The Hunt

Chapter 12- Home Base + A Matter of Want

Cecily sat in the carriage, cramped between the small Saint who was clearly afraid of her and the assassin who'd been eyeing her all day.

Now, she was used to the lecherous wandering eyes of a man who wanted her alone. She wasn't used to a man who eyed her for her strength or her speed. Definitely not one who eyed her out of caution. In the prison, she was something of a myth. Not to mention, there wasn't a decent man in there. Outside, no one knew who she was.

But the look of caution from Orion Magnus gave her a feeling of superiority, in a weird way.

"Zeph," Reiko said, "remind me where we're headed."

"A base of operations."

"How vague."

"Yeah, well, I don't exactly have any other way of putting it. The 'base' will be where we keep food and receive information on our targets. For the most part, we'll be out, traveling the kingdom." The kings eyes slid to his murderer. "Cecily, I don't know how clear I've made this, but I do need your help. We'll be in constant danger and having abilities like yours in our mix would be quite helpful."

She looked at the prince. What a silver tongued noble.

---

Not bad, Cecily admitted as she examined the 'base'.

There were five separate rooms off of the main one, which was something of a living room and kitchen thrown together. The main room was split, one half had a T.V. and a couch with a matching stained coffee table. The other room, the kitchen, had a fridge, a stove, and other household cooking appliances. A wide table seemed to split the two rooms in half.

"The base was built with five separate rooms, but we'll only be using two. No, not gender split seeing as how I can't leave you," he gave Cecily a pointed look, "alone in a room with someone who can't defend herself. Reiko will stay with you."

"What?" The foreigner whined. "Why me? Can't Magnus stay with her?"

"You have one of the controllers for her collar. Not to mention that, no offense Magnus, I've known you since I was a child so it's only natural that I'd have more faith in you."

"I'll give him my controller than, kay? I'm tired of getting stuck with the killer."

The prince looked at her. "It's up to you. Would you trust Magnus with the controller?"

She shrugged. "Personally, I don't see any reason to trust any of you with a collar that can electrocute me. In my opinion, it'd be just like handing a knife to a stranger and turning my back."

The prince raised an eyebrow. "There you go, Rei, you get to stay with Alma and myself."

"Actually," the little saint said, raising her voice just a bit so she could be heard over the others, "I need to stay with Magnus." Cecily caught the eye roll that the assassin gave her. She kept going on anyways. "He's still hurt from the last job he had at the assassins keep. I'd like to check over the stitches I gave him and make sure he's okay."

"I'm fine," Magnus cut in.

Now it was the saint's turn to give an eye roll.

"Alright then," Zephry cut in. "Rei and I'll take the room across the hall from yours. There's already enough beds in each of the rooms from my fathers competition."

Cecily caught the quick exchange of the controller from Reiko's tanned hand to Magnus's pale one. Of course they tried to make it quick. They probably hoped she'd forget who had it.

Too bad for them, the girls brain was like a steel cage. She'd never forget who held the controller.

---

Cecily was perched against the far wall on the cot the prince had referred to as a bed. She wasn't complaining, far from it. In fact, the cot was a blessing given the conditions she'd survived in for the past four years, five if you count the normal prison she was held in until she hit eighteen and could be thrown to the wolves.

She watched very closely as the Saint examined the stitches that held together the hole in the assassins stomach.

She could feel both of their eyes occasionally wandering to her. Two filled with worry and fear, the other two filled with wonder and curiosity.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone," she finally said.

What? If she was going to be working side by side with them, it was best that they weren't constantly on edge.

"Forgive me if I don't trust you," Orion said.

The little Saint nodded. Alma, Cecily thought, that was her name.

The killer sighed. "Fine, then look at it this way. You know I'm a criminal. Then you know I'm greedy. Do you really think I'd be willingly helping Zephyr without some kind of reward in return?"

Their eyes were on her. Good. That meant they were listening.

"He promised me something in return for my...services. Ask him if you don't believe me. If he dies, I don't get my reward, which means it'd be beneficial for you two to be alive. Not to mention that if I kill any of what he called 'allies' I won't receive my reward. The odds are highly stacked in your favor. You have no reason to be afraid of me. For now at least."

That little speech earned her a glare from the Saint. The assassin continued examining her.

She visibly shrugged before laying down on the cot and pulling the blankets over herself. Her gloved metallic hand slipped under her pillow, trying to find a dagger that should've been here. Anything that could've provided her protection from the two strangers in the room.

She knew there was really nothing to fear from them, but still instinct was instinct. Hers was screaming for something to protect herself.

She let out something of a sigh. If playing nice meant she'd get to hold her weapons soon, then that's just what she'd have to do.

---

Orion Magnus was curious. Whether the Saint realized it or not, the convicted murderer had just relaxed her. The fall in her shoulders, the color that came back to her skin, and her posture became a bit more wide open.

The killer, Cecily was begining to seem like a more polite way to address her, actually put effort into relaxing the small Saint.

Whether it was on purpose or not, Orion would've guessed so. The girl, Cecily that is, seemed smart. Whether it was above average or just verging on the line of, he didnt know. She wasn't what he imagined when the word criminal came to mind.

In fact, he couldn't think of a word that could perfectly fit her.

Dangerous seemed close enough. Maybe harsh, but fitting.

---

"She won't kill them. Won't even lay a finger on them," Zephyr said, sitting on the small bed. "Promise."

Rei sighed, dropping on the other cot. "Honestly, your promise means jack squat to me right now."

Zeph shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips.

"No, dont just give me that shrug and smirk and expect me to swoon, okay? I'm not one of those political girls that just...faints the second you give them that puppy dog look- Yeah that one. The big eyes, I'm not buying it. Zeph, this is serious. She's a cold blooded killer. I mean, she killed her own mother in cold blood."

"No, see Rei, that's your problem. You don't trust yourself. You say she's dangerous, that she could kill in cold blood, but do you really believe that? You spent a whole day with her, well most of a day, anyways. It's just you and me. What do you really think?"

Rei sighed, dropping his head between his hands before looking up again.

"I think she's dangerous and we need to be careful where we step. Especially you. You have this-you have this God Complex with her, and a lot of other people for that matter. You just need to step off this high horse thing you got going and be careful."