For to wear a mask is to give up who we really are, and to become; for a little while, perhaps quite a bit longer, that persona- a grim masquerade.
The dwindling candle light kept flashing in Eileen's eyes as she tried to empty her mind. She did not know why her master insisted on keeping it out when she was trying to sleep. But she didn't have the spine to question his judgment. Her goal of getting any sleep in a room with a burning stick of annoyance flickering four inches from her face was looking impossible. Shutting her eyes did nothing to block out the faint light the thing emitted.
She decided that it was late enough to get up and thought some morning training might put her master in a good mood. He often told her to train first thing in the morning, and Eileen found that it improved his temper to learn that at least one of his pupils took this whole hunter thing seriously. There were partners that she could rouse to spar with, but often got a door in her face when she attempted it this early. The room had no clock but this did not bother Eileen too much, the small ray of sunlight creeping over the window sill told her that it was at least dawn.
Slipping off her penitential shelf and stretching to relieve the usual cramp she got from sleeping on such a hard thing, Eileen looked herself over. She had not changed out of her rough shag clothing before attempting to fall asleep so no dressing was necessary. Her master was sleeping a few inches to the side of the candle, which was the only reason Eileen had not snuffed the silly thing out in the first place. Eileen had never asked why he slept with his mask on, but she could guess it was so nobody could tell whether or not he was asleep. She made an effort not to wake him as she crept out of the room.
Eileen did not wholly enjoy staying in the same room as her teacher, but he wasn't like anywhere else would be better. They all had to sleep on stone; apparently I would make them 'grow accustomed to discomfort'. Most of her fellow students found this to be a stupid rule; But Eileen did see the idea. Stalking mad hunters wasn't going to be a cosy business, not that Eileen even knew what cosy felt like. She had lived here her whole life. The stone floor of the castle always felt cold against Eileen's bare feet as she walked the halls in the early hours of the morning, but this did not trouble her. Sleeping on a cold stone slab for eighteen years had more or less numbed the pleasure sensors in her brain.
The flat windowless hallway stretched on for what seemed like miles until it came to a small left turn, leading out onto a balcony. Eileen breathed in the cold snowy air and allowed her body to feel its cleansing chill. The tundra surrounding the castle eliminated any semblance of tiredness Eileen had felt before. The blizzard cascading around the turrets and towers of her home was making the city below invisible. But Eileen knew it was still there, and she had been doing this since she was 8 so the fear had just stopped appearing from within her after a while.
Climbing on top of the waist high wall in front of her, Eileen assumed the appropriate position for someone who was about to go hurtling from a great height. She stood straight with one foot exactly on front of the other; her hands open at either side of her, around waist high. She peered down at the swirling white void before her and made one last judgment about what was below her, before leaning forward...and vaulting off the edge.
Even after years and years of experiencing it, the rush of the air in her ears, the unstoppable force of gravity at work in such a spectacular whirl of white, it was all still so awe inspiring to Eileen as she swan dived down into oblivion. This fall took a fair while so she got a chance to enjoy the wind rippling her thick black hair, pushing it out of her face and felt the freezing snow against her exposed arms and feet, bracing her more than any cold shower could ever hope to. It took her breath away, the adrenaline combined with the cold and the small vacant feeling of fear made for the most exhilarating thing Eileen had ever had the chance to experience.
But this spectacle was not permanent and the outline of a potted rooftop could be made out far below Eileen, rapidly approaching. Eileen's eyes widened as she prepared to land, twisting herself around in mid air and tensing her legs in just the right position to capitalise on the slippery surface. As Eileen's foot met with the shiny metallic side of a re-enforced brick chimney that she knew so well, her foot slid down it, taking the rest of her body with it. Eileen used the sudden change in trajectory while maintaining momentum to propel her forward over the rooftop and on to the next one where she landed gracefully next to another brick chimney, the exact same spot as all the other times.
The usual morning routine did not change regardless of the weather. This was designed to inspire resilience and a wide variety of coping skills among her kin. She was largely the only one who managed to perform so well in cold conditions; the others would screw up or just not try as hard. She did not feel too much remorse for her under achieving classmates. After all, the crow feather hunters were always expected to be the best, the blades in the dark who stalked their fellow man gone feral, the hunters who preyed upon other hunters. Amateurs were turned away at birth and anyone who couldn't pull their weight and keep up with the rest were simply thrown out…literally. (Eileen didn't like to think about what happened to the bodies).
