Completed Sun and shade

[Livia Quinnick]

- “Well, I hope you found something you like.” -

She heard it as invitation to look again, this time taking her time before her olive eyes flicked to meet his gaze with a smirk. "Well at least you have blond hair. Something I do like." And certainly not something she often found herself admitting, but Ivan was proving to be a decent partner for this mission. Livia did not want to bite his head off. Yet.

Quinnick followed him to the door, ushering him to stop standing in the doorway so she could pass through. She doubted she could slide past him without being lodged into the frame, or as her brothers used to purposefully pin her in and steal her black pearl treasure. Once they had left the room, she closed it and locked it, slipping the key securely in her hand.

"Can I find a way in? Doubting me so soon, Skender?" She clicked her tongue, but wore a grin that gave away her excitement to prove him she was capable. "Metal and stone, there is always a way around those... although magic is finicky. I have been testing the theory of my other magic to be capable of corrupting magic. It is what the task force is training me on." Livia shrugged, dropping the key with the innkeeper who stared long between the two of them. Livia easily pulled her smile wider, sweetly, all to sell that she was merely a rich girl that did not know any better. She continued speaking, keeping the Anirian soft for Ivan to only hear.

"Should we split? I follow you? Or shall we risk being seen together?" She appraised him with an arched brow, letting Ivan make this decision. After all, he was sent here first, and Livia his second only for assistance. Even if they were only to play a game, they were still on mission in Tell Arran. She had her identity set, and so did he.



Ivan Skender

 

[Ivan Skender]

His lips curled upwards, his expression settled on a slight smirk as he felt the girl's gaze upon him again.

- "I hope my hair's not the only thing you like." - He quipped, sliding off her way to let her through the door first. They made their way downstairs, at which point his bemusedly smug expression was back stamped across his features.

- "Hey, a little challenge and a nudge never hurt anyone." - He said cheerfully as they walked outside. - "I'm sure you'll find a way to bring us inside." - A shrug followed. - "And no time like the present to test your theories. If you succeed, you'll make Archon Zana proud." - His tone, while eager matched the same low intensity as that of Livia.

Outside of the dim light of the inn, night had already fallen over Tell Arran. Over their heads, a myriad stars, too many to count really, grouped themselves into clusters that made up a spectacular view of the night sky. The evening was not unpleasant either, with a balmy, pleasant atmosphere that really seemed to invite for a nightly stroll.

Looking around, Ivan considered Livia's final question.

- "Actually, I have a different idea." - The goldsmith was a few blocks down the hill, but Livia had raised a good point: that though it was past peak traffic hours, the streets were still fairly busy. Avoiding attention was best, especially if they were about to rob a jewellery shop. That was why he nudged her towards a dark, side alley. Once they were out of view, he clasped his hands together, palms facing up, and his intentions clear: he was inviting the girl to use the support he'd provided to hoist herself onto the roof of a nearby house. From there they would go through the rooftops, down until the goldsmith. Fortunately, the Kaliti tradition of building terraced houses would aide them in getting to their destination more easily than if they were in Aniria, where the uneven - and many times, unstable - roofs made traversing the skyline almost impossible.​

 

[Livia Quinnick]

There was no way that she would parry his witty quips with her own, knowing that it would cut into their time to play the game. She badly wanted to tell Ivan that of course there was more to like about him, just to see that stupid smirk on his face again, or perhaps let him believe that his pretty face was not enough to warrant her attentions.

She kept quiet, listening to his idea and followed him. The heat of the sun was no longer out and baking the stone buildings and people, but the air still had a touch of humidity. It made her regret not taking a bath after dinner, feeling her skin covered in a light sweat despite only being outside for a matter of minutes. Moving to the alley, she almost hesitated in his direction before seeing him set up to give her a boost.

Livia looked at his hands, the stance that he took to properly gift her the right footing and help her up. She adjusted her pack so sit at her back, ensuring it would not swing forward and hit his face as she got nearer to him, facing the wall he had his back to. Liv scrunched her face as her hands came up to brace at Ivan's shoulders, not yet lifting her boot. "Good thing I changed out of a skirt. Would make it embarrassing to run across rooftops in." He was much taller than Livia, but lifting her boot and planting it into his hands was no difficult feat for the trained dancer. She hopped once on her other foot, securing herself until she felt as if he had a proper hold and hoisted herself up.

Her leg kept straight and steady, as if she had done this a dozen of times. Of course, she had no experience running across rooftops, but that admission was not going to stop her as she made the most of Ivan's assistance and pulled herself over the edge of the flat rooftop.

Liv peered over the edge once she had made it, grinning down at him. "Need a hand, princess?" Offering her own, she dangled it over the side. He was heavier than she was, and even if Livia had strength, would it be enough to give him the assist and help pull him up? "Or you can put your left foot on that stone that sticking out a lot from the brickwork to give you a start. Your hand can latch into the gaps right above you too..." She could see the path as plainly as day, and had thought to herself that she should have scaled the wall instead of accepting his help.

But at least with his help, her nails still remained clean and tidy.

"Hurry it up then. I am getting a headache by how loudly this goldsmith's shop is reaching out to me." Had he truly wanted this to be the start of their game? It was an interesting choice, and perhaps more favourable for Livia as she was not one to approach strangers and steal from their pockets. The intensity throbbed, not helped by the heat clinging to the starred veil of night above them.

