Vinyl Scratch; ex-assassin, part time party animal, full time DJ, and all around symbol of awesomeness. At least that's what I want to put in my resume. The ex-assassin part really seems like a turn off. I could replace it with delinquent, but then it becomes the resume of a delinquent. No one wants a delinquent working for them.
Sure, I should probably add something about my degrees and where I graduated, but it doesn't really add any pizazz to it. Catching the eye of the employer is one of the most important parts of gaining a job. Oh well, I'll just put everything in the resume. The Princess of Ponyville (never understood why it was called that) would totally like a bodyguard who's a jack of all trades. Nothing could go wrong with that.
The resume was only needed as a formality. Unofficially, I’d come into contact with Princess Twilight after one of her gigs at the castle. She’d recognized me from the Equestrian blacklist and from the last time we met, which had actually been a good while, impressive. It was easy to assume that the whole reason I had been invited to DJ was for that meeting. I like to assume that it was because of my amazing skills. Though, officially, I was being scouted as a personal bodyguard. Which is the cause of the resume.
I sighed. Being an average citizen on its own was pretty tiring, but all the extra work was wearing me out. It'd only been a year since I'd stopped working as an assassin. The Shadowbolts had decided that I should take a “break” after one particularly cute assignment had maybe, possibly, could have, not actually been killed. Totally not my fault.
Apparently being one of the top assassins and trained by the Headmaster didn't give you any leeway either. It was practically illegal to kill something that adorable. Even if they are a international arms dealer that sneaks weapons to the bad guys through stuffed ponies.
So, here I am. Still on my “break”. I pushed away from the table, figuring that I could cure my lack of motivation to write any more with some good ‘ol milk and cookies. Not even the magnificent view of the telephone pole from my balcony would cheer me up.
The sun had already begun its descent as I made my way to my couch. Not a bad day for an assassination, if I do say so my-
“ACHOO!”
-self. Wow, that was a good one. Anyway, most assassins say that night is the best time for a silent job. But I think that a setting sun is one of the best points in a day for it. Play your cards right and a single glint to blind your target will give you a perfect opening. Plus it's way less work then all the planning that goes into a night assassination.
‘Work smarter, not harder’. That's what Headmaster used to say at least. It probably included a few more paragraphs of knowledge stuff, but I assume that was the main theme. Honestly, I was more focused on the “armor” and fighting at the Academy then learning.
My awesome seamstress/armor instructor Miss Jelavic always said: “Stun your targets with yourself, then a flashbang.” Definitely a fan of her work, both her assassinations and clothing creations. She's actually coming for tea next weekend.
Fighting wasn't just hand to hand combat and whatever squirt gun everyone was taught to handle. It was everything I could imagine and everything I hadn't. It went from a small M1911 to a Desert Eagle, a sword to a chainsaw, even a table lamp to a foam finger.
Man, all this assassination flashback stuff is reminding me of something. It can't be the cookies and milk. I already ate most of the cookies and drank all the milk. Groaning as I pushed myself up, I headed toward my fridge to grab some more milk. The milk-stache disappeared from lip as I subconsciously wiped it, more focused on whether I was thinking about the always annoying problem of have more dip than chips and vice versa or that one time I had to be a bodyguard on Christmas in Equestria. Though over there they called it Hearth's Warming.
A small squeak of floorboards interrupted my thinking.
Ah, that was what I forgot about. The intruder. Since I'm on the second floor, that must've been the fifth step squeaking. Man I hate that step. Not much anymore, though. The intruder was just about up the stairs as I finished pouring the milk down the sink. What a valiant waste, giving up your support for the deliciousness of cookies for me. It won't be in vain.
I made my way to the wall closest to me, situated on the corner of the hallway from the stairs. More squeaking reverberated throughout the house as they opened and closed doors. As the third squeak came around, which meant one more door to go, I looked around to find out my intruder was quite the attractive women. A sleeveless hoodie, with cargo shorts is not too shabby. Problem is that while you're able to carry a ton of more tools for an assassination, but sacrifice speed and stealth.
