The Assassin's Way

Part 6 Birds of a Feather... part 1

"What keeps you going, my enemy ? What power drives your will against mine ?"

-Ingrid the First, the Necromancer

4 June 2055

Outskirts of Northern Sacremento

Warmoon Family estate

1530 hours local time

Light danced across the ceiling from the locket hanging on the chandiler. Using spells and magic Talak had created a unique living space and even lengthed the chain of the locket her one love of her entire life had made for her. She wasnt happy, not the least bit. She needed things going her way or not at all. Heads rolled the last time her men fucked up. And she was sure more were going to do just that.

With a crack of energies the floor begian moving, seemingly growing and forming new patterns in the wood as the walls cracked and split apart, multiplying into extra panels and slivers of wood that began spinning cracking, clockwork like as the floor solidified in new patterns with clacks of seemingly machinery but were instead of magic as a door formed and Talak stepped from it. "James ?" Talak called, she was upset. Clearly so at the rapid movement of the flooring and walls heck even the chandiler was multiplying dozens of times in a kalidscope of color and glass.

"Goddamnit James where are you ?" Talak shrieked, the movement stopped, the walls and floor settling back into its natural dark oak paneling and wood floor as the Chandiler gittlered from six dozen new shards of glass and lights

"Here madam, just getting the scraps for your pet as ordered." Came the reply of the butler from another door

"Where is Spike ?" Talak said, for once using Tamaras true name. the butler halted.

"Oh... Oh dear... Lady Milligan called... she has to arrange transportation"

Talak stopped in her tracks. "What ?" A small rippled sprang from her as magic rippled across the floor from her feet, it raced from her to the walls and up to the ceiling as she rounded on her butler "What. Did. Tamara. Do ?" For a long moment the Butler only breathed rather loudly under her gaze, magic ripplied across the floor and walls again, shifting everything rapidly with clacks and groans. "WHAT DID SHE DO ?!" Talak finally thundered at the man

"She uh.. that is to say she uh... she attacked clients of Baba Yaga, she had nher men. Her transport was destroyed."

"So the phonecall was right ?... Godamnit! Fine! Fine..."Talak paced a bit then pointed to the butler. " As soon as Spike is home, send her to my office." Talak growled, she turned and stalked away, the magic once more making a kaldiscope of the walls and floor, spirlaing like a shattered mirror in all directions as she stalked off, a portal of broken glass forming smotoh mirrorlike surface that she halted before stepping through it, she turned slightly towards her butler "And feed my pet damnit!" With that she stepped through and disappeared from his sight.

Crescent City

Ruth Big's Residence

At that same moment

It was both rainy, and sunny, a weird weather pattern but apparently for Crescent city it was normal. The day was spent apparently at the library downtown, and then afterward was a rather important meeting at the Big residence concerning the burial ceremony for Viv, now, everyone knew Vivian wasnt one for pomp and circumstance, so she'd wanted the ceremony to be simple, at the time of course.

But, in the case of Ruth Big, it wasnt simple, the entire damn town was out in force to try and figure out how to honor Vivian Ordu properly. That left Mark and Sazhori alone in the kitchen of the massive victorian house at the dinner table. Sazhori Flcking what looked like a black handled steakknife in her hand, seemingly lost in thought, while Mark was apparently watching the ever moving blade with his eyes as he sat stock still in the chair at table.

Mark leaned back in the chair he was sitting in, kicking his feet up for a second before sighing, putting his feet down, and then leaning fowards. He took out his gun, and while still watching the blade in Sazhori's fingers, effortlessly disassembled his Desert Eagle within thirty seconds, all the parts neatly on the foot-stool in front of him. Finally he blinked, opening a transport array to his room, where he grabbed his cleaning kit, then moved back ot his chair, and began to meticulously clean his weapon until it literally shined. The process would take him an hour fully.

"What'd you see? In that crypt?" Mark asked, pausing as he put one part down to pick up the next for cleaning, his bronze-glowing brown eyes looking to the woman across the room from him.

"My mother" came the calm reply, the speed of the blade in her hand, flicking through her fingers as effortlessly as one flicking a coin skillfully with their fingers and never cutting herself. If Mark tried he'd do just that right off the spot. And yet, Sazhori seemed calm. "I saw when she banished us, My sisters, Abel and Siv, the oldest of our family. And me. I... I saw them under white cloth being carried by Doves..." Sazhori said. Even in the house under bright lights the feathers on her shoulders absorbed the light so much it reflected none of it.

She looked to Mark as he opened a transport array and quickly returned, she never had seen such a thing before.. Normally portals were broken into a wall or the like as broken glass of a mirror or window to open a portal to the desired location. "What did you see ?... Who did you see ? How can one go to the land of the Dead... and live ?"