A sudden noise broke Eileen free of her contemplations of her peers. It sounded like movement down on the street level, two…no three people walking. Eileen crouched down, keeping her whole body very low to the roofs tiles. Very slowly, she made her way to the side of the roof and peered down at the street. Three men were walking beneath her, all holding torches and wearing their hats and hoods low over their eyes. She immediately recognised them by their weapons. They were saw cleaver hunters. They were the lowest ranking hunters in Yharnham, the common soldiers.
Eileen knew of their social status within the city, but she had no particular interest in their affairs. Crow feathers were not considered part of this community, they sat atop this city and watched over it from a distance and did not mess arounds in its petty affairs. She also knew that her kind was not particularly liked among this circle. She had only heard through rumours among her fellow crow feather's and slip ups from her master, but apparently the crow feathers were often viewed as 'arrogant' and 'full of themselves.' Eileen wanted on some level to agree with her master and think that this was just foolish slander from inferior human scum, but that might prove their point.
The three men walked on fast, not speaking to each other and eventually turned a corner down onto a dark alley way. Eileen was glad to see them gone; she had no intention of fighting with no weapon. She decided to resume her morning training. Screwing up her strength, she propelled herself through the air and landed on the opposite side of the street's rooftops, landing semi-cat like on the tiles. Throwing herself up into a hand stand, Eileen walked on her hands to the end of the roof and cleared the narrow gap onto the next, while still walking on her hands.
In her mind she could not see why other people would accuse her of showing off, as she back flipped through the air over three more chimneys and landed on her feet at the foot of the mountain, upon which sat her home. Surely everybody was capable of achieving what she could do; there was nothing special about her. Eileen was just about to begin her ascend back to the heavens via the rocky furrows in the Cliffside when she heard another strange noise coming from the street she had just been vaulting around. A sort of crisp snapping noise, and it seemed to be coming from multiple sources in the same location. Exhibiting the same caution as before, Eileen peered down from the edge of a rooftop and saw what was making the noise. It seemed to her that an ocean of grey cloth was passing beneath her, but then Eileen saw that the dirty ragged figures were actually people, all clad in grey garbs and matching grey hats.
She saw their famous weapons, the tools that had earned them the titles of heretics in the city. They were the powder keg hunters, some of the strongest individuals you will ever meet. Technological masters, to the point of fusing with machinery entirely. She had only seen them from afar as they were never often in public; they preferred to tinker away in the shadows. Eileen thought this was a particularly odd public appearance, especially for such a large number.
The whole street was flooded with these powder kegs as they marched together, like a great grey herd of migrating elephants. Eileen could see that they were headed to the city exit. They must have been going on a hunting trip to another kingdom or something. She had always wondered what the other kingdoms of the world looked like…
"Quite the spectacle, aren't they."
Eileen's foot slipped in her surprise and almost caused her to fall. She luckily managed to regain her balance by grabbing a nearby gap in the roof top, made by a missing tile. Breathing heavily at the near miss, and angry at feeling cold for the first time since she had woken up, Eileen turned to her left, where another person on the roof had just spoken to her. A boy was sitting on the roof with her, crouching down over the edge, watching the powder kegs a few feet away from where Eileen was.
He looked about the same age as her, with short black hair and wide deep green eyes. He had a soft, approachable expression, smiling pleasantly down at the marching crowd. Eileen did not recognise this boy at all, but his black trench coat gave him the very distinct feel of a saw cleaver. Eileen's walls instantly came up as he turned his head and they made eye contact. Eileen stood up straight, ready to defend herself if need be. The strange boy didn't seem to be armed, but that didn't mean he couldn't be concealing anything.
"Aren't dull conversation either, if you manage to catch one outside its hole. Mad as hatters, but never a dull moment."
