"Hm?" Rael stopped messing around with the pen. Messing around with it has probably been the most childish thing he's done ever since joining the military. Sure is entertaining watching at how Nym began to get angry though. Only a couple of minutes without a word, a new record.
Not saying anything, he stepped away from the chair. He turned it around then held his index finger up to his lips making a shush. Sooner than later, Rael went back to clicking the best writing utensil again. "You'd be surprised at how much I do it in my free time.", he pressed with the pen,"Oh I'd love to know so much from you. Try me."
If only everyone else knew Morse code, he would've started doing this a long time ago. No verbal conversation, just pushing people closer to the edge with tapping or pressing the top of a pen. A win win situation for himself. Certain forms of ancient torture methods cannot match up to it. He'll have to be cautious with this, he has no idea what to annoy her with after this.
Rael sat down with a bleak expression. Heavens only know how hard it is for him to hide any sign of enjoyment.
Her nostrils flared in annoyance and she rolled her eyes, watching him just for something to do. Walking was going to get boring after a while, and she didn't want to wear out her only exercise if she was going to be in here for a while.
"Ask away, scrawny, I'll answer if I feel like it," She tapped back with her foot in the same rushed pattern, glaring with the challenge in her eyes. Yes, he was welcome to ask her anything, and no she wasn't going to answer it. Unless it was useless information. Maybe she would play dirty and make him do something like bring her food in exchange for an answer. That didn't seem like a bad idea. Especially since she hadn't eaten since the food last night.
Nym crossed her arms, fingers drumming on her upper arm as she watched him silently. It felt almost like a standoff to watch him silently and at the same time wait for an answer. She could still enjoy some peace of mind between questions it seemed.
Eyebrows raised once he processed what she tapped against the floor. The nickname, scrawny, began to gradually be more funny than bothersome. Rael nodded as he got up walking towards the wall. He turned around trying to mirror Nym as closely as possible; the only thing he kept different was the pen in his right hand. "Whatever you say, Sunshine.", he clicked.
Ask anything. Something simple, something that does not pertain to anything about her possible mission. Unrelated aimless ones would not lead to any progression. Basics. That's it. Plain bits of information about herself to get the conversation going; as long as this works. They did get off on the wrong foot, on the other hand, he did not expect things to go this way; nor does he have any expectations of what can happen next.
Uncrossing his arm, he placed his thumb on top clicking away again. "What made you want to become a spy?" Should be easy enough to respond to. Rael twirled the writing utensil around his fingers while in stand by. Maybe he needs to keep his expectations low then wait.
Nym didn't bother to mask her glare when he copied her pose, or her even nastier glare at the nickname. Sunshine? That was a nickname for a friend, or someone who didn't feel like murdering him whenever he came close. Not for an enemy spy.
She paused at his question, frowning ever so slightly. Gods, he was diving right into personal questions, wasn't he? At least she could say nothing she said would reveal anything about her current mission. If she had to sacrifice personal information for that she would. "I wanted to get the hell away from where I was for reasons I won't disclose, and becoming a spy seemed to be the best way to do that. I would be in a different country, almost as far away from where I was as I could be. Plus it seemed like the best way to help the war."
Her eyes flicked to her feet as she tapped away her information, unwanted and unneeded memories flooding into her head. She had left for several reasons, all of which were painful, and all of which she had buried away. And none of which he would be learning about anytime soon.
Out of all the insults and nicknames he could've come up with, it had to be sunshine. Right after, he did not think much about it. It was just the first thing that had come to mind; maybe it was that's what he said to her earlier. Of course, the nickname does have a sarcastic tone compared to the usual sweetheart one. Only did Rael realize any of this once Nym had given him a stronger glare.
Sure was harder to mimic it. The fire swirling in the pools of anyone's eyes is not easy, even if you feel the same way. Rael surely didn't, he was neither furious nor amused at the moment. He could only hold his scowl for a few seconds. The corners of his lips rose up without instruction only to be shaken away then draped over with a stone-like expression from before.
Now he had a different kind of frown on himself. From his perspective, there is not a single way to help with the war besides, well, ending it or have the enemy give up. Her response made him depressed in a sense; if only there was a way to assist in ending the conflict. Quietly exhaling, he gave a simple nod. "I guess it's safer than being a soldier in a way; I'll give you that. Could I ask, when you started?"
