I guess it's obvious to anyone who's paying attention that I've stopped updating this. I guess there's a lot of reasons... but it mostly boils down to a matter of time and interest. I don't have a lot of either for poor Jimmy anymore.
So I'm going to try something a little less ambitious than a serial novel. Over at my latest blogging foray I'll be experimeting with a kind of micro-story format; doing stories that are less than 200 words long 3 times a week.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monday, March 3, 2008
Aside: Translator Mishaps
So, it's pretty old news by now that double-translating something leads to its demise (ie: translating from English to Russian and then back again, ala "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" -> "The vodka is good but the meat is rancid"), but I was hoping that we'd made strides in that area. Here's my last post translated to Arabic and then back into English again. The dialog mostly survived, but other things (like the second paragraph) are now complete nonsense. I think the "[]" stuff surrounds words which couldn't be translated originally, but I'm not 100% sure:
[gamma] [[flt]] identicals of he received blood clot is here for week. Although he was on likely [Moore intend] from [[aa] so and] hours in many most, his shoulders hurted [so sends me]. He received imagination that that the point was, otherwise their could receives took the is easy [and my [wwt]] and only led him to chair of fixation. Whatever was, he collected the point was to that he was about sight forward to shot of shot collects. He started identicals of end suitable to the case craziness from Al-Ayyam [[lt] so and], and he be possible kind daughter-in-law to rests.
After, the part is zoologic from him him any refusal that only lie to under and relate to forced his to tries and rise one most. Unfortunately, since of he boxes was, [in] he does not be possible to is complete anything most exciting from twist and [heir] in characteristics ties.
“foolish!” [[kssndraa]] hearing of the pistol is gun, also.
He twisted around and his throwing of hand towards the [[Gwn]] in question. Established [gamma], who was the operation used to tall from flare up before is be possible to - [as pillar], him mouth boxes open since of blazes immediately his life rushs to on hand. Their whipped so climbing, the guard licks hand and cry of the pain devizes. The guard and rubbish of the pistol swore gun [reply - pit] now, denial stares in in the [sings - [shbd]] border on sifted him.
“what? I dismounted explores us you to kills him! “turned the [[Gwn]] look betrays on [[kssndraa]]. Clearly sight of he received is forward to throws [gamma].
“here. He be possible does not introduce anything, nevertheless I can you enclosed that indeed we kills him in the city will feel them their he. "
“who?”
"..." [[kssndraa]] the guard gave tall, look defies, nevertheless refusal to says anything. Reddening in slowness rose above and his produce except that he oscillated and sight far. [[kssndraa]] waited to resolved before turns [aabtsaam] cold [bey immediately] [gamma]. “new worry, hope about forgiveness [[nyfty]] their.”
“[['awmmm]]…” [gamma] border was to what ascertains that he was sarcasms were, nevertheless could to far border shortage what he explores from him him.
“we do not go to you kill now, lover.” He hit [gamma] on [aalwjnt], [aalaabtsaam] does not leave him lip. He was kind sign strangely, ['ayy] deprived [gamma] more than anything. “you!” He turned to the guard who was his hand did not care and spinal cords headed him in [gamma]. “he comes with us us for small embarkation.”
Does not like [gamma] the roadsign from that. What he is loved some device was payment from [[hwlkynG]], [[tttwwd]] man comes towards him him, expressing of detestable plasters with. [gamma] loved he less when meaty kisses collected to does forges him unconscious. [gamma] idea of first was, his brain blazes through since of he [[flt]] chip of the cents went flies, that the man [in] very accurate. He is preservative perforates [gamma] in the side and prepared, any alternative as kink [GyrDrwry] to forges him unconscious.
“the drug used, foolish.” [[kssndraa]] waterproof second mood in he voted. While [gamma] was grateful for assistance his, he was waited five minutes be full before says anything.
Sharp pain followed in [gamma] neck was in yet most case of blackness [[blyssfwl]].