Ivan Skender

 

[Ivan Skender]

Once he made sure Livia had successfully crested the ledge and hoisted herself onto the roof of the building, Ivan started to climb the façade of the house himself.

Though taller, more muscular and overall seemingly less nimble than his counterpart, Ivan was rather agile for someone of his size, and started to escalate the wall with dexterity. It was as both his feet had left the ground that he heard the first of Livia's - oh, so useful - quips.

'Need a hand, princess?'

- "HA! Hilarious." - He shot back snarkily, through gritted teeth. Nevertheless, he kept on climbing, slogging his way up the uneven façade. - "Yeah, yeah." - He said, as he latched his left foot onto the salience Livia had mentioned, all the while finally grabbing the ledge of the terrace. - "This is not the first roof I climb, Quinnick." -

As he hoisted himself onto the top of the building, he took a moment to both catch his breath, and to take a good look at the city that unfurled in front of him. There was always something exotic and mysterious - at least for him - about Kaliti cities. Maybe it was the narrow streets, or maybe the perched, terraced houses that stood over them like unwavering vigilantes, or maybe even the strange scents that rose from the houses where the natives cooked their spice-infused dishes. Whatever it was, it made him want to explore it; the city below seemingly beckoning for him to come.

It was then that he heard Livia's voice... Speaking of things he wanted to explore.

- "Well, show some initiative then." - He quipped, a smug smirk returned to his face. - "Lead the way." - ​

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia rolled her eyes before going to stand, looking at the viewpoint they achieved. The nightlife was in no way slowing down anytime soon, and she could hear music off in the distance. Tell Arran came alive as the sunlight dipped below the horizon. Livia readjusted the pack she had brought with her, fastening it tightly against herself before turning to look at the path ahead. Leaping between distances was no trouble for her, and without another word, the Initiate began moving across the rooftops.

There was no need for her to plan where her feet should land, where she should vault off from; her magic guided her along swiftly and surefooted for a few minutes. Each time she landed, the impact traveled upwards and finally tormented the growing headache. It made her scowl, gritting her teeth as she seethed at the anticipation of throbbing pain.

It was not until she began to slow, feeling her head come to some relief as she neared the edge of the roof and looked down at the street.

"Wait." Livia narrowed her eyes, as if misreading the sign outside where her magic drew her towards. "That does not look like a goldsmith's shop."

Oh, gods. He is going to think I am dimwitted and led him astray.

Livia turned to see where Ivan appeared, pointing to what she had thought been the goldsmith's she was being led to. Her magic worked from an idea, either by her own means or a strong response from someone she was reading. Her stare turned almost accusatory now, wondering where the hell Skender had wished to be.

"Ivan." She crossed her arms, arching a brow expectantly. "Any idea of where we are?"


Ivan Skender

 

[Ivan Skender]

With a slight adjustment of her pack the only warning given, Livia shot ahead of him as the two started their sprint across the Tell Arran skyline. Though he didn't have any equivalent to Livia's magic to guide his movements, Ivan did have a few more years of gymnastics and athletics behind him than his counterpart had - and that not to mention a lifetime of late-night escapades through the rooftops of the Academy. All of these made sure that he managed to keep up with the girl with ease, sprinting across the terraces and vaulting over the streets with the same difficulty as though he was taking a walk in the park.

At some point during their jog though, he started to notice they were deviating from the most direct path to the goldsmith. He went with it for a while, but when eventually they strayed enough away from the shop, Ivan felt it better to take the reins from his seemingly incompetent partner. It was at that moment though, that Livia's relentless sprint through the rooftops came to a halt. She correctly observed that they were, in fact, not in the right place.

A bemused eye roll was the only response he gave her, and it was as he was about to mock her for her off-target magic, and her dismal sense of orientation, that something else caught his attention.

It presented itself as nothing too conspicuous; only a passing glimpse through the corner of his eye, but as the blonde's head shot sideways to the origin of the apparition, his eyes widened at the sight.

- “Get down!” - He hissed at Livia, instinctively ducking behind the low ledge of the terrace they found themselves on, all the while pulling the girl's arm so as to force her to follow suit.

Below, the sight that had triggered this reaction was not the shop Livia had thought, but rather none other than the robed figure of Hasan al-Eraz, their cloth-selling “friend”. Leisurely making his way up the street, the merchant was further accompanied by half-a-dozen men that bore the outfit of the Tell Arran militia, the city's police force. From their perch, Ivan and Livia would be able to eavesdrop on the conversation.

- “Anirian spies, here?” - One of the militiamen that walked alongside al-Eraz could be heard asking. - “You did well to tell us, Hasan.” -

- “Yes,” - the salesman replied. - “they came to my shop. Thought they were being clever hiding their identities, but I know con artists when I see them.” - A pause ensued, as the group proceeded along their path. Motioning his partner to follow, Ivan moved along to the next terrace, quietly shadowing the Kaliti below.

As he walked on, Ivan couldn't help but notice that maybe Livia's senses had not been that misguided. It was just that the girl wasn't following what she thought she was following.

Indeed, for Ivan, the mission took precedence over their potential, ill-gotten, gains. This was not due to some belief in the importance of duty, or any other moralist nonsense, but rather it stemmed from the fact that the Academy did not look kindly when initiates returned from failed missions with loot… not kindly at all.

