Ouroboros
Part 1
Against the rarity of it, tonight, it rained in Rome. The heavy drops of icy water fit between the locks of blond hair that fell loosely against her back, damping it against the black of her clothes, down the slope of her cheek bones, through the hollow beneath. Usually, Ren would curse the downpour and all that related, but this time the killer welcomed it with open arms. Nature seldom played on her side, however she had her reasons to think fate had an interest in closing cycles. With one hand, she moved the now soaking wet strands that clung to her forehead, her movements growing slower as she reached the turning corner of a street, lit only by passing cars, casting temporary shadows that outlined her tall frame, and flashing banners of empty bars.Â
And what was Jessica Rosemont doing, leaving one so late at night?
The wind fought an incessant battle against the wires of her umbrella, and finally, she lost. At which point, she'd crossed the street, unknowingly walking closer and closer to her very own lupus in fabula. With both palms facing upwards, she fruitlessly tried to stop the rain from reaching her hair. Cute, did she not have bigger things to worry about. With small rivers running between each tile, the parallelepiped floor played tricks, and the look of both shock and horror the girl's face was palpable when Ren was the one who caught her after she tripped over her own two feet.
The warning 'don't scream' was a silent one, and hardly necessary. She felt innocence shaking under her grip, and that's when she let go.
She wasn't going anywhere.
The fear in her bones kept her from running. What a masterpiece, she was. Like a fine painting, each brush stroke had been placed with passion and with care, but in between each, there was also cruelty, and that cruelty made a home for all the demons she'd drawn in there, too. Ren took slow, tentative steps towards the girl, who remained unmoving still. She touched two calloused fingers to her cheek, feeling the softness of unscarred flesh under her own. Pale and wet as a corpse, her skin shone red and then purple as the bar sign flashed from open to closed.Â
That satisfied Ren to a great degree.Â
She smiled, and the light caught glimpse of something else. Â
Something small. Something silver. Something sharp.Â
"A-Are you going toâ" Against her will, tears started spilling out as she practically choked on her own tongue, her antagonist's simple glare kicking the air out of her lungs. "Are you- Are you going toâ to tor-torture me a-again?"
Ren shook her head, a malicious grin wrapped around the lips that answered, "No. I don't like playing with broken toys."
There was a flash of panic and relief that danced in between the features that a second before, showed only the former. The thoughts that made it through her head didn't have time to be processed, for a moment after, she had the girl pressed tightly against herself, her back to her chest, the dome of her skull resting heavily against Ren's firm shoulder. She held her in place by the forehead, moist by a mixture of sweat and rain. As expected by those seeing death, she cried out now, at last finding the strength for it. Looking up, hopeless and desperate, she growled, like a wolf howling at moon above.
But it was of no use.Â
They both fought it, but they both knew the intimacy they shared. In the touch of her blade, in her cry for help. Before Ren could bring the knife to meet her skin, her victim's voice her grown weak, and vanished into the dark.
With its cutting edge against the base of her throat, Jessica started then, with her eyes closed, and lips parted, "Our Father.... Who... art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name..."
"Are you praying?"
"Thy kingdom come..."
Oh, how long she'd waited for this moment. She drew she blade slowly along her throat, shutting her up and cutting her prayer short. Holy words spilled from her mouth until her last second, as if clinging to God was more important than air. Even after she was gone, Ren held her lifeless body against her own, the rush leaving her with more flames than this weather could put out. Finally, she whispered an "Amen,"Â and let the girl fall to the ground, making less noise had she still anything in her.
The water around her shoulders was stained red and it lapped against her blandly. Ren stepped over her, her foot sinking into one of the black pools that had formed, and with one nonchalant stride after the other, she walked away. The rain alone washed away the scarlet stains on her face, although she'd keep them if she could.Â
Part 2
The police had always slacked, and those who wore a badge never quite owned up to them. Ren gave it an hour, perhaps two until sirens began ringing; that, if an accident wasn't what they decided to brand it. Head down, hands in her pockets, she walked straight through the grime that coated the streets, through the garbage and muck that clung to this shit of a city that for so many years she endured for the sake of one.Â
In close distance, a car door opened, and she knew who it was for. With a fastened pace and a couple more steps, she got inside and closed the door, bringing half of outside's drizzle inside with her.Â
The brunette sitting next to her looked displeased, but before she could say a word, Ren blurt out, "Wheel."
They changed places, messily and through cuss words, but once the blonde was on her rightful place and Lucianna sat as the passenger, they could talk. "Did you do it?"
A question that answered it itself, but she said something nonetheless. "Yes."
The two women remained in silence for a minute, but that didn't mean nothing was being said. If Jessica's mind had been Ren's playground, then Lucianna's was her resting place, and despite the denial that ran in the blood of both, they shared the conscience of that. They were rough, but honest, and true. Whatever it is that they shared, it was poison. Lethal, in most cases, but saving in others.Â
"So, where to?"
Her voice was firm and unwavering. "Where we can rule."