[gamma] [[flt]] identicals of he received blood clot is here for week. Although he was on likely [Moore intend] from [[aa] so and] hours in many most, his shoulders hurted [so sends me]. He received imagination that that the point was, otherwise their could receives took the is easy [and my [wwt]] and only led him to chair of fixation. Whatever was, he collected the point was to that he was about sight forward to shot of shot collects. He started identicals of end suitable to the case craziness from Al-Ayyam [[lt] so and], and he be possible kind daughter-in-law to rests.
After, the part is zoologic from him him any refusal that only lie to under and relate to forced his to tries and rise one most. Unfortunately, since of he boxes was, [in] he does not be possible to is complete anything most exciting from twist and [heir] in characteristics ties.
“foolish!” [[kssndraa]] hearing of the pistol is gun, also.
He twisted around and his throwing of hand towards the [[Gwn]] in question. Established [gamma], who was the operation used to tall from flare up before is be possible to - [as pillar], him mouth boxes open since of blazes immediately his life rushs to on hand. Their whipped so climbing, the guard licks hand and cry of the pain devizes. The guard and rubbish of the pistol swore gun [reply - pit] now, denial stares in in the [sings - [shbd]] border on sifted him.
“what? I dismounted explores us you to kills him! “turned the [[Gwn]] look betrays on [[kssndraa]]. Clearly sight of he received is forward to throws [gamma].
“here. He be possible does not introduce anything, nevertheless I can you enclosed that indeed we kills him in the city will feel them their he. "
“who?”
"..." [[kssndraa]] the guard gave tall, look defies, nevertheless refusal to says anything. Reddening in slowness rose above and his produce except that he oscillated and sight far. [[kssndraa]] waited to resolved before turns [aabtsaam] cold [bey immediately] [gamma]. “new worry, hope about forgiveness [[nyfty]] their.”
“[['awmmm]]…” [gamma] border was to what ascertains that he was sarcasms were, nevertheless could to far border shortage what he explores from him him.
“we do not go to you kill now, lover.” He hit [gamma] on [aalwjnt], [aalaabtsaam] does not leave him lip. He was kind sign strangely, ['ayy] deprived [gamma] more than anything. “you!” He turned to the guard who was his hand did not care and spinal cords headed him in [gamma]. “he comes with us us for small embarkation.”
Does not like [gamma] the roadsign from that. What he is loved some device was payment from [[hwlkynG]], [[tttwwd]] man comes towards him him, expressing of detestable plasters with. [gamma] loved he less when meaty kisses collected to does forges him unconscious. [gamma] idea of first was, his brain blazes through since of he [[flt]] chip of the cents went flies, that the man [in] very accurate. He is preservative perforates [gamma] in the side and prepared, any alternative as kink [GyrDrwry] to forges him unconscious.
“the drug used, foolish.” [[kssndraa]] waterproof second mood in he voted. While [gamma] was grateful for assistance his, he was waited five minutes be full before says anything.
Sharp pain followed in [gamma] neck was in yet most case of blackness [[blyssfwl]].
That Wasn't Necessary
Jimmy felt like he'd been hanging here for weeks. Although it was probably no more than a few hours at the most, his shoulders ached fiercely. He had a suspicion that that was the point, otherwise they could have taken the easy way out and just tied him to a chair. Anyway, it was getting to the point that he was almost looking forward to getting shot. It seemed like a fitting end to the insanity of the last few days, and it might be nice to rest.
Still, the animal part of him which refused to just lie down and die forced him to try and get out one more. Unfortunately, hanging as he was, he wasn't able to do anything more spectacular than twist and writhe in his bonds.
"Idiot!" Cassandra heard the gun, too.
She twisted around and flung her hand towards the goon in question. Jimmy, who was used to the long process of building up before being able to call on the Kraken, found his mouth hanging open as flames immediately sprung to life on her hand. They whipped forth, licking the guard's hand and eliciting a cry of pain. The guard swore and dropped the now red-hot gun, staring in disbelief at the gun-shaped welt on his palm.