In fact, when he'd been younger, Ivan had been just in such a position when he had returned from an unsuccessful mission to the Falwood, with a small bag of coins he'd looted from an elf ambusher. For this, upon his return, he had been treated to a one-on-one session with Proctor Harkenov about the moral hazards of neglecting the mission in pursuit of wealth… Not that he had done that back then; he hadn't, but in the Academy's eyes there was only failure and an initiate with gold. Try as he may have to get out of it, Harkenov had never been one for excuses… or mercy, for that matter.

By the time they had finished, apart from obviously having his gold seized, he'd had to be carried to the healers, with whom he had spent the following weeks healing his few cracked ribs, his black eye and his burst lip. Though the experience had - needless to say - stoked his resentment towards the institution, it had also ingrained in him a very basic, yet fundamental, premise: the mission always came first.

That was why - he reckoned - Livia's senses had led them there. Because the success of their mission - the one thing Ivan desired even more than riches - was at stake, and even though neither of them knew of this, Livia's magic had led them to the thing the blonde wanted with a burning passion.

- “Well,” - He said, in a hushed tone, as he moved through the terrace to keep himself within earshot of the conversation below. - “it looks as though your compass is not all that broken.” -​

 

[Livia Quinnick]

There had been no time to process Ivan's warning before she had been pulled down with him, mere inches from colliding her head with his shoulder in their hasty attempt to hide. It had not been a graceful fall, Livia taking a sharp inhale between her teeth as the pain slowly began to fade from her body.

Hearing the familiar tones of the silk merchant made Livia's olive eyes grow wide with alarm, that their ruse this afternoon had not been convincing. She exchanged looks with Ivan after moving away to give him room once she saw him make moves to continue on as the voices had begun to grow quieter and those gathered wandered down the street. Liv waiting a few paces before following.

A light snort answered his comment on her magic that lead them here. Instead of telling him it was an annoying circumstance, that she was glad it had purpose this time around, Livia opened her mouth to quietly speak. "At least it lead us to this rat." Was she bitter he had read right through them both earlier? Perhaps.

"So it is safe to say that the meeting is an obvious trap." She frowned, and moments after voicing it, al-Eraz echoed her words, admitting he had bought this time to plan the next course of action. Here, they paused, a movement Livia had picked up with her magic. Her hand shot out to grip what she could reach of Ivan, tugging at his shirt to stop and listen.

"I have heard word that the girl was last seen dining at the Black Camel Inn. She has money, and not afraid to show it... and the young man..." Hasan chuckled, "He could work on his Cortosi. His accent slipped many times."

"That was rude of him." Livia frowned. She stared at Ivan, sharing that same dedication to keep on mission. There was no more jests or witty flirtations now. Their first plan fell into a rut, but they also gained an advantage. She did not need to voice it, not now. They could continue to the meeting point with the knowledge they had learned, or rework the plan now.

Ivan Skender

 

[Ivan Skender]

“Big bitch.” - He thought annoyedly of the merchant. Truth be told though, he was angrier at himself than he was at the Kaliti. By this point, he thought his dissimulation skills were better than this.

- “Not nearly as rude as what we're about to do to him and his friends.” - He whispered softly back, a hint of bitterness perceptible in his voice, even despite its low tone.

Below, after al-Eraz had sneered all over Ivan's Cortosi, the conversation seemed to be resuming.

- “He also asked questions about the army.” - The merchant continued, referring to the conversation he'd had earlier with Ivan. - “He was very keen to meet with them, as opposed to you.” - al-Eraz paused again, so as to let his words sink in.

The silence was eventually broken by one of the younger militiamen in attendance.

- “The army?” - He sneered. - “Where do these Anirian mongrels think they are? Ever since the Emperor disappeared, the regency has had their hands full with running his Empire. What do they care about keeping a distant outpost such as Tell Arran?” -

In spite of this ill-advised outburst, the commander of the militiamen remained silent, the pensive look on his face out of sight of either initiate.

- “I think they know fully well that there are no armies anywhere near Tell Arran.” - He said, at last. - “If they're asking about them, it might mean something else. It might mean that they're probing us; that they're gouging our strength for an attack.” -

He looked around at the group.

- “This is an ill situation. We need to keep it secret until we can find out more about what is really going on.” - The captain turned to the merchant. - “Go home, Hasan. Barricade yourself within, and do not leave until we tell you to. Speak of this to no one else, we do not want to raise alarm, or foster panic. As for the rest of us, we ride for the ruins. We'll rip the truth out of the Anirians, and then we'll inform Ragash about the situation.” - With a waive of his hand, the Captain turned on his heels, ending the conversation. His soldiers followed, heading to the Northwestern gate of Tell Arran, and effectively splitting the group. As for al-Eraz, he continued up the street, undoubtedly headed for his shop.

As the Kaliti dispersed, Ivan finally turned to Livia.

- “Well, it would seem our treasure hunt has just been cut short.” - He said, glancing up the street where the figure of the merchant had just disappeared behind a street corner. - “I say, we take their bait. We ride for the ruins and ambush the ambushers. We make sure that there really is no army around, and then we kill them all. We can't afford word getting out that we were here.” - He completed. Should the Kaliti find out that Anirian spies were snooping around the frontier for their armies, then that could, very plausibly, lead to a war; a war that Vel Anir - with its infighting and division - did not seem ready to fight.

