I get a little bit Genghis Khan

[vacabdication]

[ There have been continents and decades passed between when Ajay and Pagan knew each other. Happily, Ajay’s time in Kyrat to date has made Pagan very aware of at least one thing they still share; a flair for the dramatic. Such a flair is probably at least partly to blame for why it’s been night on impossible for Pagan to get a message to Ajay about meeting without Ajay dramatically disposing of the messenger. There’s the radio, of course, but Pagan doesn’t quite trust that nobody is listening in, and it wouldn’t do to have any of those delightful little monkeys decide to try and off Ajay for fraternizing with the enemy. So he lays the groundwork, plants the idea – ends one of his rambling calls with I’ll have to have you to dinner, sometime, and leaves it at that.

Then it’s terribly easy to have Ajay scooped up after those awful little tourists send him out on a jaunt on one of their experimental substances – god, a look at the two of them and it’s easy to remember why, accent aside, he is far more likely to present himself as of Hong Kong than of England – and brought back to the palace. Of course, he’s high as a bloody kite, and Pagan is rather proud of the delicacies he’s acquired for their little soiree a deux, so he has Ajay sequestered in a private room to recover. There is a fully stocked ensuite attached, which Pagan prays Ajay will use, and his clothes are filthy so Pagan has them ferreted away to be washed (and in some cases, mended) and a selection more suited to dinner with a King left for Ajay to choose from – a classic black tuxedo, a rather dashing and elaborately embroidered kurta set, several beautiful suits in an array of colours, even a selection of wonderful blazers and (please no) designer jeans, should that prove more within Ajay’s comfort zone. And, most importantly, a gilt invitation to dinner on thick, creamy-coloured card waiting for him on the bedside table when he wakes.

It might be sensible to have Ajay’s weapons removed, too. For maintenance, he could say. It would be a terrible, tragic loss if Ajay Ghale, son of Mohan and great hope of the Golden Path, were to suffer a sticky trigger while facing down a tiger, after all. But Pagan Min is not a sensible man, and so he chooses to give preference to the semi he gets thinking about an immaculately dressed Ajay vaulting the table to hold a pistol to Pagan’s temple rather than common sense.

After all, for Pagan Min to host a dull dinner would be unthinkable. ]

Comments

[vacabdication]

There we are, good boy. Marvelous. Now! I hope you don't mind eating what I believe you Americans call family style, but I wasn't sure what would be to your tastes. Just help yourself to a bit of whatever you fancy! This is a personal favourite of mine.

[ He lifts a cloche, a waft of ginger-scented steam curling out from under it as a platter of crab is revealed. ]

No rangoon this time. I didn't want to risk frightening you off again.

[vaaris]

[ it should feel patronizing when pagan calls him a good boy. insulting, at least, a little jab that reminds him that pagan is the one currently holding all of the cards. but instead, it feels...

... well, confusing enough that he's almost startled as pagan leans forward to lift the cloche.

and now it's time for his stomach to betray him with a growl as the smell of the food hits him, swallowing hard as his mouth waters. already, he's reaching out for the food like a child starving enough to have forgotten his manners --

but he flinches back at the last second, snapping another one of those wary looks at pagan. ]

... how do I know it isn't drugged?

[vacabdication]

[ Good boy wasn't intended to be patronizing - merely a slip of the tongue, though where it came from Pagan can't imagine, because when Ajay was small Pagan never said anything as unimaginative as good boy to him. The look Pagan gives him next isn't intended to be patronizing either, but it is. Pagan watches him for a moment, a look that's perilously close to pity in his eyes, and all he can hope is that it covers up the spike of hurt that surges and takes him quite by surprise. It's one thing to be fairly certain Ajay will try and kill him, one day - it's quite another to know Ajay thinks Pagan might try to kill him. ]

I would never harm you, Ajay.

[ And then, with rather more bluster: ]

Lest you forget, it wasn't anyone in my employ who drugged you to get you here. We just scooped you up, like a toy from a claw machine if Hello Kitty was heavily armed and tripping balls. And since I know you have no reason to believe me, let me point out that I'm eating it too. I've built up quite a tolerance to various things over the years, but only to things generally considered recreational.