"What? I thought you wanted us to kill him!" The goon turned a betrayed look on Cassandra. Obviously he'd been looking forward to shooting Jimmy.
"Not here. He might not know anything, but I can guarantee you that if we kill him in the city they'll feel it."
"Who?"
"..." Cassandra gave the guard a long, hard look, but refused to say anything. A blush slowly rose up his cheeks until he nodded and looked away. Cassandra waited for a moment before turning a cold smile back to Jimmy. "They're new, please forgive their naivety."
"Ummm..." Jimmy was pretty sure that she was being sarcastic, but couldn't quite tell what she wanted from him.
"We're not going to kill you now, sweety." She patted Jimmy on the cheek, the smile not leaving her lips. It was a strangely gentle gesture, which unnerved Jimmy more than anything. "You!" She turned to the guard who wasn't nursing his hand and jerked her head at Jimmy. "He's coming with us for a little ride."
Jimmy didn't like the sound of that. What he liked least was the sight of a hulking, tattooed man coming towards him, plastered with a grim expression. Jimmy liked it less when meaty fists got to work knocking him unconscious. Jimmy's foremost thought, blazing through his brain as he felt chips of teeth go flying, was that the man wasn't very accurate. He kept punching Jimmy in the side and stomach, which seemed wholly unnecessary to knocking him unconscious.
"Use the drug, stupid." Cassandra's voice held humour in it again. While Jimmy was thankful for her help, she'd waited a full five minutes before saying anything.
A sharp pain in Jimmy's neck was followed by yet more blissful blackness.
Still, the animal part of him which refused to just lie down and die forced him to try and get out one more. Unfortunately, hanging as he was, he wasn't able to do anything more spectacular than twist and writhe in his bonds.
"Idiot!" Cassandra heard the gun, too.
She twisted around and flung her hand towards the goon in question. Jimmy, who was used to the long process of building up before being able to call on the Kraken, found his mouth hanging open as flames immediately sprung to life on her hand. They whipped forth, licking the guard's hand and eliciting a cry of pain. The guard swore and dropped the now red-hot gun, staring in disbelief at the gun-shaped welt on his palm.
"What? I thought you wanted us to kill him!" The goon turned a betrayed look on Cassandra. Obviously he'd been looking forward to shooting Jimmy.
"Not here. He might not know anything, but I can guarantee you that if we kill him in the city they'll feel it."
"Who?"
"..." Cassandra gave the guard a long, hard look, but refused to say anything. A blush slowly rose up his cheeks until he nodded and looked away. Cassandra waited for a moment before turning a cold smile back to Jimmy. "They're new, please forgive their naivety."
"Ummm..." Jimmy was pretty sure that she was being sarcastic, but couldn't quite tell what she wanted from him.
"We're not going to kill you now, sweety." She patted Jimmy on the cheek, the smile not leaving her lips. It was a strangely gentle gesture, which unnerved Jimmy more than anything. "You!" She turned to the guard who wasn't nursing his hand and jerked her head at Jimmy. "He's coming with us for a little ride."
Jimmy didn't like the sound of that. What he liked least was the sight of a hulking, tattooed man coming towards him, plastered with a grim expression. Jimmy liked it less when meaty fists got to work knocking him unconscious. Jimmy's foremost thought, blazing through his brain as he felt chips of teeth go flying, was that the man wasn't very accurate. He kept punching Jimmy in the side and stomach, which seemed wholly unnecessary to knocking him unconscious.
"Use the drug, stupid." Cassandra's voice held humour in it again. While Jimmy was thankful for her help, she'd waited a full five minutes before saying anything.
A sharp pain in Jimmy's neck was followed by yet more blissful blackness.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Hehe. Bubble Wrap.
Jimmy couldn't be sure how long Cassandra was gone. He was lost in his own mind, inescapably trapped by the knowledge that he was not necessarily a victim here. He hadn't acted in self defense, not really... he'd essentially killed someone in cold blood.