Mark paused at her question, and then continued to clean, using the nail of his thumb to really dig the dirt out of the fine crevices of his gun before he answered. "I saw my future if I continue down this path..." he wasn't talking about being an Assassin, his affection for Elsa, or even the reckless combat strategies. But the crippling Depression, and almost PTSD-like behaviors he was showing. Surely they were obvious. "I saw the Mausoleum...and My coffin was waiting. All I had to do was walk away."

He made it sound easier than it was. The fact of the matter was that if he had entered that coffin, he'd never have left the cavern. And instead would be ready for embalming in Arendelle by the servants of House Wolfe; if they were restored by Elsa yet.

"It was...an experience."

"And yet you managed to walk away..." Sazhori mused... She got up from where she sat on the counter and, still flicking the blade in her hand she paced a brief moment. "What was it that she said... 'the path you choose may not persist, the death you fear may not exsist...' But it doesnt make sense. Before you saw ... your coffin...You saw someone ? Were... seeing someone ?" Sazhori had pretty much told him what she aw, she and her elder sisters getting banished, then her feared death if they went back without Emperor Tilr's seal and letter to do so.

Sazhori then stopped, her tiny feather like blade also halting in her finger tips. "You... contemplated... suicide... But didnt go through with it... Why ?" She had seen the destryed district of Arko back in Arendelle when she had first arrived and subsequently went searching for Diamond who sent her after Mark. But Diamond did not know of what Mark had asked Blackmane, why was it so hard to lose a life, yet so easy to take one ?

Mark nodded; "I was seeing someone. As a boy...left her to pursue the Assassin life style." he said. At the question of suicide, he paused, not looking to her, nor at the floor, but to the part of his gun that he was cleaning. "You ever fuck up so bad you feel like nothing can fix it?" was all he responded with. It explained his reasons, for contemplating it, and for not going through with it.

Nothing would fix what he did; it was done. Those people were dead. He couldn't change it. Nothing could. He paused, then nodded. Yes, those were the words he needed to use for the answer. He let out a breath to fog up the metal, then wiped it down once more, setting it down before picking up the next.

"Yes" Sazhori said after a long moment she sat down next to him. "every day of my life I sought to make my mother proud, but to her I was a failure from day one. She... left me on the front door, newborn. but my sisters defied her and cared for me. I sought endlessly to prove myself. I thought of it too at times, Ending my own life. But... But something always said no, that I should stick around. Finish what my father started..."

"What you saw in that vault... the death you feared that doesnt exsist..." She placed a hand, what felt like feathers for nails and fingers and skin, soft and downy on his hand, stopping his movement. She was strong he'll grant her that. "Because you still exsist You were in that vault a long time, what else did you see ? You saw a possible death that you turned from, but you saw something else didnt you ?"

"I'd...rather not talk about it." he said. At her insistence, however he sighed, and finally nudged her hand away from his own so he could keep cleaning. "My second vision was of a feared future...one I hope to never see; Arendelle under Totalitarian Rule. From Elsa herself." he said. "Mad with her own power...spurred by the greif of my leaving. I saw all my friends, my mother, aunt...sisters, recruits...dead or dying...The only way to right it was to claim the throne for myself, and usurp the Mislead Queen." he said.

He blinked slowly and closed his eyes, the strain of staring at the parts of his gun so intently getting to them. After a few seconds he'd open them again, and keep cleaning.

Sadly Sazhori never heard of Elsa, well knew little of Arendelle, just enough to get there, not who lead the place. But before she could speak a pair of voices took the attention of the hematite eyed girl who turned towards them. "I'm looking for a guy, about yay tall, with a stubbern as a dead cow streak, brown eyes, long hair, scar on his face, somewhat stubbern as a mule attidue" Where had she heard THAT voice before

Of course it explained Mark pretty clear, he was dang stubborn to begin with. "In the kitchen" Came Ruthies voice.

Two seconds later and Wezaki entered. "Oh hello. Long time no see." She said to Mark, there was no missing the sass, or sarcasic sadistic tone in her voice. However it begged the question, why was she there ?

Mark would be pointing his gun at Wezaki if it were together. "What are you doing here?" he snapped, his eyes moving to glare at her while his hands continued the cleaning motion for his gun.

Wezaki smirked. "Even if that thing were together you cant kill a dove with it. Not when you need her package." She grumbled. Setting a letter on the table "Well, apparently I'm once again a messenger bird like the ancient days. Cant send it by mailman have to send it by Bird, and so they pick a Dove. Just my luck, just once I need to get call to a hospital or medical emergency. Just once! But nooo, they got me delivering letters..."

Sazhori just raised an eye brow "Hello Healer" the Raven said

"Hiya featherduster"

"Look who's talking"

Wezaki smirked "It was a joke, fire that at me and I'll break both of your arms"

As the two verbally sparred apparently like old chums that hadnt seen each other in years, which was actually true, the last time Sazhori saw Wezaki was right before Light blessed her nearly a hundred years before, the letter caught Marks attention, it was adorned with his name, his full name. Upon opening it was a simple invitation

Mark

You are requested to join me here upon recieving of this letter at the location marked within it. Come alone. bring no weapons. Do not worry. I must see you

-Your father

With the letter was a resturant table slip, where his father waited. Why send the letter ?

