A Work of Art

Blind Leading the Blind

With more than a little hesitation, Eden trudged their way to the door, opening the slit slowly. "W-who's there?"

Standing in front of the metal door was a woman with fair skin. Her blonde hair was styled into a low hanging ponytail, and her red shirt was adorned with several small gold buttons. More striking than that however, were the bandages wrapped around her eyes. Both them and her red cape fluttered slightly in the soft breeze. She tapped the door with her white cane.

"You have been chosen. Open."

Eden slid the eye hole shut as quietly as possible, then turned to his roommates. "Guys. It's her. Alexandra. What do we do? She wants to be let in."

"I don't know! Why the hell does she wanna get in? You should've asked her that," retorted Seraphim. Bickering ensued between the two as Reikas walked towards the door, opening the slit to see for herself. Sure enough, she was still there, staring intently at the door. Her head perked up at the sound of it opening.

"I'm no longer asking," Alexandra muttered. "If you value your life, you WILL open this door. I have no qualms about breaking it down." She tapped her boot against the door, testing it. Truthfully, it looked more like she was ready for a day of horseback riding rather than brute forcing a metal door, but Reikas wasn't about to test that theory. No way her knee-length black boots aren't reinforced. She slowly opened the door. As if on cue, Alexandra dashed inside, slamming the door shut before letting out a quiet sigh. "...thank you."

"Do you, um..." Eden cleared their throat. "Do you want some water or anything, miss?"

"Fuck that," Seraphim answered. "I want answers, now." She punched her palm, both hands crackling with electricity. Unflinching, Alexandra twisted part of her white cane, unsheathing her hidden rapier and assuming her fencing stance.

"I can give answers. But if your aim is intimidation, I assure you it will not work."

With some reassurance from Reikas, Seraphim reluctantly took a seat on the couch. Alexandra likewise sheathed her weapon, finding and sitting on a chair. "Not a word is to be spoken of this to anyone. I assure you, I will know."

"Of course," Eden nodded. "So... what's the deal with the letter?"

"It was quite obvious. I need to hide here until the 'heat dies down,' so to speak. No one would expect a shack such as this to hide myself and my target."

"A shack? Psssch. It ain't that bad," Reikas chuckled. "What'd you mean by target?"

The blind woman paused. It was clear she was considering her options. Although at this point, there was little actual choice. She sighed. "I've been hired to... escort someone. The details aren't important. What is, however, is your silence and cooperation."

"And if we aren't?"

Her head shifted down, staring at the floor. She let the silence fill the room before answering, a somber tone in her reply.

"Then it won't be just me you will face repercussions from." As the potential recruits waited for further explanation, Alexandra added, "I wish I could say more. But this is a sort of need-to-know basis. Perhaps afterwards, I can indulge some questions."

"Well, what's in it for us?" whispered Eden.

"...a cut of my pay. Divided equally, roughly ten thousand per person. And I assure you, we will run into more money along the way."

Reikas clapped their hands together at the reveal. "That's all I need to hear. I'm in."

Eden, however, was more than hesitant. He glanced over to Seraphim, her arms crossed and eyes shut. She probably wasn't about to help make a decision. They sighed. "You... you get what a weird situation you've put us in is, right? I-I mean, it's just a normal Thursday for us, and then an Olympic athlete knocks on our door and is essentially hiring us for whatever this is, and we don't even get the details and..." Their voice trailed off as Alexandra gave a sympathetic nod.

"And you truly have my most sincere apologies," she mumbled. "But understand that an opportunity like this does not come often. Once all is said and done, we can resume our lives all the more rich. Should everything go to plan, our safety is assured."

Playing with their fingerless glove didn't help them organize their thoughts much. They tossed and turned it over in their mind. Can we really accept this without knowing everything? Why would we find more money along the way? And-

Seraphim broke the silence with a huff. "Fine. I can't turn down that much money."

"Seems like my decision is made for me," sighed Eden.

"Good. Thank you all." Alexandra relaxed, visibly relieved at the answers. "Tomorrow, we head out in the morning. Our target is being held in an abandoned warehouse. We simply go in and out with them."

"Sounds good to me. I'm gonna hit the hay, then. G'night, y'all." Seraphim stood up, waving to everyone as she walked towards her room. Reikas and Eden followed suit, heading towards their shared room. Alexandra raised her hand, clearing her throat.

"And what of me? Is there sufficient bedding for another?"

Reikas and Eden exchanged glances, unsure of how to tell her that there were no clean places to sleep. Seraphim, however, pat the back cushions of the couch, still dirtied by the couple hours earlier. "You can sleep here. S'pretty comfy."

"Thank you, madam." Alexandra began to undress as the others went their separate ways. Once behind closed doors, Seraphim let out her building laughter into her mountain of stuffed animals.

"Two can play at the hidden info game, jackass."