Return to Azkhar III

The buzzing nightlife of Azkhar was almost as fascinating as Libran, but something about it was a bit more restricted. Maybe because Libran was for "free souls" while Azkh was not. No one was ever truly free in Azkh.

Kaer eyed the giggling crowd as their laughter filled the night air. She wondered what it meant to live so happily and nonchalantly without a care in the world. She shook the thought away and passed through the night market, headed towards Home Sweet Home. It was the most popular guild in Central Azkh. The only place that could provide you with any type of information you needed on anyone, as long as you could afford it. Kaer had planted an ear there long ago. One that could not dare betray her. The night sky was dark with an absent moon today. Even the stars weren't out but their absence went unnoticed because of the bright street lights illuminating the city. Although she was still on guard, Kaer felt slightly relaxed tonight. Was it her total physical transformation or the evening cold wind? She wasn't sure which but she didn't hate this feeling. She subconsciously touched her thigh to feel the knife beneath her silk sheer beige dress, hoping she would have no reason to use it tonight. She liked this dress Saun had made for her and didn't plan to get it soiled with blood anytime soon.

Home Sweet Home looked like a rundown building about to collapse but its exterior was a mere facade to deceive people. Guests were all supposed to wear a mask. An unspoken policy to prevent one from knowing who the other was. The buyer and the seller of information were to strictly remain strangers. It was the best way to protect everyone's anonymity. Kaer had purchased a beige-coloured eye mask to go with her dress. She couldn't help but like the way she looked tonight. She looked nothing like Nurïh and she loved that. She walked down the terrible staircase that led to the entrance of the underground guild.

"Welcome. What name may we call you?" The attendant asked her. Although his mask covered his entire face but his eyes, she could tell he had a wide smile.

"Seven. Call me Seven" she replied.

"Ah, lucky number Seven! Yes then, Miss Seven. Welcome to Home Sweet Home! Do you know your way around or is this your first time here?" He asked with a friendly tone. She could tell he had been on the job for a while now, accustomed to fake smiles to appease customers.

"I know my way"

"Okay then. Have a nice time, Miss Seven"

The guild was built underground by some of the most talented architects. The structure and layout were perfectly constructed in a way that a newcomer would get lost. The corridors, the rooms, it was all so similar that one wouldn't be able to distinguish the difference. Not Kaer though. She had studied the place way too many times not to tell it apart. Unlike what one would expect, it was a very elegant place for a guild. The dazzling chandeliers, the exquisite furnishing and the expensive wine and dine made it seem more like a flashy restaurant than a guild. She assumed that was what the owner had intended.

The owner.

That was one piece of information she still hadn't gotten. She had often asked her ear to get something on that, but no news. She needed to find the owner and get acquainted with them no matter the cost. She sat by the bar, her eyes scanning through the room as she ordered a drink.

"One shot of anything dark and sweet"

The masked waiter smiled at her order and nodded. While waiting for her drink, Kaer scanned the huge room. It was filled with people dressed in the finest clothes to those covered in worn-out cotton. Despite their masks, it was still so easy to tell the rich from the poor. She wondered what kind of information all these people searched for.

'Then again, not everyone truly knew this place's purpose. Most people still thought of it as a restaurant'. She reminded herself.

"Here you go" the waiter was back with her drink, pulling her out of her reverie with a clank of the glass. She nodded at him as a sign that she liked it and he went on with his work. She sipped from the glass, perceiving a fruity smell to it, as her legs tapped on the floor impatiently. She had sent a letter to her ear that she'd be here by around this time tonight yet the man was nowhere in sight. She glanced at the time. She was a bit early but that didn't give him the right to be late. He had five minutes. She could wait at most ten. She took a sip of her drink, thankful for the fruits the waiter had given her "on the house". The so-called pretty privilege, she thought. People were always quick to talk about the rosy side of pretty privilege but never dwelled on the shit it came with.

"Hi there, gorgeous" a peacock feather mask stranger said to the appropriately uninterested Kaer.

Ah, just the type of shit she thought of.

