For Your Entertainment

[Crow]

January 12th, Evening

  Crow drew a sigh, taking note of the rise and fall of his chest. Just a few steady breaths. It was enough to get the pang of hurt in his side under control. He wouldn't be at his best for today's session, that much was certain. He was no stranger to operating under restrictions, but it was a matter of appearances. Everything was a matter of appearances. There was no one to see him on his walk to the princess' room, but he would not allow himself an unsteady gait. Not even for a moment.

  Weakness was not an option.

  Crow stopped in front of the door, and took a moment to compose himself. He straightened his back, he smoothed out his vest, and he adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves. With his cane helping to keep his balance - and therefore his appearance - he pushed the door open and slipped inside. It was time to perform.

  "Nasira. Your Highness. Thank you for waiting." He greeted each in turn with a tip of his hat, though there was something faintly more... genuine as he addressed his peer. As for waiting, it wasn't as if the former princess had much choice in the matter. Her arms and legs were bound to the chair with utmost caution, and the chair was one that Crow had specifically requested.  Oh there was nothing remarkable about it: no elaborate designs, no secret machinations. It didn't even have a cushion. What the chair did have, however, was uncomfortable corners. Square legs and blocky edges dug into its unfortunate occupant in a design so Spartan that it bordered on the unbearable. The devil was in the details, as they say, and for Crow, it was the little details that were always his favorite.

  "I trust you haven't been too bored while waiting?" Whether he was addressing the Overseer or the captive here was difficult to say for certain. Perhaps it was both. He seemed to speak more for the simple fact of hearing himself talk, rather than striking up any sort of conversation. "I would at least hope," he added, leaning on his cane, "that I can make the experience as pleasant as possible."

[Nasira]

Playing the role of a disgruntled guard, Nasira's eyes never left the chair. There was no pity or sympathy in the tall woman's icy composure. Just a cold, cruel leer.

Leaving the two sworn enemies in the same room by themselves and expecting nothing to happen was like dropping a mouse in a snake terrarium and expecting it to live. Except in this scenario, the ill-fated mouse was stuck to a glue trap, and the snake was starving. There was definitely a method to Crow's madness, but it took quite a bit of effort on Nasira's part not to sink her fangs in. The very sight of the delusional former princess could send the malevolent necromancer into a wave of loathing and nausea. This was just another testament to the hold Crow had.

The door finally creaked open. Nasira's dark eyes immediately spun away from the prisoner's. She half-expected to see Aladdin brandishing a scimitar. Maybe Jasmine did too. But between the past and the present came a relief for the overseer and a hard reality for the condemned. A long shadow flew across the floor, quashing any chance of a reprieve. This was their world now.

Nasira's hard expression did soften somewhat when Crow sauntered in. "Of course," she said almost guardedly, inclining her head.

At Crow's enigmatic words, Nasira gave him a skeptical, if not warm, look and said nothing. Knowing him, the ambiguity was probably intentional. Her gaze on the tall vizier did linger a few seconds before her dark eyes snapped back to the chair. She did not immediately see the prisoner. 

[Jasmine]

I trust you haven't been too bored while waiting?

"What do you think?" Jasmine replied sarcastically as she found herself firmly tied up to the chair. She couldn't even wiggle the chair. "Ugh...is this really necessary?" she continued, observing the ropes.

The princess sighed. Even though Crow was more likely to be more patient with her than Nasira, the situation was still just as unbearable and hopeless. She could only pray that someone would come for her eventually, though Aladdin was the only one she spoke to about reclaiming her homeland before she left and she could only expect him to come. She had risked everything coming here, now her naïveté had gotten the better of her

That I can make the experience as pleasant as possible

Jasmine thought for a moment. "Well, maybe you could loosen these ropes a bit. You have no idea how uncomfortable this is." she said, testing if Crow had any compassion she could take advantage of at some point, even though deep inside she doubted any Blackblood was capable of such things. But to survive, she didn't want to leave anything to chance. And she didn't even know what kind of person Crow was.

[Crow]

  There was a click of his tongue, much in the way a parent might scold a misbehaving child.

  "I think that time away from the palace has dulled your manners, Your Highness." Crow rested his hand beneath his mask, head tilting thoughtfully in Jasmine's direction. "However, I suppose it can't be helped. I can't imagine life in the Serengeti has been terribly... civilized." His tone was nothing short of sympathetic, as if he would offer a comforting shoulder to her at any moment, if only to temporarily ease her woes. Of course, no such offer came, and instead he merely adjusted his posture for comfort.

"Well, maybe you could loosen these ropes a bit. You have no idea how uncomfortable this is."

  Oh, if only she knew. "You have my humblest apologies, Highness." Crow laid a hand over his chest, bowing his head, as if in shame. "I wish I could ease your burdens, princess. Truly I do. But we have... rules, you see. Protocols." He gestured vaguely with his free hand. "This is not only to protect our guards from our guests, but vice versa." Crow seemed to hesitate, and his head turned towards his colleague.

  "Lady Nasira, perhaps... just this once, we could...?"

