Setzer (gabbiani) wrote in imperially, @ 2008-11-18 01:20:00 |
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"And you'll keep it like this after you've returned," Leo had said as he stood beside Setzer, the captain working with the tiny tools that the engineer from before had used to take it off, but with much greater precision. He knew each and every inch of the device perfectly, although what the former general had asked him to do was beyond anything he'd tried before. Leo had set it was one of the terms to a deal that if they were going to return with Terra, that they wouldn't take everything away from her again. As a group, they hadn't agreed on that-- it wasn't until later that night, when it was just the two of them, that Setzer said he would try for a way around it.
He didn't like this plan-- not one bit. If discovered, there was a very short list of candidates who could of done something like this, and narrowing him down to the culprit would happen sooner than later. But Leo wasn't going to let her go until they'd done this, and not that he was one to let himself be intimidated by another, but he perhaps respected him a little. For being so sure of his resolve while he was on the losing end of a battle, it was easy to see what qualities had made the man the most liked general beneath Gestahl. His character was one worthy of admiration.
"Is that a question," Setzer replied as he focused on the magnified mechanism in front of him, "Or an order?" He flashed a grin towards the older man, who's own expression barely flickered. "Would your answer differ?" Leo said, and Setzer didn't say anything at first to that. Instead, he returned to what he was doing, sealing the thin casing back up without disturbing the component inside that he'd disconnected. "Probably," he finally said, "If it were a question, I would say no, were I being honest." And there, he clicked it into place, "But if it's an order, oh... I wouldn't want you to send your 'men' after me, what ever would I do." Once again, the other man's face remained fairly stoic in reply to the sarcasm, also willing to push aside how he'd harmed two from his camp earlier-- it was clear he thought little of other people, Leo had gained. He didn't say anything.
"That should do it," Setzer announced once he'd finished, holding it up to see if he noticed any flaws on it, but it didn't look as though it had been tampered with at all. Leo nodded his head, though he would want to see it on the girl first as proof. Though it was cause for Setzer to smile, and turn to look at him again with his good eye. "Really, you're just going to take our word here?"
"I can't do much else, can I?"
"Well, you could not let us take her, for one."
"It sounds as though you don't want me to."
And there, Setzer paused, his smile fading. It wasn't spoken as a joke, nor accusing, simply statement of a fact. He stood up at that, looking him in the eye with his humor gone, but still Leo remained unmoved, was that glance a challenge. In that moment it was obvious that he was still an imperial agent, not conversing with him in such a way because he had warmed up to the man. "We're leaving at sunrise," he said, though it was no answer to Leo's statement.
It had been only a few days since their return to the capital, and in those Locke didn't seem to show any sign of wanting to return to what had transpired at the camp. For a few days, he just stayed put in Edgar's quarters, either napping when the man was out or keeping busy with some of the books he kept in his room, eating when he returned with food, and sharing his bed at night. Because he slept when he was out, he usually remained awake for a few hours while the other slept. Now more than ever, Terra seemed impossibly far away for him. If he hadn't even been able to help her when they were out of the palace, how was he supposed to be able to do anything from within? And now both Edgar and Setzer knew as well.
In comparison, the man he had not expected to actually come to feel something for was right here in front of him, giving to him more than he would of ever expected possible for someone who worked for the Empire. It wasn't the same as what he felt for Terra, and he was sure the same went for Edgar regarding him, but it was something that had become strangely important to him. As he studied his sleeping face, he wondered what he would of been like as a king without such dire obligation, and if his own situation hadn't been what it was; but then, he thought, he never would of been of the right class any way to meet someone like him. It didn't seem like any reality would of allowed them to fit together right, so he could only take the present as it came with him.
Irregardless, his promise to Terra was his ultimate purpose, whether a hopeless cause or not. He had to try to see her again, if just so she knew everything that happened wasn't going to set him back. So once things had calmed down decently enough, he snuck out once more, and made his way to her room. This time, however, he found the hallway unguarded-- he had planned to quickly move across the hallway and enter before anyone would even notice him, but he had been noticed long before that. Suddenly, he felt himself pulled backwards, and then shoved against the stone wall that was behind the wide pillars whose shadow he had remained in. Fight, his brain immediately screamed at him, he couldn't of gotten himself caught. His entire position had tensed, the palms of his hands beginning to glow. After his time passing over the battlefield in Maranda, he'd been able to store some lingering energy from the Magitek, enough to take out more than a few guys. It was where his strength was; able to even take in just a little and he was able to amplify it back tenfold.
"I was wondering when you were going to show your face again," Setzer said, and immediately the glow in his palms dimmed and disappeared, hardly there long enough for the other man to even notice. Still, his position was tense. "Well well, what should I do with you? Turn you in, or just take care of you myself?" For a moment, Locke wondered if that meant he knew, knew who he was, or if it was just because he had been trying to see Terra again. He glared up at him unafraid though, knowing he was looking at the one who had brought her even more pain as far as he was concerned. He wouldn't let him take him, he would fight him here if it was going to be like that...
"It seems," Setzer continued, "she's taken a liking to you. Although I can't imagine why. A common soldier," -- a small relief there, no, he hadn't placed his identity entirely-- "With no common sense. So, what a very lucky man you are today that I found you and not someone else." Unwilling to drop his guard, Locke still remained quiet, though confused by what he meant by that. How did he knew what she felt? And what was he implying? "Let's be going then, we'll have until sun down before they come to check on her." That was finally enough that he had to speak up to the man, who he remained almost entirely silent towards on their whole journey to and from the rebel camp.
"What are you talking about," Locke asked, "Why--"
Why? 'Why' was a very good question, it wasn't anything Setzer had to do. Edgar had made it clear this was one of his men, that it wasn't his place to bring harm to him-- and being that he was probably the closest thing he had to friend, was one of the few if not only that he would actually listen to when setting a rule-- but he didn't have to allow this. "Do you want to see her, or not?" Setzer said with his back to Locke, who didn't know what to say at first, before realizing the 'why' didn't matter so much as long as he would get to see her again. "Yes," he replied.
And then, Setzer led them to her door, unlocking it with the key he'd been given to fetch her in case of a mission she was needed. He hadn't seen her prior to this-- it had been two days since he had, and the altering he'd done to the crown had worked perfectly, no one yet able to notice that it wasn't actually enabled. Then, she would of been expecting it just as much as Locke had, when he opened the door to her room with the younger man in tow.
Locke hadn't known if he was going to wind up walking into a trap, if he would walk in on a group of soldiers rather than what he actually did, simply Terra by herself. A light surprise claimed his features, though he did not say anything immediately, thinking the crown was still in effect. His surprise was from that he had actually been led to her, and then, when he felt a hand on his back pushing him forward. He took a few startled steps forward from the guidance he'd been given, and then turned back, not comprehending what was going on here, why this man he had more or less chalked up to be heartless was giving this moment to him. But when he looked back, Setzer had already diverted his attention to locking the door behind him.