In the long run...(Taky!)

[Anonymous]

She didn't quite understand his logic. He had been the one running from her. If she feared him in anyway, why would she follow him?  The smile wavered a bit, but she didn't let it fade. If he was going to try and outsmart her, he was going to have to try harder than that. She had nothing to fear of this man, even though she sensed he was dangerous. She had been in worse situations; life or death situations actually. If he tried to do anything , she would be ready and more than willing to stop him. She twirled the dagger in her hand, holding it firmly to the place where it hit the wall.

She decided to inform him of the information that passed through her head. "But sir," she blinked her eyelashes at him a few times, "if I were so afraid of you, why on earth would I follow you? And if you aren't afraid of me, why do you run?" She twirled the knife in her hand again. She leaned closer to him, their faces only inches apart. "I only bite a little."  She had never seen a man so...controlling of natural instincts, especially when a woman such as herself was so near. She like it. It was a challenge to her. The smile on her face turned less innocent, more...seductive.

Just how she liked it.

[Anonymous]

Zephyr mentally laughed at her logic. It didn't show at all on the outside, though. Running away? More like trying to get her off his back. He really didn't like where this seemed to be going, however. He pretended that his emotional wall faltered when she went closer. He slowly leaned closer to her, as if he was going to give in and kiss her..he put a hand on her shoulder, the side oppisite to her dagger.

Suddenly, he shifted his arm and in an instant he had a dagger of his own. Pointed at her neck. (came out his sleeve.) "Didn't think I had any tricks of my own, did you..?", he said, quietly with a dangerous edge to it. He honestly didn't like being this close to her, but liked that the tables had been turned. "Hey, if you'll listen so we don't end up killing each other, I'll make a deal with you...." He said, "I have a feeling I know what you want....so here's the deal. If you can get me to actually like you, then sure, I'll give you what you want. If you can't....well, you don't get anything from me. Understood?"

[Anonymous]

She didn't believe for an instant that he would kill her. The dagger surprised her a little, but she had almost expected it. He didn't seem like the type for walk around unarmed. She clutched her own dagger, dragging it slightly closer to his neck. Though she didn't like how the situation had changed, she wasn't fearful of him. She could kill him just as quick as he could kill her. Her smiled then turned from seductive to sadistic. Poor man didn't know who he was dealing with.

But she listened to him anyway, taking in each word. A deal? She didn't like deals. She could generally hold her side, but how was she to know he would support his. What if she won? Would he actually go through with it? Or would he scamper off again like a scared little puppy. Heh...as if he could escape her. But what if she lost? How would she deal with that? She hissed quietly at what he said. She wouldn't do well if she lost. She brought the point of her dagger closer to him, nearly touching his neck. "Or, sir, you could just give me what I want and I won't have to kill you now." Her smile disappeared completely, her face taking on almost a scary look. She didn't like to show this side of herself, but this man was getting annoying. If her tried anything more, she would agree to his little deal. But if he didn't hold his side of it...

There would be hell to pay.

[Anonymous]

Zephyr looked at her and almost let out a laugh. Scary, eh? He'd seen things she wouldn't have in her worst nightmares. "I could do exactly the same to you if you don't agree with the deal, woman." His tone was icy. His expression turned from neutral to the cold-blooded look of a killer. He said, "But, there wouldn't be much point in killing me because then I can't do much for you then...however, I have no reason to refrain from killing you.." he let the tip of it brush against her neck. Then, grabbed her dagger hand in a swift motion that couldn't be executed without practice and said coldly, "I don't like killing people unless I'm hired to, but it seems to be necesarry now. Life or death?"

[Anonymous]

He was really starting to piss her off. She tried seduction, helplessness, fear, threats. He was completely unchanging. In fact, he was threatening her. She had been in worse situations, ones that involved ropes and gags, but that was a story for another day. She was a woman who attracted dangerous folks, er...maybe they attracted her. That was kinda foggy. But either way, he seemed like no threat to her. In fact, she felt rather safe around him. But she didn't dare smile, not at knife point anyway.

Well she felt safe until he grabbed her arm. Her head looked sharply at his hand on hers, then quickly back at his face. Her eyes were filled with anger, and her expression flaring as if to say 'how dare you touch me?!' She narrowed her eyes at him, nearing him a bit more, their noses almost touching. She was no longer was feeling as friendly as before. There was obvious hostility now. If he had only agreed last night, none of this would have happened. And now she was the one in trouble, even though he was the one with his back against the wall. She bit her tongue to prevent herself from saying anything that would force him into slitting her throat. She tensed a little, thinking of the smartest way to get out of this.

