//------------------------------// // Chapter 99: A Night of Feeling // Story: A Long Way to Fall // by Cinders of War //------------------------------// Frigid Night and the others had arrived back at the Trottingham bureau to drop off High Noon and Dewdrop before almost immediately taking off for Hoofington with Morning Blade and the Mentor, who decided to start with that bureau first. It had taken an hour to get there by car, but Frigid didn’t mind. As long as he wasn’t in the air, travel didn’t bother him. Plus,  he didn’t have to move much, which was good for his injured side. The Hoofington bureau was about half the size of the Trottingham one, but the Assassins there were as hardy as any other. After a quick chat with their Mentor, Mentor Steel Shine had gathered the bureau’s Assassins before delivering her speech. “If we’re going to win this war, Assassins, then we need your help. The Templars will not have the artifacts, and we will succeed, but it starts with each and every one of you. Each Assassins plays their part, and no one is insignificant. All your contributions are greatly treasured by us, and only with your help will we succeed. Will you aid in this mission for our victory over the Templars?” Cheering arose from under her platform as Frigid tried to count the number of Assassins who were willing to risk their lives to ensure the Templars’ defeat. He lost count after thirty two, but at least he knew they were many. “Do you think this’ll work, Frigid?” Morning tapped his arm. “I mean, our numbers. Do we have enough manpower for this?” “I’m guessing so,” Frigid nodded his approval. “We’ll win this, Morning.” “What if numbers aren’t enough?” Morning asked. “The Templars say Sombra can sense the artifacts. What if he finds them on his own before we get all these Assassins there?” “We’ll do this, Morning. We’re not going to give up easily, you know that.” “Yes sir.” “Just remember that if we fail, the world will fall with us.” The rest of the week was spent with Frigid and Morning following the Mentor throughout the world, visiting the other bureaus to send more help to Saddle Arabia. Frigid had forgotten how many places they had been to, but he recalled going to Fillydelphia, Seaddle, San Franciscolt, and even as far as Prance to increase their fighting numbers. Finally ending at Canterfax, Frigid and the others began the journey home. They had beds to sleep in while visiting the other bureaus, but to Frigid Night, sleeping in his own bed was its own experience. “So, Mentor,” Morning started as the car continued to make its journey. “Do you think this is enough?” Steel Shine had her head facing out the window, but Frigid could still see the determination in her reflection. “Yes. As a united Brotherhood, we will reclaim Masyaf from Sombra and tear down the Templar Order once and for all. With the artifacts in our possession, we have a chance against their Grand Master. Sombra is powerful, but alas he only has one artifact. He cannot hope to stand against more.” “You can take him, Mentor,” Morning encouraged. “We believe in you.” Frigid wished he had the optimism his apprentice had. He had seen how the Mentor fought with her gleaming blade, but after every battle, it was as if the strength was draining right out of her. The longer she wielded the weapon, the weaker she became. More artifacts? Frigid hoped the Mentor knew what she wanted with them. High Noon returned back to his room close to midnight, tossing his hat over to his clothes rack by the entrance. The cowboy stretched out the stiffness in his shoulders as he let out a long but pleasant yawn. He had spent all day helping Red Card shift supplies around, boxing weapons and armor, ready to send them to Saddle Arabia with the next batch of Assassins. Silent Frame was leading the next group while the Mentor was away; they had already left for the airport in the afternoon. Spectral Rim was no doubt going with her partner, but High Noon didn’t know the others who were going. He had wished them good luck, but they simply walked past him without a word. Placing his coat, gauntlets and sash on the nearby round table, High Noon went to the bathroom and washed up before sliding his feet over to his table. He swapped his blue shirt and scarf out for a simple grey t-shirt before moving over to his bed. The cowboy could feel his pillow calling out to him as he sat down and kicked off his boots before turned himself to match the bed, leaning back against his soft pillow with a sigh of contempt. He scratched at his beard and was about to turn off the lamp when he noticed something wasn’t right. There seemed to be something under the sheets beside him. High Noon pulled his blanket up and almost fell off the bed in surprise. Dewdrop was lying underneath his sheets, completely naked, with her clothes close to her, some strewn on to the floor on the other side of the bed where he had failed to notice earlier. “Huh…?” she suddenly got up and blinked a few times. “Oh, Noon. Whassup, Noon? Nice night huuuh?” Great, High Noon frowned. She’s drunk. Again. And naked. Wow, she’s