PHASE 4: Amaranth's Mission
Attention! Ladies & gentlemen, now we're approaching York Shin City where the local time is 1:21 PM. We are now preparing to land at Ringon Airport. Please turn off all electronic devices until we are safely parked at the gate. At this stage you should be in your seat with your seatbelt firmly fastened. Please ensure that all of your belongings are attended, the airline is not to be held liable for any loss. On behalf of the company and the entire crew, we would like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again in the near future.
The most awaited announcement finally came in.
1:21 PM – She looked at her pocket watch to assure the time. "I guess we arrived earlier than expected, that co-pilot did his job well," Amaranth said, gathering all of her things in preparation for the arrival. "I wonder how my new client is doing… I hope he doesn't forget anything amongst the things he said earlier," she mumbled to herself.
After a few more minutes, the airship's doors slowly opened, letting in the sunlight within the gap. One by one, the passengers started to leave the ride and so did the silver-haired maiden. She made her way to the arrival area along with the other travelers. Considering that York Shin City is one of the most popular cities in the region, there was a mass of people gathered in the airport, making it very difficult to bust through the thick crowd.
"Shit. I can't see the way through," she cursed. "What if I… No. I don't want to catch attention. Whatever." Believing there was no other way to speed everything up; she used some force to get through the crowd.
"I'm sorry! I deeply sorry," she continued apologizing even though she really intended to push every single person blocking her way. "I didn't mean to do it. Really." Her sarcastic way of speaking leaked out, some stared at her but none tried to confront Amaranth and her cunning customs. Nonetheless, thanks to her assertiveness, she finally arrived at the designated area for the meet-up with Nostrade.
She quietly chuckled afterwards.
It's always faster when I do things my way. Hehe.
Right near the entrance, there stood her client. He was talking to another person who was wearing a suit and tie; based from his appearance, he looked like a person with high status as well. Thinking that it will be disrespectful, she bothered not to approach her current employer until she's done dealing with the other person at the moment. After a few exchange of words, the man talking to Nostrade already went on his own separate way. Seeing him leave, Amaranth approached her new boss.
"Errr… Sir, excuse me…" she cleared her throat. "I ummm…" The lady wasn't used to formalities; her tongue felt like it was being twisted every time she tried to speak, she paused her speech once in a while to gather up the words she needed.
Nostrade looked at her in a way as if he was criticizing her from head to toe, "Amaranth, right?" Let's talk later. I wish not to talk in public about our matters."
"Oh, as you wish. I'm sorry," she apologized.
Moments later, a black luxurious car approached and then parked in front of them. The vehicle's glossy paint reflected brightness as the daylight hit its surface. A man came out from the car and opened the door next to the driver's seat, gesturing his hands into an inviting stance.
Woah! This old geezer is really big time.
Nostrade immediately occupied his seat. "This woman here is with me, please take care of her and her belongings," he said before closing the doors.
"Yes sir," his associate responded. "Mademoiselle, please get inside and feel comfortably seated." He opened the backseat's door for her, providing the best etiquette he could for the young lady.
"T-Thank you," she awkwardly responded and carefully went to her seat, keeping track of her poise as a woman.
All these formalities are making me feel very sick.
She shrugged, trying to act normal despite the annoyance she's experiencing. While being seated, she wandered her eyes inside the car, inspecting every corner and details to escape the indifferent atmosphere. A little later, the man boarded the driver's seat after stocking up all the things at the trunk of the car. He started the engine and ventured to their destination.
A few more minutes passed, she was already getting irritated with the unfriendly ambiance for everything was too conventional. She tried to behave herself but her body cannot bear it any longer, so she thought of doing something to entertain herself.
Maybe talking to my boss will calm me down for a while.
Amaranth was already getting nosy about her current business with Nostrade and not being able to hold her curiosity back, she broke the ice. "Pardon me for my eagerness but will you mind if I ask you a few questions?" she requested while hoping not to get declined for the second time.
