Chapter 26: Part 2

By all rights Larette Ebonhand, youngest daughter of Ebonhand Clan, saw herself as a strong, independent and virtuous woman. So one would wonder what she was up to sneaking up on her own sister at such an ungodly hour. She carefully crept down from the roof and effortlessly landed on the balcony without as sound, in the true Ebonhand fashion.

Keep your body as low to the ground, as close to the shadows as not draw attention. That was what she was taught, and that was what she would put into practice. Intruding upon her sister's quarters wasn't a really smart thing to do, considering the woman's prowess at dealing with fellow thieves. Regardless, she was still going to find out what sort of services she wanted from the poor guy she had dragged in. Larette shook her head. 'Poor guy?' she idly though.

'No, No, Damn it!' she castigated herself for even pitying the fellow. In this line of work, emotions would only get in the way. He couldn't have given her too much of an impression to affect her this way, could he? Sure he was boyish, charming and a perfect gentleman – far from her ex-boyfriends but…

"What are you doing?" Larette felt a hand on her shoulders. Her eyes snapped open, did she get caught that easily. She quickly turned around, she exhaled, it was that girl he called Rae. Her crimson tresses swayed softly in the desert breeze.

"Go back to bed." was the thief's cold reply.

"I'm feeling much better, thank you very much." Rae explained.

The thief sighed. "This is nothing that will interest you."

Rae quickly crept behind the windows, her eyes widened in shook, barely able to stifle a gasp. "Hey! Get back here!" the nervous thief said sternly. "Is that Lei?" Rae muttered in disbelief. Larette swallowed hard, she risked a glance from behind the curtains, this was a bad angle. She could only see her sister's back, she wondered why her sister was staring into an empty wall. Suddenly she was him… At least his face, he seemed distressed, what was he doing kneeling in front of…

Rae would have none of this. "I'm going to—" her ramblings were muffled by Larette's hands. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" she hissed in a hushed voice. Rae shook her head, the pout still on her lips. Larette stuck her hands in her pockets revealing a small modified stethoscope. She handed Rae an earpiece and raised her fingers to her lips emphasizing silence.

The two listened intently as the device adjusted to the sounds inside the room.

"That's right, mmm… right there." Kashka blurted out softly. "You're doing a good job down there."

"What!" Rae gasped in horror. Larette shook her head, looked at Rae angrily and pressed her fingers against her lips harder. The mage finally understood and kept her lips sealed.

"Is this fine…Mistress?" Lei asked her, with a hint of resentment in his voice.

'Mistress!' Rae gritted her teeth as she tried to restrain her now building anger. Larette on the other hand seemed as still as a statue.

"Yeah… But please, not to fast." She begged him.

"Uhh… Sure… I've only done this once before and—" his voice was suddenly drowned out by the clatter of something falling on the floor. "I'll guide you through it." Kashka told him in a

"Just go slow… and rub it harder ." she instructed him.

The thief felt her face turn crimson. Wait, wasn't he under contract to her? Why was she letting her sister do this? She bit her lip.

"Yes Mistress… Like this?"

Larette removed the earpiece and stood up. Her face was contorted with rage. This was a matter of pride, nothing more. The idiot was indebted to her and he would repay her. "He's under my contract, if he's going to serve anyone, it's going to be me." she told herself in a convincing voice.

Azami Koizumi stared into the ceiling for what seemed to be an eternity, her body felt like lead after an entire day's kendo practice. However, for some reason, she couldn't sleep. She lifted her hands into the air, once more. Azami couldn't help but stare at the small band of metal around her finger. Then came that pang of pain mingled with loneliness whenever she remembered that idiot…

"Why...?" she breathed weakly.

It reminded her of that guy whom she had claimed to hate. The same idiot who she said she'd never learn to like. Azami shook her head and drew the ring close to her breast. It was just too easy to slip into one of those fantasies where he would hold her tight and keep her warm, and she hated him for that.

"I'm not supposed to go there... He's not worth it." she told herself in an unconvincing voice. The alchemist-in-training buried her face in her pillow. She figured, maybe she could just kill herself rather than admit to herself that she'd fallen hook line and sinker for him.

She rubbed her now misted eyes and pulled close a stuffed poring to her chest. "Damn that asshole!" she hissed violently before breaking into tears.

Larette couldn't find the words. She was embarrassed beyond belief. Lei knelt there wearing a Kafra-Boy uniform, and yeah he was… giving her sister a foot massage, of all things. Kashka rested her chin on her open palm and smiled wryly. "It's so amusing, how that little brain of yours thinks up those kinds of conclusions."

The blonde thief turned a pale shade of crimson. She stared at her shoes for quite some time before she recovered from the initial surprise and embarrassment of it all. Kashka then stood up and draped her arms around the unsuspecting Lei Fu Yang. She rested her chin on top of his head and pulled him closer. "You know, It's the first time I've seen you like this—" she grinned and suddenly planted a kiss on Lei's cheeks, Larette impulsively took a step closer. "—see, I like this side of you. At least I know you're human." Kashka finished.

"Don't make fun of me." Larette snapped back.

Her sister laughed softly. "Well, I have a meeting to attend to, so you go take him to the baths. I'm quite sure he hasn't bathed in awhile." Kashka bent low and kissed her sister's on the cheeks. "Don't worry, I had it closed for tonight, so you'll have the place all to yourselves." She whispered into the now nervous thief's ears.

Larette stared at Lei through half-hooded eyes, when his eyes met hers she quickly turned around to avoid his gaze. "At any rate, I am your…Mistress." She cringed at the last word, it was unsettling. She turned around to face him and with all the courage she could muster, she took his hand in hers and pulled him towards the door. She tugged at his hands with all her strength but he wouldn't move.

"He's mine, so back off!" Rae shouted angrily.

"W-What?" Lei muttered nervously.

Larette pulled his hand with renewed vigor. "To hell with you, he's under contract. The guy serves me so back-off!" the thief grunted as the two girls began their tug-o-war. "I'm not letting a snotty nosed know it all steal him from me. Rae hissed back as she violently wrenched, a now dazed Lei, from the flustered thief's grasp.

"Help me Odin…" Lei mumbled in an undertone.