and
Hmm. These figures must be faulty. Jury ponders, running her eye across the sheet of paper for the third time. She has procured a report of the town’s stocks for herself, the officious pony preferring to keep a large library of up-to-date documents for every eventuality. One trend she had been expecting to see, though, was resolutely not materialising. Alcoholic beverage consumption had hardly fallen at all over the past while; very strange, considering the most voracious drinker in the fort should not have been getting his hooves on any.
Who did Virtue assign as guards to the dungeon, anyway? Surely none of them would contravene my explicit orders? I shall have to check with Partisan; perhaps he can shed more light on this matter. With that, the purple mare hops off her seat, letting the sheaf of documents she has been rifling through fall to the desk, and opens the door just in time to see Partisan’s distinctive silvery tail and rear end disappear from view, the guard captain heading in the direction of the keep.
Hmm.Partisan himself was rushing, knowing he was later than usual in performing his usual ‘duties’. He didn’t want to fly, or it might perk up Indigo’s ears, or worse. That and, this would be considered illegal in Jury’s eyes.
One more thing I am hiding from her. He thought disgusted him. Hiding things from his own could-be mate. That is not something he should do. Ever. If he does decide to wed her, he will have to tell her everything, including Jaxlers file.
If He noticed that he was slowing down again and began his rush again, until he reached the Food storage area.
The food stockpile? Is he planning another one of those...candlelit dinners? Jury smiles, more curious than ever, the matter of the alcohol mystery falling to the back of her mind. She simply
had to see what was going on, now. She flattens herself against the wall of the nearest building, ignoring the curious looks from passers-by. When Partisan came back out of the hall, she would see him and continue following.
Looking around, he noted every choice he had.
Carrot juice, non-alcoholic. Strawberry wine, too strong. This is just to keep him sane and alive. Apple cider, perfect. And with that, pulled the selected barrel and carefully poured some into a smaller jug.
That should be enough. Satisfied, he quickly made his exit in the direction of the well. “Maybe I’ll. . .” his words caught themselves in his throat.
I need to work on my saying my thoughts out loud.Seeing the black pegasus reemerge, Jury quickly scoots round the edge of the building, trotting as stealthily as she can along after him.
Where is he going with that, hmm? That is not the way to his office...The well felt like it was on the complete other side of fort and rushing there tired him out a bit. Partisan wished he could just fly there, but, looks were still quite important. Hidden in a nearby bush (assuming the well is outside the fort) was a barrel. That barrel was put there recently to keep it from getting dirty, but, he still checked it and cleaned it out anyway. That took a long while, aside from filling it up most of the way with water. When he was done, though, he just dumped all the cider into the barrel and hoisted it on his back.
Now to the cell. and off he went
With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Jury watches the proceedings from a fair distance away, making sure to stay concealed as best she could. Her own intelligence is leading her to conclusions she, frankly, doesn’t want to even consider, but rather than back out and pretend she hasn’t seen anything, she continues to shadow Partisan. Watered-down cider had very few uses, but she could think of one in particular that really,
really made her hope she was wrong.
If it were anypony else...I hope he is doing something, anything other than what I think he might be doing...Reaching the prison cells was back breaking work. Partisan shrugged off his heavy load as soon as he reached where the barrels of water were stored for Jaxler. They were of different sizes. Some pure water and some mixed, though Partisan could not tell which fit which category without test tasting.
I better get back to my room before Jury finishes with her work. If she saw me here, she would be furious And that was his thought process during his calm stroll back to his office. At the door, he started to knock, and remembered, for the thousandth time, that she would not be inside. With a slightly depressed sigh, he opened up the door slowly.
Meanwhile, after Partisan had left, Jury was examining the barrels one by one, carefully opening each of them in turn and testing them. A sizable portion of them are clearly alcoholic, some even strong enough to be almost like a pure alcoholic beverage. Her face twists in anger, an intense feeling of betrayal welling up inside her as well. Jury knew full well most of the ponies in Dawnpick would happily disregard her orders, that was a given, considering how she treated them. But Partisan...she had
trusted him. Trusted him to do his duty, trusted him to adhere to her wishes, and this is what she got for it? Betrayal and sadness war briefly with feelings of anger and rage, and rather than storming straight to Partisan’s office in a state of incandescent rage, Jury simply seems to deflate, feeling crushed. Using her magic, she bores holes in all the barrels, letting them drain onto the floor as she walks home, her head bowed in dejection.