"Yes. You have the right to know. After all, discussing it here in private will be safe," his employer responded with a calm voice.
"First of all… Why are you in York Shin?" Her question came straight to the point.
Her boss answered without looking back, "I have come here to take care of some urgent business."
Urgent business? Hmmm… With that tone of speech, it seems that he doesn't really want to specify it to me right now.
Another interrogation came in right away after he answered, "And… That guy who attacked you earlier, who was he? How was he related to you?"
"I have no idea but probably he's one of the persons who loathe my success," Nostrade said with confidence. "In fact, that wasn't the first time such things happened to me."
"Hmmm… If you already anticipated such threats against your life to happen, why did you take the airship for average class citizens?" She wondered, "Since you're a rich, I presume you already own one yourself, right?"
"That's true but I thought it was safer to mix myself up with normal people. I already received a threat about travelling in my private ride, a couple of times the engines already malfunctioned."
"Well, haters gonna hate," she said, crossing her legs and spreading her arms in a way which ruined her gracefulness as a well-clad lady. "Anyway… What will be my first mission?"
There was a short period of silence before Nostrade spoke, giving her the impression that he still doesn't have enough confidence in her skills regardless of all the trouble she went through in the airship. "Well… I want you to escort a man named Jacques Lacroix. I'll just reveal further details later on when we arrive."
"Understood."
No more words followed up right after she approved. Somehow, it signaled the end of their conversation. The silver-haired maiden wanted to release an exasperated sigh in disappointment but remembering the standards for being a presentable bodyguard, she obliged herself not to. After all, she didn't really want to lose this opportunity of getting a job.
Fuck formalities. Cursing in her head was the only thing she could do at the moment.
She roused up with herself leaning next to the window's panel. Wavering her head a few times, she wondered half-consciously, "Are we there yet?"
"Just a few more minutes," their driver gave an answer as he rotated the steering wheel to the east.
Realizing that she had fallen asleep for some time, she tried to sit properly in order to regain her composure. She checked the view beyond the tinted window and the current scenery was abundant of streetlights and people, tall buildings emerged in every corner of the city; a sign of a rich, bountiful metropolitan. The landscape she's staring at suddenly got blurred as their vehicle turned right into a sharp curve. Subsequently, the car stopped before the grand entrance of a high-rise establishment.
The driver parked the vehicle and went outside to open the doors for both Nostrade and his new bodyguard. A soaring sky skyscraper stood still in front of them. The transparent windows of the building exposed a glimpse of the hotel's lavish interior.
A hotel? I thought we were going to stay in some sort of mansion.
"After you mademoiselle," a voice suddenly interrupted her fixed stare, Nostrade's assistant guided Amaranth into the way inside.
She rolled her eyes, articulating thoughts in her head. Not this again. I can go by myself, you know? Opposing to what she was actually thinking, she smiled awkwardly and gave him an obstinate "Thank you." before she went on her way.
As soon as they passed through the entrance, her first gaze landed on the splendid decorations of the hotel. The chandeliers were of top quality, shining like stars inside the establishment. A beautiful instrumental music played in the background, giving off a relaxing sensation to the mind and body. Everything inside was made with graceful elegance, those that were designed for high-class citizens. After beholding the magnificence of the hotel, all of them headed to an elevator going up to the 4th floor of the building.
As soon as the elevator reached the designated floor, Nostrade spoke to her. "I have reserved 3 rooms in this hotel. You can stay at room 405 but if you are already raring to know your mission, head to the room before yours. Once inside, you'll meet the person who will give you all the essential points you have to accomplish," he said while unlocking the door to his own room. "In case there's an emergency, I'll be here in my room." She nodded to her boss and moved to the next room.
"The room before my room? Obviously that's going to be room 404. Ah, here it is." She slowly rotated the cold doorknob and pushed it with little strength, peeking inside before entering.
"Good afternoon, take a seat." A man with tattoos under both of his eyes welcomed her in a composed manner. "My name is Dalzollene and I'm your superior. Listen carefully to my instructions and don't miss anything I say."
