Something to tide you over until the next chapter :)
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the MK universe or its franchise; it belongs to Netherrealm Studios.
A Brief Reprieve
"What do you want me to say?"
"You can start by telling me who you are."
"You mean you don't know?"
"No." Should I?
A scoff and, "I am Rain, Prince and soon to be ruler and god of Edenia."
It was then that Argus walked along the shores where this early-morning interview was taking place. The former protector shook his head disapprovingly at his youngest son and spoke to the camera.
"Don't let him fool you; he's not a god, only a demigod-and barely that. And as for ruling Edenia: I'd never let that happen."
Having said his piece, Argus strode on, leaving his son to roll his eyes insolently.
"Who was that?" Jimmy asked.
"My old man," Rain said dismissively, "As you can see he's senile, the old bat."
"So you're a demigod?"
"...Yeah."
"That's cool! You're like Thor!" The young man correlated enthusiastically.
"Th-who?"
"Thor: God of Thunder?" Jimmy tried.
"Never heard of him," Rain shrugged.
"Oh. Well do you think you'll make it to the top?" Jimmy asked.
"Of course." Rain smirked, "I came to win."
"You haven't won a single challenge, yet." Jimmy pointed out.
"So?" Rain frowned, "Those don't count. And Ermac had to cheat to win anyway."
"Weren't you cheating, too?"
"No. Not really."
"I see." Jimmy murmured.
Note to self: this guy is a complete tool.
Jimmy smiled politely and prompted, "What do you think of your teammates?"
Again the interview was interrupted, this time by the host.
"He ought to love them!" Ermac smirked, "The girl of his dreams, and the girl of his 'wet-dreams' together at once!"
Rain narrowed his eyes and shouted, "Can't you go be a bastard someplace else?!"
Jimmy asked curiously, "So uh, which is which?"
"Huh?"
"Your teammates: which one is the one of your dreams and which is the one of your-"
"I'll say this once," Rain scowled, "I would never, in this life or any other, touch that foul wench Mileena. Ever."
Note to self: this 'Mileena' must be fair game.
"So the other one's your girlfriend? Tana?" Jimmy guessed.
"Tanya," Rain corrected, "And right now, I don't know."
"What do you mean?"
"We kinda' have an off and on relationship, if you know what I mean."
"What are you now?" Jimmy asked.
Rain shrugged. "When I figure that out, I'll let you know."
Sonya was up early, reaping the consequences of her having slept like a wild woman the night before. She always did that, toss and turn in a new bed. It was as if her body had to break in a mattress the first few nights before she could go a whole eight-to-ten period of lying still. Each morning thereafter of this trial process, she'd wake up with her hair bearing an uncanny resemblance to the menagerie of sticks and straw and things that made up a bird's nest. So it didn't even faze her when that heinous blonde mess greeted her in the mirror that morning.
"Good day to you, too." She greeted tiredly.
The lieutenant clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle that face-splitting yawn and stretched her other arm above her head. She hadn't dressed yet, it was still so early, and was thus clad in a pair of black sweatpants and a white tank top.
Sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can go and eat, she figured with regards to untangling her hair. It was with that thought giving her impetus that she picked up her thin-toothed comb and started working at the tips of her hair.
And then of course someone had to come barging in, because what the hell was privacy anymore?
"Sorry to intrude," the sorcerer said.
She snorted and said, "Bullshit. If you were, you wouldn't have come in. The door was closed for a reason."
Shang Tsung met her eyes in the mirror and a chill ran up her spine before she looked away stiffly. She frowned and tried to work on as if he didn't bother her.
"I could assist you, if you'd like," He told her softly.
She gave him one of her meanest glares, something she'd picked up from her cat French, and then cut her eyes back to her own reflection. Shang Tsung just laughed a quiet sort of laugh that did strange things to her insides. She frowned.
"Could you get out? Please?" She asked curtly.
Sonya tacked on that last part for civility's sake; he would not bring out her brash side if she could help it.
"I just wanted to help, Miss Blade." He told her with one of his sly smiles.
