugly by now. A toad, or a male spider," Mariya mused, but put away her knife and stepped back towards the door. "Hurry up with that bucket!"
"Now, where were we? Ah yes, I'm here to tell you that you are going to take responsibility for everything bad that happened during your reign at your trial and you will not mention Calhualyana's role in any of these things. I am also here to demonstrate what will happen to you in your final days if you do not do this."
Xochiuhue looked at Mariya with disdain. “Telling the world what Calhualyana did is the only revenge I have left. You may as well kill me if you think I’ll give that chance up.”
"Death will come as a mercy when it finally comes to you," Mariya said casually, as her assistants arrived with the requested equipment. She took the stick and checked its point was sufficiently sharp, and that the bucket of water was sufficiently freezing. Then she turned back to Xochiuhue. "Now we begin for real."
Xochiuhue looked at the bucket of water. His eyes widened.
His mind snapped back decades into the past. He was instantly transported to when he was four years old. Lake Ehehuani, just outside the capital. The water rushing over his head, as he tried futilely to move his arms and legs. One of his bodyguards finally pulling him out of the water. Floundering and gasping for breath on the beach, as his father Xolōtl shouted at the bodyguards and promised dire retribution for nearly letting the son of an Emperor drown. Ever since that day, Xochiuhue had feared and avoided the water.
Xochiuhue was immediately carried back to that moment on the shoreline by the sight of the bucket full of cold water. He knew, now, what Mariya had planned.
And he was scared.
November 27th
The cell in the Cauhloc was not, as one might have expected, some creepy dungeon. ASI was far too modern for that. Instead, the cell was almost hospital-like in its appearance: bland gray walls and floors, textured to be easily cleaned. A small cot, a basic bathroom facility, and a light in the ceiling that could not be shut off from inside. Xochiuhue, the former Emperor of Xiomera, did not like the room. He had spent his time there pacing, raging, and plotting revenge.
The lead Xiomeran interrogator had smugly informed him that he would be going on trial soon. Xochiuhue was finding his options for physical revenge growing very limited. But he could still blow up Calhualyana’s world, with the revenge of revealing everything he knew. Knowledge that, if the world heard it, would destroy her.
The former Emperor was amusing himself with these thoughts when the door opened.
"Good evening, Xochiuhue," smirked Mariya Adema. "Empress Calhualyana asked me to pay you a visit. We have some things to... discuss."
Xochiuhue raised an eyebrow. “What could I possibly discuss with a mere servant of that witch? Go away.”
"You will regret addressing me in that manner," Mariya said, her face shifting into a stone cold expression as she examined the former Emperor. "I am no mere servant, and I am here to make sure your final days are as miserable as possible, male."
Her last remark referencing his gender had been automatic, a slip of the tongue from someone used to working in Kerlile. But she figured it couldn't hurt; let him know she is a Kerlian. Kerlile did have a certain reputation.
“Even Calhualyana was my servant. Don’t expect me to be impressed with you, whoever you are,” Xochiuhue replied tartly. “I am of an Imperial lineage, and once ruled this country. You’re the sort of person who dances to the beat people like me play, nothing more. Especially since you’re just a foreigner here.”
"You're not the first former ruler of this country I have worked on," Mariya snorted. "Yauhmi fears me, and by the time we're finished, you will fear me too. But you're correct. I am not nearly as much of a threat to you as Empress Calhualyana. You are about to discover the meaning of pain, and of fear. Things to which nobody is immune in the end."
“I do not fear anything. I am an Emperor, do you get that, girl?” Xochiuhue laughed, his laughter tinged with slight madness. “As for pain, I have caused enough of it in my life to be intimately familiar with it. I doubt there is anything more you can teach me on the subject.”
"You were an Emperor," Mariya corrected. "Now you're a prisoner. And only fools think they have no weaknesses."
“The greater fool is the one who follows a betrayer with no loyalty to anything but themselves,” Xochiuhue retorted. “You’re the bigger fool than I am, child. Continue to follow Calhualyana if you wish - she will betray you, too, in the end. Or, you could release me, and be rewarded once I regain the throne. You’re either naive or gullible if you trust Calhualyana.”
Mariya snorted with laughter. "Even if I wanted to release you, you would kill me immediately. You have a reputation for killing. And not much else, it seems. Xochiuhue, the mad deposed Emperor who can do nothing but murder, murder, murder..."
Xochiuhue snarled. “It is fortunate for you, then, that I am in these chains.”
"I can watch my own back, Xochiuhue, but thank you for your concern. I trust nobody," Mariya smirked again, then knocked the cell door in a distinct pattern and called through the door: "Bring me the bucket and the... hmm... whip? No, the pointy stick. Oh, and the blindfold. And maybe a snack, this is going to be hard work."
“It’s going to be harder than you think. You boast about how you ‘worked on’ Yauhmi prior to me - but you didn’t break her, did you?” Xochiuhue laughed. “No, Yauhmi is off in Chuaztlapoc now, laughing at you. And she was a feeble old woman compared to me. I am of a long and proud Imperial line. I do not intend to make this easy for you. So if you couldn’t even break one old woman with one foot in the grave....good luck with me.”
Mariya suddenly drew a knife and leapt forward, pressing it to Xochiuhue's throat in a rage. "I was instructed to make Yauhmi's torture slow and painful, she escaped before I'd got to the good bits. You will not escape."
“I’m sure you told Yauhmi the same thing. It would be rather amusing if you had two former rulers escape on you,” Xochiuhue said, seemingly undisturbed by the knife at his throat. “At any rate, it’s not like I’m going anywhere right this second, so I’ll play along. Is there a point to this exercise, or are you just amusing yourself? You said the witch wanted to discuss something.”
"If she was a witch I'm sure she'd have turned you into something ugly by now. A toad, or a male spider," Mariya mused, but put away her knife and stepped back towards the door. "Hurry up with that bucket!"
"Now, where were we? Ah yes, I'm here to tell you that you are going to take responsibility for everything bad that happened during your reign at your trial and you will not mention Calhualyana's role in any of these things. I am also here to demonstrate what will happen to you in your final days if you do not do this."
Xochiuhue looked at Mariya with disdain. “Telling the world what Calhualyana did is the only revenge I have left. You may as well kill me if you think I’ll give that chance up.”
"Death will come as a mercy when it finally comes to you," Mariya said casually, as her assistants arrived with the requested equipment. She took the stick and checked its point was sufficiently sharp, and that the bucket of water was sufficiently freezing. Then she turned back to Xochiuhue. "Now we begin for real."
Xochiuhue looked at the bucket of water. His eyes widened.
His mind snapped back decades into the past. He was instantly transported to when he was four years old. Lake Ehehuani, just outside the capital. The water rushing over his head, as he tried futilely to move his arms and legs. One of his bodyguards finally pulling him out of the water. Floundering and gasping for breath on the beach, as his father Xolōtl shouted at the bodyguards and promised dire retribution for nearly letting the son of an Emperor drown. Ever since that day, Xochiuhue had feared and avoided the water.
Xochiuhue was immediately carried back to that moment on the shoreline by the sight of the bucket full of cold water. He knew, now, what Mariya had planned.
And he was scared.
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