Dalztsdacdesdwx, what?! The letters of his peculiar name got distorted in her head. "Nice to meet you mister Dalz… Whatever. My name is Cookies," she jokingly said to his leader while slowly proceeding to sit on the comfy sofa. "Mind telling me your name again? I didn't catch it."
"I have no time for idiocy, lady," he replied with a stern face.
"Yeah right, business comes first." She stroked her hair and took a deep breath before speaking. "I was told by Mr. Nostrade about something concerning a person named Jacques Lacroix. I presume you hold the details that I have to know regarding this mission of mine."
"You got that right." He took out a photograph from an envelope and placed it atop of the center table. "This is Jacques Lacroix, the person you need to escort." The man in the photo had a rounded face with high and wide cheek bones. His thick eyebrows furrowed on top of his button nose, almost meeting each other. Surprisingly, he had a small, narrow mouth which didn't really match well with his other facial features.
He looks a bit... Unnatural. She silently laughed in her head while staring at the photo, but still being careful not to leak out her mischievousness in such important occasions. He looked at his superior while trying hard to keep a straight face.
"In most cases, you aren't really supposed to go alone but all the other bodyguards of our boss have their own matters to take care of at the moment." He looked directly at her face, as if intimidating her.
"So… Will you be fine to do it all by yourself? You can back out anytime, just say it."
"Back out? I'm sorry but that's not included in my vocabulary," Amaranth said, smirking.
"In that case… You'll meet him at this area tomorrow," Dalzollene verbalized while revealing a map and encircling the place he specified. "7:00 PM, sharp," he said, handing over the map to her. "The matters you're going to handle are crucial; the life of Sir Lacroix depends on you." His words felt like tons of bricks. "Don't take everything lightly and most of all… Don't screw up."
"Yes. I'll take care of everything."
"Well that's all you need to know." Dalzollene smiled in an insulting way, "You can go to your room now, little girl."
Little girl?! I'll take that as an affront.
She rose up from being seated and headed towards the exit of the room. "I just want to tell you… Your name sounds very funny," she hurriedly shut the door, trying to escape with her childish mockery. "People nowadays, what's with their humor? It looks like it vanished together with the dinosaurs." She continued walking into the hallway to get into her room and start the preparations she needed for her first mission.
Her playful face faded away and was replaced by a sinister aura which came pouring out of her. "Well enough jokes, time to get serious about this. I can't wait to get my hands dyed red." She then went inside her room and locked the door to avoid being disturbed.
The door creaked open as Nostrade entered the briefing room, where the head of his bodyguards still sat alone on the sofa. "Dalzollene, what do you make of her?" he asked.
"Well... I can say that she has confidence in her abilities but that doesn't quite put me into trusting her."
Realizing that the head of his bodyguards had something more in mind, Nostrade implored further into his plot. "What are you planning to do?"
"I've decided to put on a little challenge for her because I honestly doubt her skills. In general, she will act as a bait to confuse those who are after Lacroix. Moreover, her first task will be like an exam; if she dies on that mission, then she's not worthy to become one of your bodyguards." He clasped his hands together and gave a serious look on his face.
"But... That kind of act might be risky for Lacroix himself, he might get caught up in the mess," the boss said.
"As for Sir Lacroix… I have already prepared a back-up plan with regards to this. Preparations are now settled. Since his safety is the top priority, I'll be the one to secure his protection without her knowledge. The only thing left to do is to inform Lacroix himself about the sudden change of plans." He gazed upon Nostrade, seeking for approval, "What do you think boss?"
"Alright. I get your point and I guess it wouldn't hurt that much if we put her abilities into a test first."
Author's Note:
I just want to give a background about the reason behind my OC's name. For a short definition, Amaranth originally refers to a flower that never fades and it may also mean eternal. I choose this to be her name because it somehow contradicts the title of my fanfic: "Welcome To Oblivion" which technically refers to a state of being completely forgotten.
And for all those reading this story, thanks for the continuous support.