[ And to illusrate his point, he eats. Cracking a crab claw at this point would probably seem like stalling, so he simply pops a dumpling from another plate into his mouth and chews with relish. He made sure the kitchens knew he wanted to impress, and they've certainly fulfilled the brief. ]

[vaaris]

[ i would never harm you comes out with such sincerity that pagan might as well have leaned across the table and slapped him -- ajay is left momentarily stunned in the wake of it, staring at the other man with open shock written all across his face. how can a man say something like that after sending his army out to murder him? sure, ajay has given them plenty of reason to shoot at him all on his own merit, but --

no. no fucking way. he isn't about to let himself forget that pagan stabbed someone to death with a pen right in front of him, and he sure as hell isn't going to forget about what happened to darpan. whatever game this is, he's not going to let himself forget that pagan min is dangerous.

... but fuck, if the immediate danger doesn't include poisoning him, there's no point in stubbornly holding out against the food, is there?

those first few bites are cautious, almost as if he's giving the poison time to work, but... when he doesn't drop dead? ajay tucks into the meal like he's little more than one of kyrat's starving wild dogs; he doesn't even bother loading up the plate in front of him with food, eating like he's fully expecting pagan's army to burst through the door and drag him away from the table at any moment. and at first, it's punctuated with the occasional wary look at pagan -- an abused dog bracing itself for the kick -- but fuck. it's hard to remember he's supposed to be in mortal peril when it's been this long since he's eaten and when the food is this good. ]

[vacabdication]

[ Pagan watches Ajay tuck into his food with a smile that dissolves as it goes on. When he'd mentioned it being too long since Ajay had a decent meal he's been thinking of the quality of the fare rather than the availability, but seeing the way he eats now makes Pagan realize that should probably have been a more pressing concern. It's... a little painful, actually, to watch him and wonder when the last time was that he had a proper meal at all.

Well, that's easy enough to sort. If he stays he can eat at the palace, obviously, and if he goes it would be a very easy matter to put a few men who've pissed him off recently into under-defended supply trucks and send them trundling through Golden Path areas to be stolen. It kills him to give anything to the Golden Path, but if it means Ajay will be able to keep wearing those jeans instead of having them slide off his hips, so be it. He focuses on his own food to occupy himself, deftly cracking shells and only half-draining his martini. ]

Now when last we met I got the distinct impression you don't remember any of the time you spent in Kyrat as a child, is that right? Tell me, has the scenery jogged any memories?

[vaaris]

[ at least ajay has slowed by the time pagan speaks again, which means that he's willing to tear enough of his attention away from the food to listen. and the question isn't one he's expecting, so... ]

No. I don't know how old I was when we left, but I must have been little. [ and he slides his own martini a slightly suspicious look, as if perhaps it might be hiding the poison, but... fuck. he kind of needs a little alcohol to deal with how weird this whole thing is. ] I thought maybe I'd --

[ but he slams his mouth shut so hard in the middle of that sentence that there's an audible click of teeth. nope, no way. one thing he is not going to do is sit here talking about mohan ghale with pagan min, the guy who almost definitely had him killed. ]

[vacabdication]

[ Well, that was abrupt! Not that Pagan expects anything less - there is quite the minefield laid out ahead of them. But he's wanted to talk, and he's willing to answer questions, so a show of that willing only seems appropriate, and he nods. ]

You were very small. Barely three. Well, it's a little sad that you don't remember your time here, though not surprising. But look! Here you are, back in Kyrat, carving new memories up and down the countryside.

[vaaris]

[ there's a head tilt as ajay rolls that one over -- how would pagan know how old he was when his mother fled the country? then again, it was obvious he had some kind of interest in her, and not too much of a stretch to imagine he'd had her under surveillance. ]

Yeah, it's been great. [ flatly. ] A field trip straight to hell.

[vacabdication]

Oh, do I detect a note of dissatisfaction? It does seem your adventure tourism spectacular has been very heavy on the adventure and very light on the tourism. I did imagine such a different time for you, when you arrived. Well, it's no matter now, I suppose. What's done is done. The important question now is whether we can undo some of it.