IOh, Partisan...(several days later)
Partisan raced his way to Jury’s office.
Who would have done such a thing? Who is twisted enough to try and purposefully kill him?He had finally decided to visit Jaxler and officially apologize to him for what he had done when he noticed that the floor smelt of strong liquor and other forms of booze. When he went into the water storage room, though the floor was dry, there visible holes in some of them. The only thing he could think of at the time was to tell Jury so she could help him start a formal investigation
But now at the door, knocking with urgency, Partisan wasn't so sure that it was the best idea to get her involved.
"Who is it?" calls Jury, sounding bored. Paperwork was much less fun without Partisan, she has discovered, but lately she would rather the guard captain simply disappeared off the face of the world rather than do anything with her, paperwork or otherwise. She would just keep intercepting the spiked barrels, and that would be that. Better that than have to confront the one pony in this town whom she actually liked.
“Partisan.” He said as he opened the door. Or, tried to, at least It seemed to have been locked.
“I need to talk to you about something important.” Something felt off in his head, but he just couldn't place it. Jury’s door was never locked before.
Important? I will show him important! fumes Jury, the mere sound of that traitorous, deceitful bastard's voice getting her all worked up again. "Come IN!" she yells, irate, ripping the door open despite the lock with an anger-empowered telekinetic pull.
Partisan stumbled in sheepishly. She was angry. Very angry.
I think she found Jaxlers papers. He had a guilty look on his face that he could not hide. “You're mad.” He said in the most matter of fact way he could muster. She could get flustered sometimes, even happy, but he has never seen her angry. Not like this. And now he had a front row seat to her wrath.
"Mad? Partisan, I am not
mad; I am
furious." Jury hisses in a deathly cold voice. "I thought you cared!" she accuses, rising to her hooves. "I thought you
cared, Partisan, about your job, but while I expected some ponies to try it, never did I suspect
you would be smuggling alcohol to Jaxler, against my explicit orders that he be forbidden it!
Why? Answer me, you corrupt, conniving cur! And what else are you hiding from me, you pathetic excuse for a guard captain? WHY?" Her voice rises into a full shout, rage and hurt at his betrayal evident in every syllable, the papers she has been reading through unconsciously crushed into a ball in her fury.
The fact that Jury still didn’t know about Jaxler’s files, yet, would have been a relief in itself if it weren't for the fact that she was now questioning whether or not he had been hiding anything else from her. Partisan though he knew her well, but this kind of reaction. The guilt he felt from her words began piling up as he realized how much he actually hurt her. He had to tell her everything, and soon. But one fact remained, he didn’t want to tell her about Jaxler “I did it
because I care. I don’t want you to have th-”
“You are an utterly useless, unfit guard captain! I thought you, of all ponies, would understand! I thought you, of all ponies, would have actually tried to enforce the terms attached to Jaxler’s imprisonment, but instead I find even the p- even
you are as corrupt, debased, and utterly- utterly
scummy as the rest of them! I
explicitly said no alcohol for that mindless, disgusting thug, and while I expected that some ponies would naturally try to flout that rule, I also expected that you, as captain of the guard, would have had the moral integrity to marshal yourself and your subordinates and try to
put a stop to the smuggling, not to actively
aid it!
Why? Is the comfort of a violent criminal more important to you than- you
disgust me!” Jury rants, practically screaming at Partisan, apoplectic with rage as she stalks round her desk, moving right up in front of the pegasus. “I thought you were different, but you are just like all the others. Deceitful and corrupt. You did it because you care? Care about what? Nothing other than your own pathetic wishes, or those of an unrepentant criminal. Certainly not mine, Partisan, whether as a- a friend, or as a judge. That much is clear.”
