Fair Flight

by Baryski

Chapter 9: Dirty Deals (Faith)

There were a great deal of things weighing heavily on Faith’s mind, not the least of which was this meeting. Trusting the trade Guild wasn’t high on her list of priorities. Though, it did feel good to lose herself in the lifestyle again. Killer’s tools lined her form, weighed down her wings, and even pressed on her mind. It felt like home, but also strangely alien. A Creed is a Creed is a Creed, that mantra had been her scapegoat ever since her first meeting with Rose. Now, though, she was a Creed who killed other Creeds and no longer even wore the insignia of the organization. What did that make her?

A killer. For now, an answer like that would be good enough. Creed or no, inadequate words or not, she was still, at the very least, a killer. She dropped down from the sky silently towards the meeting place, eyes scanning; judging. Crude and hard to defend positions littered the back alley. If there was an ambush, or worse, it would be difficult to escape let alone secure Scarlet’s safety. There it was again, that feeling that she had to worry about Scarlet before anything else. Is that what it meant to care about somepony?

Finally she noticed it, the sickening black cloak in the alley. Every nerve immediately screamed ambush. Before she knew it, Faith was scanning for potential vantage points, hiding places for reinforcements, and potential traps. But, something was off about it, everything was off.

Faith had spent time pouring over the dossier book Rose had left, familiarizing herself with the details. It was just another poor attempt to distract herself, but it had given her the insides of Hooftail. The figure on the ground seemed wrong, or just off enough, for one of the few elites she had read about. Still, she could nitpick all day or she could finish this before Scarlet had a chance to show up. The feeling again, the old Faith would have taken the time to quell the worries about the situation. The new Faith, this new Faith, was too preoccupied with keeping Scarlet out of potential dangers.

Wings folded completely to her side as she dropped the final few feet directly behind the Creed. Blade was readied before she even hit the ground, legs taking the impact without so much as a grunt. She wanted this over with fast, “Where are your reinforcements?”

“Right behind me,” The voice hit like a sledgehammer, along with the shame.

“Scarlet?” Faith chastised herself as she quickly dropped her hoof, retracting the blade back into the bracer in one fluid movement. She made a rookie mistake, charging in, and almost attacked the pony she had been dead set on protecting. The guilt was a little hard to hold back from her voice, “How? Why? I mean. Sorry, for attacking you.”

“Yeah… I never thought I’d get to be attacked by you. The cloak may have been a bad idea, but it was too good an irony to let it slide. If we’re to do this, I want them to know it was you who paid them back for… your family.” Faith felt the shame burning still. The mention of her family hurt, too. What would they think of her what she was turning into, “It’s Lore’s hour of retribution. I can take my credit later.”

I couldn’t care less about paying them back! Not as long as... She wanted to scream those words out at the top of her lungs, she wanted to get them out. But, like everything else, she couldn’t. It was a wonderful sentiment, to be able to avenge what had happened to her family. She owed them that much, didn’t she? She owed them that much and more, but she didn’t know what she owed herself.

“Thank you,” Somewhere deep down, she was laughing, laughing at what father would have thought. Under any other circumstances those two would still be enemies, but here she was trying to honour the memory of a family she would have tried to kill. Faith wanted to kiss her for...No, no, no, not those thoughts again, “You really didn’t need to do something like that.”

Change the topic, change the topic to anything else, “It looks good on you, though.” No, not that. Why did you change it to that?

“Yeah, it’s really nothing special. I didn’t get the time, nor the skill to do anything with it…special. You know, like yours is. You seem a bit better fitted for this kind of outfit.” This conversation was only going to get more awkward as the two danced around the elephant in the room that was currently attempting to swan dive into the kitchen sink. Small talk, small talk did not in any way befit two mares in this line of work, but neither seemed to be able to pry themselves out of it to say what needed to be said.

“I really don’t think I could have talked my, err, supplier out of doing something like this. She never gives me a choice,” Faith’s mind drifted to Rose, then the dresses, crazy as they were, then to her family. Seeing her in a dress not for a cover, actually she had only worn a dress for a cover once, probably would have killed them. Then, it went back to the coffee before finally setting on a disturbing topic. No, not now. Definitely not now, “When this whole thing is over we have something to talk about, don’t we?”

