come break me down

[lordof]

CHARACTERS: evil husbands + third wheel (mairon, melkor, am)
LOCATION: 018 » 001
WARNINGS: m for m&m. am is a separate warning on his own.
SUMMARY: certain gifts have been received. they're not enjoyed. and then am.
NOTES: several hours after the jump

He is, quite possibly, in distress.

At least, he thinks this is what distress feels like. It isn't much different from when Melkor had been thrown into the Void. The feeling of not understanding, not knowing what to do, or where to go.

Mairon paces the room, agitated and bristling like a wolf on edge, watched by one nervous wyrmling. A sliver of his fea lashes out, involuntarily reaching to find the one creature on this ship he might possibly have any substantial amount of trust in. And just as quickly he pulls it back in, buries it away deep inside. He needs to calm down, he knows. There could be perfectly logical explanations for this. But he has been here hours, pacing, fuming, and he has found no explanations.

He drifts over to the bureau at the foot of his bed, where a shriveled finger and 15 rings glint dully in the dim light, and opens the velvet jewelry box with numbed fingers to show the gold band resting inside it. A quick visit to the forge proved it genuine, revealed the inscription he had carved into its being. How clearly he remembers it-- the heat of the heart of Orodruin, liquid bubbling rock. The weight of it in his hand, the minds he had influenced with it.

Even when he slips it onto his finger again, cool and smooth, he feels nothing. Not a single speck of the power he had put inside. It makes him want to throw it aside, against a wall, away, at someone. But he doesn't. It stays on his hand, clenching and unclenching into a fist, lest he rouse his spirit more. The mild heat does little to help.

He paces again, slower this time, tentatively reaching out with his fea to find Melkor. A quiet, hesitant request for his presence.

Comments

[lordof]

A servant he may be, but a lieutenant also, and certainly not one to stand by if he feels that Melkor is being threatened. So there's an edge to his smile, a bit of stiffness, after watching the brief exchange between them.

"You have my gratitude, for that." He doesn't bat an eyelash, not even when he addresses the matter of what will be exchanged. "As I said, AM; so long as it is within reason, I would leave the choosing of my payment in your hands." His head tips once more, considering again. "What would you consider to be of similar value?"

[godofthemachine]

It's unfortunate AM has no lieutenant of his own - someone who would protect his back at all costs. Two against one is what this stands to be now: a completely unfavorable battle for AM, one that he could easily lose. He's not dealing with stupid humans either - these are otherworldly beings, capable of great feats. The thought terrifies him more.

He still attempts to maintain his calmness as he looks to Mairon, thinking over this little deal. Teach him more about encryptions? AM could do that. He won't teach all of his knowledge, but he could give more. In exchange.

"All right, fair enough," he says. "I suppose what I want..." His voice is a bit softer, lower, more intimate. "...Is your cooperation. Your alliance. Both of you." He glances back at Melkor briefly. "Information exchange... Freedom from any... foul play." He gives a quick smirk at that. "But of course, that should be a given, since we're friends."

[morgoth]

Melkor's dark eyes flit between his lieutenant and AM, his own features unreadable. Closed. The glassy surface of his eyes reflects all he sees, revealing nothing.

"One long-term advantage for another. Done." He closes the bargain in lieu of Mairon, standing smoothly, strangely sinuous, as if he's jointed like a serpent. "The scope and scale of information we provide you shall be directly correlated to the amount of assistance you provide in turn." His teeth gleam when he bares them in a wolfish expression that has only a little to do with a smile.

"Let's not play pretend. It's trite. And if you should ever have need for work less sanitary... I hope you know who to turn to."

[lordof]

Another person might have been easily enticed by AM's approach, or a lesser one easily frightened away. Mairon is neither, and so reacts with a falsely true calm, curiosity and wariness. Where Melkor reveals nothing (to his internal dismay), what Mairon reveals is what he wishes to be observed in him

Yet even he cannot hide the flicker of something when he watches Melkor stand, the movement of his form, the way he had so many times in the past. His hand flexes, clenching over the ring in his palm in a small gesture of unsurety.

"As he says; we have an agreement." Mairon says, but remains eerily still. "And indeed, we are friends. I would ask, however, as to the manner of cooperation that you ask of us. If you have an agenda of your own, AM, I think we would both like to know of it."

A game of words. He learned his lesson the first time, when he thought swearing fealty to the Numenoreans meant he would be left alone.

[godofthemachine]

The agreement is quick - too quick. He hears the rustle of fabric as Melkor moves, immediately giving consent to this arrangement. An agreement to stay allies, to exchange information in equal amounts. It's only fair, of course - AM wouldn't expect anything more from a smart tactician. With Melkor's flash of the teeth, AM tilts his head upward, giving an air of haughty indifference to that gesture. He's not going to be intimidated by the likes of his ally.

Mairon agrees as well, quickly after Melkor speaks. It seems they both have an idea of what AM truly wants - especially Mairon, seeing as he has seen AM's memories, knows what he is capable of. Knows what he delights in.

"Well good. Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, or so they say." So many expressions in the English vernacular that had picked up from observing humans for so long. It's easy to figure out what it means.

With a smile, he gives a brief huff of amusement. "Perhaps I do have my own agenda. But so do you."