Hello !

Today we are watching (reading?) how our little assassins plan they first mission alone! Hope you'll enjoy it n_n

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Morning came quickly, and Yang had barely slept, too busy figuring out how not to be slowed down by her teammate. She got up early anyway, and saw that the boy was still asleep, snoring loudly, bundled up in the thick blanket and clinging to his pillow as if he was afraid of being robbed. Did he even really intend to try to kill her or was Rook just paranoid? Knowing her, it was quite possible.

Since there was nothing urgent yet, Yang took the time to shower, try to untangle her hair (spoil, she didn't succeed), get dressed, do some exercises, and recheck the mission settings. She was really grateful that her mother had the time to teach her how to plan operations and lead people, because she didn't know how she would have imagined succeeding on this mission without these skills.

Finally, when she was completely ready, she decided it was time to wake her partner up. She approached the bed without bothering to hide the sound of her footsteps, and pressed her hand on the blanket, shaking it.

-Come on get up. We have work to do.

But Mercury only cowered even more, so that you couldn't even see his head. With a sigh, Yang did what she used to do to Vernal when this kind of situation happened, she yanked on the blanket, removing it completely and rolling the boy down. As expected, it woke him up, however, what was not planned was that he immediately rose to a defensive fighting position… He looked around with a still sleepy look, as if he had moved on reflex, and finally laid eyes on his partner. He blinked a few times, then remembered the situation he was in.

-Oh, uh…

A little embarrassed, he scratched the back of his head and coughed to regain his seriousness.

-So… Have you been awake for a long time?

-No, I quickly get ready. And you should do the same, we have work to do today.

-Yeah yeah, I hurry.

And he went to lock himself in the bathroom with his clothes. Yang took the opportunity to make the bed, her mother had always insisted for her room to be tidy, and even if she moaned every time, she ended up getting used to it. As she put the cover back on, she thought about Mercury's reaction when he woke up. At least he seemed to know how to fight, even if he was not very good at making decisions. Good at fighting, but who didn't think by himself, who just followed instructions without arguing because he didn't know what else to do, who didn't know the world…

Yang froze. She felt like she was describing herself at the time of her first raid.

-This little pest… "Get up", "hurry", "didn't you listen?"… Pff…

In the shower, Mercury rubbed so hard that his skin turned red in some places. She may have been right, but she really pissed him off! Besides, she always looked bored when she explained, as if everything was obvious and he was an idiot for not knowing! It was not his fault if the only reasons he ever left his house were to get beaten up outside or practice the course in the forest! He had never been in a city or even a village before, he had never been given orders by someone other than his father, he had never slept in such good conditions, how could he stay focused on the mission when everything around him was so new?!

But once again, it was certainly normal for her… He was just the weird one. But being weird didn't bother him, the goal of an assassin was not to be normal, it was to know how to look normal to get closer to his target, and kill him better. He was supposed to kill Falcon and Councilwoman Hailstorm. That was his mission, the mission entrusted by his father, and he had to succeed. He had to prove that he was capable of, that he had not been trained for nothing!

With his hair still dripping, Mercury looked in the mirror. Besides the color of their hair, he didn't look like his father at all, who had brown eyes, tanned skin and a square jaw. He knew he looked a lot like his mother, that had often been reason enough to get hit. So he replied, if becoming a good assassin was the only thing that would allow him to be recognized by his father, then he would. He had to.

-I can do it.

Mercury quickly wiped his hair and left the bathroom. Falcon was sat cross-legged against the wall, sharpening a dagger, while her weapon rested against the table, next to her bag. He made her wait apparently, but it was her fault for not waking him up earlier.

-Ready?

-Of course.

-Good.

The dagger disappeared in her sleeve in an instant, and she stood up without looking at him. Mercury groaned a bit and followed her outside the inn. They walked in silence to the Atlas shuttle boarding area. Today they were only tracking, they had to study the places to find how to get in and out of the heating and electricity maintenance building in the western part of the city, then study the route between the place and Atlas Academy to find the best hiding place in height, as well as a path to escape. A board meeting would take place in two days, so they had all day today and tomorrow to prepare. It was also all the time he would have to glean information from her.

-So… how did you lose your arm?

-…

-During a mission?

-…

-Grimm?

-…

-Falcon?

