The most recent job had been something of a pain, and for all the wrong reasons. She had none of the excitement of fighting down a powerful purpleblood. No, the assassination of the Duke had been a matter of waiting. Waiting and watching and cursing Him for telling her that, no, it had to be done on the quiet. That was the style of a certain blueblooded Countess. God, the bitch must be lame at parties.
Robbed of any delight from her job, the Girl said to hell with the manse. Her time is going to be spent fucking around. Alone. In the desert. She'd be home right on time as she must be but the night wasn't going to end on so shitty a note.
Not much to do in the desert though. She could go back to the Duke's home and torment his servants for giggles but that was too dangerous. Can't give them any reason to suspect that the Demoness was behind the job, or the Girl would have to go and haul one of her corpses back to the manse. Again. Which was less a thing of existential dread now and more one of annoyance. Fighting herself just wasn't any fun though. She knew all her tricks and it was just another kick to the shins for her. Oh, look. You're dead, except it's not you you. Just this stupid, selfish bitch that you wish was you.
Urgh.
The Girl pauses in her walking and wrinkles her nose. She never used to make that sound. Maybe a disgruntled hrmm or an exasperated sigh. An urgh though? That was the trademark sound of the Woman. Who she had been blissfully able to avoid for an entire sweep. Hide nor hair of her had been seen and all the better for it, the Girl thinks.
Keeping that in mind the Girl continues with her walk. It is utterly uneventful for hours, just the way she likes. Sure, a pointless scuffle to the death with a dread Alternian sandworm would be fun, but silence was just as good. Not a single scathing comment from her boss or the whistling of a tea kettle, and not a damn tick to be heard. Perfect.
She comes across a settlement. Just a small tent. Abandoned now. Whoever had been there was probably dead by now or soon would be. The deserts were harsh and unforgiving. More so than the rest of the planet. She walks over and inspects the tent. A few blankets inside, a pillow too. Not very much and not a sign of a struggle. Who knows why the tent had been left, and who cares honestly. She stares down at the tent for a bit before kicking sand in it. Nice hard kicks that do nothing. Why? She didn't know and she didn't care. Maybe it was a time thing, as was her not kicking it down.
Her walks continues again, and for another hour she goes without finding anything or anyone. She stops for a moment, leaning against a rock. God this was nice. Was nice being the key word because a shout of, "Mom, look! Look, look, Mom! Moooom!" rings out over the sands. Oh. Her. The Girl turns to see that, yes, there the Woman is, with her brat in tow. As always she's smiling. Urgh, and double urgh for that initial urghing.
The Boy runs on ahead only to be grabbed by the shoulder. His "mother", to use her religious parlance, wasn't about to let him charge forth towards the Demoness apparently. Funny. She usually had so little self preservation around the Girl. Look at her, keeping her distance. It's nice in a way. Smart too, as is teaching her "son".. It keeps the Girl right where she is, instead of sending her back to the mansion in exasperation. The Woman was bound to be a pest, but for the time being she's proving to be interesting.
"Hello!" the Woman calls, "Wasn't expecting to see you here." She looks up and then down at the floor, then says, "Granted, I never really expect you so I guess that is kind of pointless to say." The Girl says nothing and stares on at her. It makes the Woman frown. "Being enigmatic as always, I see. It's nice to see you either way. I guess."
The Girl doesn't respond to that either. She simply watches the mutant wriggle out of his "mother's" grasp. "You don't need to hold me, I'm not going to run anymore, Mom, urgh." He doesn't run either. Huh.
"Kankri you know what I've said about using that tone with me,"
"But Mom-"
"Mother."
The Boy refuses to repeat her. his face scrunches up and he turns away to sulk. The Woman sighs but makes no effort to correct him. Probably thinks it's not the time for a lesson, and she's probably right. Not that the Girl is going to do much now; it pays to be careful when you're the maid. "So, what brings you out here tonight?" the Woman asks, laying a hand on the Boy's head. He hisses and pulls away, and the Woman rolls her eyes.
It really is strange seeing the two of them. The Girl has watched them before, both at earlier and later points in their lives. There was an earnest attempt at being a lusus to the kid, and the Woman mixes it with her religion. She models herself a Mother and this boy her Son, hopefully soon to be Brother. So the Girl assumes she hopes.
As she watches the pair fuss the Girl has an idea. It's dumb and it might not amount to anything, but it very well could be worth a shot. Now how to set this in motion? The Woman thankfully gives her an opening. "Sorry about that," she says smoothing out her dress, "Anyway. Like I asked earlier, what are you doing out here tonight?"
