(Sorry it's a little short)
Twenty-eight. So he had joined the army when he was eighteen and the war between the countries had just broken out. Nym nodded at the information. So Rael had been essentially raised in war, that was interesting. Maybe she could use that to her advantage later on.
"What should I tell the bozos outside when they bring me dinner?" She asked calmly, eyes flicking to the door that had been open seconds earlier. They surely wouldn't let her keep the chair. Even they weren't dense enough to believe the truth that she had been allowed to keep it. Though, in their begruding defense, the truth was hard to believe.
Nym kept her eyes on the door for several long seconds, only looking away to focus on the interrigator and ask in the same calm voice, "No zip-ties tonight? All because I bullshitted my way through a few questions?"
(You're good! Sorry mine is too, I'll make longer ones though. :D)
He was about to walk away from the cell into the main office. One foot stepped away hesitating. Rael sighed as he turned around to face Nym. "Tell them whatever you want; they don't really listen to anyone." It is going to be near impossible for anyone to believe her here even just by saying that it's his orders. How stupid is this prison? They'll defiantly take the chair away putting it back in its previous place; at that point, he can just give it back. Not like he needs to use it every time he has to come over here anyways.
Rael looked off the side as he kept his hands behind his back. Zip-ties, right. Making her do stress positions again left his mind. He didn't have any right now, but the guards probably do. "Not sure, should I make them put them back on again?", he asked.
"If you want to be cursed out tomorrow morning go right ahead, but if you'd like to stay on my good side, no," She replied, crossing her arms as she watched him. Stress positions weren't something she wanted to deal with, but she could handle them. They would make getting sleep much more difficult though. And she was realizing as her energy levels dropped, she was in need of sleep.
"Have a fun night, worm, don't kill anyone," Nym called out after him as he left the cell, sarcasm dripping from her words. She may not hate him as much as she did before, but the guards didn't know that. And plus, it was fun to try to tick him off.
She settled onto her chair as she was left alone, a bit of a prideful smile left on her face. She had already succeeded in turning a guard to her side and arranging a way out of this damn prison in less than two days. That had to be a new record. All she had to do now was actually get out and get back to Outhila. Then she would be free to resign at the end of the war, spend a little time with her siblings, then start her travel.
Stay on her good side. Was he ever on there to begin with? He'll take his chances on that. Rael chuckled as he averted his gaze from Nym. Being cursed at is not something a soldier has to be scared of unless it's coming from their superiors. "It's up to you two.", he whispered while nudging the guard closest to him. Leaving decisions to those that don't have to make it is both terrible yet interesting. Let them have at it although doesn't seem like they will do it.
Rael rolled his eyes as he listen to her. "Likewise", he mumbled to himself as he ambled through the prison. He wrote absolutely nothing in this stupid notepad that they've given him. Did they really think this spy would tell him anything? Even after answering her questions, she will not say anything whether it's about the country's operations or not. Oh well, he'll just have to write something that they'll over look.
Something felt off to him and he wasn't sure why. Possible warning? A sign from the gods? It's this gut feeling he has that isn't going away. Or maybe it's the realization that he is now a pawn to the enemy. He always has to be in someone's hands if it's not his father or the government. Rael sighed as he kept walking. The hallways were silent, only the sounds of other prisoners getting tortured could be heard faintly in the background.
(What do you think of the idea of Rael's superiors being frustrated with the lack of information after a day or two and going in to 'show him what to do' a day before they're suppose to leave? Either setting them back or making their journey that much harder?)
Nym closed her eyes as the cell door shut, settling back on the chair and sighing. As much as she had refused to use the chair when Rael was around, she was quite thankful for it now. She stretched out over it casually, taking the time to get comfortable before she fully settled down. If she was only going to be able to sit down for a little while, she was going to use all of that time.
Being comfortable led her to silently start to process her thoughts more. The only downside of having calm, peaceful time alone. Her mind wandered easily, first bringing her through just how little she had to say today. Not only had she been able to get by with just talking about personal things, she hadn't even had to dive deep into the topics. Her siblings hadn't been brought up, neither had her past, or even her training back in Outhila.
Maybe she would be able to tolerate the next few days until she was able to leave. At least if it kept going this smoothly that was.
(I think that is a really great idea. Do you think it might be possible for it to be a little bit of both? If not, I am more leaning towards it making their journey more difficult.)
Instead of turning right to the main hallway, he decided to go left. All the cells in this part were empty due to the prison being transitioned for more potential POWs and conspirators. There is practically nothing else there besides him. Rael took a deep breath as he opened the notepad. Nothing from this session was worth writing for them to read. As much as he can get beaten for having a clear page, it has to be better off to have something scribbled down. Clicking the top of the pen, he began writing.