A reasonable person might realize that he'd done the only thing possible at the time, and that he really hadn't been given a lot of choice. He hadn't chosen to be put in that little room, and it certainly wasn't a conscious decision to unleash the Kraken like he did. Hanging from a crudely fashioned beam in an abandoned werehouse, where bleak did not begin to describe your fate, was not a place where reason tended to prevail. Add to that the blurry side effects of a drug which had no safe intended use, and it was surprising Jimmy's mind even worked.
Eventually, as his head rolled back and he looked at the newly shaped wooden structure which held him in place, Jimmy realized that he might be able to escape. Not the conventional way, of course. Although the workmanship was fairly shoddy, Jimmy was pretty sure he'd be able to do better given a chance, he didn't have the leverage or the strength at the moment. What he did have was the Kraken.
Surprised that he didn't think of this earlier, and that his captors didn't seem concerned about it, Jimmy concentrated. It was harder than it had been before, his mind didn't seem to be able to focus. It kept drifting, to thoughts of Cassandra, of Steve, and of those goons. It even lingered on his mom, wondering what she was doing right now... anything but the Kraken.
"Come on, Jimmy." Gritting his teeth, he tried to rally his efforts.
He thought of the Kraken... the strange feeling of alien bodies brushing against him when he summoned it, the damp and the wet as water and other things escaped from the tattoo. He concentrated on the energy, the rage, the fear...
Yes, there it was. Jimmy tried not to grin as he felt the power building. It was stranger than he remembered it; sluggishly responding to his mental commands rather than rushing forward to solve his problems. He had the strange sensation of running through water: you know you're working your legs as hard as you can, but you just can't make yourself move faster.
But it was coming. That was the important thing.
When the energy flowing to his arm reached what Jimmy was starting to think of as its 'critical mass', he fought against a smile. He needed to stay focused... whatever the drugs did to him, they seemed to be making it harder for him to draw on his tattoo.
Almost.
Just about...
There!
Pain!
PAIN!
Searing jolts of agony crackled across his arm. He heard a popping noise like bubble wrap being sat on, and he could only watch in horror as little blisters and scorches burst into existence on his tattoo.
"Stop..." He shook his head and tried to disperse the energy he'd focused. The pain tried to force him to do the opposite, calling on him to draw more power, which in turn made things worse.
"Stop!"
Then, abruptly, it did stop. The blisters and burns didn't go away, but the crackling ended and nothing new appeared on his wounded arm. It took him a moment to realize there was laughter in the distance.
"Not the brightest, are we?" Cassandra's voice!
Jimmy didn't dignify her with a response, instead opting to let his head loll forward so he could watch her approach. She and her two guards appeared out of the darkness; she was laughing while the guards hid mean little smiles.
"You don't think this is the first time we've had one of your kind captive, do you?" When Cassandra reached Jimmy, she flicked the material of the rope that bound him to the beam. Following her finger with his gaze, Jimmy realized that there were little shapes and letters faintly visible on the surface of the rope. "We're not stupid, Jimmy."
"Oh."
"However, you are useless." Cassandra grinned. The laughter was gone, but this was almost worse... there was no kindness here, only a grim kind of humour. "So it's time to say goodbye."
Jimmy opened his mouth, but was silenced by the frighteningly audible snick of a safety being turned off. He didn't need to move his head to know that one of the guards just pointed a loaded weapon at his head.
A reasonable person might realize that he'd done the only thing possible at the time, and that he really hadn't been given a lot of choice. He hadn't chosen to be put in that little room, and it certainly wasn't a conscious decision to unleash the Kraken like he did. Hanging from a crudely fashioned beam in an abandoned werehouse, where bleak did not begin to describe your fate, was not a place where reason tended to prevail. Add to that the blurry side effects of a drug which had no safe intended use, and it was surprising Jimmy's mind even worked.