[ It's no strange matter to hear Pagan rambling away by now, surely. He's done it by radio often enough. Perhaps it's even a point of familiarity? Something to ease them into fixing this mess they're in? ]

[vaaris]

[ i did imagine such a different time for you --

and that's all it takes to make ajay stiffen in alarm, one hand twitching like he can only barely stop himself from going for his gun again. it's obvious what pagan means, isn't it? despite all that i'd never harm you bullshit, there's only one reason you invite a guy like de pleur to dinner, and it sure as hell isn't because you like the conversation.

instantly, his eyes go to the door, then the windows behind pagan, then to the urn holding his mom's ashes. and the way his jaw clenches is noticeable, frustrated that there's no clear path of escape. fuck. fuck. another skittering look at the door, like he's afraid de pleur is going to come strolling through any second -- ]

You can try. [ through gritted teeth. are the knives sharp enough for him to throw? that might take out some of the guards. ] But don't fool yourself into thinking it's gonna be easy.

[vacabdication]

[ It's not constructive, but Pagan sighs. He has never lifted a finger against Ajay! And yes, his army may try to shoot Ajay from time to time, but to be perfectly fair to them Ajay is usually in the process of shooting them first. He can hardly tell his men not to fight back when they're -

wait.

Yes he can. He's the fucking king. He fishes his phone out of his pocket, makes a call. ]

Hello, yes, new orders. New, very important orders. Strictly hands-off on Ajay Ghale. He is not to be touched. Yes, that Ajay Ghale. No, not even if he shoots first! Anyone who shoots at him will be executed.

[ No need to draw it out. He hangs up, turns his phone off, and drops it into the gravy boat just to ensure he won't be called back, then steeples his hands in front of himself. ]

I don't know how to prove to you I mean what I say. And I only ever say what I mean. Perhaps we can start with this: you, I suspect, have questions. I have answers. You can ask, or you can finish your meal, or you can walk out of here at any time. Although I might give it five minutes on that last one, give it time for the order to filter down. But you are free to go.

[vaaris]

[ well.

now ajay is all but frozen, staring at pagan as if the man had suddenly sprouted wings to accompany that second head he'd grown earlier. it takes effort for him to remember to close his mouth again, and for a long moment, that's all he's capable of.

... but. ]

... you're not turning me over to De Pleur? [ guarded, cautious, dark eyes still flicking uncertainly to the doorway. ]

[vacabdication]

Never. Never. Ajay, I may have had difficulty convincing the army not to fire back, but Paul knows better than to ever lay a hand on you. De Pleur is... a very unfortunate means to an end. And not one I would ever employ with you.

It's become clear to me in the time since we parted ways that you've been under the impression that when you got off that bus, I was trying to abduct you. Whereas I rather thought I was picking you up. A small seed of misunderstanding from which an entire forest of fuckery has grown.

[vaaris]

[ why the fuck does he want to believe him

the food was drugged. it had to be. with some kind of weird belief serum. ]

You shot up my bus. And then you killed a guy. With a pen.

That's how you pick people up?

[vacabdication]

Not my finest moment, I'll admit. My temper got the better of me, because a man to whom I have given one very specific job had just got it wrong in almost the worst way possible. There I was, eagerly waiting the arrival of a boy I hadn't seen since he was a toddler, now a grown man, and that fucking muppet shot up the bus he was on.

I should, perhaps, regret my actions more than I do. I'm selfishly more concerned with the outcome.

[vaaris]

[ wait, actually -- that sort of rings a bell. granted, the whole thing with the pen had kicked ajay over into a tunnel vision of shock, but hadn't pagan been ranting something about that? at least, it rings true enough that ajay can't just dismiss it outright, and. ]

Why do you care? [ he blurts it out, confused and halfway to overwhelmed. ] I know you had some kind of creepy obsession with my mom, but --

[vacabdication]

[ Creepy? Ouch. Well, it would be painted that way by the Golden Path, certainly. The Tarun Matara and their most reviled enemy? What else could it possibly be? ]

Your mother was sent here, to me. As a spy, initially, though she later chose to remain of her own accord. And the key piece to making that ruse believable was the presence of her infant son.

You lived here for nearly two years, Ajay. I can show you the room that used to be yours, if you want to see it. Photographs. I think there may even be a home movie or two.

[vaaris]

Sent here? To you?

[ no fucking way. pagan is crazy, dangerous, and that's now. how much worse must he have been back in his prime? it's not someone you sent an unarmed woman and her child to spy on, no fucking way.

but when pagan's face doesn't immediately crack into an aw shucks grin that reveals the whole thing to be some kind of joke, the doubt creeps back in. ]

Who --? [ but there can really only be one answer. and his mind slams shut on the possibility as soon as it surfaces, punctuated by a hard shake of his head. ] No.

