Never Dry
“Monsters!” Blood gurgled from his lips as the man pushed himself away from the approaching shadows with his one good leg as the other was riddled in cuts seeping red over the floor. His hand clutched at his upper arm that was hanging limp from its socket. His eyes bulged at the creatures with the eyes of demons, his hand becoming too unstable to drag him across the floor or keep the blood from flowing from his wounds. As they neared, his own breath made him choke and he fell onto his side as his hand slipped from under him. His large, blubbery body slammed onto the marble floor of his manor, the sound echoing through the strangely empty halls.As he recomposed himself, the terrors stepped closer, two sets of eyes staring down on him with bold, cold, and dark eyes that both reflected the fear in his own.
Over their faces was a mask split across the bridge of the nose. The mask itself was hard plated and intricate in its design or carvings. It was a solid, bold ebony color almost blending into their long, straight tresses tied into braids that disappeared into the neck of their cloaks. On the right was the taller of the two, the black cloak drawing around seeming broad shoulders hiding the rest of his body. Though the brow was slightly more defined, the half of a face visible to the man was nearly identical to the one of the right with the smaller frame. Any semblance of curves were hidden behind long cloaks, the one on the right have a draw bow protruding from it.
“Wh-Who did it? Who paid you? Who you working for, HUH?!” He wrestled himself for control over his own psyche. He began to pull himself up, one hand digging into his pocket before tossing out whatever piece of currency resided in there out towards them. “ I’ll pay you way more, please?!” A plethora of gold pieces and paper clattered and fluttered towards the ground, enough to make any man want to at least hear the guy out. Yet two sets of eyes only panned from the money back to the man with little interest. He could feel his own heart in his throat. Never in his life did he think he’d meet his end like this. Instead of laying down like a good dog, he yapped more, while fear dripped from every word.” I-I know who you are! You’re those monsters! Those bastard assassin children from Abadigne,” he accused, pointing a shaky finger their way. “ Soulless swords soaked in blood!”
Both figures simply stared at him, a right and a left eyes glancing to each other only briefly.
Then, they turned to leave. The man could hardly believe his luck! Rumors told that if anyone ever met half a face, they’d never live to see the other half. And here they were walking away from him.” Heh! Hahaha! Good! Leave if you know what’s good for you! My bodyguards will be here any second. Neither turned to retort as they walked further away, then sneering at their backs gone unanswered. Only till the shorter began to turn. The man shut up real quick and he began to try to lift himself. “ I-I didn’t mean it!” The taller reached out a hand to stop the other, nodding at them to go ahead.The shorter looked on before nodding. Once they continued, the taller turned, a bow emerging from the cloak, an arrow being drawn back.” No! No please! I’ll do anything! Plea-” Before he could even finish his last plea, an arrow pierced through the thick of his skull, right between the brow. The man fell back, his mouth still wide open. The assassins? They also left without a single word.
A few months Later---
The streets were filled with travelers and vendors as per normal. The sun ran high in the air people navigated through each other in the bustling street.” Fresh fruit! Freshest fruit within fifty miles!” “Get your general goods here!” Vendors across the street advertised their wares, in hope to attract anyone passing by who may need provisions or other miscellaneous items for their trip. The twins needed neither. Both sifted through the crowds like fish in a pond, simply making their way through to their destination nearby.Another job was under their belt and behind them, leaving them to their return to the their guild. Both were dressed in casual, travelling garb, their faces exposed. At a single glance, most stared at first, their resemblance uncanny. Yet, these people had seen them pass through often and either regarded them sparingly or not at all.
Aside from one.
“It’s you again!” The voice was close to the shorter one’s ear, yet neither turned. As the other avoided or ignore their presence, they tended to do the same until a hand came upon the shoulder. The response was so automatic that no one realized what had happened until the girl was almost on her knees in whimpers.Her arm was caught by a gloved hand, twisted into a nearly impossible position. Once realizing this face, the gloved hand immediately let go, as if startled by their own lack of control. “O-Ow...You’re so fast…” Dark eyes looked down onto the platinum blonde bob before the woman lifted her face, revealing large blue eyes and skin nearly pale enough to hint death. Right below her left eye was a small black spot. Her face was remembered instantly, this doll like appearance that screamed innocence to the world around her. She gently laughed off he occurrence and rose with a slight back step.
“I’m sorry…” The tanned face twitched, the semblance of some kind of expression flashing before disappearing into the neutral state of of the stone cold wall it usually was.” I just-” Even her voice was soft and melodic. Everything about her just proclaimed “PROTECT ME.” to anyone who was even remotely paying attention. Behind the smaller twin, the taller had stopped, watching over the exchange, having been ready to interfere at first. Now, he stood, simply watching. “ I wanted to give you something...for what you did for me. I’ve seen you come through here a few times...i knew it was you who helped me that night.” She reached into her pouch, a hand clutching the hilt of a knife under the cloak in readiness.” Here.” Her hand hesitated in reaching out to the woman who’d nearly snapped her arm off, but as a hand slowly came out to her, she gave a smile of relief. Almost as if she was afraid of hurting her, the blonde gently sat a small, black leather piece into her hand. It was an oval shape, carved with gold and jade that seemed to glimmer as if it had water running underneath it. The piece was connected with a pin that crossed at both ends at the leather.