She inhaled, anger still obvious in her stance. She was still very close to him, her jaw locked. "Listen here. I have been in situations far worse than this one. But since I have a knife next to my jaw, I guess I have to agree." She spoke the last part of that sentence through her teeth. She hated not getting what she wanted, and hated it even more when she gave in to people's wills. But she hated more to be injured by people for being so stubborn. It had happened once before...never again.

[Anonymous]

Zephyr's eyes locked on hers. He didn't have much change of expression. When she agreed, he didn't release her. He actually spun her around and locked her in a position much like a cop putting handcuffs on a criminal. He whispered into her ear, "You promise?" Then, he pushed her foreward, releasing her. "Done deal. For the sake of humanity, and both of our sanity, I hope you complete your side of the deal." He began to walk off, a casual pace. "You can follow me if you want...I don't care at this point. You'll find me anyway, so what's the point in running off?"

[Anonymous]

Not good. Not one part of this situation was good. She had gone from ruling him, holding his life in one swift flick of her wrist. But now he had her wrist, the blade against her neck, she had no other choice but to go along with him. She didn't exactly want her life to end there, and disagreeing meant just that. Giving in was her only chance at survival. But even after she gave in, he twirled her around and held her arm against her back. She hissed slightly as he brought her arm up higher than it was supposed to go. God Dammit! She kept her head straight, but she looked at him through her peripheral vision. He was really starting to bother her.

But then he shoved her forward and she stumbled a few steps. She didn't fall, but it took her a few steps to regain her balance. She stayed where she was, looking at the ground as he spoke. Her hands clenched into fists at his words. She wasn't the one they needed to worry about. He had the heavier side of the deal. She had a feeling he wasn't going to keep his side, a thought that made her growl under her breath. She straightened her posture and turned sharply on her heel to look at him as he walked away. She waited a few moments before following, watching him as he turned the corner onto a busier street. Her hands were still in fists when she decided to go after him.

She marched after him. She was very tense, making a beeline towards him. He would not rid of her. And he didn't expect to. She caught up to him quickly, taking her place at his side. She didn't look at him, but relaxed her posture to something more...formal. She kept up with his speedy stride. She allowed them to walk in silence, something that didn't really bother her. But as they rounded their third...or was it the fourth corner, she decided she needed to talk to him. She'd never be able to try to win the deal if she didn't know anything about him. But he seemed to like the silence, he didn't enjoy being followed, and he really, really, really didn't like her. But why not try, what harm could it do.

"So Mr...uhh" she paused. Awkward. She didn't even know his name. She brushed it off and continued on. "Why on earth won't you talk to me? What do you have against a nice conversation?" It really bothered her that they couldn't talk without him saying some snide remark and walking off or threatening her life. She would get him to have a pleasant conversation along with...other things. No matter what it took.

[Anonymous]

Zephyr looked at Cosette. He almost felt sorry for her. He was probabaly the worst person she could have chosen to go after. He wasn't as cold as before, but wasn't exactly friendly, either. "I don't have anything against a nice conversation. I'm simply not used to talking." He looked up at the sky, rather wistfully. "So, of all people, why did you choose me?" He did not understand. It was something of human nature, wanting the impossible or hardest to obtain of all things. "After all, I don't see anything that would make you want to be within 10 feet of me, especially after our little confrontation."

[Anonymous]

She didn't like his answer. That really wasn't a good reason to push her away the way he had. He clearly had some skill with people, the way he was able to talk her into agreeing, the knife just persuading her a bit more. She didn't believe he wasn't used to it. He must have had something deeper than what he was saying, but she wasn't going to press the matters further. He was finally being civil towards her. And she had to admit, she was happily pleased. She didn't expect him to do any sort of talking with her. But she had gotten something out of him. She wanted to smile, but figured it would ruin the moment.

As for his question, she almost wanted to laugh. If she told him the truth, he wouldn't want her near him (he probably didn't want her near him already). So she decided to bend it a bit. "You were clearly the most...interesting person in the bar last night. You seemed like you would have interesting stories to tell and I just wanted to get to know you." She smiled. The thing was, none of that was a lie. She was surprised how truthful she could be, even though it may not have been the whole truth. "And as far as the whole encounter, I have been in far worse." She looked down, trying to keep her mind from wandering into her memories of those times.

