I decided it would be best to tie the girl up to the bed with some ropes I had in my bag. It's best not to have her try to kill me again when she wakes up. I would at least try to hear her out or talk to her when she woke up. Some would call me crazy, but I feel like immediately turning her over to the authorities would be a bad move. Typically, an assassin like this has a reason for killing, I would assume, and it would probably damage her more if she were to be imprisoned. I am no hero, but I do at least want to help people right in front of me if I can. For peace, I tried to fix something she had used on me to some success, but I fell back in the chair once I was done. I end up falling asleep in a chair close by the bed as I watch her sleeping; she has a peaceful expression. I wake up to the bed shaking violently. I got about 4 or 5 hours of sleep, it would seem. My eyes are still heavy, but I snap up more perky when I hear the ropes straining.
I see the girl struggling against her bindings, sweat dripping from her as she shakes the bed back and forth. I see her eyes more clearly now; she has piercing red eyes almost like a ruby, and they are frantic as she looks for a way to escape. I put my hands on my face as I watch her struggle, and I speak up, "It's no use; these ropes aren't going anywhere, at least not until you tell me why you were trying to kill me." The girl stops shaking the bed momentarily and looks at me with her red eyes. Those eyes are fueled by hatred. She yells out, "Human, I will kill you! These pitiful restraints can't hold me very long!"
I laugh, "Yeah, tell that to the ropes. I wouldn't be sitting here if I thought they would break. I made them myself after all." I add, "I feel your hatred from here. Relax, or the guards could come." The girl calms down a bit but still looks at me like she wants to tear me apart. I suggest, "For starters, could you tell me your name? I am Lucius Evergold, your captor this fine morning." The girl grunts and looks away, "Like I would tell you my name, disgusting human." I question, "At least address me properly. What's so bad about being a human, anyway?" The girl responded plainly, "Humans are all the same; they use others, then cast them away when they are no longer useful. Humans like you are truly the bottom that life has to offer: greedy, disloyal, and disgusting to look at."
Something must have happened involving humans in her past to make her hatred of them so intense, but maybe I could get through to her. I asked again, "Listen, I don't know what happened to you in the past involving humans, but at least tell me this: What is your name? You have nothing to lose by telling me that much, at least." The girl pondered for a second, then muttered, "Era, Era Ashborn. Now, if you're going to kill me, get it over with. I hate waiting." I responded, "Great, that is all I wanted to know." I walked toward the ropes binding her and began to loosen the restraints on her and the bed. Era looked up at me, somewhat shocked. "Human, why did you untie me? I can kill you in mere seconds!" I explained, "I understand that you're wary of me, and I don't blame you, given you seem hostile towards humans. However, I want you to know that I loosened the restraints because I believe in giving people a chance to change."
Era's face contorted as she processed the information. She looked towards her knife on the desk for a moment and then back at me. I continued, "Look, I know we just met, but I want you to know not all humans are as bad as you think." She ignored me and grabbed her knife on the table beside her. I still held out hope that she could be reasoned with. I held up my hands in surrender. "Look, you can kill me here, but wait a second. I would like to show you something that might make you happy." I slowly backed away from her and went to the desk behind me. I pulled out a doll, the doll she attacked me with. The robes revealed a porcelain figure underneath. It had blonde hair and blue eyes, but contrary to the doll's well-dressed appearance, it also had knives for fingers. I pointed at the doll. "I would at least like to offer you this back. I fixed it for you."
Era's expression changed when she saw the doll. I could tell the doll meant a lot to her given her expression and the somewhat shoddy maintenance that had been done on it. I explained, "I noticed you tried to patch it up yourself, but I managed to fix it fully for you. The wooden frame had cracks in it, and the eyes seemed like they were ready to fall out. I hope you don't mind, but I have fully repaired it for you." She made a series of complex emotions as I approached. I put the doll on the bed next to her. She grabbed the dagger and quickly slashed towards my neck but stopped right before making contact. I jumped a bit, not exactly expecting such a display from her. She put the dagger down on the desk and picked up the doll. She looked at it with tender eyes. "See, human, that is how weak you are. I could have killed you right then, but don't take that as me sparing you. Consider this as me appreciating what you've done."
The sweat trickled down my back. I realized she was right; she could have slit my throat right then, and I would have been a bloody mess on the ground. Thank God my gambit paid off, but seriously, she was extremely quick with a blade. It was insane, inhuman, really. I asked a pressing question, "Not to pry, but those wings on your back, what are they?" She regained some hostility, "Watch it, human. I may be sparing your life, but I can just as easily take your tongue." I decided to shut up for now. I gave her a bit of space and took the chair close to the bed. I watched as she examined the doll I gave her. It seems she is content with my peace offering. She observed, "This isn't just repaired; you improved it. I don't know how, but it feels more flexible now. I feel like you've improved its durability too." I nodded, "Right. I hope you don't mind, but I added the Evergold touch to the doll. I made sure to properly adjust the joints to better fit the frame, and I decided, well, I was at it, to use some of my own materials to reinforce the framing with more solid wood."
Era looked at me with wide eyes. She explained, "My father gave me this doll when I was young. I added the daggers on the fingers, but this is even better than when he made it. Who are you, boy? Are you some kind of puppeteer I have never heard of?" I smiled, "No, just a simple craftsman making his living selling his wares as he travels, but I have tinkered with dolls a lot recently." I remembered that she was using the doll to fight; maybe she herself is a puppeteer. I asked, "Wait, does that mean you are a puppeteer?" Era shared, "Yes, I am. My father was also a puppeteer; he taught me how to properly use dolls when I was young. I never truly learned how to make my own, but I use thin wires to move the doll around." I pondered for a moment, then followed up with, "Wait, there is no way those movements were possible with just mere wires." Era gave a half-smile, "Well, at least you aren't a complete idiot. Yes, it is as you say, human. I manipulate the dolls with the wires, but I have to infuse them with the power of life magic to get them to move in such a way."
That was a pretty unique way of fighting. I had another burning question, something I had been wondering since I saw the doll. I asked, "Era, tell me honestly, puppeteering isn't a mere assassination technique for you, is it?" Era's face went into a frown, and she had a contemplative look on her face. She seemed to ponder what to reveal. Era finally said, "Well, if you've guessed that much, I might as well tell you, human. I wanted to hone my puppeteering to the next level. I want to become the best I possibly can with this skill." I suggested, "So you turned to assassination to hone your skills on real people?" Era avoided eye contact, "Look, you don't get it. I was all alone; I had to find some way to make money, and this is the only skill I have. Nobody cares to watch puppeteering shows anymore, not since..." She paused, seemingly in deep thought. Era added, "I had to do what I had to do to survive. It was never easy, but if I took on a lot of jobs for cheap, I could make the money I needed while honing my skills. Nothing I expect a human will understand."
I shot back, "I understand how hard it must have been, at least. Alright, Era, I've got an offer you won't refuse." Era looked at me with her big red eyes. She looked curious, at least, which was a good sign. I exclaimed, "You want to hone your puppeteering skills, which means creating puppets of all different shapes and sizes. It also includes full mastery of controlling them as if they were extensions of your own body. I have an offer for you: join up with me. We can form a sort of traveling party. I will teach you the basics of making puppets, and I will personally help you hone your skills! What do you say?" Era looked at me with an expression that was complex, to say the least, but one thing was for sure: this was the moment that would change both our lives forever.