Eventually, as his head rolled back and he looked at the newly shaped wooden structure which held him in place, Jimmy realized that he might be able to escape. Not the conventional way, of course. Although the workmanship was fairly shoddy, Jimmy was pretty sure he'd be able to do better given a chance, he didn't have the leverage or the strength at the moment. What he did have was the Kraken.
Surprised that he didn't think of this earlier, and that his captors didn't seem concerned about it, Jimmy concentrated. It was harder than it had been before, his mind didn't seem to be able to focus. It kept drifting, to thoughts of Cassandra, of Steve, and of those goons. It even lingered on his mom, wondering what she was doing right now... anything but the Kraken.
"Come on, Jimmy." Gritting his teeth, he tried to rally his efforts.
He thought of the Kraken... the strange feeling of alien bodies brushing against him when he summoned it, the damp and the wet as water and other things escaped from the tattoo. He concentrated on the energy, the rage, the fear...
Yes, there it was. Jimmy tried not to grin as he felt the power building. It was stranger than he remembered it; sluggishly responding to his mental commands rather than rushing forward to solve his problems. He had the strange sensation of running through water: you know you're working your legs as hard as you can, but you just can't make yourself move faster.
But it was coming. That was the important thing.
When the energy flowing to his arm reached what Jimmy was starting to think of as its 'critical mass', he fought against a smile. He needed to stay focused... whatever the drugs did to him, they seemed to be making it harder for him to draw on his tattoo.
Almost.
Just about...
There!
Pain!
PAIN!
Searing jolts of agony crackled across his arm. He heard a popping noise like bubble wrap being sat on, and he could only watch in horror as little blisters and scorches burst into existence on his tattoo.
"Stop..." He shook his head and tried to disperse the energy he'd focused. The pain tried to force him to do the opposite, calling on him to draw more power, which in turn made things worse.
"Stop!"
Then, abruptly, it did stop. The blisters and burns didn't go away, but the crackling ended and nothing new appeared on his wounded arm. It took him a moment to realize there was laughter in the distance.
"Not the brightest, are we?" Cassandra's voice!
Jimmy didn't dignify her with a response, instead opting to let his head loll forward so he could watch her approach. She and her two guards appeared out of the darkness; she was laughing while the guards hid mean little smiles.
"You don't think this is the first time we've had one of your kind captive, do you?" When Cassandra reached Jimmy, she flicked the material of the rope that bound him to the beam. Following her finger with his gaze, Jimmy realized that there were little shapes and letters faintly visible on the surface of the rope. "We're not stupid, Jimmy."
"Oh."
"However, you are useless." Cassandra grinned. The laughter was gone, but this was almost worse... there was no kindness here, only a grim kind of humour. "So it's time to say goodbye."
Jimmy opened his mouth, but was silenced by the frighteningly audible snick of a safety being turned off. He didn't need to move his head to know that one of the guards just pointed a loaded weapon at his head.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Aside: How's My Non-English?
Added a translation widget to the page for people who stumble into here who might not necessarily speak English as a first language.
I'm not sure if it will actually be useful, though... after all, if you speak barely any English, you probaly wouldn't end up here in the first place. On the other hand, I'm not sure how high-quality the translation is, so if you speak enough English to be interested in this site, maybe the translation would actually be harder to read. If any multi-lingual readers want to comment on the quality of the translation, I'd be very interested to hear about it!
Anyway, I'm probably going to be up to resuming posting soon... sorry to keep you waiting!
I'm not sure if it will actually be useful, though... after all, if you speak barely any English, you probaly wouldn't end up here in the first place. On the other hand, I'm not sure how high-quality the translation is, so if you speak enough English to be interested in this site, maybe the translation would actually be harder to read. If any multi-lingual readers want to comment on the quality of the translation, I'd be very interested to hear about it!
Anyway, I'm probably going to be up to resuming posting soon... sorry to keep you waiting!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Aside: Where's Laura?
I haven't been feeling well these last few days, so I've been staying away from the computer. It will probably be a few days before I get around to another post.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
But, is She Lying?