I assume the intruder is an assassin based off that. But the dead, heh, giveaway is the dual short swords. The fourth squeak reached my ears and I flung my head back behind the corner. I was lucky. She was more focused on searching, she wasn't very aware of her surroundings. Quite the rookie mistake if I do say so myself.
I took a quite, slow breath and swung my glass around the corner. The glass shattered and sprinkled on the floor, small tinks accompanied them. I quickly slammed the assassin against the closest wall with my left forearm, pressing hard against her collarbone. Though I was dominant with my right hand, which had the other half of the broken glass, I still had a good amount of strength in my left. Totally strengthened by months of training.
I pushed the glass poking the chin of the assassin, getting slightly distracted by the fact that she only had a hoodie on. Which became evident as it was creating a great V-neck. She definitely paid attention in armor class, at least in the distraction aspect. Not so much with the armor part.
“So, uh, first of all, I'm Vinyl. Vinyl Laverne Scratch. Also known as DJ-Pon3. The Y is a three, by the way.” A scowl was all I received. “Oh, manners. Uh, so, what's your name?”
Something wet slide down my cheek. Did she just spit on me?! “Okay, wow. Not cool. Like, I can’t even wipe it off. Am I not speaking in the right language? Sabes que eres muy atractiva?”
Her scowl deepened, but a slight tinge of red showed up on her cheeks. “Ha! Okay, well since you’re so fun I’ll let go. But please don’t run. I don’t want to get the origami out.” Oh, maybe I should try something less complicated. Spanish is too hard. “Do. Not. Run. You. Regret. It.”
“I can understand English and Spanish, you dimwit.”
I exhaled in relief, “Man, that's great because that one sentence was the best I've got.” Silence. Tough crowd. I let go of the yet-to-be-named-assassin and headed back over to the fridge, stopping to sweep the glass away with my foot. The assassin shifted behind me, but something didn’t seem right.
I went with my gut and spun around, raising my broken glass bottle in defense. And surprise, surprise, there she is with her two swords drawn. Both come down, parallel and possibly aimed to chop my arms off. Smart, because what can someone do without arms. Actually a lot, but the bleeding out would definitely limit them.
I crossed my arms, my left hand redirecting the sword to only skim my clothing and right hand doing the same with the bottle. After I dropped the bottle, I quickly rushed forward, throwing a right hook to stun, then grabbing the wrists of the assassin and pulling her towards me. A knee to the chest and the hard twisting of her arms sufficed to make her drop the swords.
I expected that to happen and already had commandeered the swords before they hit the ground. The assassin seemed to be left handed, meaning I should probably go for the said hand for an incapacitation. But since it was better to be safe then sorry I gave her a quick shove and drove the blades into her shoulders. A loud cry was what I received, along with a slight amount of struggling, but ultimately the assassin fell relatively silent as she fell into unconsciousness. I rushed to get the neosporin and a few bandages.
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This is the dream. I sat on the couch, watching some show that involved ponies. I was currently waiting for the assassin to wake up, who’s head was situated on top of my lap. I’d patched her up quickly, I impressed myself with how well I did it, but she has yet to wake up.
“Ughh.”
Speaking of the assassin. I looked down to see that she had slightly opened her eyes, gently rubbing them soon after. They opened up wider as she looked around, and fully opened once she looked up to see me. Struggling ensued.
Once she realized that she couldn’t get off from the couch, after some persuasion from my tight grip on her damaged shoulders (oops), she stopped and stared at me. “First of all, why didn’t you kill me? Second of all, why do I only have on a t-shirt and some sweatpants? Lastly, why am I on your lap?”
I gasped in an exaggerated manner, “So you are talkative! Well, person who’s name I don’t know, since you’re being such a sweet little cooperative thang I suppose I can do a Q and A.” I looked down for her reaction, which, surprise, was a scowl.