What am I to you? She couldn’t get those words out of her head. Even after fourteen cups of coffee, several of which had been home brewed and tasted mostly like dirt that had been lit on fire several times and then put out with antiseptic, she still hadn’t been able to drown that.

“I suppose,” The words sort of stung, not as bad as the realization from the coffee shop, but it still hurt. The main problem was, Faith didn’t really understand why they hurt, “One of my acquaintances from Ogon 8 kissed me two nights ago.” There it was, or was it?

Faith had been telling herself these feelings were pointless the entire time. She had called herself out on Scarlet never being able to care. So, why did it feel like she had been blindsided by this kind of revelation? It was natural, right? A Creed is a Creed is a Creed, it would be natural to choose the companion over that. You know, there are only so many times you can use the word natural before it loses all meaning, “Sorry.”

Faith glanced away, she didn’t know why she did it and, if she did, it probably would have also explained why it hurt to find out something you already supposedly knew, “Don’t worry about it. It’s only natural, right?” There it was again, natural. If she lived long enough, Faith would ensure that the definition of that word changed, “You didn’t have anything to apologize for.”

Natural: Adjective. An inexplicable pain in one’s chest caused without any discernible reason.

“Yes, I do! I never wanted it to happen, especially after I met you. He just kissed me without asking, and I liked it! I just didn’t want to lose you, and eventually you would’ve found out one way or another. I just hoped this would be a better way to say it than for you to find out when we’re in a serious relationship,” Wait, was Faith seriously being yelled at for, for whatever it was she had tried to do, “...Too much?”

Too much? Nah, just one question. WHAT WAS THAT? Seconds ticked by as Faith, mouth slightly agape, tried to comprehend exactly what had just happened. Pony talks about kissing one of her comrades? Check. Painful acceptance to the fact she never had a chance? Check. Getting yelled at? Nope still didn’t make sense.

“Serious relationship?” Faith wasn’t even fully aware she had asked the question out loud. She was still trying to work through the words. What serious relationship? Had she meant, but no, “Wait, serious relationship?” This time it was intentional, she was slowly gathering her thoughts together, “But, does that mean...With who?”

“Just what am I to you?!” That was it, the final straw. Forget decorum, screw appropriate times, adios dangerous missions. That question just wasn’t going to stay inside anymore. She wanted to preface it, to give Scarlet more like, ‘Just say I don’t mean anything. Say something.’ But, nothing else could come out but her own heavy breathing.

That was, her breathing for a few precious seconds. After that a set of lips invaded her precious space, sealing themselves onto her mouth. It wasn’t the perfect answer Faith would have preferred, but it was wonderful. After the seconds ended and the kiss disappeared the warm sensation continued to fill her. She still felt insecure, wanting to hear the words she assumed the kiss spoke, but they could wait. She could hear the words another time. Not like she had much of a choice.

“Ladies. Crimson is waiting for you.” That was right, they were here to take care of something. Faith shook herself off for a second to stare at the new arrival. She could put on a strong bravado, good enough to play with him, but the heat wasn’t going away anytime soon.

She affixed the intruder with, what she hoped was, a powerful glare. Honestly, she was just a little angry that the moment had to be over, “I suppose it would be rude to keep him waiting?”

The threesome began the perilous journey down the countless side streets and passages heading for the unknown heart of the meeting. Faith tried to maintain at least some semblance of grim demeanor during the trip. Once or twice, though, she felt the beginnings of a blush forming on her visage. This was like a date, wasn’t it? Then the thought hit her, well, the reality hit her. I’m horrible at dates, aren’t I?

As Faith struggled with the concept of her pseudo-date and saving it a blade took shape in front of her eyes. It took a few seconds to register, but then she immediately snapped back into reality, “I know it may not be exactly the same, but I decided to keep it intact. A gift from you should be made to be kept, not ruined.”