She was just walking along in silence next to him when she heard something. It wasn't too close, but it was close enough that she had picked up on it. Her head turned sharply to the side in the direction the noise came from. It sounded almost like an explosion mixed with scraping concrete. She narrowed her eyes to see if she could see anything. There were people running from whatever it was. But Cosette didn't know what exactly it was, so she disregarded it. If it needed to involve her or if she needed to help, it would have happened a lot nearer. For now, she would follow the man, no matter what it meant.

[Anonymous]

Zephyr looked at her, knowing she wasn't telling something else. "I have a feeling that's not the whole truth, but I'm not going to pry...too much." His head snapped over to the explosion. He really hoped that wasn't who he thought it was...god no...

An angry, deep voice said, "Hey!! I know you're around here somewhere!!" A figure emerged from the smoke; armed and dangerous.

Zephyr stared at the person for a moment, and pulled himself and Cosette behind a wall roughly. He peeked over the corner and looked at the man. Yes, it was him. An old enemy. A bitter enemy. And someone he really didn't feel like dealing with right now.

"ZEPHYR!!"

Zephyr hid behind the wall, and said, "I'll explain later. Now, let's get out of here before the idiot figures out where I am." He stared creeping away in the darkness of an alley. What he allways did when he was too lazy to fight. Then, the enemy came out of seemingly nowhere and said, "We need to talk." Zephyr tried to go around him, and failed. The man raised his arm as if he was going to punch Zephyr in the face. Zephyr said quickly, "Let's speak with our mouths instead of our fists..?" Then, he dodged a quick-thrown punch. "Perhaps not." He thrust his hand foreward and a fireball engulfed his opponent. "Let's go now!" He dragged Cosette away from the scene. He ran with her all the way to his house. He grumbled, "I hate that man."

[Anonymous]

Her head snapped back in the direction of the explosion when Zephyr looked. He seemed worried (the most emotion she had seen in him) and Cosette's stomach flipped. She didn't like the look on his face. She focused her eyes on the smoke, seeing a dark figure slowly walking towards them. She narrowed her eyes a bit, almost able to see who it was. But then she was pulled backwards and nearly thrown against a brick wall. She groaned slightly and closed her eyes. "What the hell?!" She turned her head sharply to look at him. She wanted an explanation for why he had pulled her over here. But he was not paying attention to her; instead he was looking around the corner towards where the smoke was. What was over there that made him react like that?

But then he started moving slowly away from where they were. Cosette followed, trying to be as quiet as she could. But whatever Zephyr was running from appeared before them. Cosette held back a shriek, fearing it would only make matters worse. She watched as Zephyr tried to talk to the man peacefully and as the man tried to punch him in the face. She did nothing to help; what could she do? But then a fire ball was thrown and she and Zephyr were out of there like a bat out of hell. She ran in complete silence until they got to what she assumed was his home. She closed the door behind them, breathing heavy. She just looked at him, many questions coming to mind that she wanted answered.

"Who the hell was that? Why is he after you?" She was still breathing heavy, but her breath was coming back to her. But her body shook slightly from running (or at least that's what she told herself it was from). She looked at him with wide eyes. He better be willing to answer her questions. Now.

[Anonymous]

Zephyr was in thought when Cosette talked. He turned to look at her. He was still slightly out of breath. He was almost back to his usual neutral. "Okay, I'll tell you this simply, because if I explained detail, then it would take me a year to explain." He sat down in a comfortable-looking chair next to a small couch. "I was an assassin, he was my enemy. He was who I was supposed to kill, and he didn't look dead, did he?" He sighed. He traced the bandages on his eye as if remembering where they came from. However, that was an entirely different story to tell. And one he wasn't willing to share.

[Anonymous]

She decided standing would be best. She wasn't sure quite how homey he would be with her being there. So she stood and listened to him, frowning slightly at his words. Oh joy, she had picked the assassin to mess with. She stayed silent for a few moments after he was done talking, letting his words sink in. She just realized how lucky she had gotten back in the alley, being at knife point from a man who killed people for a living. Her hand subconsciously went to her neck, rubbing gently at the spot the knife had been.

But then she snapped back to reality. "Why isn't he dead? Isn't it your job to make sure people like that are dead?" She stared at him, her eyebrows furrowed in confused frustration. He must not be a very good assassin, letting his target run free with his life. But that made her worry. What if it wasn't because he was a bad assassin, but because the man was more dangerous than she thought? An involuntary shudder ran through her body. What exactly were they dealing with?

Another explosion could be heard in the distance. A few moments later the ground shook. They were a pretty good distance off, but eventually the psycho would find them. Then what? She looked at the door as if expecting it to get ripped off the hinges. When nothing happened, she looked at Zephyr. "What are we doing now?"

