French words (that are in here and that you may want to know)

femme - woman

Le Diable Blanc - The White Devil

petit (shown here p'tit) - small (term of endearment)

cher - expensive (term of endearment)

fille - girl

oui - yes

adieu - good-bye

d'accord - of agreement

merde - shit

bon - good

Dieu - God

mon frere - my brother

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Oh, they were just angry, we tell ourselves when someone blurts out something they later apologize for. But a word, once spoken, lingers forever. To keep peace, we pretend to forget, but we never do. Strange that a spoken word can have such lasting power when words carved on stone monuments vanish in spite of all our efforts to preserve them. What we would lose persists, lodged in our minds, and what we would keep is lost to the elements or by our own doing.

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Remy calmly walked down the maze of hallways that made up his family - well, foster-family's - house.

"An' jus' where y'be goin' wit dat deal, Gator Bait?"

Remy paused and half-turned with a shrug to glance back at his "brother", Henri. "Remy heard ya'll got d'youngest "Ssassin. Figured he'd give 'er some food, make 'er somewhat comf'table in dis hellhole while she waitin' t'be rescued."

"Now why y'gonna go an' do dat? She our enemy, Remy. Let d'bitch starve."

"Now, see, Henri - Remy ain't as cold as you or Jean-Luc. He ain't gonna sit back an' watch an innocent femme starve fo' no good reason."

"No good reason! She a 'Ssassin. Ain't dat reason 'nough?"

"Nope."

"Oh, come on! Listen t'what I'm sayin' fo' once in y'short lifetime - leave. Her. Be. Go t'ya room an' play wit y'cards or sometin', Remy."

"Go put y'head in d'blender an' turn on d'liquefy switch, Henri."

With that, he turned on his heel and continued on down the hallway. Pausing in front of a door that was seemingly the same as all the others, he balanced the tray in one hand as he used the other to dig a set of keys out of his jeans pocket. Quickly undoing the lock, he slipped into the room without a noise Setting the tray down on a dresser to his side and re-locking the door, he turned a slight smile to the young girl sitting on top of the covers of the bed...

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While Remy and Henri were talking...

Jerking at the ties that bound her wrists and ankles, Pyra tested their strength. The Thieves hadn't taken any of her weapons (thank the gods!), but they sure as hell didn't want her to get to any of them, either.

'Got any ideas for helping me get out of this bind?'

'Funny, but no. Just wait. Someone will come eventually and you can just make your great escape then.'

'Wait?! That's your brilliant plan?!'

'Yes. If you're so desperate to go, then tell them you have to go

'To the bathroom? Ha ha. Yeah. Right. And just how am I supposed to tell them that? News flash, O Observant One - bandanna in mouth. Kinda tight. Can't talk...Taste's disgusting, too.'

'What do you mean 'can't talk'? You're talking to me now.'

'Through my mouth, you dimwit!'

'Oh. Forgot.'

'Yeah. And since apparently you don't wanna just pop outta my head and help me untie these stupid things, I'm just gonna sit here and wait...'

Hearing a slight noise at the door, she turned a glare to it, hoping it wasn't the men who had captured her.

'Maybe it's Vivien or Carl...'

'I can only hope...'

She was surprised when a boy slipped through the door, quietly setting a tray of food on the dresser to his side and turning to face her with a charming smile.

'Definitely not Vivien or Carl...Or the other guys...Remember to keep your eyes down when we're talking - don't look at him too much.'

'I know.'

He looked to be only a couple years older than her, but it was his eyes that amazed her.

Le Diable Blanc

Red on black, they were even stranger than her own dark burgundy eyes that were flecked lightly with black, red, orange, and gold.

"Issokay, p'tit. Remy gonna help y'outta here."

'He's a Thief. Should I trust him?'

'Might as well. What other choice do you have at the moment?'

Hesitantly, Pyra gave a small jerk of her head to nod her assent. Grinning wider, the boy - Remy - walked over to her and knelt at the side of the bed. Placing a finger on the rope that bound her wrists and ankles together, a small amount of vibrant pink energy seemed to flow from his finger and into the rope, making it glow for a second before disintegrating.

'Play the innocent child. He seems to actually want to help. If it turns out to be a ploy, then make your move to kill him. Not before.'