The blade, it was her old one and back mostly to how it had been before. It shouldn’t have meant much of anything, really, but it felt wonderful, like a part of her was actually with Scarlet. At that moment her guise didn’t matter, that was gone. All that mattered was that she was embracing the pony she cared about. Hugging her, maybe a little too strongly, “You did something like that?” A kiss, a short but happy kiss, “I, I don’t know what to say.”

I’m not that bad at dates. I could be worse...I really need to work on my definition of date.

“I thought I’d learn to use it one day… From you. You’re the best I’ve seen with this thing on. And I’ve seen quite a few. I figured I can never thank you enough for accepting me the way I am. Hell, you’re the only pony I loved since I lost my mates.”

“Love?” Hearing those words gave Faith just about as much satisfaction as she’d hoped for. She couldn’t have stopped the grin on her face if she tried to. For now, well, it was enough to just be happy. The nagging feeling was strangely absent for now, perhaps it had forgotten about the date, “I...I’d be more than happy to help you with anything, anytime. After all, I’m the one who doesn’t deserve it. I’ll always be lucky enough that you didn’t just want me dead. To think you could...”

“Shh,” Before Faith could continue stumbling through her words Scarlet was there and so was a rather strong hoof silencing her, “You deserve someone to love you, just like everybody else. It doesn’t matter who he or she is. It might not be me in a couple of years, but remember that if we part ways, I… I love you, Faith.”

It was awkward and unprofessional and a million other things Faith never dreamed of deserving. It was wonderful and, in that moment there were only those two ponies. For that moment, Creed stopped existing, TWOS was never created, Fair-feather was still just a gleam in its founder’s eye, and even Celestia’s sun had never been brought into existence. In that moment, Faith broke down, shed her tears, kissed the amazing, beautiful, wonderful pony who accepted her and made a vow without fully understanding what the words meant, “I love you too. Which is why, no matter what happens, I’m going to be the one to protect you always. Because, we are always getting out of this.”

And then, reality dawned yet again. I’m going to have to kill that guide later.

“Umm...Ladies, we’re here,” Yeah, that guide was definitely going to die. The building the pony had guided them to was about what Faith had come to expect from organizations like the trade guild, large and impractical, but designed to intimidate. Big imposing buildings were difficult to maintain and harder to defend in the event of an insurgance. It was unlikely the guild even had the ponies needed to maintain security. Still, they made it look as fearsome as possible. For Faith, it looked rather nice. Everything looked rather nice right now.

As their guide snaked them through corridors, flights of stairs, and more corridors Faith had to continually update her mental escape plan. She had made a vow, she didn’t take that bit lightly. Finally, the door opened into the dimly lit room. It was vaguely reminiscent of a Creed interrogation room sans torture implements and screaming. Okay, it was only vaguely like a Creed interrogation room. Still, it did the job of providing only one way in or out, meaning the red pony sitting at the table in the middle held all the power for the time being.

“Welcome, Just Faith, Scarlet Blast. I’ve been… expecting you.” How he knew her name was a bit of a mystery, but Faith was more than enough aware that anything could be bought with bits. It was even equally possible Scarlet had provided it when she negotiated this meeting, “Please, have a seat. I’ve been waiting to talk to the two of you for a long time.”

Bah, he was by far the third, no fourth, worst intimidator Faith had ever encountered. The chair was slightly uncomfortable, though, those fiends. Surely, uncomfortable chairs and posturing ponies were the weak points of any pony who dealt with the trade guild, “Just get to the point, Crimson. You know what we’re here for.”

Was it natural to think that the demanding tone Scarlet took was cute, even in the middle of a potentially lethal meeting? Probably not, but it was likely not normal to say, “I like this chair, think I can get three of them to go?” Keep your opponent off guard, now she just had to hope they didn’t actually give her three of them to lug away.

“As a matter of fact, I know what you’re here for. And I’m willing to give it to you… for a price. When the two of you are ready to pay up, I will give you the goods. Trade rules, if you know what I mean,” Her bravado hadn’t phased the stallion as much as she had hoped, but Faith wasn’t one to be discouraged.