I shifted to a more comfortable position, her head still on my lap. “Okay, let's get down to business. Let’s get the first question over with since it’ll probably take the longest to explain. I didn’t kill you for a few reasons. One, because, like I said, you’re hot. Two, I’m on ‘vacation’.” I made sure to add air quotes. ”Doing so would just ruin the experience. Plus, I wouldn’t have been able to do this.” I gestured to Octavia laying her head on my lap.
“Lastly, three, I’d like to know more about you. All these questions have a price ya know. As for your second question, I had to change your clothes because they were bloody. And-”
“You stripped me?!”
“I had to stitch up your shoulders.” The assassin gave me a, heh, murderous glare. “Hey, don’t worry, I had my eyes closed the whole time.” She narrowed her eyes. “You don’t believe me.”
The assassin scoffed, “Not even a bit.”
“Hey, I’ve defused a bomb with a rubberband, gum, and a paperclip. I’m pretty sure that changing some clothing and stitching pale in comparison.”
“How am I supposed to believe you, when all you did was reference a movie?”
I grinned, “Okay, so maybe I peeked a little bit. I hope you're happy to know that I quite enjoyed the view. Sure the groaning and occasional yelling didn’t help, but I give the overall experience an eight out of ten.”
Noticing I succeeded in making her blush I went to the next question, “Anyway, you’re on, my lap because the couch is comfy and you’re on it, so this was the compromise. Plus you need the rest. Oh, and I’ve always wanted to be a lap pillow. Do those answer your questions, mi’ lady?”
The assassin sighed, “Yes, all except one, I suppose.”
“And that is?”
“How long do you plan on keeping me here?”
I tapped my chin in thought, “Ah, well, I kinda wanted to keep you for, like forever. But I guess I can decide after you answer my questions.”
She gestured for me to continue, most likely already given up hope of escaping. “So, first off, let's start with something simple. What's your name?”
“It's Octavia Philharmonica, if you must know.”
I grinned, “Nice name. Now, let's get a little more into this interrogation. What's your age? Why are you here? Are you currently single? Who do you work for?”
Octavia sighed, “Same age as you, twenty-six. I'm, obviously, here to eliminate you. More specifically, because of the threat you impose on the Princess. Yes, I am. I work for the Wonderbolts, under Instructor Gilda. Is that good enough?”
“You work for Feathers? Oh, she’s a jerk, but I guess she somewhat knows what she’s doing. Now, do you know Dashie? Because she is the bomb! I had her do a fly-over during one of my shows, it was ‘cause of a bet she lost, and the crowed loved it! Anyway, back to the unaliving part of this.” I rubbed an imaginary beard in thought. “I still don’t understand why you want to kill me. Like, you work for the Wonderbolts. They’re pretty much the most skilled assassin company, the only company that even rivals them would be the Shadowbolts.”
Really the only difference between the two is the mindset. Shadowbolts are more for eliminate everything, celebrate with a beer. The Wonderbolts are like, the exact opposite, where they plan everything out, go in pairs and go after the exact target, keeping collateral damage at a low. It’s why they’re the more popular of the two. Along with the reason for being the Princesses’ go-to people for when they need something more, say, under-the-radar done.
“ I mean, sure, the two companies are practically enemies, but it’s not like we’ve tried to kill each other before. But I still don’t understand why you’d want to, or have to, kill me.”
Octavia raised her hand, “I can answer that, but I need to know something else first. Are you planning to kill Princess Twilight?”
“What?! No, why? Like, my upcoming job is to bodyguard her, not kill her.”
Octavia nodded her head, “Well, it seems I may be able to answer your question, Miss Scratch. If you are telling the truth, that is. But, nonetheless, it seems we were both set up.”
She paused, after a few seconds I realized that she was waiting for my approval for to continue. I shook my head a few times and she began her explanation, “I was sent here to kill you, yes, but the reason behind my assignment was because Instructor Gilda told me that she’d heard plans of you planning to kill Princess Twilight. Which could be a really bad mix up of her overhearing the Princess talking about you being a bodyguard, but that seems highly unlikely…”
Octavia’s continued explanation of why it was most likely a setup became background noise as I thought about what to do. This could definitely become a problem. I had to get in contact with Rainbow Dash. Gilda was most likely a member of the Infiltration Squad of the Shadowbolts. Which meant my assassination would be taking out loose ends.
