Reverse Perception

Lies and Dead Eyes

   Kaadar and I walk the streets of southern Jaazath like we had never stopped running it. Down to the point where we whistle at the courtesan girls that Kaadar has under his employ. I can feel myself getting addicted to it again just the rush that happened before a job was like an adrenaline rush in itself. I have to keep reminding myself that this is for Byydel ,and that I'm doing fine with my real job, even if it is boring and disgusting. 

We start to approach a building Kaadar once ran the "Wonderland" through. A drug I had more than my share of run-ins with. It appears to be empty now which suits us just fine. An empty old drug den isn't a bad place to take on a Blitzer hit team. Kaadar hands me a fistful of throwing knives and a desert scarf to hide my face that way no one knows Vaas the Lost still even exists while we do this work. I put everything in its proper place and we take cover among the rafters as is an old custom between us two.

"Okay the goons should be here anytime now get..." Kaadar is interrupted by the front doors swinging open and sure enough a team full of well armed Blitzers are here. One even has a scimitar strapped to his side meaning he killed a guard to get it. 

"Alright Kaadar , we're here now give us the Blue Raddler and we might not kill you"

That fucking lying snake. I dart a glance over to him and he smiles and shrugs. The tip he got wasn't for Byydel, it was for him , and he set it all up in the first place. We are the real hit squad. Kaadar lands silently and I drop from my end fuming. How could I not have seen this shit coming, played for a mark by my own blood brother, typical Kaadar. I throw one of my knives and the rear flank guard drops. That's the opening.

Kaadar and I run right to them tossing the rest of our knives in one hand and gripping our main daggers in the other. Two more fall down wounded, fatally or minor, there's no time to care. We're down to a three on two fight them on the former..they don't have a chance. Kaadar rushes in with intense speed probably chewing soldier all day to rev up for this.He parries the scimitar attack from the leader with his dagger and kicks out his knee.I grab the arm of a separate goon after the knife grazes my shirt and break it, finishing him by driving my dagger into the soft flesh behind his knee where the blood flows like booze at a bar.

I look back to see Kaadar wrench the scimitar from the leaders hand and shove it through its owners chest. He lifts the sword up and drops it leaving both it and its captive mortally wounded owner to clatter agonizing to the ground. I toss a knife at the final hit team goon and it misses fractionally.  The goon runs up on me and I parry strike after strike after strike of his knife.He's fast, much faster than I am used to after so long of retirement. I barely dodge a low blow than could've severely damaged my possibilities of a child.Just when it looks like the thug is about to land a real hit on me blood hits my face after he coughs it up and lands face first on the hard stone ground, Kaadar's blade sticking out of the back of his heart.

We're left standing amongst a slew of broken bodies, most dead, the only one still living is the one who's arm I broke, bleeding on the floor and moaning. I begin to walk over to help him.

"I got it Vaasy" 

Kaadar walks over and picks up the thug, who yelps in agony. "Nothing we can do he'll bleed out before the hour" He snaps the goons neck with a smile on his face and drops him like a sack of produce to the ground.

"What in the hell was that!" I spit out

"Its what we in the business call a finishing blow" 

"You piece of Haav shit, you set all this up, what did you even accomplish in this!"  I spread my arms indicating the useless carnage around us.

"I accomplished seeing the ol Vaas the Lost in action and enough scratch from these corpses to get a shipment of Crimson Illia in, and you know how the girlies get on that" He says with a wink tossing the leaders coin purse at me. I catch it felling the weight. There's enough in here for Rafaaya steak for the rest of the month...or a good amount of 'Wonderland'

"You're a bastard Kaadar"

"And you've always loved me for it now give the ol hideout a visit if you and your mother wanna eat better for longer than a mere month, Ter Laton my friend" He says walking out the doors with the rest of the purses.

I wait for awhile after he's gone and wipe off some of the blood on me, no saving the clothes though, I walk back to Old Town and past Diivara and collapse in bed. 

I'm definitely gunna hear from her tomorrow.