- “But first, we need to pay a visit to our Arrani friend.” - As far as the blonde was concerned, the merchant was now a loose end, one that had to be eliminated.​

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia's face was void of all expression, even as Ivan mentioned they would have to kill. There was a flutter of worry within her, but her thoughts kept thinking on what the Archon Zana had said to her. Blaming herself for the death of her father and the Initiates that constantly dragged her from her bed, there was no longer than guilt. It was not acceptance. They had been accidents, her corruption power releasing with overcharge.

She was now capable of wielding that power into a weapon, more than she was as the Living Compass that could hit her targets true.

"Shall we make our friend talk, or is this something we need to wrap up quickly?" She questioned, slowly rising and stretching out her legs. Livia made sure to be in the shadows of a neighboring building, watching the blond Anirian for a moment. Was she excited at the plan Ivan laid out? The idea of having to cover their tracks... it made sense.

And they were Initiates, giving a simple mission. There was not much else to it, other than keeping alive to report their findings.

"I have... never killed with intention before." She admitted. It was best to be honest, to not hide anything from Skender now that they were a step behind in their plan. "Not with my own hands... which I take is the less conspicuous way of going about this." Magic would only make eyes look their way.


Ivan Skender

 

[Ivan Skender]

- “Better late than never.” - He said, nonchalantly. He was however, somewhat surprised that Livia had never intentionally killed someone before, as it seemed to contrast with the picture of the unrepentant killer that Quinnick had painted of herself earlier, during their dinner. - “Let's make him talk first. I still want some confirmation that there really are no armies around.” -

He also got up, stretching his legs as he glanced towards the street the merchant had disappeared into.

- “You can think of this kill as a… uh, rite of passage.” - A sly smirk unfurled across his face. - “By the time we return to Vel Anir, you'll be one of us without a question. No more blushing virgin.” - His grin seemed to widen even more.

He still remembered his first kill as though it had happened yesterday. His mentor at the time had been just about as serious on the matter as he himself was being right now. Either of them - now and then - knew fully well how difficult it was taking a life for the first time, and how, no matter how much preparation one put into it, there was no training that would make a newbie truly ready for the undertaking. That was why - for Ivan, at least - it was better not to take these things too seriously. To kill, intentionally, would leave a scar. Better to soften the wound as it healed, then.

While he knew Livia had killed before, there was a difference between doing it by accident or with intent, and though he knew the latter to be unmesurably more difficult than the former, it was also not something that could just be skipped altogether.

Theirs was a cruel, merciless world, and neither Arethil nor the Academy would forgive any show of weakness.

- “So, shall we get going?” -​

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Liv rolled her eyes at him and gave a playful shove, mirroring his smirk. "Then I better do well for my first time, should I not?" She breezed past, winking at him to keep the daunting task far from her mind. She can worry about it when the time came, but at least Quinnick knew she was capable of executing the kill. If she wanted to earn the title Dreadlord and continue being on the task force and hunting rogue Archons, then she needed to steel her stomach and commit these executions.

This time, she stretched her legs while giving their target a head start. There was something primal in the art of hunting, something Livia could appreciate with her strong sense of direction. Pulling the silken scarf from her neck, she stuffed it into her pack securely and let her braided hair down. The distinctive silver ends were stark against her beige shirt she had changed into, but it was also her mark of burning out from the magic she was forced to take. Those that knew House Quinnick knew of the strange hair Livia now bore, and letting it out and seen was her way of claiming what was to come next.

"Let us wait a minute. Give him a head start." She readied herself at the rooftop, looking at the flat area around them for the best possible path to where the textile merchant's shop was. "Now that my intentions are set on finding him, he cannot hide." Livia now grinned widely at her partner, raising her brows with question. "Perhaps he has some treasure in his shop to make up for the lack of the goldsmith plan?"


Ivan Skender

 

[Ivan Skender]

He took a seat on the ledge they had hid behind just moments ago, as Livia stretched her legs. With the merchant, and the soldiers, gone the street was now deserted, though the blonde still kept an eye on it as he waited on his partner.

- "Perhaps he has some treasure in his shop to make up for the lack of the goldsmith plan?" -

- "You learn quickly." - He quipped, his voice unable to disguise the evident pride he felt within. - "I'm sure al-Eraz will have plenty of valuables from his lifetime in the business." - He glanced towards where he knew the merchant's shop lay. - "And that not to mention each of us will get an entire new wardrobe from ransacking his store." - He completed, a mischievous smile on his face.

- "So just let me know once you're done powdering up princess, and we'll be on our way." - ​

 

[Livia Quinnick]

The anticipation of a hunt and capture was high, and Livia found herself grinning with Ivan. She ceased her many stretches and bounded over to the next building, using the wooden beam that connected it to the other roof directly in front of it. It was not as strong as she would like, but it served a great stepping stone to get to the place she wanted.

From across the street, Livia delivered a perfect curtsy to Skender, and blew him a kiss before starting to follow the trail her magic took her on. Ivan surely would catch up with her, she had noticed he hung back a little prior to let her lead.

Her movements were better this time, knowing she would not stumble as she leapt through the air to land on both feet. She slowed once she spotted al-Eraz entering his shop in a hurry. Here, she waited for Ivan.

"He went in through the back. Perhaps I should enter through the front, you take the rear. I am less conspicuous in the street... and you are all height and blond hair, dear Ivan. You stand out." Livia pulled out her original scarf and began wrapping that over and around her head, tucking her silver ends of her hair. She ought of dyed it brown, but there had been no time to consider it in hindsight.

