Floyd, set something big on fire!
content warnings: choking/strangulation, creepy whumper, i can’t just let this man have a good thing apparently
Floyd’s eyes go wide and flick around as if waiting to be caught at just thinking about using his magic out of turn, but the two of you are alone in his cell. You flash an encouraging smile and he leans forward just slightly.
“Do you… can I…” He frowns, and you can almost see the war he’s waging against his better judgement. “He would be so upset but- I have to, don’t I?” You can’t tell if he’s asking for permission or affirming the command’s legitimacy. You nod, either way.
Floyd dips his head, a thin smile spreading and triumphing over his fear for the moment. He reaches up towards his collar, fingers tracing over the outside of it and seemingly looking for something.
“There’s, ah, there’s a blocker on here somewhere. Keeps me from doing magic when he doesn’t want me to, and I think it’s supposed to take his magic to remove but…” he pauses as his fingers trace over the collar’s fastening. “It shouldn’t do anything if I just-” Floyd fiddles for a second and finally loosens the collar, slipping the leather away from his neck. “-take it off…” he finishes, trailing off.
The collar drops to the ground between them, and his hands go to his neck, rubbing carefully over the chafed skin there. It’s a relief to feel air on his skin there after weeks of wearing that awful, humiliating thing. There’s a momentary, sharp pang of fear in Floyd’s chest when he realizes just what could happen if Percival saw him like this, but he pushes it down. This is a chance for him to affirm that he’s not falling into that bastard’s traps. That he’s still himself, through and through. Then he’ll be done with it, put the collar back on, and play the role of the captive once again.
Floyd stands up now that the chain on the collar isn’t tethering him down to the floor, stretching his aching back and legs. He glances around for a second, trying to figure out what to do next. The command had mentioned ‘something big’, but it hadn’t been all too specific otherwise. There wasn’t much around his small cell in the first place, and his eyes inevitably settled on the wooden table across the room.
He bristled at the memory of every time he’d been tied down there and hurt in some way or another. It would feel nice to just… burn it. Even if he only scorched the top, not even a noticeable amount. Floyd couldn’t even fathom the punishment he’d earn for burning the table in its entirety.
Taking a deep breath, he walked a few steps closer and closed his eyes, holding his hands out. You can’t tell exactly what he does, but he mutters something quietly to himself, twitches his fingers, and his eyes fly open, a blazing magenta light swimming in them. Seconds later, the table is ablaze.
The flames race across the wood surface in long lines, small at first but growing taller, their forked ends licking at the air as Floyd urges them on. You feel yourself slipping away from this physical plane now that your command has been fulfilled, but you continue to watch, enraptured by the magic. He seems completely focused in his element, glowing eyes fixed on the fire and hardly blinking at all.
The door slams open.