p style="margin-left: 36pt;"I made my way back to the apartment, already excited to see Takashi again. I walked into the building inconspicuously, but once I was alone, I practically ran up the stairs. I placed my hand on the door knob, ready to open it, but I stopped myself, there were raised voices inside. /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""You could have ruined our whole mission," August was saying. /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""But I didn't." Takashi answered, as cool and collected as ever, "Everything is fine." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Only because Violet and I have been working so hard to gain their trust." August countered, "What were you thinking." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""I was thinking that you would be fine with it, since nothing bad happened," Takashi said, "I was just-"/p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""You were just what?" August interrupted, "You were just putting Violet in your back pocket?" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""No," Takashi said. His aura changed...he was lying? "and even if I was, what's it to you? Just because you found her doesn't mean she belongs to you." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August became more angry, "she doesn't belong to anyone." he said, "she just is." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""She belongs to the guild," Takashi said "both of you do, and not the one you're traipsing around playing house with either. We didn't give you this time allowance so you could waste our resources. I want results. I want them yesterday." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""This takes time," August said, "You can't just-" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""I can." Takashi said. "And I am. Hanging around that fairy scum has made you soft. I want a kill. Do it, or I might just have to add some less than positive details to your debrief." he took a long breath, and I felt his anger subside, "I'm leaving tonight, but when I get back to the compound, a death at Fairy Tail better be the damn headline news!" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"I heard foot steppes coming for the door and quickly moved farther down the hallway. When the door opened it hid me from view until Takashi turned around, stomping down the stairs without looking at me. /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"Before the door had even fallen all the way closed, I pulled it open again. August was sitting on the sofa rubbing his temples. "What is it now?" he looked up to see me, "Oh..hey. Did you meet Takashi in the hall?"/p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""No…" I said, "he didn't see me."/p
p style="margin-left: 72pt;""So…" August's brow furrowed, "You over heard us then didn't you?"/p
p style="margin-left: 72pt;""Yes." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August sighed, "Well now at least I don't have to repeat it." he didn't ask me how long I had been listening, or what I overheard, but my silver tongue told me it was because he didn't want to know. "Why are you back so early anyway?" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Oh…" I looked at the ground, "Natsu invited us on another job tomorrow morning,"/p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August leaned forward, "What kind of job?" he asked./p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""It's crazy," I said, "They want us to take out an entire guild of thieves. It's going to be a tough one." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August smiled, "Do you think it's hard enough that it could be expected to be dangerous?" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Well yeah, I mean it is a whole guild of people to take out right?" I wasn't sure who this wasn't obvious to August, "I guess they don't have any magic, but still." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""No, like," August ran his hands through his hair, looking for the right words, but his swirling pool of emotions couldn't help me determine his meaning. "So you think that...there would be a lot of questions, if someone where to not come back." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"My eyes widened, "You don't mean..." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""You heard Takashi." August said, "I don't like it either, but this is a good opportunity. How far away is the job?" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Next town over." I said, "and we'd probably walk, cuz Natsu…" his name tasted bitter, like I was no longer worthy to say it, "If we're going to do this," I said, "can it be my kill?" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August raised his eyebrows. /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""I think he would make a good one hundred. Don't you think?" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August nodded, understanding. "Yeah," he said, "I think that would be good." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"I nodded, taking a deep breath. Finally one hundred kills, and yet this one was all to soon. /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Is he the only one going?" August asked. /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Happy," I said. /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Shame," August said, "no witnesses." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"I nodded, repeating the same slogan, "No witnesses." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August stood up and began pacing, building a plan. "One of us should probably stay back at the guild for this first one," he said, "So as not to arouse too much suspicion." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Yeah," I nodded, "but Natsu invited both of us. We need a good reason to split up."/p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Hmm…" August paced some more, "Oh, I'd got it! Takashi!" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Takashi?" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""We can say that he's still in town," August said, "and that I want to stay back in case he needed anything, you know, like he's a high maintenance friend." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"I nodded, "That might work." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"It would definitely make August look good. /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August stopped pacing and stared at the kitchen table where two masks were sitting. Mine, and the one that had been Takeshi's. "You could use one of those," Augest said, "in case anything goes wrong, you can just run and then come back as you, Natsu wouldn't be dead, but he wouldn't be able to rat us out either." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Yeah," I nodded, "fail safe." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Alright," August nodded, "Do you remember the location of the thieves guild?"/p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Yeah, I think so." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Write it down. I'll take the mask and whatever else you need later tonight, hide them so you can get them after the job." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Thank you." I walked into my room and tore a scrap of paper out of my notebook./p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Is there anything I'm missing?" August asked, I could feel him running through the plan in his head./p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Well, we still have to tell Natsu I'm coming." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Right," August nodded, "I'll do that now. You make a plan for what you're going to do out there. Everything needs to be flawless." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Right." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August rushed out the door, locking it behind him. I sat down on the sofa and put my head between my knees. No more pretending. By this time tomorrow, Natsu Dragneel would be dead./p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""You could have ruined our whole mission," August was saying. /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""But I didn't." Takashi answered, as cool and collected as ever, "Everything is fine." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Only because Violet and I have been working so hard to gain their trust." August countered, "What were you thinking." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""I was thinking that you would be fine with it, since nothing bad happened," Takashi said, "I was just-"/p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""You were just what?" August interrupted, "You were just putting Violet in your back pocket?" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""No," Takashi said. His aura changed...he was lying? "and even if I was, what's it to you? Just because you found her doesn't mean she belongs to you." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August became more angry, "she doesn't belong to anyone." he said, "she just is." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""She belongs to the guild," Takashi said "both of you do, and not the one you're traipsing around playing house with either. We didn't give you this time allowance so you could waste our resources. I want results. I want them yesterday." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""This takes time," August said, "You can't just-" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""I can." Takashi said. "And I am. Hanging around that fairy scum has made you soft. I want a kill. Do it, or I might just have to add some less than positive details to your debrief." he took a long breath, and I felt his anger subside, "I'm leaving tonight, but when I get back to the compound, a death at Fairy Tail better be the damn headline news!" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"I heard foot steppes coming for the door and quickly moved farther down the hallway. When the door opened it hid me from view until Takashi turned around, stomping down the stairs without looking at me. /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"Before the door had even fallen all the way closed, I pulled it open again. August was sitting on the sofa rubbing his temples. "What is it now?" he looked up to see me, "Oh..hey. Did you meet Takashi in the hall?"/p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""No…" I said, "he didn't see me."/p
p style="margin-left: 72pt;""So…" August's brow furrowed, "You over heard us then didn't you?"/p
p style="margin-left: 72pt;""Yes." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August sighed, "Well now at least I don't have to repeat it." he didn't ask me how long I had been listening, or what I overheard, but my silver tongue told me it was because he didn't want to know. "Why are you back so early anyway?" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Oh…" I looked at the ground, "Natsu invited us on another job tomorrow morning,"/p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August leaned forward, "What kind of job?" he asked./p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""It's crazy," I said, "They want us to take out an entire guild of thieves. It's going to be a tough one." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August smiled, "Do you think it's hard enough that it could be expected to be dangerous?" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Well yeah, I mean it is a whole guild of people to take out right?" I wasn't sure who this wasn't obvious to August, "I guess they don't have any magic, but still." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""No, like," August ran his hands through his hair, looking for the right words, but his swirling pool of emotions couldn't help me determine his meaning. "So you think that...there would be a lot of questions, if someone where to not come back." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"My eyes widened, "You don't mean..." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""You heard Takashi." August said, "I don't like it either, but this is a good opportunity. How far away is the job?" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Next town over." I said, "and we'd probably walk, cuz Natsu…" his name tasted bitter, like I was no longer worthy to say it, "If we're going to do this," I said, "can it be my kill?" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August raised his eyebrows. /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""I think he would make a good one hundred. Don't you think?" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August nodded, understanding. "Yeah," he said, "I think that would be good." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"I nodded, taking a deep breath. Finally one hundred kills, and yet this one was all to soon. /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Is he the only one going?" August asked. /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Happy," I said. /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Shame," August said, "no witnesses." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"I nodded, repeating the same slogan, "No witnesses." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August stood up and began pacing, building a plan. "One of us should probably stay back at the guild for this first one," he said, "So as not to arouse too much suspicion." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Yeah," I nodded, "but Natsu invited both of us. We need a good reason to split up."/p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Hmm…" August paced some more, "Oh, I'd got it! Takashi!" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Takashi?" /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""We can say that he's still in town," August said, "and that I want to stay back in case he needed anything, you know, like he's a high maintenance friend." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"I nodded, "That might work." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"It would definitely make August look good. /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August stopped pacing and stared at the kitchen table where two masks were sitting. Mine, and the one that had been Takeshi's. "You could use one of those," Augest said, "in case anything goes wrong, you can just run and then come back as you, Natsu wouldn't be dead, but he wouldn't be able to rat us out either." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Yeah," I nodded, "fail safe." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Alright," August nodded, "Do you remember the location of the thieves guild?"/p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Yeah, I think so." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Write it down. I'll take the mask and whatever else you need later tonight, hide them so you can get them after the job." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Thank you." I walked into my room and tore a scrap of paper out of my notebook./p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Is there anything I'm missing?" August asked, I could feel him running through the plan in his head./p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Well, we still have to tell Natsu I'm coming." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Right," August nodded, "I'll do that now. You make a plan for what you're going to do out there. Everything needs to be flawless." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;""Right." /p
p style="margin-left: 36pt;"August rushed out the door, locking it behind him. I sat down on the sofa and put my head between my knees. No more pretending. By this time tomorrow, Natsu Dragneel would be dead./p