“I DON’T WANT YOU TO
KILL HIM!” His voice rang loud enough to echo through the hall. “I know you may have sentence ponies to their death before, but have you ever watched one die yourself?” His voice dropped as quickly as it rose. “I don’t want you to have to see that. That why I was trying to
wean that idiot off of booze. If you were to pull it away, like you did, he would die within the week. I didn’t want you to be responsible for that. No. I will not have you responsible for
any deaths here.”
“Why oh
why are you so dense? There is zero, none, nada,
no chance of him
dying just because he is not getting any of his precious booze to relax with; if anything I am doing the scumbag a
favour and improving his health by punishing him so! I do not believe a word of it, Partisan; and even if I did, why, WHY did you not approach me directly? And here-” she abruptly throws a stack of papers at him, forcing him to reflexively catch it - “look at these. Tell me what you see, or did you already know about this? Somehow, I imagine that might be true! Judging by these figures, either the rest of the town has stepped up their drinking to accomodate the deficit left by his imprisonment or huge amounts of drink are being smuggled into him; much more than you have been putting in the water supply! DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS?” Jury yells, nowhere near done yet. “Answer me!”
Partisan first rushed over the papers, but noted one odd correlation between the graphs for this year and the ones for last year. There was not a discrete drop, as though one or two ponies were doing jaxler a service, but a slight increase in the amount of alcohol being consumed in all of Dawnpick. It was as though Jaxler, their largest wasn’t even imprisoned, but on a binge.
“No, I knew nothing about this.” There was no way that he could convince her that he was telling the truth, and he knew that.
“And I didn’t approach you directly because. . .” his words found themselves caught in his throat, “because I was sure you would get. . . like this.”
“Damn it, Partisan! You have made things a thousand times worse by going behind my back, I assure you!” Jury turns away, pacing back over to her desk and rifling through a few more papers. “He is
not getting a cushy, booze-saturated nine months in prison, that I can assure you. Either you will work with me on shutting this smuggling down, or I am going over your head about it; is that clear? You
will submit to my authority; as an agent of the Crown my sanctions issued and all conditions attached are
final!”
“I. . .” Partisan paused and decided that it was better for his relationship with her to submit.
“Understood. I will start the investigation right away. And I will keep no more secrets from you.”
Starting with the one that nobody knows about. Not even Virtue.“Just give me some time to regain your trust.” Partisan left his head low, not daring to look into Jury’s eyes.
“You will have quite a job doing that,” snaps the irate mare, sitting back down in front of her desk. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but she refuses to let her icy demeanour slip. Feelings of personal hurt and betrayal could take a back seat to the more professional side of the matter, for now. “Quite a job indeed. Now get out of my sight.”
Partisan left wordlessly. He had a job to do. Jury wanted him to stop the smuggling of liquor for Jaxler, and, by his own words, he will do it. He had to earn back her trust. One flame still burned in his mind, though. When he said he would not have Jury ever take the blame for thoughtless pony-slaughter, he meant it. He had enough of death himself, and he did not want her to feel the pressure that it can bring. To that end, he was determined to find a way to prove to her that Jaxler needed the bare minimum to survive. At least for now.
and
(No more than half an hour after Being confronted by Jury)
Partisan thanked Panacea for her time and rolled the papers she gave him in with the other papers in his bag. Leaving out he spotted Kat.
Kat was, indeed, rather bored. She’s not on duty at the moment and there’s not many things to do, and all the other ponies are busy. So she’s just, sitting there, in her casual dress and hat, watching the clouds and letting her mind flow free.
Still tender from his “talk” with Jury, he felt as though he should talk to her.
After all, it was my judgement that brought her there in the first place. That reasoning had stuck with him ever since he was awakened by Indigo the day of Jaxlers arrest.
“How are you feeling?” He asked as he slowly walked up to her.
Kat perk up her ears and quickly shot up to her hooves with a quick salute instinctively when she hear Partisan’s voice, “I’m, um.. Fine, Captain. You?” she replied before slowly lowering her hoof.
Partisan had to admit, he was so use to her being in armor and mane back, that she caught him off guard.
