Purpose Kills

Chapter Eleven

It was dawn by the time Oliver and Desarae arrived where he wanted to take her. It was a small temple-looking place, and when they trotted through the gates, she was genuinely surprised. Water ran from her left and right, and connected to envelop the entirety of the building before them. Trees were on either side, and they stopped their horses before a bridge that had dark wooden railings and lighter planks for the bridge itself. "So, this is where you've spirited me away to," Desarae mused, raising an eyebrow at Oliver. He smirked at her in return, and she rolled her eyes. Oliver dismounted, and Des followed swiftly, patting Bijesan's side gently. He nickered softly, pushing his nose against her shoulder. She merely stroked his velvet soft nose as she took in her surroundings. A small boy in loose beige trousers and a loose white silk shirt took Bijesan and the chestnut away to a small stable that held a few other horses. Interesting attire, if you asked her.

"This is the Jade Guild," Oliver started, his hands behind his back as she walked up beside him, "the guild master requested that you be found and taken in to have an audience with him, alive, of course." He flashed his teeth at her. She snorted. The Jade Guild was famous for raising phoenixes from the ashes, so to speak. They trained some of the greatest assassins and thieves, though they were usually on the more modest side.

"He could just write, not have me kidnapped by an oh-so-charming man as I slept," she picked dirt from under her nails, trying to look as casual as possible. "No matter. Where is he?"

"He's meditating now. You will see him tomorrow. I will escort you to your quarters for now," he nodded at her, beginning to walk. When he see she didn't follow, he turned and raised an eyebrow. "Well, are you coming or not?"

"I have a mission I need to return to. It is much more important than... whatever this is," she gestured around her, towards the wooden red and gold temple.

"I believe the information that my master withholds may be valuable to you. The question is, are you patient enough to earn it?" He smirked faintly at her, and turned away. He walked across the bridge, towards the guarded entrance to the temple-like place. With a scowl, she jogged after him, cursing him and this whole place under her breath. He chuckled softly, and once inside, they took a sharp left. There was a staircase that spiraled down, all made of stone. It was like a dungeon the deeper into the belly of the temple they went. Eventually, the stopped in a corridor dimly lit by torches in sconces. There were heavy oak doors with metal rings to open and close them. Oliver led her to a door and pushed it open. She lazily looked around.

Some of the floor was covered in a blood red, plush Persian rug. There were two single beds on opposite sides of the room. Looks like she'd have a roommate during her stay. They were covered in simple, crisp white blankets. An oak desk was in the corner of the room to the right. Bedside tables sat right next to the beds, so the beds weren't fully pushed against the walls. An oak wardrobe stood next to the desk. She put her hands on her hips, just as Oliver walked over to a bed, obviously claiming it as his own.

"Oh, no, we are not sharing this room-" she quickly began to protest, just as he shrugged out of his shirt, tossing a glance back at her, a faint smirk gracing his lips.

"Can't handle a little skin and some bonding time, princess?" He cooed, causing her to scowl faintly. She glared at him, before yanking off her own shirt. She was still mostly covered, a length of linen covering the top of her chest down to about half of her rib cage. He looked shocked by her actions, so it was her turn to smirk.

"What? Can't handle a little skin, princess?" She cackled quietly and he snorted, shaking his head. She walked over to the other bed and inspected it. She had never really had a bed, save for when she took occasional visits to villages, towns, and cities, where they tried to give her the best they could to get on her and the rest of army's good side. She glanced back at Oliver, who was unpacking his things from some bags. So she began taking off her weapons slowly, keeping her sword on her back and a few daggers sheathed in various places on her body. She set the rest of the blades down on her bedside table, and settled her changes of clothes into the wardrobe. It felt better to not have to carry them around, and she was certain that after kicking someone, Bijesan had gotten something to eat and drink.

She slowly lowered herself onto the bed and watched Oliver. He was strongly built, as she expected of a member of this infamous guild. He had scars in a few places, but she also expected that. He turned and caught her gaze, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't they ever teach you it's rude to stare, Desarae Caeryx?" The way her said her name made her glower.

"They taught me it was smart to stare, to observe, Ollie," she crooned, hoping the nickname would agitate him at least a little, "obviously they never taught you as much." He rolled his eyes at her and sat down on his bed, pulling out a deck of cards and shuffling them absentmindedly. She stared at them. She was guilty, she did like to dabble in gambling and playing cards. She played to win, of course. Those who did play her underestimated her sometimes, which made it all the more fun.

"I see a gambler's spark in your eyes," he commented as he looked up. She shrugged one shoulder and drudged her eyes up to meet his.

"Guilty," she admitted, lowering her eyes already and picking at her nails.

"Well, then I suppose you wouldn't mind honoring me with a game or two?" A smile twitched at his lips as he said it, and she couldn't help but smile crookedly in return.

"Well, I'm sure we could squeeze in a few rounds before food is served or anything. They do serve food, right?" She frowned slightly, looking at him for confirmation. He merely chuckled quietly and slid onto the ground, motioning for her to do the same. She slid down, getting comfortable on the rug as he began laying out the cards. They were all made beautifully, and it took some effort to not reach out and pick one up for closer inspection. He smirked at her when he finished setting up.

"Let's do this, princess," he grinned, his eyes full of challenge. She returned the look.