Behind the backs

Stood just past his boat, leaning against the wall, Samuel savoured his cigarette as he looked out over the river. It was six o'clock, and the sun was about to begin its descent down the horizon. In the soft light, it was easy to see the Wrenhaven as a peaceful, clean river. Helped you ignore that feeling in your head that that lump floating down the current looked an awful lot like a-

"What're you thinking about?" Jumping only slightly, Samuel turned towards the voice, seeing Emily perched on the wall above him. How she'd got there without him hearing… well, he did know, really.

"Just reflecting, Miss Kaldwin." He replied, looking back at the river. "Thinking about what we've done to get this far. What we've got to do to get further."

"Like killing the Pendletons?"

Samuel cringed slightly, looking up into Emily's not-so innocent eyes. "I know what they meant. My mother's bodyguard, Corvo, often had to be the one to execute dangerous criminals. He'd say things like 'go to your room now, I've got to deal with someone'. Or, 'I've got to remove someone from service'."

Samuel took another pull from his cigarette. He wasn't getting paid to console youngsters. "I suppose he was being responsible, he didn't want young ears hearing about-"

"It wasn't the death." Emily said, quietly, but still effectively silencing the boatman. "I'd heard about murderers, rapists, people the government had to clean up after. It was that my mother had ordered him to kill someone. My mother, the one who kissed me before bed each night, had decided that executing someone was the right thing to do." Her voice hitched. "And that, when I'm empress, I might have to-"

Samuel sighed, flicked his cigarette into the river, and turned fully to her, reaching up and patting her foot. "I guess you should be glad it's not you making the decision. The admiral and his friends have thought about this, it would cost too much to buy them off, take too long to find blackmail evidence, or-"

"I don't want to do what's easy! I want to do what's right!"
Emily almost shouted. She looked round, furtively, before almost whispering "I need your help. Do you know where the twins could be?"

Samuel chuckled. "Of course. They'll be preparing for a night at the golden cat near Bottle- wait, don't tell me you're-"

"I have friends on Bottle Street!" Emily interrupted, her eyes glinting with excitement. "If I could kidnap them, make people think they were dead, even for just a night or two, then Treavor would get their votes and-"

"Hold up a moment!" Samuel held up a hand. "Firstly, you shouldn't go within a mile of Golden Cat, second, you want me to go against the admiral's orders and smuggle you, the VIP, across the city at night, and third, you should not go within a mile of Golden Cat!"

"But I have to!" She whispered. "Havelock isn't going to find an assassin and get them to kill someone within 24 hours, and I have powers designed to do this! And what's wrong with Golden Cat?"

"It's a b-" Samuel caught himself and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, I can't do this unless the admiral gives me the go-ahead, and he won't. Now look, don't-"

Emily pouted. It was a pout she had developed perfectly to manipulate elders, to the point where it was twice as potent as her singing. Samuel lasted eight seconds.

._.

Underneath the overhang on Bottle Street, a bunch of kids were playing. They had found something that could almost be considered spherical, and were kicking it around with little regard for their (sometimes bare) feet. One overexcited child kicked it a little too hard, and they let out a collective groan as it flew towards the river-

Only to be gripped by a blue tendril and pulled to their left, into the hands of a girl in white.

"Do any of you know where Thomas is?" Emily asked, rolling the ball over towards them.

"Over here your ladyship! Hey, catch!" Emily spun around, catching the thrown object instinctively. Then it squeaked.

Emily let out a squeal and kicked it away, almost stumbling into the Wrenhaven, before launching a tendril to land her back on dry land. Throughout the entirety of the spectacle, Thomas stood there, in stitches. Figuratively, and literally. Emily scowled at him. "The first time you see me out of granny rags' 'care' and you throw a rat at me? What in the void, Thomas?"
"Why… you in the void… m'lady." He said sarcastically, between gasps for breath.

Emily growled and flicked a finger in his direction dismissively. Almost at once, she felt a tug at her magical stamina and a rune in her pocket disintegrated. Almost comically, Thomas' shadow seemed to detach from his body, and swipe a leg across Thomas' feet, knocking him to the floor and pinning him there. Emily skipped up to him, kneeling down, and in a singsong voice "Why thank you for your politeness. And kneeling! What a loyal subject." She flicked the finger again and Thomas' shadow reattached to his body and got up. He didn't seem annoyed at all. "That was awesome! When did you get that power?"

Emily shrugged. "Just now. I just sort of… get them when I need them, if I get enough runes."

Thomas grinned. "For me? I'm flattered." He broke into a cough before grimacing at her, pulling some elixir from his pocket. "Freaking stinky dead people in the freaking lake, anyway, why are you here? Didn't you sod off with some gentleman caller? Cos when Granny rags said it, it sounded really weird."

Emily blushed little. "I…well I need you."

A chorus of wolf whistles grew from the crowd behind them and Emily huffed. "Not like that. I need you to help me get into the Golden Cat."

The wolf whistles intensified and Thomas nearly choked on his elixir. Wordlessly, he yanked her in the opposite direction.

This one was fun, and I have a serious problem with rat jokes. my autre fic.

anyway, whatever you do, You must not review this chapter. under any circumstances. At all. See y'all!