Coal fell to the ground with a loud thud. He spat at the floor, blood mixing with his spit.
"You know, this would be a lot easier if you just told us what we want to know," Prickle commented. Coal grinned cheekily.
"Never." he insisted, a mad smile on his face. His brothers exchanged a glance before winding up to strike him again.
Elsewhere....
Firefly paced, chewing nervously at the ends of her talons. It had been weeks since Coal had traded himself for her, and she hadn't heard a thing. But no news was good news, right? But then again, the Sting wasn't likely to send a postcard in the mail informing her that he was dead. This unknowing feeling was eating away at her. Squelch and Adobe had been filled in on what was happening, and they were trying their best to help. But it wasn't easy. Firefly barely spoke, and she ate even less than she talked. She would mostly just pace with various expressions on her face, or stare at a scroll, not even bothering to read the words. Adobe tried to explain, insisting that this wasn't good for her, that she needed to take care of herself, but her pleas fell upon deaf ears. Despite what they thought, Firefly was listening. She was taking their concerns seriously. But she was also concocting a plan. A plan that Coal, and pretty much everyone else would hate, but a plan that was worth it if it saved him. A plan she was more than willing to try.
Coal sighed. He had always assumed that his brothers would kill him on sight. He never thought that they would torture him for information. But, then again, it must've finally occurred to them that he'd been working for Thorn for years now.
But torture or no torture, he wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of breaking him.
Rattlesnake was surprised at the bored expression on Coal's face as she chained him to the wall, preparing for another day at attempting to get him to crack.
"Why don't you just give in?" she questioned, her voice sounding gentler than he had ever heard from her.
"Because they'll kill me." he replied plainly.
"So you would rather live a life of daily torture than die?" Coal smirked.
"This isn't torture. I know what that feels like. This is daily pain, and after a while, everything goes numb. Same old cell, same old gang, same old pain. You get used to it. And besides, I'm not going to die here. Not now anyways."
"And what makes you so sure?"
"I have someone waiting for me. Dragons I have to get back to."
"Like that Nightwing?" Coal hesitated. The more they knew about Firefly, the closer to torture they could actually get. Firefly...Her name alone was enough to make him want to scream. The look on her face as Prickle dragged her away from him was there every time he closed his eyes. It haunted him.
"Yes." he admitted. Now it was Rattlesnake's turn to pause. She studied Coal's face, noting the emotion and sadness written all over it. That Nightwing meant everything to him. He loved her. Love. That was a feeling Rattlesnake was afraid she'd never actually feel. She thought she had, but the way Coal had acted, and the way that Nightwing looked when they were holding her captive....Now she wasn't so sure.
"You love her, don't you?" she questioned.
"Yes." Coal replied instantly. That wasn't even a question.
"What.....what does that feel like?" He eyed her curiously. Rattlesnake was normally a tough dragon, as emotional as a stone wall. But this was something different. Maybe it was something he could use. Probably not to escape, but to do what he did best. To notice. To observe. To learn.
"You're in love with my brother, aren't you?" Rattlesnake stared at the ground.
"Unfortunately." Coal knew what she meant. Prickle might have a soft spot for her, but that was all. He was powerful, young, and rich. Whether or not he was handsome didn't matter. There wasn't a girl in the Scorpion Den that wouldn't be begging to get near him. That's how it was. Coal remembered when he was little, before he was a spy for Thorn. Dragonets learned quick in the Den, and the girls were fast learners. They knew who he was, and they knew what he would have. Their trick was to get him to fall in love when he was naive, before he realized the power he had.
"I'm sorry." he apologized.
"Don't be. It's my own fault." she sighed, her eyes growing glassy. "And he'll probably marry me too. Vulture already approves, but that's just because he knows that it'll make him more powerful. Sure, Prickle will either marry me or some other broad. But no matter which one he chooses, he isn't going to love any of us."
"Don't be so sure about that." Coal insisted. "I heard that once dragons fall in love, that's it. They never find anyone else. But I was also told that by a complete romantic that believes that kind of stuff. I just believe it because I've found it. And once you have, you never doubt it. Ever."
"What are you saying?" Coal sighed.
"Honestly? That you can do better. Married or not, Prickle is a playboy. He's never going to stop flirting. You deserve someone who will just love you, and only you. Not someone who's just settling for you because you were the logical option." Rattlesnake smirked.
"And you wouldn't happen to know where I can find this dragon, now would you?"
"Not a clue. But he's out there. And you'll meet sooner than later." Rattlesnake pondered for a bit, until Prickle entered the room.
"He ready?" Prickle demanded. Rattlesnake stood up straighter.
"Yes." she snapped, turning away from Coal and storing out of the room.
"What's her problem?" Prickle snarled. Coal shrugged.
"You and me both. We've really never understood women, now have we?" he grinned as Prickle glared at him.
"You feel like talking?"
"About what? How abnormally large your snout is today? If so, I'm feeling quite chatty." Prickle growled and wound up, punching Coal straight in the face.