I couldn't go to the Academy yet, Octavia was still recovering. My only worry would be that Gilda had already found out. Though, most likely, she wouldn't become suspicious for at least another week. As I mentioned before, Wonderbolts took their time planning ops, and a week for one mission is considered a quick and efficient success.
Sure, I could probably give Dashie a call, but I really didn't want to risk it in case Gilda actually had some kind of wiretap or, really anything that would track warning coming in from any electronic. The best plan was to get Octavia to recover enough to get her back to the Academy, who had way better medical treatment then I could ever give, then get to Rainbow Dash after I dropped her off at the infirmary. Plus, Princess Twilight was already expecting me for a meeting at some point, so I shouldn’t expect any resistance.
I looked down and prepared to tell Octavia the plan, but stopped once I saw she was peacefully sleeping. I smiled, definitely living the dream. I slowly and carefully got up from the couch, cupping her head, definitely her head, and placed it back on the couch gently. I went to go about my business, but not before placing a kiss on her forehead.
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Octavia was recovering quickly. It had only been a day or so and I should already be able to move her to the Academy by tomorrow. Though most of taking care of her resulted in me having to carry or help her to someplace. Most of the time it was the bathroom, which didn’t give some remarkable moments. I’d rather not think about those times.
There were times when she wanted to move somewhere different from the couch, places around the house like the porch or maybe just the chair next to the couch. The night after she had come I put her in the guest bed. She particularly liked how comfy it was, though she wouldn’t tell me that she did. The best example for me to deduce that was when she had the covers wrapped tightly around her and was cuddling the pillows while she was asleep. I took a picture immediately after, it’s my wallpaper now.
Currently, Octavia and I were sitting on the porch. She had wanted to get some fresh air, saying that the house was getting boring and too cramped(?). The porch wasn’t too small or really big, in my opinion at least. It had a simple set up of two chairs a couch of sort, more like a love seat kind of deal, along with a table in the middle of it. There was one small table on one side of the couch in between it and one of the other chairs for whatever was needed.
It held some books I had been planning on reading, but haven’t gotten to. The porch was on the second floor and was nice to walk around on during the day, since the wood was smooth enough to feel good when it was slightly heated. But the view wasn’t that great since I had chosen a neighborhood near the outskirts of Canterlot for my assignment. I had already been considering the job and moving here before I had to “find a better fit for my skills”.
Seriously, the higher ups sounded like a board of directors for some business corporation firing some worker for being too lazy and didn’t want to hurt their feelings. Just because of one slip up. Like, sure, the weapons dealer was building a quantum computer and stuff to, maybe, slightly, take over the world. But you don’t just kill a hot babe.
Plus there wasn’t just one hot babe, there were more. Honestly it probably would’ve been a worse crime to kill them then prevent a takeover of the world. I think it would be in good hands if it was controlled by them. I’m totally not biased or anything.
Speaking of hot babes, one just happened to be in the vicinity. I looked over to Octavia. She seemed to be looking a lot better, more so than she already had. It seemed like just a good a time as any to find out more about her. Not about her skills as an assassin or more on how she found out about me, none of that stuff really. I just wanna know the good and simple stuff.
I turned toward Octavia to give her my full attention, “Hey Octy, I’ve got some questions for you.”
Octavia lazily turned her head, fully content with basking in the sun, “Yes, what is it Vinyl?”
I hadn’t actually planned what to ask, so I said the first thing that popped into my mind, “So, what cup size are you?”
Well, that’s a shade of red I’ve never seen. Octavia regained her composure and grinned, “A size larger than you.”
“How do you even know that?!”