Those questions he's gotten three days ago were meant to help capture all these spies and enemy soldiers. Commander sergeant expects to have some sort of answers to all of these as soon as possible. They're all the same as Admiral Han, too impatient and restless. Ten years of war will not take a toll on them like it does to anyone else. On the other hand they will not wait another second to get what they want. Worst case scenario they wire-tap him, they bring someone else in to watch the interrogation, or they have the pride to switch him out with someone else. Taking him out does not seem likely, they'll defiantly find another way to get what they want.
Closing the notepad, he slid the pen through the cover. Rael backed up into the wall tightly gripping his black beret. "Mother, please help me wherever you are.", he uttered under his breath.
He headed back in the direction he was meant to go. Averting his eyes from anyone, Rael handed back the notepad in hope that he won't lose his head too quickly over this. Perhaps no one will notice anything right away. Maybe he can get Nym out of the prison and drive past out of the capital without a single alert being set out. All he can do right now is nothing but going forward. He's made a promise, now he has to maintain it.
(A little bit of both works for me, do you want to do a mini time skip to the next day right now?)
(Alrighty :) just to the next day does that work for you? (I’m at work atm I’ll get a response up as soon as it gets slow))
(Next day works perfectly for me. It's alright I can wait, no worries!)
(Thank you for understanding, plus I’m also really sorry it’s short :) )
Timeskip-the following day
Nym had been thankfully left alone the entire night. Yes, the guards had ruined her fun by taking the chair, but they had left her out of zip-ties, and the food actually didn’t look rotten. She had even gotten an hour of horrible sleep. Which was better than nothing.
The next day was just as bad though. With who knew how long until Rael was back, she was back to pacing and thinking. And her thoughts didn’t give her any free time. Worries about her family, plans to escape, her thin layer of trust with Rael, all of it flew through her mind at breakneck speeds. Gods above, that interrogator had to get here before she went insane or had a breakdown. At least then she would be able to focus on whatever they talked about instead of everything else.
(Of course! Also, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be busy this weekend, so my responses might be all over the place. :D )
Day three. So far he hasn't gotten any warnings or signs from anyone yet. None of his summaries have been read either despite being sent along with the notepad and its writings. Although, he feels as if the moment of them barging in will come soon. The only thing Rael gotten was a call at midnight saying the papers are going to take a bit longer than expected to be processed. Identification papers shouldn't be a major problem for them. He'll have to get them the day before they leave just as long as no one is breathing down on his neck.
Today has started off on a happy note unlike any other. Getting through the prison gate was dreadful; the men at the front had to inspect his car then pat him down. Right after making it in, he had to go through a similar process again. As Rael parked his car, he stepped out examining the other vehicles from a distance. They had the symbol from the Bajhe meaning that they're government or military officials. A prison bus stood to the right with its doors open. Perfect, the POWs must be coming in already. Everything is so wonderful.
The time on his watch read a quarter past, he's late. Rael buried whatever lethargic or annoyed feelings he has while making his way over to Nym's cell. Two different guards stood at the door. When seeing his face, one of them unlocked the cell for him. "Morning Miss Nym.", he deadpanned as he stepped inside," Did you sleep well?"
(No problem at all, thank you for letting me know :) )
Nym paced around her cell as she tried to guess how late Rael was going to be. Even without a clock or any sense of time, she could tell that he was late. Or at least it felt like he was late. Either way, she tried to guess how many minutes it would take him to arrive, though she heard his footsteps coming down the hallway a second later, followed by her cell door being opened.
"Horrible morning to you too, waste of space," She replied in a sickly sweet tone and matching sarcastic smile when he stepped in, "I slept about as well as could be expected in a freezing cell with the sounds of my fellow spies around be being tortured all night. And you?"
As quickly as her sarcastic smile appeared, it dropped a second later, revealing an emotionless look on her face. She paused her pacing and leaned against a wall as the look appeared, asking in a more bored tone, "Can I have my chair back? The idiots took it yesterday."
Interesting. She's never brought up the sounds of others before. The other interrogators must be having a field day with new orders. Must be very pleasant. "I only got three hours of sleep so I can't say much; thank you.", he sighed as he stood against the wall staring down at his watch. It wasn't the constant waking up or odd feeling that made him a bit sluggish than usual. Rael has to admit he still is pissed about being fifteen minutes late all due to the change of procedures; not to mention the delay in getting that passport and papers.
He rolled his eyes hearing her bring up the idiots who just stand around all day. It wasn't much of a surprise that they didn't zip-tie her. Nym probably had put up a fierce fight to make them not bare to think of getting close. "You should've just insulted them.", he suggested while bringing the chair over to her once again, "They're very fickle for their line of work."
What's the use of a fake grin anyways? Rael has already seen the desolation and loss in her eyes. Really is pointless to do so; all the government officials do that when they tell the men "good job". He flashed a smile himself before getting back to his usual spot. Waste of space, he'll have to add that to the list of nicknames. "There you go, Your Highness. Happy?"