pretty… Wait. Noon! What do you think you’re doing? Focus! No, not so closely! “Umm… Dewdrop. Not to b-be rude or a-anything, but…” High Noon tried not to look at her body, but she crept out of the sheets, forcing him to flee backwards awkwardly. “T-this is m-my room, you know? I think y-you’re in the wrong place.” “Nooooonsenssssse!” she chuckled and crawled closer to Noon. The cowboy soon found his back against the wall, looking around nervously, unsure of what to do. “I’m exaaaactly where I wanna be!” The female Assassin placed a palm on the cowboy’s chest, feeling his fast heartbeat. “I know you schtill like me, Nooooon. I know you doooo! That’s why I’m heeere…” “I-I, uh, don’t know what y-you’re talking about, Dew.” High Noon felts his cheeks burn as the blue haired Assassin lifted herself higher, pressing her bare chest against his. “T-t-too c-close, Dewdrop.” Oh man, oh man. This feels so awesome... High Noon! Stop thinking about this sort of thing! She’s not herself! “Come oooooon, Noon! Live a little!” Dewdrop laughed again, patting his chest with a hand. Most guys would die happy from this situation, but High Noon just didn’t know what to do. Sure, he thought she was hot. Pretty much every guy in the bureau felt the same way, but when they found out Dewdrop wasn’t interested in guys, a lot gave up, disappointed. But here she was, drunk but naked, before his very eyes. Noon’s self-control broke for just a second as he let an eye wander down her body, taking in the wonderful sight in front of him just for a brief moment, only to realize Dewdrop was watching him with a smirk on her face. “Uh, it’s n-not what you t-think, Dew,” he stammered embarrassedly. “I-I was just finding a way to… to… ummm…” “Doooon’t kid yourselffff, Noon.” Dewdrop grabbed his shoulders and pulled herself higher, pinning him against the wall with her elbows. “You like thissssss, don’t you?” She began to slowly bring her face closer to his own. “Just one kiss, Noon. Juuuuuuuust one. Maybe two? I knoooow you like my lips.” A kiss? I’d love to- No, Noon! You don’t. She doesn’t love you! She’s just out of it! You can’t do it! High Noon panicked. He felt her lips brush against his, but his head was already against the wall, unable to pull back away from the drunk Assassin. The cowboy could only close his eyes as his friend’s lips enveloped his, his mind almost going blank from the dream-like experience. It felt so much better than the time they kissed in the car. This isn’t her… She doesn’t know what she’s doing. Though… It’s nice… Dewdrop… Maybe, maybe just for a while... Dewdrop pulled away for air, giving High Noon a brief chance to get away. He didn’t. The female Assassin quickly swooped back in for another kiss, wrapping her arms around High Noon’s neck, pulling him tightly towards herself as her mouth joined with his once more, moaning into it, bringing up High Noon’s excitement level. Noon’s will faltered as his hands reached for her pale back and her butt, holding on to her as he enjoyed the moment. Her skin felt so soft under his grip, and the way her mouth connected to his… It was all too much for High Noon to resist. She broke away one more time, looking him in the eyes with a smile on her face. “See, Noon? I knew you like meeee! Just a little mooore… I can do better than a kiss...” More-more than a kiss…? High Noon had indeed thought about going further when they were hiding out in that car from the Templars, but it would’ve definitely been a bad idea then, especially if the Templars heard them. Dewdrop moved her arms under Noon’s shirt, slowly pushing it up as she kissed him again. Soon it was resting on the bed beside the cowboy as he held her smooth face in his hands, not wanting to let go of such a rare chance with the girl he had a crush on. The blue haired Assassin reached for his belt and undid it as she forced her tongue into his mouth, probing around in search of Noon’s. He felt her place a hand on his sensitive spot down below. Dewdrop… This is great… Noon held his friend close, one hand leaving her face to inspect her body. He had never touched a girl’s body like this before, not even... He remembered Windy again. His old apprentice was such a sweet girl, and that was one of the reasons why he had fallen for her. She was just too perfect, not cut out to be an Assassin. High Noon regretted not conveying his feelings to her sooner. At least Frigid and Dewdrop had their chance with the ones they loved. The one Dewdrop loved. The one she still loved. Satin Breeze. This isn’t right. I shouldn’t be taking advantage of this. I’ve got to stop... Dewdrop was in the process of pulling down his pants when High Noon grabbed for her wrists and held them still. “Dew, wait! This isn’t you. Think about Satin! You love her, not me!” His sudden outburst stopped Dewdrop in her tracks. The pale-skinned Assassin suddenly pulled back and away from High Noon, falling on her bottom on the other side of the bed. High Noon looked down between her legs and speedily turned away as his face reddened. The female Assassin seemed to realize what was