Is this your way of getting me to turn on the Golden Path? [ standing up suddenly, the chair screeching as it gets shoved abruptly backwards. ] Kidnapping me, feeding me, telling me a bunch of bullshit?

[vacabdication]

Heavens, no. You were always very eager to please as a child. Make somebody laugh once and you'd dedicate days to repeating it. Your mother gave me hell for how hard I laughed when you repeated one of the gardeners saying bhenchod. No, I don't imagine you'll turn from the Golden Path until they stop dramatically demonstrating how much they need you. But I'll be here. When the time comes, when you understand everything that happened, I'll be here. You may still want to kill me, and you may well have earned that, but for god's sake don't do it uninformed. Don't do it for somebody else.

[ It's a shame he put his phone in the gravy. He could have called someone to bring the photo albums. Well, it's less convincing, as Pagan isn't in the picture to show togetherness, but he takes his pen box from his pocket and lays out the contents. Turns the pen so the engraving faces up, towards Ajay:

For you, my love
Ishwari

and the picture tucked into the box - Ishwari Ghale, cradling a small boy in her arms. ]

I have carried you beside my heart for years, Ajay Ghale. I can wait a little longer.

[vaaris]

[ what

the

fuck

ajay is distantly aware that the thundering in his head is the roar of his own pulse, nearly loud enough to drown out the unsteady hitch of his own breathing. no, no -- he knew his mother, and she wasn't the type of person to fall in love with a dictator. she wouldn't even let him turn the news on in the house because of how much it hurt her to hear about people she didn't know suffering in places she'd never been; there's no way she could have turned her back on all the pain pagan caused here.

what about mohan? and if she'd loved pagan, why would she have run from him? ]

You're lying. [ but it's weak, as shaky as the ground underneath his feet, and his denial doesn't make the inscription on that pen go away, doesn't cause the picture beside it to fade. he has a sudden, childish urge to reach out and shove the box away, but his hands won't listen to him -- instead, his knees go out from under him all at once, and it's luck and little else that his chair is still close enough for him to slump into. ] You're --

She would have told me. [ and it comes out raw, wounded. ]

[vacabdication]

There's a selfish part of me that hoped she might have. I did hope there was still room for me in her heart, after everything that happened. But I'm not surprised that she didn't. Frankly I'm surprised she spoke to you about Kyrat at all. It was a hard road that brought us together, our little family, and a far harder one that led her away.

[ Well. That's dinner ruined. And Pagan would very much like another drink, or perhaps a line, but there's time enough for that. Right now, he has a more pressing concern. ]

Ajay. Would you like me to take you to Lakshmana?

[vaaris]

[ he's been slowly slouching forward, almost curling in on himself, but the question makes him snap his head back up. the look he gives pagan is half-wild -- a stray animal presented with an offered hand, not sure whether to bite or bark or flee -- but then his eyes slide towards the urn with his mother's ashes, and it's like something there breaks all over again.

finding lakshmana means leaving her. it means goodbye. ]

I --

[vacabdication]

[ Oh, it's hard. Too hard, suddenly. More than he can bear. It's not hard to follow the line of Ajay's gaze to the urn, and suddenly there's a tight ache in Pagan's chest where he's fairly certain he used to have a heart. It's foolish - quite the stupidest thing he's done since agreeing to De Pleur's enthusiastic I wanna meet this kid - but Pagan pushes out of his chair, walks to Ajay's, and gathers him up in a hug.

Perhaps, if he's very lucky, the internal conflict will be enough to distract Ajay from killing him. ]

[vaaris]

[ he's so wrapped up in his head that he doesn't even notice when pagan closes the distance between them, but that first bit of physical contact makes him jolt. he's an electric livewire of tension, practically vibrating with all the pent-up potential to move within him. he could shove pagan away from him, he could fumble for the kukri still strapped to his thigh, he could -- ]

Don't. [ but it's a rasp, and a direct contrast to the way his hands come up to grip at the lapels of pagan's jacket. ]

[vacabdication]

It's alright. You don't have to decide now.

[ She's a hard woman to let go of. Pagan knows, and he only had her in his life for a couple of years. Ajay had her as his whole world for much longer. And though Ajay's words are pretty clear Pagan chooses to listen to his hands instead, doesn't move. Keeps holding him, the way he's ached to. ]