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31_days2007-12-21 09:56 pm
seta-suzume.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2007-12-21 09:56 pm
[Dec. 21, 2007][Suikoden] Double Crossed
Title: Double Crossed
Day/Theme: Dec. 21, 2007 "Make war, not love"
Series: Suikoden
Character/Pairing: Sasarai and a spy, Ket, Olia
Rating: PG-13
The woman with the long, black ponytail smiled at him and he felt his insides turn to mush. He waved back, wiggling his fingers like a child.
Her mouth didn't change, but the way her eyelashes flickered, she looked like she was giggling. Those dark, fanned lashes beckoned him onward, to reach for her hand and learn if that tan skin was as soft and smooth as it looked. He was still young and naive, so he blushed, but did not move.
"Sasarai?" Ket asked, tipping his head to the side and regarding his younger colleague with an odd sort of curiosity. He knew the look on the boy's face. It was an emotion he had never seen before in Sasarai. ...But despite his personal interest in seeing what it meant, Ket knew there was no time for enjoying the rites of spring. As was often the case, they were in the middle of a small-scale war.
"Yes, Ket?" he responded promptly, obviously not too far gone into daydreams, "What is it?"
"You watch yourself," Ket lectured, pleased as always to use the little authority he had over the wide-eyed youth. There were only two Counsel members younger than Ket and one of them was his best friend, but he liked to boss people around, so he'd take what he got. "A girl like that is way out of your league- even in peacetime. You better keep your eye on the prize. We need all your attention focused on this war."
Sasarai nodded, "Um, yes, Ket." He said these things, but in all honesty he was undeterred. "What's your part in the war effort?" he asked the woman sweetly. He couldn't see how such a lovely and seemingly peaceful person could be involved in such cruel proceedings as these. Of course, if asked, she would have said the same upon seeing Sasarai.
"I'm an undercover agent," she revealed with another tantalizing smile.
"Into the Grasslands?" he assumed. Though she could have just as easy have worked in Dunan or Tinto, her coloration would prove useful in the Grasslands. Was she a Third Class Citizen earning her way to a better life with this service? Was she a turncoat Karayan? He couldn't bring himself to ask. She was kind and she was beautiful and he would not spoil that by wishing for anything else.
She ponytail waved when she nodded. "Yes. I'm going back tomorrow. I was only here to report back to Lady Olia."
When she left as she had told him she would, they reminded him, "Don't be distracted. Keep your thoughts on the war." So he did. Though he was prone to woolgathering at home, in the field he was alert and cautious. The bruises and bumps from practice blades had hurt far too much for his tastes to put himself unnecessarily at risk of experiencing the real thing.
"War isn't better than love," General Sakurazaki told him, "But war is usually easier." Sasarai wasn't the best judge of this sort of thing, but based on the general's age and number of children, he seemed like he would know.
"During war you can distract yourself from the other problems in your life," Ket had asserted strongly, but others disagreed.
"In the bloody crucible of the battlefield, the smallest weakness you've carried there in your heart can ruin you," Olia stated coldly, looking over the hills with her telescope. The grass shook in the chilling breeze.
Sasarai rubbed his hands together for warmth. "What are you looking for?"
"I have reason to suspect that my spy is double-crossing us," she frowned, causing her pretty face to age tellingly. She folded the telescope up and stuck it in her jacket pocket.
"You wouldn't do anything to her without proof, right?" the young bishop worried, thinking fondly of the dark-eyed woman.
The high priestess wrinkled her nose, perhaps from the cold or perhaps as a response to some passing thought she entertained for a moment before setting free. "I could, but I wouldn't. I don't waste resources, human or otherwise."
Despite some general misgivings regarding the whispered rumors that circulated about the high priestess' methods, Sasarai trusted her words. He didn't think such a prominent women would lie right to his face about it. Even if she had said otherwise, there was nothing he could do. That spy was her subordinate, and if her origins were humble enough, she might even belong to the Counsel member. He kept quiet and stayed focused.
"We've never had this problem with friendly fire before," Sakurazaki sighed over the map where the commanding clerics met.
Ket scowled. "It's because you're not reining in those mercenaries of yours well enough, Sakurazaki! They get bored and fire off a few shots just for fun!"
"Have any of our people been killed?" Sasarai inquired solemnly. He hoped otherwise, but hope was only worth so much.
"Two this morning," Sakurazaki answered, "But it wasn't because anyone was getting a little extra target practice or shooting at the grass. They were cutting across the lines- one toward us and the other away. An innocent messenger from the advance brigade and a two-timing traitor."
"A traitor," Olia echoed. "Who was this traitor?"
The general looked vaguely surprised the high priestess could not guess. "Your spy in the Grasslands- who else did you expect?"
Sasarai felt his stomach churn. His throat went tight as he swallowed.
"How did you know she turned on us?" Olia pressed him, appearing unhurt, but curious. "Was she carrying something that gave her away?"
Sakurazaki pulled a scroll from under his heavy cloak and laid it on the table. "She had this in her pouch." He unrolled the document, addressed clearly to the chief of the Karaya Clan, detailing the number, type, and deployment of the Harmonian troops in the area.
"I had a feeling," Olia said blankly. She took the scroll and tucked it into her sash. "We'll have to render useless any information they might have received. Ket, you should move your force further north. I'll wheel around south."
She turned to look at Sasarai, who sat sickly at the table. Holding his arms tight to keep back tears. "Sakurazaki, you'll bust through the center of the enemy when I give the single. ...And Sasarai- just go home."
