® The Witch and the Beast is the propierty of Kousuke Satake.

The Second Mission

Guideau was in a bad mood.

Guideau was hungry and in a bad mood.

Guideau was hungry, in a bad mood, and Ashaf had made her get dressed and leave the apartment first thing in the morning, and Guideau did not have the patience to go through all that protocol.

She took her seat unenthusiastically, crossing her arms defensively. Ashaf's fingers brushed lightly across her shoulders as he pushed the chair forward. He circled the table with the same care, then lit a cigarette as he took the opposite seat. He inhaled deeply, savouring every second, then exhaled a long puff of smoke that rose into the air and quickly dissipated to his left, where the wind blew. Even the smoke that poured from his thin lips was as refined and elegant as he was. Guideau stared at him, her fingers pressed tightly against the skin of her arms. That would certainly leave a mark.

"Coffee?" he asked, studying the menu.

Guideau gritted her teeth and snorted at the question.

"Hurry up and spit it out!" she growled.

"Patience," he replied unmoved. "A quality you would do well to cultivate."

That only made her angrier. Gritting her teeth even harder, she kicked at the table. The wooden legs screeched as they scraped the floor, stopping inches from the mage. Had she wanted to, she could have smashed it to pieces, but she had restrained herself. It was only a warning, and Ashaf sighed dramatically.

"My, and to think I thought you were hungry."

"Why did you even bring me here, asshole?" she snapped. "You always let me choose the place, but today you dragged me here instead. What did those pricks from the Order tell you?"

Ashaf grinned slyly.

"Oh. You noticed. I expected no less from you. After the last... assault, I thought it wise to deliver the news to you in public from now on."

"Do you really think I won't rip the damn letter off you myself just because we're in public?" she raised her voice, and before she realised what she was doing, she had stoodup and slapped the table with her palms, causing the table to shake under the pressure.

"I think you'll learn to behave better than you did last time," he exhaled. "There's no point in getting impatient, Guideau."

Ashaf rose and, holding the cigarette between his lips, smoothed the tablecloth and moved the table back to its place. Barely a second later, Guideau had caught up with him and was clutching his left hand with her fist, causing him pain. Her other hand flew to his coat, aiming for the envelope she was sure he was hiding.

Ashaf stopped her advances, grabbing her hand before she could reach his pocket.

"Easy," he said.

He deflected her hand, letting it go gently, then pulled out a black envelope.

Guideau's eyes widened at the sight.

"You're welcome," he taunted, offering her the envelope, which Guideau snatched from his hands in one swift motion.

"A witch," she studied the words. "To the south."

She looked up. Ashaf had sat down again, one leg crossed over the other.

"Happy?"

Guideau slammed the envelope against his chest, ignoring the outstretched hand. Ashaf grabbed it before it fell into his lap, ignoring his partner's bad manners.

"You know, Guideau?" he explained, putting the envelope down. A flicker of magic flashed before disappearing between his cloak and unstained shirt. "To read this letter is a privilege. Not everyone, even within the Order, has access to such information. Consider yourself lucky."

Guideau was about to retort, probably a curse, but Ashaf cut her off.

"That is why I protect this information. Did you really think you could get access to it just by going through my pockets?"

Guideau narrowed her eyes as if considering whether he was telling the truth or not, then clicked her tongue, beggining to understand.

"No one else has access to that letter," he emphazised, looking at her with those mysterious blue eyes. "I have protected it with magic."

"You bastard."

"It would do you good to know, so you don't waste your time."

He took a drag from his cigarette.

"That's why I couldn't find it the other day," she muttered, remembering the incident in the apartment.

"Not this time, nor any other. Only I can access to it. You know about reclusion spells, don't you?"

Guideau didn't give him the pleasure of seeing her nod.

"Now that everything is clear, let's discuss the details. But first, shall we order? You must be starving."

Guideau snatched up the menu, her mind racing to find the next opportunity for revenge. She scanned the dishes and came up with a wicked idea.

"I'll hit you where it'll hurt the most," she thought, studying the most expensive dishes.

This is a continuation for the previous chapter.

I've changed the name of the collection. My intention was originally to post stories about Guideau adapting to the human world, missed scenes from the manga, and a few headcanons I have in mind. But it turned out into something entirelly different to what I had planned initially. so, here we are!