She scoffed, “I would think it’s quite obvious Scratch. We Wonderbolts have to know everything about our target. Just in case. And I like to be extra thorough. If we’re getting into that, why don’t we discuss the Christmas incident?”
I gasped, “Okay! Okay! How about we just talk about the really simple stuff. Like, say...your favorite color. Yeah, how about that?”
Octavia gave a sly smile, obviously showing she knew she’d won. I felt like it came from some character in a movie. “I like blue and red, they complement each other well. And how about you Vinyl?”
I had scrunched my face up (that’s possible, right?) in nervousness, “Uh..blue. I like blue too.” I regained my composure, “So, a slightly more serious question.” Octavia raised an eyebrow. “Heh, yeah. Uh, how long have you been working as an assassin?
She noded slightly, I had passed apparently, “Well, actually, this was supposed to be my first assignment. I hope to get another chance, once this is cleared up with Commander Dash and Princess Twilight, that is.”
I hummed in agreement, “So, I heard that you’ve got to do a solid fifteen plus years before you’re considered a possible Master Assassin, or at least a chance to be one. What’s the deal with that stuff?”
“Yes, you need at least fifteen years of experience before you even have a chance of becoming a Master Assassin. I hope to become one, as do all other Trainees working for the Wonderbolts. But it requires, at the least, a recommendation from Commander Dash, one hundred successful missions, and to pass the test given to you by one of the Princesses themselves.”
I grinned, “Sounds cool. Do you ever think you’ll be doing anything after? Or at least some hobbies during R and R?”
Octavia tapped her chin in thought. So cute. “I don’t think I’ll get to the point to where I would want to retire if I made it to Master Assassin. But, I suppose, I would like to learn how to play the cello during my free time.”
I gently gasped, “I could totally hook you up! I’ve got this guy, Neon Lights, who owns a big music store in the Crystal Empire. It deals with, like, anything you can think of that even vaguely relates to music.”
“I would love to. But you understand, as much as I want to, I still can’t fully trust you. It will be that way until we go to the Academy and find out if you really are planning to assassinate the Princess or not. And if you are, and you try to escape from the Academy, you won’t make it out alive. Do you understand Vinyl Laverne Scratch?”
I sighed, “Yeah, I got it. Prove innocence. Find culprit. Get reward, or recognition. And finally, get the girl.” I propped my feet up on the table. “But let’s do that all tomorrow. I’m not feeling it today. It’s too hot out. Plus, then I can say ‘all in a day’s work.’ or some cheesy, awesome, one liner.”
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The Academy was way bigger then it seemed like on the brochure. It was included in the letter (who sends letters nowadays anyway?) I got from the Princess, specifically made for when I came, or didn’t come, to accept the bodyguarding job. I liked it, plus, as a bonus, it was free. I always like free stuff.
Octavia and I made our way to the administration desk to check in or whatever you’ve gotta do when you check into an Academy for some of Equestria’s deadliest assassins. The front desk lady seemed slightly taken aback after I walked up to the desk. I was a little curious as to why, because even though I’m well known in the Shadowbolts, I wouldn’t expect to be well known in the Wonderbolts.
I looked around the desk and wall behind it while pondering the reason and my eyes eventually landed on the wall behind the desk. It had ten profile-like pictures on the wall numbered one to ten from left to right. Thinking it was peculiar I skimmed the pictures and noticed one of them was me. The number above listed me was six, six for what? I looked above the pictures, in large black letters it said: MOST DANGEROUS SHADOWBOLTS.
“Are you kidding me?! I’m only number six?!” I turned to Octavia, “Do you see this, Tavi?!”
Octavia sighed, “I do Vinyl, every time I have to go to work. Which is almost every day.” She looked toward the receptionist. “We’re here to talk to Commander Dash, is she available?”
The receptionist blinked a few times before responding, “Ah, let me check.” They quickly grabbed the nearest phone and began calling Dashie. It didn’t take long until they were done talking. “Commander Dash is busy currently, but she said to tell you two to wait outside her door. Trainee Philharmonica should be able to show you the way. And, you, Miss Scratch, need one of these.