The swift change in her aspect brought up his curiosity. That was a look he has seen an incessant amount of times before. Yet, she did not look very unwell. Rael noticed the chair nudging it forward. "Are you okay?", he clicked,"You can sit down if you'd like."
"I joined five years ago," She replied simply in the same quick tapping, leaning her head back against the wall. What she said was true. No, she hadn't been working as a spy for all five years, but he hadn't asked that. One and a half long years had been just training, another half year for specialized training, and then almost three years working as a spy. And surprisingly, she was nearing the most number of years any spy lasted. "I'll stand, I'm perfectly fine. Any more questions?" She added as an afterthought.
She didn't want to know what would happen to her if she sat down. More than likely the guards would come barging in, zip-tie her to the chair and more torture would ensue. So standing was the best option.
Nym tried to shove away the memories that had awoken at his previous question as she waited, but it was like a dam had broken. Memories spilled out one after another; times from her childhood, fights, hard work, the occasional playtime, all leading up to the damn reasons she left. Instead of fighting them, she let them flow, using the time to push back on her scowl that had been replaced by a look of something between painful nostalgia and anger.
Ignoring the last part of what she said, he grabbed the top of the chair dragging it over. He set it down a couple of inches away from her while avoiding to make eye contact. Doesn't really matter to him if she doesn't sit down or throws it across the room. On the side note, Nym has the option to not sit on the floor or lean against the wall. "I beg to differ.", Rael pressed as he headed back to his previous spot.
Fine is just a way to describe the quality of an object or one's physical health at least that is his definitions of it. And even he can tell that she is not what she was before. To him, she appeared to be having a wrestle with her own thoughts. It does not seem like Sunshine has the thousand yard stare, her eyes are full of expression, although something could still be going on.
Rael stood straight against the wall crossing his arms. Not a lot of questions tying to the last one came up. He was too distracted and curious, very confusing to come up with an idea. Too distracted that he opened his mouth asking another question. "I'm not the only one making you mad right now. Is there something else you're thinking about?"
She shot him another scowl as he pulled the chair over and blatantly ignored it for the better part of a minute. Eventually though, if reluctantly, she sat. Nym stayed perched on the edge of the seat though, elbows resting on her knees, ready to spring to her feet at any sign of anything. At least it felt ten times better on her legs to be sitting.
"You may not be the only thing irritating me right now, but you're the biggest contributor." She glared at him, debating with herself about releasing any information about her past. "What specifically is bothering me though is none of your concern. I don't trust you not to blab all of my dirty little secrets to your interrogator buddies." Her past was something she didn't talk about unless she had to..or unless she was drunk enough to do so, and currently she was neither of those things. Plus her past was earned by trust. Something that she didn't have a lot of in Rael.
For all she knew he could still be working against her and helping her escape was just a way to work information out of her. Why would she share information that would make his job as an interrogator easier anyway? There wasn't a doubt in her mind that anything she shared would be used against her by anyone else besides him.
Rael laughed to himself at her statement. His interrogator buddies, yeah right. When hell freezes over, he'll actually talk to those buffoons about anything. She should be lucky that he was assigned to her and no one else. The others would just come in and only speak after using every single device that the government will allow them to use.
They would've sparked pain through their actions. Not managing to dig up whatever is in the back of her mind causing another kind of discomfort. He did plan to do that yet now, is it even worth continuing further? Pressing more questions will lead to more refusals which then will give him no other option but more torturing. Torture does not result in any answers let alone any hope. Perhaps, he does not need to be anxious over this. Rael does not have to worry over his trust in her as much as Nym having her trust in him. "True, you don't really have to tell me, but you must not let whatever it is conquer you. Nym, you're in a POW prison talking to the enemy who's now your only hope in escaping. Stand tall and be strong-willed like yesterday."
Getting away from the wall, he started to pace around the cell. Now he is not sure what to do next. Silence is not something that is not a thing that deescalates tension for him. As he strolled around, he would glance over at her every couple of seconds. "Alright then, to steer the conversation to another point, how about you ask me some questions?" This could make things a little easier for the both of them; hopefully. All he could do was walk around and wonder till she begins talking again.