She turned to him with a look that clearly said "don't interfere with what doesn't concern you". Mercury swallowed before her bright red eyes but didn't give up. He had to learn as much as possible to find a weak point, and have a chance against her. And he was quite curious anyway…

-So since when have you been training?

-…

-Why did you become an assassin?

-…

-And… why didn't you take your weapon?

Apparently, he was very annoying, because she sighed in annoyance before answering him in a low voice, plunging her gaze into his.

-Since always. Because I had nothing else interesting to do. Because it is too recognizable and we have to stay discreet. So stop asking me those kinds of questions when we're in public.

Oh. He didn't think about that. The shuttle was very crowded because of all the people going to work, so the noise had covered his words, but he should be more careful in the future. At least he learned a few things about her… Even if it wasn't very reassuring, becoming an assassin because there is nothing else interesting to do? Who did this, seriously?

They finally arrived at Atlas, and Mercury couldn't believe his eyes. It was incredible, the buildings were huge, there were lights everywhere, the shop windows seemed to represent his wildest dreams, be it clothes, food, electronics…! Was it a toy store?! He never had any toy! Now he understood why everyone absolutely wanted to come and live here! It was paradise!

-Don't let yourself tricked.

-Eh?

-The decor is beautiful, but what it hides, much less.

And she added nothing, and went to the places to study. What did she mean by that?

Throughout the scouting, Mercury was unable to concentrate, he had too many things in mind. On the one hand, he was distracted by the scenery in which he walked, worthy of the sci-fi sets he saw when his father fell asleep with the TV on, and on the other hand, he couldn't help but think about his mission, the mission entrusted by his father. He was supposed to succeed in the assassination and kill Falcon, but he could never kill the counselor without her, because even without counting the difference in experience, the plan they had devised required two people. And the more he heard her explain to him how they would do this or that, the more he wondered how he was going to do it. She was much more strategic than him, more far-sighted. She had been smart enough to think of not taking her most visible weapon so as not to attract attention. Taking her by surprise would surely not be enough, so he would have to beat her in combat, but he had no idea how she fought, and besides, he was fighting hand-to-hand when she had a sword that swung Dust's attacks, she could easily keep him at bay, and if he couldn't get close, he would never have a chance to-…

-Mercury!

Mercury jumped and turned around, trying not to look surprised. Behind him, Falcon pointed at something, he turned around again, and saw that he was on the verge of hitting a second post. He grimaced, thinking of the pain it would have been, as much for his still injured nose as for his ego. The little blonde sighed and started walking in another direction.

-It's almost noon, let's eat, we'll continue when you're more concentrated.

He hated her being right… This little pest…

The two children entered a very small restaurant with prices within their means, and sat down at a table in the corner. A waitress brought them two menus and left with a smile. Yang quickly scanned hers and chose the cheapest meal, they were on a tight budget, and she couldn't pickpocket all day. For the inn she had no choice, but if they wanted to remain discreet, they had to be careful.

Yang looked up to see if Mercury had made his choice, but only found him frowning at his menu. He looked silly, like if he had never seen a menu before. … Well, she wasn't very well placed to criticize him about this…

-Mercury.

He jumped again. It was starting to get really annoying that he was always in his world, it would cause them problems if it happened on D-Day.

-What's the matter?

-I… um… I was just…

He looked away and sighed.

-I'll just take the same as you.

Yang nodded but didn't comment, she too had struggled the first time she had a menu in her hands. She called the waitress and ordered their dishes, with two cups of jasmine tea. He said he wanted the same as her, he would have the same as her.

Silence fell between them, and as in the shuttle, Mercury was the one to break it, this time keeping his voice low. At least he learned quickly.

-Have you been to Atlas before?

More questions… Rook never questioned her so directly, even less since her "crisis", as if she understood that it was something far too big to jump into head first, for once, but also something very personal. Mercury was not that wise.

-No.

If he wanted to play, they would play in pairs.

-Reading your opponents is the best way to exploit their weaknesses, just keep in mind that they can do the same for you. It's a contest of the one who has the most information about the other, and is able to make the most of it.

-And you? Is it your first time in a city?

She already knew the answer, it was pretty obvious, but Rook had explained to her that starting with obvious questions helped to start the conversation… In the tribe she was a social butterfly, since when did she need advice to talk to people?

Mercury frowned suspiciously. He seemed to like interrogations as much as she did, and she couldn't really blame him, but he started, he had to take responsibility.

-Yeah, why?

-To be sure.