“Well,” he coughed out before catching himself, “I. . . could be better. Jury is having me look into ponies giving Jaxler booze. According to his sentencing, he is to have nothing but water.” The thought of the consequences of that made him sigh. “And though I agree with why, Jaxler is a well known addict. That means he can suffer from withdrawal. And for such a heavy addiction as his. . .” He chose not to finish his sentence. The thought alone was making him depressed.
I don’t want her to face that.“Ah..” Kat replied with a nod “I.. can imagine how bad the withdrawal could be.” she said, sighing slightly before sitting back down, tucking her legs back to herself.
Partisan sat down next to her and looked up. He knew that she didn’t like Jaxler very much, but she didn’t seem to like the possible outcome herself.
I should be there to here, cheering her up, not being depressing.“We shouldn't really be talking about such depressing things. Sorry. What are you looking at?”
Kat beam her captain a smile at his apology, “It’s okay Captain. And, I was looking for a cloud that I could shape into something. The sky’s been awfully boring lately, Maybe I’ll make a cloud formation or something. Something to do when there’s nothing to do you know?” Kat answered. Pondering what to do with that one particular cloud.
Partisan thought about it himself and found that he could only settle on one thing.
“Why not shape it into a loved one. . . or maybe just a heart.” He said something after that, but it came out very rough and mumbled. It was almost completely indecipherable, though the words “you care for” could be heard.
“hmm.. that’s not a bad Idea.” Kat nodded with a smile. “Who or what would you shape it into?” She asked, wondering if her captain would like to join her in her cloud-shaping hobby.
Partisan was reluctant to mention who he wanted in the clouds, only because he knew that their current relationship was a secret, if it still existed.
“I am none too sure. There is this one tourmaline I have seen lately. I am thinking of buying it, but, I am none too sure about it anymore. But it is really quite A sight to behold. I might make that. Or you guys. You guys have always been there for me.”
Yah, thats right. We have been through so much together haven’t we.Kat d’awwwd at that, beaming happily “Aww.. you’re so sweet Captain.” She said.
“I. . .” Partisan blushed from the praise. something he hasn't done in a long time. And then it hit him. He was feeling better. He wasn’t beaming with joy, but, he felt content.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcomed..” Kat said with a smile, She wasn’t sure what Partisan thanked her for, but she guess it was a good thing anyway. “Anything to help, Captain. So! want to shape the clouds with me?”
“I would, but Jury would have my flank if I delay the investigation any longer.” With that, Partisan stood and saluted out of habit. When she returned the action, though, he gave her a hug instead, which was cut short in a moment of embarrassment. He opened his mouth to apologize, but ran off without a word.
Kat blushed as well from the hug, confused to see her captain blushing and running away.. but then simply smile and sits back down again, watching the male pegasus trotting away.
,
,
, and
Partisan packed away his files neatly and placed the newly written sheet of paper on his desk. Jury was never really one to like mess and clutter. In fact, it was the only reason why he didn’t have his piles like in the old days.
I hope this works. He thought to himself as he shut the door of his office, not bothering to lock it. It would be opened in less than thirty minutes anyway.
If he plans this correctly.
Partisan made his slow trek to Jury. It had been days since they last spoke. And, now that he had what she asked him to bring her, he could break the silence.
Hearing the knock on the door, Jury scowls even more at the papers she’s holding, tossing them to the side decisively. Only one pony knocked on her door like that, and she still doesn’t feel like seeing him. Nevertheless, she has to remain professional; he
was the closest thing she had to a coworker, after all, and the town’s legal department could not be thrown into disarray just because of personal issues.
“Come in!” she calls, in a deeply unamused-sounding voice.
“I have the list of suspects you wanted me to find.” Partisan spoke as he opened the door. Just wide enough to get in and quickly close it.
“I also thought it would be appropriate to write up an arrest warrant for all known perpetrators. Acting against a judge's verdict is punishable by a minimum of a weeks Jail time, if I remember correctly.” With that, he handed her a small stack of papers. Each one had the names of ponies, including himself, who have been in and out of that room for the past month, their reason for being there, and why they were suspected. And under the stack, was an arrest warrant for only one pony.