"A moment of weakness doesn't mean I'm no longer strong." She glared at the floor, forcefully clearing her mind of any memories from the past. Nym looked up at him as he paced, snorting and rolling her eyes as she finally spoke, "Look at how the roles are reversed. Am I the interrogator now?"
Asking him anything about his life sounded much better than being asked her own questions, but where to start? She supposed it was just random what he started with, and so she decided the same way. At least then she would have time to build up her dam holding back memories again. That way no more situations like this would arise. "How long have you been stationed here? You worked in the army in the past, I can see it in your mannerisms. So why are you now here?"
She raised an eyebrow at him, crossing her arms. Her thighs no longer burned from the constant standing and walking, at least now that she was sitting. Still, she wouldn't let herself relax. She was vulnerable sitting down, and with her head clouded with memories like it was before, she had been no more than a sitting duck. Exactly what she didn't want to be.
He shrugged at her statement while changing his stepping to face her. Tugging his beret to the side, he lightly chuckled. "Appears so, Sunshine. Should I give you this hat and the pen too?"
"You're correct, I've been working in the army for ten years." Rael stopped in his tracks placing his feet together. The focus in his eyes started to disintegrate as he drifted into thought. Flashes of memories popped in and out briefly transporting him to the battlefield. A few minutes went by before he snapped back to reality. His head swiftly turned to meet her gaze; oh right, the second question. "Long story short, I made the mistake of making my men retreat too early which lead to a disaster and my superiors being beyond outraged at me.", he sighed, "And as punishment, I was stationed here five days ago, but officially almost two days ago."
She rolled her eyes and watched him, going to make a comment before she saw the new look on his face. It was similar to her own minutes earlier. Nym was silent, letting him go into his own mind and do whatever he did in there as she watched him. His gaze was unreadable to her, she couldn't even decide if the thoughts he was going to were good or not.
Nym snorted easily as he finally answered, taking a dig at him, "So as punishment for being an idiot, they put you in the position that most idiots take? Fitting I suppose."
It seemed like Bajee and Outhila were similar in one thing at least in their military. Mistakes were met with switched positions, knocked ranks, and sometimes just outright dismissal. It didn't depend on which side they were on, they had to be ruthless, that was the key to keeping people in line.
Being here does make him feel like a dead horse being beaten, thankfully no one thought of discharging him or sending him to court. War is hell but being removed from all you've ever known is death. This punishment is a light one aside from bringing on another kind of penalty. Rael laughed in an effort to mimic hers before giving a small shrug. "An idiot according to their standards. I didn't want the situation to end up being a more macabre scene than it already was."
Rael continued to walk around the cell still gripping his left wrist. "Anything else Sunshine?", he queried. His eyes stared forward soullessly wondering what the next inquiry will be. In the meantime, he thought about the moments before him being temporarily moved here. Losing two hundred men is better than losing up to half of a whole battalion, right? Keep them there, they'll all die, but tell them to retreat, and he had to the face the admiral. All the men he'd fought with that day are still out there, but here he is stuck in a prison being turned into a traitor. All he hopes for is that something good comes out of this; there has to be.
“Do you have any family? Anyone that’ll hate you forever that I should know about?” She questioned, arms staying resolutely crossed while she watched him, “How many people have you killed?”
Her questions were ones that came up on the spot, ones she knew would either bring up bad memories or be answered without hesitation. Nothing really important came up, but she didn’t want to give up her position of asking questions. So whatever she asked she would. Even things that would cause her to have flashbacks if she tried to answer the same things.
She felt weird being the one ‘interrogating’ him. Sitting down while he stood, asking questions that he answered, generally feeling in control. It felt weird. She had never been one to take the role of interrogator before. Even in training, it had been the most frustrating part.
Perfect, right into the best topic possible. Hearing the words 'family' and 'hate' made him roll his eyes. "Yes, I'm luckily cursed to be with a large one. I don't get along with my father and my two older half-brothers. The three of them are either in the military or the government." He did think about asking her about family, but it seemed like that would not happen anytime soon. Not without a fight at least. If Nym was just going to put a fight about it, might as well just let her do it when she's okay with it. Rael did not want to think much about them; the less the better.