-…

-…

A new blank settled into the conversation, and even if she didn't show it, Yang started to despair of having lost all of her social skills after being so quiet for so long. She almost missed chatting with someone. Mercury ended up responding, however, lowering his eyes a little, a touch of disappointment in his voice.

-Is it really so obvious…?

-Yes.

-…

-I know it by experience.

The boy looked up, she apparently managed to pique his interest. He wasn't as perceptive as Rook and he knew less about her, so she could afford to share some experiences without risking being discovered. She just had to be careful with what she said, as usual. And she knew leaving someone curious unanswered wasn't a good idea.

-I was eight the first time that I set foot in a normal village, and you act exactly like me at the time. I grew up in a nomadic tribe with my mother and other people, we lived in tents, we washed with the water of rivers and we warmed up with campfires. Very different from life in a village.

-Oh… That sounds… Nice.

-It was. And you?

-Me?

-Why have you never been in town before?

Mercury opened his mouth to respond, then closed it and bowed his head. He didn't want to answer her, but he almost did. When Yang met Ren and Nora, she answered all of their questions, even the stupid ones. Of course, at the time she didn't have much to hide, and she was much more carefree, she even let slip information about magic… She was really naive at the time. Today was different.

-You started asking me questions and I answered. Your turn now.

He seemed to think, then gave up.

-I've never been far from home, and we live on a hill surrounded by a forest. Nothing much happens there.

-Okay. See, it wasn't difficult.

Mercury groaned in response and clenched his fist. He didn't seem to like her sassy side too much, but she was like that, and she wasn't going to change just for him. In fact, it did her some good, she didn't often have the opportunity to be like that with Rook, she was too afraid to accidentally give information.

The waitress finally arrived with their dishes, and Yang wasn't even surprised to see Mercury's eyes light up in front of the piece of meat. Even cheap, they were in an Atlas restaurant, the minimum quality was already above anything that two Mistrallian children who grew up far from any civilization could know. … Could Yang consider herself a mistrallian? She wasn't born in the city of Mistral, nor in the Kingdom, not even in a real village, she didn't even have a birth certificate. But maybe it was easier to say it like that, the less details she gave of herself, the better.

The smell of meat reached her nostrils, and she could not think any longer, she may not have shown it, but after skipping breakfast, Yang was starving… Yes, she was much more gourmand than she wanted to show.

Mercury glanced almost sadly at his empty plate, wishing there was more. It was the best meal he had ever eaten! Usually his father gave him the bare minimum to get in shape for training, he didn't bother cooking anything good. So go from that to that…! Was this really what people in the Kingdoms ate everyday ?!

-Uh… Mercury?

-Eh?

-You're drooling…

Cheeks red with shame, he ran his hand over his chin, and acted as if nothing had happened. Surprisingly, Falcon didn't sigh, neither did she roll her eyes, she just drank her tea. Since he had the same as her, Mercury had one too, but he hadn't tasted it yet. If it was at the level of what he had just eaten, it could only be good too, like soda. So he carried the cup to his mouth… Then put it down after a single sip, grimacing.

-Bitter…

Okay, jasmine tea was a no.

-Not to your taste?

-Too bitter. How can you drink this?

-I've been drinking it since I was very young, there's a lot of wild jasmine in Anima so it was easy to make. And tasted better than here. You should taste it one day.

Mercury looked at his cup again. No matter how much she said, it was still too bitter for him.

-Are you not going to drink it then?

He handed her the cup without hesitation. While she was drinking, he couldn't help but feel frustrated. He had no intention of giving information about himself, but she had managed to force him to do so, she would never answer his questions if he didn't do the same, and he had to learn as much as possible about her to succeed in his mission. His father had told his that any little info could be exploited, so it was his only chance to beat her. No, it was not to satisfy his own curiosity!

-So, let's go?

-Y-Yeah, I follow you.

The two children came out of the restaurant and started spotting again, and Mercury noticed with shame that his partner was only repeating what she had said in the morning and that he had barely listened… Annoying, frustrating, humiliating!

-It's for the mission. It's for the mission. It's for mis-…

-Mercury!

-What is it this tim-…?!

Big cities may be absolutely great, there was one thing that made them imperfect, and that thing was called posts.

-I hate my life…

From the moment they arrived in their room, Mercury sagged softly on the bed. Yang took her bag and headed for the door.

-I'm going to get us some food, we can't afford to go to the restaurant every day.

