Bound By Madness

48. Perfect Melody

Setting another book beside the rest, I stepped back to look at the small collection I had begun filling one of the empty shelves within the communal area of the Sanctuary with. Of course, the books I liked most were in the room I shared with my Jester Assassin, but the rest were slowly being moved here for our siblings to be able to enjoy.

I hadn't thought about it before, but when Babette had come to get me for yet another conversation, she had mentioned that she hadn't seen some of those books outside of very private collections before... well, it only made sense to offer at least a few of them up for my Siblings to have a chance to read.

Of course, I also placed some of the more common books there, when I noticed the severe lack of reading material available since the only real notable book not locked away from everyone's touch was Sithis. And as much as I loved getting to read that book, I'm sure everyone else would appreciate something new to read.

"I see you found your way into town again. Did you have Ellery try staying behind this time? If so, was he able to maintain the distance and remain capable of interacting with the Sanctuary? What did he do while you were gone? Was he-" Babette's questions cut off as I raised a hand, silent laughter shaking my shoulders as I looked at her.

I don't know if he stayed behind or not, but he did not accompany me. He refuses to tell me what he did, but I'm sure I will find out eventually. Sorry, but I have told you before, I do not control him any more than you control the Kitchen's Master.

"Kitchen's Master? Do you mean Nazir? Well, I guess I can understand that nickname. Do you always nickname people? What other nicknames have you given people? I've seen you call the Keeper by Jester Assassin and you've called me Not Child before. Do the nicknames always have to do with what a person is or is not?" Sometimes I felt like her curiosity knew no bounds, her questions always seeming to come in groups.

Well, it makes sense to call people by what they are or are not. It makes it easier to keep track of the role they have in the world. Names rarely tell me who someone really is, so I rarely bother with them anymore unless the person is important to me.

"Does that mean the Keeper is important to you? I've seen you use his name sometimes. But other than him, the only ones I've seen you call by name are Ellery and Amicus, although sometimes I see you call them Jester or Assassin. Is there a reason that you swap between the two distinctions?" Her head tilted a little as she watched my reaction to her words, mostly just a slow blink followed by a shrug.

I never really thought of it before. Huh... I'll have to think about that for a while and if I can figure it out, then I will tell you the answer if I feel like sharing it.

Patting her head with a smile, I skipped past her and back toward the room I shared with the Jester Assassin. Such a curious one, she was. And not so hard to deal with once I'd gotten used to her constant questions every time she saw me.

--------

"Is silly Faith going to spend all of her money on books? She should really keep something for herself," my friend said as he helped clear off another shelf so I could put away the latest stash of books I had gotten my hands on.

Don't worry, I didn't spend my money on these ones. I have something else I want to save up for.

"Oh? Did sneaky Faith swipe the books from someone? Cicero never did understand the idea of taking something from someone before you kill them," he spoke slowly, shaking his head as he wiped a rag along the wooden surface.

Grasping my sides as I chuckled at his words, I ended up wiping tears of laughter from my eyes before nudging him in the side.

Silly man, how can I rob them again if they are dead? I mean, sure, if they are dead then they can't exactly catch me going through their stuff, but they won't replace it either. Besides, it's more of a challenge, a thrill, if there is a chance I might get caught. Not that I want to get caught, but... Well... Think of it this way, would you rather take a contract for a simple beggar with no way to defend himself or the contract for the nobleman protected by his guards? Sure the beggar would be quick and easy, but he's no challenge, right?

"Oh, Cicero thinks he understands what Faith means, now. But he still thinks he would rather take what he wants after completing a contract and then just move on to another contract and repeat the action. After all, for Cicero, the pleasure is in the killing, not the reward. At least, not usually. There was one contract, though, where the reward was about as enjoyable as the kill," the man said softly, tugging at the tails on his cap before spinning around and tossing the rag in a corner. "Ah, but that was then and now Cicero has things he enjoys since he is not allowed contracts anymore! Like taking care of Mother and picking flowers to make her room pretty! And spending time with his kind friend Faith..."

Smiling at my sweet Cicero, I grabbed his hand and gave a soft tug, reaching out to grab his other hand and pull him into a dance.

Then how about after we are done here, we go out and gather the prettiest flowers we can for Mother. But before that, a few minutes to dance. Just Faith and Cicero, spending time together.

Pressing his forehead against mine with a smile, he spoke softly, "Just Faith and Cicero. Yes, that sounds nice."

Pulling me closer, he began humming softly, the tune slightly broken but all the more perfect for it.