Perfect. The Girl pushes herself from the rock and leers on at the Woman. She'd like to grin really, but now was not the time. Maybe the time would come soon, but for now the time was to be spent intimidating her. She takes a step forward and says, "What do you think?"
The Girl watches as the Woman steps in front of her "son". She rests a hand on him and standing tall she says, "Ah. Yes. That. Now as I'm sure that you're quite busy I'll apologize. Sorry about holding you up, it was nice seeing you. Go on now. Work to be done."
"You know what I mean," the Girl says as she casually pulls out a knife. Probably won't use it. No, it's not either of their times to die yet and things might get out of hand. Makes good as a threat though, she sees. The Woman tenses up and glares at her. Good, good. Might be worth it.
"No, I'm afraid I don't. Now, please. Run along and do your work," the Woman says firmly. The Boy pulls at her skirts and she whispers a placation to him. Everything will be all right. The words are true, though the Woman doesn't know it. Lying to someone like that is sickening though and the Girl scowls. Helps with the intimidation, funnily enough.
"I'm going to get my work done. Right here. Right now," she says. She watches the Woman closely. Woman is staring right at her, her muscles are tensing. The Woman is getting ready for a fight. Good. The Girl honestly thought the Woman might try diplomacy alone, she mellows out so much later in her life. To help seal the deal the Girl looks directly at the Boy. looking right into those still black soon to be crimson eyes she pulls out yet another knife. Two is definitely not needed. They'll go right back. Funny thing though, to see how he doesn't cower. The Boy is afraid definitely, she can tell by looking. He isn't cowering though. If anything he is defiant. Maybe he picked that up from the Woman. Trolls learn from their lusii, after all. Or fakes ones in the Boy's case. And hers too, for that matter, picking up His idea of "jokes".
"As I said, I respect that you're a busy woman. Now will you just leave us be," the Woman says. She sounds desperate. Probably wants to avoid a fight, which is sensible.
"Can't do that," the Girl says as she walks forward. She'll keep this up for another ten paces and then rush the pair. Will be fun to see if the Woman moves first.
And lo and behold she does. The Woman pushes the Boy back while shouting for him to run. No weapon is pulled out and she doesn't turn back to see if he's listening. She runs towards the Girl, determined. Good to see the Woman wasn't all bark and no bite. The Girl stows the knives back into her sylladex and eyes the Woman. Observing to see just what she'll do. If she has a weapon she's not one to show it right away it seems, which rules out anything with any appreciable length. As close as she's getting it could be a knife or maybe nothing at all. Either or is fine and the Girl tenses herself in anticipation. The fun is starting.
She lets the Woman have the first shot. It's partly a gift, though she figures the Woman won't see if that way. Things are more fun this way too, let's the Girl have a chance to learn. Learn she does as what comes isn't a knife nor a punch. It's not a clawing nor the trademark bite of the rainbow drinkers. It's a knee, kicked sharply up and towards the Girl, just right to hit her square in the stomach, and the Woman even manages it. It's been awhile since the Girl has actually fought a rainbow drinker. She'd forgotten how fast the devils were. The kick knocks the wind out of her, a kick that'd take down a lesser troll. Especially when the Woman doesn't let up. As the Girl catches herself she spies the Woman raise an arm. She drops this hard and fast, trying to crack her elbow against the Girl's head.
The move was badly time, however. The Girl has already taken a step back, one move is all she needs to avoid the strike. This isn't at all what the Girl had expected of the Woman and it's all the better for it. She smiles even, which that dumb woman probably assumes is an insult. She understands so little. The Girl's stance solidified well enough she throws a punch, aiming for the Woman's torso. The blow connects. Nice and satisfying, and she punches at the Woman again for good measure. Get them while they're off, even if only for a second. These things mean a lot.
As with the first the second connects. If anything the Woman doesn't appear to be making any effort to dodge her punches. Certainly not the second one, which she takes entirely without argument. Teeth grit, the Woman lifts up both her arms and reaches forth with her elbows. She's trying to lock the Girl between them, a fact that she wisens to quickly. The Girl rams her forearm hard against the Woman to push her off. She succeeds at that. Good. Not giving the Woman a moment of pause, she sweeps a leg forward. The effort to trip the Woman succeeds, but the Woman pulls her down with her, hand gripped tightly to her dress.