Ivan Skender

 

[Ivan Skender]

He had been observing the street below when Livia finally got going. So fast was she in her departure, that by the time Ivan had raised his gaze from below, all he had time to see was both her curtsy, and her blown kiss, right before she shot in the direction of the store.

Ivan stood still on the roof for a moment, an expression of bemused awe on his face. He shook his head, departing then after the girl.

He did not, however, go exactly chasing after Livia. The wooden beam she had used to traverse between roofs was much too rickety for him, and Ivan had a fair degree of certainty, that it would collapse under his weight. That was why he pivoted leftwards first, before hurling himself across the street onto a closer roof. After that, he shot towards the store.

Like before, though he didn't have Livia's magical capabilities guiding his steps, he did have both his own natural agility as well as his endurance and sense of direction to make sure that he didn't trail too far from the girl . Unlike before however, the little detour he took at the beginning meant that he did not take exactly the same path as Livia, even though he didn't lose sight of her, as the two of them vaunted over the roofs of Tell Arran.

He would finally ground his parkour to a halt beside Livia, as they finally arrived in front of the store where they had met up earlier.

".. and you are all height and blond hair, dear Ivan. You stand out."

- "You say that as if it's a bad thing." - He quipped, as he approached. With a shake of his head he conceded her point, however. - "But fine, you go through the street. I'll find another way in." -

With that, he went off again, vaunting over the narrow street in front of them, and landing on al-Eraz's roof with a dry thud. From there he would disappear from Livia's field of sight as he sought a way in. One soon materialised in the form of a hatchway on the roof. Ivan rotted away the lock that guarded it and then sneaked inside.​

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia made quick work in descending from her vantage point, eyes surveying her surroundings before stepping forward until she was at a foot away from the door. She chewed on her lip, putting up the pretense once more that she was a spoiled noble from Vel Anir. "Sir? Are you there?" Her voice wobbled, and Quinnick even managed to wet her eyes with unshed tears. She knocked again, this time insistent.

The door opened, with al-Eraz staring at her in bewilderment. As soon as the door opened, Livia slotted her foot in the gap, praying to whichever god will hear her when she prayed her boot softened any attempts to slam the door shut.

"Please. You must help me. That man that was here earlier, he tried to grab me. Please." Livia turned to the street, relieved to see not many paying attention or had moved on for the night. Sh turned back to the merchant, her light make up now smudged as she rubbed at her eyes to stop the tears. "You are a kind man. Please, will you help me? I will give you coin for the trouble, just please."

"Alright!" He grabbed her by the collar of her clean, new shirt, and pulled her in. Livia stumbled, using the movement to drop a dagger as an added insurance for later.

"Where is he?" The merchant asked, peering out the door with a frown. Liv coughed, more from the faking of crying than the lie of sobbing. When she did not answer immediately, he cut her an angry look. "The Cortosi, girl, where is he?"

"I do not know! I lost him... I lost him and ran straight here." She croaked, falling to her knees and holding her stomach. Livia's performance was over the top, but it kept the merchant occupied. "He flirted with me and asked to see where I was staying... As soon as we left the Camel Inn, he lead me to a horse... Please, sir. I just need a moment." She feigned nausea, groaning and still fighting back tears.

"Let me take you to see the Captain, girl. He is a friend of mine, and none can harm you when you have his protection. Does this sound alright?" He bent down on one knee and placed a hand on her shoulder, but Livia could feel the opportunity he thought he had in bringing in the spy. Livia lifted her head and gave him a weak smile.

"But I look like a mess. What will the Captain think?"

 

[Ivan Skender]

Ivan silently made his way through the dark hallway the hatch had brought him to. He hadn't been inside for long when, somewhere in the distance, Livia's loud knocks echoed through the building.

Al-Eraz's house, though big, was not that large, and so it took Ivan only a few moments to find his way through the darkness and into the front, where the merchant kept his store. He arrived to the sight of the salesman on his knees, clasping Livia's shoulder, though unfortunately, in the rather gloomy atmosphere of the closed store, he did not notice the crocodile tears that Quinnick had put up as part of her oh-so-convincing performance.

Not that it mattered. The girl had delivered him a perfect situation.

With a swift movement, he unsheathed one of the daggers he carried on his belt, pressing it against the merchant's neck with his left hand, while his right caught the Kaliti's arm. Pulling by the elbow, Ivan forced the salesman up.

- “I'm afraid there won't be any more encounters with the guard tonight, Hasan.” - He said in common. The merchant, for his part, suddenly realised his mistake. A conclusion that would be apparent to Livia as she would see the Kaliti's eyes widening, and his features contorting into a look of surprise, and then panic.

- “You Anirian mongrels,” - al-Eraz started, much to the blonde's surprise, in perfect low Anirian. - “you don't kn–” -

He didn't have time to finish the sentence, as Ivan flung him across the room. Before the Kaliti could react though, he would find the blonde holding him down.

- “The army officers, Hasan.” - Ivan said, as he pulled back his fist to deliver a devastating blow to the merchant's face. Al-Eraz sputtered, spitting some blood from a burst lip. - “Where are they?” -

Hasan al-Eraz merely laughed at the question. - “Do you think I'll tell you?! You fucking mongrel, you'll have to kill me before I tell anything to the likes of y–” -

Another punch. Followed by some panting, and the spilling of yet more blood. Though the merchant tried to spit at Ivan, his aim soon revealed itself as rather shoddy, and the red-infused spatter fell harmlessly onto the Kaliti's robes.