The boy vaguely raised his hand to signal that he heard her, and Yang left the inn in the direction of a grocery store. It wasn't very late so she had no trouble finding an open one, she did not break her head and simply took a supply of sandwiches and a few energy bars. She hurried to pay and left as quickly as she came. She didn't want to be outside more than necessary, Mantle wasn't as secure as Atlas, but there were still a good number of surveillance cameras, and juggling with the activation of her Semblance became quite tiring. Fortunately, she could afford to turn it off to go shopping, purple eyes attracted less attention than bright red eyes.

It was a pretty rough method to hide her identity, her hair was still recognizable, and if she found herself face-to-face with someone who personally knew her mother, she would be exposed. She really had to do something about it, but if she couldn't even untangle it, what could she do? She couldn't tie it with one hand, a hood would be suspicious for everyday life and risked falling during a fight, and cutting it was just out of the question. Dye it then? But Raven liked the color of her hair so much, she used to say it was gold. Although now that she thought about it, she had the same hair color as her father…

Yang reactivated her Semblance just before entering the room, but turned it off when she heard Mercury snore under his blanket. They had only been walking all day and he was already tired? Seriously, what was she going to do with him… At least tomorrow, she would be fixed on his combat skills, a good part of the plan depended on him after all, on his precision and speed, if he failed, they would have to use the "explosive way" to have a chance of succeeding, and it was if, and only if, they weren't caught by Huntsmen.

Yang shivered at the idea. The Huntsmen of Atlas were not on the same level as those of Mistral, and in a military city, back up would arrive much faster…

If things really degenerated too much, she would still have the option of turning into bird to hide in a corner and wait until she could leave, but she couldn't help but find out if her wing was still there or not, and it really scared her. In addition, she would have to abandon Mercury, and she didn't want to, even if she didn't particularly like him, he was her partner and she was the team leader, she was responsible for him. And Raven would be disappointed if she didn't respect the team spirit she learned in the tribe, friend or not.

From the moment he heard the door close, Mercury let out a long sigh of relief, and lied on his back staring at the ceiling. What did he learn today? Falcon refused to talk about her arm, she liked tea, she came from a nomadic tribe of Anima, she had been training since childhood, just like him, she had grown far from civilization, just like him… It wasn't much but it was already a good start. Unfortunately, he had nothing to help him kill her, but for some reason, he was a little relieved to have found common ground, especially for things he thought he was the only one in the world… Maybe he wasn't as different as he thought…? Great, now he wanted to know more…

With a groan, Mercury considered getting up to go shower, but found himself unable to leave the comforter on which he was lying. It was so soft, so warm, so fluffy… Why couldn't he have the same at home? Why did he only have this old scratchy woolen blanket? His father should have the means with all the contracts he took. Although everything had to go in alcohol…

But he couldn't really complain, could he? He was eating enough and had a roof over his head to sleep, he had clothes and wasn't cold in winter. He was lucky…

-I grew up in a nomadic tribe with my mother and other people, we lived in tents, we washed with the water of rivers and we warmed up with campfires.

In fact, Falcon had been even less well off than he was, between that and her missing arm. But still…

-Oh… That sounds… Nice.

-It was.

He lived with everything that was necessary to live and he wasn't satisfied, she had lived in primitive conditions and missed it? What made them so different? They were both different from the norm, they should be able to understand each other, and yet he was always lagging behind, she was always taking the lead. It was frustrating, horribly frustrating…! She looked like a little miss perfect, she was more cultivated, more strategic, more mature, more confident…! What now? Maybe she could fly? Just missed her being better than him in combat! And that was out of the question! He refused to be outdone on all the plans! They were almost the same age but he was older, he had to beat her in at least one way! One way… Just one…

Exhausted, Mercury slipped under the blanket and rolled up inside. He would never get tired of this feeling. It was as if someone took him in their arms. Not that he could know how it felt to be in someone's arms… He had never known anyone other than his father, who had always beaten him to the point of exhaustion to train him, who spoke to him like he was a nuisance. It was all he had. He had to complete this mission. No matter the cost.

Hello again !

So, what do you think about that first day? Since Yang is way more experienced than Mercury, she is better than him on many things, but she doesn't particularly look down on him, or at least she's not supposed to. Mercury is also hard to write, cause he's a kind of tsundere, and I'm not sure if I show it correctly but I think I did well for now n_n

See you next week!