Sacremento california

At that same moment

twenty eight years before

10 May 2027

Cario Egypt

"I have something for you. I know your parents wont fully approve of me until I meet them later, or when you can get them to see me outside your home." Mark said softly, Talak smiled, the 14 years old black haired tanned beauty was all but jittery on her feet as the tone in Marks voice made her nervous

"Something for me ?" Talak said ? "Well, that is good, because I have something for you too..." She faltered as Mark removed a golden locket, with his picture within it, and placed it around her neck.

"Talak Horde, would you marry me ?" Mark asked her softly

There was only one way to answer that kind of question in Egypt, so since he was a bit taller than her, she reached to his shoulder and patted it, as if pulling him down, he dropped to one knee, allowing Talak to place her own golden locket with her picture about his neck, effectively tiying the engagement right then and there. "Yes" She said simply.

it was just the matter of telling their parents. which wasnt going to end well because far off a woman watched her brother. Serena had a dark look in her eyes, her brother was letting his dfick do his talking instead of following their orders. No wonder he wanted to go off alone. the woman left. Never noticed by the two. Serena knew that she needed to bide her time, to see how far this love would go. Stopping it now wouldnt help matters as the girl was newly fourteen. Serena had to plan it right.

The memory faded as Spike walked into the room as Talak stood behind a wet bar. "What is it ?"

Talak was unhappy. "It is not what you did, that angers me" She said pouring herself a drink. "But who you did it to" She took a sip

"The nobody ?" Tamara, asked

"That 'nobody' is Ruth Big, who we call, Baba Yaga" Talak said taking another sip of her drink

"The boogeyman ?" Tamara's face was a mixture of confusion, and then dread as she realised her mistake

"No" Talak took another sip of her drink before shaking her head. "Ruth Big, was who we went to, to kill The Boogeyman. And by accosting her boarders before they got to her place... You woke her up" Talak set her drink on the table "You woke up, The Boogeyman. You woke up... The Brotherhood's best killer. The one who paved the way, to get us... where we now are. Ruth Big, killed those who were in charge here, Templars, ahead of us... died by her hands. Which paved the way, for us to take power." She refilled her drink as Tamara looked sick

"And you woke her up."

"We can make this right" Tamara started to say, meaning to end her thought by assassinating an Assassin.

Talak stepped around from behind the bar and up to the other woman, grabbing her into a hug and pulling her hair while holding her close "Listen carefully, Spike. When she finds you, and that is a when not if, she finds you, she will kill you because you wont be able to do anything. Because she'll have found you, you will have nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, nowhere to run..." Talak let Tamara go, the woman stumbled backwards a few feet and was rubbing her head. "Now get out of my sight until I send for you. If I see you again without getting sent for, I will kill you myself and save Baba Yaga the trouble of hunting you down"

Tamara noddeed and left. Her face a mixture of dread, and thought. Talak had powerful magic, could ressurect the dead if she wanted. Of course Talak had to get rezzed first then go after wayward spirits in thr Astral Dimenesion of all things. A skill Talak greatly relied on to get information from targets.

Sacremento

Olive Garden resturant

Four hours later

"Wasn't expecting a letter." Mark said as a man sat down at the table behind where he stood overlooking a stage.

"I was not expecting you to get it" Came the cultured reply; since he'd left Arendelle Marcus Wolfe had once again hidden himself in America somewhere, in this case Sacremento. "Nor was I expecting you to leave Arendelle for that matter" he continued pouring himself a cup of coffee

Mark turned to him, "I didn't think I'd leave either. Nice weather up there. But... something came up." He shook his head, dismissing the topic. "You know I never wanted to see you again, right? Yet... here we are." his father was silent. "Guess after all these years, I could always use a talk from dear old dad." Mark ordered two waters, one for himself and one for his father, and there was a tense, yet relaxed silence between them until the waters were set down, and Mark took the first sip. "So, Father, what can your son do for you?"

"I'll be honest with you, our clan is only a couple inches away from vanishing. Those inches being us, of course. And your mother and sister, if they're still out there. We need to work together to benefit the future of the clan. I...we, need to protect our clan's future." Marcus said, "It was why we split you and your sister up, you were their targets, not your mother, nor was it me, It was just you and Marion, were their target. It was why they came to her room and tried to take you both out with knives, they would have easily done just that had Marion not set those traps to waken your mother and I that night" Marcus said, he took an item out of his pocket and set it on the table.

"We set those traps because of the guy we saw in the park watching us, we could tell he wasnt part of the Clan nor was he any of the servants, but rather then tell you or Mother, Marion insisted that we set the traps instead and insisted I stay with her, I was too tired to go to my own room anyway." Mark said taking a seat and looking at the item his dad set on the table "What is this ?"