The lady fished around the desk a bit before handing me a stick on thing that said “My name is _____. I’m just visiting! (Do not kill)”. Subtle. I scribbled Vinyl Scratch in the blank after I grabbed the pen she had in her other hand. I kept the pen though. Maybe that would teach the Wonderbolts to put me at sixth!
Octavia and I made our way to Dashie’s abode. The trek was long and supplies quickly dwindled from a KitKat and some Skittles to nothing. Octavia wasn’t faring much better with her wounds from the viscous tiger that we encountered. The soles of my feet burnt like my hottest mixtape as I continued what seemed a fruitless endeavor. But there! Over yonder I saw hope! It seemed to be salvation. The door, the place we had been searching for over a fortnight.
I stopped just short of it. Something didn’t feel right. It was like it had been with Octavia, except lighter and didn’t smell nearly as nice. It seemed like danger was there, but all there was in the hallway were a crap load of doors. It was just a really long hallway. I shook my head, pushing it off as too much suspicion from being in an ex-enemy’s training grounds. Too many potential assassins.
More importantly, I had to get Octavia to go to the infirmary and get her wounds checked. Hopefully I don’t get charged for destruction of military property. “Hey, Octy, shouldn’t you get going to the infirmary. I mean, I get that I probably did an awesome job, but learning that stuff wasn’t one of my priorities when I trained to become an assassin. Dashie’s a good friend of mine, so I don’t think I’ll be in danger or anything.”
“‘Tis lovely of you to think of me Scratch, but you need someone to watch you.” She mumbled something quickly after. I could’ve sworn she said, at least I hoped, preferably from behind. It seemed like she was saying it in a good way too.
“Fine, fine. Do what you want.” I knocked on the door with Dash’s name, hoping she’d answer and we wouldn’t have to wait. But something different happened.
The door opened, and my danger senses kicked in, making me all tingly. Most liked to call it a gut feeling, but I said it was experiance. Through the crack, that was slowly becoming larger, I saw Gilda. Who had apparently just come from a workout, because she was dressed in some tight yoga pants and a sports bra, along with a sweat rag of some sort hanging from her shoulders.
Which turned out to be pretty sweaty. I found this out after she proceeded to try and choke me with a sweat rag! I went for the first place I thought would benefit me the most; her boob. She grunted a bit, which would be expected of a Master Assassin. But seeing as I was rapidly loosing air, I figured I mine as well actually do something. I elbowed her again, gave a quick stomp to a foot, and ran towards the opposite wall. Which, by the way, did not really help with getting air back.
I continued to run straightforward, but went up the wall and over Gilda while keeping my hands on her rag. This effectively switched our positions, except I remembered to deny all routes of escape by wrapping my legs around her own. Quickly after she slumped forward, but I still held on a little bit longer to make sure.
The door was still ajar as Dash had rushed over to the commotion and was currently standing outside the said doorway. I grinned at her shocked reaction and waved, “Hey Rainbowcrash!”
“Vinyl? You weren’t supposed to be here for another week.”
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Shortly after, Octavia and I were seated in two of the seats in front of Dashie’s desk. Gilda had been carried away to wherever they wanted to take her, while we were in Dash’s office to be questioned about the whole fiasco. I had given her a rundown of what had happened in the past week and she didn’t seem all that surprised. I didn’t add certain things, because those would be relayed to her personally and unofficially.
“So, Soarin just notified me that Gilda had been in contact with King Sombra. Any thoughts on that Vinyl?”
I gave myself a few seconds to think, glancing over to Octavia, who had all her attention and, hopefully trust focused on me. She was quite angry over the fact that her intelligence had been dunked on and T-bagged by Gilda. She’d somehow been used, and I had a feeling a was because of me.