'But did you see what he just did? The rumors about his powers are true...Do you really think I could take him in a fight?'

'You're a good fighter. I highly doubt his skills come anywhere near yours. Don't worry. I don't think it'll come to that anyway.'

The ropes now gone, Pyra rotated her wrists, getting the blood to flow back into them while rubbing the angry red rope burns.

"Turn 'round, cher."

Looking quizically at him, she raised an eyebrow in question.

"De bandanna, p'tit. Remy take it off f'ya. Den we gotta get movin', d'accord?"

Nodding hesitantly, she twisted around on the bed. She could feel the slight tug of his fingers as he worked the know quickly, the bandanna falling away from her mouth.

"Dat better, cher?"

Wiping a hand across her mouth, she nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Anytime. Dough hopefully we won't be caught in dis situation again, neh?"

"Yeah." Biting her lip for a moment as if in conflict of deciding whether or not to say more, she continued, "Aren't you who they call 'Le Diable Blanc'? You kinda match the decription I've heard..."

He laughed and pulled her off the bed as he moved it over some, revealing a trapdoor. "Dat's only one o'my endless nicknames, I s'pose. How old are y'anyway, fille? Seven? Eight?"

"I'm nine. If you're a Thief, why're you helping me?"

Pointing into the semi-darkness that the trapdoor led to, he said, "Wait down dere fo' a minute. Remy gonna clean up here, den come fo' ya 'nother way."

Not sure whether or not to trust the young Cajun Thief, she went down the stairs anyway to wait at the bottom for Remy to come back. The long passageway was kept dimly lit by faint lights set at wide intervals, leaving dark shadows of blackness between them. This would most likely lead to the boathouses, like the one in the Assassin's house.

"C'mon, cher. What's y'name, anyway?" he said, coming up from behind her and leading the way forward.

'Should I tell him?'

'What harm can it be?'

"Pyra."

"Pyra, huh? You a pyro? Y'like fire?"

She shrugged. "I guess. But it's just a nickname from my full name."

"An' dat would be...?"

"Of no concern. Why do you want to know, anyway?"

"Jus' tryin' t'keep conversation flowin', p'tit. So, Pyra, how did a pretty fille like y'self wind up here? An' where'd y'get d'fancy big words/no accent t'ing, huh? Remy t'ought everyone 'round here had an accent."

"The first question is also none of your business. As for the second, it's just how I was raised. Throws people off. You were obviously wrong about everyone around here having an accent. And I thank you for helping me, sure, but that doesn't entitle you to information. We're still in different Guilds, you know."

"Oui, oui. Remy knows de technicalities."

"You never answered my question, Remy. Why are you helping me?"

"'Cause Remy believes in treatin' filles right - at least d'ones dat deserve it."

Pyra shook her head. "But I don't deserve anything. I got caught. Everybody would say I deserved to be caught. I was stupid and didn't pay attention."

Remy shrugged as they came to an old wooden door that led out to the collection of motor-boats floating quietly in the swamp. "Well, not everyone have d'same 'pinions, cher. Remy wanna help ya."

Pyra followed Remy quickly down the docks to a boat at the end. Lady Luck was printed in solid letters along the side.

"Duck down under dat blanket. Make sure no one sees."

She obediently slid under the rough brown blanket that lay on the bottom of the cold metal boat and curled into a non-descript ball.

"Dey'll jus' t'ink Remy's goin' out fo' a ride. He do dat a lot."

The low hum of the moter started and revved as they made their way out of the Thieves' side of the bayou, going around trees, stumps, and hidden traps. Pyra felt the boat start to slow down before coming to a complete, bobbing stop in the murky water.

Peeking under the blanket, Remy smiled. "Y'can come out now, p'tit. We in neutral waters, but I figured we say our 'adieu's' now so dat we don't spend d'time doin' it in d'Ssassin cove where dey'd capture Remy. Flip-flop really ain't his style."

Pyra let out a small laugh. "Yeah. Well...thanks. For everything."

"No prob, cher. Jus' wish we'da met under diff'rent conditions...Hey! Remy got something t'give ya. She's gotten m'outta somma d'worst situations. Maybe she'll do d'same f'you."