"That, my dear boy is a book, curtisey of the Brotherhood, I think it'd be a good read for you, you could pick up some pointers, apparently a lot if it was from a childs experiences growing up among the brotherhood since birth to adulthood. The author of it, Diana Elisar, she knows her stuff. Some of it reminds me of Marion and you when you took on Templarrs when the house was attack so long ago" Marcus said.

Mark took a quick look at the book and even saw the picture of Diana, without her face covered, and couldnt recognise her one bit, finally he set the book back on the table and spoke after long moments, "I've thought carefully after we first met back in Gilja, and getting your letter I decided," He gave his father a hard look "If mother is still alive... somewhere, I will leave it up to her on what happens to you. Until then we work together, Agreed ?"

"Agreed" Marcus replied, "have you ordered ?" For now Marcus Wolfe was content, his son lead the clan, what was left of it, and for the time being was going to leave the end result of his fate, to his hopefully still alive mother.

As the two men conversed a woman in black sat next to a woman in white, for all intents they looked like sisters, they were everything but. Sazhori and Wezaki had jobs to do. One was to deliver the letter, the other was to protect the letter receiver. In this case Mark. "You like him ?" Wezaki asked, Sazhori raised an eyebrow

"Maybe. But its a job, not anything spyworthy. No deep cover, falling in love. Besides, look at him, he must have someone already" Sazhori mused

"Ask him ?"

Sazhori shook her head "You my dear Dove, need to learn how Mortals work" She set a tip on the counter and went towards the table,

Wezaki followed her friend with her gaze, "Was it something I said ?"

Sazhori waited until the waiter refilled the waters upon the table before approching "I see you seem to have made a friend ?" the Raven asked, giving a sdteely hematite gaze to Marcus, one however that had a sense of must be related. She turned her gsze to mark as a chair was moved for her to sit at table.

"If you can call my father a friend, then yes." Mark responded. "Father, Marcus Wolfe, this is Sazhori, a rather pesky Raven who likes to follow me around. Pesky Raven of the name Sazhori, Marcus Wolfe, my father." he said, gesturing between them as he looked over the menu. He wasn't a big italian food fan, weird that his father made him come here, but he'd get just a simple plate of spaghetti. Couldn't go wrong with that.

"You've been eyeing us for the past five minutes. You're not developing a crush are you?" Mark asked, not looking at her.

"With him ?" She jerked a thumb at Mark, a snicker in her tone, "Nope. Not my job. For all I know he might have somebody already" Mark never really detailed his past to the Raven, and since Marcus had a confused look at what Mark meant by 'pesky Raven' she said simply "The people I work for, we're called Ravens. We do bodyguard work, spywork, infiltration, hacking, teaching, all sorts of things..." She held a slender hand towards Marcus to shake "A pleasure to meet you. What brings you here ?"

"A pleasure. As for why I'm here..., well..." he pointed up. Mark spat his water, coughing. Above them was one of those masive flying Aircraft Carriers. "I'm on that one; recently commissioned USS Abraham Lincoln...Why'd you spit, boy?"

"Well, I'm...planning on making like four of them explode within the next...month." he said in a hushed tone.

Marcus rose an eyebrow, facing his son.

"Templars. All over the place...and the one you're going on? Infested."

"Then don't blow up that one."

"Well now I'm not, but that brings the number to three, and that's boring."

"Deal with it. Blow up a tank."

"Nah, Ruthie already did that, I gotta one-up her."

"I think that's higher than a simple one-up"

"Two up?"

"Fucks sake, son...just...blow something else up."

Mark sighed, and Sazhori couldn't decide whether to burst out in laughter or to face palm, so she did both, laughing into her palm, though she stopped at Mark's glare and clearing of his throat, though she did so slowly.

Finally the waiter arrived and took their orders, as the man left Sazhori caught a look from the man, a muscular fellow, yet working as a waiter... Hmmm... She turned back to the table as the waiter went by Wezaki and took her drink. "Well, compared to blowing up a tank a bus is more fun, more color in the explosion" She said, She saw Mark smirk around his water.

At Marcus confused look she said "its how we met, that sucker up there too I nearly got sucked into" She snickered, sitting back in the chair "But yes, Ruthie blew up a tank, drives a tank, and I blew up a bus" She was apparently quite proud of it.

Marcus, eyebrow raised, simply nodded and leaned towards his son, a hand covering his mouth "Where'd you pick her up ?"

Mark held a hand up to cover his mouth "Went gambling, she was the prize."

"You really didnt do good at gambling games growing up did you boy ?"

"Nope, but on the bright side, at least she's pretty." Mark said, his father shrugged in agreement.

Sazhori had brought her drink from the bar, she took a long gulp of the killer tequila Marcus smirked, still elaning over to his son he aasked "What happens when she's loaded ?"