“I have a theory, but I can’t confirm it because I don’t really have any evidence. But, nonetheless, it seems like Gilda could be apart of the Infiltration Squad of the Shadowbolts. Most likely here because they wanted to keep an eye on everything.” I sighed. “But, in all likeliness, she was activated because of me. But she most likely had gotten lazy and didn’t want to leave here. Because, obviously, you’d have to blow your cover. Which lead to her finding a way to get Octavia an assignment to kill me.”
Both Octavia and Dash were still paying attention. I waited a bit to gather my thoughts before continuing, hoping they were believing me. “So, that still begs the question, why did she want to kill me? Think about it. I’m going to be tasked with being a personal bodyguard for Princess Twilight. The Shadowbolts don’t want any information, especially information that could destroy them, getting out.”
Dash nodded, “Which is why Gilda sent Octavia to kill you. And then tried it herself. I hadn’t paid attention to what she put through as Octavia’s first mission. Gilda had gained my trust enough that I thought she would make a wise decision for the first mission of one of the most promising Trainees we’ve had in awhile.”
Octavia blushed, I glared, Dash smiled innocently at me. “You’re dead to me.” I silently mouthed.
Dash continued, “Anyway, if the Princess trusts you with her life Scratch I don’t see any reason I shouldn’t trust you. Plus there’s not any evidence pointing against you. Just be a little careful, we need you alive to guard the Princess. Now,” She waved us off, “you need to get Octavia to the infirmary. I have a ton of paperwork to go through.”
Octavia and I got up, but at the doorway I stopped. “Hey, Rainbow Dash?”
Dash looked up from her papers. “Yeah?”
“Who’s taking over Octy’s training?”
Dash’s grin returned, “I was thinking about taking it over. But I hear there’s a great assassin coming in to guard the Princess, I was thinking of asking if she could take on a side job when the Princess isn’t needing guarding.”
“Hmm, I think she’d be alright with it.” I waved goodbye and caught up with Octavia, keeping pace in case she needed help.
We soon arrived at the infirmary. I helped her lay down on one of the beds and called one of the nurses over. One of them had already noticed us and came over, she had a nametag with Redheart on it. Totally knew that because I was looking for it, not at something else.
“So, do you want me to drive you home? I can wait for them to check you out and everything, I’ve got nothing better to do.”
Octavia chuckled, “I don’t think that they’re going to let me go after I was stabbed by two swords Vinyl. But thank you for the offer, I live on the dorms provided for Trainees and Teachers on campus so I should be fine.”
I hummed in acceptance, “Well, you know, I heard that the only reason Trainees stay in the dorms are because they can’t afford to stay anywhere. And it just so happens that I’ve been feeling pretty lonely. I was thinking about getting a roommate and I also was wondering if you wanted to be said roommate. With paying the proper expenses of course.”
“I would love to Vinyl, but you said yourself, the reason I’m in there is because I can’t afford living anywhere else.”
I smiled slyly, “Well, I’m sure we can work something out. If you’re-” The Redhart tapped me on the shoulder. There’s a word for people like you.
Redheart gestured toward the door, “We need to do some surgery on Trainee Octavia, only medical staff will be allowed in for awhile. Please wait outside after you finish up.” She walked away shortly after.
I turned back to Octavia, having stopped at the door, hoping she would actually accept my offer. Because, while it would be great to be able to take over her training, having her close would be...beneficial. It would be fun to have Octavia there too. Being along in a big house does get lonely, plus I would be able to watch her training more closely and help her improve much faster with her skill.
It seemed like quite a while before she answered. She really did seem to consider it, thinking over every detail of my sincerity. All this had led up to a chance. A chance to go from hunter and target to student and teacher to master and pupil to something beyond that. To a great pairing of skill, mind, and everything else.
“Okay, Vinyl. Come back here.” I walked over to her, but still stood. “I think that would be great. Especially because I’ll be able to pay rent eventually and,” She matched my previous sly smile. “I’ll hold you to what you said about finding a different way.” She paused for a breath, “But for now I have to get better for all the training and whatever else you’ll have in store for me. So…” She grabbed my shirt and pressed her lips against mine. “Until then, you’ll have to wait.”
“Uh, huh.”