She scoffed and turned to face him. It was the wrong move, because the bathroom in that hut was too small and she was only just now aware of that. Also of how long his hair had gotten since she'd seen him. In her prejudiced eyes, it wasn't well-kept-after and glossy, as he'd describe it, but limp and greasy. And it smelled. She couldn't prove that and nor could her olfactory organ, but it smelled. Probably. She was grasping at straws, trying to point out something negative about his appearance but, like his wit and cunning, his looks were immaculate. So clean-cut he seemed in that jade-trimmed black vest and pants. A chain and amulet hanging from his neck, that was more than likely enchanted in some way, completed his get-up.
It doesn't mean anything, she thought, no matter how suave he may seem on the outside, he's still just a slimy, nasty git on the inside, and nothing will change that.
That alone bolstered her will.
"If you really wanna' help me," She spoke sharply, "Why don't you tell me what happened to Jax?"
Shang Tsung feigned ignorance with, "Your partner?"
"Yes. My partner," She retorted tersely.
"Wasn't he eliminated?" The sorcerer mused.
"Yeah, and I bet you had a hand in that!" She accused.
Shang took in her angry expression with another of his passive smirks.
"Sorry to disappoint you, my dear, but I did not." He answered.
"Okay," She decided to humor him in light of a more pressing inquiry. "What about Tanya?"
"What of her?" Shang asked with a less-than-pleased reaction to the femme sorcerer's name.
"Why did you send her to get me?" Sonya pressed.
"Oh that."
"Yes, that."
"That was my way of reaching out to you, Miss Blade." Shang claimed.
"For what?" She asked with brute dubiance.
"An alliance, of course." He said, "I had many flags at the time and would have shared them with you."
Right. The flags. You wanted to share the 'flags', she thought with a blatant sort of skepticism.
"Well you got your alliance," she said, "but don't think it'll last."
Shang smirked widely and said, "Oh I know; my time with you, my dear, is always short, fleeting, but special nonetheless."
Sonya cringed. "Keep that creeper-talk up and I'll show you how 'special' our time can be, you slimeball."
"Ahoj, Kuai!"
The Cryomancer had been feeling a bit discouraged this afternoon, having not won a single challenge and also having attracted the role of a target for his older brother as of late. But when he heard that foreign yet familiar greeting roll off of his friend's accented tongue, he couldn't help but smile faintly.
"Tomas!" He called back.
They were both walking back downhill on the path from the dining hall. Smoke was behind him, probably because he'd eaten late with his team. The enenra now jogged to catch up with his black-haired buddy and they then walked at a companionable pace.
"Bi Han?" The Czech asked.
Kuai shrugged, "Let's not talk about it."
"Right." Smoke agreed. "Too bad about that last game, huh?"
"Yeah." Kuai said, "Too much cheating. And for what it's worth, I think the judge should've told you from the start that it was English-only."
"I guess," Smoke shrugged, "I'm surprised I could remember so many words, though. It's been ages since I've been home."
"How do you think things are going back-"
"-back at the clan?" Tomas finished knowingly, "Kuai, you've asked me that too many times; you know they're fine. Sektor and his Tekunin were the biggest threat."
And in a land where even the women and children were trained in basic fighting arts, Kuai could see where his worrying had been misplaced. Thugs and highwaymen stood not a chance, especially since the clan's number of Cryomancers were growing.
"You are right, Smoke." Kuai said at last.
"I know I am," Tomas replied jokingly, nudging his friend with his shoulder.
"Hey!"
Both men looked over to where Jimmy Aames was trying to catch up to them. Neither were too pleased to see him.
"It's that infernal camer-rah man." Kuai said, butchering the term.
"Jim-something-or-the-other." Tomas put in.
"Should we make off before he can get to us?"
"We could," Smoke said slowly, "Or you could freeze him in his tracks and push him downhill."
"Smoke!"
"What?"
"Can I trouble you for an interview?!" the guy huffed.
"On second thought..."
A/N: And that concludes this short chapter! I hope you enjoyed! Please make my day, no, my WEEK immensely better by dropping a pretty little review down there!
Seriously, I love hearing from you people!
Until next chapter!
~DymondGold~