The boy chuckled and turned to face her fully and the damp girl was caught off guard once again. Most saw cleavers wore garbs of deep undecorated black or grey, so as to inspire fear. They were supposed to intimidate the populous who they were destined to kill if any sign of beast hood was discovered or suspected. This boy however, had a maroon scarf wrapped around his neck; it looked natural in its colouring as well, not just stained red by blood. The scarf seemed to be lightly frayed at the ends but apart from that, it looked wholly pleasant. The boy followed Eileen's gaze and smiled again.
"Do you like it?"
No answer, just a transfixed expression from a very conflicted teenage girl. The boys smile wilted a little.
"I…didn't think it was my colour."
He made a move to pull it off but stopped as Eileen rather hastily broke her silence.
"No-No, it's…uh…a nice colour."
The words slipped out before Eileen could react. Her face felt hot, and Eileen found herself looking at the boys muddy boots in embarrassment, as he looked her in the face. He was looking intently back at her. "What's your name?"
Eileen's face turned even redder, she did not like the boys tone, he had a hardy world beaten feel and he seemed to be finding amusement in her poor social skills. Did she really want a funny stranger to know her name? There was no way he could know she was a crow feather hunter, she was not dressed in proper attire. Besides, he did not look like he was probing her or anything, he just looked benignly interested.
"Eileen" Eileen muttered quickly, not making eye contact, the words almost felt gasped in the freezing night air. Jesus it was cold!
"Impressive name, I expect you're not from around here?" and he gave a little nonchalant nod to the base of the mountain.
"H-how did you know I was-" Eileen began, but the boy interrupted her with a casual wave of the hand.
"Who else would show off like that for an audience of one?" He raised his eyebrows and nodded his head in approval. "I'm not native to this city either."
The boy moved a step or two closer to Eileen and extended his hand, smiling politely.
"Alexander Gehrman, but people just call me Gehrman." Eileen took a very large step back, not liking this sudden urge to get close and touch, but she would be lying if she said that something about this boy hadn't intrigued her, she extended her own hand and they shook. Eileen let go as quickly as she could, she managed a small smile at the warmth of his hand.
"Right then." said Gehrman, sounding business like. "Now that I've made your acquaintance, perhaps I may invite you to share in an adventure?"
It took a few seconds for Eileen to understand what Gehrman had said, his strange hard to trace accent throwing her slightly. She began to scrutinize his appearance again, from his messy unkempt hair similar to her own, to his dark dirty clothes. She did not know if she was interested in any 'adventures' that made this sort of person excitable.
"I don't think so, I need to be getting back to my-"
"It's nothing the two of us couldn't do in our sleep." The boy had moved closer and placed his arm around her shoulder, as if greeting a lifelong friend. "It just so happens that I needed someone with a bit of agility."
Eileen silently appreciated the gesture given the cold, but still found it odd that he would act so friendly to a complete stranger. Her body had given a little involuntary shudder as he had spoken so close her face.
"W-what did you have in mind?" Eileen asked slowly, her curiosity overpowering her desire for avoiding her master's scrutiny. Gehrman's expression changed immediately, he became almost childlike in his enthusiasm to get started. He seized Eileen's hand and pulled her forward, leading her down a small flight of cobbled stares, leading down to the street. The Powder kegs had long since passed, leaving the potted little street a narrow silent gothic monument, bereft of life and human comfort.
"Home, sweet home." Gehrman muttered as he stared down an alley way full of rats, scuttling away from the sound of humans. He released Eileen's hand, leaving her stunned for silence, she had not even accepted this boy's offer, yet he was acting as if there was a binding agreement between them. His expression had not hardened at all, dispute the drastic change in scenery. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying her uncertainty.
"Coming?" The boy grinned at her as he extended his hand and took a single step towards the ally way. Eileen took a step back.
"I need to get back; my master is going to be angry if I disappear for too long."
Gehrman's smile gave way to an uncomfortable expression, his cheeks slightly rubicund. Eileen sighed.
"I meant my teacher, he insists on being called 'master' for some reason." Eileen drawled on, her eyebrows rose. "Personally, I think he's compensating for something…"
Eileen clapped her hands to her mouth and her eyes popped in horror, causing Gehrman to grab her shoulder in concern. "What's wrong, are you alright?"
"I…I criticised him out loud…" Eileen sounded faint, breathless with terror and scandal. "That's…bad, that's very bad. He's going to be angry!"