Jimmy slowly returned to consciousness, fighting it every second of the way. The blackness was nice... he hadn't slept in so long, and right about now reality was pretty much the last thing he wanted to return to. In the darkness he didn't have to think about how much his body hurt, didn't have to dwell on the events of the past few days.
A hard slap told him that returning to the blackness probably wasn't allowed right now.
"Rise and shine! The sun's almost up and it's time we dealt with you." It was Cassandra's voice, but without the thin veneer of kindness. Jimmy flinched, partly from the stinging in his cheek from the slap and partly from the flinty danger in her tone.
"Unnguh..." Was about all he could manage as a response.
"I guess I dosed you a little too much." Her laughter said that she was enjoying his predicament.
As Jimmy's brain cycled up, processing his current situation, it became aware of a new source of pain. Over his time in the utility tunnels, he'd become pretty familiar with the different points of pain intruding on his life. Now there were two more things to add to that list: his shoulders. They burned with the slow ache of constant pressure, but it still took him a minute to realize that this was because he was suspended from the ceiling by his hands, his feet dangling a few inches off the ground and putting his shoulders at the mercy of the weight of the rest of his body.
"So..." Uncomfortable silence reigned for long enough that Jimmy began to grow socially uneasy, instead of just scared to death. It seemed an odd reaction in the current situation, but it was a tiny shred of normal that he could cling to.
"Do you know what kind of trouble you're in, Jimmy?"
"Umm... no, ma'am." He hadn't called anyone ma'am in a long time. Now seemed an appropriate time to start.
"First off, let's see what exactly it was that took Steve's life..."
If Jimmy'd had the abililty to move, he would have rocked backwards in shock at hearing that name. As it was, he didn't even notice her tearing away his sleeve to look at the tattoo emblazoned on his arm. Somehow, that single word, that name added to what was previously just a face and a blazing temper and turned it into a person. He hadn't killed some angry cop who was trying to kill him first. He'd killed Steve.
"I..." He didn't know what to say to that, though. What could he say?
"Ha! A summoner... no wonder they were trying to get you back so badly." Cassandra traced her finger down the length of one of the Kraken's still, lifeless tentacles. It was strange that Jimmy felt the touch of her skin on his, he'd started to think of the tattoo as something completely other than himself.
"A what?"
Cassandra shot him a look that suggested his question was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. Behind the disdain, though, Jimmy thought he could see gears turning over in her mind.
"A summoner... not a shifter. It's fairly rare, as I'm sure you know. The Tribe is severely lacking in your kind... it's not surprising that they'd go to uncommon lengths to get you back."
"I... I don't know what you're talking about..."
Cassandra continued to look at him, her eyes looking like they would bore straight through his skin and right into his mind. That continued for a long moment while Jimmy wondered if he should elaborate a little to plead his case more. At the same time, he wasn't even sure if he could speak. The intensity of her gaze held him firmly under her control.
"No... no, I guess you don't." Cassandra sighed and turned away, which brought Jimmy's attention, for the first time, to the two men who were standing behind her. They hadn't said or done anything yet, but their large frames and scarred faces suggested that they were here to get information that Cassandra couldn't. "It's a shame to think that Steve was murdered for a useless source."
"It wasn't murder." Jimmy shook his head. He so far had shied away from thinking about that word in connection with what he did. It helped. A little. "Self-defense."
"What?" Cassandra turned back, honest surprise on her features. "You think he was actually going to kill you?"
"But he..."
"He can be a bit heavy-handed, but he wouldn't just up and kill you. Especially not after arresting you." Cassandra glared at him for a moment before walking off into the shadows behind her.
The two men turned and followed her, essentially leaving Jimmy alone. Before he let the impact of what she said really sink in, he had enough time to note that he had changed locations quite drastically. He seemed to now be in an old warehouse, or something. He seemed to also be a murderer.
The cop's name was Steve.
Steve wasn't actually trying to kill him.