"She?" Pyra watched as he pulled a playing card from his trench pocket and held it out to her. Carefully taking it, she looked at him in question. "The Queen of Hearts? What's so special about the Queen of Hearts?"

"Why, Lady Luck o'course!" He looked at her incredulously - like she was stupid.

"Oh. Thanks. I could use a little luck, especially after today's disaster. I wanna give you something, too." Reaching back, she untied the red silk ribbon from her hair and handed it to him somewhat shyly. "It's my favorite ribbon. My papa gave it to me when I was five. Hey! Now we each have something to remember the other by!"

"Yup. Remy'll always keep dis close t'is heart, cher. T'anks."

"I'll keep this close to my heart, too," she smiled.

"Bon. Now, y'gotta help me get t'rough dese water sos's we don't fall inta a trap, d'accord?"

Nodding, she carefully directed him the rest of the way until they finally arrived at the docks of the Assassin's Guild's House. Two huge gators rose from the murky depths of the water, viscious teeth snapping.

"Digger! Bertha! Down!" Pyra commanded, resulting in the gators grudgingly closing their mouths, but still staying at the surface.

Remy laughed. "Guard Gators. Sweet. Wish we had some. So - which one's which, cher?"

"The bigger one - that's missing the tip on the tail and has the scar across the snout? Yeah, that's Digger. Bertha's the smaller one. They're brother and sister. I found them when they were little - they've been with us ever since." Skillfully jumping out of the boat, Pyra leaned back over to kiss Remy on the cheek. "Thank you for everything, Remy. Maybe the next time we see eachother it'll be under better circumstances." She couldn't keep the hopefullness from her voice.

He grinned at her. "We can only hope, p'tit. But Remy promises he will see y'gain. Don' know when, don' know where. But it'll happen someday. He promise y'dat."

Pyra smiled back, then ran off down the docks, her feet quietly thudding against the wooden planks. She turned back once for a final wave, then watched as he expertly turned the boat around and sped off, presumably back to his Guild.

'Nice. No one saw. No harm, no foul. Now just go inside and walk to your room as if nothing happened. Maybe they won't notice how long you've b-'

"Pyra! Merde! Where de hell y'been? What took y'so long?"

Flinching, Pyra slowly turned around to look up at Joe. It took a lot to get the young, easy-going, 21-year old Cajun angry, and he was visibly fuming. She quietly waited to see if steam would come out of his ears like in cartoons.

"Who d'hell was dat, huh?"

Pyra looked down, shame-faced, and scuffed her foot against the wooden boards. Like her, Joe could take or leave his natural accent, depending on his company. When he was around her, he typically spoke without it, though. That he was using it now meant that he was really mad. He didn't have control over his accent when he was angry. That he was cussing, too, just solidified that fact. He tried his best not to use bad language around her, either.

"Nobody..."

"Like hell! Y'look at me, girl, an' y'etter tell me d'truth dis time."

Pyra's gaze remained on the boards by Joe's feet.

'Should I tell him? I'm scared...'

'Yes. Tell him and he'll calm dowm. What's the worst that could happen? You know je would never hurt you.'

'I know that, but it doesn't stop me from being scared...'

Jerking Pyra's chin up, Joe forced her to look at him as he watched her eyes switch back and forth between their natural burgundy color and the pitch black that he had come to associate with when she was talking in her head.

Shaking his own head and releasing his hold on hers, he sighed wearily. "Quit that. I'm sorry for yelling. You just worried us when you didn't come back. You should have been back hours ago. Where were you?"

'Tell him the truth...'

"...The Thieves' Guild..."

"What? Why?"

"...They caught me outside of Oscar's. I'm not sure what they were going to do with me..."

"Probably try ransom or torture for information. Hmm...Well, that explains your rope burns, then. So, how'd you get out and who was that that dropped you off?"

"...Le Diable Blanc. He helped me. He's really nice, papa. Please don't poison him..."

Joe laughed. "I wouldn't poison the boy that helped you, Py-py. Never. You know me. Only people that deserve it get hurt."

"I know..." Pyra looked up at him and smiled impishly. "So you're not mad at me anymore?"

