"Yup, it's me!" Said Cindy, holding crunches in one arm. "Luckily, you didn't hurt my leg too badly, but I'm still mad at you." Cindy continued, slowly moving towards him.

  "Why are you talking to me? you wanted to kill me." Senshi asked, resting his head back against the tree.

  "Because you saved my life. If it weren't for you, I would be dead right now. Plus, I wanted to apologize for everything and make it up to you." Cindy answered.

  "It was just a split-second decision," Senshi added, sighing.

  "What even was that thing? Was it some demon? I thought we were fighting each other, not a monster!" Cindy remarked.

  "I have no idea. That's actually what I want to figure out. Anyway, I accept your apology, so you can go now." Senshi brushed her off, closing his eyes.

  Senshi sat still, listening for any sounds. Maybe she was gone? He slowly cracked his eyes open—only to freeze. Cindy sat in front of him, grinning.

  "How did you creep up on me!!? Yelled Senshi before blowing a sigh of relief.

  "I used to be an assassin. That's actually why I'm mainly here. I wanted to introduce you to my boss," Cindy responded, slowly getting up and holding her crunches. Come with me; I want you to meet him."

  Senshi sighed before getting up on his feet and grabbing his bag.

  "This better not be a waste of my time; I'll kill you if it's not," Senshi said, rubbing his eyes and scoffing.

  "You won't kill me; I'm too cute!" Cindy said before slowly walking through the park onto the concrete.

  ***

  "So, what did you do before being put in prison?" Cindy questioned, both sitting on a bench and awaiting a ride from a horse buggy.

  "Nothing, I was born in the Scredmore Prison," responded Senshi.

  "Really? That's tough! I worked as an assassin for like… Three years? Then, I was caught by the police on my last mission. But they paid great money, so I want to go back!" Cindy said with a wide smile, making many hand signs and others representing her words.

  "You have no problem killing people; I can feel the bloodlust from here!" Cindy continued, looking at him with two hands on her chin.

  "I don't like killing; I only do so when I feel it's necessary. The higher-ups of Scredmore killed my clan, So I want revenge." Senshi added before looking back at her.

  "Oooh!! So you want to take revenge on the royal family? I wouldn't mind helping you with that. The royal family had my family executed as well but for different reasons.." Cindy replied, her facial expression weakening.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  "Looking for a ride?" Said an older male with a brown hat on his head. He sat on an aged wooden cart led by two brown horses.

  Cindy slowly got up, smiling. "Yes! We want a ride to Driftmore District! Shouted Cindy.

  "Sure thing! It'll be twenty Marcs!" responded the man, returning the smile.

  Cindy's heart dropped, but she smiled for a good response.

  "Well… we're kind of broke. Do you think you can give us a ride... for me?" Cindy said, twirling her hair and looking up at him.

  "Well uh-um, I uh- can't' rea-" The man stuttered, immediately becoming flustered.

  Cindy giggled before climbing onto the ride, with Senshi following closely behind her.

  "I did-" The man said before being cut off by Cindy.

  "Shush! Just take us to the district; nobody has to know!" Cindy boasted before laying back in her seat next to Senshi.

  ***

  Later that night, the ride finally reached Driftmore before Senshi and Cindy hopped out of the cart.

  "Thanks so much, sir!" Cindy yelled, waving with a huge smile. The man quickly began driving off, and Cindy immediately dropped her smile.

  Senshi looked at her in complete shock as she smiled and began to move forward. The area appeared heavily worn down and old. Many buildings were covered in vines and other greenery, sheltering animals and low-income residents.

  "My boss is just down this pathway!" Cindy said before turning to the right in an open area with a few stone buildings. The pathway led into a forest, where she cut through multiple bushes and trees.

  After emerging out of the small, bushy area, they were met with a tall stone building. It had multiple flags and lanterns around it, the red ones with a white star symbol in the middle.

  "This is it! My boss is here!" Cindy said before continuing in.

  "Why should I trust him to pay me when he lives in this area?" Senshi added, grabbing her arm.

  "Well, my boss has money! He comes here to recruit poor people!" She said before snatching her arm away and walking inside. Senshi slowly followed behind, rethinking himself a few times.

  ***

  "I have a new target for you." Said Talia before taking a sip of her Coffee. She sat in a cafe bar, surrounded by multiple guards. The bar was specifically for Nobels, located in the Gildrow district.

  "What's the pay?" Shaikatsu responded, both arms folded on his legs, sitting with his legs crossed.

  "I'll pay you over Ten Thousand Marcs if you successfully WATCH them, not kill him. You will report to me at the end of every day and give me the information you've gathered. Your target is Senshi Aestari." Talia said, taking another sip of her Coffee.

  "An Aestari!?" Shaikatsu yelled, lifting from his relaxed position. His eyes widened, and his pose shifted to a more focused one, half of his body leaning over the table.

  "Keep it down, but yes. It's an Aestari, one of the only remaining members. Don't worry; you'd only have to fight him if he spots you and picks a battle. Then, you kill him." Talia responded before placing her cup of Coffee down and swaying her hand in the air, signaling for a refill.

  "Oh, don't worry, I have no worries about losing to an Aestari. After five hundred missions, I haven't lost one." Shaikatsu said before standing up and pushing the chair in.

  "Bright pink eyes, black hair, around six feet. You'll locate him pretty easily, specifically with the eyes." Talia said before raising her cup and receiving a refill of Coffee from a server.

  ***

  "Boss? It's Cindy. I know you haven't seen me in two years, but I'm back!" Cindy shouted into a dark building. "Oh right, Senshi, grab that lantern behind you!" Cindy continued, turning back to Senshi.

  Senshi accidentally bumped into a table with a lantern on its edge. Picking it up, Senshi shook it around, completely confused about how to use it.

  "You seriously don't know how to turn a lantern on? They really did keep you in there for your entire life," Cindy shouted as she pointed to a lighter on the table. She walked over, grabbed the lantern and the lighter, ignited the lantern, and handed it to Senshi. "There!" she said, smiling at Senshi.

  What did I just feel?