Ink hurried down a dark alleyway, a misty rain clinging to the few strands of mane that poked out from under her dark hood. She passed by one of the hidden entrances to her brotherhood's hideout and had to resist the urge to press the switch disguised as a nearby keystone to get out of the rain. Instead she tossed her head and readjusted the heavy satchel hanging at her side, ducking into an outcropping and catching her breath for a moment before hurrying off again.
Her crimson hooves glistened as they splashed through puddles, her layered robes clinging to her frame heavily. She shivered sightly, her teeth chattering as she took a sudden turn into a different alley. For a second, she paused and let the wild gasps rip at her throat as she glanced over her shoulder anxiously.
Never again would she doubt Silent. Never again would she think he was giving her something beneath her level. She had been followed. She knew. She turned and braced herself, eyes scanning the nearby rooftops as she backed against the alley's end to make sure nothing could sneak up behind her.
A rustle of fabric there.
The echo of a hoofstep here.
She swallowed nervously and tossed her head to lower her beaked cowl, needing the ability to see out of her peripheral line of sight. For what seemed like forever, Ink stood there shivering as the rain quickened, making it impossible to see down the alleyway back to the main road. Sighing, she knocked on the nearby door nervously, making it louder than she should of because of nerves. She nervously glanced around as a small panel on the door slid open and cautious eyes looked at her.
“And what do you want at this hour?” Came the cutting voice of a pony from the other side of the door, almost blocked out by the sounds of breaking glass and something snapping. Ink took a moment to wonder what exactly Silent had gotten her into before responding.
“Pardonate, Messere,” she bowed her head in respect, still panting, and her words came out as a rush. “But I have a delivery. My master sent me-”
The door opened suddenly and she was pulled in roughly, the door slamming shut behind her. She almost squeaked as she found herself face to face with, much to her disbelief, a stallion who looked like her father. The black pegasus stood slightly shorter than Star Strike, and was missing the freckles across his nose, but he was missing the tips of his ears and had the same dusty gray hooves.
“Give it 'ere,” he continued, oblivious to her surprise.
Ink nodded and fumbled with the flap of her saddle bag, the metalwork of the Order's crest on it suddenly heavier than she remembered it being. She realized she was chilled to the bone from the rain, but still managed to wrestle the paper-wrapped package from within her bag. It was small, only slightly bigger than her hoof, and a rough cord tied the paper shut. She held the knot carefully in her teeth, then set the package on the floor in front of the stallion.
“Good,” he nodded his approval gruffly, “he taught 'ye well. Now go and get, little miss. You best get home before t'morrow comes.”
Something about that stroked her the wrong way. She paused, dread suddenly making her feel warm despite the chill from her soaked robes. “What do you mean? Why would I-?”
“Get!” He nudged Ink out of the door roughly, back into the rain, then slammed it shut behind her.
Ink stood there for a moment in disbelief, blinking in the rain. A lightning strike tore across the sky and for a moment, Ink thought she saw a figure standing on nearby rooftop. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. She was just nervous. Too many questions were flying around in her head to think clearly.
She toyed with the idea of going to the hideout to get shelter and a dry set of robes, but this was a Bleeding Moons mission, not Order. She had to return home to report to Silent as soon as possible, as tempting as the familiar warmth of her other home was. Sighing, she flipped her soaked hood back over her face, hoping it would provide her eyes with some protection from the rain as she ran off into the shadows of Canterlot.
He had to admit. She was doing well. Much better than he thought she would. Yes, she was nervous and paranoid, but that was to be expected. He didn't exactly send her into a part of Canterlot that she was familiar with. Silent smiled softly from his carefully concealed hiding spot in a nearby alley as his contact pulled her in roughly, acting according to the script they had agreed on. To make it more realistic for Ink, he actually managed to get a few of Ink's own brotherhood to follow her and make it seem like she was in danger from the package she was carrying.
Cruel, yes, but he had to laugh a little. She thought that bundle was something of dire importance. It was just a flask of imported wine from a neighboring country that he had come across and promised to his contact. No, it wasn't a full lie, as she had been told the package was valuable, but it was something slightly less dire than whatever she thought it was.
His smile grew slightly as he whistled, signaling for her fellow Assassins to fall back and return to the hideout. Their part of the job was done. He would later send Star Strike a thank you letter for aiding in making this as realistic as possible for Ink. In the past, it would have been fellow clan members, but the situation didn't allow that and it seemed fitting to let Ink's peers be the ones to give her the final test.
His brow furrowed slightly as Ink paused when she pushed back out into the rain. She was letting her nerves get to her. She was hesitating too much. He inwardly sighed. She loved familiarity, things to be explained, and knew that would be a weakness for her. She had to get used to knowing that she would not always have all the answers. Not everything would be laid out for her. It never had been, but she was used to the routine of an Order mission. Not the way the ones she would receive as a Bleeding Moon, which would be looser than what she was used to.
He slipped back into the shadows as she flipped up her hood again and disappeared into the rain, hoping to get a head start on her and meet her back home.