"What are you doing Nathan? Did you finish all of your tasks? The Mistress wouldn't like it if you skipped out like Romeo tried to do," Servilia said as she sat down across from Banksy. Banksy jumped, the lock slipping from his fingers and clunking against the wood. He picked it up with gentle fingers and began to slowly rotate it.
"I finished cleaning the basement a few hours ago. I'm just practicing now. That last mission with the idio… with Romeo, the lock had a rebound spell on it. I couldn't crack it fast enough and we got caught. So I'm working with this one. It cost me a bit more than I liked, but the more I know about a spell, the faster I can find a way to counter it. These aren't really that common, but I wouldn't be surprised if I ran into at lest a few more."
"Is it hard?" She asked, leaning forward as clicked his ringed fingers against the lock.
"It's not hard, really. It's just… It's hard to explain?" Banksy said, looking up at Servilia. He felt his stomach flutter, but the lock in his hand kept him grounded and mildly confident. He turned his hand over, showing off the lock. "See, the lock itself is just a normal lock. All I have to do is figure out which pins go where and it would open, but the rebound spell negates any attempt to pick it. The weak ones will push your pick out, and the stronger ones can actually give you a pretty nasty bruise from the blowback… Or worse."
"Was it a rebound spell?" Servilia said, looking pointedly at his missing finger. "Your report never mentioned what exactly went wrong. It felt improper to pry, you were…"
"Crying like a baby?" Banksy said with a grim smile. "Yeah, that… that was pretty terrible. I got too confident, tried to rush a job. It wasn't a rebound though..."
"If it bothers you, you don't need to talk about." Servilia said softly, as a pained look on Banksy's face.
Banksy waved her off. "It's alright. I just don't really think about it much. It was a Blood Lock."
"Blood Lock?"
"Yeah, pretty much sounds like what it is. The lock is designed to be opened by the blood of the owner."
"That sounds rather barbaric," Servilia said.
"Maybe, but it's effective too. I thought I could mimic the previous owner using a few of my rings but whoever cast the enchantment on the safe was good. I'm lucky it only took my finger," he sighed and gave her a small smile. "But I got the safe open still. Mind you, I was screaming and Cross had to collect the rip and then pull me out, but I got it open."
"And did you learn a valuable lesson?" Servilia asked.
"I learned anything can be done, if you're willing to sacrifice enough," Banksy said, flicking one of his rings against the lock and grabbing a pick. Without hesitation he pushed the pick onto the keyhole. He met no resistance. His smile grew.
"I should get back to work, Vitus's team brought back a lot of paperwork and I've been avoiding it for too long." Servilia stood up. Pausing, she reached out and patted him on the arm. "You know, I'm glad you survived that, Nathan and the last job too, but please be more carful. Worrying too much will give me gray hairs."
Banksy froze at her touch but managed to nod his head. "I will. And you can uh, you can call me Banksy, you know?"
"I know." Servilia smiled before heading back to her desk. Banksy watched her go before shaking his head and heading off towards his room.
He had spent the morning cleaning the basement.
He had conquered the rebound lock
And most important of all, he had talked to a beautiful woman without making a fool of himself.
Today had been a good day, and he was thoroughly exhausted.
xXx
'Knock Knock'
"I am sleeping. Go away," Banksy moaned, pulling a pillow over his head. He hadn't even made it five minutes into his nap.
'Knock Knock'
"I said go away!"
'Knock Knock'
"No!"
'Knock Knock' 'Knock Knock' 'Knock Knock' 'Knock Knock'
"Damnit what?" Banksy roared. He stormed over to the door and threw it open. Almost as soon as the door opened, a small explosion sent him stumbling back. Tripping over his own feet he landed painfully on his back. Letting out a groan he tried to sit back up, but found his body was stuck to the floor by some kind of gum-like yellow substance. "What the hell?"
"Banksy! Hey, can you move?"
"R-Romeo?" Banksy asked, still struggling to pull himself free. "What is this?"
"New bomb. Can you move?"
"Of course I can't fucking move. Romeo, I'm going to kill you! Get me out of this."
"It worked!" Romeo grinned as he turned around and exited Banksy's room, closing the door behind him. "It should wear off in a few hours. If it doesn't I'll try to remember to come check on you."
"Romeo!" Banksy rocked back and forth but only found the gum only solidified with his every move. "Romeo! I'm going to murder you, you fucking pyro!"
xXx
"Time to wake up again," Cross said, flicking Makina on the head lightly. She stirred but her eyes didn't open. Cross gave her another thump but she still didn't open her eyes, instead curling into a tight ball and pulling the blanket around her. Cross reached out to give her a good shaking, but her face made him pause. Even asleep she looked exhausted. Shaking his head, he kneeled down next to Makina and gently rocked her back and forth until she finally opened one bleary eye.
"What do you want mortal?"
"It's time to go," Cross said. "You can sleep some more when we return to the guild."
"I am comfortable here." She turned her head away and closed her eye.
"Well unless you want to ride this train all day you better get up."
Makina pushed the blanket to one side and opened her arms. "You may carry me."
