After the storm comes the calm.
The days of sailing became vague and calm. So calm that they unconsciously irritated the five remaining assassins.
Six days had passed after the events with Nieros, and none of the crew nor the Cerminians had touched the subject again. As time passed, the crew of the Deep Spear became accustomed to the presence of the Cerminian agents on the ship. A respectful relationship was created day after day, causing an illusory sense of security.
Every last six nights, the Cerminians would meet with some of the ship's crew members on the main deck. As a sort of get-together over rum and seafood, Sophie, Liz, Tilian and the crew shared funny stories of journeys, accidents, and even morbid tales of suspense and terror. For the terror that real life already provided was not enough.
Between laughter and drunkenness, there was the absence of two people there. Von and Gior kept away from these gatherings. Gior kept his focus on the helm and on Denver, which by then had become a great traveling companion. Von, for his part, continued to guard the cargo room.
After the day of Niero's death, Von and Sophie exchanged few words with each other. The redhead even tried to interact, but the conversations went nowhere. Von was reluctant about the relationship he would build with Sophie and began to avoid her little by little.
Although repetitive and incongruous, Von had his reasons for avoiding Sophie. The assassin hardly ever lost control, but when he was close to the Redhead, everything he had spent his entire life building crumbled like sand castles.
The memory of General Norgard's words from behind his bedroom door bothered him. There was no guilt or obvious blame, but that brief dialogue had put Von in his place.
He would serve only Norgard Chasseur and no one else.
These memories did not surface in vain. The card he had received from the General reminded him of this daily. While guarding the cargo, Von memorized each of the symbols and their numerous coordinates.
Nothing had been explained. No information had been delivered. Since receiving the letter, he had interacted a few more times with General Chasseur, and none of them had the subject of the note been raised.
The request that the contents of the letter be burned after memorization made evident the importance of that information. Nothing in that information made sense, but like a good trained dog, Von followed orders.
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Sailing was an amazing sensory experience. The rocking of the ship, the sound of the water, the beauty of the immense blue sea in the morning and the emptiness of the immensity of the same sea at night could drive anyone crazy in the long run. And Sophie felt herself going mad.
Unlike the first few days of sailing, Sophie no longer felt seasick. But for her, the feeling of seasickness would be more pleasurable than what she was feeling. She felt foolish. She felt used.
Sophie had spent the last few days running after Von like a puppy runs after its master. She didn't understand the reason for his estrangement. Apparently only Sophie's pride had been left behind, and that made her ego bleed.
The exhaustion of persistence had made Sophie give up any kind of interaction with Von on the third day of trying. The distance he had decided to take was greater than her feelings.
That was what she wanted to think.
Now she found herself alone leaning with her arms on the edge of the ship. She watched the immensity of the sea without any reaction. She wished to end this trip as soon as possible.
Sophie thought about drinking or smoking a cigarette to try to relieve the tightness in her heart, but gave up when she remembered her near-drowning. She promised herself that she would never drink again on a mission.
Lizandra noticed that Sophie had isolated herself from the gathering and walked over to her.
-You feel seasick, Sophie?- Liz leaned against the edge of the ship, imitating the redhead.
-I wish I was. - Sophie continued to stare at the sea.
The brunette realized that the redhead was not at her best.
-May I ask you something, Sophie? Woman to woman".-Lizandra had an intention in her attitude.
-Feel free to ask. - Sophie was really apathetic. Her voice only expressed psychological fatigue.
-Are you and Von lovers? - Lizandra was getting to the point.
-What? What kind of sudden question is this?- For the first time in this conversation Sophie showed an expression.
-No need to be ashamed, Sophie. We are women, we can talk openly about this. -
-I know. I just don't understand why we have to talk about it now.- Sophie looked back at the sea, but could not hide her need to talk to someone about it.
-It's just that I'm seeing you sad, and it seems to happen when you have some sort of unresolved issues with Von. -
-Von is a complex, not to say problematic man. - Sophie couldn't bear to keep her feelings to herself.
-Problematic in what way? - Liz was really interested in that subject.
-He's the kind of person who subtly ties you to an invisible anchor, making you get stuck with him without realizing it. By the time you realize how deep you've drifted into the sea, he begins to reject you and you can no longer swim back. - Sophie took a deep breath at the end of each sentence.
-So he seduced and rejected you? - Liz's expression didn't hide her curiosity.
-No... - Sophie turned to Lizandra, but kept her gaze averted.- I let myself be seduced by him. I was foolish to fantasize about some kind of stable relationship with him - the smile that appeared on her lips was bitter. - He and I are assassins, we know that loving relationships are not part of our destiny. Even so, I kept believing that it could lead to something good. - Sophie looked again at the sea - I feel that I have been used, but I feel that I have used him. I see him so close, but he's always far away. I told him I loved him, and he just replied that he knew. - Sophie laughed disappointed in herself - and after that I still had sex with him. -
-You said you loved him?! Why did you do it Sophie?- The brunette's tone of voice was one of indignation and disapproval. To witness one of Cermina's most feared assassins lamenting over a man was unbelievable.