Jury flicks through the sheaf briefly, running a bored eye over each of them in turn before coming to the last page, the arrest warrant.
“Partisan,” she begins slowly, before cutting herself off. He was right
again, as usual; she had seen him guilty with her own eyes, and as he had apparently not managed to prove his point about Jaxler evidently “needing” alcohol...
Suddenly unable to meet the pegasus’ gaze, she practically slashes at the parchment with her quill, scribbling a hasty signature to authorise the document.
“Before I go take this to Kat, I wanted to catch up. Its been days since we last spoke. Even after the ‘Moral’ incident, you chose to send a runner to me instead of see me face to face. And, well, I rather not leave until I have
really spoken to you.” Partisan did not rehearse his words, but in his mind on the way there. He knew that it would be a while until they next spoke. He didn’t want to leave her just yet.
The purple mare narrows her eyes as she glares at Partisan, hesitant and suspicious.
Sign his arrest warrant then have a friendly chat? He is up to something.“Well then, speak to me and have done with it,” she replies brusquely, her gaze piercing him.
That was the look in her eyes that he expected. Strong. Fierce. Cautious. The reason why he asked her out in the first place. He looked directly into those emerald orbs.
I wish I could give you gems as beautiful as the ones you already have.“How are things?” He asked, no longer sure of what he really had planned on saying.
“
Things are subpar, Partisan, as you can no doubt tell. Very much so.” Jury replies briefly, still wondering what the guard captain was up to. Something was off.
“Yes, I know. And I am very sorry about that. But, we should talk about that later. Right now, it might be a bit easier if we talk about events. Li-” His words cut short as an internal alarm ran off in his head. He was about to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Plus, it was time for him to leave.
“I guess I won’t get to catch up with you. I have a sentencing to deliver. Before I leave, I should tell you, though. You should go to my office. I left something important there that you would need. Also, the commitment to my promise of not hiding anything from you ever again.” With that, Partisan grabbed the warrant and rushed out. Only the sarcastic though of his
smooth words to keep him company on his way to Kat.
She watches him go with an impassive expression, stony-faced behind her desk up until about fifteen seconds after Partisan has left, whereupon she blasts all the sheets of paper off her desk, hurling a couple of books at the wall in a tantrum for good measure. She never thought she'd ever not enjoy passing sentence, let alone actively hate it, but here she finds herself getting upset over just such a thing.
Damn it! If only that fool had just left that cur to thirst for his precious alcohol than given in! I thought they were friends no longer, but...Unable to even think coherently any more, such is her fury, she practically rips the door from its hinges, snapping it wide open and slamming it violently behind her as she storms out, heading straight for Partisan's office in hopes of finding some answers to this mess. Abusing Partisan's door in the same manner as her own, Jury picks up the uppermost paper on his desk, reading the note she finds there with a raised eyebrow:
Jury,
Lower cabinet, reach in the back, pull out the box there.
00C957
Partisan.Curiosity now totally piqued, Jury does as instructed, placing the small wooden box on the tabletop and deftly unlocking it. Inside, she finds...more papers. Lots of papers; a huge stack of crumpled, slightly yellowed parchment with two much fresher pieces on top.
What is all this? How much was he hiding, and what?She starts reading through the entire sheaf, or at least she intends to, but after finishing the second piece of new paper Jury leaves the box to one side, grabbing both in her magic and galloping out of the room, barely remembering to lock the door behind her.
Partisan walked into the barracks, calmly. it was difficult to make it seem like nothing was out of the ordinary.
“We have another arrest warrant to take care of Kat” He said, barely keeping his face calm.
I hope she doesn’t complain about this.Kat perk up her ears as she hears her captain entering, Saluting him along with Kit as well as they were just practicing using the crossbows as hammers. “Another warrant, Captain?” she asked for confirmation, curious as who they’re going to arrest again.
“Yes,” he answered as he tossed his pack over to them, “also your stance is wrong, Kit. Your legs need to be farther apart. If you get hit like that, you will be knocked right over. If Jaxler was here, you would learn that lesson the hard way.” He then motioned for them to stop, and look in the bag.
