On the 44th floor of building Gamma, a hiding place for various thugs and ingrates that prided itself on it’s ability to keep a secret, sat a single apartment situated in one of the more quiet sections of the building. The owners were known for slotting you exactly where you wanted to be. For that reason, most floors were often called by their nicknames, rather than the actual floor. However, floor 44 was the exception to this rule, as there was nothing that made this floor stand out, and that was how the residents preferred it.
Blood Eye opened the door to her apartment and stepped inside, the orange mare named Scootaloo following close behind, closing the door behind her. The room was barely furnished, consisting of a couch, a table, and the kitchen. There was two doors to the side, one leading to the bedroom and the other to the bathroom.
“So uh, how long does my money cover me for?” Scootaloo walked over to the couch and hesitantly took a seat. Blood Eye dropped the body by the door, moved into the kitchen, and set a pot of water to boil as she pulled out a cup of expired noodles.
“Five minutes,” was the reply Blood Eye gave, pouring the hot water into the cup and adding the flavor, setting it to simmer as she headed for the bathroom and turned on the sink, scrubbing her teeth. Scootaloo stood up and slowly approached, her confusion evident.
“Then why were you protecting me at the tower?” Stumbling back as Blood Eye left the bathroom, she fell over the couch and looked toward the ceiling. Blinking, she tilted her head at the sight of a small hideaway that held a large chest nestled above the door. It was a good hiding place, only a pegasus would think to look there.
“I wasn’t.” Blood Eye took the noodles over to the table, sat down, and began to eat with a fork, spinning the noodles around the fork and eating them slowly, as if this would be her last meal. Scootaloo sat up, and looked toward Blood Eye as she finally realised she had been used, and laughed mockingly.
“You just used me to get to that body.” Scootaloo sighed and rubbed the back of her head, realising how naive she had been. Blood Eye had probably tossed the broker an extra coin to get that recommendation. The money hadn’t meant anything.
“That’s right.” Blood Eye continued eating, staring into nothing.
“But then why didn’t you take her deal up about giving me up? Surely you could have traded my life for yours.” Scootaloo watched Blood Eye raise her head, chewing slowly as she stared at Scootaloo. After a moment, she swallowed.
“The deal called for me to pay half the bounty. I don’t share bounties. Your life had nothing to do with it.” Blood Eye lowered her head, and grabbed another fork of noodles as Scootaloo looked down, thinking about how much her life actually meant. On this side, her life was just a paycheck, she sighed despondently.
“Even if I had bargained your life for mine, you aren’t worth my bounty. A pegasi is worth a small house, my bounty could buy a skyscraper.” Blood Eye finished her food and dumped the cup into the bin, heading into the bedroom and pulling out a candle and lighting it. It produced an eerie green flame.
“What does that do?” Scootaloo watched Blood Eye write a quick letter and seal it with saliva. She then held it over the flame, and burnt it into nothingness.
“It allows me to send messages.” Snuffing out the flame, Blood Eye put it away as a knock to the door sounded, and she opened it halfway and tossed the body out. A bag of coin was passed through the door, and the pony on the other side closed it. Putting the coin under her coat, she once more turned to her bed, and prepared it for a sleep.
“So uh, what do I do now?” Scootaloo looked at Blood Eye as she paused in making her bed, and turned to face her.
“What do you want to do.” Blood Eye’s desponded answer made Scootaloo jump, and she looked to the ground as she muttered an answer.
“Well, I can’t go back to the white without Sweetie Belle, I promised I’d bring her back. And I can’t do that as I really don’t have any way to make her come with me.” Scootaloo sat down and the ground, ears flopping back, and sighed, a single tear escaping her eye. Blood Eye sat down on her bed and watched the mare work out what she wanted to do.
“What would you suggest I do?” Scootaloo turned her eyes on Blood Eye, who winced visibly in response and looked away. After a moment she turned back, once more a stoic face.
“Make a wanted poster, put a bounty on her body, alive.” Blood Eye began to fluff her pillow as the mare stood up, and gasped as the idea took hold in her head.
“Yes! That could work! She’ll surely forgive us once she’s back in the white! Oh but I don’t have any bits and I doubt I can afford the wanted fee…” Scootaloo frowned once more, bringing a hoof to her face as she mused. Blood Eye laid down, and has just closed her eyes as the mare spoke once more.
“I know! you can help me!” Scootaloo saw Blood Eye flail slightly as she jumped, and fell off the bed. Chuckling sheepishly, she saw a glare directed at her as Blood Eye once more sat on the bed.
“And just why would I do that.” Blood Eye was getting tired of Scootaloo. If this was how people on the white were, she didn’t want to visit.
“Simple! I’ll take on targets too. I’ll pay your fee and use what’s leftover to save for the bounty on Sweetie Belle! I’ll also pay part of the rent, that is, if you allow me to stay here.” Scootaloo saw Blood Eye consider it for a moment, and a smile grew on her face. This was her chance!
“You do realise my bodyguard fees would run you out of bits so fast, and that’s not mentioning the fact I’m not available 24/7. You would be paying for hours you would not receive.” Blood Eye dismissed the conversation with a hoof, and turned her back to Scootaloo as she laid down, facing the wall.
“Not 24/7, only for a few minutes here and there when I can’t complete the bounty on my own. I’ll make you a deal, one you can’t resist.” Scootaloo paused, standing up and wings flaring as a smirk broke onto her face.
“If you have to help with the bounty, I will give you half of it, no questions asked. You wouldn’t even have to lift a finger. I will pay the rent, do the bounties, everything, all you have to do is be there in case I fail. And if I do, you get half the bounty.” Scootaloo saw Blood Eye slowly roll over, and look at her depressingly.
“I don’t split bounties.” Turning once more, she failed to see Scootaloo wince and look toward the couch, and finally sigh in desperation.
“Fine fine! The entire bounty is yours if you have to help! I’ll even always go after bigger targets so as to make up for the money I lose on the times you have to help! Please Blood Eye, you’re the only person I can ask!” Scootaloo waited a moment, before looking to the ground and closing her eyes, knowing she was defeated.
“Why me?” Hearing Blood Eye’s voice, hope sparked in her eyes as she took a step forward, and began speaking.
“Because you’re the only pony that has ever helped me in this rathole called Black.” Scootaloo approached Blood Eye, noticing she had yet to turn around. This would be difficult, this pony was as stubborn as a mule.
“I have never once outwardly helped you. You escaped the building on your own. That just happened to be by following me. And the jump was me using you to ensure I would not get seriously hurt, nothing more.” Blood Eye shifted, pulling the cloak around her more tightly.
“And what about at the inn? Do you think anypony else in this place would have turned around and come back and untied me? Do you know what anypony else would have done to me had they found me there, with the door open? It would not be pretty.” Scootaloo raised her head and stood tall, wings open as she waited for an answer. After a minute, she relaxed her posture and lowered her head. As she raised a hoof to turn and leave, she blinked in shock as Blood Eye rolled over once more and fixed her eyes on Scootaloo.
“Fine, but you sleep on the couch.”