"Happy is a far reach. Try, less likely to draw out your death if it comes to it," She replied, sitting down once more. Nym didn't know how to take the new nickname, but she figured embracing it would be better than cursing him out, so she just replied smoothly, "You forgot part of the title, worm. It's your Highness, Nym, best spy to have ever stepped foot on Bajhee soil."
Replying with slightly less snarky comments was the only thing she could do to keep herself awake. It took more brainpower to think of new insults, meaning she would be able to stay awake for longer on her measly amount of sleep.
She leaned back on the chair without hesitation now, glancing over at Rael. The bags under her eyes had to be noticeable by today, with the lack of sleep, but he hadn't commented on them. Maybe his lack of sleep was making him just as sluggish and tired as it was making her. "Well, let's start with the questions toothpick. What does good old interrogator Rael want to write down in his notebook today?"
"Oh you're too kind your Highness, Nym.", he remarked, "Being called worm and not dying today? I feel so lucky to be here right now."
Rael opened up the notebook flipping to a new page. All he wrote was the time and date; probably will be the most accurate, if not only, thing on the paper. His expectations for today were as low as his level of energy. Seems like Nym is also trying to save up as much energy as him. Pulling out mordant comments is the easiest thing anyone can do regardless if they've gotten one hour or eight hours of sleep or so it appears.
Now that he thinks of it, he is the only interrogator here that goes home in the early evening. Everyone else is having at it with their new fun prisoners all night. Sleep depravation will only make the POWs more broken on top of all the torture the madmen put them through. Doing so with Nym is just going to make things more difficult for the both of them.
What to write down today? He doesn't have a clue to begin with. The only option he has is the summary yet this session started five minutes ago. In the corner of his eyes, he could see the blank off-white paper. Rael rubbed the back of his neck giving a shrug. "Not sure.", he yawned, "Sunshine and rainbows; just for fun. Unless you want to pick up from where we left off yesterday."
She shrugged, taking her time responding as she stretched out her arms, "I couldn't care less if that's what you want to talk about. You already know I'm not saying anything that will help your country, so I'll just not respond to questions that would cause me to do that." Nym really didn't care what they talked about. He knew her rules, and even if questions like that were brought up, she would most likely ask a question that would hopefully piss Rael off in response.
The point of these sessions normally would be to get her to talk, to torture her, make her scream, and curse. Like all the other POWs around her did all day and night. But with the interrogator on her side, they had nothing to talk about. She didn't want to know much about him, he didn't need to know much about her, and they surely weren't going to give up sensitive information. Leaving them in the predicament of silence.
"I do have one question first. How much longer until I'm getting out of this place?"
Like they need help from her at this point. Now he assumes they're keeping her here for the hell of it. Everyone else is having fun with the other prisoners. Those enemy soldiers can crack easier than egg shells. Outhila can train some of the best spies in the world, yet they cannot have a perfect regiment.
Rael looked up meeting his gaze with hers then stared over at the wall. Shoot. He isn't much of a praying kind of man, yet thinking about helping her escape makes him clasp his hands while whispering the gods' names. Apparently right after the data was being processed, the government planned to make getting passports a living hell; real or fake. That means if there's no passport, no easy way through the border. They'd have to find a route where there isn't a check point or any border patrol. He'll have to pull more strings if they come barging in too.
"Idealistically, next Thursday.", he responded, "There is some trouble with the passport and papers, although I hope I'll get it by Tuesday or Wednesday."
Nym wrinkled her nose, counting off the days in her head and replying, "You expect me to sit in this tiny, cold, frankly disgusting cell for what? Four days? And that's your hopeful answer?" She shook her head, muttering a string of words under her breath, most of which couldn't be made out. The ones that could be heard though were clearly cursing him out.
"If you're going to make me wait that long to even have a chance at getting out of this box, you better at least try to get me more than one tiny meal a day." She glared at him, "Or at least get me something to drown out the noises from the other cells at night."
It was a strange situation, to have the prisoner be bossing the interrogator around, but she didn't care in the least. He wasn't exactly putting her in any situation where she was too scared to boss him around. Quite the opposite actually. Rael had agreed to help her and had even given her a chair for the cell. Plus she hadn't been tortured outright since the first day, and the sounds she heard all night didn't count as him specifically torturing her.
Rael crossed his arms; he rolled his eyes in disbelief. Is she really complaining about four more days? It's not like she is stuck in a foxhole and it's been minus fourteen for the last week. Plus, he hasn't called in the guards to do any torture for the last two sessions. And it only isn't because somehow Rael is convinced that he should help Nym as well as not to go through the list of approved torture methods.
"What? Do you want to go in three days then? Two?", he questioned, "Let me be frank, I could care less. Really I'm being 'hopeful' since the government has gods-forbid started to make everything complicated now."
