Billy and Goodnight | Yorkland Day 2
Nov. 28th, 2018 09:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ax_mainBilly tells Goodnight about Pam's offer, and makes one of his own.
It wasn't too strange to wake and find Billy already gone. He had his duties, mostly self-assigned, and he was restless as ambition itself. Goody rose in the morning, splashed water onto his face, and started applying the necessary soap to shave what there was of the goatee he was aiming for into submission. The cold of his room, now the fire was just ashes, pricked at his skin and gave him goosebumps, but he didn't bother with the shirt just yet. This was his meditation, his morning mindfulness that set up him for the rest of the day. The rest of the day being in a world of silk and comfort that never felt quite right under his backside--especially lately.
The window opened with a faint creak - Billy made sure the hinges were never very well-oiled - heralding his companion's return, along with a fresh rush of stinging air. Billy tossed Goodnight a dubious look, but said nothing, and just went to get the hearth built up in earnest.
"Don't you make that face at my beard," Goody said with a chuckle, then went back to landscaping his jaw. "What they is of it."
"It's not your morning landscaping that makes me wonder," Billy called back. "It's having to share in your penance." He grimaced at the cold ashes, swept them aside and began making a bed for the tinder. "We had a visitor last night."
Goody paused and shot him a look via the mirror. "Well, that's unexpected. Thought anyone who'd want to visit us was thoroughly wiped out."
"The guild as a power was wiped out," Billy said. "There was no way to pin down every member. And our visitor was gifted. Like me and my knives, only... Adolfo did something to her. It made her gift stronger, but cost her almost everything at the same time. Her freedom included." Billy scratched a sulfur-stick against the bricks, then touched the bright flame to the tinder. "She's more thought and breeze than body these days. But she's still a person. And still chained to Adolfo's will, even now that he's dead. She came to me with an offer."
Grimacing, Goody wiped off the last of the shaving soap and turned to Billy. The budding fire felt good on his bare chest--his nips could cut glass at this point--but he still made no move to dress just yet. He didn't want to miss a word of this. "I don't need to ask if you trust her--you wouldn't have let her leave here otherwise. What's the offer?"
"I step into Adolfo's old spot and take over what's left of the guild. Assume his power, even over her." Billy's expression had gone closed-off and unreadable. "In turn, she watches my back and make sure no one sticks a knife in it."
"Sounds like a lot of trouble for a pittance of a reward." Goody's voice had gone tight and his eyes squinty. "But... is it what you want? Resurrecting Adolfo's empire?"
Billy flowed to his feet, smooth as the drawing of a blade. He tangled his fingers in Goodnight's neatly combed hair, and pressed himself to Goodnight's bare chest as he drew him in for a desperate kiss.
Goody chose to take that as the reply he'd been desperate to hear. His body relaxed into Billy's, like someone had cut his strings, and he slipped both arms around Billy's waist, then poured all his gratefulness into kissing back.
"'Power is its own freedom, if you have the stomach to hold on to it.'" Billy quoted a dead man against Goodnight's lips. "It's a lie. And I don't want it. I want you. I want to run away with you, Goody. But Pam's been a friend to me. And she doesn't deserve this." And she could have killed them both the night before; instead, she'd tried to help both of them in her way. But he didn't mention that.
"Then I want to help her." It was a promise, whispered into Billy's skin. "Nobody deserves that, least of all someone who's been good to you. For now, at least, I still have a little power."
Billy nodded. "I'll make it worth your while. I can work off her debt. Just have someone draw up a contract."
Goody pulled back to look Billy in the eye. "A debt?" But then he realized and let go of Billy altogether and drew himself up as tall as he could. "Well, that is a hell of a thing to say."
For a second, Billy just blinked at him, caught off-guard. "What?"
"A contract to work off a debt," Goodnight said, eyes the bright blue of a lightning storm and flashing just as dangerously. "You think I would let you indenture yourself to this family--to me? Just so you could do good by a friend?"
In truth, Billy hadn't been sure Goodnight would. He'd been mostly sure he wouldn't, in fact. It just... didn't feel like his way. But it was good form to at least offer. And Billy certainly hadn't expected him to be offended, let alone angry.
"Then... what do you want?" he asked carefully.
The air of a puffed up cat left Goody immediately. Deflated, he sighed. "Well, I don't know why I expect you to realize you don't have to pay y'own friends to do good by you. Ain't as if anyone ever has.
"But I will," Goody put a hand to his chest, just over his heart. "And I just want you to believe it."
"I do believe you," Billy said, but didn't step to close the distance between them again. "Sorry."
Goodnight took his hand. "Then you all paid up. Forever. You hear?"
"I hear you," Billy said softly. He twined his fingers with Goodnight's. "So now we plan?"
"Now we plan," Goody said. "Tell me everything about her situation. I gotta know someone who can help.
"Oh--and. I'm sorry too."
Billy smiled a little and hauled Goodnight down beside the fire again. "I... have one more thing you should know. She'll be stopping by again tonight."
