Wanted for Mercy- Mini Prologue
(Its the new year so here is the mini prologue for my secret project named Wanted for Mercy!! Enjoy and happy new year!!
- Mod Art)
Of all the things she figured would happen to her while she worked on a speech for, by far one of the biggest causes she's ever tackled, she didn't expect to pinned to the edge of her balcony staring down a would be assassin.
He was fairly tall for a fairy, shorter than Asher though most fairies weren't as freakishly tall as her older brother was, his skin was a dark blue dotted with golden freckles. His teeth were sharp as she could see from the smile he bore on his face. She noticed dimples on his cheeks once covered by a bright red bandana. She continued to scan him, thanking in his worn clothes, the bandages with dried blood around his forearms and the strange gloves he wore only allowing separate movements of the fore finger and thumb, they seemed specifically tailored to his hands.
She kept all of this in her mind for later, as she knew she would escape this deadly situation, don't ask her how she knew, the point was she'd need to know everything about his appearance to identify him later to her parents and other L.E.P. officers. From his tail waving idly back and forth behind him to his platinum blonde hair tied back into a tiny ponytail. His bangs covering his eyes from her view.
Maple took in a calming breath, taking both hands from the railing to place them up to show him she meant no harm, though she imagined he felt he had the high ground in the situation.
"Who are you?" She questioned. Eyeing the door behind him, the door to safety, the door to three fairies who, once they knew she was in danger, would take care of him swiftly.
The demon looking creature chuckled, his voice was smooth, sounding young, maybe a bit younger than Maple herself.
"That doesn't matter to you," he says brandishing the knife in his gloves hands, he was trying to make a show of it but it was clear he wasn't very skilled. Actually everything he did was very amateur, from revealing himself on the balcony when she went out for fresh air (as fresh as cycled air could be,), to taking off his mask two seconds after presenting himself to her. Not to mention when he slipped for a second by stepping on his own tail.
"Well why don't you tell me anyway, you're here to kill me aren't you? What's a few words between assassin and victim?" She debated. He crossed his arms, tapping the tip of the knife on his chin thinking about it for a moment.
"You make a compelling argument," he seceded. He held out the hand not holding the knife, "Names Jin, Zephyr Jin, like you said, I'm here to kill you," she took the tip of his index finger with her pointer and thumb shaking it slightly before retracting her hand, she didn't want to give him a chance to pull her close by grabbing her.
"Can I ask why you want to kill me?" She asked taking a casual lean back despite the roaring panic in her mind, but it's fine, she's got this.
"It's not that I really want to, I've got nothing against you personally, I don't really even know who you are, they just gave me a picture and an address, I'm just a guy trying to make rent," he confessed pulling her picture out of his pocket, flipping it over to show an address and a few scribbled notes she figured were his.
"So you're working for someone who's paying you to do this?" She took the picture taking a closer look at it, he was being very open with her, maybe he was just overconfident, or maybe he actually had some skill to kill.
"Yeeeeeup!" He affirmed. "Decent amount too, enough for five whole months of rent," he chuckled to himself, she got an idea.
"What if I could give you enough money so you wouldn't have to pay rent ever again?" He perked up at this, looking at her with wide golden eyes.
"You're kidding?" He asked incredulously she pulled out her mobile opening her bank app and then flashing it in his face. If it could his jaw would have completely dropped to the floor and shattered in a comically fashion. He drew up a hand to count the zeros.
"I've never seen so many zeros in my life!" He proclaimed. Which was probably an exaggeration but she just smiled, nodding and began waving it around as you would a treat to an expectant dog.
"This could be all yours and maybe even a little more if you can tell me why your old boss wants me dead," his eyes were locked on the screen it almost seemed like he'd start salivating. He shut his mouth and began nodding his head vigorously.
"Whatever you say boss lady!" She smirked. That was easy… possibly too easy. This guy didn't seem like someone who'd done killing jobs before, or any covert job where sneak was key. Also bearing in mind what he told her about what he was getting paid, he's the cheapest assassin she's ever met. (Not that she's met other assassins)
"So spill, who sent you and why?" She demanded holding the mobile a bit higher to meet her eye line. The demon looking boy stood straight up and for the first time looked her in the eyes. He froze for a moment just staring deeply into her blue orbs. She quite literally snapped him out of his trance.
"Um, it was a bunch of old people and a few business looking guys, they said something about you wanting to make more fairy safe spaces on the surface, and how you wanted to work with mud people who liked fairies or whatever," he scratched his chin as he racked his brain for more details, "they were very mad, saying how it's so much better down here and what not, and they don't like his Fowl guy whoever that is and they gave me a bunch of cash to kill ya," he finished reaching his hand towards her mobile.
She slapped his hand putting the mobile in her pocket. The boy rubbed his hand, grumbling something about sensitivity, and why are people so rude. Maple put a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back into the glass door of her balcony in a moment of courage.
"Alright, so," she pulled out the mobile waggling it in his face once more, "If what you say is true and someone is trying to kill me before my speech, then I need some protection, and you need this cash so how's about we make a little deal?"
And just like that she had gotten herself a bodyguard and began the longest week in her whole life, filled with daring chases and several near death experiences.