Rolling his eyes, Joe easily picked her up and swung her sround onto his back, piggy-back style. "Nah...I was never mad to begin with. Just worried. Now why don't we go get your boat all sneaky-like, so no one will suspect a thing, huh? And where'd your hair ribbon go?"

"Sounds like a plan!" crowed Pyra gleefully as Joe started walking toward his own boat. "My hair ribbon? I, uh, musta lost it."

"Well, I'll just have to get you a new one then! No problem."

"Thank you, papa! And I betcha can't guess what? Did you know Le Diable Blanc talks in third person? It's so cool! His name is Remy."

"Remy, huh?"

"Yup! He-"

"Joe! Viv just hollard - said they got Py- oh! Hey, Pyra. Nevermind, then. They psychotic."

"Nah - they did have her, Bill. She got out. Just arrived, actually. We'll explain later. We're gonna go get her boat. Make sure Julien knows she's okay."

"Will do." Bill gave a parting salute to them before turning and heading back into the house...

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Putting his boat back as he normally would, Remy climbe out and went inside through the main door to the house. Shrugging out of his trench, he folded it over an arm as he made his way toward his room. Unfortunately, he didn't quite make it to the intended destination.

The door of Henri's room opened to show Jean-Luc, Henri behind him. "Well, well, well...What d'we have here, Henri? Looks t'me like a lil traitor that needs t'be reminded who 'xactly makes d'rules in dis household. So, Remy, where y'been? Off playin' hero by savin' d'Ssassin?"

Remy smiled and shrugged nonchalantly. "Nope. Jus' went fo' a cruise. Not Remy's fault if'n y'lose sometin' dat ain't yours t'begin wit."

"Dammit, Remy! I take y'in off d'streets, I feed you, put clothes on y'worthless back, an' keep a sturdy roof over y'ungrateful head. I do all dese t'ings, an' how you repay me? By commitin' treason 'gainst d'Guild. What, y't'ink it's just a coincidence dat d'girl disappears jus' when y'decide t'go out? Huh? Be lucky I saw somethin' in y'an' 'dopted you. Henri, escort d'traitor downstairs fo'is punishment fo' treason 'gainst d'Guild. I'll be down inna minute."

"Oui, papa."

Henri walked the short distance to where Remy stood with a slight smirk. He took his fate stoically - allowing Henri to grab his wrists and hold them behind his back as he pushed Remy down the narrow hall.

"I told y'not t'do dat, Remy! I warned ya even! I'm sorry I told, but y'deserve it. Y'shoulda jus' left her be! Dieu!" Henri hissed quietly into Remy's ear.

Remy's mirk widened. "Non, y'ain't."

"I ain't what, dickhead?"

"Well, oui, y'are a dickhead. But all Remy was gonna say was dat y'ain't sorry."

Henri rolled his eyes and shoved at Remy. "Y'right. I ain't. I mean, it ain't like I t'ink o'y'like mon frere or nuthin'."

Opening the door to the room they had stopped at, Henri pushed Remy inside and turned on the light. Crossing his arms across his chest and cocking an eyebrow, Remy smugly asked, "Well? Ain'tcha gonna tell Remy t'do sometin' so dat he ready fo'is beatin'? Or are y'jus' gonna stand dere, lookin' like de dumbass dat y'are, an' get in trouble with Jean-Luc as well? Care t'join me?"

Looking at him disgustedly, Henri replied, "You know d'drill asswipe."

"Sure y'don' wanna stick 'round an' watch Remy get a whippin'? It should be fun. Normally is. At least he hopin' so - fo' y'an' Jean-Luc."

Henri just waved a dismissive hand as he left the room. Remy sighed. "T'ought not..."

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A/N yeah, so there ya go! the new first chap for this fic. well, prologue for it, but who's paying attention? decided to give u a lil easter present. anywayz...kinda gives ya a slight background for your info when i get on in chapters. and intros a few characters. but, yeah. don't know when i'll have the next chap up - i'm a very busy pyro, you know - but i'll try working on it and have it up for your reading enjoyment sooner or later. hopefully sooner rather than later - but cha never know. sorry if the accents are hard to read, but it's very hard to try and capture how they actually sound in words on paper. REVIEW PLEASE!! lol. otherwise i just may have to sic Digger and Bertha on ya...c u for the next installment!

mentallyinsanepyress