FACES
~+~
Hermione looked at Shinigami curiously. He was so much more . . . distant than he was before. Here she was, with two other Agents, and Shinigami hadn't looked at her. At all. What was wrong?
"And that is it. You may leave."
The two others stood up to leave and Hermione followed suit. One glanced at her carefully before walking away slowly.
"Do you understand?"
Hermione turned to see Shinigami watching her. "I am a bit confused."
"You are the magician. I know you are a witch. Duat told me."
"Then what do I do?" Hermione said coyly. 'Wait, what am I doing?'
Shinigami felt color rise to his cheeks. 'Ignore it.' He swallowed and focused on the explanation. "You must cast spells to help us defeat the target. You must distract the target's attention, especially from Nemesis."
"Nemesis?"
"The Killer."
"Killer . . . ?"
"Yes, Killer. Nemesis is the best Killer in Vengeance. We're lucky to have her. Nemesis will be the one on the team that actually kills the target. You must distract the target's attention from her."
"I see . . . and the other?"
"Honir. He will be the Lookout, the one who surveys the area and tells us who to look out for and when."
"And you?"
"The Leader. I basically run the mission." Shinigami sighed. "The Leader always works with the Magician, so we will be working side by side through the entire thing."
"Is that a bad thing?"
'You had to ask, didn't you? You just had to . . .'
-----
"You will sleep in here."
Hermione looked up to see the girl, Nyx, motioning into a room. "Thank you."
Nyx nodded silently and waited for Hermione to step into the room.
"So what is next for you?"
Hermione jumped at the sound of Nyx's silken voice. "What do you mean?"
"Shinigami."
Hermione felt shivers run down her spine from the name, yet ignored them. "What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean, Ran."
"I am afraid I do not," Hermione lied.
Nyx snorted quietly. "Do you think we have not noticed?"
Hermione watched as Nyx began to pace the room.
"Duat may not have noticed but he has no perception of emotions other than hatred and anger. Honir has been distracted by his feelings for Nemesis and fails to see all else. But I . . . yes, I see.
"Masks may cover our faces but they cannot hide our true emotions. And sometimes we are all to blind to see it . . . or we refuse."
Hermione felt her hands shaking.
Nyx smiled malevolently. "I assume this means I am correct."
Hermione glared at Nyx.
"I suppose I am no longer wanted here. The truth can sometimes be hard to bear. I will leave now . . . and do not think your feelings are unrequited."
Nyx stealthily left, smiling at her triumph.
'That bitch . . .' Hermione thought in her fury. Then a thought struck her suddenly, the thought she was too scared to face.
'Why am I so angry if she told a lie? Or . . . is it a lie?'
~+~
LAHAK
Serenity
~+~
Hermione looked at Shinigami curiously. He was so much more . . . distant than he was before. Here she was, with two other Agents, and Shinigami hadn't looked at her. At all. What was wrong?
"And that is it. You may leave."
The two others stood up to leave and Hermione followed suit. One glanced at her carefully before walking away slowly.
"Do you understand?"
Hermione turned to see Shinigami watching her. "I am a bit confused."
"You are the magician. I know you are a witch. Duat told me."
"Then what do I do?" Hermione said coyly. 'Wait, what am I doing?'
Shinigami felt color rise to his cheeks. 'Ignore it.' He swallowed and focused on the explanation. "You must cast spells to help us defeat the target. You must distract the target's attention, especially from Nemesis."
"Nemesis?"
"The Killer."
"Killer . . . ?"
"Yes, Killer. Nemesis is the best Killer in Vengeance. We're lucky to have her. Nemesis will be the one on the team that actually kills the target. You must distract the target's attention from her."
"I see . . . and the other?"
"Honir. He will be the Lookout, the one who surveys the area and tells us who to look out for and when."
"And you?"
"The Leader. I basically run the mission." Shinigami sighed. "The Leader always works with the Magician, so we will be working side by side through the entire thing."
"Is that a bad thing?"
'You had to ask, didn't you? You just had to . . .'
-----
"You will sleep in here."
Hermione looked up to see the girl, Nyx, motioning into a room. "Thank you."
Nyx nodded silently and waited for Hermione to step into the room.
"So what is next for you?"
Hermione jumped at the sound of Nyx's silken voice. "What do you mean?"
"Shinigami."
Hermione felt shivers run down her spine from the name, yet ignored them. "What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean, Ran."
"I am afraid I do not," Hermione lied.
Nyx snorted quietly. "Do you think we have not noticed?"
Hermione watched as Nyx began to pace the room.
"Duat may not have noticed but he has no perception of emotions other than hatred and anger. Honir has been distracted by his feelings for Nemesis and fails to see all else. But I . . . yes, I see.
"Masks may cover our faces but they cannot hide our true emotions. And sometimes we are all to blind to see it . . . or we refuse."
Hermione felt her hands shaking.
Nyx smiled malevolently. "I assume this means I am correct."
Hermione glared at Nyx.
"I suppose I am no longer wanted here. The truth can sometimes be hard to bear. I will leave now . . . and do not think your feelings are unrequited."
Nyx stealthily left, smiling at her triumph.
'That bitch . . .' Hermione thought in her fury. Then a thought struck her suddenly, the thought she was too scared to face.
'Why am I so angry if she told a lie? Or . . . is it a lie?'
~+~
LAHAK
Serenity