[Nasira]

Jasmine's piercing, plaintive whine seemed to invoke a fresh spasm of hatred in the vindictive occultist. Nasira stared in disbelief as the so-called "prize to be won" gave Crow of all people lip over being tied to a chair. Unbelievable. Even now Jasmine did not understand that she was royally screwed. Most people in her position would be hyperventilating or bawling for their mother at this point. This girl was acting like she had been cut in line or something. It was clear she had taken Aladdin's heroics for granted.

Funny.

"I think that time away from the palace has dulled your manners, Your Highness. However, I suppose it can't be helped. I can't imagine life in the Serengeti has been terribly...civilized."

For the first time that day, Nasira smiled. She made her voice calm and almost conversational. "It must have been quite an adjustment going from the most powerful person in the country to, well..." Nasira lifted her chin slightly, looking Jasmine up and down. "...we'll see where the night takes us."

"Well, maybe you could loosen these ropes a bit. You have no idea how uncomfortable this is."

Nasira could have rolled her eyes.

"Lady Nasira, perhaps...just this once, we could...?"

"No." Her voice could have frosted the sun.

The necromancer idly raised her left hand. Her long, slender fingers then curled in, almost forming a fist. Almost. Simultaneously, the ropes around Jasmine's arms and legs tightened even more. Her sharp nails hovered dangerously over her palm. She visualized the cords bursting through Jasmine's unsullied skin, marring it forever. 

She lowered her hand.

[Jasmine]

Jasmine let out a painful groan while grinding her teeth together as the ropes tightened. Her head, shoulders and fingers were now literally the only parts of her body she could move. "Should have asked for a glass of water instead." She murmured, regretting her earlier request.

"Is this how you're treating my people, Nasira? Sadistically tormenting people who are already helpless?" Jasmine asked, giving a sense of genuine disgust and horror. But she felt she should be more careful about what she said to her from now on.

Nasira lifted Jasmine's chin. She said nothing but glared at Nasira, giving the 'I will get you for this' look. And she really meant it. Her arrival to Agrabah convinced her how terrified people were of the legion and once word got around about her capture by the bazaar, people would know their princess has returned. Jasmine could only hope that that would be the spark of hope that would motivate her loyalists to help her and rebel against that slimy sorceress and let her face justice.

"I wish I could ease your burdens, princess. Truly I do. But we have... rules, you see. Protocols."

"Forgive me for not reading your rule book, but I can't imagine there being a rule about not allowing your prisoners move so much as a muscle. Even you can't deny basic rights to captives. You who claim Agrabah is more civilized than the Serengeti." The princess said calmly. "You know what? Forget I said anything. Since I'm here, let's just get to the point. I know you're going to interrogate me and keep me here until I'm rescued. But before you do, would it be a crime if I asked you a few questions?"

[Crow]

  Crow sighed, head dipping ever so slightly as the ropes constricted around the princess. So much for that.

  "I won't pretend that you and our Lady Nasira don't have... history together, Your Highness." His tone was even, and his words were chosen carefully, as if he were tiptoeing around his associate's presence. "But you and I do not. I apologize that I can do nothing for your current predicament, but I should hope we can at least remain friendly in the face of unpleasant circumstances."

"Since I'm here, let's just get to the point. I know you're going to interrogate me and keep me here until I'm rescued. But before you do, would it be a crime if I asked you a few questions?"

  "Rescued?" His head tilted, and his tone held no malice, but rather genuine curiosity. "I must wonder, Your Highness. Do those 'Freedom Fighters' even know where you are right now?" His voice held nothing short of concern for the girl. But rather than wait for a response, he chose instead to address her own question. Crow's palms opened upward, making a broad gesture with his arms.

  "You're welcome to ask, but I can't guarantee you an answer, no more than you could for me."

[Nasira]

Nasira did gain a smidgen of satisfaction hearing Jasmine whimper as the lariats tightened to the point of unbearable. Just a smidgen.

She gave Jasmine a quizzical smile. "I'm sure you did not come all this way to debate the semantics of ruling," Nasira said pointedly, inspecting her fingernails. She had no intention of getting into that kind of discussion. What the Blackblood Legion did or did not do with their own people was none of Jasmine's business.

Naturally, Crow was more amiable. Nasira looked up and tried to analyze every little nuance of their exchange. She could read Jasmine's face like a book, and what she read now was disdain and determination. Whereas Crow was about as legible as a weathered tombstone. But she could hear him just as well as their captive, and the necromancer's interest gradually piqued. It was not so much what the vizier said but rather the way he spoke and the impression it made on his captive audience. 

Jasmine's assertion that her rescue was inevitable and her latest request was met with visual derision from Nasira and audible curiosity from Crow.

"Rescued? I must wonder, Your Highness. Do those 'Freedom Fighters' even know where you are right now? You're welcome to ask, but I can't guarantee you an answer, no more than you could for me."

Nasira gave Jasmine a searching look and then nodded acquiescence. "Very well," she said to the prisoner, with the indistinct suggestion of "Make it quick." in her voice.