On the floor the Woman tries to crack the Girl over the head yet again. This time she manages it, elbow colliding with the Girl's skull. The Girl pushes herself up, savoring the pain. Pain is good at times, shows the fight is worth something. Fills her with the vain hope that she'll die this day too. She knows she won't, but a girl could hope. Again the Woman tries to lock her head against her, and again the Girl avoids it. She twists, turning her head to smack the arm with her horn. Some days the things came in handy, but only some. Up and in a position of advantage the Girl punches straight down at the Woman. She nails her right in the nose, feeling cartilage snap. Satisfying feeling.
Trolls never give up the ghost easy though, with a few pathetic exceptions. Arm not caught on the Girl's horn anymore the Woman grabs at it and pulls down roughly. The Girl is yanked forward a tad, keeping herself definitely on top. Having to strain against the one hand gives the Woman enough leverage to push the Girl off, however. The Girl rolls away doing her damnedest to keep from being pinned down. She's aggressive though, the Woman. Wasting no time she stomps down at the Girl, just barely missing.
That miss gives the Girl enough time to grab at the Woman's leg. Down she goes yet again, though the Girl doesn't pin her to the ground again. She scrambles to her feet, still smiling away. Up on two feet again she decides to partake in one of her few delights: kicking a troll while she's down. She gives a good kick the Woman's torso, taking in the look of pain. The wince is great, and the sound the Woman makes when she stomps down hard on her chest even better. It's a yelp and the Woman's bitten her tongue, trail of green blood running down her face. It's lovely. Very much so. There's something beautiful about this in a way, the pain. And to have just a little control if only for a moment.
Trolls don't fall easily though and the Woman tries to pull the Girl back down, being kicked or no. She yanks her leg away and takes two steps back. This gives the Woman enough time to get on her feet again. Curious the Girl lets her have a chance to get a stance down, just to see. She's got some definite ideas about how the Woman fights but she'd like to be damned sure. Watching she sees the Woman spread her legs and draw her arms up. Like a boxer almost, but not quite, and boxers sure as hell didn't try to knee their opponents. It's just what the Girl needs to make a confirmation. Same style as the trolls in the Southeast Alternian jungles. Strange for a desert woman, but then jadebloods hailed from all the harshest environments of the planet. Makes the Girl smirk. Good God, this has been worth it.
She has little down time though. The Woman is in on the offensive again and she kicks at the Girl, leg raised high. The girl takes the kick on her arms and pushes the Woman back. She catches herself though, no more tripping it seems. Sends out a punch too, catching the Girl in the stomach. Maybe she'll get a cracked rib or thee out of this. Broken ribs would suck, but it'd make this moment stand out all the more.
Worth it the Woman seems to be because she takes a kneeing to the chest like a champ. It doesn't take her down, not that the Girl expected it to. Having pushed the Woman back some the Girl punches at the Woman. She connects with her shoulder and punches again. Another hit. The Woman doesn't cease though, no. She fights on, blocking a third punch. Kneeing at the Girl she hits. Definitely a cracked rib there. Goody.
The Girl doesn't cheat though. Not in the slightest, though she easily can. The Woman doesn't deserve that. What she deserves is a good solid fist to the face and she gets one. Off step the Girl has time to grab the Woman's horn. The Girl yanks roughly on the horn, and though the Woman keeps on her feet she's in a bad position. Another hands goes to stop one of the Woman's struggling arms. Both arms full the Girl runs her knee up and into the Woman once, twice, thrice. To cap it off she trips the Woman once more. The Girl goes down with the Woman pinning her to the floor. The Woman struggles as much as she can, arms pulling and legs straining. She can't escape though, and the Girls savors every last punch to the Woman's face that she gets. Once, thrice, thrice and the Woman goes down. Not dead. Not yet, but definitely out.
A long heavy exhale is given and then a breath taken in. God, that had been worth it. Satisfied the Girl steps off the Woman and looks around. The Boy probably has not run far. Probably hopes to try and collect his "mother's" unconscious body. No sight of him at a glance, though. Figures. Sighing the Girl hauls the Woman up onto her back. With her in tow the Girl begins a search of the desert. He can't have run far, and she's right in that. She finds him hiding behind a rock not five minutes away, wrapped up in his cloak. With a knife in hands, she notes. "Drop the knife, boy, or I'll make you," the Girl says, "I'm in a good mood. Don't waste that." He doesn't drop it but he does stare up at his "mother" with a fury in his eyes. Weird kid. "I'm going to guess that camp I saw earlier was yours. If you don't stab me I'll have the decency to help your 'mom' back," she says, that holy word dripping with contempt.