Mark shrugged. "I'm not thinking that far ahead." His plate of spaghetti was brought to him, except it was in a take-out box, with a note attatched to it with a tooth pick. On it was written an address, the word "Go" and the Initials BR. "Whoops. Gotta go." he said, standing, taking out thirty bucks and leaving it to cover the pasta and the tip. "I'll catch you later; try not to be on that airship within the next month." Mark said, winking to his father, who blinked and nodded, sighing as he was left alone.

Mark flicked his wrist and knocked on Sazhori's hip as he walked past, a sign for her to follow as he walked out to the parking lot and to his car. He placed the take-out box on the top as he got in, then brought it into his lap before closing the door. Once Sazhori was in, he placed it on her lap. "Hold this, if it spills I'm making you eat it and cleaning it until it shines." he said as he started the engine. The rumble fo the Challenger's engine made him pause; he never got tired of hearing it. He put the address into the GPS and started to drive.

"What you think is at that address? 'Nother Vault?" Mark asked absently as they turned out onto the street.

When Mark knocked on her hip she rolled her eyes, great no time to eat or finish her drink or make small talk, or get tipsy... wait Ravens couldnt get tipsy unless it was the Emperors stuff. And she wasnt allowed in that room after she 'accidently' she it on fire as a child. She downed her drink "Nice meeting you" She said to Marcus, who simply nodded in return and she darted after Mark.

Once in the car and handed the food, she stared first at it, then at him. "I thought you said no food in the car ?" Ok, he asked for it. But she'd make sure it was not her doing if it spilled. Wait, it didnt ifeel/i like food, though it smelled like food. She opened the take out, within it was a key. One of those old brass suckers one would use in an old jail or on a wood ships brig "i thought you ordered Spagetti, not SpagetKey ?" Ok maybe she wasnt going to win any stand up comedy rewards for the very bad pun. But she did have a point.

"Fuckers fucked my order." he growled, followed by his stomach growling. "Oh well. Same rule applies; spill it and you're eating it then cleaning my car." he said. He rolled his eyes at the pun, choosing not to dignify it with a response as they continued to was a slight silence before he blinked. "Whoop! There's a person!" he slammed on the brakes, the car smoothly coming to a stop inches away from the legs of a woman dressed in various shades of red, a golden Locket around her neck. Mark stared at her, and though she stared back, she couldn't see him due to the tinting of the windows and windshield. After flipping him off, the woman walked off, and he continued to drive.

His grip on the leather steering wheel tightened and he let out a deep breath that almost seemed like a growling hiss.

"Something wrong?"

"No... that woman... looked like an old girlfriend. I'm sure it's nothing." He said, stepping on it, accelerating effortlessly through traffic to get where they needed to go within a few minutes.

Sazhori looked through the back window as the woman receeded from view as Mark pull the car away. "Hmmm... Doesnt seem to me to be your type" She mused, earning a snicker from Mark as he drove, turning a corner it was rather surprisng that she never spilled the food, even when he slammed on the brakes as he had.

Stepping onto the curb on her walk Talak turned back to the car whose driver she'd flipped off. Idiot! Use a fucking hovercar next time! Nothing drove on the road much anymore, at least if someone couldnt afford a new hovercar or hovertruck. A man in a suit stepped into view "Madam are you harmed ?"

"No, track that car. I want to know who owns it" The suited man nodded, Talak turned and continued on her walk on the packed sidewalk

Upon finally pulling into a old parking structure Sazhori was not the least bit surprised to see a old elevator tower, what had to be an old jail. and something akin to an old bank all in one. "We're here" If this was anything like the last vauilt... As they opened their doors and stepped out, Sazhori took the takeout with her. Handing it to Mark she then asked "But where is here ?"

"Some old ass bank, by the look of it." Mark said, snatching the takeout from her and grabbing the key. He looked at it, smelled, it, even bit it. Nope, not even made of spaghetti-smelling Choclate. Damn. He tried the door, it opened, and they entered the bank, however the doors locked behind them. It was abandoned, the black and white tile floors straight out of the 1950s, the counters the same way, however the Vault loomed ominously over everything, situated in the center of the wall.

Using his Eagle Vision, Mark looked around. It was never that easy with Vaults like this, was it? Entering the opened Vault door, they were greeted with a massive complex of shelves leading down the hall to a set of two doors, one with light behind it, the other with darkness.

"This is... remarkably easy... What the fu-" As he said it, the massive bank door slammed shut behind them, and locked, the lock to which the key was for dropping from the ceiling, and then fitting into its place on the vault door's interior mechanism. They could leave if they wanted, but where would the fun be in that?

Approaching the doors, the pair stopped, and Mark looked to Sazhori. "Which door you want first?"

"Whichever one that does not leave me as the deposit" She replied simply after the dust settled. The bank had been empty for decades, there was a good two or so inches of sheer dust on everything. She waved a hand in front of her face as the dust settled. "Havent anyone who owned the place heard of housecleaning ?"

