Tis' the Season


How did she did it, how did she defeated my eye sight? I have tracked people through fog and complete natural darkness, yet, all that time sitting in that chair next to me and all I could perceive was the fragrance she sprayed on her body hours ago, a perfume, lilac and something oily and clove. Although, I guess I should have guessed that was not the owl's perfume in the room, I guess I'm too open minded.

I went back to the alleys with the bag of crystals in my secret pocket, going back home, with the crew. The air was as terrible as usual, but, the filth was not what was bothering me, but the idea of a war with the resistance, not like this silent war, but one with blimps and bombs, and death. Are we safe here? Which side am I on?, I mean I love crystals but, what if the Magistrate wins?

But there I was the abandoned house we claimed as a home. It was the first time in a while I realized of bad the state of the place was, how rotten the stair to the second level were, how big the black spots on the walls were, how much useless crap we had gathered and could not sell, well no one would buy it.

"She is here!" A loud youthful voice echoed down the stairs as brown haired boy with far too much mud on his overalls, was running from the upper floor. A few seconds after two other kids came down as well, the fair almost a teen Jodie in a light ciel dress that once saw better days and, Ann the youngest of the three, red hair and curls, freckles and eyes a lighter tone than mine.

Then tears began to flow down my cheeks. The three of them hugged me tightly, showering me with sweet words, it felt overwhelming, but, I was crying because all this might be gone with the war. The warmth, the love, our...family.

My head sobered up, it was not important to pick a side, but to survive, protect my family, take them as far away from the battlefield as possible.

"Sister, please don't cry, you are gonna make cry as well. You are back home," Ann soothes me with watery eyes. I look up again, the dirty walls look less terrible now, but, I have to be strong for them.

"Pack up, we are leaving as soon as possible"

"Is there anything wrong sister?" the fair Jodie inquired.

"I-I bought a farm, we don't need to live in this dump anymore. The last job I completed paid handsomely and, I believe that the fresh air and actually owning a place is better than hiding from the citadel officers and the filth"

"If you believe so, then we will follow you, Boss," Jodie was good at reading people, she knew I was hiding something from her, yet, she followed me no matter what.

With our most precious belongings in our pre-owned chests and left town before the sun was down. We stop at the old Miss Linda's Inn to meet with Evie, she was very excited to see me again, and even more to meet the "puppies". But there was a war ahead of us, so I discussed the plot with her in private, told her about the hired assassin and the battle it could chained afterwards.

"So what should we do?" concerned but decided.

"Well we need to protect my crew, if the assassin delivers, the Paladins will strike first as retaliation, and they will attack on the heart of the Magistrate. We need to get them as far away from the District as possible..." I took a pause pretending I didn't planned the next words, "Maybe to your farm, its far enough from the first siege."

"Yes, also I need help with crops… well real crops, not my veggie garden. That won't be enough to feed a fam- a crew." A blush on her pale soft skin, why did we met on such dire situation?

"We will help. As a family… but we have an assassin to catch first," I have to focus on the main issue here before dreaming about a future, "if we hurry we can catch her down the main road to Timber Mill, she must be an hour ahead of us."

"On a horse, please" cocky and sassy as per usual, "it will take us minutes to catch up with… her."

Before she could ask any more questions, I took her staff and got on it the wrong way, it was as good as a distraction as anything really, the less she knows the better. And it worked, she went to the cart driver and gave him instructions to get to the farm and a copious amount of gold for the service.

We soared up into the purple dawn of night, we need to fly low to find her but high enough to keep some stealth at our stalk. After twenty minutes in the night sky, I saw her riding solo on a honey haired horse, her body suit contrasting heavily against the beast fur.

"I found her, take us lower so I can catch up with her"

"But, where, I don't see anyone," she looks at me and gasps surprised, "why are your eyes…? Oh, reflecting light, like a cat."

"Yeah I can see in the dark, it's a tigron thing I guess" I came to terms with it, she have to be right, its the only explanation for my skills and peculiarities.

She smiled content and proceeded to dive through the foggy night down to about seven feet from the ground, enough for me to jump off safely and chase by foot. I land on the cushioning of my forefoot bending my knees to absorb the impact and turned it into energy for my horizontal leap, my hands guiding my weight as I barrel roll forward. As I land back on my feet I begin to run using the momentum. My eyes locked on the honey colored horse as I close the gap between us, the animal slows down, there is no one on its back.

I turn around tracking her perfume-
A stinging pain on my chest, my legs collapsing, I-I can't move.

"You are very fast kitty cat, but so loud, no wonder why the owl gave me this task instead of you. I could hear your boots stomping on the soil as you jumped off your horse, and your coat flapping as you ran-"

"N-no horse" It hurts to talk.

"Shush, let my poison do the talking an-" And then a dull sound as she got clubbed in the back of the head. "Oh, you have back up," she turns around, "I will take care of… Evie, what are you doing here?"

"I, we are chasing …you, you can't kill the owl's daughter, not on Paladins turf, its… Never mind just give her the antidote now!"

"Oh, I see, she is your new pet. I get it, a tigron with pink hair and beautiful eyes, can't blame you," the assassin reaches in between her breast, as it were a pocket, and takes out two small vials with green and silver liquids on each, removes the cork of both, "she is paralyzed, I have to help your pet swallow." Evie simply nodded, as if she was granting her permission. The assassin removed the three poisoned darts from my chest fast and painfully, she did so sitting on my hips and remained on the same position, the vials on her hand, "I have to mix these potions, you will drink most of it, but, for it to work you need to keep some underneath your tongue, don't bite me as I feed it to you."

She pours each potion in her mouth and slowly leans in to me, a seductive look in her face, I part my lips and close my eyes. She has soft plum lips, such soft lips, and a skilled tongue. The antidote must be very strong as my own muscle started dancing with hers in my mouth, was this potion supposed to feel this good, or as warm.

The kiss ended, a deviant smile drawn on her lips, "Now I get why you had to hit me as hard Evie, she is a keeper," her eyes intensely focused on mine, "My name is Skye, I don't usually kiss strangers, well that is a lie, I love kissing strangers, but, I still need to know your name kitten."

Twice in two days, two kisses from two gorgeously dangerous women, why was this happening?, was there something on the air?

"I'm M-Maeve..."