She quickly analysed his appearance. Fancy imported leather shoes, an expensive outfit, gold knuckle rings and a gold chain with a tiny ruby pendant. This guy was either begging to be robbed or had enough protection to feel comfortable walking around like that.

"What do you want?" She asked nonchalantly

"Ohh fiesty! But you see, I don't really like them feisty. Women ought to be docile. Submissive. What do you think about changing that attitude now?"

Kaer stared at the fool. His slimy grin as he licked his lips made her want to punch him. It had been a while since she last met someone who was truly worthless.

"If you walk away now I'll pretend you never said that"

"What? This bitch! Or what?!" He was getting loud. A trait she despised.

"What are you gonna do huh?!!" He banged on the table loudly, drawing more attention to the scene.

Kaer mentally weighed the pros and cons of slicing this fucker's neck here but she'd be arrested immediately. Thrown into prison to rot till the day she died. At the same time, the increasing attention was the last thing she needed.

"Sorry, I'm late babe!" She felt a huge rough palm on her shoulder and quickly turned to see the owner. They belonged to her ear. The bastard that had kept her waiting.

"Where have you been? I've been waiting!" She pouted like a spoilt child, playing along. The ruby pendant fucker sitting beside her stared in shock.

"Who is this? A friend?" Her ear asked, still diving into the ''boyfriend" role.

"No. I don't know him" she held his hand tightly as if to say she was scared. "He just came up to me and started hitting on me"

"Oi, what do you want with my girl?" The ear cracked his knuckles aggressively, tilting his head to the side as he furrowed his brows. He shadowed Kaer, standing in front of her as he said, "Didn't any of your parents teach you not to bother a woman if she isn't interested, you piece of shit?"

"W, what? What did you just say to me, you bastard fucker?" Ruby man said, bewildered by the attitude of the supposed boyfriend.

"Oh, how'd you know I'm a bastard, are you my father, shithead?" This time the ear moved closer, a few centimetres away from the pervert as he whispered, "Oi, I've met suckers like you dressed in the little gold you can afford, thinking you can get any woman in Azkhar. Do you know where most of y'all end up? In the sewers of the slums, you bastard"

"What?"

"Stay the fuck away from my girl if you don't want your head to end up rolling in the gutters of the slums tonight" Kaer's ear warned coldly, his dark eyes showing that he meant every word and the ruby cunt knew better than to argue further as he spied the silver blade the poked out of the man's pocket.

This one was crazy, the ruby man knew.

"Whatever, they're many girls around to choose from anyway" he tsked, hiding his fear and anxiety as he eventually backed away.

Now that peace had been restored and everyone had gone back to minding their business, the two could finally have an uninterrupted conversation.

"I see your acting skills have gotten better. I almost fell for you for a second there" Kaer told him.

"Well, I did work at a theatre for a while-" he said with a smile

"You're late"

"Ah, about that, I had some... problem to take care of..." he said, scratching the back of his head as he looked away from her piercing gaze.

"Woman problems, I assume" She whispered under her breath, unsurprised. Even the first time she met him, he had been this close to death's door, caught up in a chokehold and a hammer to his head as another man threatened to kill him for sleeping with his wife. A claim that had indeed been true. Years had gone by but the fool never learned his lessons. Night after night, he spent in the arms of different women. The man was a born womanizer. If any man was to truly die because of his lust for women, it would be this one that stood before her.

"You know me well" he said a bit embarrassed, taking a peek at her face to see what expression she wore. She was a beauty! Her every feature was bound to leave any man in awe. But he didn't dare to think of her in that way. At least he tried not to let it show.

He wasn't that stupid!

He had seen her kill a man twice his size in the blink of an eye with no remorse. He had watched as she cleaned off the bloodstain and went on to eat her food as if nothing had happened. He didn't know her background nor where she came from and he knew for sure that her name "Kaer" was most likely a made-up name. Yes, he had to be careful around this woman. He had to count his words. He reminded himself every day. After all, his life was in her hands... since that day.

"Haa, tell me what I've missed. I'm sure you've got some news for me. And it better be worth the time you've made me waste" she sipped her drink, her eyes meeting his now and he swallowed.

"Indeed, I have some news that'll leave you in shock. But it's up to you to decide if it's good or bad"