Kit squeaked and nods, blushing slightly “Um.. s-sorry Captain..” She said nervously, but Thankful that he corrected her without having to knock her over. Kat watches in interest to see what’s Partisan got for them today. “Who is it this time Captain?” She asked. Curious as always.
“It’s all in the bag. This is Kat’s assignment, though.” He turned his head to her as he spoke. This might be his last lecture for a while.
“As second in command, you will be called upon to make tough choices if I am indisposed or unable to perform my duties. So, you will need to be ready to defend your friends and family, and uphold the law. Open the bag and read what’s in it.”
Kat was beginning to feel cautious, but she opened the bag non-the-less and begin to read what’s in it. Kit was sure to give her sister the space since it seems to be her thing to do at the moment.
Partisan watched as her eyes went wide. Almost like when he himself when he had hugged her much earlier.
“So, are you ready to do what needs to be done?”
“Well.. can I ask why first?” Kat asked. Still quite unsure in this whole ordeal. Kit just seems confused.
Partisan sighed. With the exhale of his breath went the hope of Kat putting the two things together.
“Remember when I told you that I was doing the investigation for Jury. She wanted all known offenders of the violation to be persecuted. So I did my job.”
“So.. you’re.. arresting yourself?” Kat asked, unable to quite process that in her mind. Kit was even more confused.
“I did my job.” He repeated himself a second time, hoping she would get the message. ‘I expect you to do the same.’
“wait wait wait, hold on for a second.” Kat said waving a hoof, then rubs it at her forehead “so, let me get this straight. you did your job, and that, somehow, calls for you to be arrested, and so with a warrant as well, you come over to me and want me to arrest you, Am I getting this correct?”
“Basically. I broke a law. I was wrong for that, and the situation required my arrest because of it. As second in command, your duty is to fill in where the Captain cannot. I cannot place myself in the cell, so you must.”
After getting it cleared, Kat just shrugs “Well, alright Captain. You want me to shackle you too?” she asked, eyeing the cuffs just in case he wanted it aswell. Not that much bothered by the fact that she’s going to have to arrest her superior.
“This is your show, not mine. It is up to your best judgement on how you want to handle this.”
Partisan was trying his best not to take over. She was handling the situation quite well. Much better than he would.
“Well. Alright then Captain, I’ll just cuff you just in case, I mean, If I were to just walk you to the jail and put you in there you could’ve easily just buck me in the face and fly away. Or shoot me, oh the possibilities are endless. Until I cuffs you, maybe tie your wings together, and disarm you. Nothing personal yeah captain? I like you and all that but, procedures. You know how it goes.” Kat said with a little shrug, Of course she liked Partisan and she didn’t want to do this to him, but hey! Duty calls. what can you say?
Partisan said nothing, but slowly moved in close so she could do as she said she would. it was a long procedure, and the weights on the chains were a lot heavier than he though. His slightly bloodied cutie mark of a curved spear showed clear than it ever did before, and that concerned him. But there was nothing he could do about it.
“So, can we go?”
The door is flung open violently, and Jury gallops inside, a document and a small box carried magically behind her.
"Partisan! What are you doing, you idiot! You had this statement from Panacea in that chest of yours all along! Get those chains off him, you two idiots!" The unicorn's face is flushed, clearly out of breath and near the end of her tether. Somepony, namely her, had made a big mistake, and at last she begins to see what Partisan might have been up to.
Kit squeaked at being called an Idiot even though she didn’t do anything at all, Kat was less than joyful at her new nickname by the judge. “right then.” She said. She’s more annoyed by the fact that the Unicorn couldn’t have had burst in earlier before they’re done with everything, but isn’t complaining as she began to undo the chains and ropes. Kit had to help.
“Really? That is what caught your attention first?” This confused him more than Jury actually considering allowing Jaxler to have any booze during his sentencing.
“You didn't see the one abo-”
"The one about what? Never mind, Partisan; this document exonerates you, you fool! You must have known that! If Panacea, as a certified medical doctor, says that at least some supply of alcohol is necessary then- then...Partisan, I am waiving all charges unconditionally!" Jury shoves the document towards him, keeping the box by her side.