- I've asked myself this every day since I spoke.- Sophie said. This was the first time Sophie had opened her heart to a friend.
Despite the disasters, mistrust and disagreements during the mission, Sophie and Lizandra's bonds of friendship remained strong. Before they could recognize each other as just work colleagues, but after this and other previous situations, Sophie came to trust Lizandra.
-It's been a long time since you said you loved him?- Lizandra's elbow rested on the parapet of the ship, and her right hand rested on her cheek as her eyes watched Sophie.
- It was a few days before we got on the road - With each word that came out of Sophie's mouth, she felt her body lighter. She really needed to get it all out.
-At least it was the last time, isn't it SOPHIE? Lizandra scolded Sophie, who laughed in response.
-Will you fight me if I say it wasn't? -Sophie's smile grew wider each time she spoke on the subject. What had once brought anguish, now brought lighthearted laughter.
-WHAT? SO YOU HAD SEX ON THE SHIP? - The brunette almost shouted in surprise.- So that day I spent in your cabin and you were naked... oh my god.-
-I know what you must be thinking of me right now. - The two women giggled like two teenagers talking about their high school sweethearts. - But let's stop talking about me. I want to know about you, Liz. What's the deal with you and Tyr?
Hiding her feelings was clearly not a talent Lizandra possessed. When asked about Tyr, she could not hide her expression. However, she was so excited to talk about love affairs that she told about her secret relationship with one of the most influential men in Cermina.
-Okay. I'll tell you everything, but don't tell anyone... -
In the life of an assassin, the surprising is found in the little things. Financial and emotional misery is part of everyday life. The discarding of trust over other people is a principle in Cermina culture. However, despite his scars and traumas, when an assassin finds something or someone he can trust with small things, life takes on a different flavor. A bittersweet way of looking at things.
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The sun was threatening to rise and gradually lighten the sea, leaving the entire horizon in shades of dark blue. The outside of the Deep Spear ship was empty. Everyone who had been socializing on the deck had gone to sleep, including Sophie, Lizandra and Tilian.
Von was standing on the bow of the ship. The wind was whipping his brown hair, and the cigarette ash in his mouth was blowing away. The icy air against his skin no longer bothered him.
Bloodhound was resigned to the situation of that mission. Not everything in life could be perfect, and he knew this very well. A mission with nine sadistic assassins, with different personalities, ambitions and specialties would never take place without a minimum of friendly bloodshed.
Even knowing the various explanations that would be demanded by the High Command regarding Niero's death, his concerns took another turn.
Von's mind was haunted by three types of thoughts: The power, The Note, and Sophie.
The power to stop time was still unexplained, and Von knew that this information could not be delivered to anyone, not even General Chasseur. Besides the power to stop time, the strange force he began to feel after holding Niero's Katana still coursed through his body, like a worm crawling through his nerves. It didn't make him feel bad or good, it was just strange and mysterious. Somehow he felt that this energy was influencing his way of perceiving things. His way of reasoning and confronting his own shadows.
If destiny was to have a name, it would be called Deep Spear. That ship was taking Von to an undesirable destination: war.
War always presents its participants with great losses, bloodshed, cries of suffering, and illusory victories for their wounded soldiers. Because of these great perks that war has to offer, Von began to fear his future as he rarely did.
He did not fear his own death, let alone really care about Cermina's success, but he began to realize that with war, the chances of losing Sophie increased.
Von trusted the redhead's abilities. He knew that she was capable of taking part in a war and not suffering a single scratch. Sophie is a woman who learns from her mistakes in battle, vowing to herself never to make the same mistakes again.
Even knowing Sophie's potential, insecurity was inevitable. He didn't want to lose her in a war. He didn't want to lose her at all. But he also didn't want to lose his sanity, and this he was already losing. He hated worrying about her, but he hated even more the idea of being unable to save her. So he constantly fought with himself to get away from Sophie. Those feelings clearly make both assassins weak, and that is certainly not good.
Finally, the note. That mystery was no longer thought-provoking and was beginning to be disturbing. That letter was a harbinger, he knew that. He just didn't know what it foreshadowed. Yet, even without information, he had memorized every symbol and every number in that note.
Von climbed down from the bow and reached into his pocket, removing the note. He then took out a lighter and set the paper on fire. He watched the fire slowly burn the paper, while using his body to protect the fire from the wind. After two thirds of the paper was burned, Von threw the rest into the sea.
No one else would ever know about this information.