To be able to have an exact estimate of how many people he's killed in the last decade would be surprising. It's hard for him to say too, figuring out the number he's actually killed in combat or the deaths that happened in the battles he's lead. "Sixteen, most likely." Rael crossed his arms with his bottom lip out as he pondered. Sixteen? Made sense to him so he nodded. His number is way lower than others, thank the gods. Never has he killed any POWs though, a lot of people in charge of watching them always end up doing that.
She nodded slowly in response, both surprised and understanding of his brief response about his family. Nym had almost expected him to say nothing, but he had replied, which was nice itself. She could understand why his answer was brief though too. If she had been asked and hadn't shut the question down, she wouldn't have gone into any further detail than possible. Though it also would be because she hadn't seen her siblings in the three years she had been gone.
"Sixteen, that's less than I expected," She replied, raising an eyebrow, "In what was it, ten years? You've only killed sixteen people?" A faint look of something near her being impressed appeared and vanished in a second.
Thinking of nothing more to ask, she became silent, wracking her brain for anything she could want to know about him. That wouldn't make him suspicious of her at least. Even though they were partners, she had to make sure he would trust her and would actually help her instead of just saying he would. And yet, for all the thoughts she had, no more questions came up.
"What'd you expect then? Five hundred?", Rael wondered,"My mother didn't raise me to be a madman." Sixteen sounded about right. Yes his memory is as foggy as ever, but he could swear that the number was correct if not near so. Half of the time he's served was spent making orders and strategies for regiments to follow. And it is difficult to count how many he did kill with explosives.
In the corner of his eye, he managed to see the short-lived look of fascination on Nym. By the time he tried to get another glimpse, it faded away. How unpredictable and interesting. Rael just shook his head again as he made his way to the wall. Walking in circles for a bit was fine, yet it did not do much for him. Most of the time he was stuck in his own thoughts or giving answers. No matter what he have a blank stare. He leaned against the wall having his arms crossed. "Nym, got anymore questions?"
"I like the sound of your mother, at least we agree on something." The words were calm, and with a shake of her head, she added, "Not at the moment, twig. Your turn to ask again, I suppose. Until I think of something else."
Nym glanced up at him, taking a brief moment to study him closer than she had when he had originally stepped into her cell. He didn't look as stuck up now, but he was still several inches taller than she was and wore the same blank face that she couldn't quite decipher. Rael in general was someone she figured she wouldn't figure out completely.
She slowly averted her eyes as she finished studying him, picking at her nails just to have something to do while she waited. It was a habit she had since a child, and it was the only one she couldn't quite break. Though she had trained herself only to do it when she was bored and not quite as constantly as she used to. That much was good at least. Now it just acted as something to keep her hands busy instead of something to try to calm down her worries.
Bringing up his mother only made him a bit bashful. Rael was not able to hide the small smile that had broken the vague look on his face. Clearing his throat, he shook his head forcing the grin to disappear. He wasn't sure why that had happened, it sort of makes him feel embarrassed to a certain point. Never in his career has he done that before.
Nothing in his mind had formulated a question good enough to ask. All the other ideas were from moments before; and he is trying to avoid bringing up anything bad. He tried to think of something simple yet carries some meaning for the two of them. "Do you have any dreams you want to accomplish when the war ends?", Rael asked before hesitantly adding,"Or what do you plan to do next when you get back home?" The last question came up at the last second making him a little bit cautious. Looking on to the future is not that bad, but he wanted to avoid bringing up the escape; he wasn't so sure of it.
Nym's eyes flicked up as he cleared his throat, and she was able to catch the very end of his grin, though the action surprised her. Were her words that funny? Or was just the mention of his mother enough to make him smile? She hoped it was the second, but as she thought of the way to ask her question, he asked his own.
She paused in her thinking as she tried to come up with an answer for him, giving a halfhearted shrug to start, "I suppose I'll travel if I survive this war and live to the end of it. I've never been to any of the other countries on the continent besides these two. When I get home though…I suppose I'll just relax. Maybe visit my few family members." Her plan to travel was something she had been thinking about for months. But it all focused on her first living to see the end of the war, and the war ending before she was nintey.
"And you? What are your plans when the war ends?" She watched him while asking the return question, "Or any plans when you get back from helping me?'
Almost a full decade of fighting will eventually take a toll on the two countries. Might not seem like there is a downhill happening but Rael thinks that it will happen eventually. Either one country collapses and surrenders or they both do and come to a resolution. Knowing how Bajhe and its government hate giving in, any form of settlement will have to metaphorically chain them from breaking out another war in two to four decades from now.