The floor was backlit apparently by pale dull white light, which thanks to the build up of dust over the many decades the bank was empty made almost a ghostly whsipy light a pallor of blue, like a dead body. Moving among the shelves they saw that each number for the deposit boxes were all cleaned, Someone had been through there recently and cleaned each number, but why ? "These numbers are all clean..." Sazhori mused, trying one at random the safety deposit box easily opened, there was nothing inside. "Empty"

She moved down the wall. Finding another safe deposit box she opened it and looked in. not seeing anything in the dark she felt around and there was a sudden CLICK and the light apparently turned on under the darkened door as bioth doors slid open. A ghhostly light flitered through the kicked up dust

"So" Sazhori said simply "Who wants to go through the creepy catecomb first ?" From what they could see, the hall beyond was lined with endless bookshelves packed with ancient tomes with rotting binders

Sacremento California

Templar Palace

Talaks Study

Moments later

it was raining, lately it was always raining. She heard movement but never turned her chair around, the old rotting chair had been replaced some time before with a new black modern computer chair used by most gaming groups for extreme comfort and flexiblity. The sounds she heard was that of her butler, James feeding her pet. the tiger woman, a beautiful white tiger, laid in her cage, though in the place of the white tiger was a young woman of about twenty seven. Finally she spoke up as the rivers of water poured down the window pane "Did you find who owns the car that almost hit me ?"

"Yes madam" came the reply

"And ?" She asked him

"It is registered to a Tony Big" Came the reply

"Late husband of Ruth Big... very well, do not harm the car or its driver in any way, Recall Spike to my bedroom as soon as my pet is fed. Have tea sent up. You know the kind. Until then, leave us when you are finished." Vitas said. The Butler nodded and finished putting the food within reach of the human woman in the massive cage then left the room to recall Vitas stepped to the cage and opened the door. Hpolding out her hand Vitas used magic to force the woman out of the cage to the wood floor in a heap. "No pet of mine will live long if they do not eat." She mused bending down and cupping Miao Hawkthorne's chin in her hand. Staring into the feline eyes intently "Why do you make it so hard on yourself ?"

Miao growled, and weakly replied "I'd rather die than live as a pet to someone like you."

Vitas smirked and let the woman go, she fell back to the floor. "It was not me that captured you, it was those who raised me, I merely freed you, cared for you while growing up. And this is how you repay me ?"

"If you were anything your parents were then you'd let me go!"

WHAM

A fist made contact with a face as Vitas struck the girl solid, sending Miao to the floor a second time spitting up blood and broken teeth that could easily quickly regrow "That was then, this is now,. Do you want to eat your fill before we begin our play time, or after ?" Vitas asked, lines of pale edlritch energy traced on her hand forming a battle fan as Miaos eyes widened in shock, then horror as she realised just what Vitas meant by playtime.

Her gaze went to Vitas sadistic smiling face as the woman said "It is time to play" The shot materalised in Vitas hand, and hit home dead in Miaos chest, the caffine going to work right away, first she went stiff, then relaxed, reacting fast she swung madly at Vitras, but the other woman was faster and expecting the swing, easily grabbing and holding the arm, using the raw magic and the power behind Miaos swing to break the arm with a sudden and extremely painful CRACK

But thanks to the pure shot of caffine Vitas had given the young woman she felt no pain as Vitas slammed her hand against her chest directly below the breasts and four more different drugs were sent into her system. Magic healed the broke arm as Miao swung again, Vitas blocked, grabbing both the girls arms and twisting her around before bringing Miao to her knee and letting go of her neck she smacked three fingers of Miaos chest, three more drugs entered her bloodstream.

Now it was time for the mental trumama as Vitas shifted slightly, Miao knew what the movement ment, it happened every day, she screamed as Vitas probed into the darkest reaches of her mind, try as she might, Vitas magic held her inplace.

Miao was helpless

"Now" Vitas grumbled "Will you eat ?" Miao nodded, even though she didnt want to, she knew she had to eat before any torture could happen, otherwise she'd die Vitas smiled, Using her magic she halted the movement of the other drugs within her pet, letting the caffine do its work while Miao ate. Finally things were looking up.

Sacremento

Abandonded Bank

At that same moment

Even with the door open before them, and the key to exit behind them, Neither Mark nor Sazhori had moved after she had found the light switch. Why was she hearing music ? "Do you hear something ?"

Mark nodded, narrowing his eyes as finally he moved, his forward leg moving out first as he slowly began to move towards the door, his footsteps making no noise at all, despite the heavy. The music was extremely faint like that from a music box opened down somewhere in the catacombs. It was almost eerie, which all the more cause for Mark's hesitance of simply walking into the door-way, but why he was creeping over to it. He was meticulous and slow, gesturing for Sazhori to follow him quietly as soon as he crossed the threshold of the door.