[Anonymous]

((When Zehpyr gets pissed (cheers to Cosette for bringing up a touchy subject XD) He uses just the nicest language, huhXD))

Zephyr slammed the arm of the chair with the fist, his eyes flaring with anger that wasn't even directed at her. It was directed more at himself, and other people. He scowled. "'Why isn't he dead?' Isn't it my job'? Well, it isn't my job anymore, and as for him, he can just go to hell with the rest of those assholes." He looked up when she asked what now. He said, "We wait for him to fall into a little trap."

[Anonymous]

She jumped slightly. She figured he had a bit of a temper, figured he would be pissed when she brought up something he had failed at, and yet she couldn't prepare herself for the yelling. Her eyes widened at him and she stayed silent, allowing his anger to pass. He hadn't answered her first question, though it was clear that it had been some bitter mistake that seemed to almost haunt him. She made a mental note to be more sensitive next time she was to bring it up...that is if she brought it up again.

She didn't quite understand his second comment. "What trap?" She didn't remember setting up a trap, and she had been with him the whole time. She looked at him with a great deal of confusion in her eyes. All she knew is she didn't want to have to deal with that maniac out there alone. Meaning she would have to stay with Mr. Whatshisface. Just the thought of it made her want to groan and cheer at the same time. This would be...interesting.

[Anonymous]

Zephyr sighed. "Ah, I just used an old trick of mine. Due to some magic, he won't be able to find this house, and there's a fake trail leading out of town. It ends nearby, and he'll get yelled at by his boss when they figured out that he failed." He was back to an annoyed neutral. "Don't worry about him. He won't find us that soon." He went into his kitchen and got a sanwich. He threw an apple to her without a word.

[Anonymous]

She nodded, try to figure out how that worked. She never really questioned the ways of magic users; she had her own magic, even if it was only a small amount. She was just happy that psycho wouldn't be able to find them. What she wasn't happy about was that her host was once again grumbly. She groaned. She looked over at where he was, but he had disappeared. Her eyes widened in surprise, but then she heard him in the kitchen. He tossed an apple at her, which she caught in both hands. She looked at it, wondering if she should trust something he had given her. She wasn't his favorite person at the moment, but she didn't think he would poison her, so she took a bite.

Neither of them said a word for several minutes. He seemed to be too content with eating his sandwich, so she walked aimlessly around the room, looking at some of the stuff on his shelves without touching any of it. But she quickly grew bored of that, so she spun to face him, tilting her head at him. He really was a mysterious guy; an ex assassin, enemies that seemingly want him dead, several, unexplained scars. She narrowed her eyes at him, taking a few steps toward him. "So what exactly did you do? Just kill people?" She didn't quite know the duties or qualifications of an assassin; it seemed like one of those things she would never have to know about in her life. But now she was curious, as she usually was when a new topic came up. She just hoped maybe he would cooperate this time.

[Anonymous]

Zephyr wondered if he should answer. He didn't really mind talking about being an assassin; it was his faliures and missions he was touchy about. He swallowed a mouthful of sandwich. "I tracked people, I killed people, I got information out of people. I did the dirty jobs." He walked over to the couch and sat on it. "You know, I don't care if you sit down..." He scooted over from his spot in the middle of the couch to allow her to sit if she wanted. He figured the deal would be impossible if he didn't allow a little room himself. It wouldn't exactly be fair. He didn't seem the type to care if something was fair or not, but he didn't want her to be pissed off later and stalk him around again. He pointed to the scar on his cheek. "I also completed missions for those who hired me. Dangerous missions."

[Anonymous]

She shifted her weight awkwardly from one foot to the other as he talked about killing people. When he offered her a seat, she eyed it wearily. "I think I am ok standing for now." He did seem to be trying to make it easier for her, though his reason for that, she didn't know. He didn't seem like he would want her to win the deal, so why not make it as hard as possible? Her eyes darted across the bandages on his face to the scar he was pointing to. She winced ever so slightly. "What happened that gave you that scar? And all those bandages?" She took a bite of her apple, chewing nervously, as if waiting for an answer but also hoping he wouldn't give one.

[Anonymous]

Zephyr lowered his hand that was pointing and said, "I lost my eye." He said that simply, as if it was all the explanation needed condensed into 4 words. He sighed. "The scars on my face are not all the ones I have..." He looked into her eyes. The intensity of the gaze of his visible eye seemed to make up for the lost one. "Because I have so many scars, it doesn't mean I was a bad assassin. It doesn't mean I was a stupid assassin. It means...well, who cares what it means? It's all in the past." He sighed again.