The Crowns

two

Yaron tapped his knuckles softly against the third-floor window.

Kamber appeared and opened it. "What are you doing here?" She demanded.

"I told you I'd come back to explain." He said, throwing his legs over the sill before standing to full height inside her bedroom.

"I don't want to hear it! I regret even letting you go so if you don't—"

He gently pressed his forefinger against her lips. "Shhh. Please just hear me out."

She shoved his hand away. "Don't touch me again or I'll cut your hands off." She said. "And what'll you do if I don't listen?"

"I have a few methods of persuasion that I'd be willing to try." Yaron smirked.

She looked disgusted at this. "Just get on with it already, I'm listening." She sat down on the bed and crossed her arms.

"We're trying to figure out how we can escape the walls." He said, returning to all-business mode. "Somebody in the Ethom Crown has a thumb drive with all kinds of information on it, because the Ethom used to be in charge of Dema's security and—"

"Yeah I know. I am Ethom you'll remember." Kamber interrupted.

"Can you quit being such a brat and just listen to me?"

"I'm just trying to hurry this along," Kamber insisted with a scowl.

Yaron sighed. If they had been on good terms when he left, maybe she wouldn't be so resistant of him.

"I'm pretty sure your dad is the one with that thumb drive."

Kamber bit her lip. She knew something she wasn't telling him.

"What?" Yaron asked.

"Why did you kill Lord Newlins?"

"I didn't." Yaron said. "But I'm flattered you think I have the potential to do something like that."

"Well who did?"

Yaron pressed his lips together. He wouldn't tell her that. He may have hated Song, but not enough to incriminate him and throw the whole rebellion into jeopardy. "I don't know. It could have been anyone."

Kamber didn't respond for a moment. "So what do you want from me?" She asked.

Yaron studied her with eyes ablaze with the memories of their past. She was just as gorgeous as she had been back then, maybe even more so. She was so independent, so attuned to her own emotions. It forced the words back in his throat and he hesitated. "I want you to forgive me."

Kamber's brow fell and she clenched her jaw. "I can't do that. Not until you pay for what you did."

Yaron scoffed, although he wasn't sure what else he'd expected her to say. Was she just supposed to say yes and fall right into his arms again like nothing has ever happened?

"Why are you telling me all this about the rebellion? How do you know I won't just turn you in?"

"I think you can see how corrupt Dema has become." Yaron said simply.

"Not everyone is out for themselves you know." She stated.

Yaron shook his head. "Well am I wrong?"

"In what?"

"In assuming that you'd be willing to help me retrieve the information on that thumb drive. You know something I don't."

He saw her jaw clench. "I'll see what I can do."

Yaron smirked. "I guess I know you better then you thought huh?"

She glared daggers. "See if I help you if you keep that up."

He laughed before disappearing out her window once more.

• • •

Yaron returned to HQ as darkness settled over the entire sky. The walls of the city stood so tall, not a single sunset could be observed within the city unless one stood at the peak of the highest skyscraper in Dema.

Yaron could remember a time before the Crowns turned on each other and the city thrived in harmony. When the walls were only there to keep enemies out, instead of Dema's citizens in. Back then, the walls' mechanics still ran routinely at dusk and dawn, raising and lowering them into the shafts built into the ground.

He found his way to the security room, and without ceremony, lay down on his back and stared up at the ceiling.

Emary, the dedicated engineer of the group, was fiddling with a comm that sat on the table in front of her. Her tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth and she paid him no attention in her focus.

Hani almost tripped over his leg as she entered with Arigael, who held a plate of sandwiches.

She glowered at him but then lowered beside him and sat down as Arigael handed her a sandwich.

She offered him one just as Song joined the gathering.

"If I ever eat another ham sandwich I think I'll turn into one." Yaron shifted so his head rested on one of Hani's ankles. This action had no purpose, it was merely a gesture of the sibling-like closeness the group had established. Despite this closeness, there was always an element of tension between them. Especially when an outsider was present, Song in particular.

"So how did your pointless rendezvous go?" Song leaned against the wall and folded one black combat boot in front of the other. His voice was neither irritated nor teasing; simply aloof.

"What's it to you?" Yaron responded, smirking wryly. He wasn't sure why he insisted on testing Song's temper, especially when he already knew it was short. Song wasn't even supposed to know Yaron had left, but of course he did.

Song walk over and kicked Yaron in the side. Yaron flinched but recovered quickly.

"You bloody ruined our chances at getting back to Ethom for who knows how long," Song shot down at him. His accent bent each word jagged. Anger didn't find its way to his voice, but his eyes flashed.

"Nobody even saw me." Yaron insisted.

Song's eyes flamed but he turned back to his former position against the wall without saying more.

"The comms should be up and running again by tomorrow," Emary intervened, walking over to Song and handing him the earpiece while clipping the small microphone to his collar without ceremony. Song's eyes followed her, reading her movement as was his tendency with everyone.

"Great, not only will I have to deal with you here, but I'll have you barking up my butt the entire time I'm on missions." Yaron stretched his arms over his head.

Hani snorted at his comment but Song looked less appreciative.

AUTHOR'S NOTE
that was quite the chapter! i'm excited to explore the different dynamics between characters, i think that'll be very interesting. typical of course for me; i pay WAY to much attention to the characters and then the plot ends up falling through...but nonetheless i think this project is going relatively well so far.

for today's questions...
1:: i'll keep this question simple: which character do you think will end up causing the most trouble?
2 (random question):: what's your star sign? (idk why i'm curious lol, i'm a sagittarius btw and my birthday is coming up!)

so yeah that's about it for now, thanks for reading and if you'd vote and comment that'd mean a lot!