Title: Embezzlement
Author: Moi!
Pairing: Pretty gen.
Rating: PG
Words: 487
Summary: Klaus and Lucard talk about Sophie's predicament.
The sunlight streamed through the windows. Lucard allowed it to fall upon his desk between the blinds of his window. A rainbow stretched itself from inside his crystal paperweight. Fingers steepled together with an intense look upon his face, Alexander Lucard looked like a marble statue as he sat at his desk.
Klaus stood by the window, his customary maniac glee gone for once, replaced by a serious expression and eyes that looked out at the horizon.
"Has she attempted to escape?" Lucard's voice was merely a whisper but Klaus had no difficulty picking it ut of the air.
"Only by contacting us. She relies on us to help her."
"And what is expected of this transaction?"
"The boy. He wants the boy."
"And your thoughts?"
Klaus continued to stare out the window. On Lucard's desk sat the briefcase, filled with the only weakness Klaus thought he had left to him. The silence stretched between them until Lucard found himself shifting a bit to look over at his protege.
"We don't negotiate with hostage takers," Klaus stated, repeating the words that Alex had told him before. It was their way. Should one of them fall, the other would take up the fight. Should one be captured, then the other should not negotiate but recapture what was their own. Lucard had known right away that Klaus could be seen as his weakness and would be a target for those who would do him harm. He had made Klaus well aware of the risks and Klaus had taken them to heart.
This, however, was different.
"I don't trade people. He should be allowed to make his own choices."
"Still, she is family." Lucard turned to face Klaus' back.
Blue eyes continued to stare out the blinds. "Family isn't just loyalty," Klaus finally stated. "It's knowing what the other person would want. You wouldn't want me to trade with one of these kinds of creatures for your life. If I should give him the boy and he would give me her back, whatever would she think? She'd know what the trade was for, she'd hate herself for allowing herself to be used in such a way. Pain for pain. There's no trade in that. There's no freedom in remorse or guilt."
"So then what shall you do?"
Klaus shut the blind. "Listen to you. She is your own, after all."
Lucard looked at the briefcase. "What was this for then?"
"Bribery. Money for her life."
"You think he'll take it?"
"No."
"He will. This is how you'll go about it." And as Lucard explained, Klaus felt himself growing ever more distant. It was time to act once again. He wondered when he had started to hate putting on shows for others.
"I always have to be the bad guy," he muttered as he picked up the briefcase.
"Oh, and Klaus?"
Klaus turned around to face Lucard.
"Don't forget to smile."
Author: Moi!
Pairing: Pretty gen.
Rating: PG
Words: 487
Summary: Klaus and Lucard talk about Sophie's predicament.
The sunlight streamed through the windows. Lucard allowed it to fall upon his desk between the blinds of his window. A rainbow stretched itself from inside his crystal paperweight. Fingers steepled together with an intense look upon his face, Alexander Lucard looked like a marble statue as he sat at his desk.
Klaus stood by the window, his customary maniac glee gone for once, replaced by a serious expression and eyes that looked out at the horizon.
"Has she attempted to escape?" Lucard's voice was merely a whisper but Klaus had no difficulty picking it ut of the air.
"Only by contacting us. She relies on us to help her."
"And what is expected of this transaction?"
"The boy. He wants the boy."
"And your thoughts?"
Klaus continued to stare out the window. On Lucard's desk sat the briefcase, filled with the only weakness Klaus thought he had left to him. The silence stretched between them until Lucard found himself shifting a bit to look over at his protege.
"We don't negotiate with hostage takers," Klaus stated, repeating the words that Alex had told him before. It was their way. Should one of them fall, the other would take up the fight. Should one be captured, then the other should not negotiate but recapture what was their own. Lucard had known right away that Klaus could be seen as his weakness and would be a target for those who would do him harm. He had made Klaus well aware of the risks and Klaus had taken them to heart.
This, however, was different.
"I don't trade people. He should be allowed to make his own choices."
"Still, she is family." Lucard turned to face Klaus' back.
Blue eyes continued to stare out the blinds. "Family isn't just loyalty," Klaus finally stated. "It's knowing what the other person would want. You wouldn't want me to trade with one of these kinds of creatures for your life. If I should give him the boy and he would give me her back, whatever would she think? She'd know what the trade was for, she'd hate herself for allowing herself to be used in such a way. Pain for pain. There's no trade in that. There's no freedom in remorse or guilt."
"So then what shall you do?"
Klaus shut the blind. "Listen to you. She is your own, after all."
Lucard looked at the briefcase. "What was this for then?"
"Bribery. Money for her life."
"You think he'll take it?"
"No."
"He will. This is how you'll go about it." And as Lucard explained, Klaus felt himself growing ever more distant. It was time to act once again. He wondered when he had started to hate putting on shows for others.
"I always have to be the bad guy," he muttered as he picked up the briefcase.
"Oh, and Klaus?"
Klaus turned around to face Lucard.
"Don't forget to smile."