“Wasn’t there another paper with the document? Oh forget it. let me make you dinner to make up. . .” His voice trailed off as he realized that they weren't alone, and he turned to the other two, trying to think of some way of explaining.
Kit dropped her Jaw while Kat gives them a knowing look and smile. Patting her captain on the shoulder, “Have fun, Partisan.” Kat said with a little chuckle.
That went much easier than he could ever hope for. At least, that’s what he thought, until he turned back to see the unamused face Jury was giving him.
“Err. I am going to run along, now. I have an angry mare to appease.”
Kat couldn’t help but to chuckle at her captain’s awkwardness, “of course you do. Go on! don’t keep her waiting!” she said as she sends Partisan away to confront his angry marefriend.. What a surprise, Partisan and Jury? Who would’ve thought.
Partisan and Jury walked to his office together. Not that he could complain, they never got the opportunity to do that before, and, after two years of dating, it was nice.
“Did you get the um. . . . Paper for the. . . . “ And after two years, he still found himself hung up on words when around her.
"Paper for this?" she inquires, opening the box to reveal the emerald ring nestled inside. "Yes, Partisan, I did." Jury gazes searchingly at him as she opens his office door, ushering him inside with an unreadable expression.
“Great.” He tried to force out the proper words, still stuck between his brain and his throat.
Please don't make me do this again. And after two years, she hasn’t made easier for him to do so, even though he knew she knew what he was trying to say. Partisan took in a deep breath.
“Jury.”
"Yes?" she replies, still holding the ring and box before him, looking mildly amused now that everything is starting to make sense. "You really are a horrible pony, Partisan, manipulating me like that. You
knew that document was in there, you put it there yourself, and you must have known how Panacea's statement there would wholly excuse what you did." She shakes her head in disbelief, a very slight smile on her face.
“I had to prove to you that I was doing what I did from good intentions. That I wasn’t being corrupt. if I didn’t, I couldn’t ask you this question. . .” Partisan choked on his words again, but this time he tried to play it off.
“I had been thinking about this for a while and well. . . The last few days have affirmed how I feel about you. I never wanted to see you disappointed by me again, so, along with my vow never to hide a secret from you again, I made an internal vow to make right my wrong. and, this was the only way I could see it getting d-”
"What was the only way? Speak up, Partisan, you silly foal." she teased mercilessly, waving the box around gently.
“Marry me.” His words came out more rushed than than clear. He wasn’t sure if it was the best move he could make, Jury wasn’t liked, and, if she wanted to keep their union a secret, it would only make it harder, but, this was the choice he wanted.
Jury nearly drops the box, caught completely off guard. "You- what? I thought- this is more than just a gift? Partisan, I- are you sure? I mean- nopony has ever..." She looks at him with newfound awe, viridian eyes wide.
His catching her in shock restored a small portion of his confidence.
“If you don’t think I am, then make me sure. Marry me.” Words clear and calm. He made it a command, this time, than a question. He looked right in her eyes and took one of her hoofs in both of his.
“I want you to make me sure that this is the best decision that I have ever made. I want to make sure that I never bring you disappointment again. I want you to be a permanent part of my life, so marry me.”
Jury stares at him, dumbstruck, before taking the ring out of the box and throwing the now-useless container aside, where it clatters to the floor. "Partisan...really? Not many ponies would even so much as nod to me in the street, are you- I accept, of course I accept!" She just lets Partisan hold her hoof, still slightly in shock.
Partisan held her hoof, beaming like a drunken pony.
Drunken. That reminds me.“Then let's celebrate. Remember that cider we had when we first met?”
"You have more?" Jury asks, slowly coming back down to earth. "How much more?"
“Another barrel. It takes, about a year to get to full strength. if you want, we can skip dinner tonight and get straight to the drinks. We have a lot of planning to do in the morning.”
“I think that is a very good idea, Partisan. A very, very good idea.”
Author
Topic: Dawnpick (My Little Fortress) (Read 225260 times)