“Trade rules. The same ones where you go and sell information about us as soon as we leave?” Faith sighed heavily, she wasn’t here to argue with the pony. She was here because Scarlet trusted him and that had to be good enough, for now, “Fine, no more snide remarks from me.”

“That’s better,” The pony seemed confident enough in his victory over Faith’s unruly mouth. The question about how confident he would have been if this was done on Faith’s terms eliciting at least a little joy from the dejected mare, “Besides, fifteen hundred bits is a bargain for this kind of information. You might be able to take out Hooftail easily with it.”

As if. Faith held her tongue, barely, as Scarlet rummaged around for what she could, “I only have one thousand. I consider this is enough for you to give us what you know. I don’t believe anything you’re going to give me is worth more than that.”

“I’m sorry, Scarlet, but do I look like a bazaar pony to you? My prices are fixed, and nothing is going to change with that. Fifteen. Hundred. Otherwise, you get nothing,” Faith momentarily contemplated releasing her blade and playing with this stallion until he begged for forgiveness. Unfortunately for her, Scarlet’s eyes were holding the mare hostage, pleading for a more civil solution. Well, civil was a relative term.

Faith fiddled under her cloak, bits weren’t something she normally kept around, but this wasn’t the first negotiation she had ever dealt with. Luckily the amount she had brought, a considerable chunk of the money left in the lockbox, was around seven hundred bits. Although, you never took the time to count bits in a meeting like this, meaning he was going to get a bit of a bonus, grudgingly.

“There,” Her bag jingled to the table as she made sure to emphasize the bracer on her hoof, “That should be good enough. But, if I’m not satisfied, I will take whatever I figure you owe us out of your flank.” She wasn’t joking either, she would much rather carve him up than squabble over useless bits.

“My, such a violent temper. You might want to control her Scarlet,” Apparently Faith was wrong, ponies did count bits in this type of deal. At least, this Crimson certainly did as he painstakingly counted Faith’s bag. Doubting a pony who desperately wanted to at least cut him was probably not his smartest move, “At least it does seem to be all there.” Doesn’t even mention that it’s overpaid.

“Well then, on to your information,” The stallion postured, trying to make himself seem more important as he pulled out a map of the city and pointed to a nice circled location, a small building that likely hid a larger underground complex, “That is the current base of operations. Of course, they have others, but that is where the master is running things out of right now.”

“As you can imagine, security is quite tight,” Crimson started playing with a couple of bits tossing them between hooves, “And, if the alarm gets raised, there are at least a dozen escape tunnels for the master. But, you are quite in luck that you chose me.”

His arrogance was astounding, but he was good for one thing, “Three to three-thirty in the morning. The guard shifts are set up that you would only have to take out three in the back entrance. If you can get them down without raising the alarm, well, I don’t think I have to tell you what happens next.”

“Security on the inside doesn’t exist. It’s assumed that if you get inside, you are one of them,” Faith answered absent mindedly. Creed bases were all like that, the outside security was tight, almost impenetrable, but inside was lax. The idea was, by the time anypony got inside the alarm was already wrung. If that was the case, every member was a weapon in a small enclosed space, or they could all escape. The key here was, to not raise that alarm.

“Exactly, my dear. And, as an added bonus, the master likes to sleep until at least six in the morning. Every morning.”

“So, I guess this is all. We don’t have much to wait for now, do we Faith. In two days time, the Hooftail master will be dead and we’ll only have the Shadowbrands to deal with. What’s your take on it,” Getting in, maybe even killing him would be easy, but everything felt almost too easy. There was a general uneasiness that came with such a perfect opportunity, but Faith tried to push it to the back of her mind. They could do this, she needed to be as confident about it as Scarlet.

“It probably won’t be easy, but everything that comes after will be tougher. If it’s together, no problem,” Since when did Faith start talking like that? Even if it was just bravado, it was so much better to talk about them together. It was just easier.

Comments

[Baryski]

And, we finally near the end. Next chapter is the last chapter for Book 1.