Gehrman's arms relaxed and he straightened up; he looked straight into Eileen's eyes and smiled warmly. It was strange; that she was contemplating her own severe punishment, and all she could think about was how bright those green eyes were. In the gloom of the alleyway, among garbage and soulless cobblestone, that one colour stood out starkly against the black and grey, and even the red of the scarf around this peculiar boy's neck.
"Unless your father has the ears of some great bat, I doubt he heard you." Gehrman said, smirking slightly at the thought of a human size fruit bat in a dinner suit and top hat. Eileen shivered, and looked compulsively around the surrounding roof tops.
"My master is not my father…well, not my biological father, he raised me but…" Eileen trailed off, she knew that she was rambling and she wanted to gather her thoughts before speaking again. She took a long inhale and bounced slightly on the bawls of her feet. "Anyway, I wouldn't put it past him to already know…it can be scary how he finds somethings out."
But Gehrman did not look worried at all; he stretched with his hands on the back of his head and yawned loudly before he spoke again. "Well, we better get a move on before he gets here. Want to hear the plan?" He posed this as a question but continued before Eileen could even part her lips, "Alright, here it is: Something of great value has been taken from me by those brutes that passed below you just now. No, no not the grey ones, the only thing they've ever stolen are scrap metal and funny looks. No, the ones in black, my kin…"
'So he is a saw cleaver after all…' Eileen thought as Gehrman continued to explain.
"Those self-important pricks have taken from me a very valuable heirloom, a trinket that means a great deal to yours truly" and Gehrman's voice sounded genuinely pained by the loss of this item, whatever it was. Eileen knew that he was being needlessly dramatic on purpose to impress her, but there was a true crack in his otherwise handsome and consistent tone. He seemed to be lost in his own contemplation for a moment before meeting Eileen's bemused gaze and continuing in a deadly serious voice, almost anger.
"They think what was taken is just a meaningless piece of trash, but I would gladly watch them burn for what they did… " His face was stony and merciless, deadly and desirous of revenge. But he seemed to be expressing this in spite of himself, for he straightened up and coughed loudly before reinstating his pleasant smile. Eileen's bemusement had grown to complete incomprehension, what could be of such great value to this boy to warrant such passionate hatred?
"Anyway, to give you the gist of it: they've got something I want and I need help getting it back."
He held out his gloved hand and wiggled the fingers encouragingly; Eileen looked at it fearfully as though it might bite her. "Why would I help you? I owe you no loyalty." Gehrman's smile widened slightly and Eileen noticed that it was not a pleasant smile. There was something about the toothy grin and the narrow eyes that made his face look oddly sinister.
"Well, you seemed rather afraid of what your old man would do to you if he found out you insulted-" Gehrman began but Eileen interrupted.
"-I'll do it."
In an instant the smile became handsome again, a happy glint in his eyes. Eileen only then noticed how tense Gehrman's body had been when it finally relaxed, he must have been extremely anxious to get back what he had lost. Eileen smiled in spite of herself, what was going on? Every time she heard that laugh…saw that smile…it made her feel so happy, like some strange joke she kept remembering. She enjoyed his company immensely, although she kept this fact on the down low, just in case he wasn't trust worthy.
"~Right, if we're going to do this, I need you to do exactly what I say, alright?"
Sunlight was creeping onto the streets from over the roof tops, but the light could not yet reach the street level. The shadow served the two young hunters as they stalked along, very close to the ground. They heard a cockerel crow in the distance when Eileen and Gehrman stopped moving, crouched down low to the floor, and Gehrman turned back to Eileen and placed his fingers to his lips
Eileen nodded, her face was set and her muscles were humming, this was her element. Slowly and silently, the young man raised his head and looked around the corner. He almost immediately drew back and nodded at Eileen. Their plan was to be set off moments from now. With deft skill all the more impressive for its total silence, Eileen scaled the side of the building and observed the street level, using a chimney for cover.
Three shadowy figures were moving slowly down the street; three men talking animatedly, she watched curiously and recognised them as the saw cleavers that she had seen earlier that morning. She could see their mouths moving, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. From below, she could see Gehrman crouching behind the corner; he was feeling around the floor by his feet, looking for a rock. All she had to do was wait for the signal.
