Chapter One Nagi's perspective
I concocted fruit salad for breakfast the following morning. I invariably found it a healthy way to get the brain working at the beginning of the day. Bombay had not taken a bite of his. He kept staring at it like he expected it to grow legs and devour him.
"If I poisoned this do you really think I'd be eating it too?" I asked crisply. Truthfully, I did not blame him for being suspicious. If our places were reversed I would also have been mistrusting.
Haltingly Bombay picked up his fork and ate his meal. "Hey, I feel fine!" he declared to no one in particular with the enthusiasm of a toddler.
He was always so damn chipper. It irritated me, however, I felt my heartbeat speed up regardless. I was attracted to Bombay and I could freely admit that to myself for it was affection, not attraction, which would make me hesitate to kill a person.
Since my childhood was laden with everything except carefree naivety I was drawn towards peers that had managed to retain some of their innocence, as I was unable to do. Tot had been undoubtedly child-like, however, she never understood anything I said about literature or computers and I wasn't ever going to be interesting in playing with her toy rabbit. We cared for one another, but after a while we became aware that we were not right for each other. Bombay was nescient as well as intelligent, yet I would not allow my lust to turn into love in this case. It would be suicide.
I ignored him and sat on the immalleable settee with a novel open on my lap.
After courteously placing the dishes in the sink in an unorthodox display of helpfulness Bombay inquired, "What can I do around here when I'm bored?"
"Watch T.V., sleep, read," I suggested without looking up from the pages I was intently gazing at. "No computer, of course. You could contact your teammates with it."
"No good shows are on until later, I'm not tired, and I read only for information, not pleasure," Omi cheerfully explained.
"That's your problem," I responded coldly.
Not to have his typical bubbly mood burst that easily, he sat beside me and queried, "Prodigy, what are you reading?"
Books and computers were the closest things I had to friends, thus I frequently desired to discuss them, though Schuldich, Farfarello, and Crawford were never intrigued. Bombay seemed genuinely curious. There was no hazard in partaking in a conversation with him, right? I was supposed to supervise him and what better way than to have him focused of something of my preference?
"It's called Dragon Wing. One of the main characters is a hired assassin."
"Really?" Bombay leaned forward, eager to hear more. His breath smelled of the citrus we'd eaten and for a second I felt light-headed.
I nodded, keeping my expression blank, as it should be, despite the fact that I was addled and glad that he exhibited interest. An emotionless person is more difficult to manipulate and I do my best to remain that way. "His name is Hugh. The plot starts with him about to be executed, but the king wants to hire him so he isn't butchered. The king tells Hugh to assassinate his son Bane. Hugh is surprised that the prince is young and cute. Being a cold and efficient mercenary, Hugh won't admit to himself that he likes the boy. Nevertheless he's fond of him and when they're alone he can't bring himself to destroy him. He should've slaughtered Bane when he had the chance 'cause the prince is clever and finds out that Hugh was going to murder him, so he tries to poison Hugh. Bane should not have been underestimated as a helpless child."
Omi gasped, "Does Hugh die?"
"Bane doesn't finish him off, but he does die later in the story with slightly more honour than you'd expect." My words echoed around the room ominously and it only then occurred to me how much that tale reminded me of the current situation.
Minerva's Note: This chapter is short, I know. I promise some of the others will be longer. Since you all were so wonderful about reviewing last time I won't demand reviews this time and simply hope that I receive some! Love to all!