"What?"
"I said you may carry me. I am tired and do not wish to walk. As such, you may carry me," Makina said, never opening her eyes. "I trust you can manage it. You may be dumb but you seem strong enough."
"It's not that I'm not strong enough, it's that I don't want to do it," Cross grit, glancing around the rapidly emptying car. "Makina, if you don't get up in the next five seconds-"
"Please?" She said, suddenly opening her large blue eyes. They were pathetically wide and watery. Her bottom lip trembled. "I'm so tired, I don't think I have the strength to walk. I might collapse."
Cross wavered for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. With slow moments he turned around until his back was facing her. With a snide giggle Makina clambered onto his back, pulling the blanket along with her.
"You mortals are such simple creatures," she said as Cross stood up and began to walk. "To think you would believe me too weak when in reality I am far stronger than you could ever hope to be." She yawned loudly in his ear and rested her head against his shoulder. "So simple."
In a few minutes she was fast asleep, her even breathing falling in time with Cross's footsteps. To his credit Cross resisted the urge to drop her onto the ground and instead trudged on towards the guild, glad the building was located so close to the train station.
Walking up the steps he pushed in the door with his foot and briskly walked passed the tables containing his fellow guildmates. Approaching the stairs he spied Servilia staring at him. She raised an eyebrow as her eyes traveled from his face, to the face of the still sleeping Makina resting on his shoulder. He rolled his eyes and mouthed 'later' to her before ascending the staircase. Making his way to his room, he awkwardly unlocked the door, doing his best not to drop Makina as she fidgeted in her sleep. Pushing into the room he deposited the girl into his bed where she comfortably sprawled out, pulling his pillow under her head and adding his blankets to her own. Cross could only shake his head as he exited his room and headed back down to the lobby.
Servilia was waiting for him, leaning back in her chair with a very large and surly looking cat sitting in her lap. She ran a delicate hand over the animal's large, striped head. Cross made a face. He had never much been a fan of Dante and the cat often made sure to let it be known the feeling was mutual. It hissed at him as he approached, exposing the long fangs that Cross had been acquainted with more times than he cared to remember.
"Beat it, fur ball," he muttered as Servilia put Dante on the floor and gave him one last head scratch before he scampered away. Cross pulled up a chair and sat down, running a hand tiredly over his face. "Payment arrive on time?"
"Yes, yet you did not," Servilia said, twisting a lock of dark hair around one finger. "Care to explain that… among other things?"
Cross leaned forward and let his head rest on the cool marble of Servilia's desk. "The girls name is Makina. I don't know her age or if she is even a citizen of this kingdom."
"I see," Servilia said, picking up her pen and making a few quick notes. "Where did you find her?"
"The plains near the divide. She was passed out. No signs of anyone around. Just her."
"Mhmmm." Servilia paused. "Interesting, I don't remember their being a train stop near the divide."
"There isn't," Cross said flatly. "I checked her for injuries, but she doesn't seem to have any. Galen should give her a once over when she wakes up but she seems healthy enough, just tired and stupid. Really stupid."
"I will alert Galen. Is there anything else?"
Cross lifted his head up. "Right. She thinks she's a Spirit Goddess."
"Spirit. Goddess." Servilia diligently took note. "Perfect. I'll be sure to alert the Master and the Mistress of our new guest." Servilia reached onto her desk and pulled out a small slip of paper. "Before you go, Alexis would like to speak with you. You would do well not to ignore her request."
"She in a bad mood?" Cross asked as his head lowered back down to the desk.
"A little bit worse than her usual moody self. She was not particularly thrilled with Banksy and Romeo's performance on their last job, nor was she amused once she realized you took a job despite still being on leave."
"Not my fault. Job was on the board."
"I am sure she will see it that way," Servilia said. "She also had quite a rough Hunt while you were away."
Cross raised his head up. Servilia already had a newspaper waiting for him, the text highlighted with thick red lines. He glanced over the main points. "He killed a mother and child?"
"Yes."
"You probably shouldn't have sent Lexi on this one. You know she gets with stuff like that."
"Are you one to talk, Cross?" Servilia asked with a small smile as she waved her hand over the guildhall. "Are any of us?"
Cross ignored the question. "How much did it cost to keep our name out of this?"
"Luckily she showed more restraint than I expected, so not as much as you would imagine." Servilia said, taking the paper back from him. "The job paid well. More than ten times as much as the one you took." Cross made a face at her. "However, it seems her little 'fan-club' has still attributed the act to her."
"Of course they did. Guess that's the price of being famous."
"Quite so," Servilia said, straightening a few files on her desk." She's in the training room I believe. You better hurry before she comes and finds you instead."
Cross lifted his head and eyed the request board. Only the most basic jobs were put on the board. Jobs that didn't require high specialization and ones that Servilia had deemed simple enough for anyone to handle without being personally chosen. Servilia followed his gaze and tutted.
"No Cross. You cannot take another job and run off. I mean it."
"Right then." Cross said unenthusiastically as he pushed away from her desk and stood up.