- “Oh, but I don't plan for you to die… at least not yet.” - He ripped Hasan's right sleeve, to reveal his arm. Throughout his skin, the merchant would see scores of black pustules, as well as open, gaping wounds that had started to draw blood and pus. Textbook symptoms of the black rot, the disease that had spread some time ago at Epiri, and that had been stopped by Ivan and his friend, Amos Savren.

During that stay, Ivan had learned about the spread of arcane diseases: the magical decay of the body. He had experimented with the power since he'd returned from that mission, and while he was still very much a novice on the topic, it was clear that he could use the power, if he wished it.

- “Have you ever seen what happens to a victim of the black rot?” - He asked, getting up from his overbearing position over the merchant. - “It is quite a painful experience. Your flesh will be consumed by those black pustules, until it is nothing but a mess of blood and pus. It will take days of unending pain as you piss and shit yourself to death. There is no cure.” - He said triumphantly. - “Well, none that your Kaliti healers would know of.” - He knelt by the merchant again, uttering in a menacing, low tone, just above a whisper: - “The best part is, I can make it last longer, if I want to.” - He waved his hand over al-Eraz's arm. On cue, the black pustules started to retreat, and the wounds closed as the disease seemingly disappeared… at least until the blonde stopped.

- “But I can also make it go away.” - He continued. - “We have no interest in you; in wasting our time with you. Tell us what we want to hear, and we'll leave. You'll be free to put this behind your back, to forgive and forget, or to rave about Anirian spies; it doesn't matter. We won't see each other again.” - Ivan stood up again.

- “Well?” -

The merchant looked at his half-diseased arm. He looked at the blonde's impassable expression, before finally conceding with an exasperated gaze.

- “There are no armies here, Anirian. The Empire doesn't give a toss about the frontier, and even if it did, our overlords are too busy squabbling amongst themselves to even notice we exist. We haven't seen any signs of authority since the Emperor disappeared.” -

As it became clear the merchant was done, Ivan smirked, clearly pleased with himself. He then turned to Livia, handing her his knife.

- “Finish it.” - He said. No point in leaving loose ends.

Hasan picked up on it immediately. As his eyes widened, he let out a loud objection.

- “NO!!” - He tried to make a break for the back of the shop, to safety, though his escape was soon cut short by Ivan's boot on his chest. - “No, you can't! You promised!” - Hasan did not whimper, nor shrieked as he spoke. There was fear in his words, yes, but a sort of dignified terror; that of someone facing death, but still brave enough to look it in the eye.

As his pleas fell on deaf ears, he tried afflictively to dislodge Ivan's foot, but to no avail. As he struggled, al-Eraz fought with an intensity of a man that wanted to live; that still had something to live for. He did not do it well enough though. As he failed to free himself, the fight that was still left in his eyes began to fade, the hope that still dwelt there replaced with desperation.

- “You fuckers! You came into our land to do this!” - Tears started welling in his eyes as he reached the unavoidable conclusion; that he would die that night. - “The army! Bah! You came here to kill! That's all you Anirians do! That's all you are!” - His eyes deviated to Livia. Pleading. Maybe the girl would be reasonable, maybe she would be compassionate.

- "I never did you any wrong." - He said, calming himself. - "You were the ones that provoked this. I had a good life here; friends, trusted clients, loving parents. You are the ones that drove me into this! To protect my country!" - He looked up at Ivan, but found only the cold gaze of the blonde staring, unmoved, right back at him. Once again the fire in his eyes dimmed, as all hope started to fade.

- "At least give to my mother, will you?" - He asked, placing a small ring on the floor besides him. - "She gave it to me when I ran my first caravan, she was so proud." - He was blankly reminiscing at this point, reliving the happy life he would soon leave behind. At the mention of his mother, the tears started pouring down, though Hasan remained resolute, almost serene in the face of his impending doom.

Ivan remained impassable throughout all of this.

- “Get it done, Livia.” -​

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Her face was devoid of all emotion as she watched Ivan and the merchant. The soft yet stony look on her facade would make her mother proud, but Livia was solely listening to the pleas of al-Eraz. Her eyes flicked to the ring he set down on the flooring, She did not trust that this fear in him was entirely truthful, that he could possess other information that could be helpful to their mission. Livia moved, searching behind the counter for what she was looking for. When she found the parchment and ink pen, she placed it on the floor beside the shaking merchant.

"Write to your mother." She said simply, lifting her eyes to peer through her dark lashes at Ivan, a silent request for him to allow the merchant to move. If he made any sudden movements, either of the Initiates would be upon him within a second.

Once Ivan obliged for al-Eraz to sit up and write, Livia crouched down and murmured lowly. "I will allow you this last correspondence in exchange for other information. My father taught me this trick with our magic, how to detect untruthful words from the honest ones. Shall we play?"

The man's face showed a moment of hatred seeing Livia before the fear or impending death was upon him. "I have nothing else to say."

Livia clicked her tongue and he flinched.

"Write your letter." She commanded.

