Vespa Ilkay was not the kind of woman to fall for a pretty face, she wasn't.

That's why the gal that had flirted with her, and gifted a kiss tinted with alcohol was the ugliest lady she had ever lay eyes on. With her flaming red locks, light brown eyes that pierce Vespa's soul, dark brown skin and a silver tongue-

Hideous, yeah, that was it.

Tracking the hotel of the woman was easy enough, a simple but nice building that could serve as a home for at least a couple of weeks.

She asked the receptionist for the number of Ms. Aurinko's room. When they interrogated her for the reason, she said "I'm her girlfriend". Just because it was easier that way, and not a good liar.

The metal of her knife pressed against her palm absorbing the heat and nerves that came with a job like hers. She picked the lock, ha, the lady seemed to be sleeping soundly… amateur.

Just a quick kill and she would get her score. Vespa approached the bed, and almost instantly the women wake up, throwed her body against her. Vespa fall to the floor, and her knife left her grasp.

With her body over Vespa's the assassin could see things that was unable to catch before. The fury in her eyes (not so different as hers), some small acne marks on her face, and faint white hairs around her disheveled curls.

So she wasn't that ugly, if so, what!?

Raising her knee, she kicked the stomach of the thief, once, twice, and got her off. Then, while trying to reach for her knife, Aurinko took her leg hostage, and twisted it in some kind of sick key.

They fought for at least forty minutes, bodies collapsing in one another, ending up in positions a little too intimate for Vespa's like or dislike? She prayed for the person in the room next to hers didn't get any funny ideas.

Aurinko moved Vespa to her side, letting her limbs free again for who knows what time. After that, instead of attacking the assassin, she… laughed.

And it was a nice sound Vespa admitted. To her astonishment she started laughing too.

When the adrenaline had faded Aurinko said, "Well, we seem to be doing all right for ourselves solo, but don't you think we'd be better as a pair?".

People will get you hurt; her father had said. As with anything that man had spluttered, she throwed it away. However, partnerships die, either people get killed or they betrayed each other or whatever more. That was what the war had thought her, and as with anything she had learned in that place it had kept her alive.

Though she wasn't living, just surviving, and Vespa, she wanted to live.

"Okay, sounds good" She almost murmured. Vespa reached for her knife and said, "But if you ever again steal from me." She gestured at the instrument.

"Understood doll," her partner said, "Now I believe you owe me a kiss."

"What!?"

"Well, you did try to kill me darling."

"You STOLE my score!"

"I suppose if you don't want," the idiot shrugged, "I can force you to do anything. However, I had believed myself to be a good kisser, seems I need more practice-

Vespa shut Aurinko with her lips.

"My…you are something," the woman gasped, "Forgive me darling, but it seems your name have slipped my mind."

"Vespa," she said, "Vespa Ilkay."

"Buddy Aurinko"

"Yeah I- I know." Vespa confessed.

Her partner was silent for a while, "Buddy and Vespa, Vespa and Buddy. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Of course, we could change it to Vespa and Buddy, Buddy and Vespa if you are that kind of woman."

"Yeah, it does have a nice ring to it. The first one."

Vespa ended up sleeping next to Buddy in the hotel room. With one of her knives under the pillow, of course, she was not a moron. But peacefully, for the first time in a while.