Beautiful Sin
Descending Fire 18, R.Y. 768
Opal hardly slept overnight, though she should have known better than to worry too much over Lord of the Ashen Cloud. He had a habit of being a bit of a night owl and was certainly a bit flighty at times, on many occasions he didn’t return on the night of a banquet or party. But never when on assignment, was it possible something had happened to him?
She hooked her feet under the bed frame and started to do sit ups on the wooden floor of the inn they were staying in for this assignment. It passed the time at least, and she sure as hell wasn’t eating the food the room service had brought up, Ash had ordered it the night before despite Opal’s protests. An hour passed after they should have left to start the plan they laid out so thoroughly over the last several days. They had accounted for every variable, except for the inconceivable notion that Ash would not be around to execute it.
She picked up a towel from the bed and wiped the sweat from her skin, pushing the rolling cart into the wall out of frustration. Opal left the inn room an hour before Zenith, as frustrated as she was concerned; but more important than where Ash had disappeared to was completing the assignment. It would not be easy to complete, she’d have to adjust the plan, but she had confidence in her own abilities.
Ash awoke suddenly and bolted upright out of bed, throwing the unfamiliar silk sheets down to his waist. His mind reeled for a moment as light flooded the room, his head felt ready to explode as his vision blurred momentarily. He looked around the room, the door was still locked and shut, scanning over to the window that had been kicked open. A thin crouching figure with fiery red hair slowly straightend out... she looked unhappy. What time was it? What day was it?
"You..."
Ash rubbed his eyes as his vision cleared up and he gave Opal a concerned look, he waved his hand slightly at her as if to calm her down.
"She is already dead, no need to..." Ash spoke quietly as Opal lifted an empty wine bottle from the floor, kicking a second out of her path as she approached the bed looking like she was ready for war.
"I know she is dead Ash, I was thinking if you enjoyed her company so much you could join her." Opal spoke spitefully as she hurled the wine bottle at his head, causing him to duck and tumble from the bed to the floor. The wine bottle shattered loadly on the headboard where Ash's head was moments before.
"Shit. Calm down... Your gonna wake the whole place." Ash got up slowly from the floor, seemingly unconcered with covering his bare body as he backed away from her slowly.
"I'm not even going to ask what happened, I would just end up more angry wouldn't I?"
Opal spoke as she turned away from Ash and looked to the dead body of their target who had been laying in the bed beside Ash. She pressed a hand calmly to the girls throat, checking that the girl had died and in a way that suited their mission's specifications. Opal shook her head slightly as she listened to Ash rummaging around the room, probably for his clothes, somewhat in amazement and somewhat in frustration that his apparent incompetance had worked out so well. She had learned to stop asking questions while working with Ash and Mesa, both seemed to make assassination seem easy. Like it REALLY was an accident, people around them just died. The way death followed them and their complete lack of concern sometimes even caught the veteran Grass Spider off guard.
"Get up..."
"What?"
Opal turned around quickly, what the hell was Ash talking about. She was in no mood. To her suprise she saw Ash was hunched over a third form, shaking a man wrapped in a heavy fur from a deep slumber. To her dismay he had also made no progress towards dressing himself or gathering his things to leave the scene.
"Who is that?"
Ash turned back towards Opal with a familiar smirk, as The Champagne Vagabond rolled over and cracked his eye lids to look at Opal.
"Hesiesh be damned! Two burning swords in one room, no wonder its so loud this morning." Champagne stated to stir from his slumber after complaining about the two fire-aspected dragon bloods. Of course Opal was not, but she just rolled her eyes rather than correct him.
"Don't suppose you have an extra pair of pants with you my dear?" Ash said to Opal as he scratched his head briefly, "Mine don't seem to be here...."
"Oh! You are insufferable." Opal started for the window to take her leave, the hit had been completed and somehow it was up to their standards. She didn't need to wait for Ash and Champagne's hangovers to wear off to leave, what was Champagne even doing here? He wasn't even apart of this mission.
Ash sighed softly as he watched Opal storm off for the window, he shrugged slightly before he took up a towel that was still neatly folded on the guest chair of the hotel. He wrapped it tightly around his waist, lifting his essence cannon, money pouch, and other personal effects from the nearby table and tucking it into the back of the towel.
"Good friend, I take it you need no helping showing yourself out?" Ash spoke with a smirk to Champagne as he backed towards the open window, giving a half salute to his fellow assassin, who returned the gesture, before Ash backed out of the window after Opal.
Ash glanced down the building to Opal, calling down to her as he started to climb up towards the roof. "Your going the wrong way, our ride is up here." Ash skillfully climbed up one story to the roof of the hotel, Opal reluctantly joined him as she easily made her way onto the roof next to him. "Don't look so angry, at least you got a show this morning."
Ash spoke with a wink to Opal as a rope dropped from the familiar aircraft hovering high above the roof of the hotel. It was almost high noon exactly and the figure of the ship was impossible to make out looking directly into the sun, like it was all a part of the plan.
"Ladies first, besides I don't want you looking up my towel."
"Like you're one to be modest."Opal sighed as she took the rope and started to climb nimbly up the narrow rope, Ash took hold of the bottom securely and as he did the airship started to lift away from the city taking Ash and Opal up and away with them.
"I can't believe you slept in that bed with her all night." Opal called casually down to him as they flew off.
"I was tired, you'd understand if you took up my offer sometime."
Opal didn't even difnify that comment with a response.
"You want to get some breakfest? I'm starving..."