And so he did. With the watchful eyes of Quinnick, he wrote an emotional farewell and made no mention of his demise. Once he was done, the pen and parchment were whisked away into the air with the use of Livia's other magic. To feel it's presence filled Livia with the familiarity she begun to recognise from it, how it crackled with energy within her. Corruption magic. The very magic Zana could see in Livia and brought it forth into the light for Livia to learn from.

With her magic, it pushed al-Eraz back to the floor. The air sizzled and crackled as Livia stood, towering before him but not as tall as Skender was. "If you want me to find your mother and pass the ring and letter on, then you have something to say. What is it?"

"I do not! I do not!" He whimpered, closing his eyes to hide from the increasing energy.

"We know the Empire has no interest out here... but Tell Arran has quite a number of militia men and the sort. I counted many on my way here, before making contact with Disease Boy here." The way Livia spoke was soft, almost cooing and soothing the merchant who only stilled at her perception. "Well? Tell me that is a lie."

The merchant witheld his tongue, and Livia sighed. Her magic seeped into his skin, turning his blood hot and thick, but slowly. Control, she had learned control with Maseno, and while she had to keep her own emotions in check, she knew she could kill him before he could confirm what she put together. al-Eraz began to claw at his arm, finding it difficult to breathe as pain set in.

"You do not want to anger me, my dear friend. The last time someone made me angry, I killed them. Bullies, you see. But the first kill? Well... that was my father. I killed his heart, just like I will do yours, but I learned to slow things down now." Livia smiled, a sweet and sickly curved of her pink lips. She looked up at Ivan, raising a brow. "He is no team player when it comes to games."

"What we have here has no concern for Aniria!" He insisted, gasping for whatever breath he could take into his lungs. Livia whipped her head back to face him, scowling down at him.

"Finally, a truthful outburst. Then, pray tell, is the intent for such a number of guards?" His death was coming, whether it may be from his heart giving out or from Livia's own hand. She had no intention of passing along the letter, in fact, she was to burn it after he died.


Ivan Skender

 

[Ivan Skender]

- “To protect from you.” - The merchant said, with difficulty. - “You two are worried about threats to your land, when you are the threat to others’” -

Throughout all of this, Ivan had thoroughly lost interest. As the questioning dragged on, and Hasan spewed out more information that they already knew, Ivan went around the store, browsing through the wares he would soon be looting out of the store.

He'd given Livia the space she'd need to do it; to get her first kill, but she seemed… intent on… not…doing it?

- “Stop playing around, Quinnick. Just finish it.” -​

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia stared at al-Eraz, eyes narrowing when Ivan spoke again. "Spiteful, until the very end." She plucked the letter from the air and ripped it to small, tiny shreds. His anger boiled, not serving him any favours in the way her magic affected his body at that moment. He struggled to spew hatred, struggled to even get a word out. Livia dropped the ring into his mouth, and forced his mouth closed.

Her eyes watched his dark hues, watching as he choked and seized under the weight of her magic, and finally he came to a still. She watched his face for a moment more before moving to check his person for anything. A set of keys and a short letter written in Kaliti.

"Hmm... maybe I should not have left that ring in his mouth... oh well. He died of natural causes." That was what they had told fourteen year old Livia about her father. Telling herself that now was also just fooling herself. She will think on this later. "Right. That is taken care of." She stood up, turning to see where Ivan was and push it out from her mind what she had done. Livia was god at that, pretending. Livia pocketed the letter but inspected the keys. "Shall we see what he keeps hidden and locked away?" He died peacefully, there was not much else Livia could have done for him. "I think something out there in the back."

Livia could feel the numbing set in, but she pushed through it... or rather absorbed it. Kept it there, nice and close.


Ivan Skender

 

[Ivan Skender]

Ivan moved closer to Livia as Hasan al-Eraz finally breathed his last. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she examined the key.

He shook his head, a bemused look on his face at the mention of new loot. What pride he felt.

- “There's time.” - He said, his tone somewhat soothing to the ear. - “How are you feeling?” -

Again, he knew moments like these could be tense. After his first kill, his mentor - that same one that had been cracking jokes prior to the deed - had gotten him absolutely wasted after they'd been done.

Since heading to a bar to chug a handful of pints was rather out of the question by now however, he felt as though another coping mechanism had to be found.​

Livia Quinnick

 

[Livia Quinnick]

“How are you feeling?”

Livia lifted her gaze, olivine eyes hardening and narrowing at the gentleness he was using with her. His arm was a weight and warmth she welcomed, but something inside her wanted to rip it off from her. And so, she shrugged out from his half embrace and went to the backrooms where Ivan had entered from.

"I feel fine." She grumbled, unable to convince herself or Skender that she was unaffected. She slid the key into any lock she could find, and tried with no avail. Nothing stood out to her, about where the key would fit. Livia sighed and slid it into a pocket, where the Kaliti written letter was. She leaned against a wall and stared up at a wall of silks wrapped in a tight roll, staring at a particularly blue hue that reminded her of a dressing gown she had at home.

"The Academy does not ask us questions like that after a kill." Here, her head fell to where Ivan stood, eyes darkening in the dim light. "So please, do not treat me like I am some soft thing." Because she could take it. She could bear it. Livia Quinnick made the choice, and her hands were still clean. No blood to stain her fair complexion or her weapons. As if remembering, her hand lifted and opened for the dagger she had dropped earlier. It shot up into her grasp, and Livia stared at the weapon in hand. The magic was intoxicating, even more powerful than her compass magic. To feel such power... well, Livia felt as if nothing could go wrong, that this was now all in her control.