Jimmy tried to stifle the tears, but they came anyway. He didn't know who he was weeping for, but it didn't matter. The hot, aching streams poured down his face anyway.
A hard slap told him that returning to the blackness probably wasn't allowed right now.
"Rise and shine! The sun's almost up and it's time we dealt with you." It was Cassandra's voice, but without the thin veneer of kindness. Jimmy flinched, partly from the stinging in his cheek from the slap and partly from the flinty danger in her tone.
"Unnguh..." Was about all he could manage as a response.
"I guess I dosed you a little too much." Her laughter said that she was enjoying his predicament.
As Jimmy's brain cycled up, processing his current situation, it became aware of a new source of pain. Over his time in the utility tunnels, he'd become pretty familiar with the different points of pain intruding on his life. Now there were two more things to add to that list: his shoulders. They burned with the slow ache of constant pressure, but it still took him a minute to realize that this was because he was suspended from the ceiling by his hands, his feet dangling a few inches off the ground and putting his shoulders at the mercy of the weight of the rest of his body.
"So..." Uncomfortable silence reigned for long enough that Jimmy began to grow socially uneasy, instead of just scared to death. It seemed an odd reaction in the current situation, but it was a tiny shred of normal that he could cling to.
"Do you know what kind of trouble you're in, Jimmy?"
"Umm... no, ma'am." He hadn't called anyone ma'am in a long time. Now seemed an appropriate time to start.
"First off, let's see what exactly it was that took Steve's life..."
If Jimmy'd had the abililty to move, he would have rocked backwards in shock at hearing that name. As it was, he didn't even notice her tearing away his sleeve to look at the tattoo emblazoned on his arm. Somehow, that single word, that name added to what was previously just a face and a blazing temper and turned it into a person. He hadn't killed some angry cop who was trying to kill him first. He'd killed Steve.
"I..." He didn't know what to say to that, though. What could he say?
"Ha! A summoner... no wonder they were trying to get you back so badly." Cassandra traced her finger down the length of one of the Kraken's still, lifeless tentacles. It was strange that Jimmy felt the touch of her skin on his, he'd started to think of the tattoo as something completely other than himself.
"A what?"
Cassandra shot him a look that suggested his question was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. Behind the disdain, though, Jimmy thought he could see gears turning over in her mind.
"A summoner... not a shifter. It's fairly rare, as I'm sure you know. The Tribe is severely lacking in your kind... it's not surprising that they'd go to uncommon lengths to get you back."
"I... I don't know what you're talking about..."
Cassandra continued to look at him, her eyes looking like they would bore straight through his skin and right into his mind. That continued for a long moment while Jimmy wondered if he should elaborate a little to plead his case more. At the same time, he wasn't even sure if he could speak. The intensity of her gaze held him firmly under her control.
"No... no, I guess you don't." Cassandra sighed and turned away, which brought Jimmy's attention, for the first time, to the two men who were standing behind her. They hadn't said or done anything yet, but their large frames and scarred faces suggested that they were here to get information that Cassandra couldn't. "It's a shame to think that Steve was murdered for a useless source."
"It wasn't murder." Jimmy shook his head. He so far had shied away from thinking about that word in connection with what he did. It helped. A little. "Self-defense."
"What?" Cassandra turned back, honest surprise on her features. "You think he was actually going to kill you?"
"But he..."
"He can be a bit heavy-handed, but he wouldn't just up and kill you. Especially not after arresting you." Cassandra glared at him for a moment before walking off into the shadows behind her.
The two men turned and followed her, essentially leaving Jimmy alone. Before he let the impact of what she said really sink in, he had enough time to note that he had changed locations quite drastically. He seemed to now be in an old warehouse, or something. He seemed to also be a murderer.
The cop's name was Steve.
Steve wasn't actually trying to kill him.
Jimmy tried to stifle the tears, but they came anyway. He didn't know who he was weeping for, but it didn't matter. The hot, aching streams poured down his face anyway.
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