Just because they all are in a catastrophic mess, doesn't mean they can still have hope for a better future. "You most likely will, you know what to do.", he assured before suggesting,"I recommend going to Etrea, it's very beautiful and tranquil there this time of year."
Ever since this conflict started all he wanted was to have something different once it ended; continue to work in the military for the rest of his life and have a family. Then he was really hopeful about the future, now all Rael is wondering is if someone is going to lodge a bullet in his skull. "Disappear. Ideally, I want to seek asylum elsewhere and perhaps, create a new life for myself. I don't think I can come back here without getting the death penalty." Now the idea for him is up floating in the air. He'll be surprised if he can make it back and live to see the end of the war.
"I'll keep Etrea in mind," She replied, making a mental note to learn more about the country before she traveled there. Nym had only ever learned the basics of the countries that bordered them and that took over the rest of the continent. From the sheer size of the landmass though, she knew that most of the countries were quite large. Outhila was one of the smaller ones, but they had a position against the ocean, where as Bajhe was large but only had one node of land sticking out and connecting with the ocean.
That position against the ocean was one of the focuses of the war, but it was far from the only one, and Nym got very confused when the rest of the reasons were brought up. It was also one of the most reaccuring reasons the two countries went to war. They didn't make sense to her, and so she didn't get involved. All she did was collect the information and relay it off.
"That's not really a dream, Rael. That's more of a goal. Choose again," She replied with a roll of her eyes, looking up at him once more and watching carefully, "I kept my pessimism to a minimum, you can too."
Rael tilted his head with confusion. Was what he said not really considered a dream? Using his index and middle fingers, he rubbed the area next to his eye. He was not sure what else he could say. Hell, he felt a bit hesitant going with what he thought of originally. Saying it out loud would make him seem stupid most likely. Skipping the question would just result with another eye roll.
Still, not one single punch has been thrown in this cell yet. Also, Nym is still talking to him; for that, he thanks the gods. They only had so much time left before the guards would be knocking on the door signaling it's time to leave. It felt like all the seconds melted away faster than last time. Rael would not consider this wasting time.
"In that case, I guess mine is to wake up one day being surrounded with my own family. You know little children, a spouse, in-laws, maybe a pet if no one's allergic.", he shrugged,"Would you consider that to be a dream or do I have to make up one now?"
"That's more dream-worthy," She replied, holding back any comments she had about it, "At least with that dream you sound slightly less alright with death as an option." Rael didn't really seem like the type of guy to start a family, but Nym wasn't surprised that he would want to. Many people wanted to, but to her, a family was far from something she wanted. They took time, and with a family, she couldn't travel as she wanted. Plus, it seemed like a horrible idea to raise a child in a place that had such a rocky history where war could ensue at any moment.
Nym glanced around the cell as she finished talking, her foot starting to absentmindedly bounce as she sat in the chair. The chair wasn't super comfortable, but it still gave her legs a break, and that was all she needed. All she hoped was that she would be allowed to keep the chair to sit in when the interrogator left. Though that mostly wasn't going to be the case. With her track record, she would probably end up being tortured again.
She blinked as she studied the cell, asking without looking over at Rael, "How old are you? Seeing as you know my age, It only makes sense that I know yours."
Look at him, being told what was more acceptable as a dream by someone anyone would least expect. He stared off to the side while picking up the notepad as he tried to hide his chuckle. Not that it was a major deal or anything. At least he did not say anything that could have been more personal.
"Fair enough, I turned twenty-eight on July twenty-third. I'm three years older than you." To Rael, he could care less about telling people his age. Everyone would more likely care more about his name and title. The superiors would have gotten offended right away if they were asked about theirs. On the other hand, he even knew her exact height and weight; it only makes sense to tell her his basic information.
A faint knock came from the door. Rolling his eyes, he opened it slightly giving the guard a death glare. "One moment.", he mouthed before shutting the door in the other's face. Time's up for the day. Gratefully nothing bad had come out of it, although now he is in the mood to punch the guard for just being stupid.
Getting another glimpse over at Nym still sitting in the chair, Rael gave a simple nod. "Keep it, if anyone enters here without a reason, tell me in the morning."