And was a delectable thought that was.

"Please. What I did there will be small in comparison for what is to come at the end of this night. There are men awaiting our arrival, and we very well may be ending their lives soon." Livia tried to hide her anger, her frustration, but it burned so brightly in her green eyes as she stepped from the shadows of the store. "I just denied a mother from reading the last words from her son. A family with no father that would return to them." Livia chuckled, dryly. "Fuck, Ivan. How am I feeling? Well, like shit!"

 

[Ivan Skender]

- “I know you are.” - His tone kept its soothing allure, seemingly unperturbed by Livia's outburst. - “Because I did too.” - He leaned against the wall as well, coming to rest beside the girl, a brooding expression on his face.

- “After I got my first kill, my commanding officer took me out for drinks. I got so wasted I couldn't walk back to the barracks.” - A faint smile tucked at the corners of his lips, as though the memory of his younger, drunker self was amusing in some way. - “I spent the next couple of days puking my insides out, and even then I couldn't forget that moment. That kill, the look on my victim's face, that feeling of taking a life; of snuffing out everything they were or could've been… That's something you carry with you.” -

He turned to face the girl.

- “So yes,” - He continued. - “the Academy does not ask us that sort of thing, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be asked.” - He took a step forward, closer to the girl. - “And you aren't a soft thing; not anymore, but you were, and unlike the rest of us you didn't spend your entire life training to be a killer.” -

He shook his head.

- “Even for the majority of initiates, those of us that were born and bred since birth for this, it's not an easy thing to do.” - That was not true for all of them, as there were always the bloodthirsty types that had a field day with taking lives, but it was a notion which held up strangely well.

- “It doesn't exactly get easier either.” - He said, more to address Livia's remark about having to do it again soon, rather than to give some life-changing advice. He took another step towards her, towering over her with an impassable, yet strangely reassuring, demeanour.

- “You just learn how to cope with it.” -

Drinking heavily was a long-time favourite, though other distractions were also quite common.​

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Her eyes watched him carefully, narrowed with her unchecked anger flowing freely through herself. Ivan was taller, towering above her as her head raised to meet his gaze without backing down. "Cope with it?" She whispered, the low tone laced with an edge that would have sent other Initiates the other way. Livia knew Ivan was not that kind. He flirted with danger, and even now, she knew he would not let her simply wipe her hands clean and forget.

Livia chuckled dryly, still maintaining eye contact with his icy grey hues.

"If you have not noticed, I am rather shit at coping mechanisms. But I am up for a distraction if you think you can achieve such a goal."

Anger did not die within her. She was angry at al-Eraz, at the militia, at Ivan. She was mad at the older man that tried to force his presence on her back at the Black Camel Inn, mad at the innkeeper there that had made a pass at her when she paid for the room. She was mad at Ivan again, and this time Livia pushed him back only a step, as if he anticipated her move. It only made Livia angrier.

With force, she pushed him back, and did not leave him a moment to recover his feet before she moved and pushed him to the wall.

"We did not need to do this, Skender! We could have just stayed low and left!" Her fists found his chest and his abdomen, but anger made Quinnick clumsy. Her hits barely did any damage too him, moved too much all over her chosen target than wounding. He was alive, and he was there.

He was there...

Livia ceased her assault. Fell into him, panting breaths that only made her pumping heart roar at her ears. "We should not drink to cope tonight." She let that sink in, slowly lifting her head up to glare up at Ivan. "You got any other ideas?"


Ivan Skender

 

[Ivan Skender]

For the most part, Ivan merely watched on as Livia expressed her pain, her anguish, and, most evidently, her anger. He remained impassable, since - as far as he was concerned, at least - all that he needed to say, he had said already.

Mostly, he let Livia rage as she willed. He let her push him against the wall, and to thump on his chest as she wished, though he did manage to catch her fist mid-air as it headed towards his abdomen… mostly because getting punched in the stomach right after dinner did not sound like fun.

Though his face looked about as inscrutable as before, by looking intently at his features, Livia would be able to notice the faint smile that succeeded in holding that tug at the corners of his lips. This smirk - faint as it was - was not exactly a sympathetic one; though it wasn't unsympathetic either. Instead, it would look a mix of sly and understanding.

"You got any other ideas?”

He held the fist he'd caught firmly with one hand, while the other rose to the girl's face, caressing it gently.

- “I do.” - He said, softly.

Then he kissed her.​

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia did not realise she had held her breath the moment before Ivan placed his lips to hers, not until her chest ached and a surge of exhalation was loosed from her lips. It was with that panting breath that Livia angrily reciprocated the kiss, effectively pushing away the thought there was a dead man in the next room from them, and that it was by her doing.

Her feet rolled to almost the tips, giving herself height in comparison to Ivan's tall figure. In doing so, she pressed into him, arms moving to secure behind his neck.

Skender had to know Livia was desperate for a distraction, that this sort was always the quick fix. And Liv indulged in it, knowing that this moment had no real consequences for the future. That it would not lead to confusing feelings. He was simply there, sharing in that first guilt of a kill that mattered. A kill that had to be done.

"Bet you have been waiting all night to do that." Humour was another distraction, another attempt to make this moment something organic, not at all forced in order to forget. This had been natural, an inevitable thing. They were both young, away from any home they knew, and only had each other. It was going to happen, she told herself.