Sazhori followed in Marks footsteps, out of habit her hand went to her shoulder and withdrew a pair of black hilted daggers hidden among her thick feathers. As soon as they stepped through the doorframe however the music changed to a not so eerie organ playing. Which was soon followed by a violin of a sort as they mooved deeper into the catecomb. The door slid closed behind them. But they continued on.

Then she smelled it. And felt it, extreme heat, and sand

Where were they ?

Mark's wrist twitched at the heat and the smell of sand. Cairo again. He knew the smell of that dirt anywhere. "Fuckin' Sand." He grumbled as the floor dissolved into the sand-covered road of Cairo, near the center of the city, a favored meeting spot between a Young Mark and his then-girlfriend, Talak Horde. Mark stopped as the scene revealed itself to him, to them, actually, as Sazhori stopped next to him, seeing exactly what he saw.

"This was the day I fully commited myself to the Order..." he said to her. "A day after a little... heart-to-heart talk with my family." he narrowed his eyes. A young Talak was waiting for Mark, a gift was in her hands, the bag hanging neatly from its string-handles. Mark sighed, any minute now, a younger version would come around the corner, and deliver the bad news.

When she was younger, as far as Sazhori and Mark could see, Talak Horde was a beautiful young woman, her bright amber eyes glittered with an inner light, yet when she saw the much younger version of mark come around the corner looking a bit beaten up but still presentible she all but ran to him. The gift she carried in her hand meant for him. They had already cemented their engagement with their lockets and today was the planned day. Well, Talak had high hopes for the day too

All but pulling mark to the bench where they had traded lockets she saw he still wore his. "What is it ? You look terrible. What happened ?" She was hoping to join his family, and get out of her own family. Her patrents were powerdful Sorcerers and used their magic to train others for evil means most of the time,. But Talak until that day, had no magic abilities what so ever.

Young Mark had his hood down; his face young and child-like, his cheeks not defined and still having an oddly cute, pinchable quality to them, his jaw bare, lacking his beard; he'd just shaved it seemed. His hair was also short, freshly buzzed so that little remained. His eyes were struggling to hold back tears, and there was a massive knot in the boy's throat. "I...I can't see you anymore..." he said.

At Talak's puzzled look he turned to her. "I'm sorry.. I.. it was all a ruse, to gain info on your parents... I'm... I hope you can forgive me." he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Goodbye." With that the boy stood and bolted down the street, his locket bieng the only thing he left on the bench.

Talak stood as Mark ran off, calling after him,. her heart she felt it, breaking as he left her vision in the heat of the day. Her hand went to her own locket. A tear streaked down her face. She never looked back to the bench as she instead looked toaward the beach. Under the place they had arranged to meet a feery full of people from a cruise liner was passing. She clutched the locket, and tilted off the cliff. Time slowed however as Talak tumbled

While the scene played out, Mark as he was at the present moment moved over to the beach, taking in the face of the young girl he used to love. The girl whose heart he had to break in order to please his family. He looked to the locket on the bench, then to the girl sitting there. Something, guilt, perhaps for seeing a crying child, moved his hand towards her head to try and pat it, to comfort her. But as he made contact, it all dissolved to sand, and blew away in the wind as she tumbled off the cliff.

"Color me confused" Sazhori said as candles floated around them "That woman... and the woman we nearly hit in the car... Was that her ?" Sazhori faltered, she had no idea what the woman, as pretty as she was, inteded when she tumbled off the cliff.

"Yes. Small world. Makes our job here a bit more interesting... her parents were sorcerers... I killed them the next day, not without difficulty though. If she's anything like them, she's likely stupidly powerful in the mystical arts as well." he said, watching the sand blow away before looking back to Sazhori. "I believe it should be your memory next... on we go." he gestured down the hall, towards the music, which now was substantially louder than before.

Sazhori didnt like it but they had to see them didnt they ? It was apparently the only way to gain full access to the vaults by Lights Chosen. She nodded however and still with daggers ready she headed for the music.

And once through the next door into complete darkness there were two walls on either side, windows every few feet. And a door with a awning over it. It was wet, and raining, very wet, lots of rain. there were rivelts of water in the cobblestone street as the door opened. A woman with ink black hair looked out with a lantern. The place they were was northern part of the City of Talons, the entire Eagle empire was heavily Chinese period architecture in design and construction.

Sazhori's breath caught in her throat, she recognised the Raven woman. Her mother.

The woman set a basket of black cloth and feathers upon the doorstep as lightning shattered the sky above and thunder roiled madly, the rain continued to pour. the infant in the basket wailed. there was no mistaking that voice either. the woman stood up and took a step back into the doorway. "We are a noble family of power. I will not let a sickly child bring us to dispair! Let someone else, or something else, take you." the door closed.