Goody got comfortable, leaning against Billy and letting the fire warm his bare skin. "Good. Was about to ask you to arrange a meeting. Can't decide how to move forward without her, after all."
It wasn't too strange to wake and find Billy already gone. He had his duties, mostly self-assigned, and he was restless as ambition itself. Goody rose in the morning, splashed water onto his face, and started applying the necessary soap to shave what there was of the goatee he was aiming for into submission. The cold of his room, now the fire was just ashes, pricked at his skin and gave him goosebumps, but he didn't bother with the shirt just yet. This was his meditation, his morning mindfulness that set up him for the rest of the day. The rest of the day being in a world of silk and comfort that never felt quite right under his backside--especially lately.
The window opened with a faint creak - Billy made sure the hinges were never very well-oiled - heralding his companion's return, along with a fresh rush of stinging air. Billy tossed Goodnight a dubious look, but said nothing, and just went to get the hearth built up in earnest.
"Don't you make that face at my beard," Goody said with a chuckle, then went back to landscaping his jaw. "What they is of it."
"It's not your morning landscaping that makes me wonder," Billy called back. "It's having to share in your penance." He grimaced at the cold ashes, swept them aside and began making a bed for the tinder. "We had a visitor last night."
Goody paused and shot him a look via the mirror. "Well, that's unexpected. Thought anyone who'd want to visit us was thoroughly wiped out."
"The guild as a power was wiped out," Billy said. "There was no way to pin down every member. And our visitor was gifted. Like me and my knives, only... Adolfo did something to her. It made her gift stronger, but cost her almost everything at the same time. Her freedom included." Billy scratched a sulfur-stick against the bricks, then touched the bright flame to the tinder. "She's more thought and breeze than body these days. But she's still a person. And still chained to Adolfo's will, even now that he's dead. She came to me with an offer."
Grimacing, Goody wiped off the last of the shaving soap and turned to Billy. The budding fire felt good on his bare chest--his nips could cut glass at this point--but he still made no move to dress just yet. He didn't want to miss a word of this. "I don't need to ask if you trust her--you wouldn't have let her leave here otherwise. What's the offer?"
"I step into Adolfo's old spot and take over what's left of the guild. Assume his power, even over her." Billy's expression had gone closed-off and unreadable. "In turn, she watches my back and make sure no one sticks a knife in it."
"Sounds like a lot of trouble for a pittance of a reward." Goody's voice had gone tight and his eyes squinty. "But... is it what you want? Resurrecting Adolfo's empire?"
Billy flowed to his feet, smooth as the drawing of a blade. He tangled his fingers in Goodnight's neatly combed hair, and pressed himself to Goodnight's bare chest as he drew him in for a desperate kiss.
Goody chose to take that as the reply he'd been desperate to hear. His body relaxed into Billy's, like someone had cut his strings, and he slipped both arms around Billy's waist, then poured all his gratefulness into kissing back.
"'Power is its own freedom, if you have the stomach to hold on to it.'" Billy quoted a dead man against Goodnight's lips. "It's a lie. And I don't want it. I want you. I want to run away with you, Goody. But Pam's been a friend to me. And she doesn't deserve this." And she could have killed them both the night before; instead, she'd tried to help both of them in her way. But he didn't mention that.
"Then I want to help her." It was a promise, whispered into Billy's skin. "Nobody deserves that, least of all someone who's been good to you. For now, at least, I still have a little power."
Billy nodded. "I'll make it worth your while. I can work off her debt. Just have someone draw up a contract."
Goody pulled back to look Billy in the eye. "A debt?" But then he realized and let go of Billy altogether and drew himself up as tall as he could. "Well, that is a hell of a thing to say."
For a second, Billy just blinked at him, caught off-guard. "What?"
"A contract to work off a debt," Goodnight said, eyes the bright blue of a lightning storm and flashing just as dangerously. "You think I would let you indenture yourself to this family--to me? Just so you could do good by a friend?"
In truth, Billy hadn't been sure Goodnight would. He'd been mostly sure he wouldn't, in fact. It just... didn't feel like his way. But it was good form to at least offer. And Billy certainly hadn't expected him to be offended, let alone angry.
"Then... what do you want?" he asked carefully.
The air of a puffed up cat left Goody immediately. Deflated, he sighed. "Well, I don't know why I expect you to realize you don't have to pay y'own friends to do good by you. Ain't as if anyone ever has.
"But I will," Goody put a hand to his chest, just over his heart. "And I just want you to believe it."
"I do believe you," Billy said, but didn't step to close the distance between them again. "Sorry."
Goodnight took his hand. "Then you all paid up. Forever. You hear?"
"I hear you," Billy said softly. He twined his fingers with Goodnight's. "So now we plan?"
"Now we plan," Goody said. "Tell me everything about her situation. I gotta know someone who can help.
"Oh--and. I'm sorry too."
Billy smiled a little and hauled Goodnight down beside the fire again. "I... have one more thing you should know. She'll be stopping by again tonight."
Goody got comfortable, leaning against Billy and letting the fire warm his bare skin. "Good. Was about to ask you to arrange a meeting. Can't decide how to move forward without her, after all."
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