The Boy's nostrils flare and he seems to be weighing his options. Smart kid he hides the knife back into his sylladex. He stands up without a fight, but his eyes don't leave the Girl's. Not for a moment. He's got fire in that look, more passion in him than the Girl has ever felt. What a dumb kid, she thinks. Amusing though. "Good boy," she says. He doesn't say a word to her and stamps off towards the camp. Even as they get settled in the tent hours later he remains silent. He glares at her all the while she cleans and tends to the Woman's wounds as best she can. As she lingers to watch them in the night he continues to glare on silently. He keeps quiet the whole night and only as the wee hours of the dawn arrive does he fall asleep. Not of his own volition of course. Still a dumb kid and it's good to see him asleep. The Girl prefers her watch to be a solo affair. It's better this way, with him curled up.
The hours pass by slowly. If only she'd brought a book along with her to read on the job. But the Girl hadn't planned on having to idle away hours for no reason. Not a moment of focus to be needed in the tent though. Just simple watching and waiting as the harsh sun beats down on the world outside. Bit dull but pleasant enough. Fucking with the Woman continues to be worth it. Very much so. Even if she can only pass the time going through verses she's long since memorized. Not in a mood to "write", so to speak.
As the afternoon stretches on the Woman groans. She's been quiet for quite some time, as has her boy. The Girl looks down at her. Still looks to be alive. Beat up but fine, which means no damned clean up. Good. Groan had the Woman falls silent for another half hour or so. Thirty six minutes and twenty-seven seconds. The Girl could count it down even more precisely if she felt like it, which she didn't. Again she looks down at the Woman. Still fine but she is stirring. Soon the Girl could be off. Great. The Woman gasps for air awkwardly and groans in pain. Broken nose isn't something she's fond or much used to, the Girl guess. Blinking a few times, she looks around. Probably wants to know where she is and where her boy is. Definitely given the growing distress on her face. Feeling generous the Girl says, "He's asleep on the side of the tent. Didn't want to sit next to me and he finally got bored of glaring at me."
A hiss of a breath is drawn in and the Girl sees the Woman's face turn. She's not distressed or fearful now, not entirely. No, the Woman is pissed. Righteously furious and all over some mutant kid that she grubnapped. She doesn't say a word though. The Woman simply locks eyes with the Girl. Fidgets a bit and stops when she realizes the pain of it. Smart move. Just stay put the Girl thinks. She won't kill her of course, but it's best that the Woman knew things. Stupid trolls died. Died and got boring. "He's not dead," the Girl says again, tiring of what she guesses is skepticism, "I'll go and shake him awake if you want proof. Though I'd think his 'lusus' would like for him to rest after his big day."
"Fuck you."
"Eloquent aren't you?"
"Again. Fuck you."
"I don't even get a thank you for tending to you then," the Girls says with a shrug. It's not meant as a serious thing and why would it. This is just her job, but the Woman might think otherwise.
The Woman hisses as she can, "I'm not thanking you for almost killing me and my son."
Good. Dodged that bullet. "Correction. It was only you I attacked. Wasn't a real effort at killing you either," the Girl says, "The boy I let hide."
"But you sai-"
"It was a joke. Haa haa, hee hee, hoo hoo you know," the Girl says mimicking His laugh. Soulless, toneless, devoid of any real feeling. Not like the Woman will get the joke but oh well. She wasn't here to let people in on her fun.
"Threatening to kill my son was a joke," the Woman says. It's not an inquiry. More an affirmation of what she just heard more than likely. Slow on the uptake here, but that figures. Jadebloods were so dull with their philosophies, and hypocritical besides.
"Yep."
"And you almost killed me as a joke."
"Not almost killed, or attempted to. I do have a job to do," the Girl corrects, "Killing you two isn't on the list yet."
"The list. Right," the Woman says as she tries to prop herself up once more. She grits her teeth and swears through her fangs. The Girl has done a good job on her. Great to know.
Still the Woman needs to cut this out. The Girl pushes her back down saying, "He's fine. Not a job so I'd have to clean up if he was."
"Why are you still fucking here?" the Woman asks, giving in. She turns her head away to glare at the tent wall instead. Hah. "Don't you have work to do or something?"
"I do. Current job is making sure I won't have to clean up this mess," the Girl says, stretching her arms out, "Or was. You're not dead so I don't have much of a reason to stay. Unless you're dying for my company." The Woman says nothing in response. Probably cursing the Girl mentally and good on her for it. "I'll take that as a no. Oh well, I couldn't stay even if you wanted," the Girl says as pulls out her music box. "Have a nice night, 'Mom'," she says before she lets go of the key. Right back to the manse for her, fun has been had. Might teach the Woman a thing or two too.