happening and pulled High Noon’s sheets across her body. The cowboy quickly pulled his pants back up till it couldn’t go any further, embarrassed that he had almost given in to her. “Wolfgang…” Dewdrop breathed before turning her hostile gaze to the cowboy, her drunken-like state already a memory. “Where is he, Noon? I’m going to kill him.” “He’s in Saddle Arabia right now, but-” “He took Satin from me, Noon!” she shouted at the top of her voice. “He deserves to die!” “Now, Dew…” High Noon decided it was better when she was trying to flirt with him, although it didn’t seem right. “Just calm down. Saddle Arabia is miles away, and the group headed there has already left.” “Doesn’t matter! I’m going, and I’m going to find that monster and end him.” “Dewdrop, you can’t,” High Noon said, worried for his friend’s mental state. “It’s dangerous to go by yourself.” “So what?” she shot back, making High Noon flinch. “All I care about is avenging Satin! Nothing else matters, you understand?” There was a knock at the door, followed by the sound of the door knob turning. “Hey, could you lower your…” It was Pierce Network, who paused after taking in the sight of both Assassins, almost fully uncovered. Great… High Noon wanted to smack himself in the face. Now he’s probably going to get the wrong idea... “Hmm… I didn’t know you two were in a relationship. I always assumed Dewdrop didn’t like men. Well, maybe I guessed wrong. But I’m rarely wrong, just so you know. I do all my calculations beforehand. ” The Assassin had his eyes on his phone while he spoke. “It’s n-nothing like that, Pierce, don’t g-get the wrong idea!” High Noon began waving his hands furiously. “She’s just delusional. Uh, that’s not w-what I meant, Dew. There’s nothing wrong with you, uh, you… You’re just confused. R-right?” “Keep saying what you want, Noon,” Pierce shuffled away as fast as his feet could go. “Just keep the noise down; some of us are trying to sleep.” The door closed, leaving High Noon and Dewdrop alone with silence building around them. Then after a few more moments, Dewdrop got off the bed and began gathering her clothes, still holding on to High Noon’s bedsheet. “Dewdrop,” the cowboy rubbed the back of his head. “I hope you don’t make the wrong choice. You shouldn’t go out there on your own, not like that.” “Why should I listen to anything you say?” Dewdrop turned away from him and dropped the sheet, exposing her rear to the cowboy until he turned away, covering his eyes with a hand. “Turn around. I need to change.” “Al-already done, Dew…” High Noon kicked his legs off his bed and faced the wall. “An-and, well… I care about you. You’re my friend.” “I will do anything it takes to kill him, Noon,” Dewdrop said as she slipped her underwear on. “Even if I have to fight you, you hear me?” High Noon didn’t like where this was going, but he had to stop her. Even if she was like that, she was still his friend, and he couldn’t let her hurt herself. “Dewdrop, listen. Mentor’s going to be back either tomorrow or the next day. If you can just wait until she returns, you can go to Saddle Arabia with her, no problem. Just… don’t go rogue and do as you please. D-does that sound alright to y-you?” Dewdrop growled as she fiddled with the button on her pants. “Whatever.” High Noon wasn’t convinced. “Really, Dew. I m-mean it.” “And I already gave you an answer, Noon. Drop it already.” “Oh-okay…” He didn’t know how else to make sure she wasn’t going to leave until the Mentor got back. “Umm… Can-can I turn around n-now?” The door slamming was all High Noon needed to know. He looked back and sighed, finally able to relax. She really scared him sometimes. If she wasn’t busy trying to tease him, she was busy thinking about killing Wolfgang. Not knowing how to help her, Noon grabbed his bedsheet from the floor and fell on his bed. He turned off the lamp and closed his eyes. All he could do now was worry about tomorrow. Both Morning Blade and Twilight Sparkle's faces were red after the ex-Assassin had finished recounting this page. Morning didn't even know why she had written it down in such detail, but she did. "Another one of these, hu-huh?" Twilight pulled at the corners of her purple hair. "Y-Yes..." Morning took interest in a pebble by her feet. "You kn-know, Pierce was the one who told me at first, and then Dewdrop after. I guess she really... didn't think it was much of any-anything embarrassing..." She still remembered the day Dewdrop had smugly told her what she had done to High Noon that night, or at least, what she had tried to do to High Noon that night. "Your Dewdrop really is an interesting character. My Dewdrop is a little cheeky, yes, but nothing like this. Oh, and I have yet to see my world's High Noon. He isn't a guard. I wonder where he is." "I'm guessing maybe your High Noon's still back in Appleloosa?" Morning was happy to take the topic away from such intimate things. "I'll make a note to go visit Appleloosa some day. That would be nice," Twilight chuckled. "I could go get some Appleloosan apple cider. That's definitely something to look forward to."