There can be only one....

[maskofhearts]

If someone had told him ten years ago that he'd be a Nine of Spades by 22, he would have laughed in their face. He was more, or less, convinced that by 20 someone was going to have put a knife through his back long before he could imagine what being a Nine of Spades felt like. But here he was, he thought as his breathing slowly calmed, his chest heaving less and less as the seconds passed. He looked down at the face of Aylmar Woodward, empty- glassy eyes staring back at him as the blood pooled around the body. Looking up, he could see Jordan given him the standard expression- caught between disapproval and mild relief. Over his brother's shoulder, Hadyn could see Katya looking back at him with even more disapproval, and possibly annoyance. Accidents happened, but he imagined that few people thought it was really an accident that Hadyn's knife had seated itself between the older man's ribs and into his liver. By the time the medics arrived there was nothing left to be done.

If you had also told him that by 22 he would have personally been the cause of four people's deaths in a challenge, he would have been very hard pressed to believe it.

Turning away from the scene on the floor, Hadyn bent down and picked up his knife before he walked slowly toward the bench that marked out his side of the arena, barely glancing at Julien as he cleaned the blade and set it down. His mentor's face was harder to read, like a blank canvas that watched the scene play out without much concern for the outcome. After a moment of silence stretched out between them, there was a slight 'hmph', before the man turned and looked Hadyn over.

"Quite the body count you've started," he said, looking back at the corpse that was being collected. Looking up, Hadyn regarded him carefully, trying to gleen whatever he could from the empty, mild look on Julien's features. Ever a difficult man to read, Hadyn thought, frowning just a little.

"It wasn't planned," Hadyn said, "but...."

"Had to make Nine, mm? With Brother dearest's promotion...." Yes, that was one way to look at it. Two ranks, that is what he'd had to jump to get there, and that had been no easy feat. Jordan, generally, kept his pace moderate as he moved up the ranks. Slow and steady as he kept his eye on Hadyn's progress almost as much as his own. Their mother had determined Hadyn should never been far behind Jordan- logically because should Jordan become King, he could appoint Hadyn to Ace and it looked more reasonable if Hadyn's rank matched the responsibilities. Illogically, Hadyn wondered if Laureline hoped he would get himself killed trying to keep pace with his brother. "Well, to each their own I suppose."

Hadyn rolled his eyes a little, picking up the towel as he watched Julien move away and blend into the departing gawkers. Ah, well....From 7 to 9. Two ranks. It wasn't the first time it had ever been done, at least.

Comments

[cipherspeak]

Elisha tilted his head to one side, sliding his glance over at Jordan Novak. But it certainly wasn't trepidition in his eyes, or concern for his safety. He'd risen to Eight without violence and then been appointed Ace by virtue of the fact that he'd asked the new king if he had absolutely lost his mind to appoint Argine and Edgar's little girl, Eileen, to the rank. The Deck as a whole didn't really know what Elisha Kagan was capable; he fully expected that Hadyn's king was one of the exceptions. Regardless, his glance at Jordan was mostly to ascertain whether the Jack's expression read what Hadyn said. And really - not quite. Jordan looked concerned, but Elisha was fairly certain that the concern was less related to the Ace of Clubs and more related to Hadyn's state of mind after his challenge ended the way challenges ended more frequently in Spades than anywhere else.

Still, he expected there was some truth to Hadyn's words. He had enough ears in Spade Castle to be aware of the political games the Bernards played with the Faces and among themselves; he came from enough money and had enough experience with government work in war-torn places to know that the Deck wasn't unique in this way.

"I'm fairly sure it's one specific Club," he murmured, just loudly enough to be heard over the noise in Mooseknuckle. Then Hadyn kept speaking, and Elisha's brows rose slowly as he took another drink of his bourbon. This time, when he tilted his head to one side, it was in direct response to Hadyn's words. "First," he said as he picked up the bourbon bottle and refreshed his glass. "It's Elisha. I hate to live and die by Suit stereotypes here, but we're not exactly formal in the Clubs, darling, and really, I spend all day with Diamonds and Spades calling me my lord Ace, so let's put a moratorium on it when we're at a dive bar, shall we? Second," he added with a faintly amused smirk as he swirled the whiskey in his glass. "It's none of my business, you can do what you want, and if you need someone to keep your brother from seeing you plan to drink an entire bottle of expensive American whiskey, I don't mind being used. But I am curious: do you always recite your evening plans like we're in a gothic novel? It's an interesting approach."

[maskofhearts]

"It is more fun to say 'all Clubs', really." Hadyn said, smirking a little as he tilted his head and took a slow drink from his glance. It wasn't really, that he was overly found of dramatic declarations, but he had to admit it was more entertaining than the simple truth. It was probably how grand rumors started, but Hadyn didn't much care or mind that.

He also pointed ignored Jordan. His brother would either give up, or eventually try to break up his affair with the bottle- which would have been a crying shame. More so if Jordan convinced the girls to try with him.

"Elisha, well then. I do hate to be a stereotype, but I feel I just cannot escape some. Though, tell me...how is one close friends to our my Lordly of Tens, Victor Fox, and not come to believe ones name is merely 'My Lord'? I have to ask for a friend, you see. He's dying to know." David had, after all, tried for years to stamp out that rather odd trait in Victor. He'd once expressed to Hadyn he never understood how someone could turn manners into such a precisely aimed insult.

"As for reciting plans- no. You might actually be the first to ever bear witness to them. However, if it has to be in a particular style- gothic novel sounds fun. Graphic novel would be more fun, but I'm not entire sure how to go about that." He grinned as he drained his glass and reached out to pour himself another. "I am pleased, however, you do not object to being used."