“You have long hair, and it’s beautiful… I figured you could wear it pulled back...You’re really pretty ,so--” by now she seemed to get a little shy though she pushed on, her glance turning off.” I don’t know… You also travel a lot, it seems.. So I enchanted it. I’m still an apprentice, but my magic has promise. It’ll protect you.” The pin sat in the hand,fingers curled lightly. Those eyes never left this small woman. Something twanged in the chest of the dark haired woman before she looked to the gift, then back to the blonde. There was an internal conflict...Everything in her mind told her to either give it back or leave it at her feet. She didn’t need petty, sentimental things like this...but that thing in her chest...Her fingers closed around the object and retreated into her cloak. There was a short silence before a quiet, almost inaudible “Thank you.” was returned. There was a slight nod and the woman finally turned to join her carbon copy. He simply looked on her for a moment then to the blonde before choosing to follow instead of lead this time. The blonde smiled wildly and waved,” Have a safe trip! Hope to see you again!”
----
That evening the two sat in their room that stay illuminated only by a few candles. The room was small, enough to only truly hold their sleeping space and a single storage compartment. In the corner, two bows stay posted against the wall. “ You should’ve left it, Caelei.” the woman sat in front of the male, deft, nimble fingers working at re bandaging a cut she received from their fight earlier the days before. It was healing well, but he didn’t want to risk the wound reopening. The woman hadn’t responded, her fingers turning the pin over this way and that in her hands. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d received a gift…
“I know…” As she looked upon the hair piece, she could see her very first encounter with that woman.
----
“No! Nooo! Stop this!” The two were returning from a job in the comfort of the moonlight. Often times, the roads were empty and left them to their privacy on their way back to Abadigne. However, this night, the screams of a woman pierced the air of the forest trail, accompanied by the sound of a struggle The woman of the duo turned her sight ahead, the sound of the scuffle becoming louder as they approached a pair, a man wrestled a woman. They had passed the two without any interaction, the woman having noticed the twins first. She called for their help, her sleeves and and cloak torn from the fight, however long it persisted. “Stop struggling, you little wench.” He made a grab for her injured arm, yanking her back while she fought to keep a hold onto a clothed wrapped parcel pressed to her chest.
The twins turned at the commotion, but hadn’t intervened initially. They’d both intended to continue on.” No! Please! Help me!” That girlish, voice called to them as they were the only ones around to hear. Neither responded to her pleas or her near sobs as the hand hauled her up.” No one’s gonna help you. Now, stop it!” She struggled more his yanked the parcel away, the package becoming undone as books and tomes slid across the ground. Now, he was able to start lifting her. That was, until a swift attack planted a blunt object into his side, catching him off guard. He let the blond woman go as he was pulled back and has a palm strike him upwards into his jaw. It was like nothing the blonde had ever seen before. This woman, only a little bigger than her single handedly taking down this man. She left him groaning on the ground, his arm popped out of his socket. It’d shaken her at first…”Th-...Thank...you…” She could only stare in wonder at the face that showed nothing for the man before realizing her items were strewn everywhere. “Oh!” And quickly, she went to retrieving them and trying to wrap them back up. “ Of course this happens to me...late and now attacked…” She occupied herself with collecting and counting her things until one was lowered to her, the hand and arm belonging to the woman that had saved her. She stared again, though her uneasiness from before melted into a smile. “ You’re kind...Thank you.” The pack was wrapped back up and she stood. “ i’m heading into town...Can I--” Her uneasiness came back after glancing to the male then to the woman, noticing their cloaks and expressions. “ May I walk with you? It’s only a little farther?”
She received no reply and instead, the two simply continued on. Without a yes or a no, the blonde tagged along slightly behind them both all the way to town. They didn’t even stop when she tried to thank them again.”Thank you! Stay safe!”
-----
In retrospect, the encounter hadn’t meant much to her, but...She turned the pin in her hand again. She also remembered the many times she’d seen her in passing. “You shouldn’t speak to her again… We don’t need unnecessary blood on our hands.” Her eyes lowered at his words, knowing them to be true. At this, she sat the clip down. ”Caelen…?” He hummed gently behind her, the only few signs of softness behind his hard exterior. “Our hands are soaked…” There was a silence while she felt him tugging out the knots of her hair. He only replied with a quiet hum. “ I never thought...there was someone so pure looking in the world...So unblemished by every terrible thing crawling on this planet.” He offered no reply to her musings, only giving her that quiet ear of attention and listening. “ I’d taint her if I ever thought of touching her...She’d be ruined by this world someday. These people. Even if we washed our hands free one day...if we could… blood covers the earth… And yet she remains bright.” Calen finished untangling her braid and simply took to running his hands through it thoughtfully. “ Do you wish for your hands to be cleansed one day, Caelei…? To live in that world that she does?”
Her head tilted down again to her palms, there was only one thing she could see. “They’ll never be dry…But I hope...that her’s will be that way eternally.”