Even though it was a memory, thunder rumbled and Sazhori dropped to her knees seeing her mother abandoning her mere hours after her birth

The rain rolled off Mark's jacket and boots without issue, the fabric making it water-retardent by itself. He would remain dry though the scene before him was still hard to watch. A woman, Sazhori's mother, giving her up mere hours after being born. Harsh. Spartan like, in a way. Mark didn't know that any other beings did something like that than the Ancient Spartans. Interesting.

Sazhori never moved as the rain soaked her it seemed, what seemed like hours and two people dressed in black robes and hoods almost identical to the Hood that Mark wore as an Assassin arrived from behind them. Moving quickly it was clear they were both women. And by the look of them, siblings. They heard the two speak clearly as they looked around to ensure the coast was clear "Abel, You are sure Father will keep Mother busy concerning our plan... right ?"

"Father forsaw her serving a dear friend as a bodyguard. its up to us to ensure she does just that. Come on, we can take her to my palace" The other said picking up the crying infant. Since that day Sazhori had always loved the crashing of thunder and never was repulised by lightning dancing through the sky. "Dont forget the basket Siv, we'll need it, for the plan."

Sazhori smiled. Standing up as the two women turned their way they could see their faces clearly, as they ran past them, disappearing into the relentless rain Sazhori spoke. "In my first vision, I saw my mother banish the three of us, never to return unless we had the ID of leaving. Those were my sisters, Abel is the oldest of us, Siv is her twin, they were born seconds apart" In which case like all Ravens, they had hatched only mere seconds apart

To Mark there was something of recognition in the two women as they saved the infant, as they turned towards them to flee into the rain behind them he could see their faces clearly, and somehow he knew them. They had been the two who carried Ulnaus when he got shot with that Obsidian arrow back in Arendelle!

"I know those two... they saved my idiot of a bird before I left...fool got himself shot." Mark stated with a squint of his eyes. After a second he turned to Sazhori. "Your sisters?" he asked curtly.

"Mm" Sazhori nodded "they raised me against mothers wishes. Abel is the oldest, Siv is the second, they were born seconds apart, twins" She said, apparently he hadnt exactly heard the first time but it needed to be said anyhow. "They are strong, stronger than I wever was. They cared for me, every day for nineteen years..."

As she spoke the rain came a stop, and the memory faded to black. It lasted but scant sewconds or so before fading back in, once more as observers and everyone around them,, they were on a tour ship for a cruiseline. Viking Cruiseline operated cruise tours of Cairo along the delta and rivers. But it was under a particular beach that had most of the cruise goers attention, many were pointing up at something...

Or someone... who was falling...

"So that's how she survived..." Mark said, watching the person fall. The person ended up briefly rolling down some of the cliff before slamming on to the deck and rolling to a halt, bruised and beaten up by the fall. She must have hit her head on the way down, for there was blood dripping from her forehead onto the deck.

"Hey! You okay?" A woman asked, she and her husband running over to the young girl immediately upon seeing her still alive.

As they watched Talak hit the deck and roll a good dozen times before stopping at the bottom of a stairwell Sazhori flinched. Sure it was a memory but wow, that had to hurt. Eyes clouded by pain of both loss and injury were unable to foucs as the girl passed out, a trail of blood snaked its way from her mouth as blood flowed from the wound on her forehead and arms.

Getting to one knee the husband of the woman checked her pulse, two fingers to the neck. "Her pulse is erractic, You, call the ships doctor, you four help me get her onto that table." he took charge right away and working as a team the five men gently picked up Talak from the deck of the ship and gently laid her on a table while another passenger used a towel as a pillow while another woman went for the ships doctor.

Well, this was eventful now wasnt it.

"Where did she fall from ?" the man asked, looking up at the cliffside beach. It was a good hundred or so feet, maybe more at this point of the sheer rockfaces to the western part of the river.

"Looks like up there" Another man said pointing to where some bystanders stood at a rail, one of them a girl with her hands over her mouth as if in shock at what she just saw.

The scene briefly shifted around the two observing the goings on, showing the controlroom of the tour cruise ship as a man went running to the man at the helm "Captain. The passengers request the ships doctor, a child has fallen from the cliff and landed upon the Sun Deck towards midship aft."

"And just why are you telling me this instead of getting the ships doctor to tend to the child ?!"

"Sir, we do not know who she is, and she is injured, the passengers have never left her side since she landed upon our ship."

The captain looked at his mate angerly before nodding "Fine. Send for the ships doctor, and then take a rest, you earned it. I will see to this myself as well. Carriton, take over. I'm going on deck." the Captaion said before leaving. the scene seemed to shift around as they walked along the hallway watching. the captain had seen Talak start to fall and had directed the ship to catch her. He recognised her, but law was law. As soon as Talak was treated she'd have to be deposited at the first port they stopped into on the tour before retuning to the main ship.

The captain of the vessel got on his radio "This is Viking, someone check Horder Avenue. Their daughter has landed on my ship"...