He supposes he could put in an order for them to give her another meal. With rationing, and also giving her position, who knows if they'll let it pass. Given then chances that they have to run away or burn a lot of energy, might as well try. Rael doesn't know whether he can come in with food from home, if the guys at the entrances will allow it. Even with his position, he cannot get away with the most smallest of things.
Still, he is not in the mood to listen to her cursing this early. Rael covered his mouth as he yawned slipping out a curse of his own. Just ten more minutes at least.
"Should I bank on somewhere close to seven days?" She replied, raising an eyebrow, "Is that a better guess, grumpy ass?" Nym watched him with a bored, blank expression, eventually giving in and asking as well, "Next question, are we going to sit in silence this whole time? Or do you have any burning questions? Maybe you want to rant a little?"
Running on one hour of sleep, she wanted nothing more to do than punch something. If she could fight or even train in this cell, she would happily do so. But she doubted that was an option she was given in this place. And having previously tried before food other nights, it ended in the guards getting pissed. Though that also could be based on the fact that she had almost punched one of them when they had came in.
The other option she had was to talk about herself, and that was not something she wanted to do. Not in this building, not with guards outside of her door, not with an enemy interrogator that she didn't fully trust.
Seven days. Rael shook his head in response. "At this point, whenever you want to go, we'll go. Just let me know a day or two ahead.", he answered. No matter what other setbacks may happen, he's not going to drag this out for long. He was cautious a couple days ago, yet now, he could care less. Aside from the passport and papers, they have everything they need in order to get out here and through the border. The least of their worries is having a red laser dot on them both.
Gods, help him not let any anger resurface till this session ends. Going home and finding a punching bag will be a lot more useful compared to taking it out on a spy. All the other disgusting creatures of interrogators do the same to every prisoner that they get. Doing something of the sorts to Nym would be nothing but foolish. The weariness from the lack of sleep slowly disappeared from him, yet it's not enough for him. If only there was a way to know what got him through any of this.
"I am not sure if ranting in front of you will do anything.", Rael admitted, "Besides, what would I ramble about? What's the use of it? You could if you'd like."
"The use of it is that we'll be wasting time, you'll get whatever is in your head out, and I won't have to wrack my brain for answers," Nym stated easily, "You can't tell me that you have someone to rant to whenever you want that also isn't allowed to leave? It's either that or we're going to sit in silence."
She really didn't want to just sit in silence, and if that was the option Rael picked, then she would most likely attempt to train or at least workout. Whether he liked it or not. If he didn't, then he could think up some form of torture and do what every other interrogator did in the surrounding cells. At least then she could focus on the pain that brought instead of the silence.
Nym didn't know what else they would do in the time he had to be here than talk. She supposed talking over the plan of how they were getting her out, or when she would get all of her gear again. The question of how they were going to get to the border surfaced in her mind, but she didn't ask about it, just made sure her bored mask was up and thought on her own. It would be too dangerous to drive right through the country. If they knew a POW was missing, every car would be searched from top to bottom. Walking would take eons though, and it would be more dangerous anyway.
Silence was never a favorite of his; always foreshadowing to a potential disaster. Sooner or later his mind will make him anxious pretending as if he was on the field again waiting for something to happen. An attack, explosion, sniper, rifle loading…. A slight creak from outside might make him snap. Auditory illusions are part of the reason why Rael still feels more sluggish than usual. Throwing a lot of glances all around would make him look like a fool as well. Might as well talk about anything.
"I suppose you're right. Well if I rant, it is only fair for you to do the same eventually.", he pointed out, "Clearly you have been holding back a lot since we've met."
They could talk about escaping instead. Only made sense to do so that way a solid plan can be laid out. Rael already had thought out a route that can avoid any towns or places that have a lot of military presence. It is possible he can get different driver's plates or rent and trade cars every time they reach a specific point. Her belongings will have to be stashed somewhere in the car that isn't the trunk beforehand. Oh well, if rambling will make things go south, they can still discuss other things.
She waved a hand dismissively, not once uncrossing her arms, "Eventually. After I'm out of this cell and somewhere secluded where my thoughts won't get me killed. Right now, just rant. See how long you can do that before we have to switch topics."
The majority of the things she wanted to rant about were more than likely going to get her in trouble, and so she would keep her mouth shut. Plus if she did let anything out, it would also more than likely give Rael something to write down that would help this damn country. All of her thoughts besides her hatred for this cell at least.
Nym waited patiently for him to start, her thoughts slowly focusing back on the problem with getting her back to Outhila.
If she was correct with her guess that they hadn't brought her far from where she had been caught, they were about three weeks walk from the border of the countries. She wasn't sure how far that was with transportation, but if worst came to it, at least she could bank on the fact that she would only be stuck with Rael for a max of three weeks. But before that, they would have to talk about just how they were getting her out.