Day/Theme: Dec. 21, 2007 "Make war, not love"
Series: Suikoden
Character/Pairing: Sasarai and a spy, Ket, Olia
Rating: PG-13
The woman with the long, black ponytail smiled at him and he felt his insides turn to mush. He waved back, wiggling his fingers like a child.
Her mouth didn't change, but the way her eyelashes flickered, she looked like she was giggling. Those dark, fanned lashes beckoned him onward, to reach for her hand and learn if that tan skin was as soft and smooth as it looked. He was still young and naive, so he blushed, but did not move.
"Sasarai?" Ket asked, tipping his head to the side and regarding his younger colleague with an odd sort of curiosity. He knew the look on the boy's face. It was an emotion he had never seen before in Sasarai. ...But despite his personal interest in seeing what it meant, Ket knew there was no time for enjoying the rites of spring. As was often the case, they were in the middle of a small-scale war.
"Yes, Ket?" he responded promptly, obviously not too far gone into daydreams, "What is it?"
"You watch yourself," Ket lectured, pleased as always to use the little authority he had over the wide-eyed youth. There were only two Counsel members younger than Ket and one of them was his best friend, but he liked to boss people around, so he'd take what he got. "A girl like that is way out of your league- even in peacetime. You better keep your eye on the prize. We need all your attention focused on this war."
Sasarai nodded, "Um, yes, Ket." He said these things, but in all honesty he was undeterred. "What's your part in the war effort?" he asked the woman sweetly. He couldn't see how such a lovely and seemingly peaceful person could be involved in such cruel proceedings as these. Of course, if asked, she would have said the same upon seeing Sasarai.
"I'm an undercover agent," she revealed with another tantalizing smile.
"Into the Grasslands?" he assumed. Though she could have just as easy have worked in Dunan or Tinto, her coloration would prove useful in the Grasslands. Was she a Third Class Citizen earning her way to a better life with this service? Was she a turncoat Karayan? He couldn't bring himself to ask. She was kind and she was beautiful and he would not spoil that by wishing for anything else.
She ponytail waved when she nodded. "Yes. I'm going back tomorrow. I was only here to report back to Lady Olia."
When she left as she had told him she would, they reminded him, "Don't be distracted. Keep your thoughts on the war." So he did. Though he was prone to woolgathering at home, in the field he was alert and cautious. The bruises and bumps from practice blades had hurt far too much for his tastes to put himself unnecessarily at risk of experiencing the real thing.
"War isn't better than love," General Sakurazaki told him, "But war is usually easier." Sasarai wasn't the best judge of this sort of thing, but based on the general's age and number of children, he seemed like he would know.
"During war you can distract yourself from the other problems in your life," Ket had asserted strongly, but others disagreed.
"In the bloody crucible of the battlefield, the smallest weakness you've carried there in your heart can ruin you," Olia stated coldly, looking over the hills with her telescope. The grass shook in the chilling breeze.
Sasarai rubbed his hands together for warmth. "What are you looking for?"
"I have reason to suspect that my spy is double-crossing us," she frowned, causing her pretty face to age tellingly. She folded the telescope up and stuck it in her jacket pocket.
"You wouldn't do anything to her without proof, right?" the young bishop worried, thinking fondly of the dark-eyed woman.
The high priestess wrinkled her nose, perhaps from the cold or perhaps as a response to some passing thought she entertained for a moment before setting free. "I could, but I wouldn't. I don't waste resources, human or otherwise."
Despite some general misgivings regarding the whispered rumors that circulated about the high priestess' methods, Sasarai trusted her words. He didn't think such a prominent women would lie right to his face about it. Even if she had said otherwise, there was nothing he could do. That spy was her subordinate, and if her origins were humble enough, she might even belong to the Counsel member. He kept quiet and stayed focused.
"We've never had this problem with friendly fire before," Sakurazaki sighed over the map where the commanding clerics met.
Ket scowled. "It's because you're not reining in those mercenaries of yours well enough, Sakurazaki! They get bored and fire off a few shots just for fun!"
"Have any of our people been killed?" Sasarai inquired solemnly. He hoped otherwise, but hope was only worth so much.
"Two this morning," Sakurazaki answered, "But it wasn't because anyone was getting a little extra target practice or shooting at the grass. They were cutting across the lines- one toward us and the other away. An innocent messenger from the advance brigade and a two-timing traitor."
"A traitor," Olia echoed. "Who was this traitor?"
The general looked vaguely surprised the high priestess could not guess. "Your spy in the Grasslands- who else did you expect?"
Sasarai felt his stomach churn. His throat went tight as he swallowed.
"How did you know she turned on us?" Olia pressed him, appearing unhurt, but curious. "Was she carrying something that gave her away?"
Sakurazaki pulled a scroll from under his heavy cloak and laid it on the table. "She had this in her pouch." He unrolled the document, addressed clearly to the chief of the Karaya Clan, detailing the number, type, and deployment of the Harmonian troops in the area.
"I had a feeling," Olia said blankly. She took the scroll and tucked it into her sash. "We'll have to render useless any information they might have received. Ket, you should move your force further north. I'll wheel around south."
She turned to look at Sasarai, who sat sickly at the table. Holding his arms tight to keep back tears. "Sakurazaki, you'll bust through the center of the enemy when I give the single. ...And Sasarai- just go home."