The three men were more visible now. They all wore long grey coats and rags over their mouths their hats were all different, one wore a tricorn hat, one wore a cowl, and one a top hat. Eileen noticed that the centre man was holding something shiny in his hand. She leaned closer to hear what they were saying.
"There's no way its real, it's obviously forgery."
"But look" and the one in the middle proffered his hand. "The shape and the colour of the metal are exactly what they described. It's an old hunter-" the man with his face hidden by the cowl did not get to finish his sentence as he was stuffing the item back into his pocket. A thin and ragged looking girl had just swooped down and landed on the street level a little ways off from the party of saw cleavers. They stared at her; nothing this naked had ever been seen in the winter outside before. Her feet where red from the chilly ground and she was wearing next to nothing in the freezing wind around her torso. The men all gaped for a second (For various reasons, not all of which were legal strictly speaking), and just when they thought the girl would keel over from cold, she disappeared-disappeared behind a cloud of white smoke that had engulfed all three of them.
As the mist blocked the men from view, Eileen ran down the street to execute the next stage of the plan. From behind her, she could hear scuffling and shouting. It was clear that the boy was eager to steal back that funny thing the hooded man had been holding. Eileen reached the end of the street and climbed up onto a doorway right around the corner. Once in place, she stuck out her hand, as if to shake the hand of a person looking up from the cobbled stones below. She waited, her focus sharp as a needles point, until she heard the sound of heavy footfalls smacking stone towards her. Eileen's body went rigid; she was steeled for the pressure of his weight and-yes! Eileen grabbed hold of Gehrman's hand and used his momentum to pull him up onto the archway with her. Together the two young thieves climbed the building together, hearing the thunderous pursuers fade into the distance, shouting and swearing all the way.
"Well…that went…perfectly to plan…"
Gehrman wheezed as he fell over onto the roof of the building, panting heavily but smiling all the same. Eileen followed quickly and stood beside him, not having broken a sweat. She dusted herself off and looked down at the young saw cleaver, a pleasant grin on her face.
"We make a good team. You never mentioned smoke bombs."
"Blimey, you're an athletic one aren't you?" Gehrman murmured, staring at Eileen's calm face and steady breaths. She merely looked to his top pocket. She was eager to see what this had all been in aid of, the reason she was standing on a snowy rooftop with no shoes on. Gehrman must have wanted to show her as well, because the moment their eyes met, that sly smile was back.
"Alright, alright, I'll show you." And he reached into his pocket and pulled out…a badge. Eileen stared at it in utter disbelief; this was what they had planned for? This was what she had disobeyed her master for, a pathetic little badge?! There was a very long silence on that roof top, while the young woman glared from the small silvery trinket to the smiling boy holding it, not sure whether to be amused or furious.
"You can't be serious, right?" Eileen whispered, the cold starting to make her feel like she was dreaming, the edges of her vision were becoming dark and fuzzy. Gehrman gave her a sad smile to confirm that he was deadly serious.
"I know it doesn't look like much, but it's priceless, more than you could possibly imagine." And Gehrman moved his hands forward to make the little badge easier for her to see. He went very still, and Eileen noticed that he was staring into the distance, mouthing silently. His hand grabbed hold of Eileen's wrist and she noticed that it was shaking violently. Alarmed, Eileen looked behind Gehrman and saw a familiar sinister vision. Deep black eyes behind a smiling mask beneath a black bowler hat, a black as death garb with a matching cloak hiding the many deadly throwing knives concealed within.
She knew what had happened before she looked, her eyes travelled down Gehrman's back and the sight of the silver knives sunk into the boys back to the hilt made her feel oddly sick. She felt the boy's weight on her increase, the blood leaking onto her fingers and clothes. She wanted to do something, but she couldn't move for the look that her master was giving him. Those unblinking eyes were staring right through her, seeing into her soul and passing judgement. When he spoke, it was in his usual oily, cloying voice, the voice of a master manipulator and plucking the strings of his puppet.
"I have warned you of such things." Eileen's master spoke of Gehrman as though he were an abnormally large slug who couldn't understand him. "Such contact with lesser beings is…undesirable, as well as prohibited…"
Eileen tried to speak, she knew if she broke eye contact it would be a sign of guilt, but she was guilty, she had committed a terrible crime and now she was going to pay the price. She had communed with the outside world, she had made a connection with a normal person and now her master had severed that tie. After a moments swallowing of her own dread, Eileen began to defend herself.
"Master…Master I'm sorry for disobeying you, I-I only meant to-"
"What you intended to do…" Master cut across her as though her words were leading to a place he'd rather not tolerate. "…WAS disobeying me."
Eileen swallowed, she didn't know what to say, and it wasn't true; it wasn't...was it?
"You came down here; found the first civilian you could and fraternized with commoners completely on task didn't you?" He spoke with the same calm tone, but there was assertiveness in his voice that frightened Eileen, she felt like a mouse in the coils of a great strangling python. He was twisting her thoughts, her emotions and intentions, but she knew that if she contradicted him…her death would be swift and certain, unavoidable.
"Y-yes master…"
The words slipped out of her lips unbidden, but it seemed to satisfy him as the dark figure had turned around, and the weight of the leaking commoner seemed to lighten a little. But as she lowered her gaze to the bleeding body, she saw that his eyes were open but lazily so, Eileen knew that he must have lost half his blood by now, thanks to his major arteries being severed. There was nothing she could do for him now. But her master's voice recaptured her attention instantly. It was as though he was a dog trainer had whistled to a pet.
"We are to go home, and leave the wretch to die…I want an example."
Eileen hesitated for a moment, darting her eyes longingly between her master, the dying boy in her arms, and the folds of her master's cloak, where she knew he would have a knife poised to strike should anything not go to plan. In the end she knew there was nothing else for it. Eileen bent down and laid Gehrman's body on the snow covered rooftop. He looked almost indistinguishable from the powdery white glaze. She shook her head and stood up, facing the cloaked man before her.
"Y-yes master", said Eileen, and bowed curtly, not daring to look into the unfocused eyes below her. Though her manner was calm and obedient, a strange thing was happening in her chest. It felt like a like a starving beast scratching at the walls of her skin, howling madly at what was going to happen next. And the funny thing was, Eileen thought she knew the name of that beast. It was hatred, hatred beyond anything she had ever felt before, hatred that seemed to burn right through her. The indignity of it all, having to be on the beckon call of this…man (And the term had to claw its way across her mind, as she could hardly bare to describe her master as such), could do things like this to her only…
Eileen's master turned to re-scale the mountain but Eileen faltered for a moment, looking back at the boy, the poor boy that she had just met, and now so quickly had lost. She consoled herself that he had at least achieved what he had wanted, the small token…the small badge!
Eileen remembered the look on Gehrman's face that she had seen, from what seemed like ages ago. Her heartbeat quickened, Eileen glanced up at her master, and he was far above, way to high up to see the rooftops. Eileen made a grab at the little metal button and hid it in her pocket. She did not want this boy's one treasured possession to be taken by grave robbers, she would hold onto it as a means to remember him by, and if ever given the chance, would return it to his family.
She looked at him again, his eyes were now half closed and he looked almost peaceful. A small trickle of blood was escaping the corner of his mouth. Very quickly so her master would not see, Eileen wiped his face clean and, in spite of her better judgment, kissed that frozen boy on the forehead. The warmth of the goodbye was eclipsed entirely by the despair of loss, and Eileen found she couldn't look at Gehrman's face anymore. She had carried on his legacy to her, and given him a final sense of human warmth before the abyss took him. That was all she could offer him now. With a small, almost imperceptible sob, Eileen turned and followed her master back up that tall dark mountain.
The wind ruffled the dark hair as the blood began to reach the maroon scarf, dying it a deeper shade of red. Gehrman could not summon himself to take a breath as feeling beginning to fade from his legs and arms, and his vision began to darken. All he could see was the slowly lightening skies over Yharnham…and then a dark shadow enveloped his vision completely, and all the young man could feel was a cold emptiness where feeling had once comforted him, and he heard a voice hiss in his mind, a voice that might have been a dream, a voice of stone cold, undiluted poison.
"Miiiiiine…"